Reversing Climate Change

Salary is touchy. It's tied up with shame on all sides: are we being underpaid? Did we overpay for someone that is unfair? Is it too late to fix it?!Today, host Ross Kenyon monologues about the 2025 Salary Survey from the folks at CDRjobs (which you should go fill out right now!), and shares some lessons he learned about designing HR policies the hard way and from experienced colleagues.The main lesson is: you're never designing a policy for just one case. That's just the first precedent that will determine how current and future employees try to make sense of a companys policies. Sometimes what can be fair for one can be unfair to many, and vice versa. Wisdom is knowing the difference, and wisdom unfortunately isn't neatly fit upon a bumper sticker.Anyways, get ready for a thinking show with some anecdotes and a clear call to action!This Episode's Sponsors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Arbonics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to the RCC episode with Lisett Luik from Arbonics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a sponsor by emailing carbon.removal.strategies[at]gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Use this affiliate link to use Descript's transcripting and podcast editing service⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Use this affiliate link to use Riverside to record your podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for the 9Zero climate coworking space with my referral code⁠⁠Resources⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a paid subscriber of Reversing Climate Change⁠⁠CDRjobs2024 CDRjobs Salary Report2025 CDRjobs Salary Survey

In this engaging conversation, Shantanu Agarwal, Founder and CEO of Mati Carbon, shares insights on winning the Carbon Removal XPRIZE with innovative enhanced weathering techniques. He discusses how their mission-driven approach supports smallholder farmers in the Global South and embraces unconventional business strategies. Shantanu delves into the emotional intelligence required for effective leadership and highlights the scalability of their technology to boost agricultural productivity while addressing climate change.

Everyone thinks of national and international governments leading or failing on climate change. But what about cities and smaller political entities? How can they lead on climate and carbon removal when larger entities may be focused elsewhere? Since carbon removal infrastructure is likely to end up at least partially within urban or periurban environments, how can we prepare ourselves and our policies for such a near-term future?To answer these and so many more questions, Christiaan Gevers Deynoot, the Founder and Program Lead of the City CDR Initiative joins host Ross Kenyon (who also serves as a Strategic Advisor, Communications for the City CDR Initiative.)This becomes a discussion about the big questions of political order, whether we prefer bottom-up experimentation and ferment or top-down legibility and scale, and to what degree the agony and the ecstasy of central planning may be present for CDR at the municipal level.This show gets highly philosophical and highly practical, which is a terrific combination when one can get it!This Episode's Sponsors⁠⁠⁠ClimeFi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Arbonics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to the RCC episode with Lisett Luik from Arbonics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a sponsor by emailing carbon.removal.strategies[at]gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠Use this affiliate link to use Descript's transcripting and podcast editing service⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Use this affiliate link to use Riverside to record your podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for the 9Zero climate coworking space with my referral code⁠Resources⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a paid subscriber of Reversing Climate Change⁠⁠City CDR Initiative on LinkedinThe Federalist PapersNapoleonic CodeJames C. Scott's Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have FailedHaussmann's renovation of Paris

Carbon removal isn't that old. So for someone who's been involved in it for almost fifteen years... that's an elder. And today he's bringing the wisdom he earned the hard way.Dave Addison is formerly the Virgin Earth Challenge Manager, an effort he began working on in 2010. That's about six years before I had even heard of CDR, so a long time indeed!Last year, Dave started Planetary Practitioners, a consultancy founded on a long-run vision of helping much more of humankind access decent work in net-positive industries. You can read his writing and keep up with his work here.One pattern you might notice in shows is that many of the lessons aren't merely about commercial strategy or TRL or unit economics. Much of the best advice is how to walk upon the Earth in a way that shows you belong here. So today, it's more emotional than average. For those of you who want or need such an experience, it is here for you, and I hope you enjoy this conversation with my good friend, Dave.This Episode's Sponsors⁠⁠ClimeFi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Arbonics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to the RCC episode with Lisett Luik from Arbonics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a sponsor by emailing carbon.removal.strategies[at]gmail.com⁠⁠⁠Use this affiliate link to use Descript's transcripting and podcast editing service⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Use this affiliate link to use Riverside to record your podcasts⁠⁠⁠Sign up for the 9Zero climate coworking space with my referral codeResources⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a paid subscriber of Reversing Climate Change⁠⁠"Keep Going", from Dave's Substack for Planetary PractitionersVirgin Earth ChallengeLongitude rewards systemCarl Sagan's Cosmos: A Personal VoyageDavid Grinspoon's Earth in Human Hands: Shaping Our Planet's FutureThe Telepathy TapesCharles C. Mann's The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and Their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow's World"It's Just a Ride" by Bill Hicks"The Darmine Doggy Door" from I Think You Should LeaveCharlie Chaplin's speech from The Great DictatorNathan Fielder'sThe Rehearsal N.B. The meme thumbnail is not original content and is intended for thematic discussion in this episode and its accompanying bonus episode, and is just a common theme whenever Dave and I chat.

Robert Höglund, Head of carbon dioxide removal at Milky Wire and co-founder of CDR.FYI, dives deep into the intricacies of carbon accounting. He questions whether every dollar in carbon removal should be maximally catalytic or if getting a good deal is also acceptable. The conversation highlights the complexities of carbon credit legitimacy and the challenges of temporary versus long-term solutions. Höglund advocates for a cultural shift in corporate responsibility for effective climate action, stressing the importance of strategic funding in addressing carbon removal needs.

Everyone's focused on carbon credit offtakes and Voluntary Carbon Market purchases, but the compliance markets represent the vast majority of carbon assets in circulation. How do these markets work, and how might carbon removal interact with them in the future?Mike Azlen is the CEO and CIO of Carbon Cap Management LLP, a firm which trades within various compliance markets.We discuss why private traders like his company can help price discovery in compliance markets, and address some common criticisms of market-based approaches to climate change (both VCM and compliance markets.)Carbon removal is going to figure into various compliance markets in the future, but how exactly will that work? Might that be the demand boost that carbon removal needs to scale?There is also bonus content from this episode about some of Mike's observations about VCM failures. It will be released on Saturday, May 24th. Become a paid subscriber to access it when it is published!This Episode's SponsorClimeFi⁠⁠⁠⁠Arbonics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to the RCC episode with Lisett Luik from Arbonics⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a sponsor by emailing carbon.removal.strategies[at]gmail.com⁠Use this affiliate link to use Descript's transcripting and podcast editing service⁠⁠Use this affiliate link to use Riverside to record your podcasts⁠Resources⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a paid subscriber of Reversing Climate Change⁠⁠Carbon Cap Management LLPCarbon Cap's Resource Library

Seemingly everyone in carbon removal says they want more data transparency and the sharing of scientific results. Why isn't open science more present, and how can we get more of it? Could a pre-print server for CDR be part of the solution?Today is the official launch of CDRXIV ("cee-dee-archive"), a new initiative from CarbonPlan that aims to spur scientific conversations within the carbon removal community.On this episode, Freya Chay (the CDR Program Lead at CarbonPlan and a Member of the Advisory Board to CDRXIV) and Tyler Kukla (a CDR Research Scientist at CarbonPlan and the Content Manager for CDRXIV) are on the show to explain how pre-print servers drive progress in other scientific fields, why CDR needs one, and how it may change our industry.If you'd like to submit data and/or a paper for publication to CDRXIV, please email hello@cdrxiv.org, or visit their submission portal here.This Episode's Sponsor⁠⁠⁠Arbonics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to the RCC episode with Lisett Luik from Arbonics⁠⁠⁠Become a sponsor by emailing carbon.removal.strategies[at]gmail.comUse this affiliate link to use Descript's transcripting and podcast editing serviceUse this affiliate link to use Riverside to record your podcastsResources⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a paid subscriber of Reversing Climate Change⁠⁠CarbonPlanCDRXIVSubmit research to CDRXIV335: How Nori Created a Direct Air Capture+Storage Methodology: A Case Study—w/ Radhika Moolgavkar & Rick Berg

Carbon removal only has a few exits. Today’s guest was involved in two of them, and he’s bringing his lessons.Jim McDermott is the founder and CEO of Rusheen Capital Management, LLC, an investment firm that makes a few early-stage bets and works with companies much more closely than most investors do. He's had a long and storied career in energy and as the founder and CEO of Stamps.com.Jim shares his lessons from exiting 1PointFive and Carbon Engineering to Occidental Petroleum (who also just bought Holocene, another direct air capture company). He lays out his case for alternatives to the classical venture approach, and proposes a new philanthropic model he believes has a chance of filling in carbon removal’s (in)famous demand gap.Listen in to lessons for entrepreneurs during tough times and Jim's predictions for direct air capture and the carbon removal sector as a whole.This Episode's Sponsor⁠⁠Arbonics⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to the RCC episode with Lisett Luik from Arbonics⁠⁠Resources⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a paid subscriber of Reversing Climate Change⁠⁠Rusheen Capital Management, LLC1PointFiveCarbon EngineeringOccidental PetroleumHolocene"Why Oxy’s Acquisition Of Holocene Signals A Maturing Carbon Removal Industry" at Forbes, by Phil de Luna

Matt Schmitt, Founder and CEO of Structure Climate, and Andrew Jones, Co-founder and CEO of Carba, discuss a game-changing partnership where Microsoft committed to purchasing carbon credits from Carba. They dive into the intricacies of financing carbon removal projects, highlighting the critical role of debt in bridging the gap from agreement to scale. The conversation also sheds light on how innovative financial structures can unlock the potential of climate tech companies while addressing the challenges of securing funding for transformative environmental solutions.

Fair warning: this episode spoils a lot of (older) media.Antiheroes make for great television. But why are we obsessed with them? Why are they in nearly all prestige dramas? Is this a result of our cultural beliefs, or is it (re)producing a culture of cynical realism? What impacts might it have for politics and climate change?This ascendancy of the antihero is a trend I've been watching (and often enjoying) since my teen years. Shows like The Sopranos helped bring television to its lofty artistic status, but it did so by confusing the natural empathy that good storytelling generates. The longer one watches shows like The Sopranos, the more one ends up rooting for bad guys to be successful. In a world that is ever more mediated by media, could a similar trend be happening in politics?Today's show is an attempt to make sense of the antihero through a number of prestige dramas, and look for some ways of telling stories that don't lead us into the abyss of constant moral ambiguity.Today we're going to talk about hope, reclaiming moral authority, and why it's cool to believe in things. I hope you'll join me in that ambition.This Episode's Sponsors⁠⁠Offstream⁠⁠⁠⁠Arbonics⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to the RCC episode with Lisett Luik from Arbonics⁠⁠Email me to sponsor at carbon.removal.strategies [at] gmail.com.Resources⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a paid subscriber of Reversing Climate Change⁠⁠⁠"The judge speaks in the name of justice; the priest speaks in the name of pity, which is nothing but a more lofty justice."- Victor Hugo, Les Misérables"Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven."- Matthew 18:21-22, KJV'Breaking Bad's Vince Gilligan Says We Need More Good Guys on Screen as Bad Guys Have “Taken Over the World” article on MSNThe Sopranos (here's a clip where Anthony Jr. steals sacramental wine from the church and the shot lingers for a few extra seconds on St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes—perfection)Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on Wikipedia"Antihero" article on TVTropes (my favorite repository of writings on archetypes and common storytelling devices)Littlefinger Tells Varys That Chaos Is A Ladder | Game of Thrones | HBOBreaking BadTed LassoThe Last of UsThe scene between Michael and Kay in The Godfather"Default to Good" article on TVTropes (the unnamed archetype of "the redeemed rogue." I'm glad it already had a name! It deserved one!)The Act of KillingThe All We Can Save ProjectWhat If We Get It Right?  by Dr. Ayana Johnson