{"id":818571,"date":"2025-01-09T22:12:09","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T04:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/09\/2025-is-a-critical-year-for-climate-tech\/"},"modified":"2025-01-09T22:12:09","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T04:12:09","slug":"2025-is-a-critical-year-for-climate-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/09\/2025-is-a-critical-year-for-climate-tech\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 is a critical year for climate tech"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This article is from The Spark, <\/em>MIT Technology Review\u2019s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, <\/em>sign up here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

I love the fresh start that comes with a new year. And one thing adding a boost to my January is our newest list of 10 Breakthrough Technologies<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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In case you haven\u2019t browsed this year\u2019s list or a previous version, it features tech that\u2019s either breaking into prominence or changing society. We typically recognize a range of items running from early-stage research to consumer technologies that folks are getting their hands on now.<\/p>\n

As I was looking over the finished list this week, I was struck by something: While there are some entries from other fields that are three<\/a> or even five<\/a> years away, all the climate items are either newly commercially available or just about to be. It\u2019s certainly apt, because this year in particular seems to be bringing a new urgency to the fight against climate change. We\u2019re facing global political shifts and entering the second half of the decade. It\u2019s time for these climate technologies to grow up and get out there.<\/p>\n

Green steel<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Steel is a crucial material for buildings and vehicles, and making it accounts for around 8% of global greenhouse-gas emissions. New manufacturing methods could be a huge part of cleaning up heavy industry, and they\u2019re just on the cusp of breaking into the commercial market.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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One company, called Stegra, is close to starting up the world\u2019s first commercial green steel plant, which will make the metal using hydrogen from renewable sources. (You might know this company by its former name, H2 Green Steel<\/a>, as we included it on our 2023 list of Climate Tech Companies to Watch.)<\/p>\n

When I first started following Stegra a few years ago, its plans for a massive green steel plant felt incredibly far away. Now the company says it\u2019s on track to produce steel at the factory by next year<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The biggest challenge in this space is money. Building new steel plants is expensive\u2014Stegra has raised almost $7 billion. And the company\u2019s product will be more expensive than conventional material, so it\u2019ll need to find customers willing to pay up (so far, it has).<\/p>\n

There are other efforts to clean up steel that will all face similar challenges around money, including another play in Sweden called Hybrit and startups like Boston Metal and Electra, which use different processes. Read more about green steel, and the potential obstacles it faces as we enter a new phase of commercialization, in this short blurb<\/a> and in this longer feature about Stegra<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cow burp remedies<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Humans love burgers and steaks and milk and cheese, so we raise a whole bunch of cows. The problem is, these animals are among a group with a funky digestion process that produces a whole lot of methane (a powerful greenhouse gas). A growing number of companies are trying to develop remedies that help cut down on their methane emissions.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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This is one of my favorite items on the list this year (and definitely my favorite illustration\u2014at the very least, check out this blurb<\/a> to enjoy the art).<\/p>\n

There\u2019s already a commercially available option right now: a feed additive called Bovaer from DSM-Firmenich that the company says can cut methane emissions by 30% in dairy cattle, and more in beef cattle. Startups are right behind with their own products, some of which could prove even better.<\/p>\n

A key challenge all these companies face moving forward is acceptance: from regulatory agencies, farmers, and consumers. Some companies still need to go through lengthy and often expensive tests to show that their products are safe and effective. They\u2019ll also need to persuade farmers to get on board. Some might also face misinformation<\/a> that\u2019s causing some consumers to protest these new additives.<\/p>\n

Cleaner jet fuel<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While planes crisscrossing the world are largely powered by fossil fuels, some alternatives are starting to make their appearance in aircraft.<\/p>\n

New fuels, today mostly made from waste products like used cooking oil, can cut down emissions from air travel. In 2024, they made up about 0.5% of the fuel supply. But new policies could help these fuels break into new prominence, and new options are helping to widen their supply.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The key challenge here is scale. Global demand for jet fuel was about 100 billion gallons last year, so we\u2019ll need a whole lot of volume from new producers to make a dent in aviation\u2019s emissions.<\/p>\n

To illustrate the scope, take LanzaJet\u2019s new plant, opened in 2024. It\u2019s the first commercial-scale facility that can make jet fuel with ethanol, and it has a capacity of about 9 million gallons annually. So we would need about 10,000 of those plants to meet global demand\u2014a somewhat intimidating prospect. Read more in my write-up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

From cow burps to jet fuel to green steel, there\u2019s a huge range of tech that\u2019s entering a new stage of deployment and will need to face new challenges in the next few years. We\u2019ll be watching it all\u2014thanks for coming along.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Now read the rest of The Spark<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Related reading<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Check out our full list<\/a> of 2025\u2019s Breakthrough Technologies here. There\u2019s also a poll<\/a> where you can vote for what you think the 11th item should be. I\u2019m not trying to influence anyone\u2019s vote, but I think methane-detecting satellites are pretty interesting\u2014just saying \u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n

This package is part of our <\/strong>January\/February print issue<\/strong><\/a>, which also includes stories on:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n