Optera’s Co-Founder & CEO Tim Weiss, VP of Product Alekhya Reddy & Ty Colman, Co-Founder & CRO, share their 2025 predictions with us.
The climate technology landscape is in constant flux.
The past year has seen groundbreaking developments in carbon tracking, construction methods and forecasting capabilities, with these sectors poised for further expansion in 2025.
But what other developments lie ahead?
Tim Weiss, Co-Founder and CEO of Optera, along with colleagues Alekhya Reddy, VP of Product, and Ty Colman, Co-Founder and CRO, are vocal advocates for climate technology’s critical role and share their insights on its impact across energy systems, electric vehicle adoption and climate equity.
Their company, Optera, provides supply chain emissions tracking and transparency solutions for major corporations including Dell, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Intel, Target, Nvidia and Cisco.
Here are their predictions for climate tech in 2025.
1. The 2020s must be the decade of bold decarbonisation
Tim Weiss, Co-Founder and CEO of Optera
“The next five years will determine the type of planet future generations will inherit.
“We can either rapidly transition to the low carbon economy and maintain some continuity across society and ecosystems or we can continue to overshoot global carbon emissions budgets and catapult ourselves into a period of dramatic hardship and uncertainty.
“We have an incredible responsibility right now. Every future generation will look back at how we handled this moment.
“A rapid transition to a low-carbon economy requires governments to enact a set of regulatory incentives — rewards and punishments — that meaningfully de-risk corporate decarbonisation actions and investments.
“With the Trump administration taking office in January, it is highly unlikely we will see any federal regulation in the coming years. That means state governments must step up and lead.
“The 2020s must be the most ambitious and focused decade ever for climate initiatives, and we have very little time left. With coordinated efforts from corporations and governments, we still have a chance.
“While daunting, I have faith that we’ll rise to the challenge. As a society, we have a history of accomplishing great things when it’s absolutely necessary.”
2. Fossil fuel asset value will decline as renewable energy continues to grow
Tim Weiss, Co-Founder and CEO of Optera
“Within the next decade, we’ll witness a decline in the value of fossil fuel assets.
“As the transition to a low-carbon economy accelerates, spurred by market and global regulatory forces, fossil fuel assets will be retrofitted to support low-carbon technologies — like renewable fuels or carbon capture and storage — where possible.
“Assets that cannot be adapted in this way will see a steady decline in value over the coming decade.
“At the same time, demand for renewable energy will outstrip supply as companies race to meet 2030 net zero targets.
“Those who don’t secure renewable resources early will face skyrocketing costs that could derail their climate commitments and financial planning. The companies that start transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy now will be the ones that survive in the long run.”
3. Commercial EV adoption hinges on infrastructure and incentives
Tim Weiss, Co-Founder and CEO of Optera
“Electric vehicle adoption for commercial use will rise in 2025, but the transition won’t be uniform across the transportation industry.
“Last-mile delivery fleets handling short distances between warehouses and retail locations will electrify rapidly, while long-haul trucking will lag behind.
“The next five years will be critical for building out charging infrastructure. Once that happens, the entire industry will be closer to completely electrifying operations.”
4. Global companies will double down on climate justice
Alekhya Reddy, VP of Product at Optera
“As companies mature in their sustainability journey, a clear trend is emerging: Climate justice is a growing theme of corporate sustainability strategies.
“We’re seeing this play out in supply chain management especially, where companies are looking more closely at labor practices, material sourcing and the local environmental impacts of their global operations.
“As we move into a low-carbon economy, I expect to see climate justice considerations become a key differentiator for forward-thinking companies.”
5. Sustainability roles will become more cross-functional
Alekhya Reddy, VP of Product at Optera
“The future of corporate sustainability lies in collaboration, not isolation. Over the next year, we’ll see a significant shift as sustainability roles evolve to become deeply cross-functional.
“The most successful sustainability teams will be those with strong, actionable connections across the business, from operations and marketing to facilities management.
“Climate change isn’t just an environmental issue, it’s a business risk that touches every aspect of operations.
“The closer sustainability leaders are to core business strategy and risk management conversations, the more impactful and meaningful their program will be. We’re moving away from sustainability as a siloed function and towards it being a fundamental part of how businesses operate and make decisions.”
6. AI will transform emissions tracking and forecasting
Alekhya Reddy, VP of Product at Optera
“AI is set to revolutionise how companies track and forecast emissions, particularly for large organisations.
“Spreadsheets and traditional reporting tools can’t handle the volume of data involved in emissions tracking across thousands of facilities and suppliers. AI will be pivotal in managing these massive datasets, filling gaps and providing more accurate, defensible emissions data.
“But AI truly shines in its predictive capabilities, especially for Scope 3 emissions.
“By considering global events and external factors that impact supply chains, AI models will offer unprecedented foresight into future emissions trends.
“These capabilities will enable companies to make proactive, data-driven decisions to mitigate climate impacts.”
7. Decarbonisation is going back on the suppliers
Ty Colman, Co-Founder and CRO at Optera
“Historically, we saw some ‘co-investment’ activity for emissions reductions, with customers and suppliers putting money toward decarbonisation activities such as renewable energy or process emissions mitigation.
“Signs now point to large brands expecting suppliers to bear the responsibility for emissions reductions in the coming years. Financial constraints and regulatory compliance are forcing companies to cut back on this support.
“However, this won’t change their expectations for suppliers’ sustainability initiatives. Supply chain partners will be increasingly responsible for managing their own decarbonisation, as well as providing more detailed data — not just broad Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions but specific product- and facility-level emissions.
“Suppliers that don’t elevate their sustainability practices will fall behind in the push for decarbonisation, risking both competitiveness and partnerships.”
8. Organisations prioritising overall carbon management will drive more meaningful change
Ty Colman, Co-Founder and CRO at Optera
“The race to decarbonise will expose a critical gap between carbon accounting and true carbon intelligence.
“Regulatory requirements are putting pressure on companies to adopt carbon accounting tools, but crunching the numbers isn’t enough.
“True carbon management goes beyond reporting numbers to generate data that informs strategic decisions.
“The companies that recognise this distinction and invest in comprehensive carbon management solutions will be better positioned to derive real value from their sustainability efforts and drive meaningful change.”
9. Regulations will slow impactful reductions
Ty Colman, Co-Founder and CRO at Optera
“New climate reporting regulations will slow decarbonisation efforts in the short term.
“Many companies will divert money and resources toward compliance at the expense of reduction initiatives. We’ll see a divide in the market as some companies focus only on checking the reporting box while others sustain their aggressive approach to decarbonization.
“This split will likely persist until regulations evolve to demand not just disclosure, but demonstrable progress in emissions reductions — a shift that may take two to three years to materialise.”
10. Climate action’s new reality: Market forces trump policy
Tim Weiss, Co-Founder and CEO of Optera
“The transition to a low-carbon economy has already begun and it will not stop. The only question is how fast it will occur.
“The Trump administration’s expected policies add uncertainty to the speed of the energy transition, but will not derail decarbonisation.
“Markets will continue to demand progress on corporate climate action because there is too much at stake for businesses in getting this timing right.
“Companies face a clear choice: Build robust climate programmes or risk being left behind. Having quality, actionable emissions data and a decarbonisation plan that spans operations, supply chains and products will matter more than ever as businesses strive to meet market expectations and succeed in this transition.
“The window for a gradual transition is closing and a failure to act will impose tremendous costs, hardship and uncertainty on future generations — and businesses across all industries.”
