Be the change

Usually, when you read or hear that you should take initiative to make a climate impact, it means that you should buy an EV, get solar panels or buy carbon credits. These things are all positive and have an impact, so please keep doing them. But most of us have jobs through which we can generate larger changes. The CEO of a large corporation can decide to change the entire strategy in a more sustainable direction.

Currently, many of these executives are, for example, considering whether and how to start using AI within their organisations to continue being able to compete. At the same time AI usage is predicted to be doubling the energy usage of datacentres from 460TWh in 2022 to 1000TWh next year.

In many cases not using the benefits of AI will be a huge strategic mistake for many companies, but by choosing a smart way of using these benefits can ensure a corporate can be sustainable and move forward towards net zero in parallel.

Also Read: Balancing economic growth and climate action: Decarbonising SEA’s built environment

Most likely you are not a CEO having to make difficult choices like those, but you might be working in an office environment of one of those corporates. If so, make a habit of looking around your desk first before you leave every evening and see if any of the lights you see active are necessary. Switch off anything that doesn’t need to run. After that’s done, start thinking of what your daily job entails and what you could differently there.

Built the change

Do you happen to be that one person whose job is so unique that no innovation has happened there yet that helps you execute it in a more sustainable and climate friendly way? Then you probably know best how to change your job for the better. So have you ever considered making that change your job by becoming an entrepreneur?

When Mr Carney’s words hit home for me, I realised I could align my own investing experience with something that mattered personally: supporting climate tech and sustainability innovation.

As I started educating myself I discovered climate tech and sustainability startups tend to be some of the coolest innovations out there. They have moved from getting founded out of principle towards knowing that they have to generate money to reach their goals. Investors have moved as well. From investing in these companies to do good, so called “impact investing”, towards simply looking for great returns.

Also Read: The climate change and gender equality connection: How to support underfunded women-owned business

Larry Fink, the founder and CEO of BlackRock, the worlds largest financial institution said in 2021 that he thought the next trillion dollar startup would be a climate tech. Legendary investor/entrepreneurs like Bill Gates and Vinod Khosla agree and invest heavily in climate tech.

Innovations are happening across every sector: Terra CO2 is developing sustainable cement that cuts CO2 emissions by 70 per cent while also bringing environmental, logistical, and financial benefits. Liquid Stack is using liquid cooling to cut data centre energy consumption, H2FLY is working on electric commercial planes, and even waste is being mined to recover valuable materials. These breakthroughs show how climate tech has shifted from principle-driven projects to commercially viable businesses.

Through the Zero Emissions Fund, I invest in climate tech and sustainability, with Terra CO2 among the companies supported. I also lead the Zero Emissions Accelerator, a global programme that helps startups in climate tech and sustainability grow.

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