In recent years carbon removal has firmly established itself as part of the conversation around solving climate change. But the work on the different approaches described by the catch-all phrase started a while ago. A large number of scientists, entrepreneurs and investors have laid the foundations for where we are today – a stage when the coveted gigaton-scale CO2 removal isn’t just fiction.
Hosted by climate expert and policy advocate Ed Whittingham, a new podcast series called “Scrubbing the Sky: Inside the Race to Cool the Planet” aims to tell the story of the breakthroughs that allowed us to reach this point, as well as its potential in the not-so-distant future by speaking with the key figures that made it possible.
The idea for the podcast (and indeed its name) came from Ed’s friend Paul McKendrick who approached him with the idea for a book about CO2 removal and even had the name already figured out. After discussing it over beers at their local pub a promise was made: “If you write the book, I’ll do the podcast version.”
The first season will focus on DAC, probably the most popular approach in the carbon removal space. It will have four narrative-driven episodes providing a deep dive into this cutting edge technology from the people and companies at its forefront. The first episode features names like Dr. Klaus Lackner, refered to as the “Grandfather of DAC,” as well as David Keith, co-founder of trailblazer company Carbon Engineering.
Ed already has extensive experience with podcasts from co-hosting Energy vs Climate but shared with Carbon Herald that the storytelling approach to Scrubbing the Sky was a challenge. But his hope, and that of producer Amit Tandon, is that the format will allow a broad range of listeners from the climate space, as well as the public, to gain an insight into how carbon removal established itself and the substantial potential it holds for a positive climate impact.
Read more: DOE Invests $52.5M To Boost Commercialization Of Direct Air Capture Technology
