Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more
This is a different kind of episode. Gabrielle Walker. You probably know her as a scientist, author, science communicator, co-founder of CUR8 and Rethinking Removals. She has spent three decades at the intersection of climate science and storytelling. Too much to confine to a 30 minute episode. Introducing our new series, Digging Deep, we kick off our special long-form conversation where Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme have the privilege to go beyond the usual format to go deeper into the person...
CDR Policy Scoop is back with our next SHOWDOWN, this time on one of the hottest fault lines in carbon markets: should voluntary offsetting require corresponding adjustments? As Article 6 implementation moves forward, the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) faces a pivotal question: are corresponding adjustments NECESSARY for integrity, or OVERKILL, creating a constraint that could choke much‑needed finance for mitigation and removals? There's a clear rule that corresponding adjustments are required f...
Noah Deich is back. When he last joined the show in February 2025, the US DOE had just gutted its CDR programmes. This time, he returns to debrief on a very different project: his attempt to build a government-led advanced market commitment for carbon removal, modelled on the GAVI Vaccine Alliance in global health. He spoke to around two dozen governments. The outcome wasn't what he hoped for, but his diagnosis of why is sharper than you might expect, and it points to a fundamental gap that no c...
In this episode, co-hosts Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme are joined by Dr Andrew Lenton, Director of CSIRO's CarbonLock Future Science Platform, to discuss Australia's newly published CDR roadmap and its first novel CDR workforce report. Andrew walks through what it took to build a credible national roadmap and why the coalition of partners, including Google as the sole private sector contributor, may matter as much as the findings themselves. He covers the technologies that surprised him most ...
In this episode of The CDR Policy Scoop, co-hosts Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme sit down for their unscripted quarterly catch-up to discuss what's top of mind in CDR policy. They open on the EU CBAM and the question of whether Article 6 credits could satisfy CBAM liabilities. They cut through social media hype to examine what has actually been decided, and whether this logic undermines the mechanism's original purpose of incentivising domestic carbon pricing. The conversation turns to the EU's...
In this episode of The CDR Policy Scoop, Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme are joined by Hannah Bebbington Valori, Head of Deployment at Frontier, the advanced market commitment backed by Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify, McKinsey, and Meta that has become one of the largest and most experienced buyers of carbon removal in the world. The conversation opens with Frontier's newly redesigned innovation program, which this year expands beyond pre-purchases to include R&D grants and more flexible check si...
In this episode of The CDR Policy Scoop, Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme are joined by Harry Smith, Principal Consultant at Aether and former Leverhulme Doctoral Scholar at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of East Anglia, where he completed his PhD on the policy and governance of carbon dioxide removal. The conversation explores what national long-term low-emission development strategies actually say about carbon removal, and how much of it should concern us. Harry draw...
In this episode of The CDR Policy Scoop, Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme are joined by Maureen Walsh, Executive Director of the US Biochar Coalition (USBC), to discuss how biochar has quietly built one of the most resilient policy positions of any CDR technology in the United States. Recorded amid tariff pressures, farm bill limbo, and a Washington reshaped by the second Trump administration, the conversation gets straight to the question: is this political moment different? Maureen's answer is ...
In this episode of The CDR Policy Scoop, Eve Tamme is joined by Canadian Senator Colin Deacon from Nova Scotia. Senator Deacon is a former entrepreneur, who has been a driving force behind what may be the most comprehensive government study on marine carbon dioxide removal undertaken by any national legislature to date. The conversation centres on the landmark report published by Canada's Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans in February 2026, which examined marine CDR - particularly...
In this episode of The CDR Policy Scoop , Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme are joined by Jennifer Wilcox , Presidential Distinguished Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management at the U.S. Department of Energy. Recorded amid major policy shifts in Washington, the conversation explores what has changed - and what has not - for carbon management and carbon removal in the United States. Jennifer re...
This episode explores Robert Höglund's conditional net-zero target framework, designed to clarify corporate climate responsibilities by separating emissions companies control from those needing broader systemic shifts. The discussion covers practical challenges like financial feasibility and the risk of creating loopholes versus fostering honesty. It also examines how this new perspective could influence near-term demand for carbon removal and encourage more companies to set achievable net-zero goals.
In this episode of The CDR Policy Scoop , Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme are joined by Josh Becker , California State Senator representing Silicon Valley, to discuss the future of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) policy in California. Recorded live on Presidents’ Day, the conversation explores how California quantified its carbon removal needs - 7 million tons by 2030 and 75 million tons by 2045 - and what it will actually take to deliver on those targets. The episode dives into the legislative his...
In this episode of The CDR Policy Scoop , Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme are joined by Jannick Buhl , Head of CCUS, CDR and Biomass at the Danish District Heating Association, to unpack what happened in Denmark’s highly anticipated CCS subsidy tender. Recorded in early February, the conversation examines why nine out of ten pre-qualified bidders withdrew from a tender worth nearly €4 billion , leaving just two final applications. Jannick explains why Denmark’s approach - requiring bidders to ta...
Germany is emerging as one of Europe’s most active carbon removal markets - with new public funding, a growing startup ecosystem, and heavy industry exploring large-scale CDR. But can policy, infrastructure, and demand keep pace with ambition? In this special episode, Sebastian Manhart shares insights from a two-day CDR experience tour across Germany, featuring conversations with policymakers, researchers, startups, and industry leaders. The episode explores Germany’s carbon removal potential, t...
How will the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) handle carbon price paid abroad, and what does that mean for carbon removal and international carbon markets? The European Commission is now working on detailed rules for deducting a carbon price paid in third countries, including how carbon credits under compliance schemes and Article 6 of the Paris Agreement might be taken into account. The stakes for CBAM’s global impact just got much higher. This CDR Policy Scoop episode unpacks wha...
Alexia Kelly from the High Tide Foundation joins Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme to dissect the current state of carbon market governance. They explore the proliferation of standards, the challenges for carbon removal actors, and the efficacy of various initiatives like ICVCM, VCMI, and SBTi. The discussion critiques the lack of transparency in 'contribution claims' and argues for simpler, more impactful approaches to effectively finance CDR and broader climate action.
In this episode of The CDR Policy Scoop, Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme are joined by Amir Lebdioui, Director of the TIDE Centre at the University of Oxford, to explore whether durable carbon dioxide removal can become a credible green industrialisation pathway for the Global South. Recorded on January 19, the conversation builds on a recent working paper authored by Sebastian Manhart and Raphael Cario in collaboration with the TIDE Centre examining how carbon removal could move beyond a niche ...
In this episode of The CDR Policy Scoop, Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme are joined by Sophie Wenger, Climate Policy Officer at the Federal Office for the Environment, for a deep dive into Switzerland’s approach to scaling carbon capture and removal. Recorded on January 12, the conversation explores how Switzerland is developing a holistic strategy for CCS and CDR, with a strong focus on CO₂ transport infrastructure as the key enabler for scale. Sophie explains why transport is often the missing...
In this special episode, producer Helen Lundebye interviews co-hosts Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart about the journey of The CDR Policy Scoop. They discuss its origins as informal LinkedIn Lives, their deliberate choice of an unscripted, conversational format born from frustration with traditional webinars, and how their complementary expertise shapes the show. The hosts reflect on the show's impact, its targeted policymaker audience, and their vision for future experimentation and continued deep dives into carbon removal policy.
Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart forecast pivotal 2026 carbon removal policy developments. They discuss Germany's potential first government procurement of durable credits, the anticipated EU ETS integration of removals, and the rollout of CRCF certification. The hosts also explore the uncertainties around international credits, the role of Article 6 and COPs, and the crucial EU CO2 transport and market package for scaling engineered removals.
The year 2025 saw significant policy developments for carbon removal (CDR), characterized by both progress and limitations. While the EU made strides with its 2040 target, CRCF, and member state initiatives like the UK and Germany, the US experienced major setbacks in climate policy. Challenges also emerged in voluntary carbon markets and the failure of the Green Claims Directive, highlighting the need for clearer corporate incentives and robust international frameworks. Overall, 2025 laid crucial foundations for future CDR growth, despite a mixed landscape of successes and disappointments.
Hosts Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart interview leading carbon removal buyers, including Robert Höglund, Lamé Verre, Chris Minter, and Adina Braha-Honciuc, to understand their experiences and policy needs. Discussions cover the slow growth of new buyers, the need for government purchasing and near-term net-zero targets, the complexities of due diligence, and the critical demand for clearer regulatory frameworks and claims guidance. The episode reveals varied approaches from holistic ecosystem building to systematic procurement, all emphasizing the necessity of overcoming current market fragmentation and uncertainty to accelerate carbon removal.
Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart speak with Lambert Schneider about the EU's upcoming 2040 climate target and the role of carbon credits. The discussion critically compares the quality benchmarks of the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM) and the EU's domestic Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF), highlighting concerns about CRCF's lower standards and the need for consistent, high-quality criteria for all credits used towards EU targets. Lambert also questions whether international credits are being used to genuinely raise ambition or merely to lower costs.
Robert Höglund joins to discuss the EU's Carbon Removal Buyers' Club workshop, focusing on the evolution of the initiative and the Commission's use of "soft power" to boost demand. The conversation highlights significant challenges, including securing adequate funding, establishing regulatory clarity for carbon claims post-Green Claims Directive, and overcoming buyer fatigue. They also explore the balance between supporting EU industry and global climate ambition, alongside the critical need for official legitimization of carbon removals to drive market growth in the crucial next five years.
COP30 is behind us with two weeks of intense negotiations, pledges, and a full Action Agenda. But now comes the REAL question: Did any of it *actually* move the needle for CDR? From political signals, to a mix of announcements, to the outcomes of different negotiation tracks, what does COP30 mean for the future of carbon removal deployment and governance? To unpack it all, we’re thrilled to welcome back Christopher Neidl , Carbon Removal Lead with the Climate High-Level Champions . Chris was dee...
COP30 is in full swing, and carbon removal is drawing unprecedented attention. For the first time, the Global Carbon Dioxide Removal Initiative (CDR30) has launched a dedicated CDR Pavilion in the COP Blue Zone. Bringing together more than 60 organisations across the global CDR ecosystem, CDR30 represents a united community with a shared goal: to highlight CDR’s essential role in achieving global climate targets. But what impact has the pavilion had so far? How is it helping to mainstream CDR wi...
Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart discuss the new Net Zero Standards with Mai Bui, Director of Climate Science at Supercritical. They examine the critical distinctions between the SBTi and ISO's approaches to carbon removals, particularly concerning durability requirements and the role of nature-based solutions. The conversation covers the scientific defensibility of recent proposals, the potential for government adoption of these standards, and their overall impact on scaling carbon removal technologies and corporate net-zero commitments.
What a whirlwind it has been in Europe. Over the last few days, we have seen the Council of the EU and the European Parliament's ENVI Committee agree on their positions on the EU 2040 Climate Target negotiations. From huge amounts of international credits, to a clear mandate for CDR, to a range of vague clauses: there is lots to unpack. Meanwhile, Ursula von der Leyen travelled to COP30 with a 2035 NDC for the European Union. And, finally, the EU Commission held yet another Carbon Removals Exper...
It’s that time of year again - COP30 is just around the corner. This year in Belém, Brazil, CDR has stepped up its game and will have its first-ever CDR Pavilion in the blue zone. This was made possible by CDR30, the Global Carbon Dioxide Removal Initiative, consisting of a unified global CDR community of over 60 organisations across the ecosystem. Their mission: elevating CDR’s essential role in climate action at COP30. A physical presence and strong coalition are a signal that carbon removal i...
We all know that climate change is the greatest challenge of our generation, and for many of us, it’s our life’s work. If you’re like us, you spend most of your reading time on non-fiction - whether that’s endless reports, briefs, news, and feeds. We have a refreshing new way to digest some of the heaviest topics in this climate fight. The Carbon Paradox is a fictional book based on facts. Along the way, the characters meet 25 paradoxical issues, which cover the entire controversy from carbon cr...
