Carbon Dioxide Removal is not just about designing new technologies, but also a subject of politics, especially upon implementation, when citizens are asked to accept these new technologies. CDR features in both the past and present of climate politics in complex, even contradictory ways. And because it can be deployed strategically and discursively by actors with varied intentions and interests, CDR brings with it a host of social and political considerations.

In this webinar, Dr. Petra Dolata (Associate Professor, University of Calgary) and Dr. Mack Penner (Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Calgary) will talk about the relationship between CDR and the politics of climate change. Using both historical examples and theoretical insight, they will discuss how the humanities offer a disciplinary vantage from which CDR can, and indeed must, be understood if it is to serve its purpose in reducing carbon emissions and slowing the climate crisis.

This session is part of the CanCO2Re webinar series, which brings together experts from across disciplines to advance Canada's understanding of carbon dioxide removal. The series is a program of the CanCO2Re initiative, a national research effort that connects researchers across 11 fields of study, from engineering and climate science to law, economics, and communications, through institutions including the University of Calgary, University of Alberta, University of Toronto, Simon Fraser University, and the Pembina Institute.

Concrete is the most widely used human-made material. It's in our buildings, roads, and infrastructure: cheap, durable, and easy to work with. However, it comes at a substantial environmental and climate cost, accounting for more than 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, most of which are difficult to abate. This makes concrete one of the trickiest industries to address in climate action.

In this webinar, Dr. Sylvia Sleep and Ph.D. candidate Maziar Javadpour will explore both the problem and innovative solutions that could transform concrete from a climate challenge into part of the solution. They'll cover the life cycle of concrete and the different pathways available to decarbonize this essential industry.

This event is part of the CanCO2Re webinar series, which brings together experts from across disciplines to advance Canada's understanding of carbon dioxide removal.

Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is often treated as a simple balancing act: take as much CO2 out of the air as we put in, and the climate will stabilize. But beyond carbon accounting, CDR affects the climate system in other, less-understood ways. Those impacts matter for policymakers, investors, and developers deciding how and whether to scale these technologies.

In this webinar, Kirsten Zickfeld and Isabel Dove from Simon Fraser University will share the latest science on how CDR influences the carbon cycle and global temperatures. They will also explore potential non-carbon impacts of large-scale deployment, such as land-use competition and fertilizer use.

This event is part of the CanCO2Re webinar series, which brings together experts from across disciplines to advance Canada’s understanding of carbon dioxide removal.

Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a carbon dioxide removal method with the potential to remove gigatonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by spreading specific crushed minerals on cropland. However, deployment costs vary widely based on material availability and transport logistics.

In this webinar, Sasha Wilson and Jonathan Spence from the University of Alberta will present their research mapping ERW supply chains across North America and identifying optimal deployment locations for cost-effective climate impact.

This event is the first in the CanCO2Re webinar series, bringing together leading experts to share the latest research and insights into carbon dioxide removal in Canada and beyond.