This Week in Carbon

One of the world’s leading scientists on natural climate solutions joins us on This Week in Carbon. In this episode, Rene Velasquez sits down with Dr. Susan Cook-Patton from The Nature Conservancy. Susan has spent the last decade leading research on reforestation, agroforestry, and unlocking the climate potential of nature-based solutions.This is a rich, science-driven conversation about how we can scale high-integrity natural climate solutions faster and smarter.We explore:• Why natural climate solutions must be part of a broader portfolio — not in competition with engineered removals• The important shift from “permanence” to “durability”• Rethinking buffer pools, insurance, permanence trusts, and innovative risk management tools• The false nature vs technology binary• How to manage reversal risks using data-driven approaches• The urgent danger of inaction and missed opportunities in this critical decadeSusan shares practical insights on how we can reduce uncertainty, build better portfolios, and use nature now while buying time for technological solutions to scale.A thoughtful, optimistic, and deeply informed discussion on the role of forests, nature, and science in the future of carbon markets and climate action.

One of the architects of the modern verified carbon market joins us on This Week in Carbon.

In this episode, Ed Smith and Rene Velasquez sit down with Mark Kenber — Executive Director of VCMI, former CEO of The Climate Group, founder of what became the Voluntary Carbon Standard (now Verra), and current ICVCM board member.

This is a deep dive into the institutional history, integrity debates, and future direction of carbon markets.

We explore:
• How the VCS was originally built
• Why integrity debates keep resurfacing in the VCM
• The tension between perfection and participation
• Greenwashing vs “green hushing”
• The Scope 3 Action Code controversy
• CCP-labelled credits and Article 6.4
• The convergence of voluntary and compliance carbon markets
• Why governments are becoming increasingly central to market development

Mark also shares his perspective on why carbon credits remain essential for climate finance — particularly in emerging markets — and why waiting for perfect solutions risks delaying real climate action.

A substantive and wide-ranging conversation on trust, policy, markets, and the future architecture of climate finance.

In this episode of This Week in Carbon, Rene Velasquez sits down with Fritz Troller, founder of Therm, to unpack one of the most overlooked challenges in climate: super pollutants.

Often described as the “hidden gigaton,” these gases — including refrigerants, methane, and fluorinated gases — are responsible for a disproportionate share of near-term warming. As Fritz explains, nearly half of global heating to date has been driven by super pollutants — yet they remain largely invisible in mainstream carbon market conversations.  

The critical difference?
Unlike CO₂, super pollutants cannot be removed once released into the atmosphere. That makes prevention — not removal — the only viable strategy.

The conversation dives into:

• Why refrigeration systems are a massive, under appreciated emissions source
• The “leaky infrastructure” problem across global food supply chains
• How carbon finance is being used to incentivise avoidance at source
• The rise of super pollutant credits — and why buyers like Google and JPMorgan are paying attention
• The growing role of insetting across supply chains (upstream and downstream)
• Why this category is consistently receiving top-tier ratings from agencies like BeZero and Calyx
• The opportunity — and urgency — of scaling solutions across Article 5 (Global South) markets

Fritz also outlines Therm’s multi-channel strategy across voluntary markets, compliance systems, and insetting — offering a rare look at how to build resilience in a still-evolving carbon market.

This is a timely discussion on a category that may lack the storytelling appeal of nature-based solutions — but from a pure climate impact perspective, may be among the most important levers we have.

In this episode of This Week in Carbon, Rene Velasquez sits down with Eu-Lin Fang, Sustainability and Climate Change Practice Leader at PwC Singapore. They discuss the surprising momentum of net zero targets set during the COVID pandemic, the real-world challenges companies face in meeting 2030 science-based targets, and how decarbonization must be tackled alongside physical and transition climate risks. Eu-Lin shares practical insights on Scope 3 emissions complexities in Asian supply chains, the power of policy certainty for corporate action, and the role of credible transition plans and regional taxonomies in unlocking sustainable finance. The conversation also covers geopolitical distractions and surging energy prices, the double-edged impact of AI on emissions versus climate solutions, and an optimistic outlook framed by Asia-Pacific’s four Cs: courage, caliber, creation, and connectivity.Takeaways- Many countries showed strong leadership by committing to net zero targets during the height of COVID.- Approximately 145 countries have set net zero targets, covering around 77% of global emissions.- Policy certainty is essential for companies to make confident long-term capital decisions on climate action.- Decarbonization efforts and climate risks must be viewed together, not in isolation.- Scope 3 emissions are critically important but face major data quality, measurement, and double-counting issues.- Business resilience and fiduciary duty matter more than short-term political shifts.- Credible climate transition plans are a key litmus test for financial institutions providing transition finance.- Singapore’s Asia Taxonomy provides a pragmatic regional approach to green and transitioning activities.- AI brings both significant energy demands and powerful opportunities to solve complex climate problems.- Asia-Pacific’s transition can be powered by courage, caliber, creation, and connectivity.With strong buyer interest already shown through ambitious net zero commitments covering 77% of global emissions, this episode sits at the centre of the carbon market’s shift toward credible transition plans, real-world implementation challenges, and pragmatic climate leadership in Asia.Perfect for anyone interested in decarbonization realities, Scope 3 supply chains, sustainable finance, and Asia-Pacific’s path forward. Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and more.

In this special webinar recording of This Week in Carbon, we dive into the Indigenous Amazon Outcome Bond Initiative — a groundbreaking effort to mobilize $50 million in upfront capital for Indigenous and traditional community-led forest conservation across the Amazon.

Hosted by Edward Smith (Valitera) and guided by Pamela Brazier (Everland), the discussion features powerful insights from:

• Puyr Tembe (Secretary of Indigenous Peoples, State of Pará): On the urgency of action, survival of humanity, and why Indigenous autonomy and direct finance are essential.
• Thibault Sorret (CEO, Equitable Earth): Why standing forests are irreplaceable for 2°C pathways, the role of forest conservation in the VCM, and how centralized baselines + genuine community ownership are rebuilding credibility.
• Fernanda Ribeiro (Panthera): The Jaguar Corridor Initiative, biodiversity connectivity, and why climate and biodiversity strategies must be integrated.
• Rene Velasquez (Valitera): The “time value of carbon” and what makes this initiative investable through Indigenous leadership, scale, and aligned incentives.
• Josh McCarron (Everland): How the outcome bond turns future carbon revenues into accessible, non-recourse capital today, plus the multi-layered quality safeguards.

With strong buyer interest already shown through $160 million in letters of intent, this episode sits at the center of the carbon market’s shift toward credibility, implementation, and Indigenous climate leadership.

Perfect for anyone interested in high-integrity natural climate solutions, forest protection, and innovative finance.Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and more.

Guests: Puyr Tembe, Thibault Sorret, Fernanda Ribeiro, Rene Velasquez, Josh McCarron. Hosted by Edward Smith with Pamela Brazier.

In our new episode of This Week in Carbon, Rene Velasquez is joined by Yvan Champagne, Co-Founder and Chief Carbon Officer at Carbon AI. He is a leading expert in carbon markets with over 20 years of experience in greenhouse gas project development and high-integrity environmental commodities. This info-dense episode provides an in-depth masterclass on building trustworthy carbon credits through advanced digital MRV technology, the critical importance of data quality, and the paradigm shift needed to scale the market to gigaton levels. 

This episode delivers the clearest take on how to move carbon markets from analog, paper-based processes to robust, auditable digital infrastructure.

Key Topics

• Why high-quality data is the foundation of synthetic commodities like carbon credits — and why poor data creates poor instruments

• How Carbon AI’s DMRV platform (Proof, Field, and Vue) goes beyond a digital twin to actually generate and verify high-integrity credits

• The bottlenecks in verification and issuance — and how immutable data can increase throughput without compromising integrity

• The powerful concept of Time Value of Carbon: why avoiding emissions today (especially methane) has disproportionately higher climate impact than future removals

• Shifting carbon markets from an “art market” to professional, scalable infrastructure capable of delivering gigaton-scale results

• Innovation from the Global South and building a more efficient, transparent carbon 3.0 future

Whether you’re a project developer, corporate buyer, verifier, registry professional, or investor looking to understand the future of high-quality carbon credits, this conversation is packed with actionable insights and practical takeaways.

If you enjoyed this episode, hit subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone navigating carbon markets in 2026!

#CarbonMarkets #CarbonCredits #DMRV #ClimateTech #VoluntaryCarbonMarket #Methane #TimeValueOfCarbon #NetZero #CarbonAI #Sustainability #DigitalMRV

In our new episode of This Week in Carbon, Edward Smith and Rene Velasquez are joined by Juan Carlos Arredondo Brun, Director of Knowledge, Policy and Advocacy at Abatable. He is a leading expert in carbon markets and aviation decarbonization. This info-dense episode provides an in-depth analysis of the CORSIA scheme, its current market status, demand and supply dynamics, and future prospects. This episode delivers the clearest, most authoritative take on where the CORSIA market stands today and where it’s headed.Key Topics• Why it took nearly 10 years to launch and what “just starting this market” really means• Abatable’s institutional modeling vs. ICAO/IATA demand forecasts (200–220 Mt in Phase 1)• The critical role of LOAs, insurance, and corresponding adjustments• Why many airlines are still in “wait-and-see” mode• Enforcement realities in the voluntary Phase 1 and what changes in the compliance phase• Outlook for supply unlocking, new eligible programs, and price evolution through 2027–2028Whether you’re an airline, carbon trader, project developer, or simply want to understand one of the most important emerging compliance markets, this conversation is packed with actionable insights.If you enjoyed this episode, hit subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone navigating carbon markets in 2026!#CORSIA #CarbonMarkets #Aviation #Decarbonization #Article6 #VoluntaryCarbonMarket #carbon #sustainability #earth #conservation #pilots #SAF

In this episode of This Week in Carbon, host Edward Smith sits down with Rueban Manokara from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to break down the future of carbon markets, carbon finance, and global climate policy.

If you want to understand how carbon markets actually work, what’s happening with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, and why blue carbon projects (like mangroves) are gaining massive global attention, this episode is for you.

We dive into the role of carbon standards, the challenges of market integrity, and how organizations like WWF are shaping the future of carbon pricing systems and nature-based solutions.

🚨 Key topics covered:

- What is carbon finance and how does it work?

- The role of standards in voluntary carbon markets

- Article 6 explained (carbon trading under the Paris Agreement)

- Why blue carbon projects are in high demand right now

- The future of carbon pricing and climate markets

- How WWF approaches carbon markets and real-world decarbonization

🌍 Whether you're in climate tech, sustainability, ESG, carbon credits, or Web3 climate solutions, this conversation will give you valuable insights into where the market is heading.

👉 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications for more deep dives into the global carbon economy.

#CarbonMarkets #CarbonCredits #ClimateChange #Sustainability #ESG #Article6 #BlueCarbon #NatureBasedSolutions #ClimateFinance #WWF

In this episode of This Week in Carbon, host Edward Smith sits down to speak to Kim Gabrielli, CEO of Worldview International Foundation. Kim shares his unique perspective on the evolving landscape of carbon markets, blue carbon, and the critical role of transparency and integrity in driving climate action. Discover how Kim's extensive experience from the UN to project development is shaping innovative solutions for nature-based climate mitigation. Key topics- Article 13 and transparency framework in the Paris Agreement- Blue carbon market development and challenges- Mangrove restoration and project success metrics- Market integrity, standards, and evolving methodologies- Community engagement and local livelihoods in carbon projects

In this episode of This Week in Carbon, Rene Velasquez sits down to discuss with Stephanie Russo, Managing Director at Pollination. They delve into the complexities of carbon markets, focusing on the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) market and the Corsia framework. They discuss the evolution of these markets, the dynamics of supply and demand, and the political risks associated with compliance mechanisms. The conversation also touches on the role of insurance, project developers, and financial institutions in navigating these markets, as well as the implications of sovereignty and the intersection of Article 6 and Corsia. The episode concludes with reflections on the future of carbon markets and the importance of policy certainty.Takeaways- Australia's carbon market has evolved through various phases.The ACCU market is now predominantly driven by compliance demand.- Political stability is crucial for the durability of carbon policies.- Corsia faces challenges with supply and demand dynamics.- Insurance plays a key role in managing risks in carbon markets.- Project developers are essential for unlocking carbon credit supply.- Conditions precedent in contracts are critical for airlines.- Sovereignty impacts how countries engage in carbon markets.- The intersection of Article 6 and Corsia is complex and evolving.- Future success in carbon markets depends on clear policy frameworks.