What are ‘Climate Solutions’?
What are Climate Solutions?
The Collider, Asheville, NC - May 2024
You’ll notice that under the “The Collider” logo sits the tagline, “Market-Driven Climate Solutions.” This is, in fact, what we at The Collider are all about.
Now, “market-driven climate solutions” almost sounds like a phrase that should theoretically make sense. It may even cause some people to nod appreciatively.
But time after time, even those who have some understanding of what we’re about will come back to us and say, “So, what exactly does that mean?”
It’s a great question and one we hope to answer in this post.
What are climate solutions?
First, a climate solution is anything—whether a product, service, consult, or something else—that helps clients solve climate-related problems. Aside from being extremely general (which it is), this definition may satisfy some people, but maybe not others.
Digging a little deeper, some may ask: “Are ‘climate-related problems’ the same as ‘the problems of climate change’? Isn’t climate change an enormous problem to tackle? Are you guys really solving climate change?”
In short: No, we are not solving climate change itself.
Think of “climate-related problems” as the set of risks and opportunities that are posed to literally everyone and everything as a result of climate change. To different people, these risks and opportunities can take different forms. Climate solutions, then, are their corresponding set of solutions.
Another way to think of it is this: Climate solutions are products and services that help people treat the symptoms of climate change they’re impacted by.
The fact that our mission is not targeted directly at climate change is just the tip of the iceberg. The beauty of climate solutions is that, at the same time that they alleviate climate change impacts, they usually happen to combat the root causes of climate change anyway.
Why market-driven?
The “market-driven” adjective comes into play when we begin focusing on why anyone would buy climate solutions.
At The Collider, we believe that market forces will inevitably drive the demand for climate solutions due to the ubiquitous nature of climate effects and the immediate, tangible risks they pose. The fact that no one is immune from climate change bodes well for the climate solutions sector, which, though nascent, is set to be an incredibly useful service industry as businesses, government, academia, and nonprofit alike adjust to the new climate paradigm.
Why do we believe this? What makes us so confident that climate change is setting new boundaries and goals for the connected world? Let’s go through some brief examples to help us visualize the risks and opportunities. There exist:
Physical damage risks, as with climate-induced severe storms like Katrina and Sandy that damage tens (even hundreds) of billions of dollars of our cities.
Natural resource risks, as when droughts drive shortages and drive up prices along the supply chain, hurting the coffee industry and coffee drinkers’ wallets alike.
Financial asset risk, as when an enormous portion of the world’s investments are invested in climate-impacted assets like fossil fuels. (To millennials: Have you ever considered that your pension funds are so heavily invested in fossil fuels that climate change threatens your retirement plans?)
Branding risks, where failing to take a stance on climate change can hurt your reputation in the professional world.
Climate change also presents many opportunities for all people to build off of—climate solutions can also help you exploit these favorable circumstances. There exist:
Energy efficiency opportunities, as when switching to renewable electricity generation or energy-efficient appliances shows up positively on the checkbook.
Branding opportunities, mirroring branding risks, wherein positioning yourself as a climate action-taker can actually provide reputational benefits.
Innovation opportunities, wherein those who can help address pressing climate needs in new ways stand to become society’s leading innovators.
A lot of our modern-day economy is all about mitigating risk and maximizing opportunity. Everyone loves value generation, which is exactly what The Collider is about. Who, then, wouldn’t want to learn about market-driven climate solutions?
Differentiating climate services
There exists a boatload of literature on “climate services,” which is so similar in wording to “climate solutions” that you may think they’re the same thing.
They’re related, but not quite the same. Let’s try to clear it up.
The way we’ve defined “climate solutions” is that “solutions” are very broad. Climate services, on the other hand, refer to a specific subset of climate solutions, namely, scientific data and information that can help a person or organization make climate-related decisions.
More formally, the Global Framework for Climate Services, an international partnership of government and organizations, defines climate services to be “climate information in a way that assists decision making by individuals and organizations.”
Essentially, climate solutions can be anything from energy efficiency advice, to solar panel financing and installations, to climate risk management consultants, to environmental regulation compliance firms, to name just a few examples.
Climate services basically refers to big climate data, and is included within climate solutions. Here at The Collider, we’re committed to promoting both and encouraging partnerships between the two.
What the Heck is Climate Tech?
You may have heard us talking a lot about climate tech. But what the heck is it?
The Collider, Asheville, NC - May 2024
You may have heard us talking a lot about climate tech. But what the heck is it?
Climate tech is a rapidly emerging industry in which data-driven products are developed to enable communities, companies, and governments to understand their risk and exposure to the effects of climate change and take action to adapt and become resilient.
Climate tech’s starting point is the clear-eyed recognition that climate change has already begun and there is not a moment to lose in preparing our civilization for its impacts. Some climate tech solutions are industry-specific like those for agriculture, insurance, and health. Others span multiple industries and sectors like those for supply chain or asset management. Solutions come in many forms including software-as-a-service (SaaS), application programming interfaces (API), internet-of-things (IoT), and physical satellites and sensors.
What Makes a Company Climate Tech?
Climate tech companies have one or more of these characteristics:
Integration of weather and climate data — whether it’s historical, near-real-time, climate models, or some combination — to produce actionable intelligence.
Contribution to existing weather and climate datasets.
Generation and distribution of scientifically sound new weather and climate data and information.
Note that clean energy — like solar, wind, and biofuel — startups do not qualify as climate tech under this definition.
An Example of a Climate-Tech Startup
One example of a climate-tech startup is The Climate Service. Their software blends climatic and econometric models to enable corporations and their investors to understand, in financial terms, company-specific exposure to climate risks such as sea level rise, wildfires, and flooding.
Think your solution or startup might fall under climate tech? Use our infographic to find out.
Breathe Easier in a Changing Climate
Breathe Easier in a Changing Climate
The Collider, Asheville, NC - October 2019
Worldwide, one out of every 13 people suffers from asthma, according to the Center for Disease Control. The chronic medical condition accounts for nearly 10 million doctor’s office visits each year, and asthma-related health and work costs exceed $80 billion annually. DailyBreath, a mobile app currently available for iOS users, was created to help those most vulnerable to outdoor conditions avoid their asthma and allergy triggers.
Indigenous Communities in Arctic Hit Hardest by Climate Change
Indigenous Communities in Arctic Hit Hardest by Climate Change
The Collider, Asheville, NC - November 2019
The environmental cost of doing “business as usual” is frequently externalized to indigenous communities. Of these indigenous populations, none are feeling the effects of climate change quite as directly as those in the Arctic. At the moment, multiple Collider members are working to address climate issues facing indigenous Arctic communities.
Informing Climate-Smart Real Estate
Informing Climate-smart Real Estate
The Collider, Asheville, NC - November 2019
While nationally the real estate spotlight is on sea level rise, Western North Carolina residents must instead contend with climate change effects like increased flooding, landslides, and wildfires. Dr. Doug Bruggeman, a member of The Collider in Asheville and a Realtor with National Land Realty, started EcoReal Academy in order to educate real estate agents on threats like these posed by climate change to personal property.
Starting the Conversation
Starting the Conversation
The Collider, Asheville, NC - November 2019
Climate change isn’t always obvious; in fact, it can sometimes be downright difficult to describe, especially when trying to explain its threats to human health. But this difficulty makes it all the more important to understand. The Western North Carolina Health and Climate Working Group is engaging public health leaders in climate change action. What’s more, integrating climate change into the realm of health care has the opportunity to provide a multitude of co-benefits.
Predicting the Future of Food
Predicting the Future of Food
The Collider, Asheville, NC - November 2019
Changes in Earth’s climate due to global warming are altering the ability of arable regions to produce key crops. Monitoring the impacts of climate events on global crop supply is becoming increasingly important, which is why Collider member and Prescient Weather’s CEO Dr. Jan Dutton created CropProphet. CropProphet forecasting provides the most accurate, up-to-date, and multi-perspective weather-based crop yields possible to enable risk management within agricultural trading markets.
Water Connects Us All
Water Connects Us All
The Collider, Asheville, NC - December 2019
Back when the Cherokee named the French Broad the “Long Man” and its tributaries the “Chattering Children,” it was teeming with biodiversity. Today, the French Broad River and many of its tributaries struggle with pollution. RiverLink, an Asheville-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the environmental and economic vitality of the French Broad River and its watershed, has partnered with the City of Asheville to find ways to restore the section of watershed that drains through Asheville’s River Arts District (RAD). Assisted by Collider member Blue Earth, The project team is working to create a restoration plan that not only meets all of the requirements of an EPA watershed plan, but also one that celebrates the uniqueness of the RAD Watershed and its diverse community.
Climate Tech Startup Ecobot Saves Wetlands
Climate Tech Startup Ecobot Saves Wetlands
The Collider, Asheville, NC - January 2020
Wetlands are critical to ecosystems in that they protect people, infrastructure, and assets from stormwater during an extreme weather event, reduce the impact of sea level rise, and sequester carbon dioxide from the Earth’s atmosphere — all increasingly vital defense benefits as storms become stronger and more severe, and flooding increases across the world. In short, wetlands help humans and ecosystems withstand and adapt to a changing climate.
Ecobot, a mobile application created by Collider members Jeremy Schewe and Lee Lance, is helping wetland scientists and ecologists gather data on wetlands across the United States 50 percent more efficiently than traditional methods. By connecting this data to planners and geospatial ecologists working on resilience models, Ecobot is building climate resilience for future generations.
Can You Solve the Climate Crisis?
Can You Solve the Climate Crisis?
A screenshot of the En-ROADS climate simulation tool in action.
By Mickey Snowden, Communications Specialist at The Collider, Asheville, NC - January 2020
Climate Interactive’s new climate simulator tool reveals what it will actually take to limit global warming to 1.5C by allowing users to role-play real policy decisions
Inconjunction with MIT Sloan, Climate Interactive released their brand-new En-ROADS tool, a cutting-edge online climate policy simulator that allows its users a chance to test a myriad of climate policy solutions in real-time and visualize a variety of climate impacts, at 2019’s COP25.
En-ROADS - Climate Interactive
En-ROADS is a System Dynamics model with origins in the MIT PhD theses of Dr. John Sterman and Dr. Tom Fiddaman. Recent…
The United Nations’ 25th Climate Change Conference, aka COP 25 (the 25th Conference of the Parties), was held in Madrid, Spain this past December. The purpose of this annual conference is to assess and accelerate each country’s efforts at addressing climate change in order to reach the goals outlined in the Paris Agreement — namely limiting global warming well below two degrees Celsius (2C) above pre-industrial levels with strong encouragement to reduce warming below 1.5C.
Climate Interactive is a think tank focused on building the kind of climate action needed to meet these goals through its hands-on climate simulators, games, workshops, and seminars. Founded by Co-Directors Andrew Jones and Dr. Elizabeth Sawin in 2010, Climate Interactive’s tools connect everyone from policymakers to laypeople with real, feasible climate solutions. The organization has had its second home at The Collider since 2016 where they have led climate simulation workshops and seminars for the Asheville public and developed their tools and resources for the wider world.
Ellie Johnston, Climate Interactive’s Climate and Energy Lead, says the value of En-ROADS lies in its accessibility — by adjusting emissions levels based on specific sectors like energy, land use, consumption and agriculture, policymakers can see the global impacts that greenhouse gases have on our climate.
Both Jones and Johnston were present at COP25 this year, along with nearly 27,000 other attendees. Johnston says that Climate Interactive showed up with the aim to showcase how their tools can build both ambition and action to help governments and their countries reach the climate goals outlined in the Paris Agreements.
From left to right: Andrew Jones, Ellie Johnston, and Bindu Bhandari of Climate Interactive at COP25 in Madrid. Photo courtesy Climate Interactive.
“Our tools can show governments that they have less time to reduce emissions than they may have thought. Bold action is needed now, and tools like En-ROADS substantiate this urgency by illuminating scientific research,” Johnston says.
Amy Harder, Energy Reporter for the news site Axios, called En-ROADS a “choose your own climate and energy adventure.” Unlike other climate modeling tools, En-ROADS was designed to be used by everyone from K-12 schools to churches — not just science researchers steeped in intimidating climate data. That being said, Johnston is clear that the tool’s primary audience is policymakers and business leaders who are in a place to make far-reaching decisions regarding climate change.
These decisions will have to be made sooner rather than later. The UN Environmental Programme’s annual Emissions Gap Report calls for a five-fold increase in emissions reductions over the next decade in order to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. That’s a 7.6 percent reduction each year. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) 2018 report on global warming is clear that a 1.5C rise in global temperature will still come with a host of negative consequences, but a 2C temperature increase could present detrimental risks to crops, water, biodiversity, ecosystems, and ultimately human health and wellbeing.
According to Johnston, this only reinforces the need for more people to get their hands on En-ROADS. “In many ways, we are getting caught flat-footed in addressing climate change. There is a growing awareness around the issue, and an increase in people who want to take action, but many aren’t sure what it will take to mitigate the effects of climate change.”
En-ROADS (on the right-hand screen) being demoed at COP25. Photo courtesy Climate Interactive.
When it comes to analytics tools, there are many models available all over the world, but most aren’t made to be shared publicly in an interactive format. Johnston says Climate Interactive built En-ROADS around Senior Advisor and MIT Sloan Professor John Sterman’s adage that “Research shows that showing people research does not work.” In this effort to address climate change, the organization has found that facilitating interactive experiences that put people in a position to experience the full scale of action needed to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions is the best way to get people involved.
“It’s a small group of people who want to sit down and learn to use a computer model on their own. It’s a much larger group who is willing to show up to an event and have other people guide them through how to use that model,” Johnston says.
Young people participate in an En-ROADS Climate Action Simulation game during UN climate meetings in New York City. Photo courtesy Climate Interactive.
Climate Interactive knew that building a tool wasn’t solely enough, so the organization also created two hands-on experiences that can be led with groups in conjunction with En-ROADS: the En-ROADS Climate Workshop and the Climate Action Simulation game. Both the Climate Workshop and the Simulation game give people with little to no knowledge of climate change the chance to role-play a president or other policymaker who must make decisions that will directly affect the Earth’s climate.
“These experiences are completely unique and eye-opening for everyone. Participants will find out very quickly that cutting our global emissions is not an easy task,” Johnston says.
Explore ways to use En-ROADS on your own or in a group, and learn how you can lead your own En-ROADS event by visiting the tool’s webpage.
Bringing Climate Data to Life
Bringing Climate Data to Life
By Mickey Snowden, Communications Specialist at The Collider, Asheville, NC - March 2020
As Communications Liaison with The Collider, I have the unique pleasure of talking with our various members and partners about their newest climate products, services, and technologies. This week, I sat down with Dave Michelson, software designer at the University of North Carolina at Asheville’s National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC), and LuAnn Dahlman, science writer with NOAA’s Climate Program Office. We discussed their work on the latest update to the Climate Explorer — a web tool that provides interactive graphs and maps of climate information for every county in the contiguous United States — which was released at the end of January with the help of Collider members NEMAC and FernLeaf Interactive.
The Quiz Show that’s Tackling Climate Change
The Quiz Show that’s Tackling Climate Change
Photo courtesy Luca Zanon on Unsplash.
By Mickey Snowden, Communications Specialist at The Collider, Asheville, NC - March 2020
The Let’s Explore Africa competition is informing audiences about Africa’s impending climate issues and how each of us can make a difference.
Although Africa is the second-largest continent in the world, it remains largely unknown to many living outside its borders. This lack of information is what inspired educator and accountant Dr. Sandra Frempong to write her book, Let’s Explore Africa: Nations, Landmarks, and Cultural Resources. Through her research process, Frempong continued to develop questions about the continent and realized that creating an interactive quiz show could be the ideal way to engage learners.
The first competition was sponsored by Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College in Asheville, North Carolina, and the very first Let’s Explore Africa championship was sponsored by and held at Duke University in Durham. The Let’s Explore Africa competition has since spread to cities throughout the US, where students and adults of all backgrounds participate. The Collider, a climate innovation business center, has the pleasure of hosting the show at its downtown location where members and staff often participate.
Collider staff (Mickey Snowdon, left, and Miles Kish, right) and members (Jeremy Schewe of Ecobot, middle) participate in a Let’s Explore Africa competition at The Collider in December 2019. Photo courtesy Let’s Explore Africa.
When coronavirus has subsided, countries across the world will be scrambling to resurrect their economies, and they will be looking at the US as an example. If we return to “business as usual” — or worse, unrestricted economic growth at all costs — it will not only undo years of environmental policy but set a precedent for the rest of the globe.
Climate Entrepreneurs
Climate entrepreneurs need to find creative ways to stimulate the economy without contributing heavily to greenhouse gas emissions, undoubtedly an arduous task. But it is climate professionals who are most poised to provide solutions that will not only support the economy but advance progress on the climate crisis. Development of widespread clean energy projects could help us flatten our greenhouse gas emissions curve (which, by the way, doesn’t look so good even with the COVID-19 drop), and new software and technologies could provide users with the tools necessary to reduce our environmental impact and build climate resilience.
The African organization, Madiba & Nature, builds “Ecoboats” from reclaimed plastic bottles. These boats are lighter and significantly less expensive than the wooden canoes traditionally used by fishermen in Cameroon. Photo courtesy World Economic Forum Live.
What sorts of things can contestants expect to learn about Africa? Here’s a sampling:
It wouldn’t truly be a quiz on Africa if contestants weren’t asked about some basic African geography including names and locations of various countries and their capitals, plus natural features like rivers, lakes, and mountains.
Africa has more religions than scholars can keep track of, many of which fall under animism — the belief that all objects, even inanimate ones like stones, are living. Many African societies are also polytheistic, meaning they worship multiple gods. Let’s Explore Africa doesn’t delve deeply into African religions, but it’s worthwhile for contestants to brush up on which ones dominate which countries.
Understanding Africa’s natural resources are key to understanding the continent’s current and historical political atmosphere. Africa has an abundance of oil and gas, uranium, diamonds, tea, coffee, rare earth minerals, phosphates, and other resources. These resources are highly sought after, and as a result, inter-tribal conflict is common, as is environmental and economic instability.
Africa houses over 65 percent of the world’s arable land and more than 10 percent of its internal fresh water.
It’s difficult to discuss Africa’s politics and natural resources without mentioning the threat that climate change poses to the continent. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Africa will be affected by climate change more severely than anywhere else in the world, despite the fact that it contributes the least greenhouse gas emissions of any of the world’s continents. In fact, Africans are already feeling the impacts of extreme heat, drought, flooding, landslides, and desertification.
Climate change is predicted to negatively impact crop yields and water security in the coming decades, problems that will affect the majority of Africans. According to the non-partisan research group, Afrobarometer, residents cite drought as the most significant weather pattern threatening agriculture on the continent.
A mother tends her plants in Sierra Leone. Photo courtesy Annie Spratt on Unsplash.
Decreased rainfall could affect African rainforests in unprecedented ways. Since these forests are literally the “lungs” of our planet in terms of carbon sequestration and oxygen production, any impacts on forest health will likely be dire.
Energy and agriculture demands are already straining the continent’s water sources, and population and economic development will exacerbate these needs. Unfortunately, climate change is expected to negatively affect water supplies through evaporative losses.
It is this urgency that has motivated Frempong to begin incorporating climate-specific questions into the show’s format in order to engage people of all ages and backgrounds on this universal issue. She says that being able to identify the threats climate change poses to Africa will give people a starting point for thinking of ways to mitigate their climate footprint and help the continent build resilience.
Let’s Explore Africa is currently held on the last Friday of every month (except for November and December) at The Collider in downtown Asheville beginning at 5 PM. Follow the link below to learn more and register for the next competition.
Climate Entrepreneurs Needed Now More than Ever
Climate Entrepreneurs Needed Now More than Ever
The Collider’s lobby is always buzzing with activity. Photo courtesy The Collider.
By Mickey Snowden, Communications Specialist at The Collider, Asheville, NC - April 2020
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s clear that climate entrepreneurs will play a critical role in responsible economic stimulation.
Author of The Lean Startup model, Eric Ries, defines a startup as “a human institution designed to deliver a new product or service under conditions of extreme uncertainty.” That’s exactly what is needed in a post-coronavirus world. After a major disruption such as a war, a natural disaster, or, in this case, a pandemic, visionary leaders are needed to provide a strong path forward. Because of their unique ability to innovate in times of chaos, these visionaries often take the form of entrepreneurs.
To highlight this fact, consider these businesses started by veterans:
John Pemberton started Coca-Cola after he was wounded in the Civil War.
Bill Bowerman founded Nike in 1964 after serving as a Commander in WWII.
Frederick W. Smith launched FedEx after achieving the rank of Marine Corps Captain.
But you don’t have to be a war veteran to start a successful business. In the age of coronavirus, we’re all veterans of a pandemic that has completely uprooted our most basic means of living. This setting provides the perfect opportunity for courageous individuals to design businesses that promote mitigation, adaptation, and resilience to climate change.
Lessons from COVID-19
One positive outcome of coronavirus has been an overall reduction in our collective ecological footprint. We’ve all seen the headlines: “Carbon emissions from fossil fuels could fall by 2.5bn tonnes in 2020”; “Coronavirus could trigger ‘largest ever annual fall in CO2’”; “Coyotes, bobcats and bears: Wildlife is reclaiming Yosemite National Park”.
With humans around the world staying inside their homes, wildlife has surged, greenhouse gas emissions have dropped, and people are connecting with nature.
But the point here isn’t to capitalize on a pandemic, it’s to encourage entrepreneurs in the climate industry to propel the positive environmental momentum that coronavirus has inadvertently built. We need entrepreneurs who are able to clearly identify the connections between climate change, public health, environmental injustice, and socioeconomic disparities to create businesses that are capable of addressing these issues in tandem.
Dispelling “Business as Usual”
Air pollution in Wuhan decreased significantly over the month of February when its residents were quarantined, but nitrogen dioxide emissions have begun to climb again since stay-at-home restrictions were lifted in the city. The UN’s Framework on Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) has postponed its 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) climate discussions to October 2020, and the EPA is temporarily waiving environmental regulations for industries affected by coronavirus after pressure from the oil industry.
Levels of nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant caused by burning fuel, dropped significantly around Wuhan and Beijing in February but have slowly begun to increase. Photo courtesy NASA Earth Observatory.
When coronavirus has subsided, countries across the world will be scrambling to resurrect their economies, and they will be looking at the US as an example. If we return to “business as usual” — or worse, unrestricted economic growth at all costs — it will not only undo years of environmental policy but set a precedent for the rest of the globe.
Climate Entrepreneurs
Climate entrepreneurs need to find creative ways to stimulate the economy without contributing heavily to greenhouse gas emissions, undoubtedly an arduous task. But it is climate professionals who are most poised to provide solutions that will not only support the economy but advance progress on the climate crisis. Development of widespread clean energy projects could help us flatten our greenhouse gas emissions curve (which, by the way, doesn’t look so good even with the COVID-19 drop), and new software and technologies could provide users with the tools necessary to reduce our environmental impact and build climate resilience.
Monthly mean carbon dioxide levels measured at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii have been increasing rapidly for decades. Photo courtesy NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory.ft) and me, Lindsey (right).
After the 2008 financial collapse, tech companies like Uber and Airbnb redefined the way the world travels and allowed anyone with a car or an extra bedroom to make money on their own terms. Following the coronavirus outbreak, a similar opportunity is present within the climate sector.
Here are some areas ripe for climate entrepreneurship in a post-coronavirus world:
Renewable energy. In order to jumpstart our economy without burning fossil fuels, renewable energies will play a critical role in economic development post-coronavirus. Solar CrowdSource, a company based in Atlanta, Georgia, connects residents within communities to group-purchase solar energy and battery storage to reduce their costs. The company’s Solarize program is uniquely geared towards implementing crowdsourced solar projects for nonprofits, creating greener, healthier, and more equitable communities. Solar CrowdSource is an example of a small business meeting growing energy demands in an environmentally and socially conscious way.
Climate modeling. Climate Interactive, a think tank with offices in MIT and Asheville, North Carolina, develops climate simulators that are used by everyone from educators to policymakers. The organization’s first simulator, C-ROADS, was developed to help countries determine how to meet their UN climate pledges and highlight the gap between their goals and their actual emissions. Climate Interactive’s newest simulator, En-ROADS, organizes factors contributing to greenhouse gas emissions into sectors including energy supply, transportation, buildings and industry, land and industry, and carbon removal. Climate modeling for governments, public organizations, and private companies has huge financial potential.
Agriculture. A changing climate presents a multitude of challenges to the agricultural sector. Increased drought and extreme precipitation make it increasingly difficult to predict crop yields and can decimate food supplies everywhere. CropProphet is an agribusiness that monitors the effects of climate change on global crop supply. CropProphet is a big data analytics tool that forecasts yields and production for some of the world’s most consumed crops such as corn, soy, and winter wheat. By combining cutting-edge technology and climate data, CropProphet provides extremely accurate information on growing data and weather patterns for businesses and governments throughout the world. The future of food is undoubtedly linked to changes in our Earth’s climate, presenting an opportunity for data-savvy entrepreneurs.
Resilience-building. In lieu of any national climate resilience plans, cities across the country are taking the matter into their own hands by contracting with private and public firms. The University of North Carolina at Asheville’s National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC) and FernLeaf Interactive form a private-public partnership (NEMAC-FernLeaf) to help cities like Charleston, South Carolina and West Palm Beach, Florida build resilience to flooding and other climate-stressors. Climate adaptation and resilience planning have been growing rapidly for over a decade among cities across the world (e.g. Durban, London, Rotterdam, Quito, etc.), and this field will likely continue to flourish in the coming years.
With economic growth likely to precede federal climate action following COVID-19, entrepreneurs need to take climate change into their own hands. The climate industry is uniquely poised to stimulate the global economy in a way never seen before.
Mickey Snowdon is the Communications Liaison for The Collider, a member-driven organization advancing climate solutions so that all can mitigate, adapt, and thrive in a changing climate. Located just steps away from NOAA in downtown Asheville, North Carolina, The Collider is a hub for climate innovation and entrepreneurship.