Author: Marco
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32. Boundaries Paradox
We are ending our Carbon Paradox series with boundaries: the Boundaries Paradox. Every system has boundaries. Some are obvious: national borders, for instance. A company’s boundaries may include its machinery, buildings, and employees. They can also extend upstream and downstream across the value chain. A family’s boundaries might include parents, siblings, children, and perhaps your…
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We won the “Sustainability Book of the Year” award!
We didn’t write The Carbon Paradox to win awards. We wrote it because something feels fundamentally broken in how we respond to climate change. Why is a movement built on urgency so often stuck in infighting?Why do pragmatic solutions get trapped between ideological extremes?And most importantly: how do we move forward? The Carbon Paradox is…
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31. Adaptation Paradox
Those most responsible for climate change are often the ones best protected from it. They can afford flood tunnels, seawalls, or air-conditioned cities—so they feel less urgency to cut emissions. Meanwhile, those least responsible are also the most vulnerable, lacking the resources to adapt and relying instead on global mitigation. Paradoxically, the power to prevent…
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30. Permanence Paradox
Few words have sparked more permanent debate in the carbon markets. The question is simple yet fundamental: Will this ton of carbon stay out of the atmosphere forever, or is there a risk of reversal? Who could deny the importance of that question? For many, “permanence” has become the single most important criterion for assessing…
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Book Launch of “The Carbon Paradox”
Hello fellow Paradoxophiles,The journey with our book The Carbon Paradox is gathering momentum, and we’re grateful for the incredible encouragement we’ve already received. Early readers have shared words that move us, thoughtful reviews are coming in, and the launch events are around the corner.Here’s a snapshot of what’s happening:What readers say → Read the blurbsReviews → See the reviewsUpcoming events → Join us…
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Carbon Credits are dead. Long live Climate Units!
After decades of trial, error, and adjustment, carbon markets were finally beginning to deliver on their potential when they collapsed in a storm of controversy in 2023. Why did this happen? In part because, in tackling the wickedest problem in human history, carbon credits became entangled in a web of paradoxes – many of which we’ve collected…
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Book Announcement
Dear Carbon Paradox Community, We’re excited to announce our upcoming book: The Carbon Paradox, launching this September during Climate Week NYC in partnership with Red Penguin Books. Told through the eyes of three daring students who travel to the tropical nation of Demba to fund climate projects, the story pulls you into the thrilling, complex, and…
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29. Integrity Paradox
For decades, scientists, regulators, and entrepreneurs have worked to build a functioning market for project-based carbon credits. Given the complexity of this task—especially in challenging regions—flaws are inevitable. Methodologies have evolved over time, as has the science behind them. Imperfection is not the exception; it’s the nature of a growing and adaptive system. Yet despite…
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28. Competition Paradox
Healthy competition is a powerful driver of market growth. When multiple players compete for market share, they are incentivized to innovate, improve product quality, lower prices, and enhance customer experience—ultimately benefiting consumers and stimulating demand. Moreover, competition pushes companies to explore and serve previously overlooked market segments, expanding the market as a whole. Paradoxically, the…
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27. Entropy Paradox
Have you ever tried to un-scramble an egg? Ever noticed how your house gets messy on its own, but never seems to clean itself? Or how your beer warms up and your soup cools down—but never the reverse? That’s entropy in action. It’s the second law of thermodynamics: in a closed system, disorder tends to…
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Carbon Paradox GPT
Let’s play! During Advent, we dove deep into exploring the fascinating world of carbon paradoxes. Now, as the January blues settle in, we thought, what better way to keep things engaging and intellectually stimulating than with a bit of playful innovation? That’s why we’re excited to unveil Carbon Paradox GPT, a web app designed to…
