For people really into carbon removal --- Check out AirMiners, the largest community of entrepreneurs, researchers, and funders exploring opportunities in negative emissions and carbon removal. Folks from every major carbon removal startups like Climeworks, Global Thermostat, etc.

Join 320+ of us on Slack!

Apply here to join: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12L8drO9a6OZf3-I9578PieBI0fw...

There's also a public meetup group in the Bay Area: https://meetup.com/CarbonRemoval/

I'm really interested in the topic and would love to just lurk and read what people say on there for a while, but the text in the signup form makes it sound like a person like me wouldn't be accepted, since I don't have super concrete plans to make that my next profession (although I'm generally interested in exploring this field if I really started thinking that my skills would make sense there).

Hey jrv, here's 2 resources for you to get more inspiration: http://bit.ly/airminersresources http://airminers.org

this is you: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ABg0c_E7OOI

looking forward to your application once you finish your training.

Let's say I'm a regular web developer and know nothing about climate science, carbon removal, or any related science or technologies, but might be interested in donating my time and and skills.

Do you have any recommendations?

Glad you asked! Basically, imagine I told you not much had been built and climate folks don't really "get" software.

It's true. The same revolution that connected software and biotech is coming to the climate. There's tons of super duper obvious stuff that has yet to be built.

You would probably guess there's a great website for tracking carbon levels in the air. Like that's super basic right?

Well There's not...or at least there wasn't.

This was/is the gold standard: https://www.co2.earth/ https://scripps.ucsd.edu/programs/keelingcurve/

Then last year a volunteer team (including me) built

http://carbondoomsday.com

it's open source on Github, you could work on that! It's a bit rough around the edges still. Could use a twitter bot!

You could also check out our index at: http://airminers.org

The software is pretty simple right now but we could improve it a lot!

Software related to climate change got stuck in the 90's...and you can break it out! Build cool shit!

Email me with any questions, see profile.

Here is an article that perfectly addresses your query: http://worrydream.com/ClimateChange/

Sorry I would like to type an elaborate response, but I'm on phone for the day.

heck yeah! "what can a technologist do about climate change" is my daily mantra.

This is probably a really sensitive topic but.. Donating your time to help get politicians elected who are serious about doing what's necessary may be the best thing you can do.

Politicians are powerless without good technology options.

Today, the technology options are not good. but good options are within sight. As a technologist, let's go make better tech.

Climate change is a technology problem and a marketing problem.

YC's carbon site does a great job marketing for these crucial technologies: http://carbon.ycombinator.com/

The technology options today are good enough. We can start building wind turbines and solar panels right now. We can insulate homes right now. We can replace oil and gas heating with heat pumps right now.

Storage only becomes a problem when a quite significant chunk of the generation is intermittent. But even then, today's batteries are good enough for overnight storage, and for longer term storage we can use power-to-gas processes.

heck yeah let's do that! Solar tech has gotten so much cheaper and better, my friend is replacing what used to be $30k of panels for $2k.

Politicians can also direct funds to the development of such technology.

I think this is seriously naive.

Fascinating!

Anyone got a good source for the 103 tons per acre stat?

All I've found so far is the Bloomberg link, which I think is from the World Tree Website (the company spotlighted in the article). World Tree [1] says the source is The Environmental Resources Trust, but doesn't provide a link.

https://worldtree.info/carbon-offsets/

Wild.

10 pages on trust and not one mention of digital trust or blockchain!

Fun fact: Planes are efficient for long trips. According to “sustainable energy without the hot air”, you need three people in a gas car to beat the efficiency of flying on a long trip. It seems like driving to LA with one or two people in the car is less carbon efficient than flying. With an EV you’re probably good though.

I think those numbers are for passenger flights carrying large amounts of people, not private jets carrying very few.

Good point, you're totally right! I don't think they covered that in the book. Here's the relevant chapter if calculations on flight: http://withouthotair.com/c5/page_35.shtml

We have time to invent a fix. We can’t continue to wait for a policy change to change the world.

Technologists have the opportunity to build new solutions, improve renewable energy efficiencies, hack direct air capture. Technology holds the keys for 10,000:1 advantages.

Anyone who is interested in this...shoot me an email.

Hubris, or a get rich scheme.

Why not both?

100% this! Googling for jobs is free and easy. See what's in your neighborhood. Working 40+ hours a week on solutions is the best way to up your climate game.

I like your framing -- subtractive vs additive.

Reminds me of additive manufacturing (3D printing)

Direct air capture to make consumer carbon products.