After a summer of record heat waves, I’m sure we’re all grateful for air conditioning. And we know, it’s not just about comfort or productivity, but with extreme heat, being able to cool buildings keeps people safe. Yet, it comes at a cost: air conditioning today is responsible for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions and demand is set to triple by 2050.

Maybe you’re thinking that heat pumps are the answer and will come to the rescue? They’re certainly an important part of the solution, but until electric heat pumps are plugged into a grid that is fully powered by clean energy, efficiency matters a great deal. Enter Mojave HVAC. Their liquid desiccant technology can cut the energy needed for cooling commercial spaces by 30-50%. For today’s conversation, I’m joined by Mojave Founder & CEO Phil Farese. We spoke about Phil’s past and how he learned about the economics of energy efficiency, Mojave’s business model, technology, and its potential role in keeping us cool without overheating the planet. Here we go.

• [03:01] Phil’s background & what led him to founding Mojave HVAC
• [05:07] Mojave & the problem that they’re solving
• [07:24] The limitations of heat pumps
• [10:36] Focusing on efficiency & using less energy for our HVAC needs
• [13:53] How Mojave’s technology was developed & where the business is at
• [16:04] Mohave’s target market & how sales are progressing
• [17:21] Other insights on Mohave’s product
• [18:21] The overall opportunity for business & impact
• [19:42] Emissions savings through technology adoption
• [20:25] Drivers of demand for Mohave’s product
• [22:26] The pros & cons of the liquid desiccants debate
• [25:37] Mohave’s next milestone & the biggest challenges
• [26:41] Blind spots in addressing climate change & buildings
• [29:27] Today’s climate innovation ecosystem & how it needs to improve

• Mojave HVAC

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We’re weeks away from a historic election. It’s one that will decide the course of climate action in the United States at a pivotal moment, a moment when we can’t afford to slow down or send mixed signals abroad. And, it’s an election that all expect to be decided by just tens of thousands of voters.

These are all facts that I’m sure you know already.

Here’s what you probably don’t know: millions of environmentalists don’t vote. These are people who list the environment and climate change as their number one most important issue – and getting just 1-2% of them to vote could easily decide the election.

This is the premise and work of the Environmental Voter Project. They’re a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, not focusing on a particular party, but instead focusing on protecting the environment simply by getting environmentalists to the polls. I learned a lot from my conversation with EVP Founder and Executive Director Nathaniel Stinnett. We talked about the difference between voter preferences and priorities, who these non-voting environmentalists are, and what actually works in getting them to vote. The answer to that riddle and much else in this episode might surprise you.

• [03:18] What's at stake in the 2024 election?
• [04:40] The implications for climate
• [07:14] How local elections influence environmental policy
• [08:56] Public sentiment on the environment
• [11:13] The distinction between voter preference & voter prioritization
• [13:28] The lack of voter turnout among environmentalists
• [15:06] Why aren’t environmentalists voting
• [20:21] Fossil fuel PR campaigns
• [21:24] Environmental Voter Project & what they’re doing to engage
• [23:55] The most resonant, persuasive, helpful message to motivate behavior change
• [27:31] Measuring EVP’s impact
• [30:00] What is EVP hoping to achieve this year
• [32:49] The sensitivity analysis for EVP

• Environmental Voter Project

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If you believe the climate transition is creating trillions of dollars of opportunity, then backing public companies whose business models are centered on that transition and whose growth will be driven by it seems an almost obvious approach.

That’s exactly what Heather Beatty and ScopeFour Capital are doing, and I was excited to hear what they’re learning and the opportunities they see.

In this conversation, we talk about Heather’s background and how she came to found ScopeFour after decades in institutional investing.

We talk about their approach, their portfolio, and the opportunities they’re excited about. We talk about the election, how it's influencing their investing in the short term, and the potential long-term implications. We talk about green hushing the resilience of corporate climate action, and much more. Lots to think about in this one. Here we go.

• [2:45] Heather’s background & what got her interested in climate
• [5:50] The founding of ScopeFour
• [7:54] Why aren’t we investing by following science & research
• [9:48] ScopeFour & what they’re aiming to do
• [11:32] What’s unique about ScopeFour
• [13:49] What to say to naysayers of climate investing
• [15:22] Specific examples of investments ScopeFour has made
• [17:06] Exciting spaces and opportunities right now for climate investing
• [18:45] What can be done to encourage faster adoption of climate tech
• [21:08] Tying emissions reductions to the size of an opportunity
• [23:24] Climate risk as a factor in investment decisions
• [24:58] The short-term & long-term impacts of the upcoming election
• [29:35] What we know about Kamala Harris’ interest in climate

• ScopeFour Capital
• Project Drawdown
• Invested in Climate: Every job is a climate job with Project Drawdown, Ep #37
• Enphase
• ABB
• Nexans

• Connect with Heather on LinkedIn

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