Innovations that reverse environmental damage caused by humans are attracting increasing investment.
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investment opportunities in environmental sustainability
While many sustainability efforts revolve around helping companies measure existing emissions and trying to reduce them, environmental sustainability efforts attempt to turn back the clock. New technologies offer the chance to reverse damage to animal habitats and shore up future water supplies.
Examples of environmental sustainability in action include innovations that remove CO2 from the atmosphere and reduce chemical levels in soil. Examples of environmental sustainability in innovations such as CO2 capture, water treatment, and atmospheric water harvesting, the latter of which is the capture and collection of water in air either as vapour or small water droplets.
Estimated annual growth rate in carbon capture, utilisation, and storage market to 2030
Value of global water and wastewater treatment market by 2028
Estimated annual growth rate of global atmospheric water generator sector by 2030
Better catalytic chemistry and cheaper construction processes are driving improvements to CO2 capture technologies and, consequently, environmental sustainability. Innovations in chemistry are also driving improvements to recycling technologies and water treatment.
Polluting industries are investing heavily in CO2 capturing, especially construction, mining and oil and gas sectors. Occidental Petroleum partnered with a private equity firm, Rusheen Capital Management, to develop a direct air capture facility in Texas that would pull about 1 million metric tons of CO2 annually from the air. Chemicals and materials companies have been pioneering atmospheric water harvesting, which could help supply water-starved areas of the world with new sources of water. And innovations are also being driven from both governments and non-governmental organisations.
Sectors related to environmental sustainability, such as CO2 capture, water treatment, and atmospheric water harvesting, offer more than $245 billion of investment opportunities by the end of the decade. Furthermore, carbon markets offer the chance for companies to generate income from carbon capture. Other related opportunities include converting carbon dioxide into chemicals and filtration membranes for process plants and water treatment.
