Untangling Climate Finance

Hosted by Gordian Knot Strategies

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Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

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.

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60 recent

June 15, 2026Episode 633 min

S4E6: Facts on the Ground in Carbon Markets with Saif Bhatti

Season 4, Episode 6: Saif Bhatti on the Facts on the Ground in Carbon MarketsIn this episode, Jay chats with Saif Bhatti, Founder & CEO of Renoster, to explore what a decade of rating nature-based carbon projects teaches you, and what happens when you use that knowledge to build one yourself.Saif unpacks why only 15% of the 240 projects Renoster rated met the one ton for one credit threshold, how satellite data and remote sensing cut through the craftsmanship of project documentation to find the real facts on the ground, and why the auditor conflict of interest remains one of the market's most stubborn structural problems. He also walks us through Apollo, Renoster's forest carbon program bringing small landowners in Maine into the carbon market for the first time.Saif has rated over 200 carbon projects. He knows exactly what a bad one looks like. Now he's building one. Give it a listen.Resources:LinkedIn - Saif Bhatti: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saifbhatti/Renoster: https://www.renoster.co/Apollo Program: https://apollo.renoster.co/ --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.com⁠Credits:The podcast is produced by ⁠⁠Gordian Knot Strategies⁠⁠.It is written, narrated, and edited by ⁠⁠Jay Tipton⁠⁠.Music is by ⁠⁠Diamond_Tunes⁠.

June 8, 2026Episode 667 min

Sliced 66: IFNF Insights Brief No. 4 - From Experimentation to Scale: How IFNF Evolved Across Five Cohorts

Tuesday, June 9, 2026Sliced 66: IFNF Insights Brief No. 4 - From Experimentation to Scale: How IFNF Evolved Across Five CohortsIn this edition of SLICED, we continue our five-part IFNF Insights Brief Series with Brief No. 4, tracing how a portfolio of 38 conservation finance projects shifted over five cohorts from broad R&D to a tighter set of replicable, investment-ready models, and what separated the projects that scaled from those that stalled. A new IFNF brief drops every month, so keep an eye out next month for No. 5.--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.

May 25, 2026Episode 6512 min

Sliced 65: IFNF Insights Brief No. 3 of 5: The Payors Problem

Tuesday, May 26, 2026Sliced 65: The Payors Problem – Why Verified Buyers Matter More Than Good IdeasIn this edition of SLICED, we continue our five-part IFNF Insights Brief Series with Brief No. 3, breaking down the single most discriminating factor in GKS's TRARO readiness framework - the Payors element - and what verified buyer readiness actually looks like across $108 million in blended finance mobilized through the Innovative Finance for National Forests program. A new IFNF brief drops every month, so keep an eye out next month for No. 4.--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.

May 18, 2026Episode 644 min

Sliced 64: Pittsburgh Penguins Purchase Over 12,500 City Forest Credits Across Four Regional Projects

Tuesday, May 19, 2026Sliced 64: Pittsburgh Penguins Purchase Over 12,500 City Forest Credits Across Four Regional ProjectsIn this edition of SLICED, we break down the Pittsburgh Penguins' recent purchase of over 12,500 City Forest Credits across four regional forest preservation projects - what drove the deal, why it's a replicable template for corporates and sports franchises alike, and which top-rated CFC projects still have credits available.--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.

May 10, 2026Episode 538 min

S4 E5: Sean Penrith & Kerry Morrison Break Down the Santa Marta Conference

Season 4, Episode 5: Sean Penrith & Kerry Morrison Break Down the Santa Marta ConferenceIn this episode, Jay is joined by Gordian Knot Strategies CEO Sean Penrith and Director of Strategic Engagement Kerry Morrison to unpack the First International Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels, held in Santa Marta, Colombia in late April, and what it means for the future of climate and nature finance.Sean and Kerry share what made Santa Marta genuinely different from a COP, what separates an investable national transition roadmap from an aspirational one, and why managed fossil decline should now be understood as a peace and stability asset class. They also dig into how Article 6 and the voluntary carbon market need to evolve, and why climate and nature finance are finally beginning to converge around place-based transition architecture.The signal from Santa Marta is clear. The architecture still needs to be built. Give it a listen!Resources:Gordian Knot Strategies: www.gordianknotstrategies.comJay Tipton: jtipton@gordianknostrategies.comKerry Morrison: kmorrisong@gordianknotstrategies.comSean Penrith: spenrith@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, 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.com⁠Credits:The podcast is produced by ⁠⁠Gordian Knot Strategies⁠⁠.It is written, narrated, and edited by ⁠⁠Jay Tipton⁠⁠.Music is by ⁠⁠Diamond_Tunes⁠.

April 20, 2026Episode 442 min

S4 E4: Campbell Moore on Turning Carbon Projects into Investable Businesses

Season 4, Episode 4: Campbell Moore on Turning Carbon Projects into Investable BusinessesIn this episode, Jay chats with Campbell Moore, Managing Director of Carbon Markets at The Nature Conservancy, to explore what it actually takes to turn a nature-based carbon project into an investable business, and why getting that right could unlock billions for communities, forests, and the climate.Cam shares how TNC's NCS Accelerator and Carbon Business Incubator is helping early-stage projects cross the “valley of death,” the critical difference between a carbon project and a carbon business, and why interoperability between voluntary and compliance markets is the defining opportunity of 2026.The capital is out there. The nature is out there. Give it a listen.Resources:LinkedIn - Campbell Moore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/campbell-moore-920a845/The Nature Conservancy - Carbon Markets: https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-priorities/tackle-climate-change/climate-change-stories/carbon-market-credits-offsets/--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.com⁠Credits:The podcast is produced by ⁠⁠Gordian Knot Strategies⁠⁠.It is written, narrated, and edited by ⁠⁠Jay Tipton⁠⁠.Music is by ⁠⁠Diamond_Tunes⁠.

April 8, 2026Episode 636 min

Sliced 63: IFNF Insights Brief No. 2 of 5: The TRARO Framework

Tuesday, April 14, 2026Sliced 63: IFNF Insights Brief No. 2 of 5: The TRARO Framework – Seven Elements That Predict Capital MobilizationIn this edition of SLICED, we continue our five-part IFNF Insights Brief Series. Brief No. 2 introduces the TRARO Framework — seven elements that predict whether a conservation finance project will actually mobilize capital — and what separates high scorers from those that stall. A new IFNF brief drops every month so keep an eye out next month for No. 3. --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.

March 23, 2026Episode 626 min

Sliced 62: IFNF Insights Brief No. 1 of 5: From Concept to Capital – Bridging the Readiness Gap

Tuesday, March 24, 2026Sliced 62: IFNF Insights Brief No. 1 of 5: From Concept to Capital – Bridging the Readiness GapIn this edition of SLICED, we launch a five-part IFNF Insights Brief Series produced by Gordian Knot Strategies, with support from the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. Brief No. 1 explores the gap between projects that are investment worthy and those that are truly investment ready, and what it takes to cross it. A new IFNF brief drops every month so keep an eye out next month for No. 2. --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.

March 17, 2026Episode 330 min

S4 E3: Building a Culture of Doing Good with Ignacio Barriendos Hoppichler

Season 4, Episode 3: Building a Culture of Doing Good with Ignacio Barriendos HoppichlerIn this episode, Jay connects with Ignacio Barriendos Hoppichler, CEO and Founder of DoGood People, to explore why employee engagement is one of the most underleveraged tools in the climate transition, and how activating people inside companies can turn sustainability strategies into real, daily action.Ignacio shares how DoGood works with enterprises like Amazon Web Services, Mastercard, Victoria’s Secret and more to translate complex ESG commitments into simple, trackable habits for employees, why disengaged workforces are a bigger threat than a bad sustainability report, and what it takes to build a genuine culture of doing good from the inside out.He also shares his vision for taking DoGood global, including a newly launched program with KPMG Canada.Give it a listen to learn why people are a key piece in climate finance.Resources:DoGood People: https://www.dogoodpeople.com/Ignacio Barriendos Hoppichler: i.barriendos@dogoodpeople.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, 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.com⁠Credits:The podcast is produced by ⁠⁠Gordian Knot Strategies⁠⁠.It is written, narrated, and edited by ⁠⁠Jay Tipton⁠⁠.Music is by ⁠⁠Diamond_Tunes⁠.

March 10, 2026Episode 616 min

Sliced 61: Turning Urban Forests Into Climate Assets: City Forest Carbon+ Credits For Sale

Tuesday, March 10, 2026Sliced 61: Turning Urban Forests Into Climate Assets: City Forest Carbon+ Credits For SaleIn this edition of SLICED, we announce Gordian Knot Strategies' partnership with City Forest Credits and their Project Operators to officially launch the commercialization of City Forest Carbon+ Credits - a premium class of urban forest carbon assets backed by ICROA endorsement, top-tier independent ratings, and a compelling human impact story. Our joint work aims to connect corporate buyers with high-integrity, community-based credits from 65+ projects across 20+ American cities, as CFC advances its mission to turn urban forests into lasting climate assets.If you're interested in buying City Forest Carbon+ Credits, please email Jay Tipton at jtipton@gordianknotstrategies.com --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.