Reversing Climate Change

Should we genetically engineer carbon-hungry trees? Can metal-eating trees clean up abandoned mines? Does seaweed have the potential to save the planet? While these ideas might seem outlandish, they are all examples of actual solutions to our environmental issues people are working on right now. Teresa Carey is a senior staff writer at Freethink, a platform that features the passionate innovators working to solve humanity’s greatest challenges. Prior to becoming a journalist, Teresa was a professional mariner and USCG licensed captain. On this episode of the Reversing Climate Change podcast, Teresa joins Ross to discuss the outside-the-box solutions to climate change she has written about, sharing her particular interest in covering the environment, genetics, climate technology, and carbon removal. She explains how innovators are genetically engineering trees to suck more CO2 out of the atmosphere, offering her take on the debate around GMOs and the impact hybrid breeding might have on local ecosystems. Listen in for Teresa’s insight on the potential dangers of consumer genetic tests and find out what she learned about the process of sequestering carbon in seaweed to generate carbon offsets. Connect with Nori Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Join Nori’s book club on Patreon Nori’s website Sign up for Nori’s weekly Newsletter, The Nori Wrap Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom Resources Teresa on Freethink John Kretschmer on Reversing Climate Change S2EP33 ‘Metal Eating Trees Could Clean Up Abandoned Mines’ in Freethink ‘A Seaweed Diet Could Eliminate Most of Cows’ Greenhouse Emissions’ in Freethink ‘Can Seaweed Save the Planet?’ in Freethink ‘Autonomous Trash-Eating Boats Clean Up Water Pollution’ in Freethink Project Vesta on Reversing Climate Change S2EP23 Dr. Greg Dipple on Reversing Climate Change EP009 ‘Should We Genetically Engineer Carbon-Hungry Trees?’ in Freethink Paul Greenberg on Reversing Climate Change S2EP61 The Salk Institute’s Harnessing Plants Initiative ‘First Study of All Amazon Greenhouse Gases Suggests the Damaged Forest Is Now Worsening Climate Change’ in National Geographic ‘This Spit Test Will Help Couples Know Their Baby’s Risk of Genetic Disease’ in Freethink

For large, established companies to be sustainable long term, they need to consider how a changing climate will impact what they do. CEOs have got to ask how their businesses can be resilient in the face of climate change and what they can do to help mitigate it. Nicole Systrom is the Founder of Sutro Energy Group, a consultancy working to scale high-impact climate solutions. On this bonus episode of Reversing Climate Change, Nicole joins guest host Alexsandra Guerra to discuss her recent World Economic Forum article, ‘3 Ways CEOs Can Tackle Climate Change and Build a Net-Zero Economy.’ She explains why large, established companies should lend their political capital to climate tech startups and makes the case that every business should make net-zero a part of their business strategy. Listen in for Nicole’s insight on giving innovators a voice in policy creation and learn how large corporations, legislators and climate tech startups can work together to build a net-zero economy. Connect with Nori Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Join Nori’s book club on Patreon Nori’s website Nori on Twitter Nori on YouTube Sign up for Nori’s weekly Newsletter, The Nori Wrap Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom Email podcast@nori.com Resources ‘3 Ways CEOs Can Tackle Climate Change and Build a Net-Zero Economy’ by Nicole Systrom Sutro Energy Group 45Q Tax Credit Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund

60% of the calories in our food supply are alleged to be ultra-processed junk. So, when did we lose our way? When did we go from growing food to feed our communities to growing food for profit? And how do we find our way back to a just food system—and society? Mark Bittman is a former New York Times columnist and bestselling author of 30-plus books, including the well-known How to Cook Everything series. His new release is called Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food, from Sustainable to Suicidal. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Mark joins Ross and Radkhika to explain how the food system shaped our history and vice versa, describing how the Enclosure Movement may have turned food into a profit-making political tool and created the health crisis we’re facing. He weighs in on why educating kids about good food is the first step in creating a just food system and advocates for subsidies to support getting good food to more people. Listen in for Mark’s perspective on investing federal dollars in regenerative agriculture and learn how he thinks about making the phrase ‘land reform’ common in our political discourse. Connect with Nori Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Join Nori’s book club on Patreon Nori’s website Nori on Twitter Sign up for Nori’s weekly Newsletter, The Nori Wrap Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom Resources Mark’s Website Subscribe to The Bittman Project Newsletter Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food, from Sustainable to Suicidal by Mark Bittman How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman Jared Diamond Land Enclosure Books by James C. Scott Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser Supersize Me Books by Will Durant Books by Marion Nestle Renewable Fuel Standard Program Joel Salatin at Polyface Farms Full Belly Farm The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan

Since its founding in 2003, Newlight Technologies’ goal has been to create consumer-driven solutions to reducing carbon in the air. And while that intention has not changed, the Newlight team’s approach has evolved as they consider how to achieve the greatest impact. Mark Herrema is the cofounder and CEO of Newlight, an advanced biotechnology company using greenhouse gas to produce sustainable materials and replacements for plastic. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Mark joins Ross and cohost Radkhika Moolgavkar, Head of Supply and Methodology at Nori, to discuss what Newlight has been up to since his last appearance on the podcast, explaining how they brought a new plant online in 2019 and why the team chose foodware and fashion as its first two consumer foci. Mark shares an overview of the AirCarbon production process, addressing where Newlight’s greenhouse gas feedstocks come from and how Newlight uses the blockchain to track the carbon footprint of its products. Listen in to understand how Mark’s thinking around carbon markets has shifted, why it took two years to get Newlight’s methodology approved, and what marketplaces need to change to make the space more attractive to other ambitious entrepreneurs. Connect with Nori Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Join Nori’s book club on Patreon Nori’s website Nori on Twitter Nori on YouTube Sign up for Nori’s weekly Newsletter, The Nori Wrap Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom Email podcast@nori.com Resources Newlight Technologies Restore Foodware Covalent Fashion Mark Herrema on Reversing Climate Change S1E14 Newlight’s work with IBM Verra Newlight’s Methodology for Greenhouse Gas Capture and Utilization in Plastic Materials ISO 14067 Carbon Footprint of Products ISO 14044 Life Cycle Assessment

Since the first levee was built in New Orleans in 1717, we have been trying to manage America’s rivers. But now our infrastructure is failing. And if we don’t compromise on a plan to restore (or strategically remove) our dams, levees, and locks and give our waterways more space, flooding events will continue to devastate entire communities over and over again. Tyler J. Kelley is a journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Yorker, among many other national publications. His first book, Holding Back the River: The Struggle Against Nature on America’s Waterways, was published in April 2021. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Tyler joins Ross to explain why riverboat traffic is still important to the US economy, moving more than 1,000 semi-trucks’ worth of vital commodities daily. Tyler discusses the extensive work we’ve done to manage rivers in the US, describing how much land would be unlivable without levees and why the risks of flooding will only increase with climate change. Listen in for Tyler’s insight on the Dutch Delta Works project to give land back to the rivers and fortify existing infrastructure and learn how we might create a similar comprehensive flood control plan to protect communities here in the US. Connect with Nori Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Join Nori’s book club on Patreon Nori’s website Nori on Twitter Nori on YouTube Sign up for Nori’s weekly Newsletter, The Nori Wrap Check out our other podcast, Carbon Removal Newsroom Email podcast@nori.com Resources Holding Back the River: The Struggle Against Nature on America’s Waterways by Tyler J. Kelley Tyler’s Website ‘The Fight to Tame a Swelling River with Dams That May Be Outmatched by Climate Change’ in The New York Times Elizabeth Kolbert on Reversing Climate Change S2EP50 Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future by Elizabeth Kolbert Levee Wars on Sny Island Rebuild Pinhook

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+