Reversing Climate Change
Focused on people & organizations coming together to reverse climate change
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Why Nori Doesn't Use Soil Sampling (Yet)—w/ Rebekah Carlson, Nori's Agriculture Supply Lead
When Nori awards carbon credits, of course, we want to be as precise as possible and ensure that each Nori Carbon Removal Tonne or NRT actually represents a metric tonne of carbon removed from the atmosphere and retained in the soil. At the same time, we can’t let perfect be the enemy of the good, and right now, soil sampling for carbon is imprecise and incredibly expensive. So, rather than wait for soil science to catch up, we’re incentivizing farmers to implement regenerative ag practices NOW. How do we quantify carbon in the soil? And what constraints of running a business factored into our decision? Rebekah Carlson is the Agriculture Supply Lead at Nori and author of the recent Medium piece, *‘Nori’s Stance on Soil Sampling: Why Soil Sampling Isn’t (Yet) a Silver Bullet for Carbon Credits.’* On this episode of *Reversing Climate Change*, she sits down with Ross to discuss the two different schools of thought for measuring soil carbon and explain why Nori uses modeling rather than soil sampling. Rebekah describes the network of soil sample research stations that feed into crop models and responds to the argument that modeling is a ‘cop out.’ Listen in for insight into the *COMET-Farm modeling tool* Nori uses to measure soil carbon and get Rebekah’s predictions for when soil sampling might be precise, cheap, and scalable enough to work in our carbon removal marketplace. *Key Takeaways* [0:32] Why Rebekah wrote the Medium article, ‘Nori’s Stance on Soil Sampling’ [2:40] The 2 schools of thought for measuring soil carbon—crop modeling vs. soil sampling [5:29] The pros and cons of soil sampling [7:28] What factors might cause an inaccurate soil sample [8:54] The network of soil sample research stations that feed into crop models and why some areas have more research stations than others [10:55] Why it makes more sense for Nori to use crop modeling to measure soil carbon and Rebekah’s response to the argument that crop modeling is a ‘cop out’ [13:47] The challenge around setting aside a parcel of land as a control in soil sampling [16:04] The COMET-Farm modeling tool Nori uses to measure soil carbon and award carbon credits/acre [18:24] Why it’s not feasible to verify modeling with direct measurement [20:08] The handheld soil sampling devices and satellite and drone technologies being developed to measure soil carbon [21:11] Why Rebekah anticipates that soil sampling will get more precise over time [22:48] Why Nori can’t wait for soil science to solve the issues around precision and permanence [25:18] Rebekah’s prediction that the future holds better tools and more standardization re: what it means to measure carbon in the soil [26:39] How long it might take for soil sampling to be precise, cheap and scalable *Connect with Nori* *Purchase Nori Carbon Removals* *Nori's website* *Nori on Twitter* *Check out our other podcast, **Carbon Removal Newsroom* *Resources* *Rebekah’s Medium Piece on Nori’s Stance on Soil Sampling* *COMET-Farm* --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/support
Listen to the episode80% of Indigenous people sit on 80% of global biodiversity and 25% of land—but make up only 5% of the population. So, what can we learn about regenerative agriculture from the Native American farmers who’ve been managing our land for millennia? Dr. Michael Kotutwa Johnson has a PhD in Natural Resources and is a traditional Hopi dryland farmer. Dr. Johnson regularly lectures on the topic of dryland farming and advocates for indigenous farmers with the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and his work is featured in the documentary film, *INHABITANTS: Indigenous Perspectives on Restoring Our World*. On this episode of *Reversing Climate Change*, Dr. Johnson joins Ross and cohost Rebekah Carlson, Agriculture Supply Lead at Nori, to explain how his ancestors learned to raise crops in the arid environment of Northern Arizona and what we can do to honor the long heritage of regenerative agriculture. Dr. Johnson discusses the benefit of applying Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge in federal decision-making, sharing his place-based approach to land management and endorsement of the cooperative model. Listen in to understand the hurdles Native Americans face in accessing government conservation stewardship programs and learn how Dr. Johnson raises crops to fit the environment rather than manipulating the environment to fit the crops. *Connect with Nori* *Purchase Nori Carbon Removals* *Nori's website* *Nori on Twitter* *Check out our other podcast, **Carbon Removal Newsroom* *Resources* *INHABITANTS: Indigenous Perspectives on Restoring Our World* *Nephi Craig on Reversing Climate Change S2 EP55* *Memorandum for the Heads of Departments and Agencies Re: Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Federal Decision Making* *Regenerative Agriculture Conference* *Native American Agricultural Fund* *Indian Land Tenure Foundation* *Johnson v. M'Intosh* *Janie Simms Hipp* *Zach Ducheneaux* *The University of Arizona Indigenous Resiliency Center* *Morrill Land Grant College Act* --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/support
Listen to the episodeHauntologies of carbon removal—w/ Dr. Holly Jean Buck of the University of Buffalo
What happens to dreams of the future that never arrive, yet still affect our society and culture so deeply? Is it possible to be haunted by failed visions or our own anticipations, and what does that mean? Today, Dr. Holly Jean Buck, Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Buffalo and author of the new book, *Ending Fossil Fuels: Why Net Zero Is Not Enough*, comes back on the show for a bonus episode to explain the concept of "hauntology", its origin in Jacques Derrida's writing and later popularization by Mark Fisher in his book, *Capitalism Realism: Is There No Alternative?*, and to what degree these ideas might help us understand the worlds of carbon removal, climatetech, and our shared planetary future. *Connect with Nori* *Purchase Nori Carbon Removals* *Nori's website* *Nori on Twitter* *Check out our other podcast, **Carbon Removal Newsroom* *Resources* *Dr. Holly Jean Buck on Reversing Climate Change S2 Bonus* *Dr. Holly Jean Buck on Reversing Climate Change EP103* *Dr. Holly Jean Buck on Reversing Climate Change S3E4* *After Geoengineering: Climate Tragedy, Repair and Restoration **by Holly Jean Buck* *Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? **by Mark Fisher* --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/support
Listen to the episodeWhy Net Zero Is Not Enough—w/ Dr. Holly Jean Buck, author of Ending Fossil Fuels
In the fight against climate change, many are working to achieve net zero by 2050. And achieving net zero means leveraging quite a lot of emissions reduction, management, and carbon removal. But Dr. Holly Jean Buck contends that we should focus less on managing the byproduct and more on phasing out fossil fuels entirely by the end of the century. Dr. Buck is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Buffalo and author of the new book, *Ending Fossil Fuels: Why Net Zero Is Not Enough**. *On this episode of *Reversing Climate Change*, she joins Ross to differentiate net zero from full zero and share her vision of a fully decarbonized, post-extractivist society. Dr. Buck discusses what we can do to overcome the political resistance to renewables and describes how critical theory concepts like ‘petromelancholia’ can help us understand the challenges associated with the energy transition. Listen in for insight around the government’s role in phasing out fossil fuels and learn how we can use net zero as a starting point to facilitate the fair transition to a bioeconomy. *Key Takeaways* [1:49] What inspired Dr. Buck to write *Ending Fossil Fuels: Why Net Zero Is Not Enough* [3:17] Why we need to focus less on managing emissions and more on phasing out fossil fuels altogether [4:06] What differentiates full zero from net zero and Dr. Buck’s argument for working toward full zero [8:41] What we can do to overcome the political resistance to renewables [10:12] Why nuclear energy might have fewer political repercussions than large-scale renewables [12:31] How Dr. Buck thinks about achieving net zero through degrowth [14:26] Dr. Buck’s take on immersive reality replacement [17:43] Why Dr. Buck shifted away from using the term ‘managed decline’ to describe the energy transition [20:55] The concepts of petromelancholia and petro-masculinity [22:21] Dr. Buck’s insight on how fossil fuel jobs and benefits are gendered [23:33] How social analysis and critical theory help us understand the challenges associated with the energy transition [25:30] How a nation’s government impacts its policy around phasing out fossil fuels [29:05] Why Dr. Buck advocates for big emitters like the US to be more ambitious so that less-developed nations can emit longer [31:59] What full decarbonization to true zero by 2100 might look like [33:12] Dr. Buck’s vision of a post-extractivist society [34:58] Why the petrochemical industry was not inevitable and how we can make the shift to a bioeconomy *Connect with Nori* *Purchase Nori Carbon Removals* *Nori's website* *Nori on Twitter* *Check out our other podcast, **Carbon Removal Newsroom* *Resources* *Dr. Holly Jean Buck on Reversing Climate Change S2 Bonus* *Dr. Holly Jean Buck on Reversing Climate Change EP103* *After Geoengineering: Climate Tragedy, Repair and Restoration **by Holly Jean Buck* *Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? **by Mark Fisher* --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/support
Listen to the episodeThe fact that CO2 is invisible makes it challenging to explain the idea of carbon removal to the general public. But one part of a designer’s job is to visually communicate abstract ideas in a way that audiences understand, and that’s how *Amanda Yee* approached the task of redesigning the Nori brand logo. Amanda serves as Senior Product Designer here at Nori and author of the recent Medium article, *‘The Story Behind Nori’s New Logo.’* On this bonus episode of *Reversing Climate Change*, she joins Ross to explain what inspired the Nori logo redesign, sharing the practical concerns she had with the original logo and describing the difference between good UX design and good visual design. Amanda walks us through her approach to creating the new logo, discussing why she chose the orange and blue color palette and how the simplified design lends itself to both our climate and crypto communities. Listen in for Amanda’s insight on the opportunities for designers in the climate space and learn how the new Nori logo visually communicates the invisible idea of carbon removal. *Connect with Nori* *Purchase Nori Carbon Removals* *Nori's website* *Nori on Facebook* *Nori on Twitter* *Nori on Medium* *Nori on YouTube* *Nori on GitHub* *Nori Newsletter* Email *podcasts@nori.com* *Subscribe on Apple Podcast* *Check out our other podcast, a weekly panel show about carbon removal news called **Carbon Removal Newsroom* *Resources* *Amanda’s Medium Piece on the Story Behind Nori’s New Logo* *Michael Legget on Reversing Climate Change EP042* *The Design of Everyday Things **by Don Norman* *Cy Twombly* *Seaspiracy* *Careers at Nori* --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/support
Listen to the episodeThis is a brief trailer explaining what the *Reversing Climate Change *podcast is and why this season we are going to be featuring a lot more shows about blockchain, cryptocurrency, and web3. This might be a bit understated but there will be more Nori-centric episodes this season too! Hope you enjoy! *Connect with Nori* *Purchase Nori Carbon Removals* *Nori's website* *Nori on Facebook* *Nori on Twitter* *Nori on Medium* *Nori on YouTube* *Nori on GitHub* *Nori Newsletter* Email *podcasts@nori.com* *Subscribe on Apple Podcast* *Check out our other podcast, a weekly panel show about carbon removal news called **Carbon Removal Newsroom* --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/support
Listen to the episodeFarms for sale: what's wrong with the financialization of farmland?—w/ Dr. Madeleine Fairbairn
Farmland has transformed into a financial asset class. So, what happens when land is owned by large financial institutions? How does it impact farmer autonomy? And could it be good for fighting climate change? Dr. Madeleine Fairbairn is Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at UC Santa Cruz and author of *Fields of Gold: Financing the Global Land Rush*. On this episode of *Reversing Climate Change*, Dr. Fairbairn joins Ross and guest cohost Dr. *Lauren Gifford* to discuss the emergence of the institutional farmland investments industry and describe how land has value independent of what it produces. Dr. Fairbairn explores what’s behind the steep decline in the number of farmers over the last century and explains how large-scale farmland ownership could have positive consequences for the environment and negative social consequences at the same time. Listen in for Dr. Fairbairn’s insights into Georgism as a potential policy response and find out what the financialization of farmland means for the small farmer, the economy and the climate. *Key Takeaways* [1:40] How *Fields of Gold *explores the emergence of the institutional farmland investments industry [5:24] What Dr. Fairbairn means by ‘the financialization of land’ [9:25] The non-linear progression from communal forms of land ownership to a more and more sophisticated commodification of land [11:51] How land has value independent of what it produces [13:52] What’s behind the decline in the number of farmers over the last century [18:01] The connections between the financialization of farmland and climate (and how what we ask of farmland managers is changing) [21:12] How large-scale farmland ownership could have positive environmental consequences and negative social consequences at the same time [26:18] How landowners in Brazil are tasked with serving society as a whole [30:31] How Dr. Fairbairn thinks about billionaires like Bill Gates acquiring hundreds of thousands of acres of land [34:03] Dr. Fairbairn’s take on a Georgist land value tax as a potential policy response [40:03] The relationship between Georgism and the politics of productivity [42:37] What Dr. Fairbairn is learning about agri-food technology through the UC AFTeR Project she’s working on now *Resources* *Dr. Fairbairn at UC Santa Cruz* *Dr. Fairbairn on Twitter* *Fields of Gold: Financing the Global Land Rush **by Madeleine Fairbairn* *Dr. Lauren Gifford* *USDA Discrimination Lawsuits* *‘Bill Gates: America’s Top Farmland Owner’ in **The Land Report* *Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West **by Justin Farrell* *The Mason Gaffney Reader: Essays on Solving the ‘Unsolvable’ **by Mason Gaffney* *Radical Markets: Uprooting Capitalism and Democracy for a Just Society **by Eric A. Posner and E. Glen Weyl* --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/support
Listen to the episodeHere in America, we like stories with happy endings. Our media usually comes with a clear message and unanswered questions make us uncomfortable. But *Paul Greenberg* knows that there’s no simple answer to complex problems like climate change. Paul is the award-winning food and environmental writer behind titles like *The Climate Diet*, *American Catch*, and *Four Fish*. On this bonus episode of *Reversing Climate Change*, Paul rejoins Ross to discuss his new podcast, *Fish Talk*, and reflect on the advantages of podcasting as a medium for open-ended storytelling around complex issues. Paul describes the homesteading and terrace garden projects he’s working on right now, explaining why he's cautious about monetizing his hobbies and if and how a friendlier form of capitalism might support creatives. Listen in for Paul's insight on how our political system informs the way we approach both storytelling and complex challenges such as overfishing and climate change. *Key Takeaways* [2:33] The themes of environmentalism, eating and catching fish featured on Fish Talk [7:37] Paul's take on the advantages of podcasting as a medium vs. journalism or documentary filmmaking [12:40] How happy endings are part of the American capitalist model of storytelling (and why that won’t work for the climate crisis) [17:03] How Paul thinks about eco-Leninism and how the role of journalism in society has changed [21:32] Why it's so challenging for the US to reach a consensus on big issues like COVID and climate change [25:08] How we fixed our overfishing problem in the US (and how that problem compares to the climate crisis) [27:56] How we outsource our polluting industries to China and what might happen if the Chinese decide they want a clean environment [29:52] The homesteading and terrace garden writing projects Paul is considering right now [34:27] Why the idea of a deep meditation on his climate safe acre in the Adirondacks appeals to Paul [39:37] Paul’s commitment to deprogram himself from the relentless selling he grew up with [44:01] How a friendlier form of capitalism might support creatives [45:23] Why Paul likes homesteaders Helen and Scott Nearing’s ideal way to organize a day [48:42] The danger in monetizing our hobbies [50:43] How *Succession *and the Monty Python films successfully critique capitalism and religion *Connect with Ross* *Purchase Nori Carbon Removals* *Nori's website* *Nori on Twitter* *Check out our other podcast, **Carbon Removal Newsroom* *Resources* *Paul on Medium* *Paul on Reversing Climate Change S2EP61* *Paul's website* *The Fish Talk podcast* *One Green World nursery* *Monty Python’s Almost the Truth **on Netflix* --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/support
Listen to the episodeA Brief History of Ethereum and web3—w/ Laura Shin, author of The Cryptopians
As listeners of Nori podcasts, you might know that we use cryptocurrency in the form of Nori tokens which may become a market-driven price for carbon removal. You also might know we issue non-fungible tokens, otherwise known as NFTs, when buyers purchase those removals. But you may not know the history of the blockchain we run on or how the system works. So, where can you go to learn Ethereum 101? Laura Shin is a crypto journalist and host of the *Unchained Podcast*. A former senior editor at *Forbes*, Laura was the first mainstream reporter to cover the blockchain full-time. On this episode of *Reversing Climate Change*, Laura joins Ross to discuss her new book, *The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze*, a history of Ethereum and the ICO mania of 2017*.* Laura explains why Ethereum quickly became the second most important cryptocurrency, describing how it was used to raise billions of dollars for decentralized apps and what happened when the DAO to fund slock.it was hacked. Listen in for Laura's insight around why the crypto bubble burst in early 2018, what trends have occurred since then, and why Laura believes that DAOs are the next big thing in crypto. *Key Takeaways* [1:00] How Laura’s book focuses on the story of the ICO craze [2:02] What it’s like to write about recent history and why Laura was inspired to create a record of what happened in crypto in 2017 and 2018 [6:10] The rigorous fact-checking process Laura went through for *The Cryptopians* [8:46] Why Ethereum quickly became the second most important cryptocurrency [10:44] How the Ethereum blockchain serves as an open design space where developers can build decentralized applications [18:03] Examples of the fastest and largest fundraising campaigns for apps through ICOs on Ethereum [18:39] How the DAO to fund slock.it was hacked for $75M [27:56] The ‘code is law’ debate that occurred in the aftermath of the DAO crisis [30:00] The cultural differences between the Bitcoin and Ethereum chains [31:08] What behaviors investors had to learn to participate in the ICO craze and why crypto founders were able to raise billions of dollars for their projects [35:41] How ICOs compare to VC funding [36:17] How the 2017 SEC report classifying DAO tokens as securities informed the burst of the crypto bubble in early 2018 [37:59] Why crypto prices dropped early in the pandemic and what’s happened since then [42:48] Laura’s explanation of decentralized finance or DeFi and non-fungible tokens or NFTs [52:16] How DAOs work to organize people in a democratic way [55:02] Why Laura believes DAOs are the next big thing in crypto *Connect with Nori* *Purchase Nori Carbon Removals* *Nori's website* *Nori on Twitter* *Check out our other podcast, **Carbon Removal Newsroom* *Resources* *The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze **by Laura Shin* *Unchained Podcast* *ConstitutionDAO* *‘The Inside Story of Mt. Gox, Bitcoin’s $460M Disaster’ in **WIRED* --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/support
Listen to the episodePrior to *COP26*, there was a big problem in international carbon accounting. Both the country where a carbon credit was generated and the country where it was sold could count those very same credits toward their Paris climate commitments. COP26 seeks to remedy this issue with the practice of double entry bookkeeping. But is it too late? What are the unintended consequences of implementing the new rules now? Aldyen Donnelly is a cofounder, advisor, and former Director of Carbon Economics here at *Nori*. She also serves as a carbon markets advisor to several organizations, including *Terramerra, Inc.* and the Livestock Carbon Exchange. On this episode of *Reversing Climate Change*, Aldyen joins Ross and Nori CEO Paul Gambill to discuss how the new rules will lead to export controls for carbon credits and describe how such protectionism is likely to impact developing nations. Aldyen and Paul share their concerns around blockchain crypto projects like KlimaDAO and weigh in on why carbon removals are preferable to carbon avoidance credits. Listen in to understand why throughput might matter more than permanence and learn how the upcoming Nori token launch aims create a true price discovery mechanism for carbon that others can use. *Key Takeaways* [1:26] How COP26 adopted new rules to implement double entry bookkeeping [4:33] How a failure to implement double entry bookkeeping in prior carbon markets led to the price crash of 2012 [8:00] Why double entry bookkeeping was blocked until now [12:33] Paul and Aldyen’s fear that the new rules will lead to export controls around carbon credits [17:58] How export controls will negatively impact the carbon removal industry in developing nations [20:19] The 3-year window COP26 allows for the creation of an international carbon market oversight body (and the opportunity that gives us at Nori) [22:29] How crypto projects like KlimaDAO perpetuate a system where carbon credits are resold more than once and the underlying value isn’t actually one tonne [26:10] The loophole in COP26 allowing the backlog of carbon credits to be sold without double entry bookkeeping [28:05] What differentiates carbon avoidance credits from carbon removal credits (and why large corporations don’t necessarily care) [33:07] How Nori’s take on the fundamental constraint of carbon markets differs from that of KlimaDAO [35:30] How Paul and Aldyen think about permanence and why It's more important to focus on throughput [41:40] How the upcoming Nori token launch will create a price discovery mechanism for carbon *Connect with Ross* *Purchase Nori Carbon Removals* *Nori* *Check out our other podcast, **Carbon Removal Newsroom* *Resources* *Aldyen on Reversing Climate Change EP031* *‘Cryptocurrency Traders Move into Carbon Markets’ in **The Wall Street Journal* *KlimaDAO* *Toucan Protocol* *Olympus* *Careers at Nori* --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/support
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