Ep. 008: Crushing Rocks for the Climate: Enhanced Weathering with Ben Westcott

12 Oct

How do you permanently remove billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide, utilising natural processes and of benefit to the land owner? Ben Westcott speaks to us about UNDO; an innovative company deploying the latest technology to speed up enhanced rock weathering, a geological process that locks away CO2. From this, we step into the challenges and opportunities of the carbon credit market and the co-benefits of nature based carbon storage technologies. Tom and Chloe also share some exciting news at the start of the episode about a pre-planning discussion for our community education space.

Your Hosts

Tom Constable: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-constable/
Chloe Constable: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloe-constable-24155821b/

Our Guest

Ben Westcott is the Head of Enhanced Weathering Operations at UNDO, an innovative company utilising the latest technology to research the enhanced weathering of rocks for carbon removal. Ben was previously in the British Army for nearly 20 years, before joining UNDO in June of 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-westcott/

Grange Project Contact & Social Media

Email: hello@grangeproject.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grange.project/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/grangeproject
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GrangeProject
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-constable/

Listen out for:

[00:00:00] Tom and Chloe discuss the latest developments at the Grange Project; specifically a planning update regarding our education space and temporary cabins.

[00:07:10] Introduction to the episode and our guest; Ben Westcott, Head of Enhanced Weathering at UNDO.

[00:11:08] Ben describes what enhanced weathering is, the steps involved in the process and the benefits for agricultural land.

[00:18:10] Tom questions Ben about the commercialisation of this approach and how it works for the landowner.

[00:21:45] We step into Ben’s reflections on the challenges and opportunities of the carbon credit market.

[00:26:53] We discuss how UNDO intend to scale-up their work, the future of enhanced weathering, and the co-benefits of other nature based carbon storage technologies.

[00:30:40] Chloe queries about the risks of unintended consequences associated with nature based technologies.

[00:33:58] Tom and Chloe reflect on the interview together.