Hackquarters X | Climate Tech - Fireside Chat: Global Perspectives for ClimateTech
Lastly, Yvonne Rosenbaum-Afra, Co-Founder at Leaders for Climate Action Turkey, moderated the Fireside Chat: Global Perspectives for Climate Tech Startup Ecosystem and Social Entrepreneurship. Cecile Duranton, Managing Director at Time for the Planet, and Marcus Hølland Eikeland, Program Director & Partner at Katapult, were the participants. Yvonne asked, “How important do you think it is to raise awareness for practical initiatives about climate change, problems, and ClimateTech solutions?”
Cecile argued, “Creating awareness among citizens matters as they have the power to push politicians and investors to take action. In terms of politics and investments, raising awareness is of high importance. Thanks to the awareness, climate tech investments can involve much more people.”
Marcus added, “We passed the awareness stage. We need action! We need entrepreneurs to solve real problems. Today, governments are committing to the terms written in Paris Agreement. This opens a way for climate entrepreneurs to execute their solutions. I am quite keen on rolling out solutions tackling climate change.”
They also touched upon the effect of climate change on the other sectors.
Yvonne asked, “How do you think climate action navigates the other sectors of the economy?”
Cecille highlighted, “Today, the climate becomes the 1st priority of the sectors. We see climate precision in fashion, cosmetics, manufacturing, and services. The change starts with the biggest sectors, and they inspire all the others. Companies that do not have climate strategy for the next 20 years will not survive.”
Marcus suggested, “Climate needs to be everyone’s job. Every business must take climate as its priority. There should be a tax for companies that do not have services or products tackling climate change on their agenda. Regulatory frameworks should be applied more and more. Venture capital and impact financing will play a massive role in the monetary part of climate action. It needs to be a holistic sort of fight against climate change.”