Introduction

Each year, MIT Technology Review compiles its list of 35 innovators under 35 whose work promises to reshape technology and society. The 2026 edition features nine young researchers and entrepreneurs in the climate and energy category, each tackling urgent sustainability challenges.

What Happened

The editorial team spent months finalizing the cohort, dividing innovators into four main categories: biotech, climate and energy, computing and robotics, and AI. Within climate and energy, the focus spans AI-powered pollution tracking, next-generation battery materials, sustainable steel production, and alternative plastics designed to replace fossil-fuel-derived products.

Why This Matters

Collectively, these innovators map the current state of climate technology. Their work highlights recurring priorities: securing critical materials like lithium and copper, leveraging AI to improve energy efficiency and climate modeling, and rethinking heavy industry and consumer goods to reduce emissions as nations push toward net zero targets.

Key Takeaways

  • AI is being used both as a subject of climate study and as a tool to enhance energy efficiency, track emissions, and refine climate models for city-level planning.
  • Lithium supply concerns have prompted startups to develop faster, cleaner extraction methods from both brine and hardrock ore, aiming to secure the metal essential for electric vehicles and grid storage.
  • Decarbonizing heavy industry, especially steel production, is advancing through innovative furnace designs that simplify chemical processes and lower emissions.
  • Alternative materials, including bioplastics grown from invasive weeds and fish feed made from food waste, demonstrate how creative reuse can replace traditional fossil-fuel-based products.
  • Solid-state refrigerants show promise to cut cooling energy consumption by up to 20 percent while eliminating the leakage risks associated with conventional greenhouse gases.

Conclusion

The 2026 Innovators Under 35 list illustrates that climate tech is now a cross-cutting priority spanning software, materials, and industrial design. These young leaders are proving that breakthroughs often come from rethinking fundamental processes, applying AI strategically, and finding value in overlooked resources. As their ideas move from laboratory to market, they offer a preview of the technologies and strategies that could define the next phase of the global energy transition.