2025 Keeling Curve Prize Finalists Announced at San Francisco Climate Week

The Global Warming Mitigation Project (GWMP) has officially selected 20 promising finalists for the 2025 Keeling Curve Prize (KCP) — a globally recognized honor with a monetary reward to help fund the critical work that these innovative climate solutions are doing to reduce the reduce the concentration of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. 

The KCP awards $50,000 to 10 projects around the globe. The 2025 prize cycle received 500 applications, and the 20 finalists are operating in seven different nations. The selected projects include such efforts as a tech initiative to reduce fashion waste by turning leftover textiles into new, affordable clothing; an affordable, highly efficient, and environmentally responsible hydropower system for riverside communities; and a company delivering life-saving medical resources such as donated organs and blood via autonomous, electric drones. 

Since GWMP awarded its first prize in 2018, it has proven to be a catalyst for groundbreaking projects that directly address the negative impacts of climate change by providing meaningful and lasting solutions. To date, the KCP has had 2,500 applicants, has awarded $2.25 million to 140 prize winners, and has led to $2.42 billion in additional funding for those winners.

“If you're wondering where to invest or how to take action on climate solutions, this prize truly has it all,” says Jacquelyn Francis, Founder and Executive Director of GWMP. “We see applications from around the globe — solutions both big and small, nature-based and high-tech, that, if scaled, can not only help mitigate climate change but also lead to economic growth.”

“I'm continually inspired by the creativity of the projects and the incredible people behind them," Francis added.

Not only does the KCP offer a chance at $50,000 in funding for the finalists, but it also focuses a valuable spotlight on their work. 

"Awarding a prize is always meaningful,” says Francis. “But seeing Keeling Curve Prize finalists go on to secure significant funding, earn further recognition, and gain global attention truly affirms the impact of our work at GWMP. It’s a powerful reminder that our efforts are not only valuable but also driving real, worldwide change."

The finalists were vetted by a team of research analysts and selected by the KCP  advisory council for each of the five prize categories: 

• Carbon Sinks: Projects that accelerate carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) through natural or engineered solutions, focusing on scalable, verifiable, and lasting impact.

• Energy: Projects that advance low or zero-emission energy systems with a focus on equitable access, affordability, and scalability. 

• Finance: Projects that enable climate solutions through innovative, inclusive financial strategies that support emissions reduction and long-term ecological and economic sustainability.

• Social & Cultural Pathways: Projects that shift mindsets and behaviors to drive cultural, social, and policy change toward a post-fossil fuel world, with clear paths to impact and scale.

• Transport & Mobility: Projects that reimagine transportation by reducing emissions from vehicles, fuels, and systems — advancing cleaner mobility, smarter logistics, and alternatives to the internal combustion engine. 

An international panel of judges from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors will select two winners in each category. The winners will be announced in June at the TED Countdown Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.  

Meet the 2025 Keeling Curve Prize Finalists:

Carbon Sinks

• Carbon Upcycling Technologies, Inc.: Diverts CO2 emissions and industrial byproducts away from the environment and enhances them into a new local source of high-value materials for the cement industry. (Canada)

• Global EverGreening Alliance: An NGO that coordinates the development and implementation of massive environmental restoration and sustainable agricultural projects in developing countries around the world. (Australia)

• Octavia Carbon: Builds and deploys Direct Air Carbon Capture (DACC) machines in Kenya to filter CO2 from the atmosphere. (Kenya)

• WasteX: Uses a carbonizing technology that converts biomass waste into biochar — a carbon-rich material that greatly boosts soil health and production for farms. (Indonesia)

Energy 

• Arculus Solutions, Inc.: Retrofits natural-gas-transmission pipelines to safely and cost-effectively transport hydrogen. (USA)

• BladeRunner Energy, Inc.: An efficient, environmentally responsible hydropower system that is portable, reliable, and affordable for riverside communities. (USA)

• Gham Power Nepal Private Limited: Provides climate-resilient solar-energy solutions for industries and rural communities in Nepal. (Nepal)

• Kraftblock GmbH: Makes renewable energy consistently available through thermal-energy storage. (Germany) 

Finance

• Global Heat Reduction Initiative @ SCS Global Services: Catalyzes efforts to drive down excess heat trapped in the atmosphere by providing full climate accounting, including CO2 and climate super pollutants. (USA)

• Terraformation: A native-forest-restoration company that engages local communities as key stewards and stakeholders and provides the training and technology needed to launch high-quality, biodiverse forestry projects. (USA)

• Topo Finance: Conducts pioneering climate-finance research and turns it into pragmatic solutions that enable organizations and individuals to maximize the positive impact of their finances. (USA)

• Urgewald: Created a public database that provides a detailed breakdown of the activities of oil and gas companies worldwide. (Germany)

Social & Cultural Pathways

• AgriTech Analytics Ltd: A crop- and soil-management tool leveraging AI-powered satellite-imagery data and data from their solar-powered IoT device to halt soil degradation, crop pests, and diseases to help end hunger in Africa. (Kenya)

• Asia Initiatives: Leverages the power of social capital to promote healthcare, education, and improve livelihoods and sustainable development in underserved communities. (USA)

• SubjectToClimate: Enables educators in all subjects and grade levels to teach about climate change. (USA)

• SXD: Turns fashion brands' leftover/wasted textiles into beautiful and efficient zero-waste clothing using patent-pending AI. (USA)

Transport & Mobility 

• Avol: A hyper-efficient air-cargo transport service that uses autonomous, electric blended-wing aircraft drones to deliver life-saving medical needs such as donated organs and blood. (USA)

• Carma Technology Corporation: Revolutionizes road pricing and offers the ability to apply flexible road pricing anywhere, anytime, while empowering sustainable revenue and dissolving traffic congestion without costly infrastructure investments. (USA)

• ElectricFish Energy Inc.: Provides flexible microgrid solutions to quickly enable fast EV charging and backup-energy resources at grid-constrained sites. (USA)

• Traxen Inc.: Developing the most useful combination of technologies to promote safe driving, fuel efficiency, and to provide beneficial and actionable data to the trucking industry. (USA)