Chapter 09 · Sustainability & AISustainability & AI
Digital MRV (dMRV)
Definition
The use of digital technologies — satellites, sensors, connectivity and increasingly AI — to automate and strengthen the monitoring, reporting and verification of emissions, removals and project outcomes.
References
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Overview
What it means
Traditional MRV relies on periodic manual measurement and auditing, which is costly and slow. Digital MRV instruments the process: continuous sensor and satellite data, automated analysis, and shared data infrastructure — such as the Climate Action Data Trust's decentralised metadata layer for carbon markets — aim to make credits and claims traceable.
How it is used
Carbon-market standards bodies and regulators are piloting dMRV for forestry, energy and industrial projects; satellite methane detection (e. g. UNEP's MARS) shows the direction for large-emitter monitoring. Integrity frameworks increasingly expect digital evidence streams.
Why it matters
Carbon markets stand or fall on trust in their accounting. dMRV promises higher-frequency, harder-to-game verification — provided the digital layer itself is transparent, calibrated and auditable rather than a new black box.