🌍 CAT Newsletter #189 - 2023-09-24
CAT 189 - 2023-09-22
Hey CATs,
Welcome to issue 189 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.
Stay safe & healthy 😌 💚 🐱
CAT Community News
#️⃣ Slack channel highlights
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#greener-infra: Matthew is looking for advice on how to start a climate conversation about greener infrastructure at work. Help a fellow CAT and share your insights
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#greener-webdev: Mike shared that the official W3C Web Sustainability Guidelines were launched last Wednesday! What do you think? Share feedback
📍 Local happenings
🇩🇪 #local-germany: Lots of CATs have been chatting about the climate strikes last Fri. Did you go? How was it? Also: after last week’s Munich meetup, we’ve now got a #local-munich channel!
🇳🇿 #local-aotearoa: Gearing up for the next election, Jenny shared a handy guide.
🇮🇹 #local-italy: Nicola shared some info about the Digital Ethics Forum even in November.
🇳🇱 #local-netherlands: Jennifer is hoping to meet some randstad people.
🍩 Community networking
Our next round of #cat-roulette matches will go out on Fri, Sep 29! Join the channel, pick your region and Donut matches you with other channel members every other week! More info
🌱 A cutting from Branch
Computing Net Zero
In this piece, Branch authors dive into the origins of the term Net Zero, how it’s used, and how Net Zero is framed as a big data project that requires the expansion of data centers, data analysis, and other “sustainable tech” infrastructures.
🎬 CAT videos
CAT videos, geddit? 10-15 minute videos providing accessible explainers to climate related issues.
Planet A - Sulfur: The stinky pollution nobody is talking about
Sulfur is everywhere – from foods to the human body, clouds and volcanoes. The colorful element is a main driver of acid rain and also a major pollutant present in coal. So why is no one talking about it?
✋ Looking for volunteers
📅 CAT online event volunteer • minimum 2hrs / month
Help organise and/or run our online events. You can sign up to do this for just a few months or stick around for longer.
📆 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.
Mon Sep 25 2023 - London Climate Tech Networking and Pitch Night
We invite you to join the Climate Salad, Gateley Global and 9 incredible climate tech companies for a pitch and networking evening in London. At this event, you'll hear pitches from each company and connect with likeminded mentors, investors and ecosystem supporters.
Wed Oct 04 2023 - Evergreen DeepTech Expo
]Wednesday, October 4th, Evergreen Climate Innovations will be hosting the DeepTech Expo! Join us to discover new impactful climate technologies, network with innovators, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders, and hear the latest on the region’s thriving innovation ecosystem.
Wed Oct 11 2023 - Tech meets sustainable clothing - hybrid event
Join us for our hybrid event with great talks combining tech and sustainability. The event theme is tech meets clothing, with three brilliant speakers based in the South West - Tim Kindberg from Sust and Jen Wagner & Gary Lake from LAYBL.
Check external-events in the CAT slack for more.
🎤 Podcasts
The latest climate-related podcast episodes. Don't forget, if you're looking around, there's a list of podcasts maintained by CATs
Environment Variables: Sci-Fi Fantasies with Anne Currie and Jo-Lindsay Walton
Joining host Anne Currie, is Jo Lindsay Walton, a research fellow in Arts, Climate, and Technology at the University of Sussex. Together they will explore the dreams of a green future inspired by Science Fiction and the practicality of these as solutions to climate change
Zero: The godfather of solar predicts its future
The work of Martin Green, a professor at the University of New South Wales in Sydney and the director of the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, made the modern solar industry possible: 90% of solar panels made last year were based on his designs. This week on Zero, Akshat Rathi sits down with the man many call “the godfather of solar” to hear firsthand how it happened, the next record he wants to break and whether solar panels are destined for space.
Outrage and Optimism: 214. Climate Week NYC: Love Is The Answer
This week, Tom plays the role of roving reporter live from Climate Week NYC and shares his analysis of UNGA and the growing public concern around the UN’s ability to maintain the momentum and vision that we so desperately need to keep us on track to meet our global goals. Tom also shares an incredible finding with us all presented by former O+O guest, John Marshall, CEO of Potential Energy Coalition, that the winning message that caused people to unite behind climate change action is….love. Throughout the episode, we also hear from a range of voices captured by Tom throughout the first part of the week from leaders representing civil society, private corporations, youth, state legislatures and communication professionals.
📰 News Highlights
Reuters: Germany passes law to make energy savings compulsory
Germany's lower house of parliament on Thursday passed a bill to make saving energy compulsory in all economic sectors, a move intended to help fight climate change and curb use of imported fossil fuels. The Energy Efficiency Act, introduced by the Greens-led economy ministry, includes regulation for energy savings in public buildings, industry and fast-growing data centres across Germany, with the goal of a 26.5% cut by 2030 from 2008.
The Guardian: UK net zero policies: what has Sunak scrapped and what do changes mean?
PM has outlined plans to delay some climate targets, saying they will save people money. But what has he scrapped? Will it actually save the people of the UK any money? And what will it mean for the climate crisis? The Guardian has looked into each policy and what the change means. See also: Carbon Brief's extensive coverage
Euractiv: EU reaches deal banning ‘climate-neutral’ product claims
In the wake of longstanding complaints of greenwashing by consumer advocates, EU institutions finalised a new law on Tuesday (19 September) enacting a sweeping ban to combat the misleading of its citizens through erroneous claims of sustainability. The law will now ban companies from claiming that their products are climate-neutral.
Associated Press: US president Biden uses executive power to create a New Deal-style American Climate Corps
In an announcement Wednesday, the White House said the program will employ more than 20,000 young adults who will build trails, plant trees, help install solar panels and do other work to boost conservation and help prevent catastrophic wildfires. The climate corps had been proposed in early versions of the sweeping climate law approved last year but was jettisoned amid strong opposition from Republicans and concerns about cost. See also: discussion in ask-anything channel.
EDIE: Ikea and Unilever named as best-performing companies on climate advocacy
Companies considered best in class include Ikea, Unilever, Iberdrola, DSM-Firmenich, Saint-Gobain, Apple, Ricoh and Softbank Group. A study of almost 500 companies found that a growing number are demonstrating increased focus on advocacy, but that most are being held back by failing to address certain negative climate policy influences.
Ars Technica: Fungi could be the answer to breaking down plastic junk
Researchers from the University of Kelaniya and the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka have discovered some species of fungi that can break down polyethylene—the same type of plastic used for bags, bottles, cling wrap, takeout containers, and more. These fungi have one thing in common: They normally break down hardwood, which otherwise does not decay quickly. While hundreds of fungi and other microorganisms are known to break down various plastics, it was previously unknown that these particular hardwood-eating species could degrade polyethylene.
Datacenter Dynamics: Microsoft Cloud hiring to "implement global small modular reactor and microreactor" strategy to power data centers
With grids around the world struggling, power availability has become a critical bottleneck for data center builders and delayed projects around the globe - most notably in the sector's densest region, Northern Virginia.
Canary Media: What do EVs have to do with the autoworker strike? A lot, it turns out
Striking UAW members want to ensure that billions in EV investments translate into good-paying union jobs. Among the UAW’s demands for its new contract is a 40 percent raise over the next four years, which it says is equal to the collective rise in CEO compensation at the Big Three over the past four years. See also: NY times coverage - Biden Will Join Autoworkers on Picket Line in Michigan, a Historic Move.
The Register: Google promises eternity of updates for Chromebooks – that's a decade for everyone else
Google said Thursday it will provide a decade of service updates for recent model Chromebooks, a policy change that reflects the growing political clout of right-to-repair campaigners. Over time, faced with complaints from customers and advocacy groups about planned obsolescence and environmental harm, Google had extended the maximum Chromebook lifespan to five years by 2016 and eight years by 2020.
Washington Post: Working from home now has another powerful benefit
(paywalled) In an analysis of various work scenarios, people’s behaviors and sources of emissions, researchers found that switching from working onsite to working from home full time may reduce a person’s carbon footprint by more than 50 percent. Hybrid schedules where people work remotely for two to four days a week could also cut emissions by 11 to 29 percent, according to the study.
💼 Jobs
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.
Singularity Energy - Multiple - $100k-$140k, 0.02%-0.2% equity - Permanent - Flexible - remote ok
Singularity Energy is building the world's highest quality view of historical, real-time, and forecasted grid carbon emissions. Today, grid carbon data is siloed, outdated, and lacks spatial and temporal granularity, and with new climate pledges and decarbonization plans being announced every day, there is a tremendous need to get the underlying data right. We're looking to grow our team in order to improve the sophistication of our offerings and expand our capabilities to become the 'carbon intelligence layer' for grid operators, utilities, companies, and service providers to build data-driven decarbonization solutions.
Alder & Co. - MID-SENIOR COPYWRITER - $70k-$90k depending on experience - Contract-to-hire - Totally remote
Alder is a woman- and minority-owned strategic brand marketing agency focused exclusively on climate tech. By joining Alder as a copywriter, you'll help our clients scale their impact and propel your career in marketing for mission-driven companies and learn from the best in our industry.
AimHi Earth - Engineering Lead - Climate EdTech - £65,000 - Permanent - Totally remote
We combine technology and digital experience design to deliver scalable online experiences that rapidly shift mindsets and behaviours, upskilling and empowering people to take ownership and transform complex systems. We are seeking an ingenious, diligent and imaginative Engineering Lead to join us as a co-traveller on our own mission to protect the natural systems of Planet Earth. You’ll be joining us at an exciting and formative time, as we’re finalising a significant fundraise. Given the right qualities, we hope for this role to evolve into a CTO position with us.
Icebreaker One - Market Researcher (Carbon Calculators) - Up to £600/day - Contract - Totally remote
Icebreaker One (IB1) is a UK-headquartered research & innovation not-for-profit accelerating the data sharing required for the transition to net zero. IB1 is working with the British Business Bank to gain a market view of carbon calculator solutions available for SMEs to inform whether it is possible for SME lending to require mandatory carbon calculations as part of the financing. We’re looking for someone to conduct market research to understand the landscape of carbon calculator options available to SMEs. The contract is for 24 days until November 2023.
Salesforce - Senior Analyst, Decarbonization - $97,300 to $146,000 - Permanent - Flexible - remote ok
Are you passionate about the intersection of sustainability, data, & technology? Then check out this great opportunity! We are looking for a dynamic sustainability professional comfortable working with big data sets while also excited to project manage and present insights to key stakeholders.
Ecosia - Platform Engineer - €62,000 to €76,000 - Permanent - Flexible - remote ok
We are looking for a Platform Engineer (all genders) with expertise in cloud-native application development and in developer experience best practices to join us remotely or in our Berlin office.
Elemental Excelerator - Director of Innovation (Industry & Water) - $97,400 - $163,500 USD - Permanent -
For this position, we are looking for an individual who can help develop a set of investment themes, recruit companies, design projects, manage deliverables and reporting, provide thought partnerships on portfolio company strategy, and work with the other Directors of Innovation across sectors and organization functions. This role will focus on Elemental’s companies across the industry, drinking water and wastewater portfolios, and will report to the Managing Director, Portfolio.