The Future of Carbon Removal

Giana Amador is Executive Director at Carbon Removal Alliance. Carbon Removal Alliance was announced earlier this year in February 2023 as a trade organization focused on advancing policies that support a diverse set of carbon removal technologies. Its membership consists of 20 plus companies in the carbon removal space, including technology startups like Charm Industrial, Heirloom, and Noya, as well as carbon removal purchasers and investors. Giana has been working on carbon removal since 2015 when she co-founded Carbon 180, a leading NGO focused on carbon removal. 

In this episode, we trace Giana’s journey from university at UC Berkeley to founding Carbon 180, her leap to start Carbon Removal Alliance, why carbon removal matters, what Carbon Removal Alliance aims to achieve, and what policy pathways she hopes to see. Lastly, for the policy wonks in the house, we conclude with a conversation on four specific pieces of budding federal legislation and one state level item that Carbon Removal Alliance is engaging on at present. 

In this episode, we cover: 

• [02:19]: Giana's climate journey and realization of carbon removal's potential 
• [05:13]: Her transition from Carbon 180 to Carbon Removal Alliance 
• [10:01]: Carbon Removal Alliance's focus on US federal policy
• [11:00]: Overview of why carbon removal is necessary to reach targets 
• [13:45]: The current state of carbon capture and how much carbon has been captured to date 
• [15:10]: Distinction between land-based and engineered solutions
• [18:34]: Carbon Removal Alliance’s technology-neutral approach 
• [20:25]: Membership growth and vetting process for new members
• [22:14]: Need for standards and protocols to ensure market integrity and boost confidence for carbon removal purchasers
• [24:36]: Decarbonization challenges in hard-to-abate sectors 
• [25:24]: Cost barrier for traditional industries adopting carbon removal vs. cheaper offsets
• [26:15]: The need for internal climate teams to vet carbon removal projects
• [26:54]: Incentives and market structures to encourage technology development  
• [27:28]: The tendency to emphasize tech solutions over regulation in US climate policy
• [28:32]: Near-term priorities for federal policy
• [30:00]: Challenges in securing first-of-a-kind project finance for carbon removal companies
• [34:12]: Ensuring equitable support, standards, and incentives for technologies through federal policies
• [49:40]: Important upcoming federal legislation: Create Act, CREST Act, Federal CDR Leadership Act, Farm Bill
• [53:27]: How folks can get involved: Open Air Collective and Carbon 180's policy tracker

Get connected: 
Giana Amador Twitter / LinkedIn
Cody Simms Twitter / LinkedIn
MCJ Podcast / Collective

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Episode recorded on Jun 28, 2023 (Published on Jul 20, 2023)

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant