Sunday, November 16, 2025

Climate and Energy

Reimagining Financial Inclusion using Blockchain

Blockchain technology, like the Internet that predated it, is not a miracle solution for all the world’s economic and financial exclusion ills. People are. It will take concerted, cooperative and diligent effort among parties impacted to overcome serious obstacles, while creating opportunities for leadership.

Carbon Offsets on the Blockchain

The Tapscott Team's CarbonX product, built on the blockchain, might just be the solution to a sustainable carbon offset loyalty program. CarbonX aims to create a peer-to-peer, decentralized marketplace of tokenized carbon offsets by creating incentives for buyers and sellers of those tokens to make more sustainable choices in their daily lives. 

Debating the Future Role of U.S. Energy Subsidies

The role, contribution and costs of energy source subsidies ought to be re-debated, particularly in light of increasing climate change effects and a reticent US administration. Who will now fund renewable energy projects? Shouldn't fossil fuel subsidies be scaled down?

Beating Pakistan’s Changing Weather

How Acumen's Jacqueline Novogratz and a local solar electricity startup are partnering to deal with bringing relief from Pakistan's extreme heat and changing climate.

Chilean wind farms grab US$135M in investments

Renewable energy wind farmers in Chile won nine-figure funding to boost capitalization and construction of more wind energy infrastructure projects. The funding should increase the country's transformation to non-conventional renewable energies, currently around 18 percent of the country’s energy, 47 percent of which is represented by solar energy.

PAYGo Pioneer SolarHome in Asia Lands Series A

Asia-based SolarHome has nabbed a pre-Series A, raising its total funding now to $1.1 million. Its use of PayGo, an emerging "rent-to-own" way for low-income customers to pay for electricity was a main factor in approval of the deal, says Uberis, the impact investor who led the deal.

PayGo Is Emerging as a New Payments Solution for Off-Grid

PayGo is emerging as a way for emerging off-grid renewable energy operators to fuel their operations, and expansion, to address the needs of low-income households who remain disconnected from electricity. The solution is being run in partnership with Mastercard Foundation.

Cycle.land Offers a More Personalized Bike-Sharing Platform

Yet another bike-sharing platform has sprouted, this time in Cambridge, but which offers one that is more personalized to bike-renters and riders, and that is as cheap as just $0.65 per day.

The Development Challenge, and Opportunity, of Electrifying Africa

Improvements in technology, like availability of solar panels, and a kinder climate for investing is starting to come together for Africa, a region that has remained a challenge to extend electricity to.

Carbon Tax Plan Announced by Big Oil

A consortium of oil companies and other firms have announced a "conservative climate" carbon tax plan that is being met with either applause or skepticism. Philanthropist Laurene Jobs and Michael Bloomberg are among the plan's backers.