The natural world sustains life and drives economic prosperity. But the industrial revolution has severely disrupted ecosystems, causing environmental degradation and biodiversity loss.
Research shows that wildlife populations have declined by 73% since 1970, indicating the urgency of the crisis. Reversing this damage requires a fundamental shift in how capital is allocated to move away from activities that harm the environment toward solutions that restore and protect it. While the UN SDGs and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework provide the necessary guidelines for environmental protection, a significant gap remains between ambition and action.
Climate Tech plays a crucial role in safeguarding nature by offering solutions that protect, monitor, and restore ecosystems. However, funding for the natural environment has dropped significantly from 12.6% of total Climate Tech investment in 2020 to just 4.7% in 2024, according to the State of Climate Report 2024. With ecosystems under growing threat, reversing this trend is essential to drive impactful innovation in nature conservation.Â
Solutions across Natural Environment
Restoring the natural environment requires a combined approach, leveraging both engineered and nature-based solutions to protect ecosystems, combat biodiversity loss, and build climate resilience. The Climate Tech Taxonomy provides a structured framework for categorizing solutions across climate monitoring and response, afforestation and deforestation, biodiversity, and environmental disaster management.
Climate Monitoring and Response
Climate Monitoring and Response involves the systematic observation, data collection, and analysis of environmental indicators such as temperature, greenhouse gas emissions, and sea-level rise. These insights are crucial for understanding climate trends, predicting extreme weather events, and informing strategic decision-making.
For vulnerable communities—reliant on agriculture and fishing—accurate climate monitoring is essential to anticipate climate disruptions and mitigate risks. Reliable, real-time climate data enables proactive responses, safeguarding lives and infrastructure, improving food security, and providing economic stability.
To meet these challenges, advancements in Climate Tech are transforming how climate data is collected and analyzed. Cutting-edge weather forecasting and remote sensing technologies, equipping decision-makers with the insights needed to adapt and respond effectively.
Continuously collecting data on indicators such as the global temperature, greenhouse gas emissions, and sea levels provides insight into climate trends to predict extreme weather events and mitigate the risks. This is especially important for communities more vulnerable to climate disruptions, such as those reliant on agriculture and fishing. Real-time climate data provides proactive responses to events, safeguarding lives and infrastructure.
For example, Climate Tech innovations like advanced weather forecasting and remote sensing technologies help communities adapt and respond effectively to changes.Â
- Advanced weather forecasting leverages data analytics, machine learning, and sensor networks to improve weather predictions. These insights help address challenges such as disaster preparedness, climate adaptation, and resource management.
- Remote sensing technologies enable real-time environmental assessments. These tools track land cover, vegetation health, and air quality, helping with wildfire detection, forest conservation, and carbon storage monitoring.
Notable Startups to Watch in Climate Monitoring and Response
San Francisco-based Atmo provides an ultraprecise AI-driven weather forecasting system, delivering accurate predictions to help communities mitigate climate risks. The company raised $17.6M in a Series A round in December 2024.
Meteomatics is a Swiss-based company that delivers high-precision weather intelligence to mitigate weather-related risks and optimize operations. Its autonomous weather drones gather real-time atmospheric data, improving forecast accuracy for localized and extreme weather events. The company raised $22M in Series C funding from Climate Labs Gmbh, Armira, Alantra, Alantra, and Fortyone Ag.
French-based Syroco supports the energy efficiency and carbon emissions reduction in maritime transportation. Its weather routing and voyage optimization platform helps fleet owners and operators enhance vessel efficiency and reduce environmental impact. The company closed a $7.86M Series A round from Seventure Partners and Alter Equity in December 2024.
Biodiversity
Despite international commitments, global efforts to halt and reverse biodiversity loss remain grossly insufficient. The gap between policy ambitions and real-world action continues to widen, increasing the risk of disrupting ecosystems.
Biodiversity protection demands the same level of urgency and commitment as decarbonization. Effective conservation efforts must safeguard existing ecosystems while addressing the root causes of biodiversity decline. Climate Tech plays a pivotal role in this by developing scalable, technology-driven solutions for biodiversity protection and restoration.
Some of the key Climate Tech interventions in biodiversity conservation are:Â
- Biodiversity Finance: Estimations show that biodiversity funding must reach $200 billion annually by 2030, combining public and private investments. Financial mechanisms such as biodiversity credits and green bonds increase capital flow into conservation efforts.Â
- Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration: Initiatives that rewild landscapes, restore wetlands, and create wildlife corridors help revive natural habitats and protect native species.
- Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV): Data-driven MRV frameworks improve the tracking and assessment of biodiversity conservation projects, ensuring transparency and measurable impact.
- Biodiversity Risk Mitigation: Companies are integrating biodiversity risk management strategies such as sustainable resource use, habitat restoration, and biodiversity offsets to reduce their ecological footprint.
Notable Startups to Watch in Biodiversity
US-based Colossal Biosciences focuses on de-extinction and biodiversity restoration using advanced genetic technologies. The company works on bringing back extinct species, protecting endangered ones, and restoring critical ecosystems. In January 2025, Colossal Biosciences closed a $200M Series C round.
UK-based NatureMetrics delivers large-scale biodiversity insights using environmental DNA (eDNA), Earth Observation (EO), AI, and advanced data science. Their technology enables accurate species monitoring across ecosystems. The company raised $25M in Series B funding in January 2025 from 2150, BNP, SWEN Blue Ocean and other backers.
Vibrant Planet builds wildfire resilience through software that provides real-time scenario planning, monitoring, and reporting for land managers, utilities, and insurers. Their platform boosts community and wildland resilience against wildfires. In March 2025, Blue Vision Capital invested an undisclosed amount in Series A funding.Â
Environmental Disaster Management
Rising global temperatures intensify extreme weather events such as hurricanes, droughts, floods, and heatwaves. Research estimates that climate change-related costs from 185 extreme weather events between 2000 and 2019 totaled $2.86 trillion. Accurate climate predictions and risk assessments are essential to strengthen disaster preparedness and mitigate the impact of climate-driven disasters.
Key Climate Tech innovations improving g Environmental Disaster Management include:
- Early Warning Systems: AI-powered monitoring and remote sensing technologies detect and predict environmental threats such as extreme weather events like wildfires and floods. By providing real-time alerts, these systems allow communities and businesses to prepare and respond more effectively.
- Climate Risk Management: Advanced risk assessment models analyze historical data, climate projections, and socio-economic factors to identify vulnerabilities. The insights from these models help prioritize risks such as extreme weather, rising sea levels, and shifting temperature patterns, supporting resilience planning.
- Climate Insurance: Climate risk insurance provides financial protection against losses caused by extreme weather events. Innovations in risk modelling, data analytics, and public-private partnerships are expanding coverage, helping businesses and communities recover more sustainably.
Environmental Disaster Management Startups to Watch
French company OroraTech offers satellite-based thermal intelligence solutions to combat wildfires, providing early detection, predictive modelling, and post-fire damage assessment. Their technology helps safeguard forests, ecosystems, and communities. In October 2024, OroraTech raised $27.2M in Series B funding from the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF), Bayern Kapital, and Korys.
UK–based StormHarvester offers AI-powered wastewater management solutions which combine machine learning with hyperlocal rainfall forecasting. Their technology enables predictive maintenance, reducing flooding and pollution incidents. The company raised $10.4M in Series A funding in January 2025 from YFM Equity Partners and Emerald Technology Ventures.
New York-based Floodbase uses satellite and AI-driven flood monitoring to provide real-time risk assessment and insurance solutions, combining historical data with real-time tracking. Floodbase raised $5M in Series B funding in February 2025 from Ecosystem Integrity Fund and Pulse Fund.
Afforestation and Reforestation
Forests can function as carbon sinks by absorbing CO₂ through photosynthesis and storing it in biomass. However, when forests are cleared or degraded, they release stored carbon back into the atmosphere. As Earth’s growing population increasingly puts pressure on the world’s forests, it reduces their role as vital carbon sinks. Climate change is exacerbating this problem by making forests more vulnerable to wildfires, pests, and degradation.
This highlights the urgent need for large-scale afforestation and reforestation initiatives. Afforestation involves planting trees in areas where forests did not previously exist, while reforestation focuses on restoring forests lost to deforestation or degradation. These efforts don’t just sequester carbon but also prevent soil erosion, safeguard water sources, and protect biodiversity hotspots.
Some of the Climate Tech innovations driving afforestation and reforestation are:
- Remote Sensing & Forest Data Analytics: Advanced satellite imagery and AI-powered analytics monitor deforestation and track forest health. They can also detect illegal activities such as mining, logging, and cattle grazing.
- Automated Seeding & Drone Technology: Drone-assisted reforestation enables rapid, large-scale tree planting in hard-to-reach areas, which improves efficiency and survival rates.
- Carbon Credit Verification & MRV Solutions: Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) technologies ensure the credibility of carbon removal projects. They help companies quantify COâ‚‚ sequestration and maintain transparency in carbon markets.
Afforestation & Reforestation Startups That Should Be on Your Radar
Mast Reforestation scales post-wildfire reforestation in Western North America, integrating forest restoration with durable biomass burial for long-term carbon removal. The company raised $25M in Series B funding In February 2025 from Pulse Fund, Social Capital and other previous bac.
US-based Terviva partners with farmers to grow and harvest pongamia, a climate-resilient tree which sequesters carbon, revitalizes soil health and grows on land where other crops can’t grow. This helps avoid deforestation and supports rural communities. Terviva closed a Series E round from Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd in January 2025.
Climate Innovation is Helping Save the Natural Environment
The urgency to restore and protect the natural environment has never been greater. Climate Tech is playing a crucial role by advancing scientific interventions in climate monitoring, biodiversity protection, disaster management, and ecosystem restoration.Â
Investors, businesses, and governments are recognizing the potential of these solutions, as demonstrated by the growing funding for startups in these fields. With real-time data on capital flows, market trends, and emerging innovations, you can identify high-impact opportunities and play a key role in protecting our natural environment.
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