I often have conversations with Product people looking for a bigger purpose in their careers. They tell me they are tired of building “convenience apps” and chasing the latest FAANG or AirB&B trend. They would like to apply their skills to fight climate change but are overwhelmed and confused about where to start.
“Climate change” or “energy transition” are big concepts to wrap our heads around. Should you look at solar? Wind? How about EVs? How does the grid play a part? What about technology? How can AI, IoT, Cloud, Edge, etc, contribute? And how do your PM skills can be used to make a difference?
I know the feeling since I’ve spent years working on this problem, and I know how confusing it all is. And it seems I’m not alone. Recently, I read a great article from the renowned climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, who explained that over 60% of people would like to get involved but are unsure where to start.
With that in mind, here’s my suggestion on how Product people can get involved.
- Understand the factors that are driving Climate Change
- Learn about the existing solutions to those challenges
- Learn about and connect with companies working on those solutions
To understand the factors driving Climate Change and learn about the existing solutions (numbers 1 and 2), I highly recommend these two books
These books are easy to read and will give you a holistic overview of the problem and the solutions available today to solve these challenges, including how to decarbonize our electricity generation, transportation, food supply, buildings, etc.
Once you understand the challenges and have a clear picture of the potential solutions, you can use LinkedIn or other free databases like ClimateTechList to find companies working on bringing these solutions to market.
As you examine the companies, you’ll realize that most work on climate solutions using technology you already use, such as Cloud, IoT, AI, Edge Computing, and Wireless connectivity.
Recommended podcast episodes:
These ClimateTech companies are, in essence, technology companies, which means their structure is very similar to what you are used to. They have development teams, run Agile, and have designers, and yes, they need Product Managers like you.
Recommended article: B2B Product Leadership: The Four Pillars
The Bottom Line
Solving the climate crisis is the biggest challenge and opportunity of our generation. It is an exciting space full of innovation and the application of the latest technology.
I hope you find this helpful and that it inspires you to consider applying your PM skills to ClimateTech. We need all the help we can get!