‘Tech for Good’ also referred to as ‘Tech for Impact’ is an umbrella term that refers to technological advancement and accelerating technologies being developed and used to resolve societal and environmental issues.
There are several existing and emerging sectors within the tech for good/tech for impact segment of the accelerating tech industry. Since most of these are new or evolving concepts, there are certain overlapping aspects among them.
Let’s take a look at the major tech innovation and impact sectors working for the planet.
Climate-Tech
Technologies that are explicitly focused on addressing the impact of global warming and climate change. It encompasses all the technologies aimed at making the key industries such as energy, finance, food & agriculture, urban planning, mobility, and manufacturing among others more sustainable and regenerative.
Examples:
Zero-emission hydrogen powertrain for airplanes
Waste analysis technology to identify, sort, and recover waste
Rechargeable power stations and solar panels for outdoor and emergency use
Water-Tech
Technologies aimed at making water consumption safe, sustainable, and regenerative. These are focused on purification, reuse and elimination of wastage of water across industrial, commercial and personal usage scenarios.
Examples:
Chemical-free water purification systems
Solar Canals serving dual purpose of producing energy and reducing evaporation
Water Decarbonisation technology
Fire-Tech
Technologies developed to handle megafires such as a wildfire burning through a forest, an occurrence that has increased as an impact of global warming. These are focused on predicting, analyzing, reporting, curbing, and minimizing the impact of megafires.
Examples:
Pano AI, a deep learning AI and computer vision to automatically detect, verify and classify wildfire events in real time
Remotely controlled aerial firefighting aircrafts/water bombers
BurnBot, a scaling fuel treatment to wildfire mitigation
Carbon-Tech
Technologies aimed at reducing CO2 emissions in the planet’s atmosphere. Building on the principles of the circular economy for managing carbon emissions: to reduce the amount of carbon emissions entering the atmosphere, to reuse carbon emissions as a feedstock in different industries, to recycle carbon through the natural carbon cycle with bioenergy, and to remove carbon and store it.
Examples:
Carbon Capture Technology – capturing and storing carbon dioxide (CO2) before it is released into the atmosphere
Smart Grid Analytics to improve energy efficiency by directly reducing power losses, thus energy consumption
Planetary Hydrogen Ocean Air Capture (OAC) technology – using renewable electricity to produce hydrogen
Ocean-Tech
Technologies aimed at safe use, protection of, and intervention in, the marine environment to decarbonize, preserve and protect ocean life. More than 190 countries agreed on a pact to help safeguard the high seas and reverse biodiversity loss, at a United Nations conference on March 4, 2023.
Examples:
Electrolysis and membranes to remove CO2 from seawater
Alternative fuels for ships – Hydrogen based, biofuels, liquified natural gas
Marine robotics to generate and use solar energy for transportation
Arctic-Tech
Technologies aimed at slowing down/reversing the impact of global warming in the Arctic region. Global warming is causing the Arctic to heat up dramatically, three times more than the rest of the world.
Examples:
Bear-dar – Using AI to reduce the risk of dangerous polar bear encounters in the Arctic
Sensor network tech to improve understanding and monitoring of sea ice breakup in the Arctic region
Geoengineering-Tech
Technologies aimed at manipulating the atmosphere in order to affect the climate in a way that limits or reverses some of the effects of global warming.
Examples:
Ocean Fertilization – Adding nutrients to the upper (sunlit) layers of the ocean to stimulate phytoplankton activity (photosynthesis) in an attempt to draw down atmospheric CO2 levels
Stratospheric Aerosol Injection/ Solar Radiation Management uses tiny reflective particles or aerosols to reflect sunlight into space in order to cool the planet
Clean-Tech
Also known as Greentech, these are technologies aimed at preserving the environment and facilitating sustainability across various industries. This is a blanket term and may include many other sectors under climate tech.
Examples:
Electric Cars – helping reduce pollution and individual carbon footprint
Solar Panels installed as an alternative energy source
Wind Energy – A leading renewable energy source
Regenerative-Tech
Technologies aimed at the restoration and revival of natural habitats. These include technologies that use concepts such as biomimicry and nature-inspired regeneration to reverse the impact of climate change.
Examples:
Web3 enabled regenerative finance – a new iteration of the internet that harnesses blockchain to “decentralize” management
E-seed – A seed carrier has been designed to encourage the reforestation of natural areas that are difficult for humans to reach
At Technology for Impact, we work closely with organizations across industries to develop ethical and innovative tech strategies involving accelerating technologies. Reach out to us at info@technologyforimpact.com to discuss how one or more of these technologies can help your business become more sustainable, regenerative, and future-proof.