On eating bigger frogs first, GHG transparency, and soil health incentives

Hi everyone,

Welcome to the April edition of the Carbon A List newsletter. Do you know someone who would enjoy our newsletter? Forward this email to them and they can subscribe here.

On eating bigger frogs first (and one bite at a time)

In one of the projects we are working on, a Mark Twain quote has become inspiration for how we do work: “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” In essence, this quote inspires us to place the most challenging decisions and milestones up front. This principle allows us to understand the limit of a team to execute complex work, and to better connect interdependencies of specific challenges and questions that relate to future smaller frogs. In designing programs that incent impact, this means unpacking important considerations in quantification approaches, standard choice, treatment of assumptions, and risks. At times, some of these decisions might feel like a classic “chicken or egg” challenge. But when focusing on the most difficult things first, that conundrum dissipates as the program takes shape. Of course, trying to eat a big frog all at once is enough to make anyone sick. The trick is to eat it one bite at a time.

On GHG transparency

In the last month, there has been quite a kerfuffle over a Science Base Targets initiative SBTi announcement to allow inclusion of carbon offsets in net zero carbon accounting. On the one hand, SBTi staff, threatened to quit, called the move “unscientific”, and pointed to the risk that this will enable greenwashing, allowing a company to appear like it is reducing net emissions while continuing to add CO2 to the atmosphere. On the other hand, the carbon market sees this as a boon to the supply of financeable projects with a link to causality of climate action. And if not carbon markets, then what?

Something that both groups can probably agree on is that regardless of which market-based incentive or program drives down emissions, we need greater transparency across the board. SBTi should be commended for supporting a framework to act on goals, and the market should respond with a credible basket of options. Those who promote carbon markets should listen seriously to the critiques from those opposed to ensure that different approaches can be trusted. Groups like Carbon Plan provide a useful step to drive greater transparency and integrity to the market, but obscurity and differences in methods around the project and inventory-based approaches makes looking on aggregate almost impossible. Perhaps a ground up path forward could include a voluntary agreement from any project who is currently enrolled in a market incentive program reducing their emissions. This agreement could anonymize data and share it for the benefit of better science and certainty on the changes happening across carbon pools. This level of transparency could allow for greater harmonization and clarity on the different quantification approaches out there. If you are working on or thinking about something like this, please get in touch.

On soil health incentives

We recently hosted a deep dive on soil health incentives with an excellent mental model (above) from Patrick Smith, Founder of Soil Upside. We spent the time considering different opportunities to access funding to drive change in terms of their maturity, and hosted breakout rooms with broad representation from different companies and efforts doing this to brainstorming on key opportunities in the US land sector. The landscape is evolving, with an array of private, and government-backed carbon and certification programs (carbon asset, carbon intensity, organic, regenerative) and innovative insurance and banking products as workable market-based pathways. Unfortunately, there are gaps, misalignment, and a disaggregation amongst incentives. If the goal is for a future with improved production, profitability, resilience, and ecological benefit on farmland, then greater clarity and an understanding of the interrelated nature of these efforts is critical.

Please fill out this form to stay informed on future deep dives, or join the Trailpass community to learn with Patrick, and others about some of these issues in weekly Friday calls.

What I’m reading

• Climate target organization faces staff revolt over carbon-offsetting plan. The Guardian, referenced above.
• Guidance on Sustainable Aviation Fuel Credit, U.S. Department of the Treasury. The long-awaited guidance on how to treat low-carbon climate smart crops to generate sustainable aviation fuel. Although this is primarily for corn and soy, this is a promising pathway for considering carbon intensity as a drive for reducing carbon emissions across agriculture.
• Down River: Into the Future of Water in the West. Heather Hansman. This is a good travelogue taking the reader down one of the last major undammed rivers in the Colorado River basin. It’s a clever way to connect the dots for people interested in the silent emergency facing the intermountain west.

Can you help?

• I’ll be in D.C. next week with my colleagues Nick Goeser and Blake Atkerson. We’re hosting happy hour at the Wundergarten from 5–7 on Wednesday, May 8. Do you live in the area, or know anyone in town who would like to connect and geek out some of the stickier nuances of climate action? Please come or encourage them to show up!
• We’re hiring a Farmer Engagement Manager for our Transforming the Farmer to Consumer Supply Chain Project. Please encourage qualified candidates to apply.

Something personal

I recently took a canoe trip down the San Juan River into Lake Powell (pictured above). With the use of spars, cam straps, and a 4 hp motor, our crew created a calm-water worthy craft to navigate canyons and back up the Colorado River part of the reservoir. The lake is just under 32% of the full pool, and given the mega drought the west is experiencing, it is most likely to continue to evaporate and drop. Being there gave me the profound reminder that we humans are part of nature, have irrevocably transformed it, and still have the choice to thoughtfully manage what is left of it.

Until next month,

Christophe