The carbon removal market could reach $400 billion to $1.6 trillion by 2050, according to McKinsey. But it’s got a long way to go. Right now the market is wild, unexplored territory filled with unproven technologies, murky cost curves, and a motley mix of price points and standards. The hope is that one day it becomes a standardized commodity market of high-quality, durable removals.
But for now, brave buyers have to wade into the wilds and see what works. So what does that look like – and what have they learned so far?
In this episode, Shayle talks to Stacy Kauk, head of sustainability at Shopify, which paid $55 million for 85,000 tons of removal in 2023. Kauk says that very few of those credits have been delivered yet, but the company, along with a few other early entrants like Stripe, H&M, and Microsoft, are investing in a varied field of technologies to develop the market.
Stacy thinks of Shopify’s approach like a venture capitalist’s portfolio, with some companies succeeding and others failing. Stacy and Shayle walk through the practical realities of building that portfolio, covering topics like:
Recommended Resources:
Bloomberg: Stripe, Alphabet and Others to Spend Nearly $1 Billion on Carbon Removal
Carbon Dioxide Removal Primer
Latitude: Fixing the messy voluntary carbon markets
Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you’re a startup, investor, enterprise or innovation ecosystem that’s creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more.
Catalyst is brought to you by Atmos Financial. Atmos is revolutionizing finance by leveraging your deposits to exclusively fund decarbonization solutions, like solar and electrification. Join in under 2 minutes at joinatmos.com/catalyst.
Building a supply chain for rare earth elements
How an obscure, 100-year old law is disrupting U.S. energy
The Big Switch: Are Batteries the New Oil?
The world of battery recycling
The electricity gauntlet has arrived
Digging into the SEC climate disclosure rules
Climate tech’s tough year in the public markets
The early days of AI on the grid
The electric transformer shortage
Frontier Forum: Diving into the booming transferable tax credit market
More 2024 trends: ESG, carbon certifications, curtailment, and AI
2024 trends: batteries, transferable tax credits, and the cost of capital
What’s really happening in the U.S. EV market?
Solving the cow burp problem
Sourcing biomass for carbon removal
2023 climate tech venture investment trends
Fixing the messy voluntary carbon market
Financing first-of-a-kind climate assets
What do you do with a 100-hour battery?
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Insight Story: Tech Trends Unpacked
Zero-Shot
Fast Forward by Tomorrow Unlocked: Tech past, tech future
Black Wolf Feed (Chapo Premium Feed Bootleg)
Bannon`s War Room