Do you know how many times I’ve heard that while building 4WARD.VC and our “Partner in Crime” Climate Accelerator program? Too many to count. And I always have to laugh.
Because EVERY company is a climate company – EVERY company has an impact on our world and our environment. It just depends if we decide to see it or not.
Construction, food & agriculture, infrastructure, energy… EVERY sector exists in the REAL WORLD, and that means they impact our world.
Even internet and IT companies (like Zuck’s silly 1980s-quality Metaverse) – because servers & GPUs consume massive amounts of energy, as do producing silly headsets (that make users dizzy and disoriented).
Everything has a climate angle somehow.
Even if it’s not a treehugger-typical save the world startup.
Like building new buildings? Well coming CO2 taxes and building standards are increasingly forcing construction companies to go green. And that requires low-carbon materials, repurposing and recycling and a massive overhaul to the incredibly dirty and pollutive construction & real estate which accounts for ±40% of global emissions.
And everything we eat… that’s another 18.4% of emissions.
Everything we buy online… 6% of emissions… plus 3.5B tons of packaging wasted.
Then there’s transportation – 16% of emissions
And of course, energy generation – 24% of emissions
But not everything comes down to CO2 emissions (hence why we focus on Positive Climate Economics). There’s plastic in the oceans, waste filling landfills, destruction of our rainforests & natural habitats, nitrates poisoning groundwater, degradation of soil health/micronutrients, risk of extreme weather events… the list goes on and on.
Everything in our world is IN OUR WORLD.
That means EVERYTHING has a climate component.
Even your nightly Netflix/Disney+ streaming – 3-4% of emissions
So how can you honestly tell me your family office or fund (or whatever) doesn’t invest in climate companies?
That’s like people that say they don’t eat sugar… There’s natural sugar in EVERY SINGLE THING you consume everyday (vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs, coffee… you name it).
Just because there’s no ADDED sugar (or no specific focus on climate impact), doesn’t mean it’s not INHERENTLY there.
And if EVERY investment has an impact on our world and planet’s future, doesn’t it only make sense to view EVERY company through a climate impact lens?
Otherwise it’s like being on a diet and pretending the calories from pizza and ice cream “don’t count” (because they’re yummy and ignorance is bliss…)
And let’s face it… all else (including taste) being equal, you’d rather eat low/no-carb pizza and ice cream (assuming there’s no artificial sweeteners etc…) because it’s healthier for you (and our planet) in the long term.
So, let’s invest in the health of our planet, get rid of silly fossil fuel subsidies and focus on investing in the most promising (from an ROI and growth perspective) and important asset class in humanity’s history – climate tech startups – like we do with 4WARD.VC’s Partner in Crime Climate Accelerator!