BRENNAN SPELLACY, CO-FOUNDER & CEO, PATCH -
SIMPLIFYING CARBON MARKETS TO UNITE CLIMATE ACTION
We’re at a global climate tipping point. Along with policymakers, public-private partnerships, and political will, technology is central to solving our planet's biggest existential threat. One solution that’s gaining momentum: buying and selling carbon credits. The market value for carbon credits is huge – it could be worth more than $50 billion by the end of the decade. But accessing these markets can be complex, and navigating them can demand significant investments of time and resources for businesses. But what if helping remove carbon from the atmosphere was as easy as a click of a button? Brennan Spellacy is the Co-Founder and CEO of Patch, a platform that enables access to 115+ verified carbon removal projects worldwide – like carbon mineralization in concrete, reforestation, and direct air capture – helping companies to achieve their corporate net-zero goals and embed climate action into digital products and services. Brennan joins the podcast to discuss the mechanics of carbon credit buying and how software makes this process easier; lay out the business case for participating in carbon markets; and highlight opportunities for climate tech growth and investment in the years ahead.
LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE TO LEARN:
- How the latest IPCC report underscores the need – the absolute DIRE need – to take global climate action right now
- The difference between decarbonization and carbon removal techniques, and why we need both to tackle the climate crisis
- Why climate science is not binary but rather a distribution of outcomes and probabilities
- Why implementing large climate action projects demands “carrot and stick” frameworks set by policymakers and “operationalized incentives” enacted by private industry
- The importance of field data in verifying carbon removal projects
- The accuracy of today’s carbon accounting efforts and the dangers of being overly cynical about corporate greenwashing
- How technology and software can help us become both net-negative and actively remove carbon from the atmosphere by the end of the century, if not sooner
- Advice on the incremental actions we can all take to reduce our own carbon footprints (hint: listening to this podcast is a great start!)
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