Towards a 20 GT Negative CO2 Emissions Industry

Originally aired September 19, 2019

Capturing 20 gigatons of carbon from the air in the next 20 years is imperative, requiring contributions from agriculture, industrial processes, and direct air capture. This webinar examines the scorecard in each sector, the trajectories and drivers of progress, and how the pace of innovation and commercialization can be accelerated. Topics include policy, price signals, incentives, gaps in the innovation pipeline, and how California’s leadership in stacking state and federal tax incentives can serve as a model for other states.

Speakers

Bruno Sarda

President, CDP North America

Bruno Sarda is the President of CDP North America, which focuses investors, companies, and cities on taking urgent action to build a truly sustainable economy by measuring and understanding their environmental impact. Previously he served as Chief Sustainability Officer for NRG, a leading integrated power company, and has also worked at Dell and Charles Schwab. Bruno is a faculty member and Senior Sustainability Scholar at Arizona State University.

Giana Amador

Co-Founder, Carbon 180

Giana Amador is a co-founder of Carbon 180, which partners with policymakers, scientists, and businesses around the globe to develop policy, promote research, and advance solutions that transform carbon from a liability to an asset. She coordinates the research and operational work of the organization.

Dr. David Babson

Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E), U.S. Department of Energy

Dr. David Babson serves as a Program Director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) in the Department of Energy, with a focus on bioenergy, agricultural systems innovation, and carbon management. Prior to joining ARPA-E, he served as Senior Advisor for Renewable Energy, Natural Resources, and the Environment in the Office of the Chief Scientist at USDA, leading R&D coordination on carbon management, climate adaptation, and bioenergy.

Klaus Lackner

Director, Center for Negative Carbon Emissions; Professor, Arizona State University

Klaus Lackner is the Director of the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions and Professor at the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. Trained as a theoretical physicist, he has made foundational contributions to carbon capture and storage since 1995 — including early work on sequestration of CO ₂ in silicate minerals and, in 1999, the first proposal for artificial capture of carbon dioxide from ambient air.

Noorie Rajvanshi

Staff Scientist, Siemens; Research Fellow, Project Drawdown

Noorie Rajvanshi is a Staff Scientist at Siemens with more than eight years of experience in environmental impact quantification using life cycle assessment methodologies. She was selected as a Research Fellow for Project Drawdown, where she authored three chapters in the New York Times bestseller Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming. Her recent work focuses on evaluating environmental and economic impacts of growing cities and identifying technology and infrastructure solutions using Siemens’ City Performance Tool.