#75 Dr Daniel Klier: Why Carbon Markets Are a Vital Tool in the Sustainability Toolbox

How large a role should carbon markets play in the fight against climate change? Listen to Dr Daniel Klier, CEO of South Pole

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Last week, Microsoft signed one of the world’s largest carbon removal deals with Rubicon Carbon, purchasing 18 million tonnes of carbon removal credits. But will investing in carbon markets necessarily reduce the urgency of reaching net zero emissions, and how large of a role should they play in the fight against climate change?

In a special edition of the Frankly Speaking podcast, Richard Howitt was joined by Dr Daniel Klier, CEO of the climate consultancy South Pole, which describes itself as the world’s leading carbon project expert.

Together they discussed the current progress in tackling global carbon emissions, as well as the findings of South Pole’s Net Zero survey of 350 financial institutions worldwide. You’ll also hear more about:

How investors are currently engaging in "financial cakeism" by continuing to invest in fossil fuels alongside green assets
The case for why investing in carbon markets is such a vital tool in the toolbox against climate change, and how to do so without relaxing the urgency of delivering net zero
South Pole’s message to sustainability professionals on what they should be doing at company level to realise the green transition
What Article 6 of the Paris Agreement means in practice, and why it was only ratified after nine years at COP29 in Baku last year
The consultancy’s verdict on how well existing Emissions Trading Schemes (ETS) worldwide are working

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“If we're not careful we're going to hit very significant negative tipping points - a severe worsening of global weather events, floods, droughts and financial damage that is already in the range of 100 billion every year. And if you think back about the original premise of Mark Carney, his thesis was that the financial system isn’t currently pricing climate risk properly because we don't think in long term horizons. That's why we're bringing up this notion of ‘cakeism’. You can have your cake and eat it. But that system may break and it's not currently set up for that moment.”