
Embracing Uncertainty as a Catalyst to Drive Decarbonization
January 17, 2025
By David Trench, WasteFuel CEO
We’re only weeks into 2025, but it has become clear already that this year will present challenges like no other. Wintertime wildfires in Southern California have prompted widespread evacuations and destroyed countless homes, businesses, and institutions. WasteFuel’s LA head office was not spared, having been burnt to the ground tragically like many other buildings.
As these fires burned through historic communities, scientists announced the planet had breached 1.5C of warming above preindustrial levels in 2024; American banks left the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero; and the Financial Stability Board warned that the financial damage of disasters made more common and severe from climate change could prompt a pullback from lending and weakening in investor confidence.
According to a recent report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG), global GDP could drop by up to 22% in 75 years without urgent action toward decarbonization. Other studies suggest a more severe economic decline, with GDP per capita falling by between 11-29% in just 25 years.
This is hardly the year for “business as usual”. The scale and urgency of this crisis should only strengthen the case for bold action today, across the public and private sectors, throughout all industries and markets. This approach has been evident this week at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week - ADSW, which has brought together global leaders, heads of state and company executives to accelerate sustainable innovation through major energy and trade deals.
While it can be tempting to get lost in the immediate headwinds, there are powerful forces driving decarbonization in just about every market. To name just a few:
“A New Era for Climate Finance”: The World Bank’s Climate Investment Funds said last week it had secured half a billion dollars for the debut bond of one of its funds, after reportedly receiving over $3 billion in orders from investors. These public funds not only help fund resilience and adaptation initiatives, but they can act as a catalyst for private markets on green infrastructure investments in transportation, energy, and buildings.
A EU’s Regulatory Updraft in Hard-to-Abate Transportation Sectors: Shipping and aviation—two industries not easily decarbonized through electrification—will be subject to the European Union’s FuelEU Maritime and ReFuelEU Aviation initiatives beginning this year. While these green fuel mandates are small to start, they provide the value chain with assurance that investment in low-carbon fuel infrastructure will pay off. Regulations like these have also prompted the development of innovative ventures like Katalist, a non-profit book-and-claim platform from the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping and RMI. While making compliance with FuelEU Maritime easier for shippers, the platform distributes the cost and benefits of sustainable marine fuel use, sending a clear demand signal for more low-emission transport.
The UAE’s Bold Vision on Maritime Decarbonization: In my adopted home of the UAE, a low-carbon shipping industry is coming to life. In late December, DP World launched a groundbreaking $100 million blue bond to fund a range of opportunities in sustainable marine transport. ADNOC Group’s XRG, due to commence operations this quarter, promises to also invest in low-carbon fuels and decarbonization technologies, noting their ability to drive economic growth through the energy transition.
As a next-generation bioenergy company, WasteFuel's proprietary process of converting everyday waste into low-carbon fuels like green methanol relies on proven technologies, is cost-efficient to build and operate, and cuts methane emissions from food waste while reducing CO₂ emissions from heavy transportation. We are tackling two fundamental crises head on and at the same time: the need to reduce waste and the need to decarbonize transportation at scale. Alternative fuels like green methanol for the shipping sector can dramatically reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 90% compared to fossil energy.
This year, leaders across business, finance, and government will navigate an immediate context replete with economic and geopolitical uncertainty. But paralysis is hardly the solution. The best leaders see uncertainty as a catalyst for opportunity, for innovating out ahead of the competition, and for charting a path for others to follow. 2025 will need this mindset more than ever before.

