Carbon Removal: A Primer - [Business Breakdowns, EP. 89]

This week and next week we will break down the two biggest levers we have in the fight against climate change. Carbon reduction and carbon removal.

Today, we will focus on carbon removal. To break down where we stand and what needs to be done, I’m joined by Nan Ransohoff. Nan is Head of Climate at Stripe and she also leads Frontier, which is an advanced market commitment of some $1 billion to kickstart a market for carbon removal solutions. We discuss the broad climate picture, the state of technology today, and the potential for good if we can scale up low carbon energy sources. Please enjoy this primer on Carbon Removal.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.

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Show Notes

[00:02:14] - [First question] - Overview of the presence of carbon in the environment

[00:03:35] - Relevant trends in carbon emissions and energy use

[00:05:17] - How to handle a continued rise in energy consumption

[00:06:49] - Energy demand and electricity grids as supply chains

[00:08:09] - Why carbon removal is important

[00:09:52] - Current state of carbon capture technology and methods

[00:13:10] - Promising carbon removal concepts for the future

[00:14:02] - Demand level for carbon removal solutions companies

[00:15:22] - Carbon offsets versus proper removal

[00:16:53] - Constraints on arable land for removal projects

[00:17:24] - How Stripe Climate sparked interest and showed that demand exists

[00:21:17] - Logistics of engaging companies to build carbon removal solutions

[00:24:39] - Governments are gradually accelerating decarbonization efforts

[00:28:03] - Her personal motivations for decarbonization

[00:29:49] - Roles of for-profit and nonprofit entities in carbon removal

[00:31:50] - Frontier’s philanthropic motives

[00:32:16] - The role of geopolitics in global carbon pollution

[00:34:31] - Key geophysical attributes of different regions in the world

[00:35:24] - Increasing investment in hard tech for climate problems

[00:36:57] - Biggest technological players today in the space

[00:37:30] - Best and worst potential outcomes of decarbonization efforts

[00:39:24] - Resources to learn more and the positive side effects of decarbonization

[00:41:58] - Lessons learned from creating a marketplace for carbon removal

[00:43:21] - What it’s like working as a climate-focused branch of a big company

[00:46:40] - What she’s most excited about in the near future for carbon removal