Invested In Climate

Alex Wright-Gladstein was one of the first people I interviewed when I launched Invested in Climate nearly 3 years ago. Our conversation has stuck in my mind over the years as her company, Sphere, offers one of the most impactful actions individuals can take to address climate change. 

The action is really simple: Moving our savings out of fossil fuel companies. In the United States, fossil fuels are included by default in reti...

In just its first few weeks in power, the Trump administration has wreaked havoc on the climate tech landscape. An executive order aimed at accelerating fossil fuel extraction and slamming the brakes on renewables and the freeze on all federal grants has already had a devastating effect. Even though the freeze was quickly rescinded, climate companies and organizations across the country are struggling to operate amidst the uncertai...

Many experts today say we’re in the midst of the 6th mass extinction, a relatively short period of time when a high percentage of biodiversity dies out. To be clear, we’re talking about hundreds of thousands of species and an extinction event bigger than anything our planet has seen for over 65 million years when dinosaurs walked the earth. A recent study in the journal, Science, looked at 30 years of research across hundreds of sp...

What 2025 will bring for climate tech is pretty hard to predict. We’ve seen a slowdown in investments at the same time as we see a continued flood of talent into the space, maturing technologies, and a boom in AI that could be transformative for climate solutions. The new administration? Nobody really knows how they’ll orient around climate tech, or how private investors will respond.

There’s a lot of uncertainty, but of course, pro...

Happy New Year everyone. It's 2025, and we know this year will be tricky in more ways than we can even imagine. I hope our podcast helps you stay inspired and think big throughout the year. 

Having gotten to talk to hundreds of climate tech founders, funders, advocates, and corporate sustainability leaders in recent years, I’ve been inspired by the amazing energy, innovation, and tenacity of climate champions worldwide. I’ve sa...

Let’s talk about nature – the forests, land, oceans, biodiversity, and ecosystem that make this planet liveable and, if you ask me, quite worth saving. Nature regulates our climate – and stewarding nature well could contribute 20-30% of our emissions reduction needs. It’d also support livelihoods around the world and help prevent the mass extinction of many of our planet’s species. 

Nature-based solutions often sound simple – p...

Today, we’re talking about wildfires and some innovative technology to prevent them. 

Climate change-related heat, drought, and what’s called thirsty atmospheric conditions increase the risks that come with wildfires. These fires have a real impact – they take human lives, create lasting respiratory health problems, destroy billions of dollars of property, and contribute significantly to global carbon emissions. The 2023 fire i...

When Tom Steyer and Katie Hall came together in 2021 to bring Galvanize Climate Solutions to the world, it promised to be something rather unique. They both bring decades of experience managing many billions of dollars, incredible networks, and insights to find the best, most impactful investment opportunities for climate. Recently, Secretary John Kerry joined Galvanize as a Co-Chair, adding perhaps unparalleled international exper...

There are many reasons to believe the re-election of Donald Trump will be a major setback to climate progress. His previous record, recent campaign, ties to the fossil fuel industry, and perpetuation of misinformation, like the strange idea that wind turbines kill whales, all suggest we’re in for a radical reversal of America’s climate commitment. 

I’ve had many conversations with climate leaders since the election and a differ...

Every once in a while I come across an investment firm with a really different edge and perspective. Overture VC is one such firm. Their specialty is policy – not just understanding the unique opportunities climate tech companies have with government incentives and helping them navigate that tricky terrain, but also actually lobbying for policies that’ll benefit their portfolio companies. 

In the words of Overture Founder and M...

The apparel industry has a massive impact on the environment. The industry is the second-highest consumer of water and it drives almost 10% of global carbon emissions. Despite thousands of smart people working to make this industry cleaner and all sorts of investments by brands, emissions are still increasing. 

To learn about this problem and get an inside look at the efforts to address it, I caught up with two old friends, Jas...

If you’re an avid listener, you might know I’m always interested in learning about ways we might improve financial markets for climate ventures. Improving the flow of capital can, of course, be incredibly impactful in helping more climate solutions scale successfully. So I was really excited when I learned about Open Road and the important role they’re playing by offering bridge loans to promising companies. 

Ok, maybe bridge l...

After a summer of record heat waves, I’m sure we’re all grateful for air conditioning. And we know, it’s not just about comfort or productivity, but with extreme heat, being able to cool buildings keeps people safe. Yet, it comes at a cost: air conditioning today is responsible for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions and demand is set to triple by 2050.

Maybe you’re thinking that heat pumps are the answer and will come to th...

We’re weeks away from a historic election. It’s one that will decide the course of climate action in the United States at a pivotal moment, a moment when we can’t afford to slow down or send mixed signals abroad. And, it’s an election that all expect to be decided by just tens of thousands of voters. 

These are all facts that I’m sure you know already. 

Here’s what you probably don’t know: millions of environmentalists don’...

If you believe the climate transition is creating trillions of dollars of opportunity, then backing public companies whose business models are centered on that transition and whose growth will be driven by it seems an almost obvious approach. 

That’s exactly what Heather Beatty and ScopeFour Capital are doing, and I was excited to hear what they’re learning and the opportunities they see.

In this conversation, we talk about Heat...

I’m always excited to talk to climate investors who have been around for a bit, those who were investing during the Cleantech 1.0 phase, saw the ups and the downs, and have stuck through to our current climate tech boom. Some of the challenges that the earlier era of cleantech investing saw – like high capex and long payback periods – are still relevant today, and experienced investors offer nuanced insights into current opportunit...

It’s a sad truth that many companies are struggling or failing to meet their sustainability targets. Sensitive to anti-ESG pressure, interest rates, and other macro factors, many are also holding back from making new commitments. Currently, less than 10% of the Fortune Global 500 has a net zero commitment in place. 

Amidst this context, it's all the more important to shine a light on the companies that have made ambitious targe...

Hedge funds aren’t exactly known for contributing to climate progress or other ESG goals for that matter. So I was surprised to learn about Corbin Capital, a firm that aims to leverage the activist strategies of hedge funds not just to generate market-exceeding returns for their clients, but to advance environmental and social objectives.

There are trillions of dollars invested in hedge funds that can make a difference in this all-h...

We know we need to be investing trillions of dollars annually into the climate transition. Venture capital is just a small slice of the pie, but there’s simply no time to slow down its contribution to advancing climate solutions. 

In 2023, however, climate tech venture funding dropped 30% to $32 billion. Whether this was a temporary slowdown caused by high interest rates and the macro environment, or the new normal, will make a...