At AWS re:Invent 2024 in Las Vegas this December, climate tech startups Unravel Carbon and Coastal Carbon showcased how they harness Generative AI to tackle pressing environmental challenges. Speaking to e27 on the sidelines of the event, representatives from both companies shared insights into their innovative approaches and the critical role technology plays in addressing climate change.

Despite the ongoing debate about AI’s environmental footprint, both Unravel Carbon and Coastal Carbon are proving their potential for good. Coastal Carbon, known for pioneering work mapping underwater ecosystems, leverages AI to make large-scale environmental monitoring cost-effective and efficient.

Meanwhile, Unravel Carbon, a Singapore-based company, stood out as the sole representative of its country in the prestigious Unicorn Pitch Tank. The startup has gained recognition for its cutting-edge use of Generative AI to provide data-driven solutions for decarbonisation, empowering businesses to meet sustainability goals.

These companies highlight the duality of AI’s impact: while it has its challenges, its capabilities in accelerating climate action are undeniable.

Unravel Carbon: Bridging global gaps in sustainability with AI

Unravel Carbon is pioneering the integration of artificial intelligence in addressing complex challenges tied to sustainability and decarbonisation. Recently, the company achieved a significant milestone with the launch of its International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)-certified reporting module at the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX).

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“We are the world’s first AI-assisted reporting module for this framework,” said Grace Sai, CEO of Unravel Carbon. The module, designed in alignment with the ISSB, aims to streamline corporate climate disclosures. “It helps enterprises break down the framework, understand it, and respond effectively,” Sai explained.

The new product leverages AI for peer benchmarking and automation, offering businesses insights into their climate performance. “Our tool turns company data into emissions data, providing a clear picture of hot spots and potential future states,” Sai added.

Unravel Carbon’s innovations have propelled its global footprint, with its solutions now used in over 50 countries and available in more than 70 languages. This year, the company marked its entry into the US, United Arab Emirates, and Thailand, proving its adaptability across markets. “We are growing two times year on year,” Sai noted, underscoring the commercial success of their technology.

Despite these achievements, challenges remain. Sai highlighted the need for greater urgency among business leaders to prioritise sustainability.

“A courageous, forward-thinking approach is essential, especially as the world transitions to a lower-carbon economy,” she stated.

Unravel Carbon’s future plans include expanding into Japan and the US in early 2025, with support from partners such as AWS. The company remains committed to helping businesses decarbonise and automate sustainability processes, setting a new standard in climate technology.

Coastal Carbon: Transforming ecosystem monitoring with AI

Coastal Carbon, a geospatial tech company co-founded by Thomas Storwick and Kelly Zheng, aims to push the boundaries of ecosystem monitoring through innovative applications of Generative AI. Established two years ago, the company has carved out a niche in mapping and monitoring underwater and coastal ecosystems, tackling complex challenges that conventional methods struggle to address.

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“We started in underwater and coastal ecosystems because this was a particularly hard problem,” said Storwick, the company’s COO. “We could prove our models were not only technically challenging but also novel, valuable, and far more cost-effective than existing techniques.”

Storwick recounted a project where divers manually mapped seagrass over 10 square kilometres, a process that took months and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. “The capability to monitor these ecosystems at scale did not exist, which is why we chose coastal and underwater ecosystems as our first focus,” he said.

While the company began with seagrass, kelps, and mangroves, it has since broadened its scope. Leveraging its Generative AI foundation models, Coastal Carbon now monitors diverse ecosystems and physical assets such as forests, buildings, and roads.

For clients with extensive geospatial expertise, Coastal Carbon offers tools to manage vast data pipelines and customise models for specific needs. However, it also caters to less specialised organisations, creating tailored solutions to provide critical insights. “For example, we have worked with solar panel investors to ensure their projects are on schedule and in compliance with agreements,” Storwick explained.

The company’s work has also extended to blue carbon credit organisations and conservation groups. It helps assess ecosystem threats, estimate carbon sequestration, and measure the impact of conservation efforts. Its Generative AI models allow it to map mangrove forests across hundreds of kilometres to the individual tree level. This technology is particularly valuable in regions such as Southeast Asia (SEA), where ecosystems often span borders and are difficult to monitor comprehensively.

“There is a huge kelp, seagrass, seaweed, and mangrove ecosystem in SEA that is very hard to manage,” Storwick noted. “We have not done mangrove mapping there yet, but we would love to, given the challenges of obtaining holistic data in the region.”

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When asked about the company’s upcoming plans, Storwick emphasised the company’s focus on meaningful collaboration. “It’s very important to us to work with clients we can truly help,” he said. “Many of our clients are trying to understand the world using language models, but those weren’t built for this data. Instead, we use large world models to give them the breadth and scope of data they need.”

Coastal Carbon’s credibility has been bolstered by milestones such as participating in the HF Zero accelerator and winning Amazon’s Compute for Climate Fellowship. These achievements provided significant resources, enabling the team of 15 across Canada and the US to scale its ambitions.

With its foundation model set to launch on AWS JumpStart, Coastal Carbon is inviting the geospatial community to explore its tools. “We are excited to see what can be built,” said Storwick. “Come try our models, and let us see what is possible.”

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