Allen Family Foundation Awards $5M to Support and Study Six Nature-Based Carbon Removal Projects

The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation announced $5 million in grants on Thursday being awarded to six Pacific Northwest efforts deploying nature-based solutions for removing and storing carbon dioxide.

The projects all incorporate research to quantify the climate impacts of the different strategies, which include newer approaches with unknown benefits.

The foundation was launched by the late Microsoft co-founder and his sister, Jody Allen, and has supported wide-ranging environmental and other initiatives since 1988.

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Most of the carbon storage projects will be led by Native American and First Nations partners. They include:

• A beaver habitat restoration project led by the Bonneville Environmental Foundation in Washington and Oregon.
• A Coeur d’Alene Tribe restoration of a prairie ecosystem and use of low-carbon agricultural practices in Idaho and the Palouse region in Washington.
• A Native Conservancy effort measuring the benefits of Indigenous seaweed farming in Alaska.
• A Nisqually Indian Tribe effort employing ecological forestry on former industrial timberland near Washington’s Mt. Rainier.
• A Trout Unlimited project doing stream and stream-side restoration in Oregon and Alaska.
• A collaboration between the University of British Columbia and four First Nations partners to restore B.C. forests using Indigenous cultural burning practices.

While companies are developing technologies and equipment for removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it, natural solutions are typically cheaper and ready to deploy now.

They can also make a significant difference in addressing climate change.

Researchers estimate that natural strategies can reduce U.S. carbon emissions by up to 21%. Globally, forest restoration, climate-friendly agriculture, and other approaches can mitigate 37% of emissions by 2030. The planet last year exceeded the long-standing target of holding global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Seaweed farming, for example, is seen by some as a promising avenue for quickly growing carbon-consuming algae — but there are longstanding questions about its benefits, said Yuta Masuda, the Allen Family Foundation’s science director.

A beaver habitat restoration project led by the Bonneville Environmental Foundation will investigate the climate impacts of beaver dams. (Tim McGuire Fine Art and Photography)

Collecting carbon data could bolster entrepreneurs and organizations pursuing commercial efforts to remove carbon.

Measuring the carbon impacts of seaweed farming, Masuda said, "is critical for expanding markets for seaweed materials in climate impact areas such as bioplastics, fibers, and biostimulants."

The beaver research includes a collaboration with Washington State University to unravel the complicated interactions between vegetation, seasonal drying of water bodies, and soil impacts and how they affect carbon dioxide and methane emissions.

"We know that when traditional knowledge and modern science come together, our greater community can meet the challenges ahead," said W. Ron Allen, chairman of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, in a statement. "This funding helps our communities better prepare for the significant environmental challenges we face ahead."