Planetary Foundations
The systems that supply and sustain life.
The systems that sustain life
Reliable energy, affordable food, clean water, resilient infrastructure and capable computing are basic requirements for human wellbeing. Nor are they independent of biology: biomanufacturing depends on energy and industrial process, and modern medicine depends on reliable power, supply chains and skilled people.
The scale of the need is clear. The International Energy Agency expects global electricity demand to grow strongly through 2030 (IEA, Electricity 2026), and the United Nations food agencies continue to document how difficult it remains for large parts of the world to afford a healthy diet (FAO and partners, SOFI 2026).
Different sectors, different expertise
Evaluating a cellular therapy does not qualify me to underwrite a grid-scale battery, a desalination plant or a new fertilizer process.The Long View, section 6
These areas meet the same broad test as regenerative medicine: the problem is consequential, the technology can make a measurable difference, and commercializing it is hard enough to reward real expertise. They are still not interchangeable investment sectors.
What we are watching
- How do we make energy more abundant and reliable?
- How do we make healthy food more affordable and secure?
- How do water systems and environments become more resilient?
What would need to be true
- A serious investment case in a specific sub-sector.
- Specialist people who have underwritten that kind of risk before.
- Capital structured for long build times, permitting and deployment.