2025 Keeling Curve Prize Celebration: Hope, Innovation, and a New Era

On an overcast Thursday evening in Manhattan, light was shed on some of the world’s most promising and bold climate solutions as Climate Curve (formerly the Global Warming Mitigation Project) honored its 2025 Keeling Curve Prize (KCP) Laureates in a room full of climate leaders, funders, creatives, and passionate changemakers — a gathering that perfectly encapsulated Climate Week NYC.

The celebration took place at the historic Salmagundi Club, the nation’s oldest art club, thanks to Climate Curve Circuit Board Member Eric Ringsby — a dedicated environmentalist and renowned artist. Ringsby, together with Jacquelyn Francis, Climate Curve’s Founder and Executive Director, hosted the evening with remarks about the community and hope being built during a dark time for our climate, as well as thoughtful questions for the KCP Laureates.

Half of the 2025 Laureates made the trip to New York to showcase their trailblazing solutions on the big stage. Represented in the room were Carbon Upcycling, ElectricFish, Kraftblock, Terraformation, and Topo Finance. The laureate Q&A sparked many powerful and thought-provoking moments, but the room was especially energized when Apoorv Sinha, Co-founder & CEO of Carbon Upcycling, took the mic.

Carbon Upcycling, a Canada-based company, converts carbon emissions and industrial waste byproducts into valuable, local materials for low-carbon cement production.

“When you’re walking around Manhattan, what do you see?” Apoorv asked the crowd. “Concrete. Not just where you walk, but holding up the entire frame of the skyline. Now imagine if all of that concrete was produced locally from the waste of other industries — and even the carbon in the air. That’s our goal.”

He went on to share that, thanks to the momentum of the Keeling Curve Prize, Carbon Upcycling now has greater leverage to strengthen partnerships with the world’s leading concrete producers — helping not only to reduce their carbon footprint but also to improve the quality of their products.

Another striking moment came when Paul Moinester, Founder and Executive Director of Topo Finance, explained how financial systems undermine the health of the planet. The room fell silent as he described how banks like JPMorgan Chase use their customers’ money to bankroll fossil fuels. Then, energy surged back as he showed how Topo Finance empowers individuals to make greener financial choices through its tool that helps people identify environmentally responsible banks — making it simple to switch accounts for the benefit of both their wallets and the planet.

At the close of his remarks, Jacquelyn asked Paul, “What can people do right now to have their money make a difference for the planet?”

Paul’s answer was direct: “Talk to me after this or email me any time, and I will work directly with each person to walk them through our system and help them switch to greener banking.”

Past KCP Laureates were also in attendance to welcome the new cohort into the community. The presence of both past and current laureates underscored the power of the network that has been growing since the prize’s launch in 2018.

Applause followed as the room reflected on the dedication of these leaders to their work — and to the future of our planet.

Perhaps the most rousing moment of the night came at the program’s close, when Jacquelyn revealed a major announcement. On the screen, the Global Warming Mitigation Project logo faded out, replaced by a new one: Climate Curve.

“We are moving into a new era and getting ahead of the curve as Climate Curve,” Jacquelyn said. “Why Climate Curve? Because our mission is to bend the curve of global greenhouse gas emissions. To accelerate solutions that can change the trajectory of this crisis. And to expand our reach so that more innovators, more funders, more leaders, and more communities can join in this work.”

The reveal electrified the room, and the celebration carried on as attendees mingled, shared ideas, and sought new ways to support each other’s visions and passions.

This evening of celebration, bold ideas, and new beginnings was made possible by Climate Curve’s community of supporters — in particular, Board of Directors members Andrei Ruckenstein and Roberta Baskin, Circuit Board Member Eric Ringsby, and Kate McBride.