Climate Workers Anonymous

This week on Carbon Removal Newsroom, we’re starting off with an overview of biochar and discussing the main questions and concerns around this technology, including:

How does biochar compare to other Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) methods?

There is a lot of interest in making biochar, but does the market exist to use it?

What can governments do to help scale up the use of biochar as a carbon removal technique? Are any governments taking action yet?

Next, we transition to the CDR policy agenda in the United States. We look at the California Climate Crisis Act (AB 1395), which would Codify California’s commitment to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible and no later than 2045. If passed, this bill will set California on course to design a more comprehensive policy framework for CDR than exists in any state so far. The bill language is explicit in planning for technological as well as natural CDR methods and calls for measurable, durable CO2 removal.

We also cover geoengineering and its controversies, looking at the Politico article, “The problem with playing God to fix the climate: It might not work.”

Finally, our good news to round out the episode is that the team at ClimateScience has created a free online course on the science of carbon removal, with illustrations and quizzes along the way. 

Panelists Dr. Holly Jean Buck of the University at Buffalo and Chris Barnard of the American Conservation Coalition join host Radhika Moolgavkar of Nori for this episode.

Resources

Introductory Webinar: Methodology for Biochar Utilization in Soil and Non-Soil Applications (Verra)

Biochar Protocol (Climate Action Reserve)

Does biochar accelerate the mitigation of greenhouse gaseous emissions from agricultural soil? - A global meta-analysis (ScienceDirect)

The waste product which could help mitigate climate change (ScienceDaily)

Net-Zero Emissions Bill Advances in the California State Senate (EDF)

With the Climate Crisis Act, California can lock in a safer pathway to net-zero emissions (EDF)

Amid the Misery of Hurricane Ida, Coastal Restoration Offers Hope. But the Price Is High (Inside Climate News)

The problem with playing God to fix the climate: It might not work (Politico)

Why Geoengineering Is ‘Untested and Untestable’ (The Nation)

Climate Science: Carbon removal courses

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This week on Carbon Removal Newsroom, we’re discussing carbon’s value in various forms. We start by answering the question, ‘What is carbon pricing?’ and look at proposed bills in Congress that are attaching a price to carbon. We look at the value of forest carbon offsets in a world with unprecedented wildfires. We explore A Progressive Platform For Carbon Removal, then we close out the episode with a positive story of the week.

Panelists Dr. Holly Jean Buck of the University at Buffalo and Chris Barnard of the American Conservation Coalition join host Radhika Moolgavkar of Nori for this episode.

Resources

The energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act

America’s Clean Future Fund Act

The Climate Action Rebate Act

The Market Choice Act

A policy framework for achieving negative emissions (VoxEU)

Operationalizing The Net Negative Carbon Economy (Nature)

Wildfires are ravaging forests set aside to soak up greenhouse gases (The New York Times)

2021 North American Wildfire Season

A Progressive Platform for Carbon Removal (Data for Progress)

Activists Call It A ‘False Solution.’ But UN Scientists Say We Need To Suck Up CO2 (The Huffington Post)

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateworkersanonymous.com

This week on Carbon Removal Newsroom, we’re discussing the latest IPCC Report, the $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill, and pressure for companies to reach net-zero.

Returning panelists Dr. Holly Jean Buck of the University at Buffalo and Chris Barnard of the American Conservation Coalition join host Radhika Moolgavkar of Nori for this episode.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateworkersanonymous.com

Guest panelist Peter Minor, Director of Science and Innovation at Carbon180, joins us in this episode of Carbon Removal Newsroom to weigh in on the Energy Sector Innovation Credit Act (ESIC), and panelist Dr. Holly Jean Buck of the University at Buffalo returns to discuss the latest carbon removal news with host Radhika Moolgavkar of Nori. Plus, stay calm during the unexpected tornado warning on Holly’s side near the end of the episode— a coincidental and eerie emphasis of what the daily workday might look like in the era of climate change… 

(Holly is safe, not to worry!)

Also covered in this episode:

CarbonCure, a company that is reducing emissions in concrete manufacturing, announced it was carbon neutral in 2020 through carbon removal purchases from Running Tide, greenSand, Charm industrials, and Husk (P.S: To learn more about CarbonCure, check out an episode of Reversing Climate Change we did with Rob Niven of CarbonCure!).

Black & Veatch, a global engineering company, was awarded $2.5 million in federal funding to advance direct air capture technology.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced intent to fund direct air capture front-end engineering design (FEED) studies, showing the Biden administration’s commitment to carbon removal.

Chevron failed to hit the target with their troubled carbon capture and storage (CCS) scheme at their Gorgon liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project in Australia.

The Energy Sector Innovation Credit (ESIC) Act of 2021 was introduced by Senate and House leadership on both sides of the aisle. This bill aims to create investment and production tax credits for technologies across the clean energy portfolio, including direct air capture.

Listen until the end to hear the panelists describe their favorite type of carbon removal!

Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time! 

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateworkersanonymous.com

This week, we’re discussing whether or not carbon removal hype distracts from the need to reduce emissions and looking at the EU’s ‘Fit for 55’ climate proposals. Panelist Chris Barnard describes the conservative climate rally put on by the American Conservation Coalition, and panelist Dr. Holly Jean Buck explains that our media ecology often rewards climate fear and doom over climate optimism. Our panelists discuss a recent article by Matthew Yglesias, 'What is the climate left doing?' and Holly Buck explains how her sociological research leads her to agree with Yglesias’s perspective in the article.

Other carbon removal news discussed in this episode: Carbon transformation startup Twelve (formerly Opus 12) raised $57 million in Series A funding. Twelve is pioneering a new market category called carbon transformation with its proprietary catalyst technology that transforms CO2 into critical chemicals, materials and fuels that are conventionally made from fossil fuels.

Carbon Engineering, a firm looking to commercialize nascent "direct air capture" tech, just unveiled a new retail offering for its services in partnership with the firm BeZero Carbon.

A recent cover story in Grist discusses soil and forest carbon and features two of Nori's farmers, Kelly Garrett and Trey Hill. The article describes some of the complications around soil and forestry carbon offsets. If you read it and have any thoughts or questions, Tweet us @nori.

The European Union unveiled ‘Fit for 55’ climate legislation proposals.

Plus, we debate how much power low-propensity environmental voters (LPEV) have in elections.

As always, the episode is concluded with a good news story of the week.

P.S., we are releasing Carbon Removal Newsroom episodes on an every-other-week cadence through the end of August. If there are topics you’d like us to cover, reach out on Twitter or at [email protected].

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateworkersanonymous.com

The U.S. Senate passed the Growing Climate Solutions Act with a strong bipartisan vote. But what does the bill aim to do? And why were more Democrats against this climate bill than Republicans? Plus, a look at soil carbon sequestration’s potential and other carbon removal technologies. Finally, carbon tax proposals are moving forward in Europe— what does this mean for the U.S. and the rest of the world?

This episode of Carbon Removal Newsroom is hosted by Nori's Head of Supply and Methodology, Radhika Moolgavkar, and features panelists Dr. Holly Jean Buck of the University at Buffalo and Chris Barnard of the American Conservation Coalition.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateworkersanonymous.com

House Republicans launched the Conservative Climate Caucus on Wednesday and it’s already the third-largest caucus in the House with around 60 members. Maine becomes the first state to order public fossil fuel divestment. A new paper in Nature Climate Change looks at the difference between avoidances and removals of CO2 (a more accessible summary of the paper was written for Carbon Brief). There is a proposal at the International Criminal Court to define a new global crime called 'ecocide.' All of this and more, discussed in this week’s episode of Carbon Removal Newsroom.

Host Radhika Moolgavkar of Nori is joined by panelists Dr. Holly Jean Buck of the University at Buffalo and Chris Barnard of the American Conservation Coalition for this episode.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateworkersanonymous.com

Dr. Holly Jean Buck of the University at Buffalo and Chris Barnard of the American Conservation Coalition are back with host Radhika Moolgavkar of Nori for another episode of Carbon Removal Newsroom!

This week, our panelists examine the federal budget’s climate change and carbon removal proposals and connect the dots between the budget and the infrastructure bill. We also address the G7 Summit, discussing concerns around whether G7 leaders are doing enough, and pondering why there is no end date for coal. Our panelists look at clean energy standards and President Biden’s suspension of new oil and gas drilling leases on federal lands, then discuss the early heatwave and strained grid in Texas. As always, we conclude the episode with an uplifting environmental win— restored protections to the Tongass National Park in Alaska.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateworkersanonymous.com

In this episode of Carbon Removal Newsroom, our panelists look at the benefits and risks of nuclear power, attempting to find where the balance should lie between necessary safety precautions and overburdensome regulations. We address the grim accomplishment of the highest recorded levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere— 419 parts per million— and the real-world impacts of changes in the climate. With much of the west in drought, farmers and fish are competing for limited resources, and water rights along the Colorado River are under debate. We discuss the emergence of rare climate bipartisanship on carbon storage bills, and round out the episode with a positive story of the week.

Panelists Dr. Holly Jean Buck of the University at Buffalo and Chris Barnard of the American Conservation Coalition join host Radhika Moolgavkar of Nori for this episode.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateworkersanonymous.com

This episode of Carbon Removal Newsroom addresses the recent news in oil and gas including a court order for Royal Dutch Shell to sharply cut greenhouse gas emissions from all of its global operations, and a vote from Chevron’s shareholders telling the company to reduce its own emissions and the emissions produced by customers who burn its oil and gasoline. Our panelists also discuss how nature-based solutions can help bridge the gap between political parties, and reflect on the film Kiss the Ground while looking at how soil can heal the earth and mend political divisions.
We are joined by special guest panelist Quill Robinson, Vice President of Government Affairs at the American Conservation Coalition, alongside returning panelist Holly Jean Buck of the University at Buffalo and host Radhika Moolgavkar, Nori’s Head of Supply and Methodology.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateworkersanonymous.com