Reversing Climate Change

What would happen if businesses were expected or even required to store a tonne of carbon for every tonne of carbon they produce? A Carbon Takeback Obligation is a policy framework that aims to make that the new standard. Today we learn more about how such a system might operate. Margriet Kuijper is a former civil engineer for Shell, where she focused on the development of carbon capture and storage projects. Today, she serves as an independent consultant working on a Carbon Takeback Obligation, otherwise known as CTBO. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Margriet joins Ross to share the simple idea behind a Carbon Takeback Obligation and explain how it addresses the common concerns associated with oil and gas carbon capture projects. Margriet discusses how CTBO makes polluters pay to clean up their emissions and describes how CTBO policy could work in tandem with a carbon tax or emissions trading system, incentivizing both emitters and producers to find solutions together. Listen in to understand Margriet’s take on the role of offsets under CTBO and in a net-zero world, and learn how businesses would benefit from the long-term policy certainty of a Carbon Takeback Obligation. Connect with Nori Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Join Nori's book club on Patreon Nori's website Nori on Twitter Nori on YouTube Join Nori's weekly newsletter, The Wrap Email podcast@nori.com Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom Resources Carbon Takeback website Carbon Takeback Obligation: A Producer’s Responsibility Scheme on the Way to a Climate Neutral Energy System   Myles Allen TED Talk Clean Air Task Force The Paris Agreement IPCC International Energy Agency Eli Mitchell-Larson on Reversing Climate Change S2EP62 Myles Allen EU Emissions Trading System Europe’s Extended Producer Responsibility Policy Making Climate Policy Work by Danny Cullenward and David G. Victor

So, you’re interested in carbon removal and curious about working in the climate space. But you’re not sure how your skills might apply, and you don’t know where to begin learning about the different types of carbon sequestration or the major players in the industry. John Sanchez is the Founder and Curriculum Designer at Carbon Removal Academy and the Co-Creator of the AirMiners Boot Up Program and Problem Pack Climate Sprint Workgroups. He is also building Carbon Visions, a community of college students working on carbon removal solutions. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, John joins Ross to explain how these experiences facilitate the exploration process for transitioning into the climate space. John shares his take on what makes a climate community valuable and discusses the debate around ecological versus industrial sequestration. Listen in to understand how John’s love of literature informs his work in carbon removal and learn how his experiences can help YOU uncover your climate affinity and then apply your skills to reversing climate change. Connect with Ross Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Join Nori's book club on Patreon Nori's website Nori on Twitter Nori on YouTube Join Nori's weekly newsletter, The Wrap Email podcast@nori.com Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom Resources John’s Travels in Carbon Removal Newsletter John’s Carbon Visions Slack Community Carbon Removal Academy AirMiners AirMiners Boot Up Program Problem Pack Climate Sprints Biochar & Sawmills Problem Pack Report Work on Climate My Climate Journey Climatebase Evan Hynes of Climatebase on Reversing Climate Change Carbon Visions CDR Primer World Resources Institute’s Post on Regenerative Ag The Soil Scientists’ Response Letter to WRI Tito Jankowski on YouTube Literature & History Podcast

The narrative of human exceptionalism posits that there is something unique about being human that makes us more valuable. And we believe that what matters most are the things that seem to separate us from animals—like our ability to reason or the immortal human soul. But what if you can’t separate the animal part of us from our spirit? What if being human IS being animal? Melanie Challenger is a writer of environmental history, podcast host of Enter the Psychosphere, and author of the new release, How to Be Animal: A New History of What It Means to Be Human. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Melanie joins Ross to share her argument against substance dualism, explaining why we can’t separate the idea of being human from that of being animal. Melanie offers insight on how we can ‘become animal’ without reverting to amoral, self-serving behaviors and why she sees the simple, clean messaging around environmental issues as being problematic. Listen in to understand Melanie’s take on the human battle with mortality and learn to accept that life is finite but not fear death. Connect with Nori Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Join Nori's book club on Patreon Nori's website Nori on Facebook Nori on Twitter Subscribe to Nori's newsletter Email podcast@nori.com Listen to our other show, Carbon Removal Newsroom Resources Melanie Challenger’s website Enter the Psychosphere Podcast How to Be Animal: A New History of What It Means to Be Human by Melanie Challenger On Extinction: How We Became Estranged from Nature by Melanie Challenger Paul Kingsnorth on Reversing Climate Change S2EP53 George Monbiot Caspar Henderson Thomas Aquinas’ Philosophy of Angelology The Biological Mind: How Brain, Body and Environment Collaborate to Make Us Who We Are by Alan Jasanoff Sam Harris Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning by Timothy Snyder Alan Watts Organization

Are we out of balance? Some thinkers pose that the scales have tipped toward industry, ego, and individuality, and we’re disconnected from the cycles of nature. We’re all Yang and no Yin. And this imbalance is causing climate change. So, what can we do to restore our sense of interconnectedness among all living things? How can tapping into our spirituality help us heal ourselves and the earth? Dr. Erin Yu-Juin McMorrow is the author of Grounded: A Fierce, Feminine Guide to Connecting with the Soil and Healing from the Ground Up. She is also a founding member of Kiss the Ground, a nonprofit dedicated to awakening people to the possibilities of regeneration. On this bonus episode of Reversing Climate Change, Dr. McMorrow joins guest host and Nori cofounder Alexsandra Guerra to share her mother metaphor for the soil, describing how she sees the Yin as the feminine energy of regeneration and why western society struggles with birth and death—the primary portals of transformation. Dr. McMorrow explores how our desire to DO disregards the spiritual aspect of climate change, discussing the individual and collective healing we must do to activate our soul voice and reconnect with each other and the earth. Listen in to understand the relationship between the empowerment of women and soil health and learn Dr. McMorrow’s simple practices for connecting with spirit and bringing our natural systems back into balance. Connect with Nori Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Join Nori's book club on Patreon Nori's website Nori on Facebook Nori on Twitter Nori on Medium Nori on YouTube Subscribe to the Nori newsletter Email podcast@nori.com Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom Resources Grounded: A Fierce, Feminine Guide to Connecting with the Soil and Healing from the Ground Up by Erin Yu-Juin McMorrow, PhD Dr. McMorrow’s Website Kiss the Ground Ryland Engelhart Graeme Sait’s 2013 TED Talk YogaWorks Katharine Wilkinson’s 2018 TED Talk Lindsay Mack How to Do the Work: Recognize Your Patterns, Heal Your Past, and Create Your Self by Dr. Nicole LePera Soul The Eagle and the Condor Zach Bush, MD HeartMath

In order to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, we can’t just reduce emissions. We have no choice but to add carbon dioxide removal (CDR) to the mix to keep global temperature rise under 2°C. So, what CO2 removal processes are in development? And what are governments and nonprofits doing to advocate for and fund carbon removal? Dr. Jan Mazurek serves as Senior Director at the ClimateWorks Foundation, where she leads the Carbon Dioxide Removal Fund. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Dr. Mazurek joins Ross to discuss what the Biden administration is doing to make ‘historic strides on climate’ and explain what carbon removal measures are left out of the Biden-Harris climate agenda. Dr. Mazurek explores why it’s politically beneficial to lead with rural resilience and job opportunities as opposed to carbon removal, describing how ClimateWorks grantees partner with unions to garner support for DAC. Listen in for Dr. Mazurek’s insight on the challenges associated with carbon pricing and find out why it’s crucial to engage front line communities in the discussion around carbon removal. Connect with Ross Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Join Nori's book club on Patreon Nori's website Nori on Facebook Nori on Twitter Nori on Medium Subscribe to Nori's Newsletter Email podcast@nori.com Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom Resources ClimateWorks Foundation The CDR Program at ClimateWorks Noah Deich & Giana Amador on RCC EP017 Dr. Julio Friedmann on RCC EP016 Giana Amador’s Blog on the Biden Budget American Jobs Plan National Academy of Sciences Workshop on Ocean CDR SEA FUEL Act ClimateWorks’ Video on Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement Stripe Climate Rhodium Group’s Study on Job Opportunities in DAC Energy Futures Initiative Carbon180 Tracy Johns at the Climate and Land Use Alliance REDD+

Many corporations, organizations, and governments have made net zero commitments, and most are leaning on voluntary carbon offsetting to achieve these climate goals. But how can we be sure that such carbon offsets demonstrate a real change in the atmosphere? And how can we approach offsetting in a way that gives rise to an actual net zero society? Eli Mitchell-Larson is a climate researcher and PhD candidate at the University of Oxford and the corresponding author of The Oxford Principles for Net Zero Aligned Carbon Offsetting. He also serves as an advisor to Carbon Direct and is helping build a new carbon removal advocacy organization in Europe. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Eli joins Ross to walk us through Oxford’s four principles, explaining why the guidelines prioritize decarbonizing first and then negating emissions. Eli describes why he advocates for a shift to carbon removal offsetting and long-lived storage, discussing why he believes nature-based solutions are crucial—but may not be appropriate for carbon markets. Listen in to understand the argument of why companies must support the development of net zero aligned offsetting (and what that might look like) and learn how you can get involved in Eli’s burgeoning advocacy organization that serves as a champion for carbon removal. Connect with Ross Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Join Nori's book club on Patreon Nori's website Nori on Facebook Nori on Twitter Nori on Medium Nori on YouTube Subscribe to Nori's newsletter Email podcast@nori.com Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom Resources The Oxford Principles for Net Zero Aligned Carbon Offsetting 2020 ‘Prosets: Making Continued Use of Fossil Fuels Compatible with a Credible Transition to Net Zero’ on Research Square Eli Mitchell-Larson on Twitter Carbon Direct CDR Advocacy Europe CDR Advocacy’s Open Executive Director Role Carbon Takeback Obligation George Monbiot’s 2006 Article on Carbon Offsets United Nations Race to Zero Campaign Silvia Terra The Blue Carbon Initiative Carbon180 Carbon Dioxide Removal Primer

There’s a lot of advice on how reduce your carbon footprint. But everything seems to come with a caveat. You can stop eating meat, but do synthetic meats require monoculture? You can boycott Bitcoin, but would that make the grid itself any cleaner? You can drive an electric car, but its battery is made with rare minerals. So, how do you make choices that really move the needle? Paul Greenberg is the fisherman and bestselling author behind Four Fish, American Catch, and The Omega Principle. His latest book is called The Climate Diet: 50 Simple Ways to Trim Your Carbon Footprint. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Paul joins Ross to explain what we can do to support sustainable fisheries and why we should be ‘picky plant eaters.’ Paul challenges us to be mindful of how many children we add to the planet and shares his argument against building infrastructure that gets us ‘back to normal’ after the pandemic. Listen in for Paul’s insight on electrical versus gas appliances and learn how The Climate Diet can help you make conscious choices in a spirit of kindness to the environment. Connect with Ross Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Join Nori's book club and Slack on Patreon Nori's website Nori on Twitter Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom Resources Paul’s Website Seaspiracy What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins by Jonathan Balcombe ‘The Wrong Mine for the Wrong Place’ in The New York Times Gidon Eshel ‘The Plant Prescription’ in Eating Well Goodbye Phone, Hello World: 60 Ways to Disconnect from Tech and Reconnect to Joy by Paul Greenberg How to Break Up with Your Phone by Catherine Price Empty Planet on Reversing Climate Change EP105 ‘Has the Pandemic Transformed the Office Forever?’ in The New Yorker Carl Safina ‘We Don’t Need More Life-Crushing Steel and Concrete’ in The New York Times Natural Resource Defense Council Farhad Manjoo

Art has a unique ability to explain complex, oft-emotional topics in an understandable way. And that’s why Carbon Upcycling Technologies (CUT) is engaging with visual artists to educate the general public about carbontech. CUT offers their artist-collaborators free materials and tech support, encouraging the use of CO2-derived materials to create pieces that ‘showcase the carbon capture and utilization industry.’ Madison Savilow is the Chief of Staff at Carbon Upcycling Technologies and Venture Lead of CUT’s new consumer brand, Expedition Air. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Madison joins Ross to discuss the technology Carbon Upcycling uses to create solid materials like concrete, plastics, and consumer products out of CO2 and share her take on the tradeoffs associated with working with some of the largest players in the energy sector. Madison explains what inspired CUT to launch Expedition Air, describing how a consumer brand helps educate the general public about carbontech and what other companies in the space are following suit. Listen in for insight into Expedition Air’s collaboration with artists Annalee Levin and Luis Merchan and learn how Madison and her team are using visual art to market carbontech. Connect with Nori Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Join Nori's book club on Patreon Nori's website Nori on Facebook Nori on Twitter Nori Newsletter Email podcast@nori.com Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom Resources Expedition Air Expedition Air on LinkedIn Expedition Air Artist Collaborations Expedition Air Artist in Residence Program Carbon Upcycling Annalee Levin on Reversing Climate Change S2EP52 Carbon XPRIZE Apoorv Sinha on Reversing Climate Change EP078 Rob Niven on Reversing Climate Change S2EP16 Clean CO2 Aether Diamonds Air Company Newlight Technologies on Reversing Climate Change EP014 Covalent Captured Carbon Studio

According to the NOMINATE Index, the last time the US was this polarized was just before and during the Civil War. So, how did we get here? And what can the philosophy of public reason liberalism teach us about living together—even when we don’t agree on much? Dr. Kevin Vallier is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Bowling Green University and author of Trust in a Polarized Age and Must Politics Be War? Restoring Trust in the Open Society. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Dr. Vallier joins Ross to discuss the doom loop between falling distrust and growing polarization and address how we can learn to disagree in more a productive way. Dr. Vallier explains liberalism in general and public reason liberalism specifically, describing how we might build a shared doctrine that appeals to multiple reasonable perspectives. Listen in for Dr. Vallier’s public reason argument for restricting carbon emissions and learn what we can do to rebuild trust in our institutions and each other. Connect with Nori Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Join Nori's book club on Patreon Nori's website Nori on Facebook Nori on Twitter Email podcast@nori.com Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom Resources Books by Kevin Vallier Trust in a Polarized Age by Kevin Vallier Must Politics Be War? Restoring Our Trust in a Polarized Age by Kevin Vallier Nolan McCarty on Google Scholar Network Propaganda: Manipulation, Disinformation and Radicalization in American Politics by Yochal Benkler, Robert Faris and Hal Roberts So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson John Rawls Jerry Gaus A Theory of Justice by John Rawls Political Liberalism by John Rawls Public Reason Liberalism

Empires rise and fall. And while we understand these cycles conceptually, there’s a bizarre notion that we are somehow immune. That we can continue to evolve toward greater ease and material abundance generation after generation. That our potential for growth is somehow unlimited. But natural resources are finite. So, what happens when we run out? Dr. Jason Bradford is the Cofounder of Farmland LP and Cohost of Crazy Town, a podcast produced by the Post Carbon Institute that explores “climate change, overshoot, and runaway capitalism”. He is also the author of The Future Is Rural: Food System Adaptations to the Great Simplification. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Dr. Bradford joins Ross to explain what differentiates ecological economics from other schools of thought and why some resources are simply too valuable to price. Dr. Bradford shares his prediction regarding a great simplification of civilization, describing his vision of a future where we might still enjoy modern conveniences but at a very different scale. Listen in to understand why we he thinks we can’t ‘artificial ecosystem’ our way on to other planets, why industrial carbon capture is a bad idea, and how we might build a lower-complexity society that is sustainable for the long term. Connect with Ross Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Join Nori's book club on Patreon Nori's website Nori on Facebook Nori on Twitter Nori Newsletter Email podcast@nori.com Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom Resources Crazy Town podcast The Future Is Rural: Food System Adaptations to the Great Simplification by Jason Bradford Farmland LP Post Carbon Institute Tom Murphy’s Do the Math Blog on Economic Growth Enough Is Enough: Building a Sustainable Economy in a World of Finite Resources by Rob Dietz and Dan O’Neill Paul Kingsnorth on Reversing Climate Change S2EP53 Ted Nordhaus on Reversing Climate Change EP100 The Breakthrough Institute Kim Stanley Robinson on Reversing Climate Change S2EP51 Novels by Ursula Le Guin Bernard Lietaer