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The Carbon CurveInsights on scaling up carbon removal to combat climate change Author: Naim Merchant
Few people realize this, but fending off the worst effects of climate change is going to require the removal of billions of tons of CO2 from the air every year. To even comprehend that scale - imagine running today's oil and gas sector... in reverse. Every two weeks, carbon removal specialist Na'im Merchant speaks to entrepreneurs, innovators, activists, and policy experts advancing bold ideas to scale up carbon dioxide removal to bend the curve on climate change. If you're concerned about climate change and want to learn about an entirely new pathway to doing something about it, be sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode! carboncurve.substack.com Language: en Genres: Nature, Science, Technology Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Seven buyers in a trench coat
Thursday, 16 April, 2026
Episode 63 is with Jack Andreasen CavanaughLast week, Heatmap reported that Microsoft — the single largest buyer of durable carbon dioxide removal in the world, accounting for 80–90% of all purchases ever made — is pausing new CDR purchases. Jack Andreasen Cavanaugh, Director of the Carbon Management Program at Columbia’s Center on Global Energy Policy, published a piece over the weekend arguing this isn’t really a Microsoft story. The real story is that Microsoft was ever alone in the first place.In this conversation, Jack makes the case that voluntary corporate buying was never going to get us to gigatonnes, and that policy has to do the heavy lifting — just like it did for solar and wind. We get into what the next 12 months actually look like for CDR companies, why enhanced oil recovery deserves a fresh look, the limits of 45Q, and the one policy Jack would write into law tomorrow if he could.In this episode:* Why Microsoft’s dominance was a structural vulnerability, not market health — and the “seven buyers in a trench coat” problem* Governments have committed $45M to CDR purchases but spent essentially $0* The case for enhanced oil recovery and why “greenwashing” arguments fall apart under scrutiny* Where 45Q falls short and why most CDR pathways still get no support* Why Big Tech lobbying for CDR policy may be worth more than their purchases* Jack’s dream policy: a low-carbon-intensity product standard embedded in global tradeAbout the guest: Jack Andreasen Cavanaugh is Director of the Carbon Management Program at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He previously led Carbon Management Policy at Breakthrough Energy.Referenced in this episode:* Jack’s piece: “The Private Sector Built the Market — Time for Us to Scale It”* Heatmap’s reporting on Microsoft’s CDR pauseThis 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.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast app or subscribe via The Carbon Curve newsletter here. If you’d like to get in touch with Na’im, you can reach out via LinkedIn. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carboncurve.substack.com
