Can climate tech save our cities?

Urban areas contribute 70% of global CO2 emissions and consume a staggering 75% of the world’s energy. This impact is set to grow due to rapid urbanization: by 2050, more than two-thirds of the global population – around 6.5 billion people – will call cities home. This will place immense strain on resources, demanding even more energy and intensifying the environmental footprint of our cities.

If we want a climate-resilient future, we must transform our concrete jungles into sustainable, thriving urban ecosystems. But how do we get there and what groundbreaking innovations will make it possible?

The answer might lie in the transformative power of climate tech.

Climate tech could hold the key to creating more livable, resilient and sustainable cities. Between 2020 and 2021, climate tech investments soared to $56 billion. However, experts estimate that global spending on the transition, including areas such as retrofitting buildings, could reach $275 trillion between 2021 and 2050. Bridging this funding gap will require game-changing climate technology solutions to accelerate the decarbonization of our urban environments.

"Decarbonizing the built environment isn't just a historic investment opportunity, it's our most promising shot at preventing global temperatures from rising above 2 degrees Celsius, safeguarding the future for generations to come. Climate tech is the ultimate 'win-win' scenario," says Michael Beckerman, Managing Director at clean tech venture capital group CREtech Climate Venture Coalition.

Stonly Blue, Managing Partner and Co-Founder at early-stage investment fund Third Sphere, adds: "One of the most surprising things we've learned in our 10 years in this space is that the best climate investments don't look like 'climate companies'. They look like great, fast-growing companies with customers who love them. But if you do a little digging, you'll find that these companies generate one or more planetary benefits for each dollar of revenue, such as avoided greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or improved resilience."

So where do we start? Understanding and addressing embodied carbon – the total GHG emissions generated to produce a building's materials – is crucial. It can account for 80-90% of a real estate developer's annual emissions, but is often overshadowed by emissions from heating, cooling and lighting.

Tangible Materials, a climate tech startup, collaborates with real estate developers to assess carbon footprints within their property portfolios. "The growing recognition of building materials as significant contributors to global GHG emissions, accounting for 11%, has led to an increase in regulatory attention," explains Anneli Tostar, Tangible’s Co-Founder and CEO.

From Vancouver to New Jersey and even London, new regulations are being implemented to address the environmental impact of construction materials. This is compelling developers to reduce their carbon emissions to meet building standards.

About 60% of the buildings that will exist in 2050 have not been built yet, so cities have a unique opportunity and responsibility to approach development in a smarter, more sustainable and more resilient way. This means building systems that can withstand future challenges.

Reclaimed lumber can significantly reduce timber’s carbon footprint and the demand for new timber. This not only preserves forests but also minimizes waste. The challenge lies in recycling large amounts of materials efficiently. Urban Machine, a climate tech company, uses artificial intelligence and robotics to remove bulk fasteners from lumber, enabling it to be reused in new constructions.

"We’re on a mission to reclaim lumber from construction and demolition waste so it can be used to build again. As our buildings age, they provide the only source of premium old-growth lumber. This material must be reused to house residents instead of being burned or buried," says Eric Law, Founder and CEO of manufacturer Urban Machine.

To decarbonize our cities, we must also embrace innovative building materials, solar panels, green roofs and nature-based climate technologies. These advancements reduce energy consumption and create spaces that promote health and wellbeing. According to the US Green Building Council, LEED-certified buildings are designed to be 25-30% more energy-efficient than conventional buildings. Integrating biophilic design, which brings elements of nature into urban spaces, further enhances the quality of city living.

"Integrating more nature-based solutions into cities will be increasingly important as urban populations, and their respective needs across food, water and habitability, expand in the coming years. Attracting the capital to make this happen will require co-designing solutions with a mix of stakeholders across community-based organizations, municipalities, private sector operators and more," explains Mitch Rubin, Director of Innovation at non-profit climate tech investor Elemental Impact.

Zauben’s biosolar and green roof panels help buildings stay cooler and reduce energy use for air conditioning, cutting energy costs by up to 25%. This hydroponic technology is 66% lighter than traditional green roof systems and can cool roof surfaces by 30-40 degrees Celsius. This combats the "heat island" effect that makes cities hotter than nearby rural areas.

Nature-based construction technology can significantly decarbonize cities. A report in the journal Nature suggests that greening just 35% of the EU's urban areas could reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 55.8 million tons annually. Incorporating nature-based building materials makes cities more comfortable to live in, helps clean the air, improves insulation, reduces pollution and encourages back ecosystems critical for habitats to thrive.

Innovators Zauben and Urban Machine have been nurtured by the Centre for Urban Transformation in collaboration with UpLink, the World Economic Forum’s open innovation platform, as part of the Yes SF challenge. But technology alone cannot transform cities; community engagement is essential. Cities can foster a sense of ownership and responsibility by involving citizens in urban planning and sustainability initiatives. Educational programmes and participatory design processes can empower individuals to contribute to their community's sustainability efforts.

Supportive policies and innovative financing models are vital for climate tech to thrive. Governments and private sector organizations must also collaborate to create incentives for green investments and ensure that regulatory frameworks facilitate, rather than hinder, sustainable development.

The vision of sustainable, resilient cities is within reach. Still, it requires a collective effort. By harnessing the power of climate tech, fostering innovation and embracing community involvement and policy, we can turn the tide against climate change and start the next revolution to green our cities.