By Dr. Hao Xu, Head of Climate Innovation, Tencent<\/p>\n
We already have the technologies to fight climate change \u2013 so why aren\u2019t we deploying them faster?<\/p>\n
That was the question I explored in my TED Countdown Talk. As Head of Climate Innovation at Tencent and an environmental engineer by training, I believe the biggest barrier to decarbonization isn\u2019t the lack of technology \u2013 it\u2019s how we work together.<\/p>\n
The good news? There\u2019s a way forward. Many scalable climate solutions are available today. From bacteria that turn CO\u2082 into fuel, to cooling materials that help save glaciers, we can make real impact now. The key is accelerating them by uniting science, engineering, and business to turn bold ideas into real-world solutions that help decarbonize the planet.<\/p>\n
Catalyzing emerging low-carbon technology<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m more optimistic than ever that we have the answer to accelerating climate innovation, and it\u2019s simple.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Hao Xu, Head of Climate Innovation, Tencent<\/p>\n
Although Tencent is not a major emitter, we are deeply committed to sustainability and tackling climate change. We have pledged to achieve carbon neutrality in our operations and supply chain by 2030 and are leveraging our capabilities to fulfil our mission of creating tech for good.<\/p>\n
Beyond improving data center efficiency and sourcing renewable energy, we\u2019re focused on how to catalyze the next generation of climate technology. That\u2019s why we launched our CarbonX program in partnership with industry, investors and innovators. Three years in, I\u2019m more optimistic than ever, because we think the right answer is not so complicated.<\/p>\n
Through CarbonX, we’ve learned that successful climate tech acceleration happens when four key areas work in harmony.<\/p>\n
1. Scientific innovation: saving decades of climate tech R&D<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start with the science, which is in advanced stages. We can capture solar energy, store it using cutting-edge chemistry, and convert CO\u2082 into valuable products \u2013 shaving decades off development.<\/p>\n
Take Gasgene, a startup we work with through CarbonX. Using CRISPR \u2013 a gene editing tool \u2013 to reprogram clostridium bacteria, they’ve essentially taught these microorganisms to “eat” carbon dioxide and produce butanol instead. Butanol is found in clothing, paint, water bottles, toys and the like. With engineered clostridium, we can make these everyday products from captured carbon instead of fossil fuels.<\/p>\n
2. Engineering expertise: scaling the science from lab to real world<\/p>\n
Next is engineering, which acts as the bridge from lab to production, bringing scientific ideas to life at scale.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Imagine building a facility to produces 20,000 tons of butanol a year from captured CO\u2082. Engineers must decide: what size reactors are needed? Can we use standard equipment, or must systems be customized? How do we optimize for cost, safety and energy?<\/p>\n
Think of it like LEGO \u2013 you use existing blocks wherever possible to build something new quickly and efficiently.<\/p>\n
Feynman Dynamics, another CarbonX innovator, faced this challenge. Their goal: produce sustainable aviation fuel by combining captured CO\u2082 with green hydrogen. Their breakthrough? A catalyst that blends these ingredients at the molecular level, like a smoothie machine. Inspired by pharmaceutical chemistry, they created a reactor that delivers consistent, scalable performance, cutting waste and boosting efficiency.<\/p>\n
3. Business knowhow: turning innovation into industry<\/p>\n
However, even the best-engineered solution can fail without a viable business model. Markets, costs and customer demand drive adoption and innovations must make commercial sense.<\/p>\n
Yuanchu, a startup that captures CO\u2082 and turns it into calcium carbonate \u2013 used in paper, makeup, and toothpaste \u2013 found a smart market fit. Instead of mining limestone, they repurpose steel and industrial by-products, cutting both emissions and costs.<\/p>\n
Another example is Moguang, which developed cutting-edge radiative cooling material that reflects over 90 percent of sunlight. It cools objects naturally without using electricity. We piloted this technology on the endangered Dagu Glacier in southwestern China. After three years, melting slowed by 80 percent.<\/p>\n
Today, that same material is used in hundreds of thousands of smartphone screens and sports cameras. From glaciers to gadgets, climate tech innovation is full of possibilities.<\/p>\n
4. Integration: solving the bottlenecks<\/p>\n
So, what\u2019s holding us back? It\u2019s not invention, it\u2019s isolation.<\/p>\n
Scientists focus on discovery. Engineers optimize performance. Businesses look at balance sheets. But rarely do they work together from day one.<\/p>\n
To accelerate climate solutions, however, these disciplines must collaborate from the start. That means:<\/p>\n
Scientists asking: how much energy does it take to capture one ton of CO\u2082?
\nEngineers asking: can this be deployed at industrial levels?
\nBusiness leaders asking: when can we make this cost effective?<\/p>\n
These aren\u2019t easy conversations. But such cross-disciplinary tensions are essential to speed up progress and get us closer to decarbonization.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve already seen this model succeed. With Gasgene, we helped form a clean chemical consortium, linking startups, chemical companies, and consumer brands to make carbon-based products a reality. That alignment enabled pilot deployment and scaling.<\/p>\n
To recap, we don\u2019t need to wait for new inventions. We need to work faster, and work together. That\u2019s how we can accelerate the transition to a low-carbon world!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Dr. Hao Xu, Head of Climate Innovation, Tencent We already have the technologies to fight climate change…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":64958,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[114,85,46,8167,47378,47379,47377],"class_list":["post-64957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-tencent-cloud","tag-tencent-games","tag-wechat","tag-qq"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64957"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64957\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}