đ CAT Newsletter #150 - 2022-12-11
Hey CATs,
Welcome to issue 150 of the climateAction.tech (CAT) Newsletter - your weekly summary of what’s happening inside the CAT community, and in the wider world of climate and tech. New to CAT or looking to re-discover the community? Try out our onboarding checklist.
Remember you can unsubscribe from this newsletter at any time - the link is at the bottom.
â¸ď¸ Weâll be taking a break from Dec 19th to Jan 5th. There wonât be any newsletters in this time.
Stay safe & healthy đ đ đą
Member survey
Our member survey is open again! Your feedback means a lot to us and helps us improve the community. Take 5-7mins to fill out the survey
CAT 2022 â Year in Review
Our Year in Review presentation is public! đ AND weâll get together to walk you through the presentation and celebrate during our celebration event on Dec 15th.
If youâd like to showcase your project, win, or action, please add it to this this presentation. You can also leave comment in this thread, if youâd like to share just within CAT.
CAT Community News
đ Branch magazine reading group continues in 2023
Our 1st session in 2023 will happen Thursday January 26th 2023 6:00 pm CET (5:00 pm BST / 1:00 pm EST / 9:00 am PST) and we will discuss the article Bigger, More, Better, Faster: The Ecological Paradox of Digital Economies. Volunteers GaÍl and Poppe will be your hosts and hope to see many CATs join the session.
#ď¸âŁ Slack channel highlights
-
#climate-careers: Sarah wonders whether oil and gas are having a hard time recruiting data scientists? What do you think? And how would you feel about it? Share your thoughts in the thread
-
#2-global-dialogue: Alja asked ChatGPT about the environmental impact of ChatGPT and the answer wasnât great. Join the dialogue on Slack
-
#mobility: Oli shared that the European Commission has approved Franceâs plan to ban flights between cities linked by a train journey of less than 2.5 hours. Celebrate in the thread
đ Upcoming CAT events
If you’re looking at organising event in your part of the world, you can ask for help in #events. There’s a CAT event support kit, sample deck and so on to help.
âśď¸ Watch Party: How to Harness Digital Tech to Accelerate Climate Action
Tue, Dec 13th ⢠GMT 8am | CET 9am | IST 1:30pm | CT/SGT 4pm | AEST 7pm | NZST 9pm
đ CAT Coffee 2022 â year in review and celebration
Thu, Dec 15th ⢠PT 10am | ET 1pm | GMT 6pm | CET 7pm | IST 10:30pm
NEXT YEAR
Thu, Jan 12 ¡ CAT Coffee (eastern)
Thu, Jan 19 ¡ CAT Coffee (western)
Thu, Jan 26 ¡ đ Branch magazine reading group: Bigger, More, Better, Faster
đŠ CAT Roulette - 30mins - whenever you find a time
Join the #cat-roulette channel, pick your region and get matched with other CATs every other week! It’s a nice way to get to know other CATs, and you can start and stop at any time.
The CAT signal
This is an experiment in giving CATs a single, time-bound action to take, to move the state of our industry towards greener practices.
The Green Software Foundation is publishing the State of Green Software report in Q1, the first report on green software that will map the new green software ecosystem. This report will identify key stakeholders, regulatory frameworks, impact metrics and more. Taking 5 minutes to complete the survey will help create an evidence base for helping make the business case for greener software practices in 2023.
đŹ CAT videos
CAT videos, geddit? 10-15 minute videos providing accessible explainers to topics related to climate.
The problem with rice no one is talking about
Half the world eats it. One-fifth of our calories come from it. But rice has a dark secret: It pumps pollutants into the air and is vulnerable to extreme weather. So how can we grow rice better?
đ CAT Submitted Events
Want an event listed here? Use this event listing form to submit the details so we can add it in the newsletter.
No events submitted this week - have nice end of year break!
Check #events in the CAT slack for more.
#đ¤Â Podcasts
The latest climate-related podcast episodes. Don’t forget, if you’re looking around, there’s a list of podcasts maintained by CATs
Climavores Live: Can we eat right and still save the planet?
In this episode, Mike, Tamar and Marion dig into why we believe what we do about food and nutrition and explore where eating for the planet is â and isnât â the same as eating for health.
Environment Variables - Community Clouds and Energy Islands with Dawn Nafus and Laura Watts
Weâve moved from a more decentralised internet running on centralised power, to a more centralised internet running on more decentralised power. Is this the only computing model of the future? What would a decentralised internet running on decentralised power look like? Our guests Dawn Nafus of Intel and Laura Watts of the University of Edinburgh have spent quite a lot of time researching this, and they share their findings with host Chris Adams.
Outrage and optimism #182 - COP15: Nothing Without Nature!
In this jam-packed episode, co-hosts Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac, and Paul Dickinson catch up on news from the Earthshot Prize awards ceremony in Boston, the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) in MontrĂŠal, insights from Conservation Internationalâs Dr. M. Sanjayan, and music from Boyish.
Catalyst with Shayle Kann - Solving the conundrum of industrial heat
To make products like cement, cereal and even baby food, you need heat â and lots of it. Industrial heat accounted for about one-fifth of all energy used in 2018, according to the International Energy Agency. Can new industrial heating technologies could help cut emissions in one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonize.
đ° News Highlights
First UK coal mine in decades approved despite climate concerns
Michael Gove has approved the first new UK coal mine in 30 years despite concern about its climate impacts among Conservative MPs and experts.
The proposed mine in Cumbria would dig up coking coal for steel production in the UK and across the world.
How a four-day workweek could be better for the climate Experts say potential benefits depend on a number of factors, including how people choose to spend the extra time off. See also - loads of relevant research by work by 4-day week specialists Autonomy
Infographic: Net Zero Guidelines for Non-State Entities An infographic explainer of the UN High Level Expert Group’s recommendations on the net zero commitments of companies, regions, cities and financial institutions. Commissioned by UN Secretary-General AntĂłnio Guterres to tackle greenwashing, the 10 recommendations clarify â in detail â what companies, investors, regions and cities should consider when setting and implementing their net zero targets.
Tiny Vanuatu Uses Its âUnimportanceâ to Launch Big Climate Ideas It wants a top international court to weigh in on whether nations are legally bound to protect against climate risks.
Global renewable capacity growth set to double over next five years, says IEA
Global renewable power capacity growth is set to double over the next five years, driven by energy security concerns in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Tuesday. In an annual report on the outlook for renewables, the IEA said capacity worldwide is expected to grow by 2,400 gigawatts (GW) - equal to the entire power capacity of China today.
Climate deniers gain traction on Elon Musk’s Twitter
Since Elon Musk acquired Twitter on October 27, climate change disinformation has flourished on the site. (Related this twitter spaces discussion hosted by Prof Kimberly Nicholas is a good listen)
Satellites detect no real climate benefit from 10 years of forest carbon offsets in California Many of the companies promising ânet-zeroâ emissions to protect the climate are relying on vast swaths of forests and what are known as carbon offsets to meet that goal. However, new satellite analysis reveals what researchers have suspected for years: Forest offsets might not actually be doing much for the climate.
How Indigenous people are fighting to stop âthe biggest land grab in historyâ
Indigenous leaders from around the world are calling for a bigger role in negotiations at the United Nationsâ Biodiversity Conference which convenes today in Montreal. Known as COP15, delegates from nearly 200 countries are expected to finalize the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, a set of international goals and standards for conservation efforts over the next decade.
đźÂ Jobs
Oxwash - Head of Marketing - Hybrid (1 day/week in London UK) - ÂŁ55,000 - ÂŁ75,000 + equity
Oxwash is on a mission to eliminate the impact of washing on our planet and us. By using space-age technology, sustainable energy and reclaimed water, Oxwash is able to deliver clinical-grade laundry without negatively impacting the environment. This is a unique opportunity for a driven, committed marketing professional, with proven experience creating a multichannel marketing strategy for B2B brands â preferably in the consumer service or subscription space.
Ecosia - Product Designer - Berlin/Remote (CST working hours) - âŹ53,500-74,000
Ecosia are hiring a Product Designer to join our Green team and help launch climate-centred features for our search experience. Youâll be part of a multidisciplinary team, working in collaboration with a variety of external partners on everything from climate pledge ratings to sustainable travel guides.
Circularise is a supply chain traceability start-up founded in The Netherlands in 2016. We believe that end-to-end traceability holds the key to overcoming major challenges that society faces in areas such as Circular Economy, Environmental Pollution and Carbon Emissions. Therefore, itâs our mission to bring traceability to global supply chains and to accelerate worldâs transition to a Circular Economy.]
Remember only jobs listing salary ranges are listed here - to get your job listed, you need to list a salary range. Folks can still look in the #jobs channel.