Climate on the Edge

Fresh from New York Climate Week, I’ve been reflecting on the concept of “toxic positivity” in climate spaces—a term discussed by Amy Westervelt of Drilled. It’s that disconnect between the optimism we often see at conferences and the stark realities of climate disasters unfolding worldwide.

On this show, we don’t sugarcoat or shy away from tough questions. Instead, we dive deep into solutions that could truly bend the curve on climate change. We’re not just discussing problems—we’re exploring the complex, messy work required to solve them.

In this episode I recap some of the most important lessons I've learned from experts and innovators building climate solutions.

I also take a look at some recent climate headlines that you might not have heard about-

-Vietnam launches a low emissions rice initiative

-BlueSky enters a $105 million sales agreement for biochar-based carbon removal, priced at $275 per ton.

-China expands its Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to include steel, aluminum, and cement, covering 60% of the country’s total emissions.

-Chongqing, China, experiments with cloud seeding to combat heatwaves

Thanks for listening to Climate on the Edge—let’s keep pushing the conversation forward.

Episode Resources

Drilled Article

Vietnam Low-Emissions Rice Program

BlueSky Sale

China Expands ETS

‘Underwear Storm’ in China

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to Toxic Positivity at Climate Week

01:50 Climate on the Edge so far

10:10 Climate Headlines

19:25 Upcoming Topics and Conclusion

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Supported by emrgnce - innovative minds exploring climate’s next frontier.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Climate on the Edge, I’m diving into a topic that’s been top of mind lately—what happens if the political winds shift, and we lose momentum on climate policy? With the election approaching, there’s a lot of talk about the potential rollback of the Inflation Reduction Act and what that could mean for climate infrastructure funding. I recently attended Voyagers’ Annual General Meeting, where industry experts discussed the resilience of climate tech companies in the face of political uncertainty, and it got me thinking.

One of the most interesting moments at the AGM was Nat Bullard’s presentation, where he highlighted how institutional predictions about renewables have consistently been wrong—renewables continue to grow exponentially. Even with concerns about reduced subsidies, other speakers made a strong case that the best climate companies can thrive on their own. They argued that while subsidies are helpful, they’re not the sole reason for success. So, when is it really safe for investors like us to dive into climate tech?

In this episode, I also take a look at the bigger picture when it comes to subsidies. Industries like oil, gas, and agriculture have benefited from billions in government support over the years, and climate tech should be no different. While some fear a shift in political power could direct subsidies back toward fossil fuels, I believe waiting for certainty could mean missing out on huge opportunities. We need to rethink how we view subsidies and invest in the companies building our future, regardless of political changes. Thanks for listening, and as always, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Episode Resources

Nat Bullard’s website w/ links to past presentations: https://www.nathanielbullard.com/

Timestamps

00:00 The Election...

01:03 Insights from the Climate Tech Venture Fund Meeting

02:56 The Reality of Subsidies + Wild Statistics

09:15 Political Risks and Opportunities Ahead

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For more about the show and more information about episodes, visit Climate on the Edge.

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Supported by emrgnce - innovative minds exploring climate’s next frontier.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a climate investor focused on energy transition and carbon dioxide removal, I've spent years understanding and supporting technologies that drive decarbonization. But lately I've grown concerned that our progress isn't happening fast enough. The urgency of our situation. Which has become very apparent has left me curious about what else is out there.

That's why I was so excited to speak with Kelly Wanser, Executive Director of SilverLining. SilverLining is a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing climate risks through advancing research and equitable governance around solar radiation management. Kelly is an absolute powerhouse here and a true pioneer in this field. Our conversation will get into how SRM might work, where it's at today, what's needed to advance the field and why organizations like SilverLining and its backers believe that it should advance.

We'll explore the economic and practical aspects, including concerns about SRM's affordability and the actual, very real logistical challenges of deploying any form of SRM responsibly on a global scale. Kelly is one of the world's most influential figures on SRM and climate intervention beyond emissions reduction. I hope this conversation is as thought-provoking for you as it was for me.

Leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts ⭐️

For more about the show and more information about episodes, visit Climate on the Edge.

Follow us on X and Linkedin.

Supported by emrgnce - innovative minds exploring climate’s next frontier.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Contrails are clouds of water vapor that form behind certain planes, and reducing them could cut over 65% of aviation’s climate impact—immediately and affordably. In fact, just 10% of flights are responsible for 1-2% of global warming each year. So why aren’t airlines already tackling this?

In this episode of Climate on the Edge, Susan sits down with Marc Shapiro, Director of Contrails at Breakthrough Energy, to explore groundbreaking research on contrail mitigation, one of aviation’s lesser-known but most significant climate challenges.

Mark explains how only a small fraction of flights produce contrails, but they have an outsized effect on global warming. He also shares actionable solutions, including altering flight paths and improving engine technology, that could make a huge impact.

How can small adjustments in altitude or route make flying more climate-friendly? Marc reveals how these changes could dramatically reduce the warming effects of contrails and why it’s not happening yet.

Tune in for a deep dive into this innovative approach to reducing aviation’s climate impact.

Episode Resources

Marc’s Contrail Research

MIT Tech Review on Contrail Mitigation

Roger Teoh’s paper

Satavia acquired by GE

Contrails Map

WMO Desulphurization regulations and effects

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Timestamps

00:01 Introduction

05:37 10% of global flights responsible for 1-2% of warming

08:14 Marc's research at Breakthrough Energy

11:09 American Airlines and Google

14:19 Real-world data from 85,000 flights

25:42 The challenge of predicting contrail behavior

28:58 Navigating uncertainty in flight path optimization

30:33 Modeling contrail avoidance

37:51 Challenges in measuring and reporting contrail reduction

46:09 AI’s role in improving flight path decisions

48:32 Final thoughts on climate investments and hope for the future

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For more about the show and more information about episodes, visit Climate on the Edge.

Supported by emrgnce - innovative minds exploring climate’s next frontier.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With all the attention and investment going towards CDR these days, we've been wondering recently if it really is still at the frontier of climate action.

What's at the absolute bleeding edge? Today, I'll explore that question with two guests from some of the industry's most influential organizations: Nikki Batchelor, of XPRIZE Carbon Removal and Jack Andreasen from Breakthrough Energy.

Nikki currently serves as the Executive Director of the $100M XPRIZE Carbon Removal, one of the most significant efforts to date aimed at accelerating the development and scaling of carbon removal technologies. Her work focuses on identifying and nurturing innovative approaches to carbon dioxide removal (CDR) that can contribute to global climate goals.

Jack is famed for his work on climate policy, particularly in the context of carbon removal and clean energy innovation. He’s currently carbon management policy manager at Breakthrough Energy is a pan-solution organization dedicated to helping humanity avoid climate disaster through everything from policy advocacy to venture investing to philanthropy, and it’s famously founded by Bill Gates.

They’re behind the scenes on a lot of climate intervention, and they’re backing both the thinkers and the doers.

Nikki and Jack will be our expert commentators on the latest and greatest CDR headlines, and then we’ll talk a little bit more about the topic du jour: "Is CDR still at the frontier of climate"?

Episode Links

Xprize Carbon Removal

Breakthrough Energy

DOE DAC Prize

CDR FYI report

Catona Climate Announcement

Project Mammoth

1.5 + Oxy’s Stratos facility

Heirloom

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction: Is CDR Frontier

02:20 Introducing the Guests:

05:20 DOE's DAC Pilot Prize

08:46 The State of DAC Technology

17:06 Challenges in the Land Category

20:17 The Scarcity Mindset in CDR

30:10 AI and CDR: A New Frontier?

36:41 The Frontier of CDR: Current Innovations and Challenges

42:35 Enabling Technologies for CDR

52:18 Rapid Fire Questions

Leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts ⭐️

For more about the show and more information about episodes, visit Climate on the Edge.

Supported by emrgnce - innovative minds exploring climate’s next frontier.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.