CAT Newsletter #202 - 2023-01-14
Hey CATs,
Welcome to issue 202 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
Last chance to fill out our member survey. Survey closes Wed, Jan 17!
#️⃣ Slack channel highlights
- #greener-webdev: In the spirit of reflection, channel host C asked "What are your biggest lesson from 2023". Share your lessons in the thread
- #2-paws-and-plans: CATs have been sharing more reflection of 2023 and plans for 2024. Do you have any goals for climate action (at work) this year? Share them in the channel!
- #mobility: S asked which organisations / companies work on modelling and designing public transit systems for cities/regions?
Local channels: V said hi in #local-brazil, O shared thoughts on the last Green Tech SW event in #local-bristol, A asked about water companies in #local-london, G said hi in #local-washington, and A said hi in #local-colorado! And of course, in case you missed it B started a :sparkles: new #local-boston channel.
CAT Events
👋 Mon, Jan 22 - Americas, Europe, Africa: Welcome (back) to CAT
👋 Tue, Feb 6 - Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania: Welcome (back) to CAT
Local events were shared in #local-new-york, #local-switzerland, and in #local-chicago.
🍩 Community networking
Get to know other CATs and make some friends in the community. Every 2 weeks, we match 2-3 CATs so you can connect over a quick 30-minute call. Simply join #cat-roulette, pick your region and wait for a message from Donut about your match! Our next round of matches will go out on Fri, Jan 19. More info
🙋 Get involved
- Fill out our member survey (closes Wed, Jan 17!)
- Support us financially on Open Collective
- Become a volunteer - we're looking for content / wiki editors, channel hosts, Slack moderators, and event helpers
Media, events, and news
😺 CAT recommendations
- Fill out our member survey (closes Wed, Jan 17!)
- Support us financially on Open Collective
- Become a volunteer - we're looking for content / wiki editors, channel hosts, Slack moderators, and event helpers
🌱 A cutting from Branch
Branch issue 7: Gathering Multitudes: A Bag of Stars
Gathering Multitudes: A bag of stars is an interactive 3D essay, encouraging players exploring a game-world to imagine spaces such as seed banks as a metaphor for digital servers and to contribute their own visions for the same.
🎬 CAT Videos
CAT videos, geddit? 10-15 minute videos providing accessible explainers to climate related issues.
Planet A - Why Silicon Valley needs a new name
We can thank silicon for everything from computers to solar panels, but it's reaching its limits. Here’s why and what’s next. (Editor's note: this is one of the best pieces of science communication)
🐈 Tell us what you'd like to see more of
Our member survey is open! Please spend 5-7 minutes and share your thoughts about 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.
Thu Jan 18 2024 - Sustainable Software: Ansätze zum Messen der Energieeffizienz von Software
Präsentation Arne Tarara: Sustainable Software: How can we quantify and measure "green-ness" of code? + Präsentation Dr. Kristine Schaal & Kollin Freise: Ansätze zum Messen der Energieeffizienz von Software im Softwareentwicklungsprozess
Tue Jan 23 2024 - Sustainable UX for sustainable digital Products
How can we make software applications and digital products more sustainable or sustainable from the outset? Thorsten Jonas will explore and shed light on this question in his presentation on Sustainable UX.
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
Volts: Decarbonizing a sprawling university system
As Chief of Energy, Sustainability, and Transportation at the Chancellor’s Office of California State University, Lindsey Rowell is charged with developing and implementing a plan to decarbonize every aspect of the school system, on all 23 campuses, with minimal use of offsets, by 2045. In this episode, she lays out what it will take to tackle this ambitious goal.
Zero: Checkout - drilled
Today we're sharing an episode from another climate podcast that you might like, Drilled. Zero’s host Akshat Rathi was a guest on Drilled earlier this year talking about his book, Climate Capitalism, and we’re dropping that episode in the feed today. If you like what you hear you can follow Drilled wherever you get your podcasts.
Catalyst with Shayle Khan: Financing first-of-a-kind climate assets
There’s a hole in the finance world. Fighting climate change means scaling up lots of new technologies, but financing those first-of-a-kind (FOAK) projects is incredibly difficult. New technologies involving things like sustainable aviation fuel, geothermal and direct air capture can take a decade or more to scale up. But venture capital is too expensive for FOAK projects, while infrastructure finance is too risk-averse. So what solutions could solve the FOAK financing problem?
Environment Variables - Cloud Footprints with CCF
Host Chris Adams is joined by Arik Smith and Cameron Cash from Thoughtworks in this episode of Environment Variables. Together they discuss the origins of the Cloud Carbon Footprint (CCF) tool, and role it plays in understanding cloud emissions, and it's future.
TWiGS host Chris Adams is joined by guest Savannah Goodman from Google, to bring you the latest news and updates from the world of sustainable software development. They discuss insights from Google’s Sustainability report, the need for a fossil fuel free internet by 2030 and the importance of microgrids and nanogrids.
📰 News Highlights
Heatmap News: Does More Renewable Energy Lead to More Political Support? Not in Texas
ne of the central conceits of the Inflation Reduction Act, Biden’s landmark climate legislation, is that green investment will eventually lead to bipartisan support for the law. No Republican may have crossed the aisle to support the IRA in 2022, but when money flows into red districts, conservatives will come around. Or so the thinking goes. The reality is proving more complicated.
Carbon Brief: Analysis - The world will add enough renewables in five years to power US and Canada
A boom in Chinese solar power construction drove another record-breaking year of renewables growth in 2023, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Carbon Brief analysis of figures in the IEA’s Renewables 2023 report show that the world is now on track to build enough solar, wind and other renewables over the next five years to power the equivalent of the US and Canada. Despite such accelerated expansion, the world is not currently on track to achieve the COP28 target of tripling renewables capacity by 2030, according to the IEA.
Canary Media: A huge battery has replaced Hawaii’s last coal plant
Plus Power’s Kapolei battery is officially online. The pioneering project is a leading example of how to shift crucial grid functions from fossil-fueled plants to clean energy.
Grist: ‘A matter of survival’: India’s unstoppable need for air conditioners
How access to sufficient cooling could further drive up the already rampant inequality in the country. “The latent demand for cooling is massive. What we have to focus on is how to chart a more sustainable and energy efficient path, one where air conditioning is not the be-all and end-all solution.”
E&E News: COP28 could spur wave of climate lawsuits
The global climate agreement reached last month could add momentum to a growing tide of lawsuits against oil companies and fossil-fuel-reliant countries worldwide. The deal’s language about shifting away from oil, natural gas and coal strengthens evidence that burning fossil fuels is driving climate change — and that failing to address it is increasingly being seen as a liability, according to legal scholars. “The outcome is a good hook, at least, for litigation,” said Joana Setzer, assistant professor at the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics and Political Science
ABC News: How passenger electric planes could become a reality within the next decade
A newly designed electric aircraft, called the E9X, can now hold more passengers and fly farther than what was previously thought to be possible, according to aviation startup Elysian, which conceptualized the design along with the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. These new planes will be able to hold 90 people and fly up to 500 miles without having to stop to recharge, Reynard de Vries, co-founder of Elysian and an aerospace engineering researcher at Delft University of Technology, told ABC News. (For the nerds: see the Aviation Week article diving into the specific equations underpinning the new designs).
Harvard Business Review: The Evolving Role of Chief Sustainability Officers
The role of the chief sustainability officer is undergoing a rapid and dramatic transformation. Historically CSOs have acted like stealth PR executives—their primary task was to tell an appealing story about corporate sustainability initiatives. Now, however, some CSOs have moved away from a role centered on messaging and instead are spearheading the true integration of material ESG (environmental, social, and governance) issues into corporate strategy.
💼 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.
RouteZero - Full-stack software engineer - £30-35k - Permanent - Flexible - remote ok
RouteZero is hiring a full-stack developer (Flutter and Typescript). We're decarbonising our customer's largest source of emissions: travel. We aim to prevent millions of tonnes of CO₂ entering the atmosphere by helping customers deploy the most effective carbon-cutting actions, from low-carbon travel booking to carbon budgets and social influence tools.
Elemental Excelerator - Portfolio Experience Analyst - $54,600 - $85,400 - Permanent - Flexible - remote ok
This role will be responsible for activating our community of engaged founders through the development of program communications, founder tools, newsletters, and general outreach, as well as supporting the organization and execution of portfolio-facing events and Elemental's accelerator program tracks. This is a dynamic position that works both cross-collaboratively within the organization to provide transparency across portfolio team initiatives, and directly with companies to help them scale and make a positive impact.
Elemental Excelerator - Policy Lab Senior Operations Manager - $86,500-$140,100/year - Permanent - Flexible - remote ok
Elemental is seeking a passionate self-starter to serve as a Policy Lab Senior Operations. This position will report to Elemental's Managing Director, Policy and support our work and systems to help Elemental's portfolio companies and key policy leaders scale climate solutions with deep community impact. The role will also work closely with our Senior Policy Advisor who leads our Policy Fellows program and with our Senior Manager of Portfolio Experience who supervises coaching and other supports for our portfolio companies. The role requires excellent collaboration skills, strong workflow management, strong execution and attention to detail, and ability to create and maintain systems that assess key trends and data to enable innovation and impact in our team's work.
Elemental Excelerator - Developer in Residence - The starting hourly rate for this opportunity is $150/hr. - Contract - Flexible - remote ok
Elemental is seeking a Developer in Residence to join our team and support our portfolio of climate tech entrepreneurs as they navigate the complexities of deploying a first-of-a-kind (FOAK) or early commercial climate tech project. In addition to bringing your expertise as a project developer to 1:1 and group work with our portfolio companies, you will serve as a thought partner to Elemental as we work to develop and build out more support offerings for our portfolio, including a roster of specialized project developers to support their journey.
Ford Foundation - Technology Fellow - 117k - 136k USD - Permanent - Onsite only
Ford Foundation's Natural Resources and Climate Change International (NRCC-I) team is hiring a Technology Fellow to join their team. The Tech Fellow will integrate into the NRCC team on a two-year contract, , and will also be a part of the broader Technology Fellowship Program, which was created to support integrated learning and action at the intersection of social justice and technology throughout the work of the foundation.
The Nature Conservancy - Agile Team Coach - $88,300 - $132,500 - Permanent - Flexible - remote ok
At The Nature Conservancy, "Alongside communities, we’re urgently clearing obstacles and finding solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises...To make the highest possible impact on the climate and biodiversity crises between now and 2030, we’re developing breakthrough ideas, amplifying local leaders and influencing policy." This position is with the IT department in the Worldwide Office. IT teams this position will support develop and maintain systems for data analytics and tracking, membership efforts, geospatial systems, and more.
Supercritical - Director of Climate Science - £110k - £130k (depending on experience) - Permanent - Flexible - remote ok
You will play a pivotal role in driving innovation in climate vetting methodologies and frameworks for Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) methods. They execute rigorous climate vetting for potential projects, ensuring a robust evaluation process. Additionally, the role involves spearheading Supercritical's position on CDR, carbon markets, and climate policy. As the voice of climate within the management team, the Climate Strategy Lead actively shapes strategic development, acts as a spokesperson, and produces influential thought leadership content to elevate the organization's profile. The role also entails providing technical excellence to support sales and marketing, enhancing the quality of customer offerings. In overseeing small corporate climate consultancy projects, the lead manages emission measurement and guides net-zero transition planning for clients, ensuring a comprehensive and effective approach.
Qflow - Business Development Manager - UK - Up to £60K (plus up to double OTE) - Permanent - Flexible - remote ok
Qflow enables the construction sector to make informed decisions on cost, carbon and quality, collecting real-time materials and waste data at source. After successfully raising an oversubscribed Series A investment round, our technical team is now growing. We are seeking a talented Business Development Manager who is eager to contribute to building a sustainable future.