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In line with TARTLE\\u2019s mission to promote climate stability, one of its Big 7, James and Alex welcomed Suzanne Simard to the podcast.\\xa0

Suzanne, who is a Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia and the author of Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering The Wisdom of the Forest, explores the significance of emphasizing data-driven action on climate change \\u2014 particularly on the old-growth forests of British Columbia.

She offers an eye-opening perspective on the deterioration of these old-growth forests and the colossal amount of environmental data with untapped potential. Throughout their discussion, she also drew plenty of thoughtful parallels between big data and the fight against deforestation.

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Old Growth Forests: Massive Data Networks?

The complex data networks making up a bulk of the tech systems we are heavily dependent on today are eerily similar to the interactions of trees in old growth forests.

Suzanne realized that trees are in constant conversation underground. This is made possible with the help of sophisticated fungal networks that link one tree to the rest of the forest. However, this large-scale communication network is displaced when the old forests are cut down \\u2014 and even when plantations are created, the network \\u201cgoes silent for a little while.\\u201d

Even when the forest begins to rebuild, it would take decades \\u2014 if not centuries \\u2014 for these areas to regain the same complexity that they once had when they interacted as a society of trees in an old growth forest.\\xa0

Beyond the impact of this loss to local biodiversity, there is much to be said about how clearcutting these old growth forests is akin to cutting off entire societies from communicating with one another. This, inherently, is an injustice to our environment and a setback at our attempt to become true stewards of the earth.\\xa0

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Selective Harvesting Versus Clear-Cutting

Suzanne introduced the importance of selective harvesting, a regenerative method that allows trees to grow back without trouble. While this is the best step forward, most companies in status quo prefer to clearcut entire forests because of the reduced cost.\\xa0

One particularly harmful practice of clearcutting is the harvest of \\u201cmother trees\\u201d \\u2014 big, old trees that are both the most ecologically valuable in the forest and the most profitable.

When corporations use clearcutting to profit from forests, they set back the local environment in five distinct ways. The first is the loss of biodiversity; the second is the loss of carbon, an element that\\u2019s important for sustaining life; next is a rise in water levels, a change in soil temperature, and an increased rate of decomposition.\\xa0

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Can\\u2019t See The Forest For The Trees

For many people, it\\u2019s easier to focus on the problems that are directly in their sight instead of trying to grasp the bigger picture. Regretfully, this decision becomes a matter of survival in some situations: low-income families depend heavily on the sachet economy to get by, tech-challenged SMEs in rural areas still rely on paper documentation to keep track of their business, and the shift to renewable products can often be difficult because these items have a higher upfront cost.\\xa0

We are challenged to think of the environment in two ways: first, to look beyond the concerns that plague our day-to-day activities; and second, to help others who are not as fortunate or as privileged as us get the access to look beyond as well.\\xa0

There is a massive network of corporations, institutions, and individuals that enable the pace at which our climate is dying. It\\u2019s going to take a whole new level of mindfulness before we start changing how this works on a noticeable level \\u2014 not just for ourselves and our loved ones, but for our communities as well.

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Stewardship: What We Owe Each Other

Suzanne points out that humanity\\u2019s relationship with the environment has evolved significantly. On a continuum, foresting started off as an exploitative practice; but as we realized that we only had a finite amount of resources to work with, we made an attempt to regulate and then manage these harvests.

In the \\u201880s and \\u201890s, the US entered a period of science-based management. It was here, she explains, that the big leagues understood the connection between deforestation, climate change, and big data.\\xa0

But despite our progress, we have yet to reach a stage where we can accurately call ourselves stewards of the environment. This title calls for us to be proactive about the land and to hold ourselves accountable for climate change, not just as a present concern but also as a part of our intergenerational ethic.

This time, it\\u2019s not just a question of what your data is worth. How much is our collective data, as aspiring stewards of this planet, worth? www.tartle.co

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Tcast is brought to you by TARTLE. A global personal data marketplace that allows users to sell their personal information anonymously when they want to, while allowing buyers to access clean ready to analyze data sets on digital identities from all across the globe.

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The show is hosted by Co-Founder and Source Data Pioneer Alexander McCaig and Head of Conscious Marketing Jason Rigby.

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What\'s your data worth?

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Find out at: https://tartle.co/

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