Is techno-optimism justified in the battle to limit climate change?

In the debate around climate change, technology is often painted as being a broad-brush tool that will move all sectors along towards our net zero goals. However, the decarbonisation prospects for each sector are radically different, with some having a good probability of success given recent technological progress and others whose prospects look dire bar a major leap of faith. This talk will examine the situation for each of the major sectors and the technological advances needed in order to hit net zero by 2050.

Manshu has worked at the intersection of technology, finance and climate change for over 20 years. As a technology financier, he has helped raise capital for a number of technology startups including in the biofuels, solar, and fuel cell sectors. He was formerly Business Development Director at Synthetic Genomics, a leading US bioenergy firm and currently acts as the Commercial Director for Wase, a waste to energy company. He also runs Colbridge Ventures, a growth advisory for climatetech startups and acts as a mentor to several technology accelerators. He is a chemical engineering graduate from Cambridge and has an MBA from Columbia University.

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