Untangling Climate Finance

Gordian Knot Strategies
  • 4.8 (14)
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Untangling Climate Finance is a podcast from Gordian Knot Strategies that explores the dynamic field of climate change finance. Join the host, Jay Tipton, as he talks with industry experts about topics including climate solutions, global carbon markets, carbon projects, impact investing, policy, MRV tech, and much more. Visit www.gordianknotstrategies.com to learn more about the company.

  1. S4 E2: Mark McPherson on City Forest Credits and Human Impact

    2D AGO

    S4 E2: Mark McPherson on City Forest Credits and Human Impact

    Season 4, Episode 2: Mark McPherson on City Forest Credits and Human Impact In this episode, Jay connects with Mark McPherson, Founder and Executive Director of City Forest Credits, to explore why urban forests are one of the most undervalued forms of climate infrastructure, and how carbon finance can help protect them before they’re lost. Mark explains how urban forests deliver climate, health, and equity benefits directly where people live and how City Forest Credits developed human-centered “Carbon+” protocols to address that gap. They also discuss why preserving existing urban forests - and avoiding emissions today - is just as critical as long-term carbon removals. They touch on who is buying urban forest carbon credits - including companies like REI and Airbnb, as well as professional sports teams such as the Minnesota Wild and Pittsburgh Penguins - what makes these credits premium despite their smaller volumes, and why demand certainty remains one of the biggest barriers to scaling impact.  Mark also shares real-world examples of projects where carbon finance helped preserve threatened forests near cities - projects that may not have survived otherwise. Give it a listen to learn how urban forests connect climate action to human well-being, and what it will take to mobilize capital at the scale cities need. Resources: City Forest Credits: https://www.cityforestcredits.org/Preservation Protocol: https://www.cityforestcredits.org/carbon-credits/carbon-protocols/Project Portfolio: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/6404da1948fc4b43b7dc463f961b0005If you are interested in purchasing Carbon+ Credits, please message Jay at: jtipton@gordianknotstrategies.com-- About: Untangling Climate Finance⁠ explores the dynamic field of climate change finance through conversations with industry experts about topics including climate solutions, global carbon markets, carbon projects, novel technologies such as AI and distributed ledger, and much more. If you have any questions, comments, a future guest recommendation, or are interested in joining Jay for an episode, please shoot him a message at: ⁠jtipton@gordianknotstrategies.com⁠ Credits: The podcast is produced by ⁠⁠Gordian Knot Strategies⁠⁠. It is written, narrated, and edited by ⁠⁠Jay Tipton⁠⁠. Music is by ⁠⁠Diamond_Tunes⁠.

    43 min

  2. FEB 9

    Sliced 59: Europe is Defining Carbon Removals and International Credits

    Tuesday, February 10, 2026 Sliced 59: Europe is Defining Carbon Removals and International Credits In this edition of SLICED, we look at two EU announcements that could reshape carbon markets - new standards for permanent carbon removals and a consultation on post-2030 Article 6 credit use, and how these are clarifying supply while leaving demand and market integration still to be decided. - - Sliced is a weekly short-form dispatch released every Tuesday that features original thought pieces from our team members with the goal of slicing apart the various complex aspects of climate finance. If you want to check out the written version of Sliced, click here: https://gordianknotstrategies.com/weekly-newsletter/ Sliced is produced by ⁠Gordian Knot Strategies⁠. It is written, narrated, and edited by ⁠Jay Tipton⁠. Visit us at www.gordianknotstrategies.com. Music is by ⁠Coma-Media.

    6 min

  3. JAN 26

    Sliced 58: GKS Supports Capital Mobilization & Market Readiness for Liberia’s Carbon Markets Authority

    Tuesday, January 27, 2026 Sliced 58: GKS Supports Capital Mobilization & Market Readiness for Liberia’s Carbon Markets Authority In this edition of SLICED, Gordian Knot Strategies announces its partnership with the Carbon Markets Authority (CMA) of the Government of Liberia, focusing on raising funds and providing technical support for the CMA, to help stand up Liberia's carbon market infrastructure. -- Sliced is a weekly short-form dispatch released every Tuesday that features original thought pieces from our team members with the goal of slicing apart the various complex aspects of climate finance. If you want to check out the written version of Sliced, click here: https://gordianknotstrategies.com/weekly-newsletter/ Sliced is produced by ⁠Gordian Knot Strategies⁠. It is written, narrated, and edited by ⁠Jay Tipton⁠. Visit us at www.gordianknotstrategies.com. Music is by ⁠Coma-Media.

    4 min
  4. S4 E1: From Awareness to Action in Agriculture Finance with Maggie Monast

    JAN 19

    S4 E1: From Awareness to Action in Agriculture Finance with Maggie Monast

    In this episode, Jay speaks with Maggie Monast, Senior Director, Climate-Smart Agriculture, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), about how agriculture finance is moving from awareness to action on climate risk, and what it will take to scale climate-smart practices. Maggie explains why climate risk is now a material business risk for agriculture lenders and how better tools can translate climate scenarios into practical credit decisions. They also discuss what farmers need from climate finance, how lenders and value-chain incentives can help drive adoption, and why blended finance can be a high-leverage way to unlock commercial capital - especially for proven dairy methane solutions. Give it a listen to learn how ag finance can support farmers through climate volatility and mobilize capital at the scale the transition demands. Resources: Climate & Sustainability in Ag Lending: A Survey of Global Agricultural Finance Institutions: https://business.edf.org/insights/agricultural-finance-institutions-are-building-resilience-through-climate-and-sustainability-action/Financing Dairy Climate Solutions: https://www.edf.org/financing-dairy-climate-solutionsClimate and Credit Risk Web tool: https://business.edf.org/insights/managing-climate-risks-to-support-on-farm-resilience/Overall EDF ag finance resources hub: https://business.edf.org/farm-finance/LinkedIn - Maggie Monast: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-monast-372a2218/Email: mmonast@edf.org-- About: Untangling Climate Finance⁠ explores the dynamic field of climate change finance through conversations with industry experts about topics including climate solutions, global carbon markets, carbon projects, novel technologies, and much more. If you have any questions, comments, a future guest recommendation, or are interested in joining Jay for an episode, please shoot him a message at: ⁠jtipton@gordianknotstrategies.com ⁠Credits: The podcast is produced by ⁠⁠Gordian Knot Strategies⁠⁠. It is written, narrated, and edited by ⁠⁠Jay Tipton⁠⁠. Music is by ⁠⁠Diamond_Tunes⁠.

    33 min
  5. FEATURED EPISODE: How Sean Penrith Focuses on 3 Core Offerings Instead of 9 to Dominate His Market

    JAN 12

    FEATURED EPISODE: How Sean Penrith Focuses on 3 Core Offerings Instead of 9 to Dominate His Market

    How To Scale A Business Sean Penrith, CEO of Gordian Knot Strategies, shares his journey from running a lucrative but unfulfilling business in South America to becoming a leader in climate finance. After sailing across the Atlantic and around Cape Horn, Sean returned home to pursue his MBA and started a glass recycling business that set him on a path toward purposeful work. Through founding nine different businesses, including a functional beverage company and a climate finance consultancy, Sean developed a powerful seven-element framework for predicting business success. This framework, born from research funded by the Walton Family Foundation, has proven remarkably accurate at identifying which projects and businesses will succeed or fail—regardless of industry or geography. Sean reveals why 70% of passionate entrepreneurs fail to identify willing and able payers for their solutions, how he maintains an 80% repeat client rate through trust in an AI-saturated world, and why he believes mindset and transforming limiting beliefs is the true secret to scaling a business. He also shares how he ran his businesses for three years from a sailboat during COVID and the counterintuitive career advice he gives his children about designing work around lifestyle rather than the other way around.Chapters:(00:00:00) - Sean explains the seven-element framework for predicting business success(00:01:31) - From South America hustler to purpose-driven entrepreneur(00:03:36) - How Sean started nine businesses by solving problems he actually had(00:06:00) - The research project that cracked the code on why startups fail(00:09:00) - Why 70% of entrepreneurs can't identify willing and able payers(00:14:00) - How AI is changing client relationships and the importance of trust(00:19:00) - Navigating polarized climate politics across different markets(00:21:00) - Why Sean reduced from nine service offerings to three core ones(00:22:00) - Career advice: Design your lifestyle first, then find work to support it(00:24:15) - The secret to scaling: Mindset over grindingLinks And Resources: Website: https://gordianknotstrategies.com/team/Sean Penrith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spenrith/Amplafy Media: https://www.amplafymedia.com/Hector Santiesteban on LinkedIn:   / hector-santiesteban-64326340  Hector Santiesteban on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hector_podcast?la...Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to How to Scale a Business? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with in the comment section!

    27 min

  6. JAN 12

    Sliced 57: Offsetting My 2025 Carbon Footprint

    Tuesday, January 13, 2026 Sliced 57: Offsetting My 2025 Carbon Footprint In this edition of SLICED, Jay reflects on personal carbon accountability in a year defined by global instability, unpacking what drove his 2025 emissions higher and how carbon markets can play a meaningful role where individual action still matters. -- Sliced is a weekly short-form dispatch released every Tuesday that features original thought pieces from our team members with the goal of slicing apart the various complex aspects of climate finance. If you want to check out the written version of Sliced, click here. And if you want to receive Sliced to your inbox, click ⁠here⁠. Sliced is produced by ⁠Gordian Knot Strategies⁠. It is written, narrated, and edited by ⁠Jay Tipton⁠. Visit us at www.gordianknotstrategies.com. Music is by ⁠Coma-Media.

    5 min

  7. 11/25/2025

    Sliced 56: Empowering Communities Through Private Capital

    Tuesday, November 25, 2025 Sliced 56: Empowering Communities Through Private Capital In this edition, we look at how private capital is emerging as a critical force for empowering disadvantaged communities in the wake of COP30. From impact investing and microfinance to blended finance and carbon markets, the landscape of community-focused investment is evolving fast. These mechanisms are becoming a live case study in how climate goals, finance architecture, and social equity intersect, and why mobilizing private capital at scale is essential to building resilient, inclusive economies in a destabilizing world. -- Sliced is a weekly short-form dispatch released every Tuesday that features original thought pieces from our team members with the goal of slicing apart the various complex aspects of climate finance. If you want to check out the written version of Sliced, click here. And if you want to receive Sliced to your inbox, click ⁠here⁠. Sliced is produced by ⁠Gordian Knot Strategies⁠. It is written, narrated, and edited by ⁠Jay Tipton⁠. Visit us at www.gordianknotstrategies.com. Music is by ⁠Coma-Media.

    5 min
  8. S3 E11: Inside the Push for a Verified Carbon Market with Madeleine Carnemark

    11/17/2025

    S3 E11: Inside the Push for a Verified Carbon Market with Madeleine Carnemark

    In this episode, Jay speaks with Madeleine Carnemark, Director, VCM+ Coalition, Carbon Policy and Markets Initiative at the High Tide Foundation, about the shift from a voluntary carbon market to a verified, high-integrity global market. Madeleine explains how the VCM+ Coalition is working across stakeholders to strengthen market rules, improve transparency, unlock corporate demand, and build durable trust in carbon markets. She also highlights why integrity and scale must go hand-in-hand. Tune in to learn how the verified carbon market is taking shape, and what it will take to mobilize billions in credible climate finance. Resources: VCM+ Coalition Website - https://www.vcmcoalition.orgVCM+ Coalition Email - info@vcmcoalition.orgHigh Tide Foundation Website - https://www.hightidefoundation.org-- About: Untangling Climate Finance⁠ explores the dynamic field of climate change finance through conversations with industry experts about topics including climate solutions, global carbon markets, carbon projects, novel technologies, and much more. If you have any questions, comments, a future guest recommendation, or are interested in joining Jay for an episode, please shoot him a message at: ⁠jtipton@gordianknotstrategies.com⁠ Credits: The podcast is produced by ⁠⁠Gordian Knot Strategies⁠⁠. It is written, narrated, and edited by ⁠⁠Jay Tipton⁠⁠. Music is by ⁠⁠Diamond_Tunes⁠.

    38 min
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4.8
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

Untangling Climate Finance is a podcast from Gordian Knot Strategies that explores the dynamic field of climate change finance. Join the host, Jay Tipton, as he talks with industry experts about topics including climate solutions, global carbon markets, carbon projects, impact investing, policy, MRV tech, and much more. Visit www.gordianknotstrategies.com to learn more about the company.

Information

  • Creator
    Gordian Knot Strategies
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    89
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Gordian Knot Strategies
  • Show Website
    Untangling Climate Finance