99. Marilyn Waite on Her Life in the Global Climate Justice Fight

Purpose and Profit with Kathy Varol

Marilyn Waite leads the Climate Finance Fund. She has worked across four continents in renewable and nuclear energy, climate modeling, and investment. Author of Sustainability at Work: Careers That Make a Difference, Marilyn’s writing has been featured in the Financial Times, the Boston Globe, and Trellis (formerly GreenBiz), where she served as editor at large.

Marilyn holds a Master’s Degree with distinction in Engineering for Sustainable Development from the University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering, magna cum laude, from Princeton University. She serves on multiple boards and investment committees, including Climate First Bank.

In this episode, we discuss:

● The role of established companies and start-ups in battling climate change

● What being intentional about “where your money sleeps” means

● What a JEDI lens—justice, equity, diversity, inclusion—means when investing in climate solutions

Key Takeaways:

● Maslow’s Hierarchy and Climate Impact: Imagine mapping global spending against Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Right now, we can afford to focus higher up on the pyramid—on esteem and self-actualization—but climate change could drastically shift that. Depending on how climate scenarios unfold, global spending may be forced back to the basics: food, water, shelter, and safety. This raises an essential question: how do we prepare to protect those foundational needs while enabling humanity to thrive at every level of the hierarchy and ensure we do so equitably?

● Interconnected Ecosystems for Climate Solutions: Human survival is deeply intertwined with the natural ecosystems around us. We can’t thrive in isolation from the world we depend on. Solving climate change requires more than a single silver-bullet solution; it demands an ecosystem of tools and approaches—just like the ecosystems we’re working to protect. There’s a beautiful symmetry in this: to preserve the balance of nature, we must harness the collective power of diverse, interconnected solutions.

● The Role of Startups in Transforming Big Business: While large, established companies can spark change, the reality is that creating rapid, sweeping transformations within massive global organizations is incredibly challenging. This is where startups step in, bringing fresh ideas, agile solutions, and new ways of operating. Large companies can play a critical role by supporting these startups—scaling their innovations or integrating new processes. Together, they create a powerful dynamic where nimble startups help established giants move the needle on sustainability and vice versa.

References:

● Connect with Marilyn on LinkedIn

● Sustainability at Work: Careers That Make a Difference (Second Edition) by Marilyn Waite

● Climate Finance Fund

● Project Drawdown

● Global Alliance for Banking on Values

● Village Capital

● Sphere

● W Fund

● Enduring Planet

● Cap Table Coalition

● Clean Energy Credit Union

● Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials

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