Green tech, clean tech, climate tech: what’s the difference?

 Green tech, clean tech, climate tech: what’s the difference?

“ Green technology or environmental technology means using science and technology to protect the world’s natural resources and mitigate the negative environmental impact of human activity. ”

Clean tech is a broad category that encompasses solutions that improve the performance and efficiency of production, while also reducing negative environmental impact of any kind.

Therefore, this includes clean technologies include innovations like clean energy, wastewater treatment, waste management, and more – all of which prove as sustainable alternatives for sustainable agriculture, the green tech industry, and other businesses adopting green technology.

Meanwhile, climate tech tackles problems specifically associated with human-induced climate change — basically, any technology focused on mitigating the impact of greenhouse gas emissions. For example, while water treatment and waste management are considered clean tech,they don’t qualify as climate tech.

5 green tech trends to watch in 2024

Low-carbon construction

Smart, sustainable buildings are popping up everywhere, and for good reason. Traditional buildings and construction account for 38% of greenhouse gas emissions around the world.

Low-carbon buildings are designed to emit little to no carbon across their lifespan. They require minimal heating and cooling, produce very little waste and pollution, and are made from eco-friendly materials like bamboo and hemp. They generally produce their own energy, often through rooftop solar panels. With the demand for construction higher than ever, low-carbon buildings are crucial for a green future.

Carbon capture and storage

Carbon offsets are a necessary step towards reversing global warming, but on their own, they can’t keep global temperature increase to less than 1.5°C. For that, we’ll need to physically remove existing carbon from the atmosphere.

Carbon capture and storage technology pulls carbon from the atmosphere and uses it to make synthetic fuel. Right now, it’s expensive and relatively small-scale, but a study by Stanford University predicts that the costs of this technology could even be reduced by a multiple of six, making it much more scalable.

Renewable energy storage

In the transition to renewables, one key problem is working out how to make clean energy available consistently, even when the sun has been hidden by clouds for days on end, or wind hasn’t spun turbines in weeks. To do this, we’ll need to be able to store large amounts of energy for long periods of time, at little cost.

Innovative companies around the world, including Aquion Energy, Malta (Google X) and Highview Power, are developing unique long-term storage solutions for the power generated by renewable energy sources. Fossil fuels are out, renewables are in, and the demand for storage technology will follow.

Hydrogen

You’re already familiar with battery-powered electric vehicles, but there’s another kind of electrical vehicle, and it’s known as a fuel cell electric vehicle. These cars don’t run on batteries — they run on hydrogen. This makes them far more efficient than combustion-powered vehicles, and they also don’t produce any harmful emissions.

Some people predict that by 2050, hydrogen will eventually power over 400 million cars, up to 20 million buses, and more than 20% of passenger ships. Hydrogen fuel is still expensive, but hydrogen-powered vehicles are already being purchased in many parts of the world, and could become crucial for cutting transport emissions from fossil fuels.

Upcycling (circular waste management)

Upcycling — turning waste into new, usable materials or products — has never been more popular. Innovative companies and organizations around the world are finding ways to upcycle existing waste into everything from fuel and fertilizer to clothes and bicycles.

👉 Upcycling is part of the circular economy, a model where ‘waste’ doesn’t exist — it simply becomes the raw material for something new.