We urgently need to cut emissions and avoid climate change’s most harmful effects, and that’s where our 10 companies come in. 

They’re working on everything from mobile flood barriers and semi-solid-state batteries to compressed-CO₂ energy storage and next-generation nuclear reactors. They also reflect the biggest shifts in climate tech—including the surging energy demands of AI data centers. 

Meet the 10 companies working on some of the biggest challenges in climate tech.

Over the coming days, we’ll take a closer look at each of the 10 companies, along with how we chose this year’s list, right here in The Download. So stay tuned!

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Musk’s new Pentagon role has raised conflict-of-interest fears
His companies could directly benefit from the weapons he recommends. (NPR)
+ SpaceX has received billions in Pentagon and NASA contracts. (NYT $)
+ Beware the rise of the “Pentagon-Silicon Complex.” (Gizmodo)
+ The Pentagon wants an AI-powered lie detector. (MIT Technology Review)

2 The only billionaires making money this year are in tech
Tech fortunes now account for 36% of billionaire wealth. (Bloomberg $)
+ Nvidia is on the verge of the first $6 trillion valuation. (CNBC)
+ SpaceX stock has made Elon Musk a trillionaire again. (Gizmodo)