Just Climate, an investment firm focused on climate solutions, has announced raising $375 million for its Natural Climate Solutions strategy. This move is intended to channel funds into businesses dedicated to transforming land use practices, aiding the achievement of global net zero and nature goals, alongside delivering attractive returns. The strategy’s assets have significantly grown from $175 million earlier this year.
Established in 2021 by Generation Investment Management, a sustainability-focused investment firm chaired by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Just Climate aims to impact high-emission sectors by investing in solutions that substantially reduce or eliminate emissions while offering attractive risk-adjusted financial returns. The Natural Climate Solutions strategy, launched in September 2023, is designed to support entrepreneurs with growth capital and business development assistance. This strategy aims to scale solutions for transforming agricultural commodity production and restoring degraded landscapes, including innovations like biological fertilizers and pesticides to replace chemical alternatives, and development models for financing and operating restoration projects.
New investors in the fund include Achmea Investment Management, the Environment Agency Pension Fund, and the Royal Bank of Canada. Existing investors include the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) and Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund.
Clara Barby CBE, Senior Partner of Just Climate, stated, “We are proud to welcome a diverse group of partners who share our conviction that investing in the land transition is essential to building a sustainable economy. Together, we can scale solutions that deliver measurable impact for climate, biodiversity, and people.”
In addition to new commitments, Just Climate announced its third investment in India-based agritech platform AgroStar. Founded in 2013, AgroStar supports millions of smallholder farmers in enhancing their income and livelihoods through climate-resilient practices and products via its digital platform and a network of approximately 10,000 retail stores. Other fund investments include biodiversity measurement and monitoring solution provider NatureMetrics and agriculture-focused biosolutions provider GreenLight Biosciences.
AgroStar’s CEO and Co-Founder, Shardul Sheth, commented, “Indian agriculture stands at a critical juncture – climate variability and degraded soils threaten our farmers’ livelihoods; the need to address these challenges has never been clearer and more urgent. Partnering with Just Climate brings far more than capital; they bring deep expertise in scaling natural climate solutions and the conviction to back businesses driving real systemic change.”
