Show Notes
Most infrastructure companies say they care about carbon. But how many actually measure it at the design stage? And of those who measure, how many actually act on the data?
David Orr has spent the last three years answering these questions at global scale. As Product Lead for Mott MacDonald's Moata Carbon Portal, he has watched the platform grow from serving a handful of transport projects to supporting infrastructure assessments across 55 countries, spanning energy transmission, water networks, airports, and linear infrastructure.
This isn't just another "we built a tool" story. It's a front-row view of what actually happens when engineering firms try to embed carbon thinking into existing workflows: the enthusiasm, the hesitation, the cultural barriers in a sector that doesn't easily share information.
David brings an unusual perspective to infrastructure decarbonization: a political science background (MPhil from Cambridge) that led him through fieldwork in emerging markets such as India and Kenya before moving into product leadership at a B2B SaaS platform. He's seen both the policy side and the engineering trenches.
In this conversation, Renaud de Montaignac (ORIS co-founder) and David explore the messy reality of scaling carbon measurement: from the moment a spreadsheet becomes insufficient to the point where AI can suggest real-time design alternatives. They discuss why water and energy sectors move at different speeds, what separates genuine transformation from "carbon theatre," and why Moata's name (Māori for "preparedness") captures the mindset needed to start before you're ready.
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