Climate Rising

Simon Haldrup, founder and CEO of Agreena, builds a platform that helps farmers adopt regenerative practices and create carbon assets. He explains Agreena’s flexible “toolbox” approach, farmer-first onboarding, and how satellite data, machine learning, and outcome-based verification support carbon credits and insets. The conversation highlights financing, scaling barriers, and policy and tech needed to make regenerative agriculture mainstream.

A.J. Kumar, Vice President of Sustainability Sciences at Indigo Ag, leads innovation at the crossroads of agriculture, biological inputs, and carbon markets. He discusses microbial seed coatings, water-efficiency products, and market pathways for soil carbon credits. He also covers adoption barriers, measurement using remote sensing and models, and new financing and tech to scale regenerative farming.

Tom Brennan, a McKinsey partner advising on agriculture and sustainability. He breaks down what regenerative agriculture looks like in practice. He discusses how it protects farms in extreme weather, builds supply-chain resilience, and creates procurement and financing pathways. He highlights tech, data, and policy levers that could help scale adoption.

Tom Brennan, a McKinsey partner with a chemical engineering background who researches regenerative agriculture, defines what regenerative farming looks like in practice. He contrasts outcome-focused regen approaches with prescriptive models. Short segments cover tillage, cover crops, soil health, farmer decision-making, adoption barriers, and what leader farmers do differently.

Jamey Mulligan, the Head of Carbon Neutralization Science and Strategy at Amazon, discusses the company's ambitious net-zero goals. He explains their three-part strategy focusing on emissions measurement, value chain decarbonization, and high-impact carbon mitigation. Jamey highlights Amazon's clean energy investments, including a partnership with Rivian for electric delivery vans. He also addresses the credibility crisis in carbon markets, introducing the innovative Abacus carbon credit label designed to enhance market integrity and improve access for partners.

In a captivating discussion, Erik Berglöf, Chief Economist at AIIB, dives into innovative climate financing for emerging economies. He highlights AIIB's strategy, focusing on infrastructure decarbonization and biodiversity credits, particularly in Brazil’s $1B climate policy loan. Erik emphasizes the importance of integrating climate and nature in development finance and discusses EcoInvest's role in attracting private capital. He also sheds light on Brazil’s ambitious emissions targets and the critical role of finance ministries in leading climate action.

Join Marcelo Medeiros, co-founder and CEO of re.green, a company tackling land degradation in Brazil while producing nature-based carbon removal credits. Marcelo shares insights on restoring degraded forests using advanced data science and diverse planting methods. He discusses the importance of transparency in carbon credits and the significance of long-term partnerships with giants like Microsoft. Winning the Earthshot Prize has propelled their visibility, and he emphasizes the potential of AI in optimizing ecosystem restoration for a sustainable future.

Praveer Sinha, CEO of Tata Power, is driving India's largest private power company towards net-zero by 2045, focusing on renewable resources and smart grids. Vikram Gandhi, a Harvard Business School professor, discusses the complexities of balancing energy growth with decarbonization in India. They touch on engaging customers as prosumers, employee reskilling initiatives like Project Daksha, and the transformative role of technology in energy management. The discussion highlights how these strategies can create long-term value while addressing urgent climate challenges.

Parth Jindal, Managing Director of JSW Cement, and Prabod Acharya, Chief Sustainability Officer, delve into JSW Group's ambitious climate strategy. They discuss the importance of decarbonizing steel amidst India's rising demand, exploring innovative practices like industrial symbiosis and green investments. The duo highlights concrete steps such as hydrogen pilots, carbon capture, and renewable energy implementation. They also address policy challenges and the need for cost-effective, sustainable solutions in a rapidly evolving economic landscape.

Galen Nelson, Chief Climate Officer at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, shares his journey in climate innovation. He highlights how MassCEC accelerates clean tech through grants and strategic investments to tackle market failures. Galen discusses exciting projects like low-carbon cement and advanced glazing technologies. The conversation also covers how MassCEC adapts to shifting federal policies and the importance of a unique public-private model in fostering innovation and resilience in the climate sector.