We started the Climate Positive podcast just over three years ago at HASI, seeing an opportunity to contribute our unique perspective to the climate and clean energy podcast scene. As a pure play climate investment firm, we aimed to cultivate a forum for mission-driven leaders, innovators, and changemakers to engage in conversations about the challenges and opportunities on the path to a climate-positive future. Our inaugural episode of Climate Positive featured our trailblazing former CEO and current Board Executive Chair, Jeff Eckel. Now, looking back on over 75 episodes since launch, we wanted to take a moment to reflect and celebrate this journey and share more about the people leading HASI today in this special episode. Join Chad, Gil, and Hilary in this insightful conversation with three of HASI's most senior leaders - CEO Jeff Lipson, CFO Marc Pangburn, and Chief Client Officer Susan Nickey.Links: Jeff Lipson Bio & LinkedInMarc Pangburn Bio & LinkedinSusan Nickey Bio & LinkedinEp. 1: A climate finance pioneer | Jeff Eckel, CEO of HASIPress Release: HASI and KKR Establish $2 Billion Strategic Partnership to Invest in Sustainable Infrastructure Projects (May 7, 2024)Episode recorded June 13, 2024  Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at climatepositive@hasi.com or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod. 

Alfred Johnson, CEO of Crux, discusses the transformative impact of tax credit transferability in the renewable energy sector. He shares insights on streamlining tax credit management, market trends, and lessons learned from Janet Yellen, making a complex topic engaging and informative.

Barbara Humpton, the CEO of Siemens USA, is a leader in advancing sustainability across various sectors. She discusses Siemens' innovative approaches to decarbonization and the importance of energy resilience. The conversation highlights the revival of U.S. manufacturing spurred by government initiatives, advancements in EV infrastructure, and how digital tools are transforming production. Humpton also shares her leadership philosophy and the optimistic outlook that shapes her work, emphasizing the need for action in tackling climate challenges.

Just as not every battery is created equal, neither is every renewable energy credit (REC). Even though RECs today are commodified financial products companies purchase to reduce their carbon footprint, the actual avoided emissions impact of an individual REC can vary dramatically based on the time and place it is generated. As our carbon accounting frameworks seek to become more precise and impact-driven and as transmission constraints proliferate, it is increasingly important that the markets for RECs and other net zero procurement products become more sophisticated.  In this episode, Chad Reed sits down with Casey Martinez – the Founder and CEO of Clean Incentive, an emerging new platform focused on changing the way companies think about and execute on their net zero procurement targets. In addition to the getting into the weeds on Clean Incentive’s new Power Emissions Certificates (PECs), they discuss the imperative of data granularity, the challenging role of additionality and how to channel investment capital to the most impactful projects. Links:https://www.cleanincentive.com/https://www.pec-alliance.org/Thank Again by Adam Grant Episode recorded May 31, 2024 Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at climatepositive@hasi.com or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod. 

In this episode, Hilary Langer met with Dr. Antonius Gagern, the Executive Director of the Carbon to Sea Initiative, for a lively conservation about a hot topic: the promises and sensitivities of tinkering with the ocean’s chemistry to enable it to store more carbon dioxide. Initial research on ocean alkalinity enhancement supports its potential as a significant means of capturing carbon. Carbon to Sea is a $50M non-profit effort that brings together leading funders and researchers to explore ocean alkalinity enhancement.  The area is gaining increasing attention and traction, as evidenced by the White House’s launch of a “Fast-Track Action Committee” on Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal. Within the past year, the U.S. federal government has put out about $100 million in grants to accelerate research in the area, including $23.4M from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Researchers and funders are balancing the urgency of action with the need to ensure that any intervention is a clear win for the oceans they seek to protect.Links: Home - Carbon to Sea InitiativeMeta's former CTO has a new $50 million project: ocean-based carbon removal | MIT Technology ReviewClimate crisis sparks effort to coax oceans to suck up carbon dioxide | Science | AAASSupercharging Nature to Suck Carbon From the Air - WSJEpisode recorded May 15, 2024 Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at climatepositive@hasi.com or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod. 

CNN's Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir shares stories of hope amidst climate change, highlighting innovations in clean energy and resilience. The podcast delves into community leadership post-disaster, proactive climate solutions, economic benefits of sustainable energy, and the importance of positive communication in addressing climate denial.

Steel is the world’s most used metal, and enables the construction of everything from buildings to wind turbines. Unfortunately, steel manufacturing is incredibly carbon intensive, contributing to approximately 8% of global green house gas emissions. As CEO of InventWood, Josh Cable envisions a future where the demand for steel can be satisfied with a renewable resouce: fast growing woods like Poplar. By densifying wood, Josh Cable’s team produces a fire-resistant product that is stronger, lighter and cheaper than steel. The final product, MettleWood is actually carbon negative. In this episode, Hilary Langer and Josh Cable discuss InventWood’s foundational technology, its early partnership with the University of Maryland, and its new 89,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Frederick, Maryland. Links:Josh Cable on LinkedInDOE Award to InventWoodLiangbing Hu makes wood stronger than steel (acs.org)Fast Company profile of InventWood innovations Episode recorded April 10, 2024 Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at climatepositive@hasi.com or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod. 

Disclosure. Disclosure. Disclosure. In early March, the SEC issued final climate-related disclosure rules for U.S. public companies. Designed to enhance standardization and in response to increasing investor demand, the new rules mandate companies disclose material climate risks they face and greenhouse gas emissions they generate as well as other material climate-related information. While not as comprehensive as existing mandatory climate disclosure regimes in the European Union or California, the rules represent a groundbreaking step forward in climate disclosure across the United States. In this episode, Chad Reed discusses the new rules, their implications and their detractors with Steven Rothstein, managing director at the Ceres Accelerator for Sustainable Capital Markets. Steven and his colleagues at Ceres over two decades have been instrumental in building a large and powerful investor coalition in support of greater climate disclosure and provide crucial insights on this complex and significant public policy issue. Links:SEC Adopts Rules to Enhance and Standardize Climate-Related Disclosures for InvestorsLetter from Jeffrey W. Eckel (then CEO and now Executive Chair of HASI) to U.S. SEC (June 15, 2021)Ceres: Get ready for standardized climate disclosureEpisode recorded March 29, 2024 Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at climatepositive@hasi.com or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod. 

The podcast dives into success stories of capitalism combating climate change worldwide, showcasing regions adapting economies for zero emissions. Topics include the role of people, policy, and technology, India's progress in solar power, the International Energy Agency's evolution, and the UK's decarbonization commitments.

The Sustainable Energy in America Factbook serves as a key reference for the state of renewables in the United States. To mark the release of the 12th edition, Gil Jenkins and Hilary Langer talked to the people behind the annual report: Lisa Jacobson, President of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy and Tom Rowlands-Rees, Head of Research for North America at BloombergNEF. Despite significant headwinds in 2023, including high interest rates and supply chain challenges, the factbook is full of record-shattering figures that reveal momentum toward a more sustainable energy future. Lisa and Tom discuss the importance of stable federal policies, the optimism they find in reduced emissions, and how America will need to accelerate sustainable energy development to meet carbon reduction targets.Links: The 2024 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook | BloombergNEF (bnef.com)The Business Council for Sustainable Energy (bcse.org)Lisa Jacobson | LinkedInTom Rowlands-Rees | LinkedInBloombergNEF (bnef.com)Episode recorded February 26, 2024 Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at climatepositive@hasi.com or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod.