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-solutions
• Climate 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

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.org

• VCM+ Coalition Email - info@vcmcoalition.org
• High 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.

Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Sliced 55: Brazil’s Climate Finance Momentum

In this edition, we look at Brazil’s climate finance surge heading into COP30. From new forest-finance pledges and carbon-market reforms to international coalitions and catalytic funds, Brazil has been in nonstop motion. It’s become a live case study in how carbon markets, finance architecture, and global alliances collide - and why Brazil’s scale, resources, and politics make it central to the planet’s climate future.

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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.

In this episode, Jay speaks with Valentin Lautier, founder and CEO of Homaio, about how they are helping compliance carbon markets become accessible to everyday investors. Valentin explains how Homaio turns European Union carbon allowances (EUAs) from the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) into investable climate assets that blend impact with return.

They discuss the global rise of compliance markets, investor access, and why financial innovation is key to accelerating decarbonisation.

Give it a listen to learn how investing in carbon is evolving and why climate action now comes with a balance sheet.

Resources:

• Homaio Website: https://www.homaio.com/

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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.

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Sliced: Trump Sinks Global Climate Progress, Again

In this edition of we look at how the Trump administration once again sank global climate progress. Six months after we wrote about the IMO’s plan to price global shipping emissions, that progress has been blown off course. U.S.-led opposition just delayed the world’s first global carbon levy - another year lost while CO2 hits record highs.

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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.