The Carbon Curve Policy wins and hard lessons as carbon removal finds its footing
Episode 61 is with Giana Amador (Executive Director, Carbon Removal Alliance), Erin Burns (Executive Director, Carbon180), and Peter Minor (CEO, Absolute Climate).
In this inaugural Removers Roundtable episode, host Na’im Merchant sits down with three leaders in the carbon removal space: Giana Amador (Executive Director, Carbon Removal Alliance), Erin Burns (Executive Director, Carbon180), and Peter Minor (CEO, Absolute Climate). They discuss the current state of US carbon removal policy, industry consolidation, and the sector’s evolution from hype to maturity—emphasizing that carbon removal is playing the long game, building toward gigatonnes over decades, not years.
Key Topics:
* Policy Wins in Appropriations: Congress allocated $45 million for the CDR purchase pilot prize and over $70 million for RD&D at DOE, signaling bipartisan support. The DAC hubs program saw $1 billion redirected, leaving $800 million remaining.
* Shift from Hype to “Prove and Learn”: The industry is transitioning to real-world deployment, with opportunities to engage communities and understand practical challenges like permitting and project finance.
* Industry Consolidation: Mergers bring advantages of scale including better supplier terms and buyer confidence.
* Talent and Long-term Vision: While some talent may leave as the market normalizes, the focus should be on creating durable political coalitions and maintaining strategy rather than reacting to short-term politics.
Guest Bios:
* Erin Burns is the Executive Director of Carbon180, a US nonprofit focused on scaling carbon removal through equitable, science-based policy and market development.
* Peter Minor is the CEO and Co-Founder of Absolute Climate and serves as a Science Advisor to the Carbon Removal Alliance.
* Giana Amador is the Executive Director of the Carbon Removal Alliance, a nonprofit coalition focused on advancing carbon removal policy and market development.
Relevant Links:
* The carbon removal sector needs a new story - Robert Hoglund
* Durable carbon removal delivers 1 million tons - Carbon Herald
This episode was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Consecon Foundation.
This episode was created and published by Na’im Merchant. Episode production and content support provided by Tank Chen.
Na’im Merchant is the co-founder and Executive Director of Carbon Removal Canada, a policy initiative focused on scaling carbon removal in Canada. He is on the advisory board of the Carbon Removal Standards Initiative and Terraset, and a former policy fellow with Elemental Impact. He previously ran carbon removal consulting practice Carbon Curve, and publishes The Carbon Curve newsletter and podcast. Every two weeks, Na’im will release a short interview with individuals advancing the policies, technologies, and collective action needed to scale up carbon removal around the world.
Tank Chen is the Head of Content and Community at CDR.fyi, a public benefit corporation dedicated to accelerating carbon removal through transparency. He is also the co-founder of CDRjobs, a career platform for the carbon removal industry. Based in Taiwan, Tank is a carbon removal advocate focused on educating policymakers, corporate leaders, and the public on the importance of carbon removal, using data-driven insights to support communication and policy advocacy.
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