• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion,but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

3

Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion,but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

3

Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
CommentaryGoldman Sachs Group

In Silicon Valley, It (Still) Ain’t Easy Being Green

By
Clay Chandler
Clay Chandler
Executive Editor, Asia
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Clay Chandler
Clay Chandler
Executive Editor, Asia
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 8, 2019, 12:35 PM ET
Fortune Global Sustainability Forum 2019 New York Dinner
Fortune Global Sustainability Forum 2019 New York Dinner on Tuesday, May 7, 2019. Photograph by Rebecca Greenfield for FortunePhotograph by Rebecca Greenfield for Fortune
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

This article first appeared in Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the top tech news. To get it delivered daily to your in-box, sign up here.

Tuesday’s New York Times featured a dire assessment of Silicon Valley’s reluctance to fund startups fighting climate change. The report lauds the efforts of investors like Nest co-founder Matt Rogers, who has socked millions into ventures seeking to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere—even as it laments the dearth of Valley high-rollers willing to do likewise.

“We don’t need another photo-sharing app or another blockchain start-up,” Rogers tells the Times. “We need to solve the carbon crisis. But a lot of folks are chasing the easy money rather than taking responsibility for what needs to be done.”

The Valley’s suspicion of environmentally-focused technology ventures, the Times notes, is a legacy of the clean-tech boom of a decade ago, in which investors eager to save the planet mostly wound up losing their shirts. It turns out that problems like the carbon crisis are hard. Solutions tend to be complicated, time-consuming, and tricky to scale.

But perhaps the pessimism is overdone. Wall Street is paying attention to environmental ventures even if Silicon Valley is not. This year’s hottest IPO is Beyond Meat, the El Segundo, Calif.-based company that has engineered plant-based alternatives to beef. Investors seem just as bullish about Impossible Foods, a rival venture which recently announced a nationwide tie-up with Burger King. Experts say a shift to “beef-less burgers” (so far the response from consumers seems pretty good) could drastically reduce carbon emissions and water consumption. Some even claim that getting people to eat less beef could do more to curb carbon emissions than getting them to give up cars.

Bankers, too, are newly focused on climate and environmental issues. At a meeting in Paris last month, the Network for Greening the Financial System, an alliance of 34 central banks and financial supervisors, issued an open letter warning that “as financial policymakers and prudential advisors, we cannot ignore the obvious risk” posed by climate change. The Bank of England recently announced it will require the banks and insurance companies it oversees to disclose how they are managing the financial risks of climate change. Politico recently hailed Bank of England governor Mark Carney, who has been especially outspoken on the issue, as an “eco-warrior.”

At a Fortune dinner in New York last night I moderated a panel of three “green finance” heavyweights: Rock Creek CEO Afsaneh Beschloss, Goldman Sachs head of environmental markets Kyung-Ah Park, and Citigroup global head of environmental finance Michael Eckhart. All concurred that–the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate accords notwithstanding–in financial capitals around the world, regulators, banks, and institutional investors are converging on sustainability issues with newfound zeal.

The occasion for last night’s dinner was to help set the agenda for the first Fortune Global Sustainability Forum, to be held in Yunnan, China September 4-6. On Thursday, we’ll convene an equally high-powered dinner in San Francisco where we’ll hear from entrepreneurs and venture investors and talk with Levi Strauss CEO Chip Bergh about how the world’s oldest maker of blue jeans is going green. The Forum in Yunnan is by invitation only, but you can learn more about it and apply to attend here.

About the Author
By Clay ChandlerExecutive Editor, Asia

Clay Chandler is executive editor, Asia, at Fortune.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Commentary

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Commentary

steve
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
Steve Case: America was built by entrepreneurs. Here’s how we keep that edge for the next 250 years
By Steve CaseJune 24, 2026
2 hours ago
t
CommentaryWhite House
Trump mistakes the bully pulpit for bullying leadership — history’s villains were never heroes
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven TianJune 24, 2026
2 hours ago
mg
CommentaryHealth
The ‘tech neck’ time bomb: why 43 million young Americans could cripple U.S. health care within a generation
By Michael GerlingJune 24, 2026
3 hours ago
sb
Commentaryclimate change
The climate policy triangle: why leaders can no longer choose between growth, security and sustainability
By Sebastian BuckupJune 23, 2026
17 hours ago
brett
CommentaryManagement
Middle managers aren’t going extinct—they’re evolving into something more powerful
By Brett HurtJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
ravi
CommentaryAI agents
Yale School of Management: surveillance pricing is just the beginning. AI agents will be the real test of corporate trust
By Ravi Dhar and Jon IwataJune 23, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion,but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
Economy
The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion,but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
By Jacqueline MunisJune 24, 2026
7 hours ago
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
Banking
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
By Jim EdwardsJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they're copying the California design tricks they once mocked
Real Estate
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they're copying the California design tricks they once mocked
By Sydney LakeJune 22, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of gold as of June 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of June 23, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 23, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.