1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:04,160 Speaker 1: This is Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Masser and Bloomberg 2 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:08,360 Speaker 1: Quick Takes Tim Stinovic on Bloomberg Radio. It's all about 3 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:10,399 Speaker 1: the climate. We're gonna talk about the author of a 4 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 1: book about climate restoration, a different way of really protecting 5 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:17,600 Speaker 1: our environment and really making a difference. Yeah, I get 6 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:20,480 Speaker 1: you know. It's interesting, Carol. We talked about technologies that 7 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:23,880 Speaker 1: can actually help us avoid a catastrophe when it comes 8 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:26,560 Speaker 1: to climate change, and the author who's going to be 9 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 1: joining us in just a second, Peter Fakowski, argues that 10 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:32,479 Speaker 1: there are actually technologies out there that are safe and 11 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:36,080 Speaker 1: effective in reducing carbon Yeah, this is an interesting dude. 12 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:38,840 Speaker 1: He's an m I T. Educated physicist and engineers worked 13 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:43,279 Speaker 1: for NASA. Uh. He's also worked at the fair Child Slumberg, 14 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:47,200 Speaker 1: a AI Intel lab in Palolato, California. So he looks 15 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: at this from a very it sounds like scientific way. 16 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:51,919 Speaker 1: So let's get to Peter. He joins us now via 17 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 1: zoom from Los Altos, California. Peter, it is good to 18 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 1: have you here with us. We've only got a certain 19 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:00,520 Speaker 1: amount of time. Climate anything with the climate is a 20 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:03,320 Speaker 1: big topic that you could spend hours on. Tell us 21 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: about your thesis. What is climate restoration? Well, climate restoration 22 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 1: is very interesting. It's the it's the goal of restoring 23 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:16,120 Speaker 1: the climate that humans have actually survived long term, and 24 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:19,320 Speaker 1: so it's much more radical than the conventional thinking of 25 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 1: trying to reduce the damage. It's uh, it's the engineering 26 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 1: idea of we want to restore what works for human 27 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 1: beings well, and it turns out that we have the 28 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:33,679 Speaker 1: technology and the finance to do it. We just need 29 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:36,119 Speaker 1: to start talking about it because we've been talking about 30 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:38,680 Speaker 1: a much worse goal. What's interesting is I've never heard 31 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:42,200 Speaker 1: of this technology that you argue we have right now. 32 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 1: Ocean pasture restoration for example, synthetic limestone manufacture, seaweed permaculture, 33 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:51,240 Speaker 1: and methane oxidation. These are the four technologies you say 34 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 1: that can help us get us there. Let's start with 35 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:57,000 Speaker 1: ocean pasture restoration. How does it work? Yeah, so the 36 00:01:57,560 --> 00:01:59,640 Speaker 1: four methods. First of all, the reason that you have 37 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:01,720 Speaker 1: an heard about them is that we haven't had to 38 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:04,360 Speaker 1: goal of restoring the climate yet. These have all been 39 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:09,240 Speaker 1: around for quite a while. Um Ocean pastor restoration also 40 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:14,240 Speaker 1: called ocean iron fertilization. It is this the same process 41 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 1: that Nature uses to uh to cool the planet before 42 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 1: ice ages, and so nature removes a trillion tons of 43 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 1: C O two before for each ice age. There have 44 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 1: been ten in the last million years. And we know 45 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: how to do the same thing. And the idea is UH. 46 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:36,400 Speaker 1: We all know that photosynthesis like trees, absorbs CO two. 47 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 1: But the trouble with trees, of course, is that they 48 00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: end up dying after a few decades and the carbon 49 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:44,520 Speaker 1: goes back into the air when the trees wrong. In 50 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: the ocean, when plants grow, they sink and so and 51 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:51,360 Speaker 1: then there's no oxygen in the deep ocean, and so 52 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 1: the carbon. They take the carbon with them as they 53 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:56,640 Speaker 1: and of course a lot of the plants are eaten 54 00:02:56,639 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: by fish and all the detritus sinks into the deep ocean. 55 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:05,120 Speaker 1: And as I said, that's how nature uh cool the 56 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 1: planet for our ice ages. And so the way this operates, 57 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 1: and it was tested ten years ago. It was tested 58 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:19,559 Speaker 1: also by Mount Pinatubo thirty years ago. UM is uh local, 59 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:24,000 Speaker 1: it's localized, and it's intermittent. So you do it. They 60 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:26,920 Speaker 1: do it in eddies, which are about a hundred miles 61 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 1: in diameter in the ocean. And UH. The eddy contains 62 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 1: the iron. The iron is phenomenally small amount. It's like 63 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: a hundredth of a teaspoon per square meter, and um, 64 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:42,440 Speaker 1: within days it turns green from blue. Blue is beautiful, 65 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: but it's not green. Green is where you have photosynthesis. 66 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:49,440 Speaker 1: And then within another week or so fish start coming 67 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:55,240 Speaker 1: in and feeding on there on the the luncheon counter there, uh, 68 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: and and off you go. When it was tested, they 69 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 1: were told that they just a question a hundred million 70 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:05,880 Speaker 1: tons of CEO two. That sounds like a lot. What's 71 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 1: interesting is you know, and we're gonna continue the conversation 72 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: just a moment and maybe talk about some of the 73 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 1: other methods and just got about a minute here and 74 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:14,600 Speaker 1: then we'll continue on the other side of the break. 75 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:17,600 Speaker 1: But I do wonder at the same time, do we 76 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:21,040 Speaker 1: not also though you need to think about reducing our 77 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:26,039 Speaker 1: carbon footprint? Yes, we absolutely do. Well, yes, and no 78 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:29,200 Speaker 1: that we we need to reduce our carbon footprint. Worrying 79 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,120 Speaker 1: is really less effective than doing it, and so I've 80 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:35,360 Speaker 1: focus on just do it. Uh. You know, I'm planning 81 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:37,520 Speaker 1: to have an electric car be my next car when 82 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:40,920 Speaker 1: my current car wears out. And I think probably a 83 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:43,320 Speaker 1: lot of the people listening are already planning on that, 84 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:48,040 Speaker 1: so that transition is happening, but we haven't been thinking 85 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:52,479 Speaker 1: about actually restoring the climate. And especially for our young listeners, 86 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:57,159 Speaker 1: plan on being around rather than giving up the ghosts, 87 00:04:57,200 --> 00:04:59,040 Speaker 1: because if you plan on being around, then you'll pay 88 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:02,480 Speaker 1: attention to these big four solutions. I want to continue 89 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:05,960 Speaker 1: with that and talk seaweed permaculture and exactly what it 90 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:09,520 Speaker 1: is and how it gets carbon out of the ecosystem. Yeah, 91 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:16,159 Speaker 1: seaweed permaculture is a variation on on the iron fertilization. 92 00:05:16,360 --> 00:05:21,000 Speaker 1: So as I said, Uh, the important thing in the 93 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:24,360 Speaker 1: ocean is when you grow plants, when they die, they 94 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 1: sink with is no oxygen and the oxygen stays out. 95 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:30,640 Speaker 1: And with seaweed permaculture, the for the nutrients that are 96 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:32,920 Speaker 1: missing are brought up from the deep ocean in a 97 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:37,040 Speaker 1: large pipe solar powered, takes very very little energy, and 98 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:41,559 Speaker 1: then um, the seaweed grows. Some of the seaweed is used, 99 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:45,880 Speaker 1: uh is actually harvested and sold for products, some of 100 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:50,800 Speaker 1: which sell for a thousand dollars a ton um. And uh, 101 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:55,280 Speaker 1: probably half the seaweed ends up falling deep into the ocean. UH, 102 00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:57,720 Speaker 1: some of it cut, some of it just naturally falling, 103 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:02,840 Speaker 1: and it's fairly simple. The difficulty is you've got they 104 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:08,040 Speaker 1: build a structure that this the help grows on and 105 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:12,200 Speaker 1: and that takes some technology. But just like the the 106 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:17,120 Speaker 1: iron fertilization, it's uh, that's a commercial product, and so 107 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 1: so it pays for itself a peter you spent, it's 108 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:24,000 Speaker 1: a commercial product. Let's talk an end there because I'm wondering, 109 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:26,960 Speaker 1: if this is so effective, where's the money in it? 110 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:29,280 Speaker 1: And I asked that in the you know, the question 111 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:31,160 Speaker 1: not in a cynical way, but in a way that 112 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:34,400 Speaker 1: motivates companies to do this to make sure that we 113 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:40,120 Speaker 1: have a future. Yes, it's an interesting challenge because uh, 114 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:42,600 Speaker 1: you know, of the we have are the four U 115 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:48,880 Speaker 1: pathways and they're all self financing UM and this is 116 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:52,159 Speaker 1: the same model that put a c O two into 117 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:54,599 Speaker 1: the air. That is, we had companies selling us heat 118 00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:58,360 Speaker 1: and energy which had a by product putting CEO two 119 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:05,599 Speaker 1: up with these for products, the the uh, the seaweed, 120 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:11,720 Speaker 1: the limestone, the ocean fertilization which leads to fish. You 121 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:14,880 Speaker 1: get product which has a byproduct of pulling CEO two out. 122 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:19,000 Speaker 1: Right Now, the challenge is UM and This is something 123 00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:22,080 Speaker 1: that we're dealing with right now, is we're afraid to 124 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:24,640 Speaker 1: list these on the on the open market because the 125 00:07:24,760 --> 00:07:28,800 Speaker 1: customers I canna say, wait a minute, my retirement depends 126 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:31,520 Speaker 1: on it. And so we want to make sure that 127 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:36,200 Speaker 1: people doing this are primarily interested in restoring the climate 128 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:40,480 Speaker 1: for our children and grandchildren, only secondarily interested in making money. Well, 129 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:43,680 Speaker 1: it almost sounds like you've gotta have governments involved who 130 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:48,240 Speaker 1: recognize these methods and before it gets too late. Peter Fakowski, 131 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:51,160 Speaker 1: thank you so much, founder uh In Shermany Meritus, a 132 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:53,720 Speaker 1: Foundation for Climate Restoration. Check out his book that has 133 00:07:54,160 --> 00:07:57,360 Speaker 1: got the title of Climate Restoration in it. Thanks for 134 00:07:57,400 --> 00:08:01,200 Speaker 1: listening to Bloomberg Business Week. 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