INNOVATION CHALLENGE FINALISTS CARBON HAPPY BRINGS SCALABLE CLIMATE TECH TO THE ISLE OF MAN

The Isle of Man is fast earning a reputation as a hub for bold, data-driven solutions to global challenges. Central to this momentum is the Innovation Challenge, a global competition inviting pioneering ideas that tackle real-world problems and drive innovation on the Island. Among this year’s Data & AI finalists is Carbon Happy World, who developed The Carbon Data Foundation, which aims to make carbon data actionable, accessible, and impactful. 

From concept to climate action 

Founded during the quiet disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, Carbon Happy World was born from a simple yet powerful question: how do organisations truly know they are achieving Net Zero? For founder Gary Adlen, this curiosity sparked a journey of self-taught coding and deep market research. Gary’s work ultimately lead the creation of a working carbon accounting product, a tool or platform that helps organisations measure, track, and report their greenhouse gas emissions.  

Today, the company is driving a bold vision: an AI-powered, centralised platform that brings together carbon data from both the public and private sectors, enabling coordinated, evidence-based climate action. The Carbon Data Foundation builds on the Isle of Man’s ethical, secure Data Asset Foundation model for sharing data across sectors. 

Strategic partnerships for global impact 

Carbon Happy World has already reached impressive milestones. Among them, its work with the Desert Vipers, an ILT20 cricket team in Dubai, marked the first time a professional cricket team publicly disclosed its carbon footprint. The company also plays a pivotal role in GSBS (Global Sustainability Benchmarking in Sports), providing the technology behind emissions benchmarking for some of the world’s most recognised clubs, including Arsenal, Barcelona, and Atlético Madrid. 

In a major step forward, Carbon Happy World has initiated a collaborative project with IBM and King’s College, aiming to advance AI integration over the next three years. This long-term partnership is expected to strengthen the platform’s predictive capabilities and scalability, making it a world-class model for digital sustainability. 

A Scalable solution with global relevance 

The Isle of Man offers an ideal environment for innovation: agile, connected, and increasingly focused on digital infrastructure and sustainability. The Carbon Happy World team sees the Island not just as a place to pilot their solution, but as a launchpad for wider adoption. 

Their roadmap includes: 

• Expanding data integration across multiple sectors 

• Enabling benchmarking between organisations 

• Designing a framework that can be adopted by other jurisdictions 

Their vision is clear: position the Isle of Man as a global leader in data-enabled climate innovation, demonstrating how small nations can lead through smart use of data, collaboration, and technology. 

Innovation driving the digital economy 

As Carbon Happy World moves from concept to implementation, it carries with it the potential to reshape how nations, cities, and industries around the world understand and act on climate data. 

Want to learn more about Carbon Happy World’s innovation? Register here to attend the Innovation Challenge 2025 and watch their live pitch as they compete to win the Data & AI category!

This article features third-party organisations and initiatives as part of the Isle of Man Innovation Challenge. The views and opinions expressed are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect those of the Isle of Man Government.