Rebuilding Ukraine, restoring the planet: Tao Climate's story

As the world refocuses on war-torn Ukraine, we speak to the business that's already helping to rebuild the nation sustainably.

After world leaders met in Washington DC this week to discuss potential security guarantees for Ukraine, Enterprise Nation member Gary Byrnes has described how he's proving his revolutionary climate technology works under the most challenging conditions imaginable.

Turning conflict into climate action

Gary is helping to rebuild Ukraine with climate-friendly housing that simultaneously removes carbon from the atmosphere and provides homes for displaced families.

As co-founder of Dublin-based Tao Climate and FlyGuiltFree.com, Gary's firm has partnered with Ukrainian companies near Lviv to construct housing from locally grown industrial hemp for people internally displaced by the conflict.

The project serves as a powerful proof of concept for his emissions calculator technology, demonstrating how his platform can monitor carbon removal projects anywhere in the world – even in active war zones.

Gary explains:

"We were invited to visit the project, but it's too early. Let's face it, it's too dangerous.

"But what this does is illustrate the need for a technology solution to measure, report and verify.

"When we integrate satellite imaging – we're working with the European Space Agency on this – we can monitor hemp as it's growing anywhere in the world, and then monitor the buildings being made from that carbon fibre."

Why hemp could be the key to ending the climate crisis

The Ukrainian pilot project became crucial when Tao Climate prepared its submission for Elon Musk's XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition.

It needed to demonstrate kiloton-scale carbon removal – projects removing 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO²). The Ukrainian partnership provided exactly the scientific data it needed.

Gary says:

"We gathered data with them and monitored the project, using all that scientific data for our XPRIZE submission. That got us into the top 100 carbon removal companies globally.

"It validated all our science and carbon equations, while showing how we could scale to megaton and even gigaton scale."

Industrial hemp forms the cornerstone of Tao Climate's emissions solution because it's "nature's most effective plant at removing CO² from the air very quickly in vast quantities."

The carbon fibre from plant biomass creates hempcrete, a sustainable construction material that sequesters carbon for hundreds of years while continuing to absorb CO² through carbonation.

The Ukrainian project showcased hemp's remarkable properties beyond carbon removal. Hempcrete is moisture permeable, which stops mould from growing, while providing excellent thermal regulation – keeping interiors warm when cold and cool when warm.

As a biomaterial, it's healthier to live in than concrete, which Gary describes as "quite toxic".

Proof that counts – verifying carbon removal at scale

Tao Climate's technology solution addresses a fundamental problem in carbon markets – verification.

Instead of sending inspectors worldwide to verify projects, the company's satellite monitoring system can track hemp growth and construction remotely. This approach works not just in war zones like Ukraine but across Africa, where Gary is discussing partnerships.

The scale of ambition matches the climate challenge. Gary calculates that growing hemp on just 25% of land currently used for livestock and dairy would close the 23 billion-ton annual emissions gap and "stop climate change in its tracks".

Gary says:

"There's already enough CO² in the atmosphere to cause 10 degrees of warming, which means the end of all life on Earth. But we don't want people scared.

"We want them aware of the problem and to understand there's now a mechanism that can remove existing CO² while producing outputs that replace the need for fossil fuel."

Beyond construction, hemp can replace virtually any fossil fuel application – from biofuels to bioplastics, Gary adds.

Charting the way forward for climate tech

Today, Tao Climate operates with eight people across several countries, having earlier this week launched FlyGuiltFree.com – a real-time carbon removal platform for air travellers.

The technology integrates AI, Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and satellite imaging to provide instant emissions calculations and verified carbon removal through hemp projects.

Gary says:

"Our goal is massive-scale. We want to show people there is a way. That's why we're called Tao Climate – it's all about showing the way to a more sustainable and balanced world."

The Ukrainian project represents more than just validating the technology. In fact, it demonstrates how climate solutions can address humanitarian crises while proving business models.

Gary adds:

"By providing housing for displaced families using locally grown materials that actively remove carbon, we're showing how climate technology can rebuild nations while rebalancing the atmosphere."

Currently fundraising its seed round, Tao Climate aims to embed its technology in airline booking systems, with plans to expand into data centres – where AI's exponential growth consumes massive amounts of energy.

Gary concludes:

"Instead of saying 'Oh my God, what are we going to do?', here's something you can actually do. We're at the tipping point already, but we're showing people the way forward."

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