Why CRA is Expanding Beyond Ocean Iron Fertilization—
And Why Bamboo Might Be the Key to Scaling Climate Restoration
When we founded the Climate Restoration Alliance, we focused on one urgent mission:
Restore a safe climate for future generations.
Among the many strategies we explored, one stood out: Ocean Iron Fertilization (OIF) — a natural, ocean-based process with the potential to remove gigatons of CO₂ quickly and affordably. The science is promising. The urgency is undeniable. And the opportunity is closing fast.
OIF is what we call the “Iron Bullet” — elegant, powerful, and, if done responsibly, capable of scaling to the levels needed to restore the climate at a fraction of the cost of other CDR methods.
So why expand beyond it?
Because restoring the climate isn’t about putting all our hopes into one solution. It’s about building a diverse arsenal of restoration tools — ones that can reinforce each other, serve different regions and communities, and be deployed at different speeds and scales.
We don’t yet know how quickly OIF can be deployed at scale — or how regulatory and political hurdles may evolve. And with every passing year, the stakes grow higher. Every fraction of a degree of warming puts millions more people at risk.
That’s why we’re also investing in Plan B — or rather, Plan Bamboo.
Why Bamboo?
Bamboo might not seem like a climate restoration breakthrough — until you take a closer look:
- It’s the fastest-growing plant on Earth, with some species growing up to a meter a day.
- It can sequester up to 50 tons of CO₂ per hectare annually.
- It grows well on degraded land, restoring soils and ecosystems.
- It produces valuable biomass that can be turned into timber, furniture, textiles, biochar, and even renewable energy.
In other words, bamboo is not just a plant — it’s a regenerative industry waiting to scale.
That’s why we’ve launched a large-scale bamboo development project in Togo, West Africa — where it offers a rare convergence of carbon removal, economic development, and ecological restoration.
According to Project Drawdown, scaling bamboo globally could avoid and sequester over 1 gigaton of CO₂ per year, while creating widespread rural livelihoods.
Why CRA Is Stepping Up
Let’s be clear: CRA remains fully committed to OIF.
It’s one of the few methods with true climate-scale potential.
But OIF can’t stand alone. It needs infrastructure. Legitimacy. Policy support. And time.
That’s where bamboo comes in.
Bamboo is already happening. It’s tangible. It’s shovel-ready.
Governments, funders, and communities are more eager to support visible, actionable projects — and bamboo opens doors that OIF simply can’t yet.
We’re using bamboo to:
- Build credibility and trust with local stakeholders
- Grow institutional capacity across continents
- Create on-the-ground success that inspires broader participation
- Train and activate communities, so more people can directly engage in climate restoration
And yes — it’s profitable, replicable, and regenerative. Our project in Togo is designed to generate revenue while sharing wealth with local farmers, restoring degraded land, and delivering verified carbon removal and avoided emissions.
Building the Climate Restoration Movement
This isn’t just about plants or plankton. It’s about people.
We’re branding bamboo as a Climate Restoration solution — one that anyone can be part of.
By combining bold ventures like OIF with grounded, accessible solutions like bamboo, we’re creating a new path forward — one where we restore the planet together and empower the people who live on it.
Bamboo is how CRA builds momentum — and prepares the foundation for ever more ambitious projects.
So, Do We Need a Plan B?
Absolutely.
Because if we’re serious about winning this fight, we need more than a silver bullet.
We need a movement.
Ocean Iron Fertilization may be our Iron Bullet.
But Bamboo is how we build the future we want for our children.