Stay ConnectedReversing Climate Change is a podcast about carbon removal and climatetech that keeps wandering off into literature, history, philosophy, theology, and geopolitics on the theory that the technical and scientific questions stop making much sense without them. Hosted by Ross Kenyon, who did not go past a year of political philosophy PhD coursework and has visibly not let it go.
Paid subscriptions live on Substack @ https://rosskenyon.com.
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Copyright: © Nori
In the last five years, an enormous amount of effort has been put into technical and scientific innovation around carbon removal.
But what about financial innovation?
How can we create more opportunities to finance carbon removal at scale? And what does innovation look like in carbon removal markets?
Peter Olivier is Head of New Markets at UNDO, a company that uses enhanced rock weathering to achieve carbon removal at scale.
On this bonus episode of Reversing Climate Change, Peter joins Ross and Siobhan to describe the UNDO process, discussing the source of the rock UNDO uses, and why they partner with farmers to spread crushed rock on cropland.
Peter shares his take on the forward contract basis of the CDR market, exploring ‘the uncomfortably large amounts of money’ we need to scale and how we might make CDR forwards contracts more fungible.
Listen in for Peter’s insight on innovating CDR markets through donor-advised funds and find out how we might be able to influence the future by creating opportunities to finance carbon removal at scale!
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This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/financial-innovation-within-carbon-7ca
Subscribe to the Reversing Climate Change Substack: https://www.rosskenyon.com/subscribe
Books from the show, at Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/shop/reversing-climate-change
My other show, Climate Workers Anonymous: https://www.climateworkersanonymous.com
Carbon capture and storage, or CCS, involves sequestering carbon dioxide emissions from a point source, whereas carbon removal takes existing emissions out of ambient air.
And there are a lot of people in the climate community who are for carbon removal and against CCS, arguing that we should shut down these point sources and focus on renewable energy.
But is choosing sides the right thing to do?
Gagan Porrwal is Global Head of Partnerships for GE Gas Power's Carbon Solutions, where he is building an ecosystem of partners that enable, accelerate, and drive the adoption of CCS applications in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the Asian Pacific.
On this episode of Reversing Climate Change’s Happy Hour show, Gagan joins Ross and Siobhan to explain why we need CCS to meet our 2030 climate targets and how he thinks about capturing carbon in the flue versus ambient air.
Gagan discusses how much power is currently generated by coal or natural gas and describes the reality of how long it will take to transition to wind and solar.
Listen in to understand the four key problems facing CCS—social acceptance, economics, infrastructure, and permitting—and find out why we can’t transition to renewables tomorrow, but we can take the next rational step toward clean energy in any given geography.
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GE Gas Power's Carbon Solutions
Carbon Removal Meme on Paying for Atmospheric Cleanup
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This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/carbon-capture-and-carbon-removal-213
Subscribe to the Reversing Climate Change Substack: https://www.rosskenyon.com/subscribe
Books from the show, at Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/shop/reversing-climate-change
My other show, Climate Workers Anonymous: https://www.climateworkersanonymous.com
You can judge the progress of an industry by its number of sh*tty first drafts.
And if we have any hope of getting to gigatonne-scale carbon removal by 2030, we need a greater diversity of ideas in the CDR space. We need entrepreneurs who dare to think differently. We need more sh*tty first drafts.
So, what can we do to encourage this kind of radical risk-taking in carbon removal? Where can entrepreneurs, investors, and carbon removal buyers go to generate their sh*tty first drafts and then iterate on each other’s ideas together?
Adina Mangubat and Tito Jankowski are Accelerator Director and CEO, respectively, at AirMiners, a community that empowers people taking risks to accelerate the reversal of climate change through carbon removal.
On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Tito and Adina join Ross to discuss the AirMiners Launchpad business accelerator, explaining how it serves early-stage carbon removal startups and why it supports companies across the spectrum of permanence.
Tito describes his role in unlocking capital for early-stage CDR startups, exploring how AirMiners helps them sell future carbon credits as a complement to traditional equity investment.
Listen in for Adina’s insight around what buyers are looking for in carbon removal startups and learn how you can get involved in the AirMiners community and contribute to the queue of sh*tty first drafts we need to save the planet.
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Carbon Removal Memes on Instagram
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AirMiners Launchpad Startup Accelerator
AirMiners ‘How to Sell a Carbon Credit’ Event
Anne Lamott’s Idea of Sh*tty First Drafts
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s3e36-why-we-need-more-shtty-first-cac
Subscribe to the Reversing Climate Change Substack: https://www.rosskenyon.com/subscribe
Books from the show, at Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/shop/reversing-climate-change
My other show, Climate Workers Anonymous: https://www.climateworkersanonymous.com
Startups in the CDR space need to succeed quickly if we want to reverse climate change before time runs out.
But the current system requires that climatetech founders often devote time to pitching VCs and filling out multiple grant applications. Time that would be better spent developing their solutions.
So, what can we do to connect emerging carbon removal companies with the funding they need to move forward?
Neesha Mirchandani is Founder and CEO of Impact Stars, a consultancy that helps planet-positive entrepreneurs raise money and attract clients.
On this episode of Reversing Climate Change Happy Hour, Neesha joins Ross, Siobhan and Asa to discuss the magnetic pitch method she uses to support CDR startups in attracting venture capital.
Neesha explains what VCs look for in a climate startup and shares her frustration with philanthropy’s failure to fill in the funding gaps.
Listen in to understand how we might streamline the grant application process for CDR entrepreneurs and get Neesha’s advice on how to apply business sense to your climate ventures!
Connect with Nori
Carbon Removal Memes on Instagram
Resources
Na’im Merchant at The Carbon Curve
Climate Change vs. Artisanal Cheesemaking on Reversing Climate Change S3EP35
‘Who Should Pay for Carbon Removal?’ by Robert Hoglund
California Wilderness Coalition
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/how-to-get-carbon-removal-startups-416
Subscribe to the Reversing Climate Change Substack: https://www.rosskenyon.com/subscribe
Books from the show, at Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/shop/reversing-climate-change
My other show, Climate Workers Anonymous: https://www.climateworkersanonymous.com
While large, industrial cheesemakers are known for consistency and scale, small operations like Uplands Cheese make boutique cheeses unique to the land where they’re produced.
And these small, pasture-based dairy farms have their own unique concerns when it comes to climate change.
So, how is extreme weather already affecting operations like Uplands Cheese? How does climate factor into future planning for a 300-acre dairy farm?
Cheesemaker Andy Hatch is Co-Owner at Uplands, a dairy farm and cheesemaking operation in Southern Wisconsin. Andy’s team produces two award-winning artisan cheeses, Pleasant Ridge Reserve and Rush Creek Reserve.
On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Andy joins Ross to explain why his team uses a seasonal model for cheesemaking, describing how Pleasant Ridge Reserve is made in the tradition of Alpine cheeses while Rush Creek is modeled after Vacherin Mont d’Or.
Andy discusses how warmer, wetter weather is impacting his cows and what Uplands Cheese is doing to reduce its carbon footprint.
Listen in for insight on trends in dairy farming influenced by climate change and learn how to support small dairy farmers like Andy who are good stewards of natural resources.
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Liz Thorpe on Reversing Climate Change S3EP31
The Book of Cheese by Liz Thorpe
Dan Saladino on Reversing Climate Change S3EP16
Eating to Extinction by Dan Saladino
Jasper Hill Farm Bayley Hazen Blue
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s3e35-climate-change-vs-artisanal-af4
Subscribe to the Reversing Climate Change Substack: https://www.rosskenyon.com/subscribe
Books from the show, at Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/shop/reversing-climate-change
My other show, Climate Workers Anonymous: https://www.climateworkersanonymous.com
Much has been written about the European Theater in World War II.
But the war in the Pacific Theater was the largest naval war ever fought. It covered the entire breadth of the Pacific Ocean, and much of the fighting took place in remote, wild environments.
How did the conflict impact those environments heretofore untouched by the outside world? And what about the Indigenous peoples who lived there?
Ian W. Toll is the author of Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the US Navy and the Pacific War Trilogy—Pacific Crucible, The Conquering Tide, and Twilight of the Gods.
On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Ian joins Ross to explain how airbases were built on hundreds of Pacific islands during WWII and describe how the scale of development radically and irrevocably changed the ecosystems there.
Ian discusses how hundreds of shipwrecks from WWII have the potential to turn into environmental disasters at any time and weighs in on what we can do to avoid a modern-day war in the Pacific—and why it’s crucial.
Listen in for Ian’s insight on the logistical prowess of the US to ramp up shipbuilding during WWII and find out why Admiral Halsey ranked the bulldozer among the five most important weapons of the Pacific War.
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Carbon Removal Memes on Instagram
Resources
Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the US Navy by Ian W. Toll
Ian W. Toll’s Pacific War Trilogy
With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by E.B. Sledge
Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s3e34-the-environmental-impact-of-3c1
Subscribe to the Reversing Climate Change Substack: https://www.rosskenyon.com/subscribe
Books from the show, at Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/shop/reversing-climate-change
My other show, Climate Workers Anonymous: https://www.climateworkersanonymous.com
With a problem as monumental as the climate crisis, we have a tendency toward proportionality bias. We often believe that the issue has a single cause and can only be solved with a few large-scale solutions.
But in the case of climate change, a diversity of solutions may be faster and more effective than putting all our eggs in a few big baskets.
And that’s why Todd Myers focuses on what individuals can do to solve climate change—while the politicians slug it out over broad policy measures.
Todd serves as Environmental Director at the Washington Policy Center. He is also the author of the new book, Time to Think Small: How Nimble Environmental Technologies Can Solve the Planet’s Biggest Problems.
On this episode of the Reversing Climate Change podcast, Todd joins Ross to explore how individual efforts can fill in the gaps left behind by government policies and explain how climate change differs from pollution in the 1970’s.
Todd discusses the data collected by citizen science apps like iNaturalist or eBird and describes how we can use both moral suasion and financial incentives to promote climate solutions.
Listen in for Todd’s insight on striking the right balance between private sector and government climate initiatives and learn how a business in the carbon removal space might identify the right scale for its unique solution.
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Carbon Removal Memes on Instagram
Resources
Todd Myers on Reversing Climate Change EP052
Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Council
Dr. Bryan Caplan on Reversing Climate Change S2EP2
‘The Problem of Social Cost’ by RH Coase
GridWatch: Using Cell Sensors to Detect Power Outages
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s3e33-time-to-think-small-not-everything-833
Subscribe to the Reversing Climate Change Substack: https://www.rosskenyon.com/subscribe
Books from the show, at Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/shop/reversing-climate-change
My other show, Climate Workers Anonymous: https://www.climateworkersanonymous.com
Of all philanthropy globally, only a couple percentage points go to climate in general. And of that couple percentage points, only something like 2% of climate giving is dedicated to carbon removal.
The problem is, we need to fund several gigatonnes of carbon removal per year by 2050 to combat climate change. And that’s going to cost hundreds of billions of dollars.
So, how do we encourage governments, corporations and philanthropists to support carbon removal? How might the average person make a tax-deductible donation to fund carbon removal?
Alex Roetter is Founder of Terraset, a new nonprofit climate fund that uses private philanthropy to invest in carbon removal projects.
On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Alex joins Ross to explain how the underfunding of carbon removal inspires his philanthropic work, and why reducing emissions alone is not enough to curb climate change.
Alex discusses the well-known donors and carbon removal providers Terraset is working with and describes the criteria his team uses to evaluate the projects they choose to fund.
Listen in to understand how giving to a 501(c)(3) makes your dollars go further and learn how to make your own tax-deductible carbon removal purchase through Terraset.
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Email hello@terrasetclimate.org
Dr. Marcius Extavour on Reversing Climate Change S3EP28 Bonus
Charm Industrial on Reversing Climate Change S3EP27
Heirloom on Carbon Removal Newsroom S3EP23
Yvon Chouinard Gives Away Patagonia
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s3e32-tax-deductible-carbon-removalw-77e
Subscribe to the Reversing Climate Change Substack: https://www.rosskenyon.com/subscribe
Books from the show, at Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/shop/reversing-climate-change
My other show, Climate Workers Anonymous: https://www.climateworkersanonymous.com
Cheese can be both rarified and common. It is also an industry that impacts and is impacted by climate change.
Today’s guest is author and cheese expert, Liz Thorpe. Liz is known for working her way up at New York City’s Murray’s Cheese shop, and taking it from a specialty shop to kiosks in Kroger stores across America, making cheese accessible and available to the American general public.
Today, Liz serves as Founder of The People’s Cheese, a platform designed to teach a broader market why cheese matters and how to make it part of everyday life. She is also the author of The Book of Cheeseand The Cheese Chronicles.
On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Liz joins Ross to explain how she pushes back against an elitist interpretation of cheese, and explores how the American desire for choice and innovation translates to the cheese market in the US.
Liz discusses how our industrialized food system contributes to climate change and describes how government subsidies and taxes often exacerbate the problem. Some cheeses are becoming more available, and others less. How many cheeses are going extinct due to climate change among other factors?!
Listen in for Liz’s insight on the mission-driven nature of cheesemaking and learn how you can take advantage of the explosion of great cheese produced in the US in the last fifteen years.
Connect with Nori
Carbon Removal Memes on Instagram
Resources
The Book of Cheese: The Essential Guide to Discovering Cheeses You’ll Love by Liz Thorpe
Dan Saladino on Reversing Climate Change S3EP16
Paul Wagner on Reversing Climate Change S3EP10
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s3e31-loving-cheese-in-the-age-of-1cc
Subscribe to the Reversing Climate Change Substack: https://www.rosskenyon.com/subscribe
Books from the show, at Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/shop/reversing-climate-change
My other show, Climate Workers Anonymous: https://www.climateworkersanonymous.com
The first cleantech bubble burst in the oughts, but the industry didn’t go away. And now, we’ve entered a second big wave of "climatetech" investment.
So, is this wave more promising than the first? Are we moving into a golden age for climatetech? Or is it too dissimilar to make comparisons?
Joel Makower is Cofounder and Chairman of GreenBiz, a leading media and events company at the intersection of business, sustainability, and innovation. He also serves as cohost of theGreenBiz 350 Podcast.
On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Joel joins Ross to discuss how climatetech may have followed the Gartner Hype Cycle and describe what factors caused the first cleantech bubble to burst.
Joel explains why corporations are much more involved in Cleantech 2.0 and explores the ongoing politicization of climate change, despite the efforts of some (like the military) to prepare for a climate crisis.
Listen in for Joel’s insight on the near future of climatetech and learn about the extraordinary opportunity he believes we have to reinvent our world in a way that will benefit everyone.
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Carbon Removal Memes on Instagram
Resources
The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future by Senator James Inhofe
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s3e30-the-cleantech-bubble-burst-15c
Subscribe to the Reversing Climate Change Substack: https://www.rosskenyon.com/subscribe
Books from the show, at Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/shop/reversing-climate-change
My other show, Climate Workers Anonymous: https://www.climateworkersanonymous.com
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