The Carbon Curve

Episode 30 is with Bilha Ndirangu, CEO of Great Carbon Valley.

Today Na’im speaks with Bilha Ndirangu. Bilha is the CEO of Great Carbon Valley. She is also the co-founder of Jacob’s Ladder Africa, a non-profit focused on green workforce preparation.  In this and other roles, she is at the intersection of climate action, technology, and education, positioning Africa as an investment destination for the green economy, identifying and scaling relevant technologies, and preparing its youth to provide the requisite skills mix. She has had previous roles as CEO of the African Leadership Academy and CEO of Africa’s Talking (a communications technology company), where she expanded the company into 20 markets in African countries. She also worked at Dalberg, where she helped launch the Nairobi office. Bilha holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from MIT and is a Yale Emerging Climate Leaders Fellow.

Great Carbon Valley (GCV) is a systems integrator and project development company working to harness the abundant resources of the Great Rift Valley towards the global decarbonization efforts by developing large scale green industry and carbon removals projects. GCV aims to develop comprehensive DACS-anchored industrial parks that serve as complete solutions for energy-intensive businesses, enabling them to operate with enhanced efficiency and achieving net zero targets. GCV is seeking and working with a network of actors, including energy developers, Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology ventures, carbon storage providers, green industries, and project financiers, to develop the hubs. Earlier this year, GCV announced a partnership with Climeworks to explore development of large-scale direct air capture and storage projects in Kenya.

In this episode, Na’im and Bilha discuss:

* The mission and vision of Great Carbon Valley;

* Attributes that make Kenya and East Africa ideal for hosting carbon removal projects;

* The political wil behind carbon removal in Kenya and the potential political leaders see;

* The employment and innovation opportunities that could come out of Africa;

* Policies that will support industrial-scale carbon removal in East Africa;

* Challenges and opportunities in attracting companies to build up the ecosystem in Kenya; and

* The biggest disconnect in conversations around scaling carbon removal solutions between Europe, North America, and Africa.

Relevant Links:

* Envisioning African CDR Innovation with Bilha Ndirangu, Great Carbon Valley - Carbon Removal Africa Webinar

* Africa’s Great Carbon Valley - TED Talk by James Mwangi

* Climeworks and Great Carbon Valley chart path to large-scale direct air capture and storage deployment in Kenya

This episode was created and published by Na’im Merchant. Episode production and content support provided by Tank Chen.

Na’im Merchant is the co-founder and Executive Director of Carbon Removal Canada, a policy initiative focused on scaling carbon removal in Canada. He is also a policy fellow with Elemental Excelerator. He previously ran carbon removal consulting practice Carbon Curve, and publishes The Carbon Curve newsletter and podcast. Every two weeks, Na’im will release a short interview with individuals advancing the policies, technologies, and collective action needed to scale up carbon removal around the world.

Tank Chen is a carbon removal advocate based in Taiwan whose focus is on communicating the importance of CDR to policy makers, corporate leaders, and the broader public through education, communications, and policy advocacy.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast app or subscribe via The Carbon Curve newsletter here. If you’d like to get in touch with Na’im, you can reach out via LinkedIn.

Episode 29 is with Anna Stukas, Vice President of Business Development at Carbon Engineering Ltd.

Today Na’im speaks with Anna Stukas about how Carbon Engineering is helping the aviation industry to decarbonize, and what roles direct air capture (DAC) technologies play in the sector’s overall strategy to reach net-zero.

Anna Stukas is a Vice President of Business Development at Carbon Engineering Ltd.  Anna is a professional engineer with nearly two decades experience bridging the gap between technology and business to overcome barriers to cleantech commercialization. She currently leads a variety of CE’s partnering and business development efforts, with a focus on the aviation ecosys tem.  Anna previously worked with Angstrom Power and BIC developing hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, where her responsibilities spanned IP and licensing strategy, product safety, and international regulatory development, including at the United Nations and International Civil Aviation Organization.

Anna currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, and of Science World. Anna’s work has been recognized by the Minerva Foundation’s Women In™ Energy Award for Philanthropy and Business in Vancouver’s Forty Under 40 Award. Carbon Engineering (CE) is a climate solutions company. CE is focused on the global deployment of large-scale Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology that captures carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, enabling two complementary solutions to reach true net zero: permanent carbon dioxide removal and sustainable aviation fuel. With its partners, CE is working to deploy large-scale, commercial DAC facilities. 

In this episode, Na’im and Anna discuss:

* The aviation industry’s emissions problem and its progress in decarbonization;

* Challenges with sustainable aviation fuel;

* Carbon removal’s role in counter-balancing residual emissions;

* The role of direct air capture in decarbonizing aviation;

* Carbon Engineering’s recent agreement with airlines;

* The role of other carbon removal solutions play in addressing aviation emissions;

* The future of DAC in decarbonizing aviation;

* The need for government procurement of carbon removal;

* The critical pieces in ensuring sufficiency DAC capacity scale-up; and

* Impacts of the Oxy acquisition.

Relevant Links:

* Na’im’s report with Clean Air Task Force - “Decarbonizing Aviation: Challenges and Opportunities for Emerging Fuels”

* Mission Possible Partnership - “Making Net-Zero Aviation Possible”

* IATA’s Net Zero Roadmaps

* ANA Group Environmental Targets

* Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) 

* Robert Höglund on the like-for-like removal principle for offsetting

* U.S. DOE’s $35 Million “Carbon Dioxide Removal Purchase Pilot Prize”

* Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)

* Oxy’s announcement to acquire Carbon Engineering (Press Release)

Special Note: Carbon Removal Canada’s official (in person) launch event is in Ottawa on November 8th from 4-6pm. Register here while there’s still space!

This episode was created and published by Na’im Merchant. Episode production and content support provided by Tank Chen.

Na’im Merchant is the co-founder and Executive Director of Carbon Removal Canada, a policy initiative focused on scaling carbon removal in Canada. He is also a policy fellow with Elemental Excelerator. He previously ran carbon removal consulting practice Carbon Curve, and publishes The Carbon Curve newsletter and podcast. Every two weeks, Na’im will release a short interview with individuals advancing the policies, technologies, and collective action needed to scale up carbon removal around the world.

Tank Chen is a carbon removal advocate based in Taiwan whose focus is on communicating the importance of CDR to policy makers, corporate leaders, and the broader public through education, communications, and policy advocacy.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast app or subscribe via The Carbon Curve newsletter here. If you’d like to get in touch with Na’im, you can reach out via LinkedIn.

Episode 28 is with Marty Odlin, Founder and CEO of Running Tide.

Today Na’im speaks with Marty Odlin about how Running Tide is navigating the waters of open ocean CDR.

Marty Odlin is the Founder and CEO of Running Tide, a global ocean health company. A systems engineer from a 4th generation fishing family, Marty founded the company in 2017 after seeing the devastating implications of climate change on his own community. 

Running Tide designs and deploys cutting-edge diagnostics and comprehensive interventions that rebalance the carbon cycle, decarbonize global supply chains, restore marine ecosystems, and revitalize coastal communities. Proudly headquartered in Portland, Maine, Running Tide is scaling worldwide in partnership with leading investors, companies, scientific institutions, and governments.

Since the original recording, Running Tide has completed its first carbon removal deployment season in Iceland, which resulted in the delivery of the first ever ocean-based carbon removal credits to their first customer, Shopify. The company is also founding signatory and Marty was an author of the recently released Reykjavik Protocol, a set of supplier best practices designed to responsibly grow the nature-deployed credit industry, reduce uncertainties, and clarify conflicts of interest.

In this episode, Na’im and Marty discuss:

* Carbon removal’s “victory conditions” and the critical need to engage the general public in order to reach gigaton scale carbon removal;

* The fast and slow carbon cycles;

* Running Tide’s work on ocean CDR;

* The advantages and challenges of open systems;

* The importance of following the best available science;

* The UN High Seas Treaty and implications on Running Tide’s work.

Relevant Links:

* Running Tide announcing their credit delivery (also see interview between Running Tide & Shopify regarding credit delivery)

* Blog post announcing RT signing onto the Reykjavik Protocol

* Running Tide’s Ocean CDR Research Roadmap

* Running Tide’s Framework Protocol for Open Ocean CDR

* Ocean Visions

* Ocean Frontier Institute at Dalhousie University

* UN High Seas Treaty

This episode was created and published by Na’im Merchant. Episode production and content support provided by Lucia Simonelli.

Na’im Merchant is the co-founder and Executive Director of Carbon Removal Canada, a policy initiative focused on scaling carbon removal in Canada. He is also a policy fellow with Elemental Excelerator. He previously ran carbon removal consulting practice Carbon Curve, and publishes The Carbon Curve newsletter and podcast. Every two weeks, Na’im will release a short interview with individuals advancing the policies, technologies, and collective action needed to scale up carbon removal around the world.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast app or subscribe via The Carbon Curve newsletter here. If you’d like to get in touch with Na’im, you can reach out via Twitter and LinkedIn.

Episode 27 is with Sebastian Manhart, Senior Policy Advisor at Carbonfuture and Board Chair of DVNE, a new German carbon removal association.

In the last year, carbon removal news has been dominated by policy wins in the United States. But we know that climate change is the ultimate collective action problem, and I've been keen to learn what other jurisdictions are doing to scale carbon removal globally. The EU is likely to be a big player in the carbon removal field.

My guest today, Sebastian Manhart, will tell us about a number of meaningful policy developments underway that will have serious implications for the carbon removal field across Europe and around the world.

In this episode, Na’im and Sebastian discuss:

* The political landscape in EU

* Major policy developments in the EU

* Heavy policy focus on direct air capture vs. newer carbon removal methods

* The EU’s approach to carbon removal policy compared to the approach in the United States

* Launching the DVNE, a new German carbon removal association

Reading list:

* Understanding Carbon Removal Policy Across Europe: An Exclusive Analysis 

* EU COM 2040 targets 

* EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) 

* EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) explainer

* Carbonfuture Blog on ETS

* DVNE 

About Sebastian:

Sebastian Manhart is a climate advocate, leveraging his skills and experiences to support policy makers in making better decisions for our planet. He is the Senior Policy Advisor of Carbonfuture, the world´s leading platform for high-quality carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Sebastian is also the Chair of the Board of the DVNE, the German CDR Association, as well as a founding Director of the US Biochar Coalition, a trade association unifying the voice of the US biochar industry. Previously, Sebastian spent a decade as a tech entrepreneur, advised Angela Merkel´s Chancellery, and worked with governments globally through the World Bank. Sebastian is an economist with a BA from UCL and an MPhil from Cambridge University.

About Carbonfuture:

Carbonfuture is the Trust Infrastructure for durable carbon removal with two products that seamlessly connect the entire carbon removal lifecycle: Carbonfuture MRV+, the most comprehensive MRV solution for durable CDR, and the Carbonfuture Marketplace, the leading marketplace for durable CDR. Carbonfuture empowers suppliers by providing the essential project support and finance needed to transform their carbon removal projects into fully certified carbon credits. For corporate buyers, Carbonfuture offers access to portfolios of carbon removal credits adhering to the established third-party standards.

Last call:

I'm looking for someone to support the production, editing, and promotion of this podcast. I’m looking for someone who is passionate about carbon removal, who can help brainstorm guest ideas, develop thought provoking interview questions, schedule and join recordings, edit recordings, write up the show notes, and promote the episode on various channels.

It's an important job and an exciting opportunity to plug into the carbon removal field. This is a fully remote contract position starting October 1st amounting to about 8 to 10 hours of work per episode. You don't need to be an expert in podcasting. I certainly wasn't when I started. Just a lot of passion, diligence, organization, and a willingness to learn. If you're interested, send an email to [email protected] with your resume and a letter of interest by September 15th.

This podcast is created and published by Na’im Merchant.

Na’im Merchant is the co-founder and Executive Director of Carbon Removal Canada, a policy initiative focused on scaling carbon removal in Canada. He is also a policy fellow with Elemental Excelerator. He previously ran carbon removal consulting practice Carbon Curve, and publishes The Carbon Curve newsletter and podcast. Every two weeks, Na’im will release a short interview with individuals advancing the policies, technologies, and collective action needed to scale up carbon removal around the world.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast app or subscribe via The Carbon Curve newsletter here. If you’d like to get in touch with Na’im, you can reach out via Twitter and LinkedIn.

Episode 26 is with Rahul Shendure, CEO of CarbonBuilt.

There are many different storage pathways for carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere.

One storage medium that we don't talk about enough is storage of CO2 in long-lived products like concrete. Storing CO2 in concrete not only helps solve the CO2 storage problem - especially for smaller, modular carbon removal deployments - but helps decarbonize a very carbon intense product.

My guest today, Rahul Shendure, leads a company that is developing ultra low carbon concrete that is coming off the production line today and demonstrates the exciting potential for integrating carbon removal technologies alongside other decarbonization technologies in existing industrial processes.

Rahul Shendure is a serial entrepreneur and investor focused on sustainability and health. He is the CEO of CarbonBuilt, whose technology enables the production of ultra-low carbon concrete, reducing emissions by 70-100%. He previously served as Co-Founder and CEO at Bellwether Bio, whose acquisition by Guardant Health led to the launch of the first blood-based colorectal cancer screening test. Rahul’s earlier engineering and commercial roles span a wide range of climate-related industries ranging from plastics (GE), hydrogen fuel cells (Ballard Power Systems), renewable fuels and chemicals (Amyris) and next generation renewable electricity (Oscilla Power). Rahul earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from MIT and received his MBA from Harvard Business School.

CarbonBuilt, winner of the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE, enables concrete manufacturers to produce ultra-low carbon concrete products with 70-100% less embodied carbon. CarbonBuilt’s technology replaces most of the expensive, high-carbon Portland cement typically used during concrete manufacturing with a proprietary low-cost cement alternative made from widely-available low carbon materials. These materials harden after chemically reacting with CO2, to not only strengthen the blocks, but also permanently store the CO2 in solid form, diverting it from the atmosphere. Because it can be cost-effectively installed at existing concrete manufacturing plants and delivers products that meet ASTM C90 and other applicable industry standards without increasing costs, CarbonBuilt’s technology can be rapidly adopted by the nearly 800 concrete plants in the U.S. alone.

In this episode, Na’im and Rahul discuss:

* Concrete and its carbon footprint;

* CarbonBuilt’s technology for producing ultra-low carbon concrete;

* The distinction between emissions avoidance and removal both in CarbonBuilt’s technology as well as its credit system;

* CarbonBuilt’s commercial partnership with Blair Block;

* CarbonBuilt’s participation in the Four Corners Carbon Coalition’s first project;

* Barriers to scaling low carbon concrete technology and the role of policy in addressing these barriers.

Relevant Links:

* CarbonBuilt

* CarbonBuilt and Blair Block commercial partnership

* Four Corners Carbon Coalition

* CarbonBuilt and Four Corners Coalition

* Paving the Way for Low-Carbon Concrete: Recommendations for a Federal Procurement Strategy

* Concrete: Square one for scaling distributed direct air capture?

Special note:

I'm looking for someone to support the production, editing, and promotion of this podcast. I’m looking for someone who is passionate about carbon removal, who can help brainstorm guest ideas, develop thought provoking interview questions, schedule and join recordings, edit recordings, write up the show notes, and promote the episode on various channels.

It's an important job and an exciting opportunity to plug into the carbon removal field. This is a fully remote contract position starting October 1st amounting to about 8 to 10 hours of work per episode. You don't need to be an expert in podcasting. I certainly wasn't when I started. Just a lot of passion, diligence, organization, and a willingness to learn. If you're interested, send an email to [email protected] with your resume and a letter of interest by September 15th.

This podcast is created and published by Na’im Merchant. Episode production and content support provided by Lucia Simonelli.

Na’im Merchant is the co-founder and Executive Director of Carbon Removal Canada, a policy initiative focused on scaling carbon removal in Canada. He is also a policy fellow with Elemental Excelerator. He previously ran carbon removal consulting practice Carbon Curve, and publishes The Carbon Curve newsletter and podcast. Every two weeks, Na’im will release a short interview with individuals advancing the policies, technologies, and collective action needed to scale up carbon removal around the world.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast app or subscribe via The Carbon Curve newsletter here. If you’d like to get in touch with Na’im, you can reach out via Twitter and LinkedIn.

Episode 25 is with Jack Andreasen (Breakthrough Energy) and Dr. Claire Nelson (Cella).

Today Na’im digs deep into the safe and secure storage of CO2 with Jack Andreasen and Dr. Claire Nelson.

Jack Andreasen covers carbon management policy for Breakthrough Energy. In this role he works on policy across NGOs, federal and state governments, industry and start-ups in DAC, CCS and carbon storage. Previous to this role he was an energy policy analyst at The Climate Reality Project and worked for Duke Energy. 

Dr. Claire Nelson is a geochemist with expertise on geologic carbon storage and  in-situ mineralization in basalt. She is currently a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University as well as the co-founder and Chief Science Officer of Cella, a start-up developing a new technology for mineral carbon storage.

In this episode, Na’im, Jack, and Claire discuss:

* Various geologies and methods involved in geologic storage of CO2;

* The potential global capacity to store CO2 geologically as well as the challenges in scaling to meet this potential;

* The federal permitting process of Class VI wells in the United States as well as state primacy;

* Cella’s novel storage technology; and

* What makes Kenya an ideal location for durable carbon removal.

Relevant Links:

* Carbon Miners Club

* Net Zero: Science, Origins, and Implications

* Cella

This podcast is created and published by Na’im Merchant. Episode production and content support provided by Lucia Simonelli.

Na’im Merchant is the co-founder and Executive Director of Carbon Removal Canada, a policy initiative focused on scaling carbon removal in Canada. He is also a policy fellow with Elemental Excelerator. He previously ran carbon removal consulting practice Carbon Curve, and publishes The Carbon Curve newsletter and podcast. Every two weeks, Na’im will release a short interview with individuals advancing the policies, technologies, and collective action needed to scale up carbon removal around the world.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast app or subscribe via The Carbon Curve newsletter here. If you’d like to get in touch with Na’im, you can reach out via Twitter and LinkedIn.

Episode 24 is with Professor Gregory Nemet, a Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the La Follette School of Public Affairs and Convener of the State of CDR report.

Today Na’im speaks with Professor Gregory Nemet to learn more about the current state of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) globally, the varying magnitudes of carbon removal needed by midcentury as they correspond to different decarbonization scenarios, and the gap between the amount of carbon removal needed and the amount countries are planning to deploy.

Greg Nemet is a convener of the State of CDR report - the first comprehensive global assessment of the current state of CDR. It describes the gap between how much CDR countries are planning to deploy and what is needed in scenarios to meet Paris climate goals. It finds that the size of the “CDR gap” differs across scenarios, depending on how the global economy is transformed to achieve net-zero emissions. It also finds that there are currently few plans by countries to scale CDR above current levels, exposing a substantial shortfall - which we’ll get into today.

About Prof. Gregory Nemet

Gregory Nemet is a Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the La Follette School of Public Affairs.  He teaches courses in policy analysis, energy systems, and international environmental policy.  Nemet's research focuses on understanding the process of technological change and the ways in which public policy can affect it.  He received his doctorate in energy and resources from the University of California, Berkeley. His A.B. is in geography and economics from Dartmouth College.  He received an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship in 2017 and used it to write a book on how solar PV provides lessons for the development of other low-carbon technologies: “How Solar Energy Became Cheap: A Model for Low-Carbon Innovation” (Routledge 2019).  He was awarded the inaugural World Citizen Prize in Environmental Performance by APPAM in 2019.  He is currently a Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 6th Assessment Report.

In this episode, Na’im and Greg discuss:

* Past emerging technologies such as ammonia and solar PV that can serve as useful analogues to carbon removal;

* The varying magnitudes of carbon removal needed by midcentury as they correspond to different decarbonization scenarios;

* The gap between the amount of carbon removal needed and the amount countries are planning to deploy;

* The urgency of investing in carbon removal in the next 10-15 years to ensure that we reach the needed scale by midcentury;

* Trends and gaps across academic literature on carbon removal;

* The importance of public perception and acceptance of carbon removal;

* What comes next after the State of CDR Report.

Relevant Links:

* How Solar Became Cheap: A Model for Low-Carbon Innovation

* State of CDR Report

* Follow Professor Greg Nemet on LinkedIn and Twitter

This podcast is created and published by Na’im Merchant. Episode production and content support provided by Lucia Simonelli.

Na’im Merchant is the co-founder and Executive Director of Carbon Removal Canada, a policy initiative focused on scaling carbon removal in Canada. He is also a policy fellow with Elemental Excelerator. He previously ran carbon removal consulting practice Carbon Curve, and publishes The Carbon Curve newsletter and podcast. Every two weeks, Na’im will release a short interview with individuals advancing the policies, technologies, and collective action needed to scale up carbon removal around the world.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast app or subscribe via The Carbon Curve newsletter here. If you’d like to get in touch with Na’im, you can reach out via Twitter and LinkedIn.

Episode 23 of The Carbon Curve is with Dr. Julio Friedman (Chief Scientist at Carbon Direct), James Mwangi (Co-Founder and CEO of Africa Climate Ventures), Ugbaad Kosar (Director of Environmental Justice at Carbon180), and Marcius Extavour (Chief Climate Solutions Officer at TIME CO2). This episode was recorded from the 2023 Direct Air Capture Summit hosted by Climeworks on June 6, 2023.

A couple of weeks ago, I attended the 2023 Direct Air Capture (DAC) Summit hosted by Climeworks and had the chance to moderate a discussion on setting up policy frameworks for scaling up carbon removal.

The summit attracted 400 participants in person and thousands more online. It has become a central convening of DAC and carbon removal experts from around the world. As I stand up a new initiative aimed at scaling carbon removal in Canada, the sessions and networking provided useful insights on where the industry is going, the opportunities on the horizon, and challenges we should expect to contend with. I personally came away from the event re-energized about the prospects of DAC and carbon removal more broadly.

The team at Climeworks did a great job organizing and hosting this event, and they worked with me to facilitate a handful of interviews live from the event venue with leaders in the carbon removal field to discuss their reflections from the summit and what is energizing them at this important juncture of this new industry. I had a chance to speak with:

* Dr. Julio Friedmann, Chief Scientist at Carbon Direct (LinkedIn, Twitter)

* James Mwangi, Co-Founder and CEO of Africa Climate Ventures (LinkedIn, Twitter)

* Link to: Africa Climate Summit 2023

* Ugbaad Kosar, Director of Environmental Justice at Carbon180 (LinkedIn, Twitter)

* Dr. Marcius Extavour, Chief Climate Solutions Officer at TIME CO2 (LinkedIn, Twitter)

I think the substance of these conversations reveal some valuable themes coming out of the event itself that I hope will be orienting and enlightening as we navigate this rapidly growing sector.

This podcast is created and published by Na’im Merchant. Episode production and content support provided by Lucia Simonelli.

Na’im Merchant is the co-founder and Executive Director of Carbon Removal Canada, a policy initiative focused on scaling carbon removal in Canada. He is also a policy fellow with Elemental Excelerator. He previously ran carbon removal consulting practice Carbon Curve, and publishes The Carbon Curve newsletter and podcast. Every two weeks, Na’im will release a short interview with individuals advancing the policies, technologies, and collective action needed to scale up carbon removal around the world.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast app or subscribe via The Carbon Curve newsletter here. If you’d like to get in touch with Na’im, you can reach out via Twitter and LinkedIn.

Episode 22 is with Dr. Sifang Chen, a Managing Science and Innovation Advisor at Carbon180 and author of the recent white paper, Depending on the Ocean: Research and Policy Priorities for Responsible Ocean Carbon Removal.

We continue to see growing interest in enhancing the ocean's ability to remove and store carbon dioxide. In the last month alone, we've seen the largest investment to date in an ocean-based carbon removal startup, California-based Ebb Carbon.

Soon after, Dalhousie University announced it received CA$154 million - its largest grant ever - from the Canadian government to investigate the ocean's role in climate change, including advancing the science and technology around ocean-based carbon removal. In the face of economic uncertainty, it looks like ocean-based carbon removal isn't going anywhere, but a number of critical questions remain about its future.

Today Na’im speaks with Dr. Sifang Chen from Carbon180 to learn more about ocean carbon removal pathways and how policy can help clarify efficacy, ecosystem impacts, and necessary regulations and governance.

Dr. Chen authored the recently published Carbon180 white paper entitled, Depending on the Ocean: Research and Policy Priorities for Responsible Ocean Carbon Removal. This paper explores how policy can help lower existing uncertainties around ocean carbon removal and offers specific recommendations aimed at clarifying efficacy, ecosystem impacts, and necessary regulations and governance. 

In this episode, Na’im and Sifang discuss:

* Fun facts about the ocean and the immense amount we still don’t know about it;

* Categories and types of ocean carbon removal methods;

* Major challenges facing ocean carbon removal;

* A responsible vs. irresponsible future for ocean carbon removal;

* Policy’s role in ensuring the responsible future; and

* Centering environmental justice in ocean carbon removal.

Relevant Links:

* Depending on the Ocean: Research and Policy Priorities for Responsible Ocean Carbon Removal

* Ebb Carbon’s $20M Series A raise

* Dalhousie University receives CA$154M to study the ocean’s pivotal role in climate change

* Follow Sifang on Twitter and LinkedIn

About Dr. Sifang Chen

Dr. Sifang Chen is a Managing Science and Innovation Advisor at Carbon180 and currently leads the organization's ocean CDR focus. Sifang works to ensure Carbon180’s policy work is informed by the most up-to-date science and industry knowledge. She has previously worked in science policy, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. Sifang holds a BS in physics from the University of British Columbia and PhD in physics from the University of Washington.

This podcast is created and published by Na’im Merchant. Episode production and content support provided by Lucia Simonelli.

Na’im Merchant is the co-founder and Executive Director of Carbon Removal Canada, a policy initiative focused on scaling carbon removal in Canada. He is also a policy fellow with Elemental Excelerator. He previously ran carbon removal consulting practice Carbon Curve, and publishes The Carbon Curve newsletter and podcast. Every two weeks, Na’im will release a short interview with individuals advancing the policies, technologies, and collective action needed to scale up carbon removal around the world.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast app or subscribe via The Carbon Curve newsletter here. If you’d like to get in touch with Na’im, you can reach out via Twitter and LinkedIn.

Episode 21 of the Carbon Curve is with Dr. Shuchi Talati, founder of the recently launched nonprofit, The Alliance for Just Deliberation for Solar Geoengineering.

In this episode, Na’im and Dr. Shuchi Talati talk about shifting the conversation on two major climate interventions in the course of her career. First, we discuss her experience working with the Department of Energy to help facilitate a major shift in mandate for the Office of Fossil Energy and making it the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. Second, we discuss an exciting new nonprofit that proposes a major shift in how we advance deliberations on a contentious topic that is often wrongly conflated with carbon removal - solar geo engineering.

In this episode, Na’im and Dr. Talati discuss:

* Dr. Talati’s experience as Chief of Staff of DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management;

* DOE’s CDR initiatives including the Carbon Negative Shot, Direct Air Capture Hubs, and Mission Innovation;

* The growing focus on environmental justice and community engagement in CDR;

* The important distinction between CDR and solar geoengineering;

* The need for inclusive governance structures and capacity building in the context of solar geoengineering; and

* The launch of her new nonprofit, The Alliance for Just Deliberation for Solar Geoengineering.

Relevant Links:

* Our New Name is also a New Vision (DOE)

* DOE’s Carbon Negative Shot

* Mission Innovation - CDR

* How Direct Air Capture Succeeds: A framework for Effective DAC Hubs

* The Alliance for Just Deliberation for Solar Geoengineering

About Dr. Shuchi Talati

Dr. Talati is the founder of the recently launched nonprofit, The Alliance for Just Deliberation for Solar Geoengineering. She is also a Senior Visiting Scholar at Carbon180 where she is focusing on how to build just and sustainable carbon removal at scale. She most recently served as a Presidential Appointee in the Biden-Harris Administration as Chief of Staff of the Office of Fossil Energy & Carbon Management at the U.S. Department of Energy. She has also worked for multiple nonprofits as well as in the U.S. Senate. Dr. Talati earned a BS in environmental engineering from Northwestern University, an MA in climate and society from Columbia University, and PhD from Carnegie Mellon in engineering and public policy.

This podcast is created and published by Na’im Merchant. Episode production and content support provided by Lucia Simonelli.

Na’im Merchant is the co-founder and Executive Director of Carbon Removal Canada, a policy initiative focused on scaling carbon removal in Canada. He is also a policy fellow with Elemental Excelerator. He previously ran carbon removal consulting practice Carbon Curve, and publishes The Carbon Curve newsletter and podcast. Every two weeks, Na’im will release a short interview with individuals advancing the policies, technologies, and collective action needed to scale up carbon removal around the world.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast app or subscribe via The Carbon Curve newsletter here. If you’d like to get in touch with Na’im, you can reach out via Twitter and LinkedIn.