This Week in Carbon

In this episode of This Week in Carbon, hosts Edward Smith and Rene Velasquez are joined by Chris Leeds, Head of Carbon Markets Development at Standard Chartered Bank and board member of the Integrity Council (ICVCM) — a 20-year veteran who helped launch the EU ETS and co-founded Climate Impact X.Chris delivers a masterclass on scaling carbon markets with integrity, finance, and policy. We discuss...

In this episode of  This Week in Carbon , hosts Edward Smith and Rene Velasquez are joined by Alfredo Nicastro, Global Head of Carbon Solutions at StoneX, a veteran with over 20 years in climate finance and carbon markets. Alfredo shares his journey from a civil and environmental engineer in Brazil to a leader in global carbon solutions, offering a deep dive into the challenges and opportunities s...

In this episode of This Week in Carbon, we speak with Madhur Jain, Co-Founder & CEO, and Ikarus Janzen, Co-Founder & Chief Commercial Officer of Varaha—one of the top 3 global suppliers of high-quality CDR credits in 2025 (per CDR.FYI). They share how Varaha scaled to profitability in just 3.5 years across 4 CDR pathways, delivered 100,000+ tons of biochar, and landed landmark deals with G...

In this episode of This Week in Carbon, host Edward Smith and co-host Rene Velasquez are joined by Sebastian Manhart, Senior Policy Advisor at Carbon Future and co-host of the CDR Policy Scoop podcast, to explore the rapidly evolving world of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR).   Sebastian shares his journey from social entrepreneurship to advising Angela Merkel’s chancellery, highlighting Carbon Future...

In this episode of This Week in Carbon, host Rene Velasquez sits down with Renat Heuberger and Steve Zwick to discuss their new book, The Carbon Paradox, and its unique approach to unraveling the complexities of carbon markets. Recorded ahead of New York Climate Week 2025, this conversation delves into the power of storytelling to make the nuanced challenges of climate finance accessible and engag...

In this episode of This Week in Carbon, host Edward Smith engages in a compelling discussion with Phoebe Scott from Climate Asset Management (CAM) about the evolving landscape of natural capital and carbon markets. Edward explores Phoebe’s expertise in climate finance and her leadership in fostering inclusivity in the industry. Key Highlights:• Phoebe’s journey from investment banking to CAM, driv...

In this episode of This Week in Carbon, host Rene Velasquez dives into the future of carbon markets with Joe Dell'Orfano from Verra and Wes Geisenberger from the HBAR Foundation. They discuss Verra’s groundbreaking shift to a next-generation registry infrastructure with S&P Global Commodity Insights, powered by Hedera’s blockchain technology. This partnership is set to transform the carbon...

In this episode of This Week in Carbon, we sit down with Stuart Rowland, CEO of Revalue, to unpack why the voluntary carbon market needs a radical shift in how we think about credit quality. Stuart shares his journey from physics to climate entrepreneurship and explains why treating all credits as “the same” undermines trust, value, and impact. Instead, he argues for a new mental model: one where...

In this episode of This Week in Carbon, we explore the evolving voluntary carbon market (VCM) with insights from experts in carbon credit ratings, Donna Lee and Duncan van Bergen. The VCM is shifting from heuristic-based to data-driven decisions, with ratings agencies enhancing transparency and integrity. Despite challenges like baseline accuracy, embodied emissions, and a focus on in-setting, the...

New episode with Margaret Morales, Director of Carbon at Trellis Group. In this episode of This Week in Carbon, we dive into the evolving landscape of carbon markets and climate solutions with our expert guest, Margaret Morales. The discussion explores the shift toward corporate sustainability, the surge in durable carbon removal projects, and the critical role of policy in shaping the future of c...

In this episode of This Week in Carbon, we speak with Mike Korchinsky, founder of Wildlife Works and a pioneer of REDD+. Mike shares the remarkable origin story of Wildlife Works, how it became the first REDD+ project certified under Verra, and what it took to bring market-based conservation to life—long before carbon finance was mainstream. We explore the early conflicts between wildlife and comm...

What happens when the most powerful standard-setter in carbon markets tries to reform the system from the inside? In this episode, we speak with Mandy Rambharos, the new CEO of Verra, at a pivotal moment for the voluntary carbon market. Public trust is low, market rules are under pressure, and project developers are struggling to navigate layers of complexity. Mandy reflects on what she found when...

Veteran carbon market analyst Mark Lewis joins This Week in Carbon to break down why the EU ETS is unlike any other market—and why it's entering a long-term bullish phase. We cover: - Why the EU ETS has no natural sellers - How shrinking supply is driving long-term price. - The coming impact of ETS2 (carbon pricing for households) - The UK-EU ETS linkage and arbitrage opportunities - How carbo...

Can aviation decarbonize faster than the rest of the economy? In this episode, we sit down with  Kennedy Ricci , President of  4AIR , to explore how sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), book & claim systems, and tax incentives are reshaping how we fly—and how we account for emissions. Kennedy explains how  book & claim  could be a game-changer for SAF: allowing fuel to be produced and delivere...

In this episode,  Thibault Sorret , CEO of ERS (Ecosystem Restoration Standard), joins us just days after some major developments: 🌳  ERS has acquired Equitable Earth , a REDD+ forest conservation standard built by a coalition including Wildlife Works, Forest Trends, and Everland. ✅  The ERS Programme has been officially approved under the ICVCM’s Core Carbon Principles , marking a major milesto...

Carbon markets are evolving fast — but is the demand side keeping up? In this episode, Magnus Drewelies (Founder & CEO of Ceezer) joins Edward and Rene to unpack key insights from the World Bank’s 2025 State and Trends of Carbon Pricing report and explore what’s really happening in carbon credit markets. We discuss the rapid rise of carbon removals, especially nature-based solutions — and the...

Every week, Edward Smith invites carbon market enthusiasts for a call to discuss the biggest news stories of that week. For this episode of This Week in Carbon, moderator Edward Smith welcomed Rene Velasquez, Stefano De Clara, and Vinay Kulkarni. This week, we zoom out to ask a hard question: Are we building carbon markets for a world that’s already on track to miss 1.5°C? To unpack that, Edward S...

Every week, Edward Smith invites carbon market enthusiasts for a call to discuss the biggest news stories of that week. For this episode of This Week in Carbon, moderator Edward Smith welcomed Rene Velasquez and Elizabeth Aldrich. Together, they unpack a critical moment for the voluntary carbon market—where trust is low, demand is uncertain, and integrity is under pressure. Lizzie Aldrich shares h...

Every week, Edward Smith invites carbon market enthusiasts for a call to discuss the biggest news stories of that week. For this episode of This Week in Carbon, moderator Edward Smith welcomed Abraham Robertson and Olivier Lejeune

Every week, Edward Smith invites carbon market enthusiasts for a call to discuss the biggest news stories of that week. For this episode of This Week in Carbon, moderator Edward Smith welcomed Thibault Sorret and Judith Simon

Every week, Edward Smith invites carbon market enthusiasts for a call to discuss the biggest news stories of that week. For this episode of This Week in Carbon, moderator Edward Smith welcomed Rene Velasquez and Jean de Barrau de Muratel

Every week, Edward Smith invites carbon market enthusiasts for a call to discuss the biggest news stories of that week. For this episode of This Week in Carbon, moderator Edward Smith welcomed Rene Velasquez and Stephanie Zhu

Every week, Edward Smith invites carbon market enthusiasts for a call to discuss the biggest news stories of that week. For this episode of This Week in Carbon, moderator Edward Smith welcomed Rene Velasquez and Brennan Spellacy

Every week, Edward Smith invites carbon market enthusiasts for a call to discuss the biggest news stories of that week. For this episode of TWIC, moderator Edward Smith welcomed Rene Velasquez and Nathan Truitt

Every week, Edward Smith invites carbon market enthusiasts for a call to discuss the biggest news stories of that week. For this episode of TWIC, moderator Edward Smith welcomed Rene Velasquez, Steve Zwick, and Renat Heuberger.