Agenda
Click the dates below to view the schedule by day. Sessions are listed in Eastern Time.
Subject to change as details are confirmed.
Calling all In-person attendees! Arrive at the MIT Media Lab for registration check-in, and join us for breakfast before mainstage programming begins.
Embracing the Inflation Reduction Act as our catalyst for dollars and change while also being mindful that we must act now, we explore the ground-breaking technologies poised to swiftly clean up our energy infrastructure and forge a sustainable future.
To avert the worst impacts of climate change and preserve a livable planet, global temperature increase needs to be limited to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. No single technology, policy, or action will drive us to this goal, but new climate technologies present an opportunity to make the clean energy transition a reality.
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 was signed into law on August 16, 2022, infusing billions into energy infrastructure. We reflect on its introduction, execution, and potential to reorient the way the U.S. and global economies produce and consume energy.
New this year, MIT Technology Review is introducing an annual list of 15 Climate Tech Companies to Watch. The list highlights start-ups and established businesses that our editors think could have the greatest potential to substantially reduce greenhouse-gas emissions or otherwise address the threats of global warming. And the companies are…
Networking and refreshments for our live audience
A large portion of the greenhouse gases that blanket the Earth and trap the sun’s heat are released by burning fossil fuels to generate electricity. Wind, solar, geothermal, and green hydrogen hold the potential to power an energy revolution by diversifying our energy mix and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Navigating sustainability's changing landscape, creating strategies to drive tangible impact, and inspiring stakeholders are all essential to a successful sustainability transformation. Regulatory hurdles, diversity goals, and the cultural and societal differences of stakeholder groups must all be considered. Through collaboration, innovation, and a commitment to responsible corporate citizenship, a more equitable and sustainable future is within reach by thinking with the end in mind.
Solar and wind power set a record in the first five months of 2023 by generating more U.S. power than coal. New technologies and lower costs are driving increased solar and wind capacity to the point where these renewables are poised to become the backbone of the world’s power supply.
Next-generation geothermal power development – harnessing the heat beneath our feet to generate clean electricity – has been gaining steam. By using proven oil and gas technology, it is now possible to produce 24/7 carbon-free energy across a wide range of geographies, the final step to a fully decarbonized grid.
Even though conventional nuclear power technology remains one of the safest forms of energy and is a carbon-free energy solution, permitting paralysis, high costs, and public stigmas have hampered it worldwide. With innovation and a heightened awareness of climate change threats and costs, a new generation of nuclear technology may help reverse this trend. The world needs nuclear power now more than ever.
Our in-person networking lunch brings together industry leaders and experts who are interested in learning about emerging technologies and trends, exchanging thoughtful ideas and insights, and making lasting connections with peers at ClimateTech.
AI holds the potential to accelerate climate change mitigation efforts by forecasting extreme weather events and aiding in the discovery of new sustainable materials. AI’s ability to unearth concealed patterns within vast data sets is propelling us towards a greener future faster.
Machine learning can play an impactful role in many broader strategies for reducing and responding to climate change. Systems modeling, materials discovery, hazard prediction, measurement, and modeling are all areas where AI can be deployed to accelerate solutions that mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Earth-2, a Digital Twin of the planet and its weather systems, aims to improve our predictions of extreme weather, projections of climate change, and accelerate the development of effective mitigation and adaptation strategies. Combining accelerated computing with physics-informed machine learning, Earth-2 is a physically-accurate, high-resolution replica of Earth continuously running which will provide actionable weather and climate information at global and regional scales.
Wildfires in Canada and Hawaii have left a track of devastation that will not soon be forgotten. New firetech solutions such as AI-driven predictive models to enhance early detection are on the horizon. By harnessing machine learning, embedded sensors, and real-time data analysis, the approach offers the potential to safeguard vulnerable ecosystems.
Networking and refreshments for our live audience
Tackling climate change is a complicated undertaking, but here’s a good rule of thumb for how to get started: electrify everything. It’s not enough to solely clean up our electrical supply with wind and solar—we need to tackle industrial processes with excessive fossil fuel demand, such as fertilizers and steel, and solve the storage problem with better batteries.
Steel is the world's most important construction material, but it is one of the world’s dirtiest industries, responsible for more than 7 percent of global CO₂ emissions. Cleaning up steel is key to tackling climate change. New technology is coming online that uses green hydrogen, powered by fossil-free electricity, to reduce steel emissions by 95%.
Nitrogen must undergo a chemical process to be used as a nutrient in fertilizer. This occurs naturally during a thunderstorm, when lightning breaks apart atmospheric nitrogen and rainwater brings it to the soil as fertilizer. A new approach using only air, water, and renewable electricity to emulate Mother Nature’s process results in low-emission fertilizer that can be manufactured on site, minimizing transportation costs and pollution.
Unlike traditional lithium-ion batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries do not use nickel, cobalt, or manganese, resulting in an estimated 60% smaller carbon footprint than current batteries. Lithium-sulfur is low cost and light weight, which doubles energy density over existing lithium-ion technology. The batteries are nontoxic and recyclable, and with no oxygen in the battery, the fire risk is practically nil.
At the end of our first day of ClimateTech, join us for an evening reception to meet peers and speakers over appetizers and drinks.
Calling all In-person attendees! Arrive at the MIT Media Lab for registration check-in, and join us for breakfast before mainstage programming begins.
Enterprises now thrive in the climate-conscious business landscape where profitability and sustainability go hand in hand. New policies, innovations, and attitudes have made it possible to address environmental challenges while fostering robust economic growth.
The Inflation Reduction Act establishes crucial drivers for clean energy and environmentally conscious investments with an equity focus. Emerging investments in clean technology must not only achieve parity in social and economic engagement within the energy framework but also address and alleviate the disproportionate social, economic, and health challenges faced by those most impacted by the existing energy system.
Walmart is aiming for zero emissions across the company’s global operations by 2040 and committing to help protect, manage, or restore 50 million acres of land and 1 million square miles of ocean by 2030. Using renewable energy sources, electrifying its fleet, and cleaning up its supply chain are just some of the actions being taken to transform itself into a regenerative company.
Climate change is destabilizing the insurance industry, driving up prices and pushing insurers out of high-risk areas around wildfire and flood zones. Insurers need to develop new models and new investment policies and become climate stewards as their industry undergoes a systemic, transformative change.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed rule changes requiring companies to disclose greenhouse gas emissions, expected climate risks, and transition plans. Organizations will need to quickly adopt investor-grade reporting by developing their ability to measure, collect, and manage ESG data.
Networking and refreshments for our live audience
More than half the world’s population lives in urban areas, which account for an estimated 76% of CO2 emissions from energy use. It is imperative that city officials act on climate change. These actions will not only decrease emissions, but also improve aging infrastructure and make their areas more attractive to residents and businesses.
MIT’s City Science group has built an international network of labs developing climate concepts and key technologies that can be extended, deployed, and evaluated by its collaborators in their unique contexts around the globe. This session will comprise a series of 9 lightning talks from network collaborators, exploring their unique approaches to solving global climate problems at the local level. The talks include:
- Chile – Informal Innovation for Entrepreneurs
- Andorra – Creating a Circular Economy
- Germany – Ensuring Air Quality
- Taipei – Toolkit for Greener City
- Canada – Data for ClimateTech in Communities
- Shanghai – The Connected Campus
- Mexico – Water Resiliency
- Spain – Climate focused Mobility Transition
- Israel – Desert Urban Research
Our in-person networking lunch brings together industry leaders and experts who are interested in learning about emerging technologies and trends, exchanging thoughtful ideas and insights, and making lasting connections with peers at ClimateTech.
Take a tour of the City Science lab and see first-hand what their researchers are working on, including sensorized spaces, ultra-lightweight mobility solutions, and data-enabled decision making platforms. Learn more about the City Science Network and international community of researchers that share the common goal to enable more livable, equitable, and resilient communities.
Adapting to regulatory environments, scaling innovations from the lab to market, and securing financing are challenges for any business, but they are magnified for those building the new clean economy. Success requires both delivering sustainable technologies and maintaining a sustainable business.
The value proposition of a modern, sustainable, net-zero economy has become the greatest business opportunity of our generation. The challenge lies in identifying nascent technology areas can enable breakthrough innovations and trigger sectoral tipping points that will invite further investment and accelerate adoption.
The transition to net zero is well underway, but the pace of scaling these technologies has not kept up with projections for a warming planet. Large capital requirements, technological uncertainty, and complex regulations and permitting processes are challenges every green business must resolve to profitably reduce global warming.
We unravel the strategies required to transition laboratory breakthroughs into market-ready solutions with the founder of Form Energy, A123 Systems, Desktop Metal, 24M and American Superconductor. The process always begins with an amazing idea, but success requires a systematic approach to the innovation journey.
Networking and refreshments for our live audience
Climate change is a big problem that requires bold solutions. Nuclear fusion, carbon capture, and electrifying aviation possess remarkable potential to catalyze a transformative shift in our efforts to address climate challenges on a global scale.
Over the past few years, the battery industry has largely used lithium-ion technology to power electric vehicles. But as lithium-ion batteries approach the theoretical limit of how much energy they can store, they remain well short of what’s required for most aircraft. For electric aircraft to fly, we’ll need to find a way to increase energy density while decreasing battery weight.
Tokamak reactors utilize magnetic fields to heat and control plasma, enabling nuclear fusion for clean energy generation. Recent advancements in high-temperature superconductors allow smaller and more affordable tokamak fusion systems, promising limitless, local clean energy to combat climate change.
Rocks are some of the planet's most vital carbon sinks. Over geological timescales, CO2 from the atmosphere binds to minerals and permanently turns to rock. Limestone is one of the most abundant rocks on the planet, capturing massive amounts of CO2. While this natural process takes generations to complete, new technology can accelerate it to just days.