Laureen Meroueh

At just 34, Laureen Meroueh is modernizing the steel industry. Boasting a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and materials science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she developed a method of turning iron ore into steel in a single step. Hertha Metals says the process is 25% cheaper than conventional blast-furnace methods, uses natural gas instead of coal, and produces roughly 50% fewer emissions. In October, Hertha Metals broke ground on its first commercial facility, located in the Houston metro area, and secured more than $133 million in a Series A funding round, including $65 million from the Department of Defense to produce American-made rare earth magnets for F-35 jet fighters and missile guidance systems. —Olivia B. WaxmanWhat is the single most important action you think the public, or a specific company or government (other than your own), needs to take in the next year to advance the climate agenda?Back climate solutions that win on cost first and cut emissions second. I call this Climate Tech 3.0. The first waves of climate tech assumed customers or governments would pay a green premium, and that did not scale. Companies, investors, and governments should now p...