It's always a good time to talk about climate change

Few young startups are using technology to build climate-conscious businesses

This is the year of global climate stocktake. During the crucial COP28, to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in November, world leaders will discuss the collective progress they have made around climate action. Before that, in September, India will preside over the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Delhi, a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held through the year, with climate as one of the focus areas.

For many decades, stories about climate change were met with denial or indifference, like something that either did not exist or was happening so slowly that it will only hit us in the very distant future. Over the last few years, however, voices championing the climate movement have made us sit up and take note of the immediacy of the crisis, as well as the role we all play in both adding to the chaos and preventing it.

In this context, Forbes India’s special edition seeks to present a nuanced take on various aspects of the climate conversation in India: What is the GDP loss due to climate change? How green are ESG stocks? What is India’s green energy transition blueprint?

We attempt to answer some of these questions, apart from turning the spotlight on a few young startups that are using technology to build climate-conscious businesses. From an AI-powered light harvesting glass to harness solar power to farming the ocean to make biofuels and bioplastics, you’ll find stories of six climate-tech businesses in the following pages.

Also read: Smart Joules: Decarbonising one company at a time

There is also reportage on the state of climate education in the country, how India’s solar power push economically empowers women in rural India, and how a clutch of comic creators is using their wit and skills to simplify climate concepts and drive change on-ground.

As we await the G20 Summit under India’s presidency, “timely grassroots implementation towards our own climate ambitions will define the success of India’s leadership role in limiting the climate crisis”, writes activist Sumaira Abdulali. “Our planet’s climate emergency is here.”