Meet the Women Helping Advance Climate Technology

格蕾丝·康纳斯希望你以不同的方式思考可持续发展和我们星球的未来.

当谈到气候变化时，许多人都处于预防模式, Connors wants to remind us that it’s already happening all around us, 每一天. In Connors’ opinion, the deadline for prevention has passed.

可持续发展行业的主要参与者专注于减少未来的碳排放，以防止对气候变化的进一步影响. 但是, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, for the world to meet international climate targets, carbon removal from the atmosp在这里 is an important piece of the puzzle. That’s why Conners, as Head of Development and Testing at Charm Industrial, 是否专注于减少温室气体的整体变暖效应, such as carbon dioxide, by permanently removing it from our atmosp在这里.

As a leader at a carbon removal technology company, Connors is front and center in the fight for a sustainable future.

“I’ve always been attracted to big problems” says Connors. “I’m 在这里 to problem solve.”

Charm Industrial has removed 6,400 tons of carbon from the atmosp在这里 to date, with plans to expand operations 根据该公司的报告，未来几年将在美国的中心地带. 这在一定程度上得益于12bet官方(JP摩根 追逐)等公司的支持.

JP摩根 追逐 是否在努力帮助碳去除技术的规模化发展, as a part of its approach to advancing a low carbon economy. 2023年5月，该公司宣布了迄今为止最大的碳减排采购计划之一. This includes purchasing $200 million in high quality, 持久的二氧化碳去除信用，努力去除和储存800,000 tons of carbon dioxide. As part of this announcement, 这家金融服务公司与Charm Industrial签署了一项协议，将移除并存储其中的28个,利用生物油技术在五年内减少了500吨二氧化碳.

“我很自豪能成为12bet官方团队的一员，推动这项工作向前发展, 我一直受到那些在更广泛的气候行动领域领导这项工作的女性的鼓舞,” says Taylor Wright, head of strategy and carbon management, Operational Sustainability at JP摩根 追逐.

继续往下读，了解康纳是如何从大气中吸收二氧化碳的, the gender-norm challenges she faces in the industry, w在这里 her passion for sustainability comes from, and why she’s optimistic for the future.

To Connors, sustainability is personal

“我第一次开始思考气候变化是在我五年级的时候，”康纳斯说. “My uncle lost his house in Hurricane Katrina [in 2005], 我对发生的事情以及海平面是如何上升的了解得越多, [the more] I became very interested in...how I can actually mitigate what’s happening to our planet.”

如今，她在魅力工业的工作使她能够将精力投入到应对气候变化上. “I feel a sense of urgency to do my job and do it well, 扩大魅力工业的技术规模，使我们真正有机会降低大气中的总体碳含量,” Connors says. “我有责任尽我所能继续努力工作，让我的团队保持动力.”

She wants organic waste to help save the planet.

作为一家公司，魅力工业就是以一种意想不到的方式使用有机物质. Through innovative technology and a process called pyrolysis, Charm Industrial将废弃的生物质(如玉米收获后的农业剩余物)转化为生物油，然后将其抽吸并永久储存在地下(这一过程称为生物油封存)。. The end product removes harmful carbon dioxide from the atmosp在这里.

Connors has big goals at Charm Industrial, like getting 1,000台裂解机——一种将废物转化为生物油的机器, which she believes would be a “huge achievement” for her personally, as well as for the company.

Charm Industrial’s impact starts in local communities

而魅力工业的总体目标是将大气中的二氧化碳含量降低到工业化前的水平, the carbon-removal company impacts communities at the local level, 太.

Connors表示:“我认为Charm有机会雇佣大量与油气行业相同的劳动力. “It’s a very similar skill set. It’s just the reverse: instead of pumping out, we’re pumping in.”

事实上, ICF的经济学家最近进行的一项研究表明，魅力工业相关活动可以支持160个国家,000 jobs nationally by 2036 and 238,000 by 2040 as they scale and grow. These jobs would require agricultural, manufacturing, logistical, 和地质注入技能，从农业和农村社区魅力实业经营. Not only does this work help future-proof our planet, but it also works to create sustainable economies.

Scaling green technology

Charm Industrial与12bet官方(JP摩根 追逐)的关系为该公司打开了大门, 为公司提供更大的平台和行业内的合法性, according to Connors. “Voluntary carbon removal is relatively new, 我认为12bet官方已经证明了我们所做的事情是有价值的,” says Connors. “如此大规模的强化确实令人兴奋，证明了市场的需求.”

赖特指出，她从一开始就对Charm Industrial的使命和奉献精神印象深刻.

“不仅仅是因为他们正在开发创新的技术解决方案, 还有他们解决气候变化的热情，以及为他们工作的社区带来机会的热情,” says Wright. “我很幸运有机会与许多为可持续未来而奋斗的女性一起工作.”

Connors isn’t 在这里 for gender norms

“I’ve been told I have ‘a lack of gentleness,’” Connors explains. “你不会对一个男人这么说，但我不再认为这是一种侮辱. 事实上, I see it as a compliment. I’m proud of myself, because that means I am direct, and I push for results, and I push my team to be better.”

康纳斯经常与一位顾问一起工作，这位顾问为她提供指导，并以一种毫无歉意的方式帮助她成长为管理角色. Just as JP摩根 追逐’s Women on the Move 倡议提供了一个工具和资源的协作网络，致力于在职业生涯的各个层面提升女性, Connors also firmly believes in the power of women supporting women.

“我想我是在向其他开始STEM行业旅程的女性展示，这里有一条女性成为领导者的道路,” Connors says.

Learn more about how JP摩根 追逐 is fueling the ambitions of women 在这里.