Microsoft GM of Energy & Sustainability Brian Janous on July 9, 2020. (Photography by Scott Eklund/Red Box Pictures)

We are thrilled to announce that Brian Janous, former Vice President of Energy at Microsoft, will be serving as Senior Advisor to Green Strategies, Inc. During his 12 years at Microsoft, Brian established himself as global decarbonization leader and as a pioneer of innovative approaches to marrying sustainability with business strategies. Brian will continue to apply his unique talents towards a rapid, complete, and just energy transition through advising new clients. We have no doubt that Green Strategies’ work as one of the country’s oldest and leading boutique sustainability and climate strategy consultancies will benefit immensely from Brian’s unique experiences and insights.

Green Strategies, Inc. joined Clean Air Task Force (CATF) and a diverse group of stakeholders including NGOs, large buyers, investors, carbon-free electricity suppliers, data and analytics providers, electricity sector experts and others in a call for updates to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scope 2 guidance that will drive global decarbonization and better recognize effective corporate clean electricity procurement.

Signed by 17 signatories, the letter recommends a framework of critical reforms that are aimed at increasing transparency, modernizing accounting to incorporate new data and analytic methods, supporting increasingly ambitious clean electricity procurement strategies, and encouraging the development of the diverse mix of resources required to decarbonize electricity grids.

More information may be found here and the letter may be found here.

Earlier this month, Oxford University Press published Roger’s paper looking at how current greenhouse gas accounting rules and leadership programs like SBTi may actually be holding back progress in addressing the climate crisis:

The unusual suspects: are well-meaning environmental stakeholders and institutions undercutting the contributions that companies can make to fighting climate change?

Roger Ballentine joined Jon Powers on the Experts Only Podcast to discuss how corporate electricity demand can be better used to accelerate grid decarbonization and advance the full suite of clean energy technologies. Roger first appeared on Experts Only five years ago, and a lot has changed in the energy and sustainability space. With the Greenhouse Gas Protocol updates around the corner, these conversations are more important than ever. We need to get this right!

— Listen to the Experts Only Podcast Episode #117 with Roger Ballentine here —

During this episode, Roger discusses the Clean Air Task Force‘s report: “Modernizing How Electricity Buyers Account and are Recognized for Decarbonization Impact and Climate Leadership.” Tune in to hear more about the work this report is trying to affect, and Roger’s work at Green Strategies, Inc.

Last month, the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) released a report assessing the policy and market needs to responsibly deploy BECCS as a carbon removal opportunity. Former Energy Secretary Ernest J. Moniz introduced the paper on behalf of his EFI team at a release event at Resources for the Future. Sens. Heinrich (D-NM) and Cassidy (R-LA).

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Report link: Taking Root: A Policy Blueprint for Responsible BECCS Development in the United States – Summary Report (June 2023)

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EFI’s report on recommendations for bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) outlines a robust federal policy blueprint to accelerate responsible BECCS deployment. BECCS has a large role to provide net negative carbon dioxide emissions, and must be scaled quickly in combination with strong greenhouse gas mitigation actions in order to reach net zero by mid century. However, BECCS technology has complex interactions with the climate, land, and energy which require thoughtful development to reach scale and provide full benefits.

The EFI report focuses on three themes:

• Accelerating BECCS commercialization and deployment
• Maximizing the social, economic, and environmental benefits of BECCS
• Responsible BECCS development, including consideration for environmental justice

On June 27, Resources for the Future hosted an event to mark the release of the report and facilitate a nuanced discussion of the benefits of BECCS and the necessary guidelines for BECCS to reach scale quickly and responsibly. Green Strategies’ President Roger Ballentine joined a panel with Virginia Dale, Professor of Ecology at the University of Tennessee and Sasha Mackler, Executive Director of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Energy Program to discuss the roles of forest ecology, finance, policy, and ecosystem health on BECCS deployment.

Photo by the EFI Foundation (Kaycee Hubbard & Alicia Moulton)