The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens

Planetary Insights: How Satellites Could Transform Our Understanding of Earth’s Predicament with Will Marshall

Apr 16, 2025

Will Marshall, co-founder and CEO of Planet Labs, shares insights from his journey transitioning from NASA Scientist to leading a company that harnesses satellite technology for environmental monitoring. He discusses how real-time data can illuminate the true impact of human consumption on Earth's systems, highlighting urgent issues like biodiversity loss and methane emissions. Marshall emphasizes the importance of democratizing satellite data for promoting transparency and accountability, while encouraging a cultural shift towards sustainability.

01:16:24

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Will Marshall

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Quick takeaways

Comprehensive data from satellites can transform our understanding of environmental issues, enabling more effective responses to global challenges.

Planet Labs' satellite technology provides real-time monitoring of ecological systems, which helps in enforcing environmental laws and conservation efforts.

The integration of AI with satellite imagery allows for swift identification of environmental changes, facilitating quicker remediation of issues like methane leaks.

Deep dives

Interconnection of Sustainability and Security

Sustainability and security are deeply intertwined issues that impact global stability. Events such as the drought in Syria have demonstrated how environmental failures can lead to humanitarian crises and significant refugee movements. The conversation highlights how military conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine, disrupt food security and exacerbate these challenges. Addressing both sustainability and security is crucial for creating resilient systems that support human life and ecological health.

Intro

3min

Skyward Solutions: Satellites and Earth Stewardship

13min

Biodiversity, Technology, and Urgency

19min

Measuring Carbon and Embracing Satellite Innovation

18min

Democratizing Satellite Data for Environmental Impact

7min

Tracking Methane Emissions through Satellite Technology

2min

Harnessing Satellite Data for Environmental Insights

4min

Youth and Global Challenges

10min

When we are able to see the full scope of a problem, rather than a fragment, it changes how we respond. Throughout history, comprehensive data has catalyzed transformative change—from the measurements that spurred the halting of ozone depletion to the coral reef monitoring networks that revealed the devastating impacts of ocean acidification. Yet, the average person remains disconnected from visualizing their lifestyle’s impact on Earth's systems, leaving an incomplete perception of our collective footprint. But what transformations might occur if we could observe the full consequences of our consumption patterns as they ripple across forests, oceans, and the atmosphere in real time?

In this episode, Nate is joined by Will Marshall, co-founder and CEO of Planet Labs. Planet Labs’ mission is to capture daily images and real-time data of the entire Earth using a fleet of hundreds of satellites, in order to make global change visible, accessible and actionable. Will shares how this data is being harnessed to tackle environmental challenges like deforestation and reducing methane emissions, and how AI is analyzing it to help governments, NGOs, and businesses make informed – and planet friendly – decisions. Will also emphasizes Planet Labs’ commitment to transparency and accountability on a global scale, ultimately aiming to make substantial contributions to the pursuit of Earth’s ecological integrity.

How can we harness this extraordinary technological innovation (and others like it) to better fulfill our roles as planetary stewards? What sorts of environmental projects – such as carbon trading or protecting coral reefs – benefit most from this new data? Finally, how are small communities using this data to create targeted, local environmental strategies that will build ecological wealth for future generations?

(Conversation recorded on March 14th, 2025)

About Will Marshall:

Will Marshall is the Co-Founder and CEO of Planet Labs, where he leads the overall company strategy and direction. Prior to Planet, Will was a Scientist at NASA/USRA where he was a systems engineer on lunar orbiter mission “LADEE”, a member of the science team for the lunar impactor mission “LCROSS”, served as Co-Principal Investigator on PhoneSat, and was the technical lead on research projects in space debris remediation. Will received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Oxford and his Masters in Physics with Space Science and Technology from the University of Leicester. Will was also a Postdoctoral Fellow at George Washington University and Harvard.

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