The world is navigating the necessary transition away from polluting fuels toward clean energy, but many scientists believe we must also work to remove climate pollution that has already been dumped into the atmosphere. That’s known as carbon dioxide removal (CDR). The call for CDR is only growing stronger as new analyses find that we’re not on track to meet the Paris Agreement targets. At the same time, there are different viewpoints, especially about the engineered methods of removing carbon from the atmosphere.
In this second webinar of a six-part series, experts will provide an overview of the primary ways to remove carbon from the atmosphere, both natural and engineered. These include direct air capture, soil carbon management, afforestation, biochar, ocean CDR, biomass carbon removal and storage, and enhanced rock weathering. The webinar will explore:
- How much carbon each CDR method could potentially remove
- How permanently the removed carbon can be stored
- Scalability and cost of CDR
- How CDR will impact communities and local ecosystems
- The unknowns and questions about each of these methods
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This webinar series will explore the science, strategies, and policies of CDR. We will facilitate co-learning between stakeholders, address knowledge gaps, and emphasize the importance of engaging, protecting, and benefiting local communities with any proposed CDR projects. This monthly webinar series will run through February 2025.
This webinar series is co-hosted by California Environmental Voters, The Climate Center, and Project 2030.
Speakers
Asha Sharma is the State Policy Manager at Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, where she develops and manages state policy campaigns driven by community needs and priorities. She has an extensive background in environmental justice, organizing, and agricultural and climate science. She holds a Master of Science from UC Davis in International Agricultural Development with a concentration in soil science.
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Dr. Charlotte Levy is a dynamic leader in the carbon removal field, combining deep scientific expertise with a passion for environmental justice outcomes. As a Managing Research Advisor at Carbon180, she is dedicated to scaling up carbon removal technologies while ensuring these solutions are rooted in justice and accountability. Her interdisciplinary career includes a fellowship at the Department of Energy, where she contributed to the “Roads to Removal” report and earned the Assistant Secretary’s 2022 Outstanding Achievement Award.
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Dr. Anya Waite is the chief executive officer and scientific director of the Ocean Frontier Institute. Her previous roles include the associate vice-president of research (ocean) at Dalhousie University from 2018 to 2024, section head of Polar Biological Oceanography at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven, and professor of oceanography at the University of Bremen. Previously, Dr. Waite co-chaired the Global Ocean Observing System steering committee from 2020 to 2024 – the first woman to do so. She was also Canada’s representative on the World Meteorological Organization’s Greenhouse Gas Study Group.
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Dr. Daniel L. Sanchez is on the faculty at UC Berkeley’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy, & Management. He studies engineered biomass and bioenergy systems that remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Trained as an engineer and energy systems analyst, Sanchez’s work and engagement spans the academic, corporate, and governmental sectors. He runs the Carbon Removal lab at UC Berkeley and is also a principal scientist at Carbon Direct. Prior to joining the faculty of UC Berkeley, Daniel was an AAAS Congressional Science and Engineering Fellow serving in the Office of Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO). He holds a PhD and MS from UC Berkeley’s Energy and Resources Group, and a BSE in chemical and biomolecular engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
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Shaye Wolf, Ph.D., is the climate science director with the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute. She provides scientific support for the Center’s campaigns to protect people and wildlife from the climate crisis—focused on phasing out fossil fuels and other dirty energy and speeding a just transition to 100% clean, renewable energy in the US. She has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Yale University and a doctorate in ecology and from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
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Dr. Peter Psarras joined UPenn as a Research Assistant Professor in January 2021 and acting PI of the Clean Energy Conversions lab. His research involves techno-economic assessment and lifecycle analysis of technologies spanning both carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) and engineered carbon dioxide removal (CDR). These analyses inform strategic regional pathways for responsible deployment of carbon management systems. He is also a Senior Decarbonization Engineer with Carbon Direct Inc., where he evaluates new engineered technologies for various clients.
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Dr. Charles Harvey is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT. He is known for outstanding research in multiple areas of the field of environmental engineering, including carbon sequestration and storage. Dr. Harvey has received numerous awards and he is a Fellow of both the American Geological Society the American Geophysical Union. Professor Harvey has a BA in mathematics from Oberlin College and an MS and PhD in Earth Science from Stanford University. He has worked as a hydrologist for the US Geological Survey, was a faculty member at Harvard University and is now a Professor of Environmental Engineering at MIT.
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