SF Bay Climate Tech: January 9 – January 15, 2023
A climate film screening in Oakland, energy policy at Stanford, biotech in SF, sustainable city meetings across the Bay Area, and our hot themes for 2023!
Hi friends! Happy New Year!
Start the week off in Oakland with the Sunrise Movement for a screening of TO THE END, a film that “captures the emergence of a new generation of leaders and the movement behind the most sweeping climate change legislation in U.S. history.” On Tuesday, if you’re a Stanford student, check out the Climate and Energy Policy Program: Lunch & Social. On Wednesday, head to Swissnex on the Embarcadero to learn about cultivated meat and more at Biotech for the Future. If you’re feeling more policy-oriented on Wednesday, go wonk out at the San Mateo Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission Meeting, or head to Foster City on Thursday for the Resilient & Sustainable Community Workshop. Finally on Saturday, work on your green thumb with the Garden for the Environment workshop in the Inner Sunset or join the Hayward library for a discussion on climate action. Looking for ideas on where to spend your dollars and your time tackling climate change in 2023 — we’re starting off the year sharing some of ours!
Cheers,
Alec and Sonam
Hot Take: Hot Themes for 2023
January is often about going out with the old and in with the new. In climate tech, however, I think it’s more about building on the old and supercharging the new!
2022 closed off with a bang - investors plowed in a record $70.1 billion into climate tech solutions, an 89% increase from the previous year. Over 30% of all VC deals are in climate tech these days – we’re finally the hot kids on the block (no pun intended!). The largest share of funding went to energy storage and distribution, mobility, and ag/food companies - with megadeals for everything from Northvolt’s battery manufacturing innovations to TeraWatt’s charging centers for EV fleets. As our friends at ClimateTech VC reported recently, we’ve got nearly $37.4 billion of dry powder in the banks just in dedicated climate tech funds, as well as $300 billion across the VC industry – all of this is ready to be deployed!
Climate tech is on fire – in a good way! Source: HolonIQ Global Climate Tech Report 2022
So, where should all this money go in 2023? We’ve got some ideas.
Invest in Climate Adaptation - Today, Not in All the Way in 2049: First and foremost, climate change has two sides of the same coin - but as a society we’ve only focused on one. Over 93% of all climate finance goes into mitigation - or attempts to reduce the amount of GHG emissions we collectively spew into the atmosphere. Less than 7% of funds go to adaptation - also known as dealing with the impacts of climate change today and saving lives while we’re at it. Things are going to get a lot worse before they get better - so let’s do something about that now, and not all the way in 2049.
Adaptation and mitigation work together to save lives over the short and long term – if you’re interested in learning more, check out Parachute - our creative storytelling platform focused on climate solutions in cities across the globe! Art skillz by the fabulous Lyn Stoler!
Build Back Better - And Redefine Better While You’re At It: Climate change is here and now - you don’t need us to tell you that it was 66 degrees on January 4 in New York and Atmospheric Rivers are literally drowning the California coast as we speak. We should be using these freak weather events as an opportunity to rebuild for resilience. We now have data from tools like FloodMapp and CloudToStreet helping us predict the impacts of severe weather; we have innovative materials like porous concrete from Aquipor to absorb water on our streets and in our neighborhoods; and we even have financial instruments like disaster risk insurance to protect against public sector balance sheets. For every $1 that we spend on pre-disaster mitigation, we save $6 in post-disaster losses. That’s VC level returns right there!
The Resilient by Design Bay Area Challenge launched a regional call to bring together local stakeholders to develop innovative solutions that will strengthen the region’s resilience to sea level rise and ensure a more sustainable future.
Put your Money Where your Mouth Is, Literally: As stated above, climate tech vc is on fire (in a good way!). 65+ new climate focused VC funds have launched over the past year, all making great claims that they are out to decarbonize the planet. Yet, there’s a severe mismatch between capital needs and capital deployed. Industries with the greatest capacity to reduce GHG emissions receive the smallest share of venture dollars. One of the greatest discrepancies: 17% of emissions come from the built environment, yet only 4% of all VC dollars are invested in this sector. Perhaps here’s something that will convince you to do better: 140 million homes across America need new furnaces, gas burners, induction cooktops, and more - a total of a billion machines that need to be switched out. That’s a lot of alpha!
My hope for 2023: matching blocks on the left and right. Source: PwC State of Climate Tech Report 2022
Meeting our climate challenges means we must embark on a full transformation of the economy. With the wins of 2022 - from the record VC funding to the passage of the IRA to the rollout of the infrastructure bill - we’ve got the taps flowing and we’re primed for success! In 2023, we will see the full impact of Climate Industrialism in action - the trifecta of talent, innovation, and industrial policy that will enable communities across the globe to develop + deploy climate solutions in partnership with entrepreneurs, foster local economic development, and keep our planet nice and cool 😎
By Sonam Velani
✨ Get Involved in Building the Climate Tech Community ✨
We have big plans for 2023 and are looking for help! Interested in volunteering? Apply for one of our six volunteer roles:
Check the listings and reply to this email with a short cover letter + your resume / LinkedIn to apply! You’ve got until Friday, January 20!
Events This Week
🎥 TO THE END - Film Screening: Mon, Jan 9
🧑🎓 Climate and Energy Policy Program: Lunch & Social: Tue, Jan 10
🥗 Biotech for the Future– Intersection of Food and Health Tech: Wed, Jan 11
🌿 San Mateo Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission Meeting: Wed, Jan 11
🌳 Resilient & Sustainable Foster City Community Workshop: Thu, Jan 12
👩🌾 Garden for the Environment: Grow Your Own Food in January: Sat, Jan 14
🌊 Hayward Climate Action: A Discussion: Sat, Jan 14
Read on for more details about this week’s happenings and upcoming events this month
Upcoming Events
🌾 Environmental Forum: Investing in Farmers, Building Resilience, and Creating Markets for Climate-Smart Agriculture: Wed, Jan 18
🎉 Work on Climate SF Meet Up: Wed, Jan 18
🧪 IndieBio SF - Demo Day Batch 13 (2023): Thu, Jan 19
🌱 Community Happy Hour: Climate Activists!: Thu, Jan 19
🏳️🌈 Out in Climate - Bay Area/SF: Ocean Beach Walk & Picnic Hangout: Sat, Jan 21
🧑🌾 Digital Farming and AgTech Ecosystem | January: Mon, Jan 23
🥕 Sustainable Food Summit: Wed, Jan 25
🏡 USGBC Northern California: 2023 Community Kick-off: Thu, Jan 26
🌎 Sebastopol Climate Engagement Series: Thu, Jan 26
❄️ After Dark: Ice Stories: Thu, Jan 26
🎬 Film screening - 8 Billion Angels: Sat, Jan 28
📈 Markets vs. Mandates: Promoting Environmental Quality and Economic Prosperity: Mon, Jan 30
Events This Week
🎥 TO THE END - Film Screening
When: Mon, Jan 9th from 6:00 PM to Tue, Jan 10th at 5:30 AM
Where: The New Parkway Theater, 474 24th Street, Oakland, CA 94612
Join Sunrise Bay Area for a film screening of TO THE END and see new and familiar faces before the show. Invite your friends, past organizing colleagues, and share this event with your network of individuals who may be interested in watching this inspirational film and hang with other climate organizers. The award-winning team behind Knock Down the House follows four exceptional young women — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, activist Varshini Prakash, climate policy writer Rhiana Gunn-Wright, and political strategist Alexandra Rojas — as they grapple with new challenges of leadership and power and work together to defend their generation’s right to a future.
🧑🎓 Climate and Energy Policy Program: Lunch & Social
When: Tue, Jan 10th from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Where: Stanford Campus, Y2E2, Room 299
Are you a graduate student interested in learning more about projects in equitable climate and energy resilience? Join the Climate and Energy Policy Program (CEPP) for a pizza lunch and social! Meet the CEPP team, learn about past and upcoming projects and events, and hear about ways for students to work on topics like community wildfire resilience and equitable building decarbonization.Come network with other students and community members interested in environmental justice! This event is open to students.
🥗 Biotech for the Future– Intersection of Food and Health Tech
When: Wed, Jan 11th at 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Where: Swissnex San Francisco, The Embarcadero #800, San Francisco, CA 94111
New technologies for cell-culturing and fermenting food products rapidly drive down the cost of bioproducts and unravel scientific breakthroughs. How will they impact and accelerate related technologies in human health? Join a panel of leaders in both fields at Swissnex in San Francisco to learn more.
🌿 San Mateo Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission Meeting
When: Wed, Jan 11th from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Where: San Mateo City Hall - Council Chambers, 330 W. 20th Avenue, San Mateo, CA 94403
The Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission was established in 2018. The City Council passed an ordinance on June 18, 2018 consolidating the Public Works Commission and Sustainability Commission into this new commission. It is the duty of the Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission, as an advisory body to the City Council, to advise on policies and programs related to environmental sustainability, transportation and infrastructure.
🌳 Resilient & Sustainable Foster City Community Workshop
When: Thu, Jan 12th from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Where: Online or Foster City Recreation Center, 650 Shell Boulevard, Foster City, CA 94404
The City of Foster City is developing a Climate Action Plan that will prioritize key strategies and actions that the City and community can take to manage climate change impacts, address risks, and keep our community strong. Share your values, priorities, and ideas at our Resilient & Sustainable Foster City Community Workshop on January 12 at the Foster City Recreation Center. Collaborate with other community members at our interactive hybrid workshop, either in person or online via Zoom. Learn about climate action planning and provide feedback on community vision and priorities. Light refreshments and childcare will be provided.
👩🌾 Garden for the Environment: Grow Your Own Food in January
When: Sat, Jan 14th from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Where: Garden for the Environment, 1590 7th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122
In this in-person workshop, learn to take full advantage of the unique gardening climate in San Francisco, where you can grow your own fruits and vegetables year-round! Join us throughout the seasons for our Grow Your Own Food workshop. In January, you’ll learn how to get your garden off to a great start in 2023 by exploring soil fertility, weed management, and cool-season crops that can be grown year-round. You will also begin thinking about what crops you want to begin for the upcoming months. If you have questions, your instructor Carey has answers!
🌊 Hayward Climate Action: A Discussion
When: Sat, Jan 14th from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Where: 888 C Street, Hayward, CA 94541
Please join us for a panel discussion of climate change, in conjunction with the "55 Inches: Images of Sea Level Rise on the Hayward Shoreline" art exhibit on display at the Hayward Downtown Library, November 29, 2022 - January 26, 2023. Learn about climate action updates from the City of Hayward and the 100K Trees for Humanity Hayward Initiative to reforest Hayward by 2030 for equity, health, and climate.
New Year, New Newsletters
Our 2023 resolution is to expand the global climate tech community under the new Climate Tech Cities umbrella! If you’re interested in starting a new chapter in your city, please fill in this short form and we’ll get you on board!
Friends in New York? Sign up for events in the Big Apple!
Friends in Boston? Sign up for events in Beantown!
@Jane Carson Wade sorry I gave you the solution for part d.