Why now is not the time to stint on climate tech investment

An unfavourable geopolitical context is putting climate technology investment at risk at exactly the moment when earlier investments are reaping dividends. This makes it a critical point at which to ignore political headwinds and public resistance towards ambitious climate action and increase – not reduce – these types of investment.

Investment into climate technology broadly supports a number of key areas: Investments are creating new economic opportunities, including markets and jobs, while also protecting and restoring the climate and ecosystems.

They're boosting efficiencies, thereby saving costs and overall, they are helping businesses, economies, sectors and communities adapt and become more resilient.

Cutting back on climate technology investment now would not only scuttle the progress made and the vital innovation that is rapidly developing, but also risk undermining these burgeoning benefits.

Examples of sustainability tech creating both economic opportunities while also protecting and restoring our climate and natural ecosystems have been growing exponentially. One such company leading this charge is ARC Marine, a UK-based scale-up that makes artificial reefs out of recycled materials.

These support marine biodiversity in the vicinity of infrastructure such as cables, jetties and offshore turbines. To date, the company has installed more than 1,300 of its "reef cubes," creating 3,400 square metres of marine habitats and repurposing more than 620 tonnes of by-product materials.

On the other side of the world, Kweichou Moutai, a leading Chinese liquor producer, has implemented a soil-to-soil circularity model.

This sees it transform distillery by-products into organic fertilizer, animal feed, biogas and high-value biomaterials such as collagen and biodegradable PHA [polyhydroxyalkanoates], creating new market opportunities for biotech.

We often hear that climate tech boosts efficiencies, thereby saving costs and real-world applications have proven its profound impact. Operating in Africa and Brazil, Moroccan manufacturer OCP has created the Tourba platform.

It uses satellite imagery, weather data and soil analysis to provide specific recommendations about fertilizers and irrigation to smallholder farmers.

A total of 2.5 million farmers now use OCP's AI-powered Pocket Agronomist and Agribooster programme, which offers customized advice and access to markets.

In turn, yields have increased by up to 20% and with this, revenues have grown by up to 34%, enhancing shared prosperity.

The final vital area where investment into clean technologies is having a beneficial effect is in boosting resilience. Striking examples emerging in this space include wildfire prevention. French insurance group AXA's wildfire risk prevention tool uses satellite imagery with which risk factors like topography and types of vegetation are integrated.

This, plus predictive data, provides users with continuously updated risk maps and insights. Meanwhile, in China, RoboticsCats has created an AI-based service that provides wildlife monitoring and early wildfire detection technology to help support nature-based solutions and encourage ecosystem protection.

This, plus predictive data, provides users with continuously updated risk maps and insights. Meanwhile, in China, RoboticsCats has created an AI-based service that provides wildlife monitoring and early wildfire detection technology to help support nature-based solutions and encourage ecosystem protection.

Some of the biggest transformations are ones we can only begin to imagine. Start-ups like Astroforge are looking to reduce our reliance on terrestrial mining, which can be damaging to the planet by developing spacecraft for extracting and processing these metals in space.

Other innovators are exploring new ways to generate clean energy, like osmotic power, which can reframe the ways we approach our Earth's resources, such as water.

Osmotic power generates steady, renewable energy from differences in salinity and its widespread use could ensure we see water not as a waste stream but as the heart of a strategic resource platform.

This would create an interconnected system where management, energy production and resource extraction are deeply integrated.

These examples are all years away in terms of coming to the market, but underscore why now is exactly the time when we should be investing heavily in clean technologies, which are vital to discovering the solutions to our mounting climate change-related problems.

A fall in investment not only stymies innovation but undermines adaptation and mitigation strategies, making climate impacts greater and costlier. Since 2000, climate-related disasters have caused more than $3.6 trillion in losses.

Furthermore, it is estimated that hazards threatening corporate fixed assets mean that by 2035, businesses may face annual profit losses of 6.6% to 7.3%.

As the Forum's CEO Guide to Navigating Climate Risk report highlights, understanding climate risk is vital to maintaining business resilience, ensuring a competitive edge, and unlocking opportunities (as much as $10.1 trillion in additional business value to be gained by 2030).

Reflecting on this point, climate risks and opportunities should be a critical element of company strategy, used to guide risk management as well as financial, operational and strategic decisions.

Balancing short-term profitability with long-term sustainability requires businesses to repurpose assets, manage the risk and reward profiles of investment into areas like climate tech and ensure competitiveness in green sectors. Overall, capital allocation should match climate risk strategy.

There is a lot of discussion about the "cost" of "going green," but an essential point to make is that climate action doesn't come at the expense of prosperity. The Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders has shown this clearly.

The group has reduced emissions by 10% over a three-year period, with its aggregate revenues rising by 18% in the same timeframe.

Furthermore, recent research suggests that businesses tend to overestimate the cost of action and underestimate the financial losses of climate change. And yet, data shows that for every dollar invested in areas like adaptation and resilience, businesses reap between $2-19 in returns.

The path forward is clear: invest boldly in climate technology today or pay a far higher price tomorrow – in lost opportunities, diminished resilience and escalating costs. By prioritizing innovation and sustainability now, we not only safeguard our economies and ecosystems but also secure new avenues for growth.