Beyond Carbon

Beyond Carbon was founded in 2024 to counter carbon-oriented forest data infrastructures with community-owned knowledges of landscapes. The organization challenges conventional approaches to environmental data management by centering community expertise and local knowledge in forest conservation and landscape management. Through this innovative model, Beyond Carbon supports more equitable and contextually-informed environmental stewardship. Beyond Carbon has two components: (i) a data visualization prototype that explicitly connects forest carbon data with Indigenous and Local Communities’ (IPLC) stewardship practices; and (ii) an immersive video installation that places different datasets into conversation with each other to encapsulate the deep interdependence between humans and our more-than-human planetary co-dwellers. Both components are ongoing collaborations with elders, women, and youth technologists in West Kalimantan, Indonesia.