15 Ate Today? Thank a Farmer. Better Farming | November 2024 Research & Farm Science UNDO, a leading carbon dioxide removal project developer, has signed a deal with Microsoft to advance enhanced rock weathering (ERW) carbon removal science. The plan directly involves Canadian Wollastonite, a wollastonite mine based in Kingston, along with a University of Guelph research farm, and a laboratory based at Queen’s University in Kingston. The Microsoft award will remove 15,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and provide funding for crucial scientific research in the ERW field. It will also contribute to Microsoft’s commitment to be carbon-negative by 2030. UNDO’s commercial relationship with Microsoft began in 2023 with a contract to remove 5,000 tonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere. ERW is the acceleration of natural rock weathering, whereby the carbon dioxide in rainwater interacts with silicate rocks such as wollastonite and mineralizes and is safely stored as solid carbon for hundreds of thousands of years. To speed up this natural geological process, UNDO spreads crushed silicate rock across agricultural land, accelerating the chemical reactions between rain, air and rocks, permanently removing CO₂ from the atmosphere. Jim Mann, CEO and founder of UNDO, commented that “this agreement with Microsoft is a clear signal to the market that enhanced rock weathering has potential to deliver scalable carbon removal, and that UNDO can deliver critical scientific research to instill more confidence in this vital climate tech.” Brian Marrs, Senior Director of Energy Markets at Microsoft, said that “Microsoft is committed to being carbon-negative by 2030. We are excited to support UNDO’s enhanced rock weathering carbon removal projects with co-benefits for soils, farmers and rural communities.” Earlier this year, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) concluded a clear link between the heat waves that Canada suffers annually and human-caused climate change. To avoid the worst effects of climate change, we need to be removing at least 10 billion tonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere every year by 2050. In 2021, the Government of Canada announced its commitment to net zero emissions by 2050. The country has developed major political, business and financial backing for carbon removal and has attracted more than 70 carbon dioxide removal (CDR) companies around the country. This deal will see UNDO, in partnership with Canadian Wollastonite, spread 25,000 tonnes of crushed wollastonite rock over 5,000 hectares of Canadian farmland, permanently removing thousands of tonnes of atmospheric CO2. Canadian Wollastonite will supply and spread the crushed rock to local farmers free of charge in 2024. Farmers only pay the cost of trucking the material to their land. (The cost of the wollastonite itself will be 100 per cent subsidized by the sale of carbon removal credits.) Crushed wollastonite can bring agronomic advantages such as improved soil pH, crop health and pest resistance. Farmers in Ontario interested in receiving crushed wollastonite can fill out a form at https://un-do.com/ our-partners/contact-us/. The recent announcement represents a significant contribution to UNDO’s scientific research concerning the measurement, reporting and verification of ERWbased carbon dioxide removal. With the funding, UNDO will set up field trials and monitoring sites in Ontario, including one on a research farm owned by the U of G, and at UNDO’s principal laboratory for operations in Canada, at Queen’s. Currently operating in Southeast Ontario, UNDO plans to expand its operations across Eastern Canada, first in Ontario and then in Québec. UNDO is establishing commercial partnerships that will enable the spreading of millions of tonnes of silicate rock each year, a first step towards billion-tonne scale operations. BF MICROSOFT JOINS CARBON REMOVAL DEAL GUARDIANNETWORK.CA REGISTER FOR A GUARDIAN NETWORK SUICIDE PREVENTION TRAINING TODAY
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