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Stripe Climate

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Re: Stripe Climate

#131

Post by kisamoto »

valw wrote: post #108

I'm surprised to not see these investments directed towards the voluntary carbon market, in which projects such as those REDD+ certified achieve more than 10X higher efficiency, with significant co-benefits in biodiversity and support to the local communities (here's an example I give often: https://standfortrees.org/ ). It looks like the projects were chosen through the biases of Silicon Valley, chosen to be futuris…

There is a distinction between carbon credits and negative emissions.

I wouldn't say these projects are bias towards silicon valley style there is simply a growing acceptance that nature based solutions - whole undeniably important and essential - are simply not enough.

They are cheap but slow. Trees can be wiped out with wild-fires releasing CO2 back into the atmosphere.

Negative emissions technologies such as bio-oil, direct air capture and storage, olivine and biochar, are developing to help support nature based solutions and remove quickly.

While expensive at the moment I believe they will become cheaper as the technologies and processes mature and the economies of scale kick in.

I don't say this to convert you - nature is a great way to help combat the climate crisis - however do not dismiss this essential step for our future.

Re: Stripe Climate

#132

Post by abalone »

SpicyLemonZest wrote: post #99
ta1234567890 wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not because of not having a GND, but if the US doesn't take drastic measures soon, yes all other countries are doomed. Because the US alone is the 2nd biggest contributor to carbon emissions in the world, and probably the only country that can make China (the 1st carbon emitter) cut theirs.

I agree that it's important to take lots of action on climate change as soon as possible. That's why it seems counterproductive to tell a company they should stop taking direct action and start promoting the Green New Deal. It's too urgent of a problem to insist that only people with a particular political stance should help. Maybe the specifics of the Green New Deal are getting lost in translation here? The package…

The only meaningful direct action here with a hope of saving the planet is large scale government intervention and the mass mobilization needed to bring it forth. You may have disagreements with the specifics but it is false to suggest that there is some apolitical path to turning around 200 years of an economic logic that got us here, inside of 10 years. It is also misleading to imply that what SV companies like this are doing is apolitical: they very much want to market a message that private enterprise can solve this, we don’t need too much government, Capitalism is both a cause and a savior, etc. The silence and obstructionism here on govt intervention is dangerous and telling.

For the past couple decades Silicon Valley has sort of gotten away with marketing this idea of the private entrepreneur ushering forth technological change and erased the absolutely foundational role of federal funding. Because if you recognize the role of the taxpayer then maybe people start questioning whether all the profits should be privatized. That’s an existential threat. What you’re seeing here is not apolitical — it is an attempt to offer a private enterprise answer to the GND. Because you’re right, the GND recognizes that you can’t fix climate without also fixing broader social and economic issues that got us here. You can’t just tax gas without uplifting working class people that would be devastated by it. More people will realize the role the govt plays in tech and that it’s not just Elon Musks (who actually specializes in bringing fed funded tech to market like space flight and autonomous vehicles). The GND would actually provide a lot of opportunities for private enterprise but it would undoubtably diminish some of the SV VC community mythology.

Re: Stripe Climate

#133

Post by imtringued »

lefrenchy wrote: post #87
defterGoose wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can only hope that those driving the division (older people) will be dead soon, so that the younger generations who are by and large more eco-friendly can get on with the difficult work that needs to be done. Its past time for the old, rotten way of thinking to be plowed under.

I'm not entirely convinced older people are driving the division.

I think the split is among party lines. The closer to the political right you go the more resistance against solutions of climate change you're going to see at any age group. Trump is pretty much the poster child but not because he is old, it's simply because he is a republican.

Re: Stripe Climate

#134

Post by kisamoto »

akhilcacharya wrote: post #44

This is legitimately strange. Between this and their magazine, what does this have to do with payment processing?

I would say it's more a corporate (arguably moral) obligation to help transition to a more sustainable society in balance with the natural world.

Re: Stripe Climate

#135

Post by gist »

Call it what it is an attempt to pull at the heart strings of customers by associating with the cause of the year. (Similar to companies putting 'fight cancer' ribbons on their products).

What I want is a company to focus on giving me a good experience and helping me when there is a problem that's what matters to me. Not 'we are part of the solutions to societies ills' theater.

Re: Stripe Climate

#136

Post by imtringued »

frank2 wrote: post #60
BlueTemplar wrote: post #13

The history of the carbon removal companies is not good (mostly due to the large incentive to game the measures), and smells of indulgences . However, this industry is still quite young... EDIT : Also this initiative seems to be very research-focused, rather than be just about using already known methods?

>carbon removal . . . smells of indulgences Do you believe a religious metaphor to be useful for understanding climate change? Do you believe adding CO2 molecules to the air to be intrinsically sinful with the result that no amount of subsequent removal of CO2 can wash away the sin?

Well, indulgences are basically fraud and CO2 offsets that do not materialize are also fraud.

The problem isn't on the buyer side. It's that the seller is inherently going to break his promises and defraud you for a penny.

Re: Stripe Climate

#138

Post by Jommi »

sritchie wrote: post #10

If anyone from Stripe is reading - is it possible yet for me to simply donate money to the portfolio you’ve assembled without running a business? We purchase monthly offsets now and I’d love to switch to funding direct carbon capture (and will happily spend more).

You should check out https://coolerfuture.com/ !

Re: Stripe Climate

#139

Post by Gibbon1 »

el_nahual wrote: post #124
nostromo wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spending money lobbying for something that has no chance of passing would be incredibly stupid. I'm glad people are taking direct action and not waiting around for some pie in the sky grand solution that simply isn't coming.

The fallacy here is that because most people intuitively understand the near-impossibility of coordinated legislative action, they assume that it must be MORE difficult than some sort of engineering solution (whose magnitude they do not intuitively understand). They are wrong. Yes, coordinated action to reduce emissions is nearly impossible... but it's less impossible than the alternative. There's no negotiating with…

I don't think it's impossible. It just seems that way if your only experience with politics is neoliberal US politics over the last 40 years. At some point the dam breaks. In the US neoliberalism is at the same point Soviet communism was in the 80's. It's a complete failure and everyone knows it.

Re: Stripe Climate

#140

Post by adamsea »

orbuch wrote: post #35
BlueTemplar wrote: post #13

The history of the carbon removal companies is not good (mostly due to the large incentive to game the measures), and smells of indulgences . However, this industry is still quite young... EDIT : Also this initiative seems to be very research-focused, rather than be just about using already known methods?

Hi! Ryan from the Climate team at Stripe. Yes, the field is super young. Regardless of previous attempts, the world is very likely going to need giagatons of carbon removal, and the necessary technologies won't magically scale without the support of early purchasers. We're taking a portfolio approach and will be expanding the number of projects we support over the coming years. Regarding "indulgences", this is no sub…

Out of curiosity why not work with a group planting trees, or folks switching to renewable sources of energy?
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