Coming soon: Our 2026 list of Climate Tech Companies to Watch

The negative climate news is piling up, but there are some bright spots of progress if you know where to look. Earlier this month, the UN announced the planet will tip past 1.5 C of warming, "likely within the next few years," squashing any lingering hope that nations would cut emissions fast enough to achieve the loftiest goal of the Paris climate agreement. In the US, the world's second-largest-emitting country, its leader continues to deny climate realities and unravel climate policies . Big Tech is backpedaling on its climate ambitions, as companies race to build massive AI data centers. And all this comes amid yet another season of shattered heat records, raging wildfires, and deadly floods. It can be tempting to give in to climate doom and defeatism.