The Foundation for Climate Restoration is raising awareness and supporting advocacy for solutions that can restore a safe and healthy climate. Our Solution Series offers a diverse portfolio of natural and technological approaches that can remove CO2 from our atmosphere and return us to safe, preindustrial levels of carbon. This panel explores Ocean-Based Carbon Removal practices through a climate restoration lens. We discuss its ability to achieve scalable, financeable, permanent, and equitable outcomes and then provide ways for readers to advocate for its safe and thoughtful implementation.
Panelists:
Brian Von Herzen Ph.D. is the founder and executive director of the Climate Foundation, which upholds the vision and the mission to regenerate life in the ocean using Marine Permaculture technology. As Executive Director, Brian leads Climate Foundation’s large-scale seaweed mariculture programs to develop sustainable food, feed and fertilizer value chains, provide ecosystem life support, and sustain blue carbon sinks. Brian graduated magna cum laude in three years from Princeton University with a degree in Physics. He holds a Ph.D. in planetary science from California Institute of Technology where he was awarded the prestigious Hertz Fellowship, and has been awarded numerous patents. After two decades developing system solutions for companies such as Intel, Disney, Pixar, Microsoft, HP, and Dolby, Brian launched the Climate Foundation in order to investigate groundbreaking nature-based solutions to the climate and other environmental challenges. Brian leads an international team of scientists, engineers, technicians, social scientists and seaweed farmers. Currently and most importantly, Brian is leading a successful Marine Permaculture seaforestation demonstration project in the Philippines
Courtney McGeachy currently serves as the Director of the Ocean Visions – UN Decade Collaborative Center for Ocean Climate Solutions. Courtney previously directed the GOLD+ Program (planetGOLD) at Conservation International. Prior to joining Conservation International, Courtney served as the Principal of the Pew Marine Fellows Program at the Pew Charitable Trusts, as well as the Manager of the Marine Conservation portfolio at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. During her time at the National Fish Wildlife Foundation, Courtney managed several marine conservation programs including the Fishing for Energy Program, Coral Reef Conservation Program, and the Emergency Prescott Grants Program just to name a few. Courtney holds a B.Sc. degree in Marine and Environmental Science from Hampton University, and a M.Sc. in Marine and Estuarine sciences from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Courtney also previously served as a co-chair for Integrity, Diversity and Equity at the Citizen Science Association.
Dr. Sara Nawaz is the Director of Research at American University’s Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy. She is an environmental social scientist who works on social dimensions of carbon removal. She studies how carbon removal technologies and policies might be designed in just, equitable and responsible ways, including how to involve societal groups (e.g., local groups, Indigenous communities, experts, the public) in these processes. She is also affiliated with the Institute for Science, Innovation and Society at the University of Oxford and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia.
Dr. Wil Burns is Founding Co-Executive Director of the Institute for Carbon Removal Law & Policy at American University in Washington, DC, and a Visiting Professor in the Environmental Policy & Culture program at Northwestern University. Prior to this, he served as the founding Director of the Energy Policy & Climate program at Johns Hopkins University. He has also taught at the University of Chicago, Stanford University, and the University of California-Berkeley. He also served as Assistant Secretary of State for Policy for the state of Wisconsin and worked in the environmental non-profit sector for more than twenty years. He also served as the Co-Chair of the International Environmental Law Section of the American Branch of the International Law Association, and as President of the Association of Environmental Studies & Sciences. He was the 2019 recipient of the organizations Lifetime Achievement Award for Scholarship and Service in the field. His research agenda includes: climate geoengineering, climate loss and damage, and the effectiveness of the European Union’s Emissions Trading System. He received his Ph.D. in International Law from the University of Wales-Cardiff School of Law and is the author of more than 85 publications.
Moderator:
Dr. Erica Dodds holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Evaluation and an M.A. in International Development Administration. Erica’s lifelong interest in poverty reduction led her to study abroad in West Africa, intern with an NGO in rural India, and work for the Evaluation Office of the International Labour Organization in Geneva. She is committed to seeing climate action work for today’s youth in addition to future generations, and she believes that the key is setting a goal of restoring a safe and healthy climate.
The panel will take place following the release of a white paper, blog post, and explainer video.
Date and time:
Tuesday, February 28, 2023 from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM PST
Location
Online event
