Carbon Mapper and Tracking Super Pollutants

In this week’s episode of Space Minds, host David Ariosto speaks with Riley Duren, CEO of Carbon Mapper and veteran of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Duren discusses how his nonprofit is harnessing cutting-edge satellite technology to track methane and carbon dioxide emissions—the “super pollutants” driving climate change. He explains Carbon Mapper’s mission to make greenhouse gas data visible and actionable, the technical innovations behind their hyperspectral satellites, and the incentives that motivate companies to reduce emissions. Drawing from his decades at NASA, Duren highlights the shift from risk-averse institutional missions to an agile, public-private partnership model, and why moving fast is essential in the fight against climate change.