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Abstract
The fight against climate change must include near term efforts to prevent the release of potent non-CO2 gases like refrigerants and methane. Tradewater, LLC is a mission-based for-profit B-corp committed to tackling these problems by leveraging private finance to achieve large-scale impact. Though carbon offset credits are not without controversy, the reality is that they remain a unique and powerful tool to tackle climate problems such as these. This talk will focus on Tradewater’s work to hunt for, collect, and destroy ozone-depleting halocarbons all around the world, as well as Tradewater’s work to plug leaking oil and gas wells throughout the United States that have been orphaned by drillers and operators. It will discuss the importance of this work in the fight against climate change, as well as some of the challenges and barriers that exist to achieving even more impact. It will also invite discussion on better methods for quantifying the environmental benefit of plugging orphaned oil and gas wells – a key to driving private finance to solve this important environmental challenge.
Bio
Gabe Plotkin is a founding partner of Tradewater, LLC and currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer. He oversees implementation of Tradewater’s global efforts to collect and destroy halocarbons in order to generate carbon offset credits. He also works with Tradewater’s leadership team to expand existing greenhouse gas mitigation programs and establish new ventures related to innovative technology and international carbon markets. Gabe began working in environmental project development at Wabashco, LLC, after a 12-year career as an attorney in both public and private practice, as well as an academia. Throughout his career, Gabe has served in various leadership roles in the non-profit world, including founding Youth Rights Media, a non-profit in New Haven, Connecticut, dedicated to empowering youth to protect and advance their legal rights, and serving for six years on the board of the Rebuilding Exchange, a Chicago non-profit committed to developing a market for the reuse of building materials. Gabe holds a B.A. from Brown University and a J.D. from Yale Law School.