diff --git a/scripts/generate_model_card.py b/scripts/generate_model_card.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..597e7d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/generate_model_card.py
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+"""
+Generate a Model Card for a ClimateVision release.
+
+Usage:
+    python scripts/generate_model_card.py \\
+        --config config.yaml \\
+        --metrics outputs/eval/metrics.json \\
+        --fairness outputs/governance/fairness.json \\
+        --output-dir outputs/model_cards/
+
+The script is intended to run inside the release CI pipeline so that
+every model version published has a card committed alongside it.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import argparse
+import logging
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from climatevision.governance.model_card import generate
+
+logger = logging.getLogger("generate_model_card")
+
+
+def parse_args(argv: list[str] | None = None) -> argparse.Namespace:
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description=__doc__)
+    parser.add_argument("--config", type=Path, required=True, help="Training config (yaml/json)")
+    parser.add_argument("--metrics", type=Path, required=True, help="Evaluation metrics JSON")
+    parser.add_argument("--fairness", type=Path, default=None, help="Fairness report JSON")
+    parser.add_argument("--output-dir", type=Path, default=None, help="Where to write the card")
+    parser.add_argument("--name", default=None, help="Override model name")
+    parser.add_argument("--version", default=None, help="Override model version")
+    parser.add_argument("-v", "--verbose", action="store_true")
+    return parser.parse_args(argv)
+
+
+def main(argv: list[str] | None = None) -> int:
+    args = parse_args(argv)
+    logging.basicConfig(
+        level=logging.DEBUG if args.verbose else logging.INFO,
+        format="%(asctime)s %(levelname)s %(name)s %(message)s",
+    )
+
+    paths = generate(
+        config=args.config,
+        metrics=args.metrics,
+        fairness_report=args.fairness,
+        output_dir=args.output_dir,
+        name=args.name,
+        version=args.version,
+    )
+    for label, path in paths.items():
+        print(f"{label}: {path}")
+    return 0
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    sys.exit(main())
diff --git a/src/climatevision/governance/__init__.py b/src/climatevision/governance/__init__.py
index 4f93a95..bb42723 100644
--- a/src/climatevision/governance/__init__.py
+++ b/src/climatevision/governance/__init__.py
@@ -27,6 +27,13 @@
     AuditLogger,
     log_prediction,
 )
+from .model_card import (
+    ModelCard,
+    build_model_card,
+    generate as generate_model_card,
+    render_markdown,
+    write_model_card,
+)
 
 __all__ = [
     "explain_prediction",
@@ -42,4 +49,9 @@
     "AuditEntry",
     "AuditLogger",
     "log_prediction",
+    "ModelCard",
+    "build_model_card",
+    "generate_model_card",
+    "render_markdown",
+    "write_model_card",
 ]
diff --git a/src/climatevision/governance/model_card.py b/src/climatevision/governance/model_card.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a29d2cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/climatevision/governance/model_card.py
@@ -0,0 +1,222 @@
+"""
+Automated model card generator for ClimateVision releases.
+
+Builds a Google-style "Model Card" (Mitchell et al., 2019) from the
+training config and an evaluation metrics blob. Output is rendered as
+both Markdown (for the GitHub release notes / model registry) and JSON
+(for programmatic consumption by downstream tooling).
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+import logging
+from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Any, Optional, Union
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+_PROJECT_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[4]
+_DEFAULT_OUTPUT_DIR = _PROJECT_ROOT / "outputs" / "model_cards"
+
+REQUIRED_METRICS = ("iou", "f1", "precision", "recall")
+
+
+@dataclass
+class ModelCard:
+    name: str
+    version: str
+    analysis_type: str
+    description: str
+    intended_use: str
+    out_of_scope_uses: list[str]
+    training_data: dict
+    evaluation_data: dict
+    metrics: dict
+    fairness: dict
+    limitations: list[str]
+    ethical_considerations: list[str]
+    contact: str
+    generated_at: str = field(default_factory=lambda: datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat())
+
+    def to_dict(self) -> dict:
+        return {
+            "name": self.name,
+            "version": self.version,
+            "analysis_type": self.analysis_type,
+            "description": self.description,
+            "intended_use": self.intended_use,
+            "out_of_scope_uses": self.out_of_scope_uses,
+            "training_data": self.training_data,
+            "evaluation_data": self.evaluation_data,
+            "metrics": self.metrics,
+            "fairness": self.fairness,
+            "limitations": self.limitations,
+            "ethical_considerations": self.ethical_considerations,
+            "contact": self.contact,
+            "generated_at": self.generated_at,
+        }
+
+
+_DEFAULT_INTENDED_USE = (
+    "Detection of {analysis_type} in satellite imagery for use by "
+    "conservation organisations, NGOs, and government agencies. The "
+    "model produces per-pixel probability scores intended to be reviewed "
+    "alongside ground-truth reference data and analyst judgement."
+)
+
+_DEFAULT_OUT_OF_SCOPE = [
+    "Real-time legal enforcement decisions without analyst review.",
+    "Carbon credit issuance without independent ground-truth validation.",
+    "Use on imagery from sensors not represented in the training set.",
+]
+
+_DEFAULT_LIMITATIONS = [
+    "Performance degrades on cloud cover above the masking threshold used in preprocessing.",
+    "Geographic coverage limited to regions present in the training set.",
+    "Temporal generalisation to seasons or years outside the training window is unverified.",
+]
+
+_DEFAULT_ETHICS = [
+    "Model outputs may carry geographic bias; downstream users must run "
+    "the bias audit pipeline before distributing results across regions.",
+    "Predictions should never be the sole basis for actions affecting "
+    "indigenous land rights or local communities.",
+]
+
+
+def _coerce_config(config: Union[dict, str, Path]) -> dict:
+    if isinstance(config, dict):
+        return config
+    path = Path(config)
+    text = path.read_text()
+    if path.suffix in {".yml", ".yaml"}:
+        try:
+            import yaml
+        except ImportError as exc:  # pragma: no cover - import guard
+            raise RuntimeError("PyYAML is required to load YAML configs") from exc
+        return yaml.safe_load(text)
+    return json.loads(text)
+
+
+def _validate_metrics(metrics: dict) -> None:
+    missing = [m for m in REQUIRED_METRICS if m not in metrics]
+    if missing:
+        raise ValueError(f"metrics missing required keys: {missing}")
+
+
+def build_model_card(
+    config: Union[dict, str, Path],
+    metrics: dict,
+    fairness_report: Optional[dict] = None,
+    *,
+    name: Optional[str] = None,
+    version: Optional[str] = None,
+    description: Optional[str] = None,
+    contact: str = "ClimateVision Governance <governance@climate-vision.org>",
+) -> ModelCard:
+    cfg = _coerce_config(config)
+    _validate_metrics(metrics)
+
+    analysis_type = cfg.get("analysis_type") or cfg.get("analysis", {}).get("type", "deforestation")
+    resolved_name = name or cfg.get("model", {}).get("name") or f"climatevision-{analysis_type}"
+    resolved_version = version or cfg.get("model", {}).get("version") or "0.0.0"
+
+    return ModelCard(
+        name=resolved_name,
+        version=resolved_version,
+        analysis_type=analysis_type,
+        description=description or f"U-Net segmentation model for {analysis_type}.",
+        intended_use=_DEFAULT_INTENDED_USE.format(analysis_type=analysis_type),
+        out_of_scope_uses=list(_DEFAULT_OUT_OF_SCOPE),
+        training_data=cfg.get("training_data", cfg.get("data", {})),
+        evaluation_data=cfg.get("evaluation_data", {}),
+        metrics=dict(metrics),
+        fairness=fairness_report or {},
+        limitations=list(_DEFAULT_LIMITATIONS),
+        ethical_considerations=list(_DEFAULT_ETHICS),
+        contact=contact,
+    )
+
+
+def render_markdown(card: ModelCard) -> str:
+    metrics_rows = "\n".join(
+        f"| {k} | {v} |" for k, v in sorted(card.metrics.items())
+    )
+    fairness_block = (
+        "\n".join(f"- **{k}**: {v}" for k, v in card.fairness.items())
+        or "_No fairness report attached._"
+    )
+
+    sections = [
+        f"# Model Card: {card.name} ({card.version})",
+        f"_Generated {card.generated_at}_",
+        "",
+        "## Description",
+        card.description,
+        "",
+        "## Intended Use",
+        card.intended_use,
+        "",
+        "### Out-of-Scope Uses",
+        "\n".join(f"- {u}" for u in card.out_of_scope_uses),
+        "",
+        "## Training Data",
+        f"```json\n{json.dumps(card.training_data, indent=2)}\n```",
+        "",
+        "## Evaluation",
+        "| Metric | Value |",
+        "| --- | --- |",
+        metrics_rows,
+        "",
+        "## Fairness",
+        fairness_block,
+        "",
+        "## Limitations",
+        "\n".join(f"- {l}" for l in card.limitations),
+        "",
+        "## Ethical Considerations",
+        "\n".join(f"- {e}" for e in card.ethical_considerations),
+        "",
+        "## Contact",
+        card.contact,
+    ]
+    return "\n".join(sections) + "\n"
+
+
+def write_model_card(
+    card: ModelCard,
+    output_dir: Optional[Union[str, Path]] = None,
+) -> dict[str, Path]:
+    output_dir = Path(output_dir) if output_dir else _DEFAULT_OUTPUT_DIR
+    output_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+
+    base = f"{card.name}_{card.version}"
+    md_path = output_dir / f"{base}.md"
+    json_path = output_dir / f"{base}.json"
+
+    md_path.write_text(render_markdown(card))
+    json_path.write_text(json.dumps(card.to_dict(), indent=2))
+
+    logger.info("Wrote model card to %s and %s", md_path, json_path)
+    return {"markdown": md_path, "json": json_path}
+
+
+def generate(
+    config: Union[dict, str, Path],
+    metrics: Union[dict, str, Path],
+    fairness_report: Optional[Union[dict, str, Path]] = None,
+    output_dir: Optional[Union[str, Path]] = None,
+    **kwargs: Any,
+) -> dict[str, Path]:
+    """End-to-end: load inputs, build the card, render to disk."""
+    metrics_dict = _coerce_config(metrics) if not isinstance(metrics, dict) else metrics
+    fairness_dict = (
+        _coerce_config(fairness_report)
+        if fairness_report is not None and not isinstance(fairness_report, dict)
+        else fairness_report
+    )
+    card = build_model_card(config, metrics_dict, fairness_dict, **kwargs)
+    return write_model_card(card, output_dir=output_dir)
diff --git a/tests/test_model_card.py b/tests/test_model_card.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b3a4211
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_model_card.py
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+"""Tests for governance.model_card."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+
+import pytest
+
+from climatevision.governance.model_card import (
+    REQUIRED_METRICS,
+    build_model_card,
+    generate,
+    render_markdown,
+    write_model_card,
+)
+
+
+def _config():
+    return {
+        "model": {"name": "unet-deforestation", "version": "1.2.0"},
+        "analysis_type": "deforestation",
+        "training_data": {
+            "regions": ["amazon", "congo"],
+            "tile_count": 12000,
+        },
+        "evaluation_data": {"regions": ["southeast_asia"], "tile_count": 1500},
+    }
+
+
+def _metrics():
+    return {"iou": 0.81, "f1": 0.86, "precision": 0.88, "recall": 0.85}
+
+
+def test_build_card_uses_config_values():
+    card = build_model_card(_config(), _metrics())
+    assert card.name == "unet-deforestation"
+    assert card.version == "1.2.0"
+    assert card.analysis_type == "deforestation"
+    assert card.metrics == _metrics()
+    assert card.training_data["tile_count"] == 12000
+
+
+def test_missing_metric_raises():
+    bad = {"iou": 0.5, "f1": 0.5}
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+        build_model_card(_config(), bad)
+
+
+def test_required_metric_set_is_documented():
+    assert set(REQUIRED_METRICS) <= set(_metrics())
+
+
+def test_render_markdown_includes_all_sections():
+    card = build_model_card(_config(), _metrics(), fairness_report={"score": 0.92})
+    md = render_markdown(card)
+    for heading in [
+        "# Model Card:",
+        "## Description",
+        "## Intended Use",
+        "## Training Data",
+        "## Evaluation",
+        "## Fairness",
+        "## Limitations",
+        "## Ethical Considerations",
+        "## Contact",
+    ]:
+        assert heading in md
+    assert "score" in md
+
+
+def test_write_model_card_emits_md_and_json(tmp_path):
+    card = build_model_card(_config(), _metrics())
+    paths = write_model_card(card, output_dir=tmp_path)
+
+    assert paths["markdown"].exists()
+    assert paths["json"].exists()
+
+    payload = json.loads(paths["json"].read_text())
+    assert payload["version"] == "1.2.0"
+    assert payload["metrics"]["iou"] == pytest.approx(0.81)
+
+
+def test_generate_loads_files_from_disk(tmp_path):
+    cfg_path = tmp_path / "config.json"
+    metrics_path = tmp_path / "metrics.json"
+    cfg_path.write_text(json.dumps(_config()))
+    metrics_path.write_text(json.dumps(_metrics()))
+
+    paths = generate(
+        config=cfg_path,
+        metrics=metrics_path,
+        output_dir=tmp_path / "cards",
+    )
+    assert paths["markdown"].exists()
+    assert paths["json"].exists()