YCNCC at New York Climate Week: Advancing Research Through Deployment

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Sara Kuebbing – photo courtesy of Dan Renzetti + Yale News.

On September 25, the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture (YCNCC) hosted two morning sessions at Yale @ Climate Week NYC on “Research Through Deployment,” showcasing the Center’s efforts to partner with industry to incorporate research objectives and data sharing requirements into their corporate sustainability investments.

The first session, co-convened by YCNCC Research Scientist Sara Kuebbing and YCNCC Co-Director Peter Raymond, explored the Center’s work to improve the accuracy, integrity, and efficiency of forest carbon protocols. The session featured an introductory talk from Kuebbing, followed by a panel that included Symbiosis Coalition Technical Lead Paulo Quadri (MEM 2012), BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group Director of Impact Finance Charlotte Kaiser (MBA/MESc 2007), and TerraCarbon Director of Forestry David Shoch. 

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Noah Planavsky and Karen Blanks Ellis – photo courtesy of FedEx’s Brandon Tidwell.

The second session, co-convened by Co-Director Raymond and YCNCC Scientific Leadership Team member Noah Planavsky, kicked off with a wide-ranging “fireside chat” between Planavsky and FedEx Corporation Chief Sustainability Officer Karen Blanks Ellis. Planavsky and Ellis discussed the Center’s enhanced weathering work and impact, and FedEx’s ambitious sustainability actions, plans, and targets. A panel followed, moderated by YCNCC Managing Director Toby Bryce and featuring Lithos Carbon CEO Mary Yap (BS 2021), CREW Carbon CEO Joachim Katchinoff (PhD 2022) along with Planavsky. The panel explored YCNCC’s research collaborations with industry to scale enhanced weathering and other geochemical carbon dioxide removal responsibly and in a financially operable manner.

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Toby Bryce, Mary Yap, Jo Katchinoff and Noah Planavsky – photo courtesy of YCNCC.

“It was fantastic to share with the greater Yale community the Center’s work to advance research through scaled deployment of natural climate solutions,” said YCNCC Managing Director Toby Bryce. “A huge thank you to the Yale Planetary Solutions team for hosting and organizing this impactful Yale @ Climate Week NYC convening, and to our faculty and the expert panelists who joined us.”