Agriculture, forestry, and land use together account for nearly 24 % of global greenhouse gas emissions. Yet somehow land sits in a weird blind spot: ignored by climate conversations focused on energy and transport, underanalyzed by markets, and mispriced by farmers and timber investors alike. That’s the problem, and opportunity, we’re going to discuss today.

I sit down with Danan Margason, founder and CEO of Aarden, to explore how AI can help land owners understand their options. Aarden sits at the center of a messy, trillion-dollar decision problem—enabling landowners and capital allocators to evaluate a single parcel across radically different paths: timber harvests vs. solar fields, carbon projects vs. housing, restoration now vs. monetizing later.

We dive into the systems thinking behind land use and why this is such a massive market that’s been underserved by technology.

Along the way, Danan shares his journey from crew boats in Seattle to Booking.com, through Carbon Direct’s push for high-quality removals, and into company-building back with his original crew buddy.

Referenced:

• Aarden.ai

• Jobs

• Land use

• Stepchange Show

Get connected:

• Danan - LinkedIn | danan@aarden.ai

• Ben - LinkedIn | Climate Papa

  
  

Feedback? Guest ideas? Get in touch by emailing ben@climatepapa.com

Music: Slynk & Lazy Syrup Orchestra - Mellow Kinda Hype (Balkan Bump Remix)

✨ Special teaser from the Stepchange Show. Details here. ✨

🎧 Listen to the full episode:

• Apple Podcasts

• Spotify

• YouTube

• Substack

• Any other podcast player search: ‘Stepchange’

  
  

Today’s Climate Papa episode is a quick teaser from my other project, The Stepchange Show.

Anay and I spent months digging into the hidden backbone of our modern world: data centers. These warehouses of machines quietly power everything from your email to AI — and now use more electricity than some countries.

This short preview pulls back the curtain. If it sparks your curiosity, head to the full episode on the Stepchange Show through the links above.

What happens when you take the two biggest sources of emissions in the US—transportation and electricity—and smash them together at breakneck speed?

In this episode of Climate Papa, I sit down with Apoorv Bhargava, the co-founder and CEO of WeaveGrid. We explore the massive, unfolding challenge and opportunity of integrating millions of electric vehicles onto a grid that wasn't built for them. WeaveGrid sits at the very center—building the critical software layer to orchestrate this transition, turning EVs from a potential liability into a powerful asset for a cleaner, more resilient energy system.

We dive deep into the systems thinking required to solve climate change, busting common memes around EV charging, and discussing why the real bottleneck isn't just charging stations, but the grid itself. Apoorv shares why he’s wary of buzzwords like "Virtual Power Plants" (VPPs) and makes the case for building trust and genuine partnership with the massive incumbent industries—like utilities and automakers—that are central to the energy transition.

Along the way, Apoorv opens up about his personal journey: from a childhood seeing the impacts of energy and water scarcity firsthand to the all-consuming life of a founder, and why focusing on the human side of the work is essential for the long haul.

Referenced:

• WeaveGrid

• Volts podcast by David Roberts on “enshitification”

Get connected:

• Apoorv - LinkedIn | apoorv@weavegrid.com

• Ben - LinkedIn | Climate Papa

Feedback? Guest ideas? Get in touch by emailing ben@climatepapa.com

Music: Slynk & Lazy Syrup Orchestra - Mellow Kinda Hype (Balkan Bump Remix)