unsettling

We as a publication are focused more on identifying companies developing technologies that can address the escalating threats of climate change, than on businesses positioned purely for market success. We don’t fancy ourselves as stock pickers or financial analysts.

But we still don’t want to lead our readers astray by highlighting a startup that winds up filing for bankruptcy six months later, even if its demise is due to a policy whiplash outside of its control.

So we had to shift our thinking some.

As a basic principle, we look for companies with the potential to substantially drive down greenhouse gas emissions or deliver products that could help communities meaningfully reduce the dangers of heatwaves, droughts, or other extreme weather.

We prefer to feature businesses that have established a track record, by raising capital, building plants, or delivering products. We generally exclude companies where the core business involves extracting and combusting fossil fuels, even if they have a side business in renewables, as well as those tied to forced labor or other problematic practices.

Our reporters and contributors add their initial ideas to a spreadsheet. We ask academics, investors, and other sources we trust for more nominees. We research and debate the various contenders, add or subtract from our list, then research and debate them all some more.