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The climate tech sector is at a crossroads. We have the tools we need to fight climate change, but the real challenge is scaling and deploying them. This is where climate-curious outsiders play a crucial role. At Epic Cleantec, a company I cofounded to tackle water scarcity through innovative reuse technology, none of us came from an environmental background. That outside perspective turned out to be a huge advantage. When I began this journey, I didn’t know much about water. I wasn’t a trained environmental or civil engineer, which meant I never even learned about how things were traditionally done. This lack of traditional expertise freed us from being tied down by how things were “supposed” to work, allowing us to find fresh solutions to persistent problems. My path to climate tech was anything but linear. I had flirted with a wide range of disparate career paths spanning veterinarian, chef, club promoter, historian, political lobbyist, and lawyer. I even briefly entertained becoming a rabbi, until my own rabbi convinced me not to take that path. Unsurprisingly, I often faced skepticism at conferences and industry events, where our company’s unconventional approach was met with doubt. But here’s the key takeaway: Solving the climate crisis isn’t just about creating new technology. It’s about turning these innovations into practical, widespread solutions. That’s where operational know-how comes insomething outsiders often bring to the table. People who’ve run businesses, managed complex regulations, and scaled global operations have the experience to make climate solutions a reality. Why climate tech needs outsiders The climate tech industry has largely been driven by environmental scientists and policymakers. But solving the climate crisis calls for more than just scientific advancesit requires major business transformation. To truly deploy climate solutions on a global scale, we need the same expertise that turned industries like fintech, e-commerce, and cloud computing into giants. Investors get it. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink predicts the next wave of unicorns will come from climate tech. But to build these companies, we need more than passion. We need professionals who understand scalingproduct managers who can push out software, operations experts who can optimize supply chains, and strategists who know how to drive rapid market adoption. The idea that climate tech needs deep environmental knowledge is a misconception. Whats truly needed are professionals who know how to turn great ideas into sustainable, scalable businesses, all while navigating complex regulations. The future of climate impact depends on commercial success. The solutions are ready, they just need deployment A lot of the technology needed to curb emissions and build climate resilience is already here. From energy storage to electrification, water reuse to regenerative agriculture, many solutions are ready to go. So, the challenge isnt really about innovation; its about implementation. Just look at how SaaS and fintech industries scaled quickly by leveraging automation, networks, and efficient capital use. If we applied those same strategies to climate tech, we could meet our climate goals much faster. Imagine applying the lessons learned during the rapid growth of ride-sharing or cloud services to solar energy, battery tech, or industrial decarbonization. Climate tech isnt just about better tech; its about changing systems. It requires navigating complex regulations, aligning with ever-changing corporate sustainability goals, and getting entrenched industries on board. Outsiders who have scaled companies in heavily regulated fields like healthcare, finance, and transportation are particularly equipped to drive this change. A crucial moment for climate tech Climate tech isnt a niche anymoreits becoming one of the most exciting frontiers of innovation. As more professionals from traditional tech and business sectors seek out purpose-driven careers, climate tech offers a unique blend of meaning and market opportunity. The influx of outsiders isnt just helpful, its essential. For climate tech to thrive, we need to embrace professionals with diverse and wide-reaching expertise. Industry leaders must actively recruit people with transferable skills, and investors must see the value in teams that blend technical knowledge with business acumen. Solving the climate crisis isnt just about inventing new technologiesits about getting them into the world at scale, fast. The opportunity is huge, but the urgency is even greater. To meet global climate goals, we must think outside the box and bring in the people who are ready to challenge the norms. For those climate-curious, theres never been a better time to dive in because climate tech isnt just the future of innovation, its the future of business. The Fast Company Impact Council is a private membership community of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual membership dues for access to peer learning and thought leadership opportunities, events and more.
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E-Commerce
Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said Wednesday he will step down immediately after more than four years as head of the U.S. passenger railroad, citing concerns about maintaining the carrier’s support from President Donald Trump‘s administration. “I am stepping down as CEO to ensure that Amtrak continues to enjoy the full faith and confidence of this administration,” Gardner said in a statement. Billionaire Elon Musk, who is advising Trump on plans to radically shrink the U.S. government, said earlier this month he thought Amtrak should be privatized. The White House and Transportation Department did not immediately comment on whether the administration had asked Gardner to step down. Amtrak did not respond to a request for comment. Trump during his first term repeatedly sought to cut funding to Amtrak, which received about $2.4 billion in annual federal support in 2023. Congress last week approved $2.42 billion for Amtrak through September 30 in annual funding. Amtrak said in December ridership topped 2019 pre-COVID-19 levels for the first time in 2024 and reached a record high even with less capacity. Ridership increased over 15% in 2023 to a record 32.8 million customer trips, as passenger revenue hit $2.5 billion, up 9% over the prior year. The rail operator reported an adjusted operating loss of $705 million for the 12 months ended September 30, down 9% versus 2023. Amtrak in March said it was boosting passenger services on the East Coast as it aims to double ridership nationwide by 2040 to 66 million passengers. Congress approved $66 billion for rail projects as part of a massive infrastructure bill in 2021, with $22 billion dedicated to Amtrak over five years on top of regular funding. In 2023, then President Joe Biden announced $16.4 billion in grant funding for 25 rail projects on Amtraks Northeast Corridor — Boston to Washington — which is the busiest U.S. rail corridor with 800,000 daily trips in a region representing 20% of the U.S. economy. Many bridges, tunnels and other parts of the corridor are in serious need of repairs, especially a key tunnel connected New York City and New Jersey. David Shepardson, Reuters
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E-Commerce
Commercial fishermen and seafood processors and distributors looking to switch to new, lower-carbon-emission systems say the federal funding they relied on for this work is either frozen or unavailable due to significant budget cuts promoted by President Donald Trumps Department of Government Efficiency. The changes are designed to replace old diesel-burning engines and outdated at-sea cooling systems and are touted by environmentalists as a way to reduce seafood’s carbon footprint. Salmon harvesters in Washington state, scallop distributors in Maine and halibut fishermen in Alaska are among those who told The Associated Press their federal commitments for projects like new boat engines and refrigeration systems have been rescinded or are under review. The uncertainty. This is not a business-friendly environment, said Togue Brawn, a Maine seafood distributor who said she is out tens of thousands of dollars. If they want to make America great again, then honor your word and tell people what’s going on.” Decarbonization of the fishing fleet has been a target of environmental activists in recent years. One study published in the Marine Policy journal states that more than 200 million tons of carbon dioxide were released via fishing in 2016. That is far less than agriculture, but still a significant piece of the worldwide emissions puzzle. With Earth experiencing worsening storms and its hottest year on record in 2024, reducing the burning of fossil fuels across different industry sectors is critical to fighting climate change, scientists have said. But climate-friendly projects often cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, leading fishermen to seek U.S. Department of Agriculture or Environmental Protection Agency funds to cover some costs. DOGE, a commission assembled to cut federal spending, has targeted both agencies for cutbacks. That has left fishermen like Robert Buchmayr of Seattle on the hook for huge bills. Buchmayr said he is nearing completion of a refrigeration project for a salmon boat and was counting on a $45,000 USDA grant to pay for a chunk of it. The agency told him last month the funding is on hold until further notice, he said. I’m scrambling, where does the money come from. I was counting on the grant, Buchmayr said. I was under the impression that if you got a grant from the United States, it was a commitment. Nothing in the letter was saying, ‘Yes, we’ll guarantee you the funds depending on who is elected.’ Fishermen search for answers after getting bad news The full extent of the cuts is unclear, and fishermen affected by them described the situation as chaotic and confusing. Representatives for the USDA and EPA did not respond to requests for comment from AP about the value of the cuts and whether they were permanent. Dan Smith, USDA Rural Development’s state energy director for Alaska, said updates about some grants could arrive in April. Numerous fishermen, commercial fishing groups and advocates for working waterfronts told AP they learned about the changed status of their grant money in February and March. Some were told the money would not be coming and others were told the funds were frozen while they were subject to a review. Many prospective grant recipients said they have had difficulty getting updates from the agencies. The lack of certainty has fishermen worried and seeking answers, said Sarah Schumann, a Rhode Island fisherman and director of the Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign, a fishermen-led network that works on climate issues. They’ve started contacting me in the last couple of weeks because they’ve had the plug pulled on money that was already committed, Schumann said. If they miss a season they could go out of business. In Homer, Alaska, Lacey Velsko of Kaia Fisheries was excited for her decarbonization project, which she said hinged on hundreds of thousands of dollars via a USDA grant to improve a refrigeration system on one of her boats. The recently completed project burns less fuel and yields a higher quality project for the company, which fishes for halibut, Pacific cod and other fish, she said. But, now the company is told the money is unavailable, leaving a huge cost to bear, Velsko said. Of course we think it was unfair that we signed a contract and were told we would be funded and now were not funded. If six months down the road were still not funded I dont know what avenue to take, she said. Lack of funding puts businesses in jeopardy The funding cuts have also hurt seafood processors and distributors, such as Brawn in Bremen, Maine. Brawn said she received a little more than half a USDA grant of about $350,000 before learning the rest might not arrive. Brawn received the grant for Dayboat Blue, a project that uses a membership-based model to get Maine seafood to nationwide customers while reducing the carbon footprint of transportation and packaging. This model can really help fishermen, it can help consumers, it can help communities, Brawn said. What it’s going to do is it’s going to stop the program. The confusion on the waterfront is another example of the bumpy rollout of government cutbacks under Trump. The Trump administration halted its firings of hundreds of federal employees who worked on nuclear weapons programs last month. It also moved to rehire medical device, food safety and other workers lost to mass firings at the Food and Drug Administration. New tariffs on key trading partners have also been chaotic. In Bellingham, Washington, EPA funding was paused for five engine replacement projects split between three companies, said Dan Tucker, executive director of the Working Waterfront Coalition of Whatcom County. He said the uncertainty about funding has made it difficult for fishermen to move ahead with projects that will ultimately benefit their businesses and the community at large. A lot of the small guys are like, ‘Well, I really want to help out with climate change but I can’t afford it,’ Tucker said. Patrick Whittle, Associated Press This story was supported by funding from the Walton Family Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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