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
In the fight against climate change, many are working to achieve net zero by 2050. And achieving net zero means leveraging quite a lot of emissions reduction, management, and carbon removal.
But Dr. Holly Jean Buck contends that we should focus less on managing the byproduct and more on phasing out fossil fuels entirely by the end of the century.
Dr. Buck is 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. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, she joins Ross to differentiate net zero from full zero and share her vision of a fully decarbonized, post-extractivist society.
Dr. Buck discusses what we can do to overcome the political resistance to renewables and describes how critical theory concepts like ‘petromelancholia’ can help us understand the challenges associated with the energy transition. Listen in for insight around the government’s role in phasing out fossil fuels and learn how we can use net zero as a starting point to facilitate the fair transition to a bioeconomy.
Key Takeaways
[1:49] What inspired Dr. Buck to write Ending Fossil Fuels: Why Net Zero Is Not Enough
[3:17] Why we need to focus less on managing emissions and more on phasing out fossil fuels altogether
[4:06] What differentiates full zero from net zero and Dr. Buck’s argument for working toward full zero
[8:41] What we can do to overcome the political resistance to renewables
[10:12] Why nuclear energy might have fewer political repercussions than large-scale renewables
[12:31] How Dr. Buck thinks about achieving net zero through degrowth
[14:26] Dr. Buck’s take on immersive reality replacement
[17:43] Why Dr. Buck shifted away from using the term ‘managed decline’ to describe the energy transition
[20:55] The concepts of petromelancholia and petro-masculinity
[22:21] Dr. Buck’s insight on how fossil fuel jobs and benefits are gendered
[23:33] How social analysis and critical theory help us understand the challenges associated with the energy transition
[25:30] How a nation’s government impacts its policy around phasing out fossil fuels
[29:05] Why Dr. Buck advocates for big emitters like the US to be more ambitious so that less-developed nations can emit longer
[31:59] What full decarbonization to true zero by 2100 might look like
[33:12] Dr. Buck’s vision of a post-extractivist society
[34:58] Why the petrochemical industry was not inevitable and how we can make the shift to a bioeconomy
Resources
Dr. Holly Jean Buck on Reversing Climate Change S2 Bonus
Dr. Holly Jean Buck on Reversing Climate Change EP103
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/s3e4-why-net-zero-is-not-enoughw-a90
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 fact that CO2 is invisible makes it challenging to explain the idea of carbon removal to the general public. But one part of a designer’s job is to visually communicate abstract ideas in a way that audiences understand, and that’s how Amanda Yee approached the task of redesigning the Nori brand logo.
Amanda serves as Senior Product Designer here at Nori and author of the recent Medium article, ‘The Story Behind Nori’s New Logo.’ On this bonus episode of Reversing Climate Change, she joins Ross to explain what inspired the Nori logo redesign, sharing the practical concerns she had with the original logo and describing the difference between good UX design and good visual design.
Amanda walks us through her approach to creating the new logo, discussing why she chose the orange and blue color palette and how the simplified design lends itself to both our climate and crypto communities. Listen in for Amanda’s insight on the opportunities for designers in the climate space and learn how the new Nori logo visually communicates the invisible idea of carbon removal.
Resources
Amanda’s Medium Piece on the Story Behind Nori’s New Logo
Michael Legget on Reversing Climate Change EP042
The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/making-the-invisible-visible-in-noris
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
Farmland has transformed into a financial asset class. So, what happens when land is owned by large financial institutions? How does it impact farmer autonomy? And could it be good for fighting climate change?
Dr. Madeleine Fairbairn is Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at UC Santa Cruz and author of Fields of Gold: Financing the Global Land Rush. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Dr. Fairbairn joins Ross and guest cohost Dr. Lauren Gifford to discuss the emergence of the institutional farmland investments industry and describe how land has value independent of what it produces.
Dr. Fairbairn explores what’s behind the steep decline in the number of farmers over the last century and explains how large-scale farmland ownership could have positive consequences for the environment and negative social consequences at the same time. Listen in for Dr. Fairbairn’s insights into Georgism as a potential policy response and find out what the financialization of farmland means for the small farmer, the economy and the climate.
Key Takeaways
[1:40] How Fields of Gold explores the emergence of the institutional farmland investments industry
[5:24] What Dr. Fairbairn means by ‘the financialization of land’
[9:25] The non-linear progression from communal forms of land ownership to a more and more sophisticated commodification of land
[11:51] How land has value independent of what it produces
[13:52] What’s behind the decline in the number of farmers over the last century
[18:01] The connections between the financialization of farmland and climate (and how what we ask of farmland managers is changing)
[21:12] How large-scale farmland ownership could have positive environmental consequences and negative social consequences at the same time
[26:18] How landowners in Brazil are tasked with serving society as a whole
[30:31] How Dr. Fairbairn thinks about billionaires like Bill Gates acquiring hundreds of thousands of acres of land
[34:03] Dr. Fairbairn’s take on a Georgist land value tax as a potential policy response
[40:03] The relationship between Georgism and the politics of productivity
[42:37] What Dr. Fairbairn is learning about agri-food technology through the UC AFTeR Project she’s working on now
Resources
Dr. Fairbairn at UC Santa Cruz
Fields of Gold: Financing the Global Land Rush by Madeleine Fairbairn
‘Bill Gates: America’s Top Farmland Owner’ in The Land Report
Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West by Justin Farrell
The Mason Gaffney Reader: Essays on Solving the ‘Unsolvable’ by Mason Gaffney
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s3e3-farms-for-sale-whats-wrong-with-0f9
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
Here in America, we like stories with happy endings. Our media usually comes with a clear message and unanswered questions make us uncomfortable. But Paul Greenberg knows that there’s no simple answer to complex problems like climate change.
Paul is the award-winning food and environmental writer behind titles like The Climate Diet, American Catch, and Four Fish. On this bonus episode of Reversing Climate Change, Paul rejoins Ross to discuss his new podcast, Fish Talk, and reflect on the advantages of podcasting as a medium for open-ended storytelling around complex issues.
Paul describes the homesteading and terrace garden projects he’s working on right now, explaining why he's cautious about monetizing his hobbies and if and how a friendlier form of capitalism might support creatives. Listen in for Paul's insight on how our political system informs the way we approach both storytelling and complex challenges such as overfishing and climate change.
Key Takeaways
[2:33] The themes of environmentalism, eating and catching fish featured on Fish Talk
[7:37] Paul's take on the advantages of podcasting as a medium vs. journalism or documentary filmmaking
[12:40] How happy endings are part of the American capitalist model of storytelling (and why that won’t work for the climate crisis)
[17:03] How Paul thinks about eco-Leninism and how the role of journalism in society has changed
[21:32] Why it's so challenging for the US to reach a consensus on big issues like COVID and climate change
[25:08] How we fixed our overfishing problem in the US (and how that problem compares to the climate crisis)
[27:56] How we outsource our polluting industries to China and what might happen if the Chinese decide they want a clean environment
[29:52] The homesteading and terrace garden writing projects Paul is considering right now
[34:27] Why the idea of a deep meditation on his climate safe acre in the Adirondacks appeals to Paul
[39:37] Paul’s commitment to deprogram himself from the relentless selling he grew up with
[44:01] How a friendlier form of capitalism might support creatives
[45:23] Why Paul likes homesteaders Helen and Scott Nearing’s ideal way to organize a day
[48:42] The danger in monetizing our hobbies
[50:43] How Succession and the Monty Python films successfully critique capitalism and religion
Resources
Paul on Reversing Climate Change S2EP61
Monty Python’s Almost the Truth on Netflix
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/paul-greenberg-returns-to-discuss-e83
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
As listeners of Nori podcasts, you might know that we use cryptocurrency in the form of Nori tokens which may become a market-driven price for carbon removal. You also might know we issue non-fungible tokens, otherwise known as NFTs, when buyers purchase those removals. But you may not know the history of the blockchain we run on or how the system works. So, where can you go to learn Ethereum 101?
Laura Shin is a crypto journalist and host of the Unchained Podcast. A former senior editor at Forbes, Laura was the first mainstream reporter to cover the blockchain full-time. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Laura joins Ross to discuss her new book, The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze,a history of Ethereum and the ICO mania of 2017.
Laura explains why Ethereum quickly became the second most important cryptocurrency, describing how it was used to raise billions of dollars for decentralized apps and what happened when the DAO to fund slock.it was hacked. Listen in for Laura's insight around why the crypto bubble burst in early 2018, what trends have occurred since then, and why Laura believes that DAOs are the next big thing in crypto.
Key Takeaways
[1:00] How Laura’s book focuses on the story of the ICO craze
[2:02] What it’s like to write about recent history and why Laura was inspired to create a record of what happened in crypto in 2017 and 2018
[6:10] The rigorous fact-checking process Laura went through for The Cryptopians
[8:46] Why Ethereum quickly became the second most important cryptocurrency
[10:44] How the Ethereum blockchain serves as an open design space where developers can build decentralized applications
[18:03] Examples of the fastest and largest fundraising campaigns for apps through ICOs on Ethereum
[18:39] How the DAO to fund slock.it was hacked for $75M
[27:56] The ‘code is law’ debate that occurred in the aftermath of the DAO crisis
[30:00] The cultural differences between the Bitcoin and Ethereum chains
[31:08] What behaviors investors had to learn to participate in the ICO craze and why crypto founders were able to raise billions of dollars for their projects
[35:41] How ICOs compare to VC funding
[36:17] How the 2017 SEC report classifying DAO tokens as securities informed the burst of the crypto bubble in early 2018
[37:59] Why crypto prices dropped early in the pandemic and what’s happened since then
[42:48] Laura’s explanation of decentralized finance or DeFi and non-fungible tokens or NFTs
[52:16] How DAOs work to organize people in a democratic way
[55:02] Why Laura believes DAOs are the next big thing in crypto
Resources
‘The Inside Story of Mt. Gox, Bitcoin’s $460M Disaster’ in WIRED
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s3e2-a-brief-history-of-ethereum-e43
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
Prior to COP26, there was a big problem in international carbon accounting. Both the country where a carbon credit was generated and the country where it was sold could count those very same credits toward their Paris climate commitments. COP26 seeks to remedy this issue with the practice of double entry bookkeeping. But is it too late? What are the unintended consequences of implementing the new rules now?
Aldyen Donnelly is a cofounder, advisor, and former Director of Carbon Economics here at Nori. She also serves as a carbon markets advisor to several organizations, including Terramerra, Inc. and the Livestock Carbon Exchange. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Aldyen joins Ross and Nori CEO Paul Gambill to discuss how the new rules will lead to export controls for carbon credits and describe how such protectionism is likely to impact developing nations.
Aldyen and Paul share their concerns around blockchain crypto projects like KlimaDAO and weigh in on why carbon removals are preferable to carbon avoidance credits. Listen in to understand why throughput might matter more than permanence and learn how the upcoming Nori token launch aims create a true price discovery mechanism for carbon that others can use.
Key Takeaways
[1:26] How COP26 adopted new rules to implement double entry bookkeeping
[4:33] How a failure to implement double entry bookkeeping in prior carbon markets led to the price crash of 2012
[8:00] Why double entry bookkeeping was blocked until now
[12:33] Paul and Aldyen’s fear that the new rules will lead to export controls around carbon credits
[17:58] How export controls will negatively impact the carbon removal industry in developing nations
[20:19] The 3-year window COP26 allows for the creation of an international carbon market oversight body (and the opportunity that gives us at Nori)
[22:29] How crypto projects like KlimaDAO perpetuate a system where carbon credits are resold more than once and the underlying value isn’t actually one tonne
[26:10] The loophole in COP26 allowing the backlog of carbon credits to be sold without double entry bookkeeping
[28:05] What differentiates carbon avoidance credits from carbon removal credits (and why large corporations don’t necessarily care)
[33:07] How Nori’s take on the fundamental constraint of carbon markets differs from that of KlimaDAO
[35:30] How Paul and Aldyen think about permanence and why It's more important to focus on throughput
[41:40] How the upcoming Nori token launch will create a price discovery mechanism for carbon
Connect with Ross
Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom
Resources
Aldyen on Reversing Climate Change EP031
‘Cryptocurrency Traders Move into Carbon Markets’ in The Wall Street Journal
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s3e1-aldyen-donnelly-on-climate-crypto-6b0
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
Climate change is already affecting our food systems. But have you ever considered how rising temperatures might impact access to the pastries you love? What if you could no longer enjoy a croissant with your coffee in the morning? Or indulge in a slice of cake on special occasions?
Caroline Saunders is the host of the Sustainable Baker podcast, coauthor of Craft Beef, former chief-of-staff at Grist and soon-to-be student in the pastry track at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Caroline joins Ross to share her interest in developing sustainable recipes and explain how her career path reflects her passions for climate and dessert.
Caroline describes her concerns around climate change and the future of dessert, discussing what spices are at risk and how we can help grains adapt to rising temperatures. Listen in for Caroline’s insight on what it looks like to bake without dairy and find out how to make your favorite desserts more sustainably!
Connect with Nori
Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom
Resources
The Sustainable Baker on Instagram
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt on Instagram
Nancy Silverton on Chef’s Table
The Land Institute on Reversing Climate Change EP062
Lennox Hastie on Chef’s Table BBQ
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/will-dessert-survive-the-climate-2f9
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 climate crisis will be on the world stage once again in November 2021, as the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties known as COP26 convenes in Glasgow. The summit brings together 200-plus countries to tackle climate change, and it is billed as the most significant climate event since the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015 at COP21.
So, how can you learn more about what’s happening at COP26 and why it’s important?
Brock Benefiel is the cohost of The Climate Pod, a podcast that covers the latest news on the climate crisis. On this bonus episode of Reversing Climate Change, Brock joins Ross to discuss the special focus of the show’s new series, Road to COP26, giving us a preview of the scientists, policymakers, and activists Brock and his brother Ty are highlighting in the weeks to come.
Brock offers insight into what we need to accomplish at COP26, describing what success looks like and why achieving it is such a monumental challenge. Listen in as Brock shares some of his favorite episodes of The Climate Pod to date and find out why it’s crucial to engage in meaningful conversations about the climate crisis.
This episode is part of a partnership with The Climate Pod.
Connect with Nori
Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom
Resources
The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report
Greta Thunberg’s 2019 Speech to the UN
UK MP David Lammy on The Climate Pod
Dr. Ed Hawkins on The Climate Pod
David Wallace-Wells on The Climate Pod
Governor Jay Inslee on The Climate Pod
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/the-road-to-cop26-w-brock-benefiel-54a
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
Most efforts to educate the public around climate change are pretty dour and leave people feeling hopeless and helpless. But there are things an individual or small group can do to have a meaningful impact on the climate. And now, there’s a board game that teaches people about the most effective climate solutions and gives them the agency to take action.
Samuel Levac-Levey is the Founder and Game Designer behind Solutions, a collaborative board game designed to inspire hope and action on the climate crisis. On this bonus episode of Reversing Climate Change, Sam joins Ross and guest host Christi Taylor, Marketing Coordinator at Nori, to explain how the book Drawdowninformed the creation of the game and describe how it serves as a starting point for real-world climate action.
Sam walks us through the mechanics of the game, discussing how it’s being tested both in schools and with a general audience. Listen in to understand how Solutions exposes players to job opportunities in the climate space and learn how you can support Sam’s project and play Solutions yourself by contributing to his Kickstarter campaign before it closes on August 17th.
Connect with Nori
Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom
Resources
Solutions: The Game on Kickstarter
Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming edited by Paul Hawken
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/solutions-the-climate-change-board-af8
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
Do you take having a working sanitation system for granted?
What if you didn’t have access to a public wastewater treatment plant? What if you lived with sewage running back into your home? And what if your failing septic system made YOU a criminal?
MacArthur Fellow Catherine Coleman Flowers is the founder of The Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice (CREEJ) and author of Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Catherine joins Ross to discuss the neglect of water and wastewater infrastructure in rural America, explaining why septic systems are failing and how that impacts public health.
Catherine offers insight on the disparities in access to sanitation for poor rural communities and people of color, describing how corrupt government officials and bad policy can contribute to the inequity. Listen in for Catherine’s advice on collaborating with people who don’t necessarily share your values and find out what CREEJ is doing to design a solution that will allow people to treat wastewater affordably—wherever they are.
Connect with Nori
Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom
Resources
The Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice
Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret by Catherine Coleman Flowers
CREEJ & The Guardian’s Sanitation Self-Report Form
American Society of Civil Engineering Report Card for America’s Infrastructure
President Biden’s Climate Task Force
White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s2e74-sanitation-and-ej-concerns-75e
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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