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.
© Carbon Removal Strategies LLC
Copyright: © Nori
A long-term study of climate and conflict determined that in places with large populations and a history of political exclusion of ethnic groups, nearly one-third of the wars initiated in the last 40 years were preceded by a climate disaster.
So, what is the connection between climate emergencies and armed conflict? Why do climate disasters escalate political disputes? And what can we do about it?
Scott Carney is an investigative journalist, anthropologist, and New York Times bestselling author. Dr. Jason Miklian serves as a senior researcher at the Center for Development and the Environment at the University of Oslo. Together they are the authors of The Vortex: A True Story of History’s Deadliest Storm, an Unspeakable War, and Liberation.
On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Scott and Jason join Ross to discuss the geopolitical landscape of South Asia after World War II and explain how the 1970 Bhola Cyclone led to the genocide of 3 million people and triggered the Indo-Pakistani War.
Scott and Jason describe how the conflict between West Pakistan, East Pakistan (later, Bangladesh) and India played out geopolitically with the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union and offer insight into President Nixon and Pakistani President Yahya Khan’s roles in furthering the Sino-Soviet split.
Listen in to understand why climate disasters serve as catalysts for war, what lessons we can learn from the fight for Bangladesh, and what we can do to prevent armed conflict in the wake of climate emergencies moving forward.
Resources
Center for Development and the Environment at the University of Oslo
Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s3e13-why-genocide-and-war-can-follow-9c8
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
What is the gap between what farmers know now and what they need to know to farm more regeneratively? How do we close that gap?
What is the best way to advocate for the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices?
Jesse Smith is the Director of Land Stewardship at White Buffalo Land Trust, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to practicing, promoting and perfecting the principles and practices of regenerative ag.
On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Jesse joins Ross to explain how WBLT furthers regenerative ag through the development of products, training programs, and scientific research.
Jesse shares WBLT’s focus on teaching the integration of annual and perennial cropping with animal systems and offers advice on attracting young engineers, scientists, and creative artists to the regenerative ag space.
He goes on to discuss the benefit of ecosystem service payments, describing what he views as the unfair advantage producers have in regions with a higher potential for carbon sequestration and what markets like Nori can do about it.
Listen in for Jesse’s insight on using distributed ledger technology and blockchain to support regenerative ag and learn how you can support White Buffalo Land Trust and its consumer-facing brand, Figure Ate Foods.
Resources
Leah Penniman on Reversing Climate Change S2EP57
Center for Regenerative Agriculture at Jalama Canyon Ranch
California’s Healthy Soils Program
The NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program
USDA Local Food Promotion Program
How a Warming Climate Is Changing Wine on Reversing Climate Change S3EP10
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s3e12-the-bleeding-edge-of-regenerative-71d
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
What inspires a farmer to monetize soil carbon?
For those already implementing regenerative practices and collecting the associated data, selling carbon credits provides an additional income stream, rewarding farmers for sequestering carbon in the soil, and potentially encourages new adopters to join.
And that's on top of the money they’re already saving through practices like no-till planting and cover cropping.
Cory Willis is a farmer at Nori supplier Willis Farms, a multigenerational, family owned and operated farm in Southern Middle Tennessee. In its 70-year history, Willis Farms has grown to nearly 4,000 acres of productive cropland and pasture, and Cory’s family uses regenerative methods on every acre under their care.
On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Cory joins Ross and Nori Supply Account Manger Sean Foster to discuss the history of farming in the Willis family, describing when they started using regenerative agriculture and how the practices benefit their operation.
Cory shares his experience working with Sean and the rest of the Nori team, explaining what inspired his interest in monetizing soil carbon, and why partnering with us was the right decision for Willis Farms. How does Nori’s cryptocurrency token affect how he views the risk of participation in Nori?
Listen in for Cory’s advice to farmers considering regenerative ag and find out what Willis Farms is doing with the extra income from selling carbon credits on the Nori marketplace.
Resources
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/a-farmers-take-on-monetizing-soil
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 Rhône Valley of France is famous for its Syrah, Grenache, and Viognier grapes (among others), while Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cab Franc (et al!) are grown in Bordeaux. And these wine grapes have thrived in their respective regions for centuries.
But what happens when rising temperatures change the kinds of grapes that can be grown in a particular area?
How is the climate crisis changing the way wine is produced? And what can we do as consumers to promote sustainability among winemakers?
Paul Wagner is a Viticulture and Winery Technology Instructor at Napa Valley College and Cohost of Bottle Talk with Rick and Paul. He also serves as guest lecturer at multiple universities in Europe and the US and offers several wine-related courses as part of The Great Courses lecture series.
On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Paul joins Ross to explain what attracts him to the artistry and experience of winemaking, exploring what makes wine grapes sweeter than any other fruit and how they give you a sense of both place and time.
Paul describes how climate is changing the way wine is made everywhere in the world, discussing what winemakers are doing to avoid rising temperatures and how the climate crisis might influence the evolution of wine in places like Bordeaux and Rhone.
Listen in for insight on how climate informs the alcohol content in wine and get Paul’s advice for the environmentally conscious on choosing a wine you like—and then finding a winemaker who’s working toward carbon neutrality.
(Wine is discussed for its own sake for the first twenty or so minutes. If you want to skip right to the intersection with climate, it begins at 24:32.)
Resources
Napa Valley College Viticulture & Winery Technology Department
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat
Familia Torres: Wine & Climate Change
Wine Folly: The Essential Guide to Wine by Madeline Puckette and Justin Hammack
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s3e10-how-a-warming-climate-is-changing-161
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 Removal Newsroom, the sister podcast to Reversing Climate Change, was born out of a desire to explore current events in the carbon removal space from a policy perspective.
But since the show debuted in early 2019, its production team has evolved and so has our approach to discussing the latest in climate news.
Radhika Moolgavkar is Head of Supply and Methodology at Nori and Host of Carbon Removal Newsroom, and Asa Kamer serves as Producer of CRN.
On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Radhika and Asa join Ross to explain how CRN evolved to focus on the business, policy, and science of carbon removal news and share their favorite episodes from the recent past.
Radhika and Asa explore how podcasting facilitates thoughtful public conversations around meaningful issues and describe how a show benefits when its host approaches the subject matter with a beginner’s mind.
Listen in to understand how CRN stays up on big news in the industry and get Radhika and Asa’s take on the future of carbon removal.
Resources
Chris Barnard at the American Conservation Coalition
The Boom in Carbon Removal Legislation and Funding on CRN EP045
Noah McQueen of Heirloom on CRN S3EP28
OpenAir’s Toby Bryce on CRN S3EP29
Chan-Zuckerburg Initiative Invests $44M in Carbon Removal on CRN S3EP30
Ocean-Based Carbon Removal on CRN S3EP32
Tonne-Year Accounting with Carbon Direct on CRN S3EP31
Eight DAC Companies to Watch in 2022 on CRN S3EP27
Forest Carbon Over-Crediting on CRN S3EP21
Climate Reparations on CRN S3EP26
Carbon Removal Memes on Instagram
Carbon Removal Memes for Climate Restorative Teens on Facebook
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s3e9-carbon-removal-newsroom-the-b51
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
*Use discount code NORI for 20% off your online order at https://www.barnaclefoods.com/. Note: this is not sponsored content. We just dig Barnacle Foods!*
Kelp could be an extraordinary tool for long-term carbon sequestration. It also happens to be delicious.
And that’s why Matt Kern is on a mission to promote kelp farming in his home state of Alaska and replace some of the more carbon-intensive foods in our diet with seaweed.
Matt Kern is the Cofounder of Barnacle Foods, a food manufacturing business based in Juneau that uses Alaskan kelp as its principal ingredient.
On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Matt joins Ross to discuss how his team sources kelp in a sustainable way and describe what differentiates foraged food from farmed.
Matt explores why seaweed is not more popular in the US and explains what Barnacle Foods is doing to introduce consumers to the savory, rich flavors of bull kelp.
Listen in to understand what makes kelp a fast, efficient tool for carbon sequestration and find out where you can go to try Barnacle Foods’ hot sauce, seasonings, pickles, and other provisions.
Resources
Become a paid subscriber of Reversing Climate Change
Follow the Reversing Climate Change podcast on LinkedIn
Barnacle Foods [Discount Code NORI]
Brian Von Herzen on Reversing Climate Change EP034
Brian Von Herzen on Reversing Climate Change S2 Bonus
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s3e8-kelp-foraged-farmed-and-deliciouswith-2f7
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
We have talked at length on previous episodes about the flaws in compliance markets. And the team at Nori obviously believes in voluntary carbon markets, as we’re building one ourselves.
But there’s a wide range of quality among voluntary markets, and the space is 1,000 times smaller than the compliance programs in progress around the world.
So, have cap-and-trade markets contributed to a meaningful reduction in emissions in spite of their flaws? And are compliance markets the only way to address carbon emissions at scale?
Michael Azlen is the Founder and CEO of Cabon Cap Management LLP and Co-Portfolio Manager of the World Carbon Fund. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Michael joins Ross and guest cohost Aldyen Donnelly to explain how he got interested in carbon as an asset class and share his take on the benefits of compliance markets.
Aldyen offers insight on the two compliance market models, describing the problems associated with programs modeled after the SO2 Allowance Market—and why she prefers the framework of the Montreal Protocol.
Listen in to understand how Michael thinks about regulating voluntary carbon markets and why he is optimistic about the global growth in compliance markets despite their imperfections.
Resources
Become a paid subscriber of Reversing Climate Change
Follow the Reversing Climate Change podcast on LinkedIn
Climate-Crypto, COP26, and Carbon Accounting Rules on Reversing Climate Change S3EP1
Michael’s Paper on Carbon as an Emerging Asset Class
The US Acid Rain SO2 Allowance Market
Cross-State Air Pollution Rule
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
California’s Cap-and-Trade Program
California Scoping Plan Documents
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s3e7-do-compliance-markets-work-if-ad3
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
When Nori awards carbon credits, of course, we want to be as precise as possible and ensure that each Nori Carbon Removal Tonne or NRT actually represents a metric tonne of carbon removed from the atmosphere and retained in the soil.
At the same time, we can’t let perfect be the enemy of the good, and right now, soil sampling for carbon is imprecise and incredibly expensive.
So, rather than wait for soil science to catch up, we’re incentivizing farmers to implement regenerative ag practices NOW. How do we quantify carbon in the soil? And what constraints of running a business factored into our decision?
Rebekah Carlson is the Agriculture Supply Lead at Nori and author of the recent Medium piece, ‘Nori’s Stance on Soil Sampling: Why Soil Sampling Isn’t (Yet) a Silver Bullet for Carbon Credits.’ On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, she sits down with Ross to discuss the two different schools of thought for measuring soil carbon and explain why Nori uses modeling rather than soil sampling.
Rebekah describes the network of soil sample research stations that feed into crop models and responds to the argument that modeling is a ‘cop out.’
Listen in for insight into the COMET-Farm modeling tool Nori uses to measure soil carbon and get Rebekah’s predictions for when soil sampling might be precise, cheap, and scalable enough to work in our carbon removal marketplace.
Key Takeaways
[0:32] Why Rebekah wrote the Medium article, ‘Nori’s Stance on Soil Sampling’
[2:40] The 2 schools of thought for measuring soil carbon—crop modeling vs. soil sampling
[5:29] The pros and cons of soil sampling
[7:28] What factors might cause an inaccurate soil sample
[8:54] The network of soil sample research stations that feed into crop models and why some areas have more research stations than others
[10:55] Why it makes more sense for Nori to use crop modeling to measure soil carbon and Rebekah’s response to the argument that crop modeling is a ‘cop out’
[13:47] The challenge around setting aside a parcel of land as a control in soil sampling
[16:04] The COMET-Farm modeling tool Nori uses to measure soil carbon and award carbon credits/acre
[18:24] Why it’s not feasible to verify modeling with direct measurement
[20:08] The handheld soil sampling devices and satellite and drone technologies being developed to measure soil carbon
[21:11] Why Rebekah anticipates that soil sampling will get more precise over time
[22:48] Why Nori can’t wait for soil science to solve the issues around precision and permanence
[25:18] Rebekah’s prediction that the future holds better tools and more standardization re: what it means to measure carbon in the soil
[26:39] How long it might take for soil sampling to be precise, cheap and scalable
Resources
Rebekah’s Medium Piece on Nori’s Stance on Soil Sampling
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/why-nori-doesnt-use-soil-sampling
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
80% of Indigenous people sit on 80% of global biodiversity and 25% of land—but make up only 5% of the population.
So, what can we learn about regenerative agriculture from the Native American farmers who’ve been managing our land for millennia?
Dr. Michael Kotutwa Johnson has a PhD in Natural Resources and is a traditional Hopi dryland farmer. Dr. Johnson regularly lectures on the topic of dryland farming and advocates for indigenous farmers with the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and his work is featured in the documentary film, INHABITANTS: Indigenous Perspectives on Restoring Our World.
On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Dr. Johnson joins Ross and cohost Rebekah Carlson, Agriculture Supply Lead at Nori, to explain how his ancestors learned to raise crops in the arid environment of Northern Arizona and what we can do to honor the long heritage of regenerative agriculture.
Dr. Johnson discusses the benefit of applying Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge in federal decision-making, sharing his place-based approach to land management and endorsement of the cooperative model.
Listen in to understand the hurdles Native Americans face in accessing government conservation stewardship programs and learn how Dr. Johnson raises crops to fit the environment rather than manipulating the environment to fit the crops.
Resources
INHABITANTS: Indigenous Perspectives on Restoring Our World
Nephi Craig on Reversing Climate Change S2 EP55
Regenerative Agriculture Conference
Native American Agricultural Fund
The University of Arizona Indigenous Resiliency Center
Morrill Land Grant College Act
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s3e5-the-roots-of-indigenous-agriculturew-b2c
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
What happens to dreams of the future that never arrive, yet still affect our society and culture so deeply? Is it possible to be haunted by failed visions or our own anticipations, and what does that mean? Today, Dr. Holly Jean Buck, Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Buffalo and author of the new book, Ending Fossil Fuels: Why Net Zero Is Not Enough, comes back on the show for a bonus episode to explain the concept of "hauntology", its origin in Jacques Derrida's writing and later popularization by Mark Fisher in his book, Capitalism Realism: Is There No Alternative?, and to what degree these ideas might help us understand the worlds of carbon removal, climatetech, and our shared planetary future.
Resources
Dr. Holly Jean Buck on Reversing Climate Change S2 Bonus
Dr. Holly Jean Buck on Reversing Climate Change EP103
Dr. Holly Jean Buck on Reversing Climate Change S3E4
After Geoengineering: Climate Tragedy, Repair and Restoration by Holly Jean Buck
Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? by Mark Fisher
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/hauntologies-of-carbon-removalw-dr-023
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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