#23: Mother Nature Needs a Prescription
Earth's pulse is racing, and humans are no healthier.
From melting ice caps to severe droughts to rampant wildfires, our planet’s pulse is racing—and so are our people’s.
Climate change is the greatest threat to global public health. Heat-related deaths are projected to increase nearly four-fold, and a 2-degree Celsius increase in global temperature will increase the food-insecure population by an additional 525 million people.
Environmental challenges—contaminated water, carbon emissions, poor air quality, and algal blooms—increase the risk of mental health disorders, chronic conditions, and infectious diseases, while increasing the complexity of healthcare.
Even natural disasters and droughts pose a human health risk, being associated with increased tobacco and alcohol use, as well as domestic violence.
The threat, however, is not shared equally. Climate change disproportionately affects those in urban and rural settings, multiplying threats to the environmental, social, and economic underpinnings of health.
Heatwaves
Extreme temperatures are the leading cause of weather-related deaths. Last year saw a record number of fatalities, along with plenty more hospitalizations. And even when heat waves don’t kill, they are killer, exacerbating social determinants of health, such as food insecurity, through disruptions in supply chains and agriculture.
Those over age 65 have been most impacted by record-breaking summer days. Heat-related mortality has increased by 50% in the past two decades for this demographic.
Planetary Health x Human Health
As human and planetary health converge, here are some climate-related challenges forcing startups to innovate:
Water Quality — 1.7 to 2.2 million people die from water-borne diseases every year.
ZenWTR: Producer of distilled alkaline water in recycled ocean bottles—backed by numerous celebrities including Anne Hathaway, Larry Fitzgerald, and Zoe Saldana.
Gybe: Water tracking technology providing information about preventing pollution over time—raised $1.5m in 2021.
Gross-Wen Technologies: Developers of algae biofilm-based wastewater treatment technology—raised an undisclosed amount in Jan. 2024 from AiiM Partners.
Carbon Emissions — Decarbonization is a trillion-dollar opportunity.
Ebb Carbon: Captures atmospheric CO2 by using low-carbon electricity to pump acid out of the ocean—completed Series A raise in Oct. 2023 led by Prelude Ventures, with participation from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI).
Singularity: Machine learning-based carbon tracking platform to analyze and predict changes in emissions from granular grid data—closed $4.5m seed round in 2022 led by Spero Ventures.
Carbonbuilt: California-based maker of low-carbon cement used to inject carbon dioxide emissions—raised convertible debt from angel investors with participation from CZI.
Air Quality — Poor air quality is associated with heart disease, stroke, asthma, pregnancy complications, and cancer—most affecting low-income households and people of color living near factories, ports, and major roadways.
Brilliant Planet: Uses algae to remove CO2 from the atmosphere—$12m Series A in Apr. 2022 led by Toyota Ventures, with participation from S2G Ventures.
Avnos: Direct air capture technology removing carbon dioxide and water from the atmosphere in a single system—closed a $36m Series A round in Jan. 2024.
Neoplants: Air purifying plants for homes that can replace 20 “regular” houseplants—raised $22m to date.
Microplastics — A 2024 landmark study in Nature finds ingesting/inhaling microplastics is linked to heart attack, stroke, and even death.
Matter: Innovative technology solutions for capturing, harvesting, and recycling microplastics—$10m Series A led by S2G Ventures and Ashton Kutcher’s SOUND Ventures.
Earth Cups: Biodegradable cups made with less energy and water than traditional plastic—$6.2m Series A led by Almaz Capital with participation from Mark Cuban.
Circulate: B2B marketplace and purchasing tool for sustainable packaging materials—raised approximately €2.5m from various VCs and angels and participated in the Stockholm School of Economics’s incubator lab.
Food + Agriculture — Rising CO2 levels make staple crops less nutritious by depleting soil nutrients. Climate-induced weather variability also causes droughts, inhibiting food systems.
Meati: Mushroom-based food products serving as sustainable alternatives to meat—raised over $300m to date.
Alga Biosciences: Developer of algae feed additives eliminating agricultural methane emissions by up to 97%—$4m seed round includes Y Combinator, GSB Impact Fund, and the USDA.
Hoofprint Biome: Probiotics designed to improve cattle health and digestive care while eliminating methane—raised nearly $3m in seed and angel investments.
Of note, vertical farming remains a viable agriculture solution, albeit controversial. Vertical farming requires lower labor costs, less water, and minimal transportation compared to traditional farming. Environmental advantages, however, are minimized by significant energy utilization. Vertical farms use an average of 38.8 kWh per kg of produce, compared to traditional greenhouses which average just 5.4 kWh per kg.
Many tech-enabled vertical farming startups have been valued as technology companies, but struggle to reach similar unit economics of large-scale farming operations. AeroFarms and Infarm are prime examples, having both recently declared bankruptcy and laid off staff.
Still, some investors remain optimistic vertical farming startups will figure out their margin structures. Lower-tech companies such as Gotham Greens have shown promise.
Healthcare’s Carbon Footprint
Healthcare’s first step toward a more sustainable future should be looking inwards. The healthcare industry accounts for almost 5% of the US’ total CO2 emissions, while the aviation industry is responsible for just 2%.
Moving care outside of hospitals and closer to homes while incorporating more digital health tools will help reduce healthcare’s carbon footprint.
Check-list
Investors are starting to see well-being and sustainability as inseparable. Here are some funds investing at the intersection of human and planetary health:
GroundForce Capital: “Investing in companies seeking to solve the most pressing issues tied to human and planetary health”.
Spero Ventures: Backing companies across three verticals—Wellbeing. Sustainability. Learning, work, and play.
Congruent Ventures: “We back teams that are based in North America who are innovating across atoms, bits, or business models”.
Obvious Ventures: Investing across sustainable systems, healthy living, and people power.
Engine Ventures: Accelerator/fund out of MIT looking to “ build and scale companies unlocking massive opportunities in climate change, human health, and advanced systems”.
And then there’s Lowercarbon Capital…
Lowercarbon Capital backs kickass companies that make real money slashing CO2 emissions, sucking carbon out of the sky, and buying us time to unf**k the planet.
Climate Tech = Health Tech
Health costs of climate change are upwards of $800b in the US. The opportunity to improve economies by looking out for our planet seems like a no-brainer. But the clock is ticking—net zero emissions must be reached by 2050 to prevent worse climate-related damages, or else a worse fate awaits.
For climate tech investors, that means writing more checks following last year’s 30% decline in climate tech venture funding. For health tech investors, that means expanding their theses to invest in our planet the same way they invest in our people.
What I’m reading:
Why Mass General Brigham Wants to Move 10% of Patient Care to the Home, MedCity News
Digital Redlining—The Invisible Structural Determinant of Health, JAMA
AIs will make health care safer and better, Economist
Seeing a Doctor Doesn’t Have to Be So Frustrating, WSJ
Key Issues as Wearable Digital Health Technologies Enter Clinical Care, NEJM
Latest Podcast Episode:
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Yes! Thank you for bringing more attention to the topic. Not to mention metalloid contaminants like lead and mercury in drinking water/ soil causing slowed growth for children as well.