Do carbon credit ratings help or harm the growth of carbon markets? How important is standardization to liquidity? Should we look to lessons from the bond market? Equities? Commodities? Derivatives? Precious metals? Real estate?! Get ready to go full high finance — it’s a show about market structure. In this episode, Reversing Climate Change ’s host and Nori Co-founder Ross Kenyon is joined by Tommy Ricketts, CEO and Co-founder of BeZero Carbon, a carbon credit ratings agency, and Matt Trudeau, ...
Nov 09, 2023•55 min•Season 3Ep. 60
Is hunting on the brink of extinction? Is that a good or a bad thing? In this episode, we delve into the intricate connection between the art of hunting and our profound relationship with the natural world. Our is guest Bruce McGlenn, Founder and Lead Instructor of Human Nature Hunting—a program that, as Bruces describes it, is fundamentally and foremost about helping people reconnect or strengthen their connection to nature through hunting. By delving into the immersive process of the hunt, we ...
Nov 02, 2023•57 min•Season 3Ep. 59
What if you bought carbon removal, not as an offset, but rather as a gift? This week we sat down with the founding team at Thanks a Ton (Laura Katayama, Tessaria Mihangel, and our own Siobhan Montoya Lavender), a carbon dioxide removal gifting startup on a mission to spread awareness about the burgeoning high-quality CDR industry. “We take climate change very seriously, but try not to take ourselves too seriously” is a mantra the team lives by. Thanks a Ton offers a platform where you can send t...
Oct 26, 2023•43 min•Season 3Ep. 58
In this week’s episode, the name of the goal is not ‘net zero’, it’s regeneration. We’re joined by Paul Hawken: author of many books including Drawdown and Regeneration , activist, and entrepreneur to talk about the tools that he believes can end the climate crisis. Paul takes us through the concept of "carbon tunnel syndrome," an overemphasis on carbon as a mere numerical figure, often favored by the tech industry. He also sheds light on the staggering statistic that less than 1% of the global ...
Oct 12, 2023•47 min•Season 3Ep. 57
Solar geoengineering. It's not just a question of whether or not to do it, but of how it might be done and why . This week we are joined by Shuchi Talati, founder of The Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering, to talk about who is making decisions about solar geoengineering and whether or not populations most vulnerable to climate change have a seat at the table. Solar geoengineering or “Solar Radiation Modification/Management (SRM)” is the large-scale and intentional interventio...
Oct 05, 2023•46 min•Season 3Ep. 56
Imagine a biomass substance that reduces our reliance on petroleum and deforestation for physical products. This is the vision of Hexas Biomass, a company that is developing new raw materials from sustainable sources. Their flagship product, XanoFiber, has been bred to possibly be(!) a #carbonnegative fiber that can be used to create a wide range of products, from clothing to building materials. In this week's episode, Wendy Owens, CEO and Founder of Hexas Biomass, discusses the challenges and o...
Sep 28, 2023•51 min•Season 3Ep. 55
Is buying carbon credits like buying real estate? What would a tradable commodity market for the carbon removal industry look like? In today's episode, Ross sits down with Matt Trudeau, Nori’s new CEO, to get a glimpse of how a veteran market builder thinks about building carbon markets that meet the challenges of a rapidly scaling industry. Matt talks about the balance between standardization and innovation within carbon market development, discusses the evolution of financial markets, and expl...
Sep 21, 2023•49 min•Season 3Ep. 54
Kenya is exploding into the Direct Air Capture scene. New York City is hosting the first ever global DAC conference. And while Al Gore is deeply knowledgeable about climate change, he might be wrong about carbon removal. In this episode of Reversing Climate Change , Jason Hochman, the co-founder and senior director of the DAC Coalition, takes us on a foray into Nairobi, Kenya, where he recently attended the first Africa Climate Summit. We learn why Kenya and the countries along the East African ...
Sep 14, 2023•41 min•Season 3Ep. 53
In this episode of Reversing Climate Change, we are joined once again by Caroline Saunders, a skilled pastry chef and dedicated recipe tester, who channels her passion into crafting delectable treats using climate-friendly ingredients. Ross Kenyon and Radhika Moolgavkar enthusiastically embraced the challenge of trying Caroline’s climate-friendly baking recipes. Discover who fared better in their quest to bake the perfect key lime pie! Discover how Caroline’s journey towards becoming a climate-c...
Aug 24, 2023•52 min•Season 3Ep. 52
Extreme heat. What does it feel like? Why is it getting worse and who is it impacting? In this Reversing Climate Change podcast episode, we spoke with Jeff Goodell, contributing editor at Rolling Stone and author of The Water Will Come and his latest, The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet . Tune in to hear about Jeff Goodell's personal experience with extreme heat. Learn about what cities are doing to combat the urban heat island effect, and what the true costs of ada...
Aug 17, 2023•58 min•Season 3Ep. 51
Does culture eat strategy for breakfast? What does a successful carbon removal community look like? Who ordered the veal cutlet? Join us in this episode of Reversing Climate Change featuring Jason Grillo, Director of Partnerships and Operations at AirMiners. Discover how culture takes center stage at AirMiners, one of the major communities empowering carbon removal startups. Explore the Kiloton Fund, the Bootup program, and Launchpad, which has already graduated 95 teams in two years. Deadline f...
Aug 10, 2023•57 min•Season 3Ep. 50
When you’re born into a winemaking dynasty, there’s a lot of momentum to carry on the family business. But also a lot of pressure to make your own mark. Carlo Mondavi is the co-founder and Chief Farming Officer at Monarch, creators of the Monarch Tractor, an electric smart tractor that may offer a better and safer product than conventional diesel tractors. Today he joins Siobhan Montoya Lavender and Ross Kenyon to discuss. The conversation begins with Carlo's heartfelt motivation behind creating...
Aug 03, 2023•46 min•Season 3Ep. 49
How does it work to buy carbon removal credits from early stage startups and resell them later for profit? What does it mean to support carbon removal startups without equity financing? Are alternatives available beyond conventional venture funding? Enter: the AirMiners Kiloton Fund. Tune in this week as the great Tito Jankowski , CEO and cofounder of AirMiners , returns to the show to talk about all of those questions, the general state of carbon removal, and how two goofballs like us ended up ...
Jul 27, 2023•42 min•Season 3Ep. 48
Reversing Climate Change presents an enlightening conversation with Kevin Whilden, the co-founder and co-director of Sustainable Surf, where they delve into the captivating world of ocean restoration, the power of storytelling, and the remarkable phenomenon of blue carbon. Join Ross and Siobhan as they navigate the complexities of carbon offsetting, funding pathways for coastal and land-based restoration, and the profound impact of storytelling on driving environmental action. The spotlight of t...
Jun 29, 2023•51 min•Season 3Ep. 47
In this episode of the Reversing Climate Change podcast, cohosts Ross Kenyon and Siobhan Montoya Lavender are joined by Erika Reinhardt, Co-founder and Executive Director of Spark Climate Solutions. Together, they delve into the pressing issue of methane and its increasing significance in the climate zeitgeist, and when can we expect methane removal to appear? The conversation kicks off with a discussion on why methane deserves our attention. Erika explains that methane is a potent greenhouse ga...
Jun 22, 2023•49 min•Season 3Ep. 46
The carbon removal industry and science have evolved greatly since Nori was founded in 2017. In this special Reversing Climate Change episode , Nori's Head of Supply and Methodology Radhika Moolgavkar, joins host Ross Kenyon to talk through what’s changed, what’s still the same, and how Nori is evolving with a new net-zero-friendly ‘blended tonne’ that they just published a new whitepaper on this week . What is this ‘blended tonne’ Nori is developing? What did the carbon removal industry look li...
Jun 15, 2023•34 min
What does a utopian second-generation Direct Air Capture (DAC) system look like, and how does it differ from what we have now? In this engaging episode of Reversing Climate Change , Ross and Siobhan have a very frank and honest discussion with Sampo Tukiainen, a farmer, apiarist, meditator, rifleman and the CEO of C-Fix, a second-generation #directaircapture company that wants to do it all. After a brief intro to #DAC, they discuss the energy consumption of current facilities, and how second-gen...
Jun 08, 2023•55 min•Season 3Ep. 44
Making decisions for your garden and yard is often a yearly exercise. But for long-lived perennials, you need to start thinking about how climate change is going to impact your region. But don't start loading up on olive trees just yet... Today on the Reversing Climate Change podcast, Sally Morgan, coauthor of The Climate Change Garden: Down to Earth Advice for Growing a Resilient Garden , teaches host Ross Kenyon about how to cope with a simultaneously drier and wetter world. What happens when ...
Jun 01, 2023•46 min•Season 3Ep. 43
In this episode, Ross and Siobhan are joined by Ongeleigh Underwood and Nikki Batchelor to delve into the newly released report from the Circular Carbon Network, an initiative of XPRIZE. The report provides valuable insights into the state of the Circular Carbon Market, addressing crucial questions such as who is building Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) projects and who is funding them. The conversation explores the role of XPRIZE in fostering market growth and collaboration, and examines how compa...
May 25, 2023•44 min•Season 3Ep. 42
Beast and Cleaver, a butcher shop and charcuterie in Seattle, is on a mission to elevate the craft of butchery to true artistry. They want you to eat meat of higher quality, and yes, less of it. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change , the founder of Beast and Cleaver , Kevin Smith, joins Ross to discuss his butcher shop’s unique approach to localized meat production in a carbon heavy industry. Have you heard the expression “it’s the how, not the cow”? That very much reflects Beast and Clea...
May 18, 2023•41 min•Season 3Ep. 41
PlantVillage won the Carbon XPRIZE milestone award in 2022, and was awarded one million dollars. It aims to lift 200 million African farming families out of poverty. They are working to capture and sell a billion tonnes of carbon per year using biochar sequestration by integrating trees with crops on farms and using lumber for biochar. So what exactly is happening on the ground with biochar? And can we solve today's problems with the mindset that helped create them? In today's Reversing Climate ...
May 02, 2023•43 min•Season 3Ep. 40
What goes into the making of a carbon removal meme? How many pitches does it take before magic comes out? Why do some many captions end up as emojis?!Nori's Memelab: Ross Kenyon, Siobhan Montoya Lavender, and Asa Kamer film their writer's room meeting on a lark to show how we go from a notion to something we think worthy of sharing with our community. Listen in to learn more, and also, respond to the survey in this episode to let us know if you like video podcasts, meme shows, etc. It is an expe...
Apr 25, 2023•36 min
CarbonCapture is looking to build a large-scale direct air capture facility in Rock Springs, Wyoming, a town with deep roots in the coal industry. And last fall, the company invited the community to a town hall event to learn more about the initiative, known as Project Bison , and its aim to remove five million tonnes of CO2 annually by 2030. How did the people react to CarbonCapture’s plans? And what can the carbon removal industry learn from events like this? Nicholas Kusnetz is an award-winni...
Apr 18, 2023•42 min•Season 3Ep. 39
A massive amount of seaweed known as the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt is growing as a response to climate change. To date, it has expanded to a width twice that of the United States. When sargassum reaches the coast, it causes human health problems, destroys ecosystems, and wipes out tourism, usually in communities that don’t have the resources to combat the issue. So, what can we do to prevent these destructive seaweed blobs from reaching coastal regions and remove carbon dioxide from the atmo...
Apr 06, 2023•43 min
A lot of sci-fi writing focused on climate is high literary fiction, which means it’s filled with allusion and often difficult to understand. So, why don’t authors take on climate fiction as a serialized genre like detective novels, zombie books or erotica? Is there a way to make climate fiction more playful without making light of climate change as a global issue? Daniel Backer is the novelist and literature educator behind Off the Wall Novels and the author of Abraham and Lionel Lancet and the...
Mar 28, 2023•50 min•Season 3Ep. 38
For people living in affluent parts of the world in the 21st century, we are used to preserving food by way of refrigeration. But this technique is quite new when you consider that people have been preserving food through fermentation for at least 10,000 years. Our ancestors experimented with fermenting to make food more delicious, more easily digestible, and more stable for storage. And there are many reasons why you might want to learn the process yourself. Sandor Ellix Katz is a well-known fo...
Mar 21, 2023•51 min•Season 3Ep. 37
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 a...
Mar 07, 2023•49 min
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 build...
Feb 07, 2023•46 min
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 iter...
Jan 31, 2023•42 min•Season 3Ep. 36
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 plane...
Jan 24, 2023•48 min
