A lot of sci-fi writing focused on climate is high literary fiction, which means it’s filled with allusion and often difficult to understand.

So, why don’t authors take on climate fiction as a serialized genre like detective novels, zombie books or erotica?

Is there a way to make climate fiction more playful without making light of climate change as a global issue?

Daniel Backer is the novelist and literature educator behind Off the Wall Novels and the author of Abraham and Lionel Lancet and the Right Vibe.

On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Daniel joins Ross to explore postmodern and metamodern literature, explaining the postmodern idea that myths guide our decision-making but also make us human.

Daniel helps us make sense of Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49, discussing how it plays on the detective genre and why we find comfort in the familiarity of literary conventions.

Listen in for Daniel’s take on how literature, at its best, comes from a place of character and learn how a writer might personalize the problem of climate change.

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Resources

The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Inherent Vice

The Illuminatus Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson

V. by Thomas Pynchon

Jordan Peterson

On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense by Friedrich Nietzsche

David Foster Wallace

Mary Karr

The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon

The Offer

Books by William Vollmann

This War of Mine

Hamlet 2: The Creative Process

For people living in affluent parts of the world in the 21st century, we are used to preserving food by way of refrigeration.

But this technique is quite new when you consider that people have been preserving food through fermentation for at least 10,000 years.

Our ancestors experimented with fermenting to make food more delicious, more easily digestible, and more stable for storage. And there are many reasons why you might want to learn the process yourself.

Sandor Ellix Katz is a well-known food writer and self-taught fermentation experimentalist. He is the author of several books, including The Art of Fermentation, Wild Fermentation, and The Revolution will Not Be Microwaved.

On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Sandor joins Ross to explore the practical benefits of fermentation and explain how our disconnection from food systems contributes to our destruction of the environment.

Sandor explains why it’s valuable to maintain the cultural wisdom around preserving food through fermentation and how our health might improve if we relied less on refrigeration and more on fermenting.

Listen in for Sandor’s insight on the tradeoffs between pure culture starters versus wild fermentation and learn how to take the first steps in learning fermentation—and why it’s easier than you think!

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Resources

Wild Fermentation

The Art of Fermentation: An In-Depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes from Around the World by Sandor Ellix Katz

Fermentation As Metaphor by Sandor Ellix Katz

Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition and Craft of Live-Culture Foods by Sandor Ellix Katz

Fermentation Journeys: Recipes, Techniques and Traditions from Around the World by Sandor Ellix Katz

The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved: Inside America’s Underground Food Movements by Sandor Ellix Katz

Ed Yong

Lynn Margulis

Nicolas Appert

In the last five years, an enormous amount of effort has been put into technical and scientific innovation around carbon removal.

But what about financial innovation?

How can we create more opportunities to finance carbon removal at scale? And what does innovation look like in carbon removal markets?

Peter Olivier is Head of New Markets at UNDO, a company that uses enhanced rock weathering to achieve carbon removal at scale.

On this bonus episode of Reversing Climate Change, Peter joins Ross and Siobhan to describe the UNDO process, discussing the source of the rock UNDO uses, and why they partner with farmers to spread crushed rock on cropland.

Peter shares his take on the forward contract basis of the CDR market, exploring ‘the uncomfortably large amounts of money’ we need to scale and how we might make CDR forwards contracts more fungible.

Listen in for Peter’s insight on innovating CDR markets through donor-advised funds and find out how we might be able to influence the future by creating opportunities to finance carbon removal at scale!

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Resources

UNDO

Peter on LinkedIn

Thanks a Ton

AirMiners

Monte Carlo Simulation

Stripe Climate

Neesha Mirchandani on Reversing Climate Change S3EP35BONUS

Carbon capture and storage, or CCS, involves sequestering carbon dioxide emissions from a point source, whereas carbon removal takes existing emissions out of ambient air.

And there are a lot of people in the climate community who are for carbon removal and against CCS, arguing that we should shut down these point sources and focus on renewable energy.

But is choosing sides the right thing to do?

Gagan Porrwal is Global Head of Partnerships for GE Gas Power's Carbon Solutions, where he is building an ecosystem of partners that enable, accelerate, and drive the adoption of CCS applications in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the Asian Pacific.

On this episode of Reversing Climate Change’s Happy Hour show, Gagan joins Ross and Siobhan to explain why we need CCS to meet our 2030 climate targets and how he thinks about capturing carbon in the flue versus ambient air.

Gagan discusses how much power is currently generated by coal or natural gas and describes the reality of how long it will take to transition to wind and solar.

Listen in to understand the four key problems facing CCS—social acceptance, economics, infrastructure, and permitting—and find out why we can’t transition to renewables tomorrow, but we can take the next rational step toward clean energy in any given geography.

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Resources

Gagan on LinkedIn

GE Gas Power's Carbon Solutions

Thanks a Ton

On Deck Climate Tech

Holly Jean Buck

The Paris Agreement

Carbon Removal Meme on Paying for Atmospheric Cleanup

IEA Climate Research

You can judge the progress of an industry by its number of sh*tty first drafts.

And if we have any hope of getting to gigatonne-scale carbon removal by 2030, we need a greater diversity of ideas in the CDR space. We need entrepreneurs who dare to think differently. We need more sh*tty first drafts.

So, what can we do to encourage this kind of radical risk-taking in carbon removal? Where can entrepreneurs, investors, and carbon removal buyers go to generate their sh*tty first drafts and then iterate on each other’s ideas together?

Adina Mangubat and Tito Jankowski are Accelerator Director and CEO, respectively, at AirMiners, a community that empowers people taking risks to accelerate the reversal of climate change through carbon removal.

On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Tito and Adina join Ross to discuss the AirMiners Launchpad business accelerator, explaining how it serves early-stage carbon removal startups and why it supports companies across the spectrum of permanence.

Tito describes his role in unlocking capital for early-stage CDR startups, exploring how AirMiners helps them sell future carbon credits as a complement to traditional equity investment.

Listen in for Adina’s insight around what buyers are looking for in carbon removal startups and learn how you can get involved in the AirMiners community and contribute to the queue of sh*tty first drafts we need to save the planet.

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Purchase Nori Carbon Removals

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Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom

Carbon Removal Memes on Twitter

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Resources

AirMiners

AirMiners Launchpad Startup Accelerator

AirMiners Investor Academy

AirMiners Investor Demo Day

AirMiners Investment Fund

Y Combinator

AirMiners ‘How to Sell a Carbon Credit’ Event

AirMiners Boot Up Series

AirMiners Buyer Demo Day

XPRIZE for Carbon Removal

Anne Lamott’s Idea of Sh*tty First Drafts

Startups in the CDR space need to succeed quickly if we want to reverse climate change before time runs out.

But the current system requires that climatetech founders often devote time to pitching VCs and filling out multiple grant applications. Time that would be better spent developing their solutions.

So, what can we do to connect emerging carbon removal companies with the funding they need to move forward?

Neesha Mirchandani is Founder and CEO of Impact Stars, a consultancy that helps planet-positive entrepreneurs raise money and attract clients.

On this episode of Reversing Climate Change Happy Hour, Neesha joins Ross, Siobhan and Asa to discuss the magnetic pitch method she uses to support CDR startups in attracting venture capital.

Neesha explains what VCs look for in a climate startup and shares her frustration with philanthropy’s failure to fill in the funding gaps.

Listen in to understand how we might streamline the grant application process for CDR entrepreneurs and get Neesha’s advice on how to apply business sense to your climate ventures!

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Purchase Nori Carbon Removals

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Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom

Carbon Removal Memes on Twitter

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Resources

Impact Stars

Thanks a Ton

Na’im Merchant at The Carbon Curve

Climate Change vs. Artisanal Cheesemaking on Reversing Climate Change S3EP35

AirMiners

Kiss the Ground Courses

‘Who Should Pay for Carbon Removal?’ by Robert Hoglund

California Wilderness Coalition

While large, industrial cheesemakers are known for consistency and scale, small operations like Uplands Cheese make boutique cheeses unique to the land where they’re produced.

And these small, pasture-based dairy farms have their own unique concerns when it comes to climate change.

So, how is extreme weather already affecting operations like Uplands Cheese? How does climate factor into future planning for a 300-acre dairy farm?

Cheesemaker Andy Hatch is Co-Owner at Uplands, a dairy farm and cheesemaking operation in Southern Wisconsin. Andy’s team produces two award-winning artisan cheeses, Pleasant Ridge Reserve and Rush Creek Reserve.

On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Andy joins Ross to explain why his team uses a seasonal model for cheesemaking, describing how Pleasant Ridge Reserve is made in the tradition of Alpine cheeses while Rush Creek is modeled after Vacherin Mont d’Or.

Andy discusses how warmer, wetter weather is impacting his cows and what Uplands Cheese is doing to reduce its carbon footprint.

Listen in for insight on trends in dairy farming influenced by climate change and learn how to support small dairy farmers like Andy who are good stewards of natural resources.

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Purchase Nori Carbon Removals

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Carbon Removal Memes on Twitter

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Resources

Uplands Cheese

Liz Thorpe on Reversing Climate Change S3EP31

The Book of Cheese by Liz Thorpe

DeLaurenti

Dan Saladino on Reversing Climate Change S3EP16

Eating to Extinction by Dan Saladino

Colston Bassett Blue Stilton

Jasper Hill Farm Bayley Hazen Blue

Roelli Cheese Dunbarton Blue

Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese

Much has been written about the European Theater in World War II.

But the war in the Pacific Theater was the largest naval war ever fought. It covered the entire breadth of the Pacific Ocean, and much of the fighting took place in remote, wild environments.

How did the conflict impact those environments heretofore untouched by the outside world? And what about the Indigenous peoples who lived there?

Ian W. Toll is the author of Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the US Navy and the Pacific War Trilogy—Pacific Crucible, The Conquering Tide, and Twilight of the Gods.

On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Ian joins Ross to explain how airbases were built on hundreds of Pacific islands during WWII and describe how the scale of development radically and irrevocably changed the ecosystems there.

Ian discusses how hundreds of shipwrecks from WWII have the potential to turn into environmental disasters at any time and weighs in on what we can do to avoid a modern-day war in the Pacific—and why it’s crucial.

Listen in for Ian’s insight on the logistical prowess of the US to ramp up shipbuilding during WWII and find out why Admiral Halsey ranked the bulldozer among the five most important weapons of the Pacific War.

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Resources

Ian W. Toll on Twitter

Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the US Navy by Ian W. Toll

Ian W. Toll’s Pacific War Trilogy

Patrick O’Brian

Test Ban Treaty

With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by E.B. Sledge

The Pacific

Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener

Alfred Thayer Mahan

With a problem as monumental as the climate crisis, we have a tendency toward proportionality bias. We often believe that the issue has a single cause and can only be solved with a few large-scale solutions.

But in the case of climate change, a diversity of solutions may be faster and more effective than putting all our eggs in a few big baskets.

And that’s why Todd Myers focuses on what individuals can do to solve climate change—while the politicians slug it out over broad policy measures.

Todd serves as Environmental Director at the Washington Policy Center. He is also the author of the new book, Time to Think Small: How Nimble Environmental Technologies Can Solve the Planet’s Biggest Problems.

On this episode of the Reversing Climate Change podcast, Todd joins Ross to explore how individual efforts can fill in the gaps left behind by government policies and explain how climate change differs from pollution in the 1970’s.

Todd discusses the data collected by citizen science apps like iNaturalist or eBird and describes how we can use both moral suasion and financial incentives to promote climate solutions.

Listen in for Todd’s insight on striking the right balance between private sector and government climate initiatives and learn how a business in the carbon removal space might identify the right scale for its unique solution.

Connect with Nori

Purchase Nori Carbon Removals

Nori's website

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Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom

Carbon Removal Memes on Twitter

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Resources

Washington Policy Center

Time to Think Small: How Nimble Environmental Technologies Can Solve the Planet’s Biggest Problems by Todd Myers

Todd Myers on Reversing Climate Change EP052

WILDLABS

The Earthshot Prize

Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Council

Bill Ruckelshaus

iNaturalist

Seek

eBird

Merlin Bird ID

Dr. Bryan Caplan on Reversing Climate Change S2EP2

Octopus Energy Fan Club

Sense Energy Monitor

‘The Problem of Social Cost’ by RH Coase

GridWatch: Using Cell Sensors to Detect Power Outages

Of all philanthropy globally, only a couple percentage points go to climate in general. And of that couple percentage points, only something like 2% of climate giving is dedicated to carbon removal.

The problem is, we need to fund several gigatonnes of carbon removal per year by 2050 to combat climate change. And that’s going to cost hundreds of billions of dollars.

So, how do we encourage governments, corporations and philanthropists to support carbon removal? How might the average person make a tax-deductible donation to fund carbon removal?

Alex Roetter is Founder of Terraset, a new nonprofit climate fund that uses private philanthropy to invest in carbon removal projects.

On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Alex joins Ross to explain how the underfunding of carbon removal inspires his philanthropic work, and why reducing emissions alone is not enough to curb climate change.

Alex discusses the well-known donors and carbon removal providers Terraset is working with and describes the criteria his team uses to evaluate the projects they choose to fund.

Listen in to understand how giving to a 501(c)(3) makes your dollars go further and learn how to make your own tax-deductible carbon removal purchase through Terraset.

Connect with Nori

Purchase Nori Carbon Removals

Nori's website

Nori on Twitter

Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom

Carbon Removal Memes on Twitter

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Resources

Terraset

Email [email protected]

Gates Foundation

IPCC

Frontier Climate

45Q Tax Credit

Inflation Reduction Act

Ford Foundation

Dr. Marcius Extavour on Reversing Climate Change S3EP28 Bonus

Charm Industrial

Heirloom

Charm Industrial on Reversing Climate Change S3EP27

Heirloom on Carbon Removal Newsroom S3EP23

Lowercarbon Capital

Breakthrough Energy

DARPA

Climeworks

Yvon Chouinard Gives Away Patagonia