Climate Rising

Climate Rising

By Harvard Business School Business & Environment InitiativeBusinessScienceManagementNatural Sciences
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Climate Rising episodes

  • Scaling High-Integrity Nature-Based Carbon Removal with re.green

    Marcelo Medeiros, co-founder and CEO of re.green, joins Climate

    Rising to discuss how his company is restoring millions of hectares of
    degraded land in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest and Amazon biomes by producing
    high-quality nature-based carbon removal credits.

    Marcelo explains how re.green combines data science, forest

    restoration, and long-term land ownership to deliver durable carbon
    sequestration—and why they chose a for-profit model to scale impact. He
    discusses price transparency, quality verification, and how re.green is
    preparing for a future where compliance carbon markets may accept removal-based offsets from nature-based solutions.

    Marcelo also shares how winning the Earthshot Prize brought global visibility, how AI is improving ecosystem planning, and how the company

    works with clients like Microsoft and Telefónica under long-term offtake
    agreements.

    This episode is a part of our Global South series. Explore

    more episodes at climaterising.org.

    48 min
  • Tata Power and India's Energy Transition: Balancing Growth and Decarbonization

    As bonus episode of Climate Rising, we feature a

    conversation among Tata Power CEO Dr. Praveer Sinha, Harvard Business School Professor Vikram Gandhi, and HBS Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Brian Kenny  that explores how India’s largest private power company is navigating its net-zero commitment while supporting a rapidly growing economy. With energy demand projected to quadruple by 2047, Tata Power has committed to phasing down coal and expanding renewables, distributed generation, and smart grid investments.

    This conversation, based on the HBS case “Tata Power and

    India’s Energy Transition” and originally recorded for the HBS Cold Call
    podcast, explores how Tata Power balances profitability and purpose, the role of technology and grid modernization, and how energy transition in the Global South differs from the Global North. Dr. Sinha also shares insights on employee reskilling, engaging customers as “prosumers,” and why long-term vision is critical to executing a climate-aligned business strategy.

    This episode is part of Climate Rising’s Global South series, which features companies and organizations at the intersection of business and climate in India and Brazil. Explore more episodes at climaterising.org.

    39 min
  • Decarbonizing Steel in the Global South: JSW Group’s Climate Strategy

    Parth Jindal and Prabodha Acharya of JSW Group join Climate

    Rising to discuss how one of India’s largest industrial conglomerates is
    reducing the carbon intensity of its steel business while scaling
    infrastructure for a fast-growing economy. They share how JSW built vertically integrated operations—from power to cement to ports—through industrial symbiosis, and why energy efficiency, renewable power, and circular practices are at the heart of its decarbonization roadmap.

    The conversation explores India’s dual challenge: meeting

    rising domestic steel demand while managing its climate vulnerability. Parth and Prabodha explain JSW’s green investments, hydrogen pilots, carbon capture initiatives, and why cost competitiveness, stakeholder pressure, and industrial policy shape the path forward.

    This is part of our Global South series, which also

    features Tata Power and organizations in Brazil at the intersection of business and climate. Explore more episodes at climaterising.org.

    58 min
  • De-Risking Climate Tech: Inside the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center with Galen Nelson

    Galen Nelson, Chief Climate Officer at the Massachusetts

    Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) explains how the state is helping accelerate climate innovation through early-stage grants, equity investments, and infrastructure support. Galen outlines how MassCEC targets “market failures” where private investors hesitate—such as pilot and demonstration projects—and how these public investments help attract follow-on capital, inform policy, and build economic resilience.

    Galen shares examples across climate tech verticals including energy efficiency, carbon-intensive materials like cement, and urban heat resilience. He also discusses how MassCEC is responding to the shifting

    federal policy landscape, its new authority to fund climate adaptation
    technologies, and how the agency’s public-private model balances innovation with accountability.

    54 min
  • Governing Climate Action: Massachusetts’ Strategy for Decarbonization and Resilience

    Jonathan Schrag, Deputy Climate Chief for the Commonwealth

    of Massachusetts, joins Climate Rising to discuss how the state is
    tackling emissions, electrifying infrastructure, and responding to a shifting
    federal policy landscape. Jonathan shares how Massachusetts’ newly created Climate Office coordinates across agencies—from housing to public health to corrections—to embed climate action into all corners of state government.

    He discusses the state’s emissions targets, the role of

    local municipalities in building codes and EV infrastructure, and the growing headwinds from federal rollbacks, tariffs, and canceled clean energy grants. He also reflects on market uncertainty, offshore wind, geothermal pilots, and the promise of small modular nuclear reactors.

    45 min
  • How Crusoe is Reducing the Carbon Intensity of AI Data Centers

    Hui Wen Chan, Senior Director of Sustainability at Crusoe, describes

    how the rapid rise of AI is reshaping energy demand and Crusoe’s efforts to design more sustainable data centers. She explains how Crusoe leverages stranded energy sources, repurposed electric vehicle batteries, on-site renewables, and innovative energy-efficient cooling technologies to design and build gigawatt-scale AI data center infrastructure that reduces water and carbon footprints.

    She also shares why Crusoe emphasizes modularity and location-based energy sourcing, and how its customers—ranging from AI startups

    to tech hyper-scalers—are integrating climate into their computing strategy. Hui reflects on her path from microfinance and Citi’s ESG team to climate tech and offers practical advice for others pursuing careers at the intersection of AI and sustainability.

    This episode is a part of our HBS alumni series, which also features Eric Adamson who works on agricultural robotics at Oishii, and Danielle Colson who works at Mantel, a carbon capture technology start-up. Visit our website (climaterising.org) to explore the entire series!

    31 min
  • Scaling Carbon Capture for Hard-to-abate sectors: Danielle Rapson of Mantel

    Danielle Rapson, HBS alum and Co-founder and COO of Mantel, joins Climate Rising to explain how her company is developing a novel molten-based carbon capture system for hard-to-abate industrial sectors. Danielle shares the story of how Mantel spun out of an MIT lab, what sets its technology apart from existing amine-based carbon capture, and why the economics of steam reuse are critical to its efficiency. She also discusses how Mantel’s early projects in pulp and paper and oil refining are shaping its path to commercialization, and what policy and regulatory incentives—like 45Q and Canada’s carbon tax—mean for scaling carbon removal solutions.

    This episode is part of our alumni series, which also features Eric Adamson, Robotics Executive at Oishii and co-founder of Tortuga AgTech, and Hui Wen Chan of Crusoe, which uses stranded energy to power AI data centers. Explore the full series at climaterising.org.
    Resources Mentioned
    • Mantel – Developing molten material-based carbon capture for industrial emissions
    • Breakthrough Energy Fellows – A program supporting early-stage climate tech innovators
    • The Engine – VC firm backing tough tech startups out of MIT
    • MCJ – "My Climate Journey," a podcast and investor network on climate tech
    • Kruger– Canadian pulp and paper partner for Mantel’s first demonstration project
    • 45Q Tax Credit (U.S. IRS) – U.S. tax credit for carbon capture and sequestration
    • Canada’s Carbon Tax Policy – A national carbon pricing mechanism incentivizing low-carbon tech

    Host and Guest
    Host: Mike Toffel, Professor, Harvard Business School (LinkedIn)

    Guest: Danielle Rapson, Co-founder & COO, Mantel (LinkedIn)


    41 min
  • MethaneSAT: The EDF Satellite Tracking Methane Emissions from Oil & Gas Operations

    Fred Krupp, president of the non-profit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), describes EDF’s work to address climate change through scientific, economic, and legal analyses, working with

    governments and companies, and public and legal advocacy for stronger climate and other environmental practices and policies. Fred joined us to talk about MethaneSAT, EDF’s new satellite that was recently launched to monitor emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from oil and gas operations. Fred describes why EDF entered the satellite business, how its satellite differs from others already in orbit, the many partners EDF enlisted to design and

    deploy the satellite, how AI is deployed in the process, and what new opportunities this satellite will provide for EDF and the rest of us.


    39 min
  • Building Climate-Resilient Farming with Robotics: Eric Adamson of Oishii and Tortuga

    Eric Adamson, Robotics Executive at Oishii and co-founder of Tortuga AgTech, joins Climate Rising to share how automation and AI are transforming fruit farming. Eric explains how his team designed a strawberry-harvesting robot capable of operating in outdoor tunnels and vertical farms, bringing operational efficiency, labor savings, and climate resilience to high-value crops. He discusses why harvest is the hardest—and most impactful—problem in agriculture to automate, what it took to move from lab demo to field-scale deployment, and how they integrated custom robotics and 17 on-device AI models to achieve 97% picking accuracy. Eric also shares his climate thesis on why controlled environments reduce emissions, waste, and chemical use, and how UV-powered robots and environmental buffering help adapt to floods, fungi, and labor volatility.

    This episode is part of our alumni series, which also features Danielle Colson of Mantel, a carbon-capture climate-tech start-up, and Hui Wen Chan of Crusoe, which uses stranded energy to power AI data centers. Explore the full series at climaterising.org


    44 min
  • Microsoft ’s Climate Strategy and Its Carbon Removal Deal with Chestnut Carbon

    Microsoft’s Brian Marrs, Senior Director of Energy and Carbon Removal, and Chestnut Carbon CFO Greg Adams share their perspectives as a major buyer and developer of carbon removal credits. Their 2025 deal is one of the largest carbon removal deals in the U.S. and seeks to deliver 7 million tons of nature-based carbon credits over 25 years. 

    Brian explains Microsoft’s carbon negative strategy and targets, and the role of carbon removal credits. He also describes how Microsoft is using its Climate Innovation Fund and procurement efforts to “build missing markets” in decarbonized energy, materials, and transportation. 

    Greg describes how Chestnut Carbon combines afforestation, land ownership, and a private equity-backed project development model to deliver high-integrity carbon credits. He explains how their work is similar to long-term energy infrastructure contracts like power purchase agreements (PPAs), and how they are using proprietary tools to scale.  

    Brian and Greg also share their advice for those looking to learn more and work in the field. 
     

    45 min

About Climate Rising

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Climate Rising is about the impact of climate change on business. It brings business and policy leaders and Harvard Business School faculty together to share insights about what businesses are doing,…

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