Invested In Climate

Most of our episodes go deep into specific opportunities to address climate change through new technologies, investment opportunities, advocacy, and policy. This episode takes a step back to look at climate and impact investing, how they’ve evolved in recent years, and where they’re heading. Not only have climate and impact investing exploded in recent years, but they’ve also become more mature sp...

Decarbonization requires not only eliminating fossil fuels as a main source of energy, but also replacing them as key ingredients in objects we use every day. If you want a crash course on just how much our material world depends on fossil fuels, check out the book How the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil. It’s a fascinating, though sobering read, and one of Bill Gates’ favorite books.  Toda...

If you’re listening to this podcast you clearly care about climate change and it might bother you that your 401k is likely investing in fossil fuels. Many employers have yet to offer sustainable 401k plans, and it sends billions of dollars of capital into fossil fuels every year. Even ESG funds often invest in fossil fuels. Today’s conversation is about making it easier for everyday investors to i...

We often hear about public commitments to reach net zero, but not the nuance, choices, costs, and complexity big companies face when working to decarbonize their global operations. Behind the scenes, any company that is making climate commitments has teams of people focused on decarbonization strategy, carbon accounting, and reporting to figure out how to ween their companies off of fossil fuels a...

Perhaps you’ve heard of the Valley of Death? It’s the phase of development that often kills off startups before they can reach scale. One key challenge is needing to test and refine their technology and gain true validation.   For a few lucky startups, this is where the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator comes in to help them develop pilots that provide the insights and credible third-part...

Today’s episode focuses on sustainable consumption. I know what you’re probably thinking – that the climate crisis requires systemic change and that shifting consumer behavior is slow, it's difficult and it simply won’t add up to enough in terms of the emissions reductions we need. And, I agree – sustainable shopping isn’t enough, but it’s still essential. Demand for climate-positive products help...

Today, we’re going to talk about mushrooms. More than a delicious pizza topping, fungi can be useful in many different ways and it might even play a heroic role in addressing climate change. How might mushrooms help? Let's count some of the ways. They can be eaten and help reduce our dependence on animal protein. They can replace animal-based leather, sequester carbon, serve as a biofuel, improve...

When it comes to climate policy we hear a whole lot about what’s happening or not at the federal level, and it's easy to miss the critical role of states and cities in responding to climate change. Whether you know it or not, your local government is shaping how your community is preparing for and responding to climate impacts. It’s also making choices driven by the climate transition that affect...

Today, we're taking a deep dive into the ocean. Oceans are central to our planet’s climate system. They regulate temperatures, host a vast array of biodiversity, and here's a crucial point - they absorb about a quarter of all CO2 emissions, acting as a massive carbon sink. But this isn't without consequence. Ocean acidification is a direct result of climate change. It's a silent crisis happening b...

Addressing climate change is not just about eliminating emissions and removing as much carbon from the atmosphere as possible. It's also about people – how their lives, livelihoods, and communities are disrupted by climate impacts as well as by investments in climate solutions. It’s an issue of equity. Pollution and climate-induced extreme weather are disproportionately felt by people of color and...

You probably know that buildings and the built environment account for 40% of our emissions and about 40% of our energy use. Many bright minds are working on this problem, but it remains a tricky one. In the residential market, homeowners are often reluctant to undertake renovations, and when they do, they usually lack the information and contractors they need to consider energy-efficient and clim...

The US Department of Energy (DOE) plays a key role in the rollout of climate funding and policies, so I was thrilled to chat with Chris Castro. Chris is the Chief of Staff of the Office of State and Community Energy Programs at the DOE. Chris brings entrepreneurial instincts and experience, along with clear passion to his role. We talk about Chris’ journey, the implementation of policies you’ve he...

Late in 2022, I noticed a BBC News article stating that HSBC – one of the world’s largest banks – had committed to end funding for all new oil and gas drilling. The commitment alone was noteworthy, but what really caught my eye, as I was looking to understand what drove such a powerful commitment, was the mention of a small nonprofit group based in the UK called ShareAction . I learned that their...

Today’s episode is a deep dive into climate finance. I’m joined by Marilyn Waite, Managing Director of Climate Finance Fund . Marilyn is one of the world’s leading thinkers, writers and leaders working in several different ways to stimulate the kind and scale of investment needed to address climate change. She brings a deep commitment to climate justice and using finance to ensure the climate tran...

Imagine if solar panels could be invisible and so thin that you could install them inside windows. Exciting, right?  This isn’t a science fiction thought experiment, but it’s a real technology being developed by a company called Ubiquitous Energy . And it gets even better: they’re developing this technology in partnership with Andersen Windows , one of the largest and perhaps best-known resid...

If you’re listening to this podcast you probably agree that climate solutions need to be deployed at scale, across industries, and ultimately influence the lives of everyone. And yet, it’s still hard for most people to invest in and access the solutions our future relies on.  The episode features two companies that are working towards increasing access to climate tech for investors and consum...

Agriculture is a sector that needs to be transformed. We need to cut emissions, improve soil health, and sequester more carbon, all while feeding more people. This episode focuses on how California’s Department of Food and Agriculture is investing in this change.  Why California? Well, agriculture in the Golden State is a big deal. It’s a $51 billion-a-year industry, that grows over a third o...

While new innovations from climate tech startups are exciting, effectively addressing the climate crisis simply isn’t going to happen without big companies making big changes. To be honest, that’s part of why I recently started a new role at NationSwell where I get to help a growing community of chief sustainability officers and ESG leaders take bold action. But don’t worry this episode isn’t abou...

There’s a lot of talk about electric cars, but what about other vehicles like buses and trucks? Buses and trucks create 30% of emissions from the transportation sector, so they need to be a priority.  This episode focuses on school buses. It turns out that diesel school buses not only pollute the environment, but they cause real health problems for the kids who ride them. Fortunately, the shi...

The race to address climate change is creating a whole lot of opportunity and a whole lot of work. Just to offer a sense of the scale, the US Inflation Reduction Act is expected to create nine million jobs alone. This is on top of an already booming climate job market. And, climate isn’t just tackled through newly created jobs, but also through new climate responsibilities within existing jobs.&nb...

When you think of residential solar, you probably think of solar installations that are tied to the grid. These installations have many benefits. You can rely on the grid when you need to, you don’t need to store all the energy you generate in batteries, and you can sell energy back to utilities. But on-grid solar isn’t for everyone, and our future surely requires some mix of on- and off-grid tech...

Given the enormity of climate change and the unprecedented opportunity for innovation that comes with decarbonization, I love learning about ambitious efforts that really take seriously the speed and scale at which we need to invest in change. I’ve long been a fan of New Energy Nexus – an organization that aims to make clean energy accessible to everyone by supporting 100,000 climate entrepreneurs...

Get ready. This episode is a really detailed conversation about what could be one of the most important new technologies for addressing climate change.  Here’s some context: The world has started working to decarbonize virtually every sector of the economy. Yet, even if we had all the political and corporate will, investments and incentives one could imagine, this would still be an incredibly...

Today’s episode focuses on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing. What began as a fringe interest in socially responsible investing grew at an astonishing rate and is now completely mainstream, considering the ESG performance of companies. According to a PWC report from last November, ESG investing will grow over the next three years to reach over $30 trillion dollars. That’d be ov...

So far in 2023, we've been looking to the future. Our first episode featured new opportunities with Google, CSAA and IDEO . Then, we did an episode focusing on regenerative agriculture , and another on transforming the global food system . This week, we'll look to the past and replay one of our first and most popular episodes ever. The episode features Jamie Beck Alexander of Drawdown Labs , a pro...