How Technology Can Help Save the Planet: The Role of Software Development Companies in Climate Tech

Why is Noldev focusing on climate tech?

The importance of climate tech

We live in a time in which vast forest fires and dried-up rivers have become a recurring Summer event. Microplastics are now a common ingredient in fish and shellfish, and every year 10 million hectares of forests disappear. Rising temperatures, water and air pollution, food waste versus food shortage, an increase in natural disasters, increasing inequality between rich and poor regions, … Driven by a relentless desire for growth and prosperity, people have long ignored the consequences of certain practices.

Saying climate will be the number one issue for the next decades, is stating the obvious. But to rectify the poor choices of the past, we need to make drastic technological improvements. The good news: we have the knowledge, ideas and technologies to make this happen. Some things are old practices that need a technological upgrade, others are revolutionizing new concepts, ready to be developed. Out of the climate urgency and building on the initial cleantech industry in the beginning of the 2000s, a growing numbers of climate tech start-ups have started to tackle the different aspects of climate change. Their mission: reduce pollution and carbon emissions, adapt to the new climate and offer alternatives to the status-quo.

What is climate tech?

Greentech, cleantech, climate tech. They have their own focus, but because of the big overlap between them, the terms are often interchangeably used. Cleantech focuses on reducing the impact of humans on natural resources, such as the pollution of air, water and soil, and providing clean alternatives. Climate tech is concerned with reducing greenhouse gasses as well, but covers a broader range of topics, for example carbon capture, afforestation and circular economy. It tackles the global challenge of climate change, whereas cleantech works on a better interaction between humans and nature. Greentech is either considered an umbrella term for cleantech and climate tech, or as a synonym for cleantech. Nowadays, businesses mostly use the term climate tech to avoid negative connotations of the clean tech crash between 2006-2014. However, regardless of their assigned name, these environmental technologies all have the same purpose: battle human-caused climate change and improve our future world. They challenge the traditionally dirty sectors and use the latest technologies to offer alternatives.

For more information on the comparison of the terms, check out these contributions from Good Tech Guide, Greenly, Pale Blue Dot and Ignite.

What kind of climate tech is there?

Since climate change leads to a range of issues, each with their own source, greentech businesses come with many different focuses. According to research of StartUs Insights, the majority of climate tech start-ups are working on clean energy, climate smart agriculture, sustainable mobility or circular economy.

Other noticeable trends are:

• Carbon analytics, which allow businesses to measure and manage their footprint with climate and carbon management platforms
• Recycling and waste management
• Green investing to encourage people to invest in ESG-friendly businesses
• Bioplastics
• Sustainable land & water management
• Carbon capture, utilization and storage
• Food tech: plant-based substitutes, reduce emissions in the cultivation, sustainable packaging, or more transparency in the distribution chain

One of the dirtiest industries is the building and construction industry. Not only does construction contribute to high emissions, the operational emissions from air conditioning, heating and refrigeration also play a significant role. The total of these emissions was estimated to be 39% of the annual global carbon emissions in 2019. Green construction and building management will therefore be increasingly important in the climate tech industry.

A lot of the start-ups make use of the possibilities of big data, such as AI, blockchain and machine learning. Thanks to their computation power, these new technologies provide a faster, automated and data-supported oversight and accelerate the advancements of already existing technologies and techniques.

Building software to fight climate change

So what if you have an idea for your own greentech start-up, but don’t have the technology to bring it to life? This is where Noldev comes in. There are many innovative minds and entrepreneurs without sufficient resources to develop the tools needed for their project. Our ambitious team of engineers wants to assist you here. Climate tech software, smart cities, connectivity, renewables in urban areas, … Let us know what you’re looking for. We listen to you and work on a customized solution for your idea. Because when you succeed, we all succeed.

Reach out to us and discuss the possibilities.