Reversing Climate Change

What does it mean to be a witnessing professional in the climate crisis? What responsibility do scientists, doctors, journalists, lawyers, military officers and public health officials have to speak out and share their message of truth with the world? How does the religious concept of bearing witness translate to this secular context? And what can you and I do to become constructive witnesses for climate change? Dr. Evan Kuehn is an Assistant Professor of Informational Literacy at North Park University and the author of Troeltsch’s Eschatological Absolute and Theology Compromised: Schleiermacher, Troeltsch, and the Possibility of a Sociological Theology. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Dr. Kuehn joins Ross to discuss the recent Dædalus issue on Witnessing Climate Change, describing what it means to be a witness, how the concept shifts from a sacred to a secular context, and what risks are associated with witnessing in public as a professional. Dr. Kuehn explores Robert Socolow’s idea of witnessing for the middle to depolarize the climate conversation, explaining what it looks like to engage in situational ethics and sharing how he deals with extreme views and guillotine memes. Listen in for Dr. Kuehn’s insight around the Jewish tradition of preserving social criticism and learn what you can do to be a middle builder and serve as a constructive witness for climate change. Connect with Nori: Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Join Nori on Patreon Nori Nori on Facebook Nori on Twitter Resources: There are so many things referenced in this episode and not much space to add them all here unfortunately. If Anchor ups their character cap we will add them all back in. N.B. Ross couldn't remember at the time of recording which scholar provided that insight about Jewish scripture preserving social criticism in this episode, but is pretty sure it came from Amy-Jill Levine, and most likely her Great Courses lecture series on the Old Testament. Dr. Evan Kuehn on Reversing Climate Change Bonus Episode We’re Doomed. Now What? Essays on War and Climate Change by Roy Scranton What Is the Bible? How an Ancient Library of Poems, Letters, and Stories Can Transform the Way You Think and Feel About Everything by Rob Bell Proverbs 26:4-5 ‘What is the Social Responsibility of Climate Scientists?’ by Naomi Oreskes ‘Witnessing for the Middle to Depolarize the Climate Change Conversation’ by Robert H. Socolow

How do you restore an entire ecosystem at scale? Eroded desertified landscapes: can they be healed? Journalist, filmmaker, and environmental educator John D. Liu is the Ecosystem Ambassador for the Commonland Foundation and Founder of the Ecosystem Restoration Camps Movement. He is best-known for his documentaries on the restoration of the Loess Plateau, like Hope in a Changing Climate and Green Gold. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, John joins Ross to explain how human activity caused the degradation of the Loess Plateau, describing how it went from being one of the most beautiful places on Earth to a barren landscape where the poorest Chinese people lived. John discusses what made the Loess Plateau restoration so successful, offering insight around how the Chinese government engaged the people there and how the project design balances functional space for agriculture with land dedicated to natural regeneration. Listen in to understand how John thinks about restoring inherently complex ecosystems and learn how you can get involved in John’s work to transform our economy and facilitate ecosystem restoration all over the world. Connect with Nori: Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Nori Nori on Facebook Nori on Twitter Nori on Patreon Nori Newsletter Resources: The Weather Makers ‘The Holy Grail of Restoration: Mending the Sinai Peninsula’ in Kosmos Journal John’s Academia Page John on Twitter The Great Work of Our Time Documentary on Large-Scale Ecosystem Restoration World Bank Story on the Loess Plateau Restoration Presencing Institute Theory U International Union for the Conservation of Nature Rothamsted Research Institute University of the West of England Netherlands Institute of Ecology Elinor Ostrom Kyoto Protocol Kate Raworth Paul Kingsnorth Wendell Berry Willem Ferwerda John F. Nash

Much of agriculture depends upon synthetic fertilizer. But the production of that fertilizer is responsible for 3% of greenhouse gas emissions. That’s why innovators in the emerging field of synthetic biology are attempting to disrupt the status quo in agriculture and engineer new ways for growers to achieve the same yields with less fertilizer—and less environmental impact. Mike Miille is the CEO of Joyn Bio, a biotech company that is using synthetic biology to try to make agriculture more sustainable. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Mike joins Ross and Rebekah to explain how his team is engineering microbes to address unmet needs in agriculture and what differentiates synthetic biology from classical breeding or GMOs. Mike introduces us to Joyn Bio’s work in designing nitrogen-fixing corn (the potential holy grail), responding to the argument that our system of monoculture isn’t worth saving and the concerns around scaling innovations in synthetic biology. Listen in to understand how Mike thinks about the unknowns of designing new organisms and learn about the other potentially game-changing advancements in ag that Mike’s team is working on right now. Connect with Nori: Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Nori Nori on Facebook Nori on Twitter Nori on Patreon Nori Newsletter Email podcast@nori.com Resources: Joyn Bio Joyn Bio on LinkedIn Joyn Bio on Twitter Leaps by Bayer Ginkgo Bioworks Thomas Knight at MIT Carl Sagan’s Cosmos The Haber-Bosch Process Norman Borlaug

We have destroyed or severely disrupted many of the perennial ecosystems that were here in favor of annual crops. Crops that require the use of herbicide and mulch year after year until, eventually, the soil is depleted and we move on. So, how can we use the design principles of permaculture to restore the ecology of the planet, provide ourselves with all the food, fuels and fibers we need, and make money while we’re at it? And at scale no less! Agroforestry farmer and permaculturist Mark Shepard is the CEO of Forest Agriculture Enterprises, Founder of Restoration Agriculture Development, and award-winning author of Restoration Agriculture: Real-World Permaculture for Farmers. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Mark joins Ross and Christophe to share his understanding of permaculture, explaining how he applies its principles in a way that allows for scale and designs practical systems around the individual farmer’s machinery. Mark introduces us to his idea of STUN agriculture (Strategic Total Utter Neglect), describing how nature solves every problem farmers have—at no cost and with very little effort. Listen in for insight on where science falls short in supporting the transition to restoration agriculture and learn how we can leverage permaculture to build economies around ecologically-designed systems. Connect with Nori: Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Nori on Patreon Nori Nori on Facebook Nori on Twitter Nori Newsletter Email podcast@nori.com Subscribe on iTunes Carbon Removal Newsroom Nori on Medium Resources Restoration Agriculture: Real-World Permaculture for Farmers by Mark Shepard Water for Any Farm by Mark Shepard New Forest Farm Forest Agriculture Enterprises Restoration and Agriculture Development Mark on Acres USA Bill Mollison David Holmgren Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture by J. Russell Smith The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming by Masanobu Fukuoka Pawpaw: In Search of America’s Forgotten Fruit by Andrew Moore

There are only 1.5M Atlantic salmon left in the world. And despite putting an end to commercial fishing, their numbers continue to dwindle. As a keystone species, the implications of their loss go far beyond not being able to order salmon for dinner. So, why are Atlantic salmon disappearing at such an alarming rate? What does their loss mean for other species? And how does it impact the rivers where they live? Mark Kurlansky is a New York Times bestselling and James A. Beard award-winning author with a knack for seeing the broader implications of seemingly little things. He has written 33 books in all, including The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell, Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World and most recently, Salmon: A Fish, the Earth, and the History of Their Common Fate. His forthcoming book, The Unreasonable Virtue of Fly Fishing is due out in March of 2021. On this episode of the podcast, Mark joins Ross to share what inspired him to choose salmon as the topic of his most recent book and explain why climate change is catastrophic for the fish. He weighs in on the problems with salmon farming (be it inland or on the water) and discusses why hatcheries are not a viable way to enhance the salmon population. Listen in for Mark’s insight on how the disappearance of Atlantic salmon will impact other species and learn how to be a conscious consumer of the popular fish. Connect with Nori: Nori on Patreon Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Nori Nori on Facebook Nori on Twitter Resources: Mark Kurlansky’s Website Salmon: A Fish, the Earth, and the History of Their Common Fate by Mark Kurlansky Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky Paper: Paging Through History by Mark Kurlansky The Basque History of the World: The Story of a Nation by Mark Kurlansky A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean

We have explored, at length, the basket of biophysical stressors climate change could produce. And we’ve looked at how floods, droughts, tropical cyclones, ocean acidification, coral degradation (and the list goes on and on) might impact our food security and lead to the displacement of a lot of people. But what does the climate crisis mean for national security? How does the intelligence community think about climate change? Dr. Rod Schoonover is a member of The Center for Climate & Security Advisory Board. He is also the Founder and CEO of the Ecological Futures Group, and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He served in the US Intelligence Community for ten years as the Director of Environment and Natural Resources at the National Intelligence Council and Senior Analyst in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at the US Department of State. On this episode, Dr. Schoonover joins Ross to discuss the foreign policy goals of the US and share his concerns around the current administration’s failure to call out anti-democratic values. He explains how the suppression of his written testimony for the House Intelligence Committee regarding the national security implications of climate change led to his resignation from the State Department. Listen in for Dr. Schoonover’s insight on what the US government should do to address the climate crisis and learn what could happen (from a security perspective) if we don’t take action on climate change. Connect with Nori: Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Nori on Patreon Resources: Climate & Security Podcast The National Intelligence Council’s 2016 Report: Implications for US National Security of Anticipated Climate Change Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research Dr. Schoonover’s June 2019 Testimony for the House Intelligence Committee ‘White House Tried to Stop Climate Science Testimony, Documents Show’ in The New York Times Dr. Schoonover’s June 2019 Statement for the Record on the National Security Implications of Climate Change Dr. Schoonover’s Op-Ed in The New York Times Holly Jean Buck on Reversing Climate Change EP103 Holly Jean Buck on Reversing Climate Change S2 Bonus Matthew Yglesias on Reversing Climate Change S2EP35 All Hell Breaking Loose: The Pentagon’s Perspective on Climate Change by Michael T. Klare Sea Power: The History and Geopolitics of the World’s Oceans by Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret.)

The vast majority of environmental nonfiction follows a predictable pattern: The writer goes out in nature and then tells us why it’s important to preserve the thing they experienced. But what if we could reach more people and maybe even change their point of view with a more experimental, more whimsical approach? Jess Miles is a recent graduate of Chatham University and author of the MFA thesis ‘Midnight Sun,’ a collection of essays about her time on the Arctic island of Svalbard. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Jess joins Ross to explain what inspired her to pursue science communication, sharing what she does to persuade readers and how she approaches environmental writing differently. Jess opens up about her frustrating experience with canvassing for an environmental organization, describing what she learned about people (and herself!) and how she turned that bad experience into good writing. Listen in to understand why Jess incorporates elements of whimsy in her work and learn how experimental forms of writing can help readers see climate issues in a new light. Connect with Nori Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Nori Nori on Facebook Nori on Twitter Nori on Patreon Resources Sadly, too many books referenced and character-capped! Sorry about that, listener! Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Eco-Speculation edited by Phoebe Wagner and Brontë Christopher Wieland ‘Hopepunk and Solarpunk: On Climate Narratives That Go Beyond the Apocalypse’ on Lit Hub Arizona State Center for Science and the Imagination After Geoengineering: Climate Tragedy, Repair, and Restoration by Holly Jean Buck Her The Road Jonathan Safran Foer on RCC S2EP29 Books by Gabriel García Márquez Climate Fiction on Reversing Climate Change S2EP12 Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor Who’s Saving the Planet? Podcast Jess’ Blog on VR and Animal Rights

For years now, we have debated the potential moral hazard of carbon removal, the fear being that we will abandon emissions reductions for the quick fix of carbon capture. But the science is clear: we simply can’t achieve our climate goals with mitigation alone. So, how do we design policy that works toward net zero using a binding emissions reduction pathway AND a strategy for scaling up carbon removal? Christoph Beuttler is the CDR Manager at Climeworks, the global leader in direct air capture technology. He also serves as the Deputy CEO of The Risk Dialogue Foundation and Founding Member of the Board for the Negative Emissions Platform. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Christoph joins Ross to discuss Climeworks’ modular approach to direct air capture, describing how they use solid sorbents to capture carbon dioxide and how that CO2 is either stored permanently or used to replace fossil inputs. Christoph shares his understanding of carbon removal regulations in Europe, explaining how EU businesses interact with policy and why companies are driving voluntary carbon removal markets.  Listen in for insight around the future of the carbon removal sector as a whole and learn how you can help Climeworks realize its audacious goal to achieve gigaton scale in the next two decades! Connect with Nori Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Nori Nori on Facebook Nori on Twitter Nori on Patreon Resources Climeworks Climeworks Web Shop Negative Emissions Platform Will Direct Air Capture Be Centralized or Distributed? on Carbon Removal Newsroom DOE Funding Carbon Removal Projects on Carbon Removal Newsroom Klaus Lackner’s Moisture Swing Sorbent California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard 45Q Credit for Carbon Oxide Sequestration Paris Agreement Microsoft Sustainability  Shopify Environment Stripe Climate ‘Europe’s Climate Goal: Revolution’ in Politico Climeworks’ Orca DAC Plant Carbon180 Climeworks’ Direct Air Capture Summit 2020 Brian von Herzen on Reversing Climate Change (Bonus)

Carbon dioxide is not the only greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. In fact, methane emissions are responsible for 16% of the warming we experience today. And because methane is more potent than CO2, we can make a big impact in a short period of time by addressing the concentrated, continuous methane seeps that exist around the world. Olya Irzak is the Founder and CEO of Frost Methane, a company working to combat climate change through the deployment of remote methane destruction devices. On this episode of the podcast, Olya joins Ross and Christophe to discuss why she chose to focus on methane emissions and explain how her team’s technology works to convert concentrated methane into CO2. Olya describes Frost Methane’s initial work with Arctic permafrost and introduces their new application of the technology in coal mines, sharing how the business generates revenue through carbon markets like California’s cap-and-trade market.  Listen in for Olya’s insight on the benefits of voluntary markets and learn her approach to prioritizing climate interventions to make the biggest impact. Connect with Nori Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Nori Nori on Facebook Nori on Twitter Nori on Patreon Resources Frost Methane Frost Methane on LinkedIn Olya on LinkedIn ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit Center for Negative Carbon Emissions Google’s Climate Change Initiative ‘7,000 Underground Gas Bubbles Poised to Explode in Arctic’ in The Siberian Times Video of Exploding Under-Ice Methane Gas in Siberia Laughlin Barker Pleistocene Park Pleistocene Park on Reversing Climate Change EP073 Dr. Leslie Field Ice 911 ASU’s Arctic Ice Management Project University of Beijing Research on Calving Silver Lining ‘Sometimes Success Is Right Under Your Feet, As Tomato Grower Knows’ in AP News California’s Cap-and-Trade Program Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation Stripe Climate

The feature documentary 2040 poses this question: What would the world look like in 2040 if we embraced the best climate solutions already available to us? One such solution involves restoring ocean ecosystems through marine permaculture, a strategy that leverages kelp forests to drawdown CO2. Dr. Brian von Herzen serves as the Executive Director of the Climate Foundation, the organization using marine permaculture to regenerate life in seas and soils with the goal of reversing climate change in our lifetime. On this bonus episode of the podcast, Brian returns to the show to discuss his appearance in 2040 and explain what the Climate Foundation is working on now as they shift from R&D to building an industry. Brian introduces us to the fundamentals of marine permaculture, exploring its capacity to regenerate life in the ocean and feed billions of people in the process. Listen in for insight on becoming an ocean entrepreneur and learn about the potential for marine permaculture to drawdown carbon (at a remarkably low cost) and move us from fear to love—one kelp forest at a time. Connect with Nori Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Nori Nori on Facebook Nori on Twitter Nori on Patreon Resources Climate Foundation Email info@climatefoundation.org Brian on Reversing Climate Change EP034 2040 Damon Gameau Drawdown Seattle The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help by Amanda Palmer Minter Ellison Books by Bill Mollison David Holmgren Permaculture Design Principles The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming by Masanobu Fukuoka The Intrepid Foundation The University of Tasmania’s Permaculture Research C-Combinator David King’s Piece on Climate Change Intervention in The Washington Post My Octopus Teacher on Netflix The Seasteading Institute