Reversing Climate Change

Everyone right now is talking about regenerative agriculture. What does it look like when major cash crops work to improve their practices? How can the Department of Agriculture and agricultural science programs at universities support the changes so that major commodity operations can derisk their transition? In today's episode of Reversing Climate Change, Nori Cofounder Ross Kenyon is joined by Nori Supply Account Manager, Jada Dormaier, to discuss Nori's partnership with the Texas Climate-Smart Initiative. Dr. Julie Howe, Project Director of the program and Soil Scientist at Texas A&M, joins the show to talk about her work trying to understand nutrient cycling and change the way we farm. The conversation delves into Dr. Howe's background and what led her to focus on soil chemistry and eventually agricultural sustainability, which is a hot topic even in places some might not expect. It isn't all about yield! They explore the complexities of agricultural research within an open system wit

Reversing Climate Change is many things: a repository of deep dives into carbon removal, a way to intimately understand the thought processes of the folks at Nori working to build a scalable carbon removal marketplace, and a massive catalogue of the infinite number of climate-adjacencies that tickle host Ross Kenyon's brain. And sometimes you've got to get back to basics and reintroduce a topic to catch new listeners up. To that effect, today's show is twenty minutes on the basics of carbon removal. In this episode, Ross Kenon, Cofounder of and Director of Creative & Marketing at the Nori carbon removal marketplace, chats with Nori's Head of Supply and Methodology, Radhika Moolgavkar, about carbon removal—what it is and why it's necessary. They discuss the differences between open and closed CDR systems, the need for a combination of all carbon removal technologies, and why carbon accounting is so complex. They also touch on the intersection of carbon removal technologies with the oil

What does it mean to work "in Product", let alone at a company working on climate change? What is the difference between Product and Engineering? And what the hell are they building in there anyways?! In this conversation, Nori cofounder Ross Kenyon is joined by Nori's Head of Product, Patrick Tsao, to discuss Patrick's role in scaling climate action. How much of this work is strategy, how much is building tools, and are we meant to be empirical or aprioristic "first principles" thinkers? What are the risks of each? Patrick emphasizes the struggle of understanding and meeting customers' goals in the constantly evolving #carbonmarket, and when and how to work on education beyond the norm. We aim to be doing more regular Product updates moving forward! Connect with Nori ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Purchase Nori Carbon Removals⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nori's website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nori on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What does regenerative agriculture mean to you? Whither Big Regen? To Will Harris, author of A Bold Return to Giving a Damn, One Farm, Six Generations, and the Future of Food, it means restarting the cycles of nature—making them healthy again. This week on Reversing Climate Change, Ross Kenyon and Jada Dormaier from Nori are joined by Will Harris to discuss his remarkable journey from industrial to regenerative farming. The conversation is simultaneously a beginners introduction, and a deep dive into regenerative farming practices. The conversation covers the shift from efficiency, the complexities of greenwashing in agriculture, the role of big food companies, the challenges in balancing local and national food production, and the intricacies of feeding the world while considering the environmental consequences of commercial farming. Oh, and don’t forget carbon credits. Tune in to explore the nuanced goal of creating food systems that are good for the planet, animals, and eaters. Connect with Nori ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

A disaster has arrived. Do you have the right supplies? The right mindset? Are you ready? Last time this topic came up, we spoke with David Pogue on enormous questions of how to choose where to live and to make sure you are relatively prepared for the climate-changed future. This show is downstream from there: what do you do given that you potentially are not moving somewhere else and need to keep yourself and family safe immediately? In this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Ross Kenyon hosts Jeanne Chilton Devon and Bill Fulton, authors of Survive and Thrive: How to Prepare for Any Disaster Without Ammo, Camo, or Eating Your Neighbor; and The Blood of Patriots: How I Took Down an Anti-Government Militia with Beer, Bounty Hunting, and Badassery. They discuss the importance of being prepared for disasters, triggered by their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. They emphasise that preparation helps reduce anxiety, arguing that a sense of control enables individuals to cope with disasters effectively.

Is there a tectonic shift away from corporate offsetting and into corporate insetting? In this episode of Reversing Climate Change, we sat down with Lia Nicholson, Head of Sustainability at Terrascope, to discuss the sexiest topic of all—carbon accounting. Historically, corporations faced justified criticism for opting to buy low-quality carbon offsets instead of making tangible efforts to reduce their own emissions. Lia highlights a significant recent shift from traditional offsetting to insetting, where companies account for carbon-negative behavior within their value chain rather than outsourcing it to a service provider. As corporations worldwide scramble to mitigate their carbon footprints, understanding how emissions are calculated and reduced becomes paramount. But how should accounting of emissions be structured? Lia lays out how in a typical company, some 85% of emissions can come from the company’s value chain. Discover how reducing scope 3 emissions is about leverage and influence. As Lia puts it,

What's the hallway buzz about carbon removal in Dubai? Is carbon removal a fringe topic or top of mind for attendees? And what's it mean for major climate events to happen in petrostates? Who's ready for Baku, 2024?! It’s COP28, the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the international gathering at which member nations converge to outline their ambitions and responsibilities in regards to climate change. Reversing Climate Change host Ross Kenyon spoke with Tito Jankowski, CEO of Airminers, who was literally in Dubai while recording. Tito shared a firsthand account of what it is like being on the ground at this controversial COP chatting about climate action and carbon removal. Tito finds that the critical question he keeps coming back to is “Do you think carbon removal is necessary for a sustainable climate?”If the answer to that is no, where do you go from there? Every nine days we put another billion tons of carbon dioxide into th

Forget merely about melting polar ice caps—expansion of deadly diseases is possibly the true Pandora’s Box that climate change is rapidly opening. In this episode of Reversing Climate Change, host Ross Kenyon is rejoined by Zoya Teirstein, staff writer at Grist, to discuss the intricate and chilling intersection of climate change and disease. The way Zoya puts it, climate change is taking the Earth and shaking it like a snowglobe: pathogens are meeting up in new configurations and wreaking havoc. She covers these proliferating diseases and their connection to climate change in her timely beat at Grist. Learn how bacteria is traveling up the coast due to warming temperatures - accessing geographies where doctors are not familiar and not prepared to deal with the resulting, often fatal, illnesses. Beyond the rising temperatures creating breeding grounds for deadly mosquitoes, and disrupted ecosystems with unpredictable consequences, the episode explores the challenging discussions around managed retreat and ada

"I won't be able to live with the realization that I could have done more and I didn't." In this episode of Reversing Climate Change, host Ross Kenyon engages in a candid conversation with Ed Begley, Jr., a seasoned environmental activist and Hollywood actor. Unpacking his Hollywood journey and introducing his memoir, To the Temple of Tranquility and Step on It!, Ed provides a humorous yet insightful look into his life and passion for the environment. Ed's unique perspective on climate change, shaped by his experiences with addiction and an intense pursuit of the low-carbon lifestyle, becomes a focal point as he explores the healing power of honesty, both personally and globally. What is the role of personal action? Find out how Ed has learned over the years that a 'tripod approach' is critical to moving the needle on actionable change. What should the balance be between mindfulness and standing still vs. anger and activism? Balancing seriousness with a touch of humor, Ed and Ros

Can a tiny life be meaningful? For this Thanksgiving Day episode of Reversing Climate Change, join us for stories about food, family, connection, and love. Ross reaches across the pond to speak with Helen Rebanks, farmer, shepherd, and author of The Farmer's Wife: My Life in Days. She is the wife of another farmer, James Rebanks, author of The Shepherd's Life: Modern Dispatches from an Ancient Landscape, and Pastoral Song: A Farmer’s Journey, and each of them are personally prominent in the books of the other! From the serene and rugged Lake District in England, Helen shares the unique experience of life on their family farm, emphasizing the intrinsic value of domesticity amid the prevailing focus on individualism in modern society. Learn how Helen views regenerative shepherding methods, such as mob grazing, and their collaborative harmony with nature. What role does she believe local, organic, regenerative, traditional, and sustainable agriculture can play in empowering farmers as heroes in the f

Starbucks is finding new mountains to grow coffee on, agribusiness is developing drought resistant seeds, and the governments are building seawalls. So what can individuals and families do to adapt themselves?! This week Ross is joined by David Pogue, CBS News Sunday Morning correspondent, former New York Times weekly tech columnist, and author of How to Prepare for Climate Change: A Practical Guide to Surviving the Chaos. How do we adapt to the safety risks of major disasters? Should we embrace firearm ownership for when society breaks down? Or is a tactical flashlight a better idea? How much food and water should you have in your cellar? Ross and David discuss the ins and outs of climate adaptation: maybe you shouldn’t be where you are… If you have a choice, there are some climate geographies much more resilient than others (hint: here comes the Rust Belt renaissance and the Midwest’s time to shine.) The conversation delves into the psychology of adaptation: certain demographics are not yet ready to admit t

Do carbon credit ratings help or harm the growth of carbon markets? How important is standardization to liquidity? Should we look to lessons from the bond market? Equities? Commodities? Derivatives? Precious metals? Real estate?! Get ready to go full high finance — it’s a show about market structure. In this episode, Reversing Climate Change’s host and Nori Co-founder Ross Kenyon is joined by Tommy Ricketts, CEO and Co-founder of BeZero Carbon, a carbon credit ratings agency, and Matt Trudeau, the CEO of Nori, for a friendly debate about how the industry rates and prices carbon credits. What do you do with heterogeneous credits? And what is the overall price of carbon — what is the price-setting instrument? Should or could there be an idealized financial instrument that represents a tonne of perfect carbon removal? What does this unlock? What might it obscure? The discussion revolves around the vital role of project-level quality in the carbon market and the significance of a risk-based approach. Tommy sheds

Is hunting on the brink of extinction? Is that a good or a bad thing? In this episode, we delve into the intricate connection between the art of hunting and our profound relationship with the natural world. Our is guest Bruce McGlenn, Founder and Lead Instructor of Human Nature Hunting—a program that, as Bruces describes it, is fundamentally and foremost about helping people reconnect or strengthen their connection to nature through hunting. By delving into the immersive process of the hunt, we uncover the journey's transformative impact, from meticulous planning to profound reconnection with the environment. Bruce sheds light on the intersections between veganism and hunting, emphasizing the shared commitment to minimizing animal suffering and aversion to conventional factory farming.  The episode culminates with a reflection on the spiritual significance of acknowledging the sacrifice inherent in our sustenance, prompting listeners to contemplate their role within the delicate balance of nature. Connect

What if you bought carbon removal, not as an offset, but rather as a gift? This week we sat down with the founding team at Thanks a Ton (Laura Katayama, Tessaria Mihangel, and our own Siobhan Montoya Lavender), a carbon dioxide removal gifting startup on a mission to spread awareness about the burgeoning high-quality CDR industry. “We take climate change very seriously, but try not to take ourselves too seriously” is a mantra the team lives by. Thanks a Ton offers a platform where you can send the gift of carbon removal via a digital greeting card. Although the team admits that they are still circling product-market fit, they have had little problem securing high-quality project developers and have gotten a lot of attention for their fun-loving and often striking artwork. In this episode we dive into this scrappy startup and the surprisingly robust platform they’ve built to engage non-insiders with carbon removal. Connect with Nori ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Purchase Nori Carbon Removals⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this week’s episode, the name of the goal is not ‘net zero’, it’s regeneration. We’re joined by Paul Hawken: author of many books including Drawdown and Regeneration, activist, and entrepreneur to talk about the tools that he believes can end the climate crisis.  Paul takes us through the concept of "carbon tunnel syndrome," an overemphasis on carbon as a mere numerical figure, often favored by the tech industry. He also sheds light on the staggering statistic that less than 1% of the global population actively works on climate solutions. He also is quite skeptical that direct air capture will ever make energetic sense. Throughout history, the climate movement has urged individuals to focus on future existential threats. However, Paul highlights a stark reality: over five billion people wake up every day preoccupied with current existential threats. This episode serves as a stark reflection on the array of solutions within our grasp. It underscores the urgency of prioritizing Earth's regener

Solar geoengineering. It's not just a question of whether or not to do it, but of how it might be done and why. This week we are joined by Shuchi Talati, founder of The Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering, to talk about who is making decisions about solar geoengineering and whether or not populations most vulnerable to climate change have a seat at the table. Solar geoengineering or “Solar Radiation Modification/Management (SRM)” is the large-scale and intentional intervention to increase the amount of sunlight reflected back into space. The purpose is to temporarily limit temperature increase. Shuchi walks us through why the Alliance is not for or against SRM, why refusing to discuss or research RSM is potentially an inherently privileged standpoint, and why she believes we should center voices from regions already experiencing horrific climate impacts. Listen in to find out who is currently researching SRM, what the potential risks and benefits are, and how the Alliance plans to make

Imagine a biomass substance that reduces our reliance on petroleum and deforestation for physical products. This is the vision of Hexas Biomass, a company that is developing new raw materials from sustainable sources. Their flagship product, XanoFiber, has been bred to possibly be(!) a #carbonnegative fiber that can be used to create a wide range of products, from clothing to building materials. In this week's episode, Wendy Owens, CEO and Founder of Hexas Biomass, discusses the challenges and opportunities of integrating new raw materials into the existing supply chain. She introduces XanoFiber and its potential to revolutionize the way we produce and consume goods and materials. Owens highlights the importance of using marginal lands for biomass production, which can help to avoid competition with farming. She also discusses why we still use trees for low-value commodity products, the potential of XanoGrass to outcompete tree farms, the gradual transition to a bioeconomy, and why we need to make use of

Is buying carbon credits like buying real estate? What would a tradable commodity market for the carbon removal industry look like? In today's episode, Ross sits down with Matt Trudeau, Nori’s new CEO, to get a glimpse of how a veteran market builder thinks about building carbon markets that meet the challenges of a rapidly scaling industry. Matt talks about the balance between standardization and innovation within carbon market development, discusses the evolution of financial markets, and explores the impact of high-frequency trading on fairness and efficiency. Listen in to get a sense of where the burgeoning carbon market is encountering hurdles and what we can learn from the historical transition to electronic trading systems. If you've ever pondered the transformation of bespoke carbon credit transactions into a full-fledged commodities market, this episode is a must-listen. Connect with Nori ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Purchase Nori Carbon Removals⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nori's website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Kenya is exploding into the Direct Air Capture scene. New York City is hosting the first ever global DAC conference. And while Al Gore is deeply knowledgeable about climate change, he might be wrong about carbon removal. In this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Jason Hochman, the co-founder and senior director of the DAC Coalition, takes us on a foray into Nairobi, Kenya, where he recently attended the first Africa Climate Summit. We learn why Kenya and the countries along the East African Rift will be critical for carbon removal. Coming up on October 16th and 17th, Jason shares that Columbia University will play host to the first ever Global Direct Air Capture Conference. This event is designed to bring together all interested stakeholders to discuss the current and future states of DAC, and how the parties can come together to bridge the gap. The conversation explores what is considered to be "responsible" DAC, why there is opposition to it, and why there is also bipartisan support for it. Com

In this episode of Reversing Climate Change, we are joined once again by Caroline Saunders, a skilled pastry chef and dedicated recipe tester, who channels her passion into crafting delectable treats using climate-friendly ingredients. Ross Kenyon and Radhika Mogalkar enthusiastically embraced the challenge of trying Caroline’s climate-friendly baking recipes. Discover who fared better in their quest to bake the perfect key lime pie! Discover how Caroline’s journey towards becoming a climate-conscious baker was ignited in her personal life but then involved a radical career change out of environmental media and into studying abroad at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and interning at a Michelin-starred restaurant. The ingenuity and precision of the pastry chefs she encountered inspired her to harness her culinary skills for a greater environmental cause. Explore how Caroline is developing best practices, creating a gateway for at-home bakers into regenerative foods. Currently, Caroline tests recipes for a cookbook aut