Climate Technology Industry

🔥 The Future of Climate Tech: 5 Takeaways from Hello Tomorrow 🔥 Busy days last week at Hello Tomorrow in Paris—lots of discussions, strong opinions, and a fair share of debate on the past, present, and future of climate tech. Moderating a panel on the topic, I had the chance to challenge some of the sharpest minds in the space: Liza Rubinstein Malamud (Carbon Equity), Rajesh Swaminathan (Khosla Ventures), and Laurie Menoud (At One Ventures)—right on stage at Hello Tomorrow. So, where does climate tech really stand today? Here are 5 takeaways that stood out: 1️⃣ Climate Tech’s Darwinian Moment Laurie put it bluntly: climate tech isn’t dead, but many companies relying solely on subsidies will be gone in the next 1-2 years. The survivors? Those with better performance and lower costs than existing alternatives. Capitalism is simple—if oil makes money, that’s where it goes. Climate solutions need to be a no-brainer. 2️⃣ US vs Europe: be resilient The panelists emphasised the importance of building business models that can thrive regardless of policy shifts or geography. At the same time, Liza urged European founders to think bigger. Meanwhile, Rajesh reminded us that “yesterday’s tweet” shouldn’t dictate investment decisions—the real wins come from betting on long-term, high-impact inflection points. 3️⃣ What’s Hot, What’s Not This topic itself was hot—plenty of debate, opposing views, and strong opinions. But there was clear consensus on one thing: the only metric that truly matters is strong unit economics. Without it, even the most innovative tech won’t scale. And yes, AI is hot and can play a role in climate, but beware of “AI washing.” It works when it adds real value—think accelerating mineral detection for mining or power management for data centres. 4️⃣ Making Money with Climate Tech Liza, speaking as a fund-of-funds manager, was very clear: climate tech has performed on par with general VC and PE. Cambridge Associates and Dealroom data back this up—the returns are there. In their portfolio, TVPI looks strong, but there’s a catch: lots of unrealised returns. The big question? Will markets open up again this year? That remains to be seen. 5️⃣ The #1 Rule for Climate Founders Laurie’s advice? Forget politics. Focus on economics. The best solutions will win because they outperform and underprice existing options. Rajesh added: the team you build is the company you build—hire talent from industries that have scaled successfully before. And Liza? Plan your entire fundraising journey early—each stage demands a different strategy. 💡 The TL;DR? The market is tough, but winning in climate tech means playing the long game—building companies that make sense with or without policy tailwinds. Last but not least, a big thank you to Arnaud de la Tour, Selma El Ouardi, Jack Fox-Male, and the entire Hello Tomorrow team—great work, and see you next year in the Netherlands! 🇳🇱 #venturecapital #climatetech #liveandkicking

Great detailed review into the net zero claims of the Pathways Alliance - a coalition of six companies representing 95 % of oil sands production in Canada, one of the world's largest oil reserves. The study shines a light not only on the prevalence of greenwashing but also how these greenwashing claims are used to provide cover and earn social license in a range of ways: "Net-zero plans, or the target of negating an organization's carbon emissions by 2050, have proliferated among large oil and gas companies. These plans have led to misleading and unverifiable claims to climate protection and have spurred concerns by researchers about greenwashing.... We identify instances of selective disclosure and omission, misalignment of claim and action, displacement of responsibility, non-credible claims, specious comparisons, nonstandard accounting, and inadequate reporting. There is also evidence that their publicity campaign extends beyond the materials usually collected and assessed for greenwashing by researchers. The article calls for further research into net zero communication and an expanded conception of greenwashing able to account for the role of digital platforms, public relations, and sector-wide alliances in strategically coordinated climate communication.... Pathways' approach to ESG should raise concern with the CCS claims at the core of its net-zero plan. As discussed above, these ESG claims are detached from the reality of industry performance, climate impacts, and commonly accepted reporting practices. Instead, Pathways misleadingly associates the sector with Canada's national identity and international reputation. This is a clear instance of misdirection from the sector's actual environmental performance and climate impacts. Similarly, the CCS claims have not led to any verifiable actions despite several years of promised commitment across documents in our corpus.... The plan's credibility appears to rest upon financing and regulatory assumptions without addressing why government support in the tens if not hundreds of billions of dollars are required to retain a business model that is producing substantial climate impacts." Full article (open access) here: https://lnkd.in/e8UwsXMZ Melissa Aronczyk

Last week I caught up with some of our climatetech founders and the Wavemaker Impact team in Singapore. It reminded me how much Europe could learn from the pace, creativity, hunger and grit of emerging markets when it comes to building climate solutions. In South Asia, you don’t have the luxury of slow progress or “pilot purgatory.” Climate impacts hit hard and fast, so the innovation mindset is lean, practical and deeply connected to livelihoods. 1. The Green Discount Forget moonshots and massive R&D budgets. Across South Asia, founders are building cleaner and cheaper solutions that work now: modular, low-capex climatetech with real unit economics from day one, like turning waste into biofuel (Octayne) or agricultural residues into biochar (WasteX) while improving customer margins. ✅ Lesson for Europe: Move beyond the “green premium.” We don’t always need new tech; we need to deploy what already works, faster and at scale. 2. Decentralised Energy and Leapfrogging Like Africa skipped landlines to go mobile, South Asia is leapfrogging traditional grids with off-grid solar, microgrids and batteries replacing diesel, from Agros to Helios Solar Company Limited and SOLshare. ✅ Lesson for Europe: Distributed renewable energy isn’t just cleaner; it’s more resilient. Energy security in wartime or flood season may depend on it. 3. Nature-Based and Community-Led Solutions After decades of deforestation and degraded land, pioneering models are fighting back through community reforestation, mangrove restoration and regenerative agriculture. Ventures like Bumi Baru and Fair Ventures Social Forestry make nature profitable by working with local populations. ✅ Lesson for Europe: Climate action sticks when people have skin in the game. Build with communities, not just for them. 4. The Just Green Transition In emerging markets, climate isn’t a distant moral issue; it’s a development and equity issue. Policy conversations link emissions to jobs, food and public health. When clean tech creates livelihoods, people back the transition. ✅ Lesson for Europe: Embed justice, inclusion and affordability at the heart of the transition, not as an afterthought. 5. Adaptation and Resilience South Asia is among the most vulnerable regions to climate change and has no choice but to adapt: flood defences, early-warning systems, better weather data and climate-resilient crops. Ventures like Rize and Intensel Limited prove that resilience and profitability can coexist. ✅ Lesson for Europe: Don’t just decarbonise, adapt. Resilience is also an investment class. After more than two decades building start-ups across Asia, I’ve seen how constraint breeds creativity and urgency drives focus. Europe has the capital, talent and technology. Maybe it also needs a bit more of that emerging-market scrappiness and hunger. Because the truth is, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. We just need to roll it faster. 🌍💚

Impact startups in MENA are growing fast but funding strategies must evolve just as quickly. One of the questions I’m asked most often by founders is: “Where do we start when it comes to raising funds for climate or sustainability-focused ventures in this region?” Here’s how I usually break it down in 4 key pathways I’ve worked with or closely observed, each requiring a clear narrative, regional awareness, and the right positioning: 1. Government-backed innovation platforms These are not just about incubation, they are increasingly designed to de-risk startups and connect them to capital. 🔹 Example: Hub71 (Abu Dhabi) offers access to corporates, sovereign investors, and a growing base of VC partners through its Incentive Program. It's a launchpad for startups aligned with national priorities. 2. Climate-aligned positioning Framing your solution around climate resilience or adaptation is no longer optional—it’s a strategic funding move. 🔹 Example: ALTÉRRA, the $30B climate investment fund launched by the UAE at COP28, is designed to mobilize capital into areas like clean energy, food security, and nature-based solutions. Startups that clearly align with these priorities stand a stronger chance of attracting institutional and private funding. 3. Corporate sustainability partnerships Corporates in MENA are increasingly partnering with startups to accelerate their ESG goals—often offering pilot funding, technical support, or access to infrastructure. 🔹 Example: PepsiCo Middle East has launched several open innovation challenges in the region, focusing on sustainable packaging, water reuse, and food system transformation. These partnerships are a valuable entry point for startups ready to co-create scalable solutions. 4. Strategic VC alignment Venture capital in MENA is increasingly aligning with long-term sustainability themes—especially in climate tech and resource efficiency. 🔹 Example: VentureSouq, a MENA-based VC, launched its Climate Tech Fund I to invest in technologies tackling the climate crisis—from energy and mobility to the circular economy. They’re actively backing companies that blend strong commercial potential with measurable impact. The takeaway? It’s not just about raising funds, it’s about raising strategically. That’s how you align with where capital is moving in the region. If you found this useful, share it with a founder or ecosystem builder working on climate and impact in MENA. Let’s make these conversations more visible ;-) #ClimateFinance #MENA #ImpactStartups #StrategicFunding #GreenTransition #BusinessWithPurpose

Alastair Marsh's recent thought-provoking piece in @Bloomberg highlights critical challenges with the current climate tech investing landscape Climate tech projects are capital-intensive with long timelines. Unlike software, much of climate tech requires massive upfront capital for R&D, pilot plants, and manufacturing before significant revenue. This demands longer development and deployment cycles (often 7+ years to scale) that exceed typical 5-7 year VC exit horizons. The classic VC model - built for rapid, asset-light scale-ups - often misaligns with the realities of many climate tech solutions, especially "hard tech." While there’s an abundance of early-stage VC capital for entrepreneurs, later-stage growth that bridges these projects from venture to infrastructure stage is basically absent—that’s called the missing middle. We need to adapt and supplement that approach by layering in other types of capital and bridge the "missing middle." A broader array of financing instruments is essential for climate tech to scale, including patient equity and growth capital, project finance, blended finance, and specialized debt models. Marsh’s piece lays out how family offices are uniquely positioned to be catalyzing players in this space. Their flexibility allows them to deploy capital across diverse segments, filling the gap and driving significant financial returns alongside impact. https://lnkd.in/gUf85Bwy

VCMI released additional guidance on their Claims Code today. But what is that claims code and how does it differ from Science Based Targets initiative guidance? Let's dig in! Science Based Targets initiative has a clear focus on decarbonization, "Offsets are only considered to be an option for companies wanting to finance additional emission reductions beyond their science-based target (SBT) or net-zero target”. The issue here is that SBTI discourages any corporate contribution to climate mitigation beyond decarbonization other than the last 10% of emissions once 90% decarbonization is met. 🤔 So what climate action are we leaving on the table? 1. There is no driver for corporates to compensate for their historical emissions. 2. There is no driver for corporates to compensate for emissions that they can't abate while decarbonizing (due to technology, cost, etc). 3. There is no driver for corporate climate mitigation beyond value chain which is where most of the highest impact (projects in the #GlobalSouth focused on livelihoods and #indigenous leadership) and lowest cost climate mitigation opportunities that have major additional benefits (like #NatureBasedSolutions 🌳 ). And from the climate's perspective, a tonne is a tonne no matter where it comes from or how it is mitigated. 💡 How does VCMI guidance differ? Under VCMI’s Claims Code, companies can use carbon credits to make “Carbon Integrity” claims to accelerate global net zero, above and beyond science-aligned emissions cuts. 1. Encourages the use of high quality carbon credits by corporates to compensate for their current emissions after demonstrating progress towards near-term emission reduction Scope 1 and Scope 2 targets via three tiers: 🥈 Silver: 10 - 50% of company's remaining emissions 🥇 Gold: 50 - <100% of company's remaining emissions 💿 Platinum: 100% or greater of company's remaining emissions 2. Scope 3 Flexibility Claim incentivizes corporates to compensate for their Scope 3 emissions. Credits purchased must not exceed 50% of Scope 3 emissions and use of credits must decline over time, phase out by 2035 or earlier. 3. Requires any carbon credit used within a VCMI claim to have The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) CPP label starting on Jan 1, 2026 and until then disclose on how the credits they've purchased align with the 10 CCPs (Core Carbon Principles). If you are interested in the deeper discussion of why these different factors matter, highly recommend this University of Oxford paper by Roger Ballentine - "The unusual suspects: are well-meaning environmental stakeholders and institutions undercutting the contributions that companies can make to fighting climate change?". It is a great read on the dysfunction of existing rules and regulations that VCMI takes steps towards addressing -https://lnkd.in/eYksjUet Is it perfect in my mind? No. Is it progress? Yes 🔗 in comments #Netzero

World Environment Day 2025: The Year Green Got Audited Today, millions will post about planting trees, reducing plastic, or pledging to go green. That’s great...... But 2025 is not a year for promises. It’s a year for proof. Here’s what’s really happening this World Environment Day; the world is finally holding “green” claims to account. Green Gets a Reality Check In the first five months of 2025: -The EU issued over €600 million in penalties for greenwashing; most tied to inadequate carbon accounting or unverifiable ESG disclosures. -The SEC’s climate rule kicked in for large filers, requiring third-party assurance on climate-related financial disclosures. -Amazon quietly rolled out product-level carbon intensity labels in the EU market. -Global carbon credit retirements dropped 14% YoY, but carbon insetting projects in corporate supply chains rose 40%; companies are getting strategic, not symbolic. 💡 What’s the big message this Environment Day? 🌱 Greenwashing is dead. Green accounting is in. For Earthood and others in the carbon market & ESG ecosystem, the shift is clear: Whether you’re disclosing emissions, claiming net zero, or selling low-carbon steel—if it’s not verifiable, it’s not valuable. The Next Sustainability Frontier What you’ll see more of this year: -Product-level LCAs replacing vague “sustainable product” tags. -Carbon insetting over offsetting—especially in food, fashion & heavy industry. -ESG reports that focus less on frameworks and more on real-world performance. -BRSR Core in India becoming a litmus test for credible ESG leadership. ✊ A New Kind of Environmental Leadership This World Environment Day, skip the fluff. Ask your boardroom: “If an investor or regulator audits our green claims tomorrow; will we pass?” Because Environmental Responsibility in 2025 = Verified Impact + Strategic Action. Let’s not just post green. Let’s build green, prove green, and scale green—together. Reach out to us: esg@earthood.com #WorldEnvironmentDay2025 #VerifiedSustainability #ESGAssurance #CarbonMarkets #Greenwashing #CarbonInsetting #NetZero #BRSRCore #SupplyChainCarbon #GreenAccounting #Earthood #ESGIndia #ClimateLeadership #RealImpact #Decarbonization #CarbonMarket

𝐆𝐇𝐆 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐆𝐇𝐆 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠) ISO 14060 family: It specifies principles and requirement at the organization level for the Quantifying, Monitoring, Reporting and Validating or Verifying GHG emissions and removals. ISO 14060 family – for what? • Provides clarity and consistency • Enhances the environmental integrity • Enhances the credibility, consistency and transparency • Facilitates GHG management strategies and plans • Facilitates mitigation actions • Facilitates the ability to track performance and progress ISO 14060 family standards: • ISO 14064-1 - Designing, developing, managing and reporting organization-level GHG inventories. • ISO 14064-2 - Determining baselines, and monitoring, quantifying and reporting of GHG project emissions. • ISO 14064-3 - Verifying GHG statements related to GHG inventories, GHG projects, and carbon footprints of products. • ISO 14065 - Requirements for bodies that validate and verify GHG statements. • ISO 14066 - Competence requirements for GHG validation teams and verification teams. • ISO 14067 - Quantification of the carbon footprint of products. Develop CFP per functional unit or partial CFP per declared unit. • ISO/TR 14069 - Improving transparency in the quantification of emissions and their reporting •ISO/CD 14068 - Greenhouse gas management and climate change management and relative activities - Carbon Neutrality ISO 14060 family Applications:  • Corporate decisions - identifying emission reduction opportunities and reducing energy consumption • Risks and opportunities management - climate-related risks, reputational risks and its opportunity for business (e.g. New market, new business model) • Voluntary initiatives - participation in voluntary GHG registries or sustainability reporting initiatives • GHG markets - buying and selling of GHG allowances or credits • Regulatory/government GHG programmes - credit for early action, agreements or national and local reporting initiatives.

The invisible thread securing the energy transition isn't a molecule—it's a verifiable data point. As we scale up hydrogen, CCS, and low-carbon fuels, the risk of greenwashing and data fraud grows. How can we trust that a "green" molecule is truly green across a global supply chain? A recent UN/CEFACT white paper provides a powerful answer. 🔍 Key Industry Insights From "Push" to "Pull": The future of supply chains is shifting from pushing paper and PDFs to a digital "pull" model. Authorized partners will use Globally Unique Identifiers (GUIs) to access the specific data they need, on demand. This creates a single, trusted source of truth. The D-R-V Standard: For an identifier to be effective, it must be Discoverable, Resolvable, and Verifiable (D-R-V). This isn't just a barcode; it's a cryptographically secure "digital passport" that proves an asset's origin, authenticity, and ESG attributes with certainty. Building Digital Trust: This framework is foundational for verifying the carbon intensity of hydrogen, ensuring the chain of custody for captured CO2, and validating the sustainability of biofuels. It moves ESG from a reporting exercise to a verifiable, operational reality. 🎯 Career Lens This shift creates a massive opportunity for professionals who can bridge physical assets and digital trust. High-Value Skills: The ability to design, manage, and audit these new digital-physical systems is becoming critical. Roles in digital transformation, supply chain analytics, and tech-focused ESG compliance are seeing their strategic value skyrocket. A Tip for Engineers & PMs: Start thinking about how to embed D-R-V principles into your projects. How can you tag a shipment of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) so its carbon footprint is verifiable from the refinery to the jet engine? That's the billion-dollar question. 🧠 Strategic Reflection This is about more than just tracking; it's about building verifiable integrity at scale. What if you built a 90-day plan to reposition yourself as the expert who ensures the digital integrity of your company's decarbonization claims? AI-powered assessment tools can help map your current skills to these emerging "digital trust" roles. 💡 Action Steps Get fluent: Familiarize yourself with the concepts in the UNECE "Globally Unique Identifiers" white paper and emerging standards like the verifiable Legal Entity Identifier (vLEI). Ask the right question: In your next project meeting, ask: "How do we verifiably prove the origin and attributes of our assets to our stakeholders?" 🚀 Engagement Prompt How is your organization preparing to build this layer of digital trust into its physical supply chains? I'm curious to hear what challenges and opportunities you see. #EnergyTransition #DigitalTransformation #SupplyChain #Hydrogen #ESG #Decarbonization #FutureOfWork #Leadership #CareerDevelopment

My first Forbes article of 2026, “How Do Environmental Attribution Certificates Decarbonize Industry?”, unpacks an important shift in corporate sustainability. For years, the playbook was simple: measure emissions, reduce what you can, offset the rest. That logic is starting to be challenged—especially for steel, cement, power, and the infrastructure behind AI and data centers. Environmental attribution certificates (EACs) offer a different path. They let companies match climate claims to the materials they actually use—green steel for steel demand, low-carbon cement for concrete—without waiting for perfect supply chains. That’s why companies like Microsoft, Meta, and Google are moving early to procure EACs for cement, steel, and decarbonized power. As AI data centers, electrification, and infrastructure build-out accelerate, companies are running into emissions they can’t wish away. EACs let climate ambition meet physical reality, funneling capital into deep industrial decarbonization. This isn’t a silver bullet. Carbon removal still matters. But the center of gravity is shifting: from offsetting emissions to fixing the systems that cause them. If you’re thinking deeply about sustainability in 2026, heavy industry, or how climate markets actually move atoms, not just credits, this one’s for you. Read it now here: https://lnkd.in/gEQwHYRC