Understanding Carbon Offsetting!
How does the voluntary carbon market actually work, and who is it for?
An Interview with Brennan Spellacy CEO of ‘Patch’
Episode 7.
Published on 21st April 2022
Interview With:
Brennan Spellacy
Patch
Do You Have Any Questions?
Let me know in the comments below. I’ll look to create or link to resources above that cover any common questions asked.
Watch the Series of Mini Intro Animations!
Show Notes:
As a World we have some ambitious goals for reducing our carbon emissions but until businesses are able to cut things right back they can also implement carbon offsetting.
At it’s core the idea of offsetting carbon means that a business can take some accountability for the emissions that it sends into the atmosphere by putting finance into projects that are directly taking carbon out of the atmosphere (or preventing anticipated emissions).
It’s a simple principle but there’s a lot of factors that add to the complexity of putting this into action. To start with there’s a huge variety within the type of project that can qualify for receiving payments for capturing carbon; some are nature based, some are technically advanced. And they’re not all considered equal. The price per ton of captured carbon can vary to the extreme; starting as low as $5 or $10 and escalating up to over $600!
And alongside this there’s a whole host of schemes and marketplaces that are involved in some kind of offsetting programme, each with its own guidelines and procedures.
Due to its broad reach I’ve found it a difficult subject to get a clear, crisp sense of who can get involved and how.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Brennan Spellacy, cofounder & CEO of ‘Patch’.
‘Patch’ is on online carbon marketplace that also develops software for readily integrating carbon offsetting within e-commerce transactions.
This was a fantastic opportunity to get and insider understanding of what it looks like to put carbon offsetting into action.
‘Patch’ operates within the voluntary carbon market and we learn why at the foundation of this, it’s consumers who are really driving things forward.
Use the time stamps below to get a sense of what’s included:
00:00 – Introduction
02:09 – Start of Interview
02:45 – What is Carbon Offsetting?
06:45 – How Technical is the Platform?
09:14 – Who is the Typical Buyer?
11:32 – Why do Companies Start Paying to Offset?
16:40 – Do You Need to Know Your Carbon Footprint?
19:40 – The Variety of Projects Selling on Patch
21:35 – Cost per Ton – Why is it so Varied?
24:02 – Purchasing Based on Data
25:20 – Considering the Value of Biodiversity?
27:20 – The Evaluation Process
29:25 – Becoming a Seller
30:38 – Who are the Sellers?
32:52 – Compliance vs Voluntary Carbon Markets
37:10 – Looking to the Future
Previous Episode:
Let’s Value Biodiversity & Standing Carbon! – With Nicola Peel
Watch the Series of Mini Intro Animations!
Interview With:
Brennan Spellacy
Patch
Brennan is the CEO and one of the co-founders of Patch.
Patch is an API-based solution enabling you to embed carbon footprint estimation and removal directly into your digital products and experiences. You can also make bulk offset purchases through our easy-to-use dashboard.
Do You Have Any Questions?
Let me know in the comments below. I’ll look to create or link to resources above that cover any common questions asked.
Watch the Animations!
I’m creating short digestible videos to help illustrate some of the key concepts that we’re exploring!
Every month or so you’ll find a new one added here.
The Latest Animation:
What is Regenerative Agriculture?
Listen On Your Favourite Outlet!
Helen Fisher
The Host
I take a very holistic view of the world and find enormous hope when we expand our thinking outwards and consider our issues as interconnected.
So it’s a huge delight for me to have the opportunity to speak with so many varied personalities here.
I hope you’ll enjoy learning along with me as my guests allow me to pick their brains on the diverse topics explored by this project!
0 Comments