The world needs a company willing to force governments to take action on climate change.
So far, climate tech has been the polite corner of the startup world. All pleases and thank yous, triple bottom lines and shared upsides, plenty of virtue and virtue signaling.
That’s great and all. Saving the world from probable calamity is an honorable mission statement, one that probably bleeds over into the way companies do business. And certainly the world could use more kindness, not less.
But here’s the thing: Right now, the world is moving too slowly, on track for 2.7 C of warming by 2100, far short of the 1.5 C goal that’s in the Paris Agreement. There’s no longer time for niceties. We need a climate tech startup that’s going to throw its weight around and force evolution on sclerotic governments and companies.
In short, the world needs a climate tech startup that’s like an early-days Uber, a company that won’t take no for an answer, one that tackles an entrenched, slow-moving industry bound by regulation, one with deep pockets and an eye toward the long game. Should it succeed, everyone would want to sign up as a customer. The rewards for the startup and its investors could be handsome.