Carbon Removal Newsroom
A bite-sized podcast for carbon removal news on-the-go. Each episode features unique guests and perspectives.
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What's new in carbon removal? Join us for the 2024 Carbon Removal Newsroom kickoff! Will 2024 see the emergence of universal carbon market standards? December saw a coalition formed by leading regulatory bodies. We unpack the implications of California Bill 1305 . How does this legislation mandate transparency in voluntary carbon offset marketing? What could this mean for combating greenwashing and ensuring data reliability? The EPA resources for marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) and marine solar radiation management (mSRM) are now online. How do these resources address environmental risks, and what regulatory responsibilities are outlined for safe implementation?How might common principles for high-quality carbon credits reshape industry practices, and what's the significance of transparency and public participation in this process? Join us as our policy panel takes a look at what’s cooking for CDR in 2024. On This Episode Wil Burns Holly Jean Buck Radhika Moolgavkar Resources Article 6.4 Mechanism Crediting Program joint statement California Bill 1305 EPA MPRSA The London Convention mCDR and mSRM online resources Connect with Nori Nori Nori’s X account Nori’s other podcast Reversing Climate Change Nori’s CDR meme X account --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carbonremovalnewsroom/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carbonremovalnewsroom/support
Listen to the episodeThe world’s annual climate summit, COP28, has wrapped up in Dubai. As usual, the massive gathering will end without an all-encompassing deal to fix the climate, but with many new side deals, pledges, and announcements that are very relevant to our climate future. Boosters and critics alike will all find lots of fodder from the past few weeks, and for better or worse carbon removal played a role in the deliberations. On this episode, our policy panel reflects on the role CDR played at COP, and catch up on some other major industry news as we wrap up 2023 including- -The COP deal to “transition from fossil fuels ” -Why the Article 6.4 rules on offsets were postponed -Which countries committed to going “carbon-negative ” at COP28 -Record climate capital deployed all over the world -“Carbon Removals at COP ” coalition -Frontier’s record CDR purchase from Lithos -The Road to Removals report -& the panels highlights of 2023 and what they hope to see in CDR in 2024 On This Episode Holly Jean Buck Wil Burns Radhika Moolgavkar Resources ‘Unabated’ fossil fuel debate Holly’s book “Ending Fossil Fuels” COP’s fossil fuel pledge Record capital deployed Carbon Removals at COP Frontier’s purchase from Lithos Road to Removal report RMI’s new CDR innovation report AGU Conference Connect with Nori Nori Nori’s Twitter Nori’s other podcast Reversing Climate Change Nori’s CDR meme twitter account --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carbonremovalnewsroom/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carbonremovalnewsroom/support
Listen to the episodeBiomass burial is a CDR methodology that we haven’t yet dug into on our show. Compared to some CDR techniques, biomass burial is a surprisingly simple approach. It involves burying wood trimmings underground to prevent decomposition and thus, the release of carbon back into the atmosphere. Our guests today are Ning Zeng, a professor at the University of Maryland and founder of Carbon Lockdown, and Daniel Sanchez, chief scientist for biomass carbon removal and storage at Carbon Direct. They are both developing this methodology which attempts to take advantage of nature's ability to capture CO2 in trees. By creating wood vaults in a underground oxygen-free environment - they aim to preserve carbon for potentially thousands of years. This method has begun to garner attention from investors, offset marketplaces like Puro, and the media. On this episode we'll explore the science behind biomass burial, its potential impact on reducing atmospheric CO2, and how it fits into the larger CDR portfolio. *On This Episode* Ning Zeng Daniel Sanchez Radhika Moolgavkar *Resources* Carbon Lockdown Ning’s academic work on Wood Vault approach Puro listing for Carbon Lockdown Potomac project Greenbiz article about woody biomass burial Implementation Guidance *Connect with Nori* Nori Nori’s Twitter Nori’s other podcast Reversing Climate Change Nori’s CDR meme twitter account --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carbonremovalnewsroom/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carbonremovalnewsroom/support
Listen to the episode2023 is coming to a close, and a lot has happened in the world of CDR this year. We’re going to take a look at the year in carbon removal to find out what’s changed in the last year- and what hasn’t. Investment in CDR remains strong, with many big deals making headlines- but what hasn’t changed? Deployments remain small and few in number. The traditional offset market has faced scrutiny like never before, and seen a dip in investment. What’s still the same? Corporate buyers are still seeking out the lowest quality products. Broadly climate progress is being made, but a new emissions gap report highlights how much more work there is and how much CDR has to grow to contribute. So join us as our business panel takes a look at what’s new in CDR, and what’s the same as it ever was. *On This Episode* Susan Su Na’im Merchant Radhika Moolgavkar *Resources* Oxy-Climeworks Deal New Frontier DAC Purchase Heirloom Announces First US DAC Plant Carbon Market Chaos Bloomberg Report on Offsets UN Emissions Gap Report *Connect with Nori* Nori Nori’s Twitter Nori’s other podcast Reversing Climate Change Nori’s CDR meme twitter account --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carbonremovalnewsroom/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carbonremovalnewsroom/support
Listen to the episodeThis week, we’re bringing you a panel discussion from the Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy’s annual CDR conference. Our policy panelist, Wil Burns, hosted the conference and led this panel discussion on the role of mandates in growing CDR in the US. The US government has stepped forward into the role of subsidizing and encouraging CDR in recent years, offering a ‘carrot’ to promote the new industry, in the form of large grants and tax incentives. But what could the government do to present a ‘stick’- requiring CDR using existing regulations? That’s the topic of this policy panel featuring Dan Galpern, the Executive Director of the Climate Protection and Restoration Initiative, and Stephanie Arcusa, a researcher at the Arizona State University Center for Negative Carbon Emissions. Dan spoke about using the Toxic Substances Control Act to regulate carbon emissions, including the possibility of mandating carbon dioxide removal as a condition for allowing ongoing emissions. He argues that the TSCA provides clear authority for such regulation, citing past precedents and legal interpretations. Stephanie discusses the concept of a Carbon Take Back Obligation, which would require fossil fuel producers to sequester a ton of carbon for every ton they extract. This policy aims to gradually transition to net-zero emissions by creating a demand for carbon removal and applying the policy upstream in the fossil fuel supply chain. Both approaches aim to address the challenges of scaling up carbon removal and mitigating climate change, but they also raise questions about political feasibility, environmental justice, and the impact on consumers, particularly those in lower-income households. We hope you enjoy this high-level look at the policy levers that may one day lead to the scaling up of CDR. *On This Episode* Wil Burns Dan Galpern Stephanie Arcusa *Resources* Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy UN Production Gap Report Toxic Substances Control Act EU Industrial Net-Zero Act CA’s CDR Market Development Act CBTO in the news *Connect with Nori* Nori Nori’s Twitter Nori’s other podcast Reversing Climate Change Nori’s CDR meme twitter account --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carbonremovalnewsroom/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carbonremovalnewsroom/support
Listen to the episodeIn recent months, we’ve covered CDR developments in the EU, followed CDR’s role in international climate agreements, and interviewed startups working to bring DAC to Kenya. There’s so much happening with CDR around the globe that it’s a challenge to cover all the news of carbon removal’s rise. That’s why on this episode we’re fortunate to have Tom Mills and Shantanu Agarwal join us today to share their work scaling up CDR in India with a new consortium called Carbon Removal Alliance India (CRIA). Tom is a co-founder of the organization, and Shantanu is a founder of Mati, an enhanced rock weathering startup in India that is a member of CRIA. India has existing climate policies, immense amounts of working lands, a rising working-age population, and a wealth of business and science resources. Can these assets allow it to become a CDR powerhouse? Our guests today will tell us about their work, what they think of India’s CDR potential, and what needs to happen within India to unlock carbon removal there. *On This Episode * Tom Mills Shantanu Agarwal Radhika Moolgavkar *Resources* Our Episodes on the EU & Kenya Susteon & Sustaera- Shantanu’s previous companies Carbon Removal Alliance India Mati Carbon Removal Partners *Connect with Nori* Nori Nori’s Twitter Nori’s other podcast Reversing Climate Change Nori’s CDR meme twitter account --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carbonremovalnewsroom/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carbonremovalnewsroom/support
Listen to the episodeAs CDR’s notoriety increases, so too does the scrutiny upon it. Carbon removal companies are beginning to deploy in communities, and are facing local concerns about the effect their projects will have communities. As these companies work to communicate the benefits of their projects, a CDR trade group is announcing a new program to help companies responsibly deploy carbon removal. Scrutiny of CDR continues in the press as well. An article from Reuters tracked the growing effort to standardize and legitimize CDR as startups and marketplaces try to attract large corporate buyers, showing that the industry is now front and center on business pages worldwide. And the year’s biggest climate event is around the corner. A group of CDR organizations, including one led by today’s guest, are working to ensure the industry is ready as the global climate spotlight prepares to turn on them. The debates over CDR at COP28 will surely be contentious, and we’ll hear about a new effort to make the carbon removal community ready for when that happens. Locally, and globally, from communities to newsrooms to international bodies, CDR is under scrutiny like never before. In this episode, we’re discussing what the industry can do to respond and continue to grow. On this episode we’re joined today by Ben Rubin, the Carbon Business Council’s Executive Director, a trade organization representing over 100 CDR businesses. Welcome, Ben. We’re also joined by our regular policy panelist, Susan Su, a partner focused on climate investing at TOBA Capital. She also serves as a board member of the Carbon Business Council and a board advisor to the Environmental Voter Project. *On This Episode* Ben Rubin Susan Su Asa Kamer *Resources* Carbon Business Council CDR RDT Confidence Ebbs in Carbon Markets- article Study: 13% of Renewable Projects that Face Opposition are Completed Reuter’s ‘Wild West’ article “Three Big Letters in CDR are MRV” CDR.fyi NextGen CDR Facility Carbon Removals at COP Our Episode with Sebastian Manhart *Connect with Nori* Nori Nori’s Twitter Nori’s other podcast Reversing Climate Change Nori’s CDR meme twitter account --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carbonremovalnewsroom/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carbonremovalnewsroom/support
Listen to the episodeIn our guest’s corner of the geoscience field, inertinites are well-known to be stable forms of carbon. So Hamed Sanei was surprised to learn that there was significant debate over the stability of CO2 storage in biochar, which is an inertinite. In his view, the science of that question has been settled for a long time, and the answer is clear: biochar is durable carbon removal. Biochar represented 92% of permanent carbon removal sales in the first part of 2023. It is technologically ready and accessible by a larger share of businesses and populations than other ‘permanent methods’ due to its relatively low-tech production. A recent report found it could one day deliver three gigatons of CDR annually. More investment money is flowing to companies doing biochar, and it has become a staple of CDR portfolios among buyers who are diversifying. Not only that, but it is thousands of years old and works as a soil amendment that helps crop productivity. It can be made from various biomass types, and the potential uses are just as numerous. However, a major question has hovered over the reputation of biochar: Is the carbon removed from the atmosphere by biochar stored permanently, or will it quickly seep back into the air? However, recent research has drawn some optimistic conclusions. Hamed walks us through why there has been debate, what his research has found, and why he thinks the debate over carbon storage permanence needs to be closed so that the biochar community can focus on improving and scaling the use of biochar. *On This Episode* Radhika Moolgavkar Hamed Sanei *Resources* CDR.fyi- How Much of CDR Sales are Biochar Report on Global Potential of Biochar Recent Biochar Purchase from Microsoft Biochar is 1000’s of Year Old! Hamed’s Research The Lithospheric Organic Carbon Lab European Biochar Industry Consortium *Connect with Nori* Nori Nori’s Twitter Nori’s other podcast Reversing Climate Change Nori’s CDR meme twitter account --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carbonremovalnewsroom/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carbonremovalnewsroom/support
Listen to the episodeA few weeks ago, the US government announced it would directly purchase carbon removal. The Department of Energy released news of a $35 million fund to procure CDR credits. The prize fund will take the form of offtake agreements and cover four pathways. More and more governments are funding CDR pilots, supporting research, and adding CDR targets to their climate plans. CDR has quickly entered an era of widespread support throughout North America and Europe. But while the support is wide, it is also shallow; most policies take the form of modest grants or targets, with a few more ambitious countries leading the way. Many CDR commentators have come to the conclusion that without a compliance market, carbon removal won’t ever scale up. On this episode we asked our policy panel about recent government actions on CDR: will they work, are they enough, and what more needs to be done? Are today’s policies sufficient to get us where we need to go? Radhika is joined by Wil Burns, Co-Executive Director of the Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy at American University, and Holly Jean Buck, Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo. *On This Episode* Radhika Moolgavkar Wil Burns Holly Jean Buck *Resources* DOE Announces CDR Procurement National Academy Report on CDR Research DOE RFP for Responsible Carbon Management Congress Members Letter on CO2 Pipelines Heirloom commitment to DOE principles Boston Consulting Group Report Reykjavik Protocol *Connect with Nori* Nori Nori’s Twitter Nori’s other podcast Reversing Climate Change Nori’s CDR meme twitter account --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carbonremovalnewsroom/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carbonremovalnewsroom/support
Listen to the episodeNot long ago it was difficult to find any information about the carbon removal ecosystem in Europe. Beyond academic papers, and a researcher or two at larger environmental non-profits, CDR policy was not an area with a mature ecosystem. The situation is much different today. Not only is the EU considering ways to incorporate removals into their existing cap-and-trade scheme, but there are non-profits, carbon marketplaces, startups, and a new trade group offering sophisticated information and analysis of the rapidly developing CDR policy landscape in Europe. One of them is Carbon Gap they describe themselves as “a science-based and philanthropy-funded expert non-profit" NGO working to bring just and equitable carbon removal policies to Europe through informed scientific research. Launched two years ago, the organisation keeps the carbon removal ecosystem informed through its Policy Tracker and regularly publishes articles.” Their most recent piece released last week approaches the thorny topic of avoiding emissions deterrence. Their senior researcher is Kayla Cohen, whose work focuses on the developing soil carbon policies in Europe and climate justice issues. Another organization that continues to provide high-level insight in Europe is Carbonfuture, a marketplace for ‘durable’ carbon credits. They claim over 40% of the market for durable carbon removal this year. And luckily for the public they also continue to publish information on the CDR market, including work on the topic of creating a trusted and inclusive MRV system, which we delved into on this show just a few weeks ago. The author of much of this work is their Senior Policy Advisor Sebastian Manhart. The EU is poised to be a world leader in CDR, as it has been with climate policy. It features ambitious climate targets, robust academic research in the field, a talented labor pool, and a sophisticated non-profit sector taking on the challenge. But it also faces many of the headwinds found elsewhere against CDR such as high-costs, ambivalence from some of the public and existing environmental sector, fear of moral hazard, and broader macro-economic challenges threatening investment into newer climate tech. On this episode Kayla and Sebastian join to talk about the current situation in Europe, the developments they’d like to see, and where they predict policy will be in 2030 and beyond. *On This Episode* Sebastian Manhart Kayla Cohen Asa Kamer *Resources* Carbonfuture Carbon Gap Carbon Gap article on ‘solutions to mitigation deterrence’ Our show on Carbonfuture’s work on Trust + MRV EU Soil Monitoring Law Sebastian’s Article on Incorporating CDR in the ETS Kayla’s Article on the EU Soil Monitoring Law Carbonfuture report on CDR law in 31 EU States *Connect with Nori* Nori Nori’s Twitter Nori’s other podcast Reversing Climate Change Nori’s CDR meme twitter account --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carbonremovalnewsroom/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carbonremovalnewsroom/support
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