View Climate Change
for related pages on nsforestmatters.ca
– Carbon capture? A river runs through it
By Pam Sullivan for National Observer Aug 13, 2024 (Subscription may be required for full access). Succinct outline of the operation, financing of this project “…CarbonRun’s first official dosing operation — for carbon removal, and separate from the NS Salmon Association — is about to launch in West River, Pictou, and will be an impressive first in the world of CO2 removal operations. The doser, which will run autonomously, 24 hours a day, will constantly be adding ground limestone as needed, with sensors controlling and administering based on water flow; all of which will be remotely communicated through computer and cell phone, recording data as it goes. And investments, Sterling says, are now coming from leading carbon credit buyers outside the country, which though on its face might seem unusual, is actually a win — not only for CarbonRun, but for the province itself.”
– Nova Scotia’s rivers still suffer from acid rain. Restoring them could also help the climate
CBC, Aug 6, 2024: “Acid rain, which is caused when pollutants such as nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide infiltrate precipitation, was largely mitigated by the passage of the U.S. Clean Air Act in 1990, and by the 1991 U.S.-Canada Air Quality Agreement. But in Nova Scotia rivers, the problem never truly went away…Since 2005, scientists had been adding limestone to the West River in Sheet Harbour, to reduce acidity and restore the river for salmon; in 2016, the Nova Scotia Salmon Federation also started using helicopters to spread limestone over the forest to increase soil alkalinity…Adding alkaline material to rivers — which studies suggest already absorb billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide every year — renders them less acidic, which in turn increases their ability to absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere…In Nova Scotia, the emergence of the voluntary offset market — where companies can purchase carbon removal credits — has facilitated this work…With that funding, CarbonRun is launching what it says is the world’s first carbon removal project via enhancing river alkalinity, and it’s set to begin in the coming months.
– Healthy Rivers, Healthy Planet Naturally (Video)
Presentation by Eddie Halfyard & Shannon Sterling to the Halifax Field Naturalists June 18, 2024. Recorded on Zoom & archived by HFN.
“The Nova Scotia Salmon Association’s Ecologist Edmund Halfyard, PhD, along with Dalhousie environmental scientist Shannon Sterling, PhD, co-founded Carbon Run, a company whose mission is to ‘restore the health of rivers and their natural ability to draw carbon from land — to sea’. The presentation details the situation we are currently in, the steps needed to rectify this, and Carbon Run’s approach to doing so. Through their research, they have found that when water quality is restored, rivers regain their natural ability to markedly increase biodiversity while drawing down carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.”
– CarbonRun: Healthy Rivers, Healthy Planet. Naturally
Website for commercial NS-founded and based enterprise. Mission: Rivers naturally deliver carbon from the land to the ocean, helping keep the planet cool. Pollution has disrupted the river-carbon connection. Healthy rivers make a healthy planet. Our mission is to restore the health of rivers and their natural ability to draw carbon from land-to-ocean. {The Company was] Founded and developed in Nova Scotia by an environmental scientist and freshwater ecologist, our team of experts are dedicated to restoring rivers damaged by pollution to protect aquatic life…Built on decades of research, CarbonRun reduces acidity in rivers. A first-of-its-kind Canadian-made technology, CarbonRun mobilizes hydrological science to safely and verifiably drawdown CO2 . Our founders are global experts on river ecosystem health with decades of applied experience restoring rivers.”
– Where Ideas Meet Impact: Hydrologist’s research positions her to take a global lead in atmospheric carbon dioxide removal
Andrew Riley – April 11, 2024 on Dalhousie News “While pursuing research aimed to restore Nova Scotia salmon habitats, Dalhousie hydrologist Dr. Shannon Sterling and Dal alum Dr. Edmund Halfyard stumbled into the forefront of carbon dioxide (CO2) removal science and growing market demand to remove the gas from the atmosphere. The discovery led to her current role as founder and chief science officer of CarbonRun, a promising CO2 removal startup attracting investment from global players.”
– Healthy Soils – Healthy Woodlands (YouTube Video)
Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute. Posted Oct 28, 2022. Presentations by Kevin kets, Shannon Sterling Eddie Halfyard, David Burton. Includes liming of NS forest soils, benefits for forests, rivers, CO2 drawdown