Transitioning to Climate Tech: Key Takeaways
Transitioning to Climate Tech: Key Takeaways
Tom Steyer, Co-Founder, Galvanize Climate Solutions, and Astrid Atkinson, CEO and Co-Founder, Camus Energy, shared their insights into the industry
Responsible Innovation Labs hosted the “Transitioning to Climate Tech” webinar on January 19, 2023, featuring Tom Steyer, Co-Founder of Galvanize Climate Solutions, and Astrid Atkinson, Co-Founder and CEO of Camus Energy.
Here are some key takeaways:
The big picture
With current CO2 use we will hit a 1.5 degree celsius increase in global temperature by 2028
Market failure: it’s free to pollute
People who have emitted the least historically are suffering the most from natural disasters and displacement caused by climate change
~$4.5T investment is needed to address climate change (we’re currently at $1T)
We can’t solve this issue without working with other countries to reduce existing emissions or build cleaner forms of energy in emerging markets
It’s time to get in the game
“Kindness doesn’t scale, capitalism does. So we need to win in the markets over and over and over again in a way that protects human beings.” - Tom Steyer
“If you really want to make an impact on something you care about, find a place where your individual skills, strengths, and background are a unique advantage” - Astrid Atkinson
“Don’t be reasonable. The assumption that the status quo is reasonable - throw that right out the window.” - Tom Steyer
Here’s how
1. Learn more about the sector
Read
Interact
En-Roads, an MIT Sloan x Climate Interactive simulation and learning tool
2. Find people to talk to
“I just got really boring at parties for five years. When people would come up to me and ask, ‘Hey Astrid, how are you’ and I’d tell them, ‘Great. I’m really interested in energy - do you know anyone who works in it?’ The nice thing about the climate space is that if you ask anyone for 45 minutes of their time, they will likely say yes. I found out that the human community associated with the energy and climate space was really rewarding.”
3. Start your search
Companies to check out
Check out Camus grid transformation peers at https://congruentvc.com/portfolio/
Resources for Job Seekers
Climate Action Tech (Slack community)
Climate People (and Climate Career Toolkit)
My Climate Journey (and Slack community)
New Energy Nexus (and Slack community)
Terra.do (and Educational Courses)
Work on Climate (and Slack community)
Recommended by attendees:
Planet Haus (NYC-based)
Tofu community (for the marketing community)
More at www.rilabs.org/climate-tech-webinar. Pre-register for future Responsible Innovation Labs events here.
Thank you again to our speakers, participants, and everyone who made this event a success.
If there are ways that Responsible Innovation Labs can be helpful, let us know.