The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens

Fighting for a Livable Future: Exploring Frontier Climate Interventions with Kelly Erhart

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Dec 10, 2025

In a thought-provoking discussion, climate philanthropist Kelly Erhart dives into cutting-edge climate research and interventions. As the Director of partnerships at Outlier Projects and co-founder of Project Vesta, she unveils alarming climate feedback loops, like glacier collapse. Kelly highlights innovative strategies beyond mitigation, including oceanic carbon sequestration and the urgent need for interdisciplinary approaches to climate science. She also reflects on the role of AI, the importance of governance in geoengineering, and why embracing systemic thinking is vital for a sustainable future.

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INSIGHT

The Climate Dashboard: Red Lights Matter

The climate dashboard has green, yellow, and red lights indicating deployment wins, stalled emissions declines, and alarming system feedbacks.
Red lights (tipping points, feedbacks, sensitivity) demand exploring tools beyond mitigation and adaptation.

INSIGHT

Warming-Induced Emissions Are Underestimated

Warming-induced emissions from natural systems (permafrost, wetlands) are emerging and undercounted in many models.
These natural feedbacks act as accelerants and complicate mitigation planning.

ADVICE

Fund People-First Climate Research

Outlier Projects funds people-driven, research-forward science to better forecast catastrophic risks.
Support targeted research teams to improve prediction and intervention options.

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While current conversations about global heating tend to center around a few well-established pieces of science, we don't often hear about the scientists and leaders working at the frontier of what is still unknown about Earth's systems. This includes unpredictable tipping points and cascading effects of our rapidly changing climate, as well as the unconventional adaptation strategies that might help us maintain a stable planet. What is the newest climate science being researched right now, and what areas are we still needing to explore as we fight for a livable future?

In this episode, Nate is joined by climate philanthropist Kelly Erhart to discuss the urgent state of climate science and emerging response strategies beyond traditional mitigation and adaptation. Kelly explains the climate research that reveals increasingly alarming risks, including natural feedback loops such as glacier collapse, declining albedo (the reflectivity of Earth), and methane release from melting permafrost. They also discuss frontier emergency climate interventions such as oceanic carbon sequestration, atmospheric methane removal, and glacier stabilization strategies, among others – while emphasizing that none of these replace the need for the drastic reduction of emissions.

What are the biggest climate questions that are currently being researched? How can an interdisciplinary approach help us better understand the climate mitigation and adaptation options available to us? And finally, how do we, especially the youngest among us, maintain hope and motivation to continue working towards better outcomes for humanity and the planet?

(Conversation recorded on September 26th, 2025)

About Kelly Erhart:

Kelly Erhart is the Director of Partnerships at Outlier Projects (a climate philanthropy).

Her work at Outlier Projects focuses on funding teams that are accelerating research on efforts to improve forecasting of catastrophic risks, and research on tools that could help stabilize climate systems at the necessary speed and scale. Previously, she was a repeat climate non-profit founder and entrepreneur; including co-founding Vesta, a pioneering ocean-based carbon dioxide removal approach.

Erhart's multidisciplinary background spans climate technology development and commercialization, nonprofit leadership, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy. Erhart was also named one of Forbes 30 under 30 for Energy and Green Tech in 2026.

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