New Ways Forward – Climate Tech: It’s a new year and the stakes for our world have never been higher. Tuvalu is uploading itself to the metaverse in case it’s lost to rising seas – surely we can do better; we need new ways forward. So, we’re kicking off 2023 with climate tech – why not decarbonize your website, download a newly launched eco-fashion app and use paint that can cut building emissions?

Websites consume energy, which most people don’t really think about and often gets forgotten in sustainability work. Enter Singapore headquartered Greenie Web, a start up that decarbonizes websites.

They do this using a programme that analyses the website, which then recommends changes for near instant decarbonization. Get all the details on the programme, type of recommendations and how much emissions can be saved from Greenie Web Founder, Ian Chew.

Next up is recently launched platform, Smthgood. Billed as the first of its kind in the region, it facilitates the trading of eco clothing brands like Thai brand Thamon that uses fallen leaves to make bags.

The platform is working with Carbon Trade Exchange to buy carbon credits to offset the emissions of the website. Fitting given the previous article. Robin Hicks, Deputy Editor at Eco-Business takes a closer look at the platform.

If all the buildings in Hong Kong were painted in iPaint the city could reduce 580,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per annum. Essentially decarbonizing and cooling buildings.

How does it do this? And what other benefits are there? Hear from i2Cool Founder Dr Martin Zhu. The IEA says global electricity consumption for cooling purposes could increase 50% by 2030 so this is something we need to get on top of.

Doing all the above and more are musts otherwise we’ll be visiting low-lying islands in the metaverse. Already, the Pacific nation of Tuvalu is planning to create a version of itself in the metaverse, as a response to the existential threat of rising sea levels.

According to Nick Kelly and Marcus Foth of Queensland University of Technology, the idea is feasible but there are issues with computing power and more. But really, they argue that the idea of the metaverse nation as a response to climate change is exactly the kind of thinking that got us here. The internet will consume 20% of global electricity by 2025.

Last year was one of the hottest on record for the world and was the hottest for oceans. The ocean temperature rise was equal to about 100x the world’s electricity generation in 2021. Worst still, a recent investigation found that more than 90% of rainforest carbon offsets by the biggest providers are worthless.

Clearly, we must do better otherwise the only place we can enjoy island life will be in the metaverse. So here’s to new ways forward and good health & fortune in the Year of the Rabbit! Stay tuned for our 5 trends for the Rabbit Year in next month’s newsletter.