Moderator:

Speakers:

Na’im Merchant
Co-founder and Executive Director, Carbon Removal Canada

Stacy Kauk
Chief Science Officer, Isometric

The Role of Carbon Removal: Tech, Policy, and Business Insights

Webinar Summary

Often cited as the “net” in net zero plans, carbon removal technologies – such as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), direct air capture, and nature-based solutions – play a heavy role in decarbonization strategies around the world. As businesses like Microsoft, Meta and Stripe invest billions of dollars in Carbon Dioxide Removal, how can companies navigate high costs and limited availability of high-quality CDR options?

In this conversation with global experts, we’ll look at the landscape of carbon removal technologies and policies, with an eye toward scalability, cost-effectiveness, and readiness. What can we glean from the barriers and opportunities faced by other countries expanding carbon removal? What are the business opportunities and hurdles faced by the CDR industry?

Join us for a conversation on the most promising CDR technologies, how they fit into global net-zero ambitions, and what their role is for ensuring a prosperous and efficient path to net zero.

Presented with

Moderator

Dan Wicklum, PhD

CEO

Dr. Dan Wicklum has spent more than 25 years performing and managing research, driving innovation, and fostering collaboration between industry, government, academia, and civil society. He is the CEO of the Transition Accelerator, a pan-Canadian charity that works with groups across the country to solve business and social challenges while building in net zero emission solutions. Dan was also the inaugural co-chair of Canada’s Net-Zero Advisory Body (NZAB), the statutory independent body that advises the federal government on setting interim emission reduction targets on the way to a net-zero emission Canada by 2050 and on the most likely pathways to net zero.

Prior to joining the Transition Accelerator, Dan was the CEO of Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance, Executive Director of the Canadian Forest Innovation Council, and a senior manager at Environment and Climate Change Canada and at Natural Resources Canada. He was a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Montana, and holds a PhD in Aquatic Ecology from the University of Montana. His initial career was in professional football, as a linebacker for the Calgary Stampeders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Na'im Merchant

Co-founder and Executive Director, Carbon Removal Canada

Na’im Merchant is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Carbon Removal Canada. He is passionate about the potential for carbon removal to meet climate goals while driving economic and social change. Na’im is also an advisor to Terraset and the Carbon Removal Standards Initiative, and was previously an Elemental Impact Policy Fellow.

Stacy Kauk

Chief Science Officer, Isometric

At Isometric, Stacy is responsible for leading our science team. This includes ensuring that rigorous science underpins all of Isometric’s carbon crediting decisions and that the Protocols and Modules are in line with the Isometric Standard.

Stacy was previously Head Of Sustainability at Shopify where she was responsible for building Shopify’s $55M+ CDR portfolio and was a founding member of Frontier. She also serves on the advisory boards of Carbon Removal Canada and Collaborative Fund, a venture capital firm.

She has a background in environmental engineering and public policy, and has 20 years of experience working at the intersection of science and regulation in both the private and public sectors.

Nov 27, 2024