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
There are only 1.5M Atlantic salmon left in the world. And despite putting an end to commercial fishing, their numbers continue to dwindle. As a keystone species, the implications of their loss go far beyond not being able to order salmon for dinner. So, why are Atlantic salmon disappearing at such an alarming rate? What does their loss mean for other species? And how does it impact the rivers where they live?
Mark Kurlansky is a New York Times bestselling and James A. Beard award-winning author with a knack for seeing the broader implications of seemingly little things. He has written 33 books in all, including The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell, Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the Worldand most recently, Salmon: A Fish, the Earth, and the History of Their Common Fate. His forthcoming book, The Unreasonable Virtue of Fly Fishingis due out in March of 2021.
On this episode of the podcast, Mark joins Ross to share what inspired him to choose salmon as the topic of his most recent book and explain why climate change is catastrophic for the fish. He weighs in on the problems with salmon farming (be it inland or on the water) and discusses why hatcheries are not a viable way to enhance the salmon population. Listen in for Mark’s insight on how the disappearance of Atlantic salmon will impact other species and learn how to be a conscious consumer of the popular fish.
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Resources:
Salmon: A Fish, the Earth, and the History of Their Common Fate by Mark Kurlansky
Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky
Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
Paper: Paging Through History by Mark Kurlansky
The Basque History of the World: The Story of a Nation by Mark Kurlansky
A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s2e43-salmon-the-earth-and-their-68c
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 explored, at length, the basket of biophysical stressors climate change could produce. And we’ve looked at how floods, droughts, tropical cyclones, ocean acidification, coral degradation (and the list goes on and on) might impact our food security and lead to the displacement of a lot of people. But what does the climate crisis mean for national security? How does the intelligence community think about climate change?
Dr. Rod Schoonover is a member of The Center for Climate & Security Advisory Board. He is also the Founder and CEO of the Ecological Futures Group, and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He served in the US Intelligence Community for ten years as the Director of Environment and Natural Resources at the National Intelligence Council and Senior Analyst in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at the US Department of State.
On this episode, Dr. Schoonover joins Ross to discuss the foreign policy goals of the US and share his concerns around the current administration’s failure to call out anti-democratic values. He explains how the suppression of his written testimony for the House Intelligence Committee regarding the national security implications of climate change led to his resignation from the State Department. Listen in for Dr. Schoonover’s insight on what the US government should do to address the climate crisis and learn what could happen (from a security perspective) if we don’t take action on climate change.
Resources:
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
Dr. Schoonover’s June 2019 Testimony for the House Intelligence Committee
‘White House Tried to Stop Climate Science Testimony, Documents Show’ in The New York Times
Dr. Schoonover’s Op-Ed in The New York Times
Holly Jean Buck on Reversing Climate Change EP103
Holly Jean Buck on Reversing Climate Change S2 Bonus
Matthew Yglesias on Reversing Climate Change S2EP35
All Hell Breaking Loose: The Pentagon’s Perspective on Climate Change by Michael T. Klare
Sea Power: The History and Geopolitics of the World’s Oceans by Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret.)
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s2e42-the-national-security-implications-60a
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 vast majority of environmental nonfiction follows a predictable pattern: The writer goes out in nature and then tells us why it’s important to preserve the thing they experienced. But what if we could reach more people and maybe even change their point of view with a more experimental, more whimsical approach?
Jess Miles is a recent graduate of Chatham University and author of the MFA thesis ‘Midnight Sun,’ a collection of essays about her time on the Arctic island of Svalbard. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Jess joins Ross to explain what inspired her to pursue science communication, sharing what she does to persuade readers and how she approaches environmental writing differently.
Jess opens up about her frustrating experience with canvassing for an environmental organization, describing what she learned about people (and herself!) and how she turned that bad experience into good writing. Listen in to understand why Jess incorporates elements of whimsy in her work and learn how experimental forms of writing can help readers see climate issues in a new light.
Connect with Nori
Resources
Sadly, too many books referenced and character-capped! Sorry about that, listener!
‘Hopepunk and Solarpunk: On Climate Narratives That Go Beyond the Apocalypse’ on Lit Hub
Arizona State Center for Science and the Imagination
After Geoengineering: Climate Tragedy, Repair, and Restoration by Holly Jean Buck
Books by Gabriel García Márquez
Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
Who’s Saving the Planet? Podcast
Jess’ Blog on VR and Animal Rights
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/how-do-you-tell-a-good-story-about-937
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
For years now, we have debated the potential moral hazard of carbon removal, the fear being that we will abandon emissions reductions for the quick fix of carbon capture. But the science is clear: we simply can’t achieve our climate goals with mitigation alone. So, how do we design policy that works toward net zero using a binding emissions reduction pathway AND a strategy for scaling up carbon removal?
Christoph Beuttler is the CDR Manager at Climeworks, the global leader in direct air capture technology. He also serves as the Deputy CEO of The Risk Dialogue Foundation and Founding Member of the Board for the Negative Emissions Platform. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Christoph joins Ross to discuss Climeworks’ modular approach to direct air capture, describing how they use solid sorbents to capture carbon dioxide and how that CO2 is either stored permanently or used to replace fossil inputs.
Christoph shares his understanding of carbon removal regulations in Europe, explaining how EU businesses interact with policy and why companies are driving voluntary carbon removal markets. Listen in for insight around the future of the carbon removal sector as a whole and learn how you can help Climeworks realize its audacious goal to achieve gigaton scale in the next two decades!
Connect with Nori
Resources
Will Direct Air Capture Be Centralized or Distributed? on Carbon Removal Newsroom
DOE Funding Carbon Removal Projects on Carbon Removal Newsroom
Klaus Lackner’s Moisture Swing Sorbent
California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard
45Q Credit for Carbon Oxide Sequestration
‘Europe’s Climate Goal: Revolution’ in Politico
Climeworks’ Direct Air Capture Summit 2020
Brian von Herzen on Reversing Climate Change (Bonus)
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s2e41-climeworks-and-european-carbon-ba2
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 dioxide is not the only greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. In fact, methane emissions are responsible for 16% of the warming we experience today. And because methane is more potent than CO2, we can make a big impact in a short period of time by addressing the concentrated, continuous methane seeps that exist around the world.
Olya Irzak is the Founder and CEO of Frost Methane, a company working to combat climate change through the deployment of remote methane destruction devices. On this episode of the podcast, Olya joins Ross and Christophe to discuss why she chose to focus on methane emissions and explain how her team’s technology works to convert concentrated methane into CO2.
Olya describes Frost Methane’s initial work with Arctic permafrost and introduces their new application of the technology in coal mines, sharing how the business generates revenue through carbon markets like California’s cap-and-trade market. Listen in for Olya’s insight on the benefits of voluntary markets and learn her approach to prioritizing climate interventions to make the biggest impact.
Connect with Nori
Resources
ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit
Center for Negative Carbon Emissions
Google’s Climate Change Initiative
‘7,000 Underground Gas Bubbles Poised to Explode in Arctic’ in The Siberian Times
Video of Exploding Under-Ice Methane Gas in Siberia
Pleistocene Park on Reversing Climate Change EP073
ASU’s Arctic Ice Management Project
University of Beijing Research on Calving
‘Sometimes Success Is Right Under Your Feet, As Tomato Grower Knows’ in AP News
California’s Cap-and-Trade Program
Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s2e40-much-talk-of-co2-but-what-about-075
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 feature documentary 2040 poses this question: What would the world look like in 2040 if we embraced the best climate solutions already available to us? One such solution involves restoring ocean ecosystems through marine permaculture, a strategy that leverages kelp forests to drawdown CO2.
Dr. Brian von Herzen serves as the Executive Director of the Climate Foundation, the organization using marine permaculture to regenerate life in seas and soils with the goal of reversing climate change in our lifetime. On this bonus episode of the podcast, Brian returns to the show to discuss his appearance in 2040 and explain what the Climate Foundation is working on now as they shift from R&D to building an industry.
Brian introduces us to the fundamentals of marine permaculture, exploring its capacity to regenerate life in the ocean and feed billions of people in the process. Listen in for insight on becoming an ocean entrepreneur and learn about the potential for marine permaculture to drawdown carbon (at a remarkably low cost) and move us from fear to love—one kelp forest at a time.
Connect with Nori
Resources
Email info@climatefoundation.org
Brian on Reversing Climate Change EP034
The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help by Amanda Palmer
Permaculture Design Principles
The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming by Masanobu Fukuoka
The University of Tasmania’s Permaculture Research
David King’s Piece on Climate Change Intervention in The Washington Post
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/brian-von-herzen-returns-to-chat-8b2
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
Solving the climate crisis is challenging because it requires both dramatic behavioral change and a great deal of capital. And yet, when faced with a global health crisis, governments were willing to enact multitrillion-dollar aid packages and people radically shifted their behavior in a matter of weeks. So, what if we mobilized against climate change similarly to the way we responded to the coronavirus?
Sir David King is the former Chief Scientific Advisor to the Government of the United Kingdom and Rick Parnell is the CEO of the Foundation for Climate Restoration. Together, they coauthored The Washington Post piece, ‘Stopping Climate Change Could Cost Less Than Fighting COVID-19.’On this episode of the podcast, Sir David and Rick join Ross to discuss the opportunity governments have to invest in climate repair as we rebuild our economies in the aftermath of the global pandemic.
Sir David and Rick compare the economic impact of reversing climate change with that of COVID, describing the catastrophic consequences of rising sea levels and explaining what Europe, China, and the US are doing to both reduce emissions and scale direct air capture technologies. Listen in to understand why the countries that took the advice of scientists fared well in the pandemic and how we might learn from their example to respond to the climate crisis.
Connect with Nori
Resources:
Foundation for Climate Restoration
Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge University
Rick on Carbon Removal Newsroom
‘Stopping Climate Change Could Cost Less Than Fighting COVID-19’ in The Washington Post
The Thunderbird Study on Market Opportunities in Climate Restoration
Sir David’s 2006 Pandemic Prediction
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s2e39-the-cost-of-climate-repair-f1b
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 scale of the climate crisis requires that companies change the way they operate. Yes, it would be easier to simply purchase carbon offsets and continue to do business as usual. But if we are going to succeed in reversing climate change, companies must take the next step and transform their processes from cradle to gate (or even grave if they can!) So, how does a business get started on the path to sustainability?
Erin Meezan is the Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Interface, Inc., a pioneering modular flooring company with a deep commitment to sustainability. Interface is also the recipient of a 2020 UN Global Climate Action Award and the subject of the new documentary Beyond Zero. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Erin joins Ross to explain what inspired Interface’s commitment to the environment and how the team approached the sustainability conversation with its investors early on.
Erin discusses the company’s recent launch of carbon-negative carpet tiles, walking us through the value associated with doing business more sustainably and the necessity of conducting a full life cycle assessment of a given product. Listen in to understand how Interface is influencing other businesses to make fundamental change and learn how YOUR company might take its first steps to sustainability!
Connect with Nori
Resources
Interface’s Climate Take Back Mission
The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability by Paul Hawken
2020 UN Global Climate Action Awards
Interface’s Lessons Learned Report
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s2e38-carbon-negative-carpet-how-63e
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
People resist reading about climate change because it seems less immediate than other pressing issues. Add to that the fact that the climate crisis doesn’t lend itself to narrative. So, then, how do you tell an ‘untellable story’ in a way that draws readers in and effectively reorients the way they see the world?
Henry Finder and David Remnick are the coeditors of The Fragile Earth: Writing from The New Yorker on Climate Change. On this episode of the Reversing Climate Change podcast, Henry and David join Ross to explain what inspired the creation of this new anthology, discussing how they made decisions regarding what pieces to include and what makes writing about climate change such a distinct challenge.
Henry and David weigh in on their work as editorial director and editor at The New Yorker, sharing the process they use to conceive of and manage new projects and describing the magazine’s ongoing commitment to long-form writing. Listen in to understand how optimistic Henry and David are about our ability to address the climate crisis and learn how The Fragile Earth tells the story of climate change through pieces by Bill McKibben, Elizabeth Kolbert, and Jonathan Franzen, among many others.
Connect with Nori
Resources
David Remnick at The New Yorker
Lenin’s Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire by David Remnick
The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama by David Remnick
The End of Nature by Bill McKibben
Elizabeth Kolbert at The New Yorker
Bill McKibben on Reversing Climate Change EP095
Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change by Elizabeth Kolbert
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
‘Lake Chad: The World’s Most Complex Humanitarian Disaster’ in The New Yorker
Jonathan Franzen’s Piece on Antarctica
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s2e37-the-new-yorkers-new-climate-398
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 2020, the largest number of acres burned by wildfire in California was 1.3M. Compare that to the 4M acres wiped out by fire this year. What’s more, forest fires are spreading much more quickly and releasing more heat—which leads to last-minute evacuations, a dramatic increase of smoke in the air, and the phenomenon of fire tornados.
Daniel Duane is the surfer, naturalist, and author behind this month’s WIRED cover story, ‘The West’s Infernos Are Melting Our Sense of How Fire Works.’ On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Daniel explains why the 2020 fire season is so remarkable and how an accumulating fuel bed on the forest floor contributes to the intensity and severity of the wildfires. He offers insight on indigenous fire management, describing when the anti-burning culture took hold in America and how political pressures make it impossible for our government agencies to manage forests well.
Daniel goes on to introduce us to the terrifying phenomenon of a fire tornado, sharing how forest management practices and climate change are both to blame for the increasingly unpredictable, record-breaking wildfires we experience. Listen in for Daniel’s take on what kind of management practices we need to decrease our risk and find out how a pro-development, YIMBY movement could prevent destructive forest fires in the future.
Resources:
‘The West’s Infernos Are Melting Our Sense of How Fire Works’ in WIRED
University of California Forestry Department
The Sagehen Experimental Forest
Resources
This episode's page on the web: https://www.rosskenyon.com/p/s2e36-yimby-for-forest-fires-fire-afa
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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