The AI boom took over Climate Week and not everyone is happy about it

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times … I’ll spare you the rest, but the cliché Dickens line really does sum up this year’s New York Climate Week.

Much of the climate tech community — like the rest of the U.S. economy — is eagerly riding the AI wave. Some have reservations about the sheer quantity of natural gas power plants being built to power AI data centers. But because many climate tech startups are energy-focused or energy-adjacent, the buildout has been embraced as an opportunity to get companies through the valley of death .

The singular focus also means some promising sectors risk being overlooked.