Carbon Removal Newsroom

Warning: these submissions are anonymous and unverified. We’ve barely even started Climate Workers Anonymous and I’m already receiving such challenging and intriguing pieces of feedback, and so many submissions. Thank you to everyone who has participated to date and taken time to share something real with this project. A friend of mine wrote me right before I recorded this episode and mentioned th...

Warning: these submissions are anonymous and unverified. Today we have thirteen(!) submissions to read that cover despair, rage, and other feelings about working climate that the authors could not say aloud. The intro to this show also explains why this project isn't an act of investigative journalism, but a collective art project about feelings. I can't verify the claims of submissions and don't...

Here it is: the first show with anonymous submissions to Climate Workers Anonymous. In this episode there are six short thoughts (or four depending upon whether technology has its say), and one longer one. There are big thoughts and analysis. There are feelings of dread and hope. Listen in for yourself. Also, this episode starts with some of my thoughts on some of the ethics and aesthetics of a sh...

Welcome to the first episode of Climate Workers Anonymous . If you are listening on your usual podcast app, you might notice that the old feed for Carbon Removal Newsroom has been officially repurposed for this new project. I started Carbon Removal Newsroom a very long time ago. My name is Ross Kenyon, and I’m a former cofounder of the Nori carbon dioxide removal marketplace and registry. This sho...

So much is happening in the world of biochar. It's both a physical product and can also be a more abstract concept called a "carbon removal". How is the industry balancing the divergent business logic of these two different markets, and what challenges and opportunities will it face? In today's episode of Carbon Removal Newsroom , producer and guest host Asa Kamer interviews Myle...

Everyone used to say carbon removal was supply-constrained. Now everyone says it is demand-constrained. So which is it? Today's show has Dr. Gabrielle Walker , Co-Founder of the carbon removal marketplace CUR8 and the Founder of Rethinking Removals , an NGO working to change the conventional environmental story around CDR. She is hosted by Nori 's VP of Supply and Methodology, Radhika Mool...

The  XPRIZE  remains one of the top stories in carbon removal and one of the largest funding sources for CDR start-ups. The Elon Musk-backed competition will award $50 million to the winning CDR startup in 2025 and send $10 million to three other runner-up teams. Over 1000 teams worldwide have applied since the award was announced in 2021. This month, XPRIZE released the detailed  “Getting to Giga...

Lots of news in carbon removal this past week! Frontier made their largest-ever purchase   of $58 million from relatively new BiCRS company Vaulted Deep , Climeworks   unveiled their Mammoth facility in Iceland , and   Microsoft purchased 3.3 million tons   of CO2 from BECCs in Sweden. These deals represent significant private market volume in CDR. But a new report in Nature called The carbon diox...

Biochar is an increasingly global carbon removal pathway. What does it look like to do business in Ghana and India? What does it mean for biochar to be decentralized? Mart de Bruijn is the Co-Founder and Director of Carboneers , a Dutch biochar company working to implement carbon removal solutions in India and Ghana. The conversation covers the challenges of securing enthusiastic participation fro...

Europe has a lot happening for carbon removal, and on several different levels. What is the state of CDR policy and industry? Today's episode has Nori's VP of Supply and Methodology, Radhika Moolgavkar, on hosting duties, and Sylvain Delerce, the Associate Research Direct of Carbon Gap, joining the show to catch listeners up on Carbon Gap and the latest on European carbon removal news. Syl...

The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) recently came out and announced they would be issuing guidance for how some carbon offsets may be used to address Scope 3 emissions (activities beyond direct business operations and energy). This set off a firestorm of protest within and outside of SBTi, as well as some calls of support. It was essentially a tabula rasa one could project one's carbon...

Carbon removal is sometimes thought to be enjoying policy tailwinds. But is it anywhere close to what we need to avoid the worst of climate change? A new report from the Rhodium Group suggests the CDR industry is receiving about 1% of what it would need to reach a one CO2 gigatonne/year capacity! Our regular panelists, Drs. Holly Jean Buck & Wil Burns discuss the challenges of government budge...

InPlanet  is an enhanced weathering company spreading rock dust on agricultural fields to draw down CO2. In November, it announced a new investment of  $4.6 million  from a group of investors. Based in Germany, InPlanet collaborates with farmers in Brazil, aiming to remove 1 million tons of CO2 by 2026. As they work to scale their operations, they face a similar challenge all ERW operations are de...

Criticism of VCM is very common. But what about CCM?! Compliance Carbon Markets face design and political economy issues as well. Could we replace them both with industrial policy? Maybe, but that has trade-offs too. For what is a climate-concerned person to root? This show delves into the fluctuations in the European Union's Emissions Trading System (ETS) carbon price and the U.S. Department...

Do carbon removal suppliers and registries have a responsibility in choosing their customers, or in enforcing how their carbon removals are used? Is it better that the money go to carbon removal than alternative uses? What matters, and at which magnitudes? In today's episode of Carbon Removal Newsroom , host Radhika Moolgavkar , Nori's VP of Supply and Methodology, is joined by her busines...

Law structures so much of our lives, but can feel inaccessible to those untrained. It is also in flux! How is the law being changed in response to climate change? Which laws can be adapted to suit our climate-changing country and world? And which are unprepared for new challenges? Today's episode of Carbon Removal Newsroom is hosted by Radhika Moolgavkar, Nori's VP of Supply and Methodolog...

Biotech trees: the new frontier This week on Carbon Removal Newsroom, we sat down with Maddie Hall, CEO and co-founder of Living Carbon, to discuss how her company enhances the ability of photosynthetic organisms to draw down and store carbon from the atmosphere through the responsible use of biotechnology. Listen in to hear Maddie explain how these trees are designed to absorb more carbon dioxide...

A lot has been happening in Europe lately. To break it all down for us, we’re joined by Sebastian Manhart, senior policy advisor at Carbonfuture and Initiator and Chair of the DVNE, Germany's CDR association. The episode discusses three major topics: 1) The good, the bad, and the surprising news from the concluded trilog negotiations on the Carbon Removal Certification Framework - how did redu...

Is Large-Scale CDR Sustainable? Two recent journal publications point to potential risks associated with large-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Is 10 gigatons annually a realistic and sustainable target? Should we aim for 1 gigaton, or could 28 be feasible? What land use and energy limitations are inherent in large-scale CDR, and what policy measures could ensure a just and scientifically rigor...

What is Photochemical Carbon Removal? In this episode of Carbon Removal Newsroom we learn how two professors from the University of Washington went from studying coral on the late Marlon Brando’s private island, to developing an energy efficient process that removes carbon dioxide from the ocean. Join co-founders Dr. Alex Gagnon and Dr. Julian Sachs of Banyu Carbon , as they dissect their groundbr...

How’s the CDR economic outlook for 2024? Sightline Climate recently reported that investment for the entire climate tech industry dropped 30% in 2023. Similarly, Pitchdeck released a report specifically outlining carbon removal's recent dip in VC funding. However, Captura just announced a $21.5 million Series A raise. So is CDR immune to the climate tech investing downturn? In this episode of...

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 greenwashi...

The 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 i...

Biomass 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, a...

2023 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  l...