Indiana to be focus of upcoming national climate change, carbon dioxide removal conference

National and local experts are convening at Indiana University Indianapolis to explore how Indiana and the Midwest can help the United States become a net-zero greenhouse gas economy by 2050.

The Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are hosting the Roads to Removal Indiana Symposium, a two-day conference examining the opportunities, benefits, and costs of carbon dioxide removal in Indiana and the Midwest. O’Neill Professor Jerome Dumortier—one of the authors on the nationwide Roads to Removal report upon which the event is based—has been leading IU Indianapolis’ efforts and planning for the symposium.

Federal, state, and local government leaders are joining national and regional climate researchers and local experts on Indiana agriculture and farming to discuss how climate change solutions could impact farmers, Hoosiers, Indiana, and the rest of the nation. Panel topics include:

• Soil-based practices for carbon dioxide removal, such as cover cropping and perennial crops.
• Opportunities and challenges with Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage, known as BiCRS.
• The future of renewable energy sources like ethanol, bio-based diesel, and sustainable aviation fuels.
• How carbon pricing, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Farm Bill are shaping climate policy.
• Opportunities and concerns with carbon removal, storage, and transportation.
• The impact carbon renewal and renewable energy strategies can have on Indiana’s workforce, economy, and policies.

Former Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Janet McCabe will serve as the symposium’s keynote speaker. State Rep. Carey Hamilton (D-87) and former U.S. Ambassador and seventh-generation farmer Kip Tom will address Indiana-specific policy, workforce, and economic opportunities. Mark Elless with the U.S. Department of Energy and Alyssa Charney with the U.S. Department of Agriculture will also join discussions during the event.

Additional panelists include Andy Tauer and Caitlin Smith from the Indiana Farm Bureau and Courtney Kingery with the Indiana Soybean Alliance, as well as regional leaders and experts from Indiana University, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and other key organizations and academic institutions.

The symposium builds on the Roads to Removal report, a nationwide analysis that identifies opportunities for every region in the United States to contribute to the national goal of reducing carbon dioxide removal in soils, croplands and forest management, biomass conversion as well as direct air capture, geological storage and transportation. The report identifies regional, community, and labor considerations, weighing alternatives and local benefits. The report concludes that removing 1 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per year will cost $130 billion annually in 2050 or about 0.5% of the nation’s current GDP.