Karsten Wenzlaff, Advisor
August 26th, 2025
Karsten Wenzlaff is a Crowdfunding and Fintech Expert from Germany. He is Secretary-General of Digit[...]
Planetary Health Check 2024 and Canadian Climate Tech
ESG | Feb 14, 2025
Image: Planetary Health Check (1st Edition, Planetary Boundaries)
Seizing the Green Economy: The State of the Planet and Fintech Opportunities
Planetary Boundaries Science published the inaugural edition of the 2024 Planetary Health Check, (view 96 page PDF report) that delivers a scientific assessment of the current state of mother earth, revealing urgent environmental challenges that are in need of sustainable finance strategies and investments. All of this points to the growing focus of sustainable finance, green fintech, and climate risk mitigation. Canadian policymakers, institutions, and financial technology startups have a key role in supporting the transition towards a sustainable economy.
Key Statistics and Fintech Solutions
It's important for financial leaders to recognize the biggest environmental challenges we collectively face today. Below are key statistics derived from the Planet Health Check 2024 report, along with select innovative Canadian fintech and climate tech companies working to solve these problems:
1. Climate Change
- Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have risen to 419 ppm, higher than at any point in the past 15 million years.
- Average global temperatures are now 1.2°C warmer than before the industrial era, leading to more extreme weather events.
- The Earth’s energy balance has been disrupted, with radiative forcing exceeding the safe limit of +1.0 W/m², now at +2.79 W/m², intensifying global warming.
- CarbonCure Technologies turns captured CO₂ into sustainable concrete, reducing emissions in the construction industry. CERT Systems converts CO₂ into valuable fuels and chemicals, supporting a circular carbon economy.
2. Biosphere Integrity and Biodiversity Loss
- Over 75% of the Earth’s land surface has been significantly altered by human activity.
- Loss of species diversity is happening 100 to 1,000 times faster than the natural rate, threatening ecosystems and food security.
- The amount of energy supporting ecosystems has dropped by over 20% worldwide, disrupting the balance of nature and harming wildlife habitats.
- Veritree uses blockchain to track and verify reforestation projects, ensuring transparency in ecosystem restoration investments.
3. Land System Change
- The world's forests are shrinking at an alarming rate, with the Amazon rainforest alone having lost 17% of its total tree cover, pushing forest loss beyond safe limits.
- Every year, more than 10 million hectares of forests are cleared, mainly to make space for farming, infrastructure, and resource extraction, accelerating habitat loss and climate change.
See: The Role of Fintech in the Circular Economy
- Summit Nanotech is pioneering sustainable lithium extraction, reducing the land degradation caused by traditional mining operations.
4. Freshwater Use and Scarcity
- More than half of the world's major rivers now go through severe water shortages at certain times of the year.
- Soil moisture levels have become 15% more unpredictable since the early 1900s, making it harder to grow stable food supplies.
- Farmers Edge uses AI-driven precision agriculture to optimize water usage, reduce waste, and improve yields, helping to secure food supply chains.
5. Nutrient Pollution from Fertilizers
- The amount of nitrogen added to the environment by fertilizers and industry is now 190 million tonnes per year, which is more than twice the natural level.
- Excess phosphorus from farming has created over 500 oxygen-depleted zones in the oceans, covering an area of more than 245,000 square kilometers, harming marine life.
- e-Zinc pioneers zinc-based energy storage, enabling long-duration renewable energy storage and reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers for energy-intensive farming.
6. Pollution & Waste
- The world produces over 400 million tonnes of plastic every year but only 9% of it gets recycled, leaving the rest to pollute land and oceans.
- More than 350,000 synthetic chemicals are in our environment today, and many of their effects on nature and human health are still unknown.
- Climate Smart and Carbonhound provide carbon management tools for Canadian companies, helping them measure and reduce pollution and waste while improving ESG compliance.
Policy and Regulation
Canada is making it mandatory for businesses and financial institutions to disclose climate-related information. The federal government has introduced new rules based on the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) guidelines.
- Starting in 2024, banks, insurance companies, and other federally regulated financial institutions must report their climate-related financial risks according to TCFD framework.
- The government is changing the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA) to require large private companies to report their climate-related financial impacts.
- Canada is also creating clear guidelines for sustainable investments to prevent greenwashing and set clear standards for climate-related investments.
Climate Tech Investments and Incentives
Canada has committed substantial funds to climate technology innovation, presenting a major investment opportunity:
See: RBC and Carbonhound Partner to Automate Carbon Management
- In 2023, climate tech investment in Canada reached $1.1 billion in cleantech.
- Canada introduced tax credits to support clean technology, including the Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit (CT ITC) and the Clean Economy Investment Tax Credits, which offer refundable tax credits for businesses investing in clean energy, clean hydrogen, and carbon capture. (Government of Canada)
- BDC Climate Tech Fund itself is allocated $400 million, however BDC's total clean and climate tech commitment is $1 billion
Outlook
The Planetary Health Check 2024 is (another) wake-up call for the financial industry. Canadian fintechs and investors have an opportuity to make a difference by focusing on climate-focused investments, green financial innovations, and sustainable business models. With billions in investment and grant opportunities already available, financial leaders can take advantage of growing climate tech opportunities and help Canada become a global leader in sustainable finance.
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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