🌍 CAT Newsletter 227 - 2024-07-07
CAT 227 - 2024-07-07
Hey CATs,
Welcome to issue 227 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
✏️ From the blog
Last month CATs in Switzerland gathered for the first ever CAT hackathon. In her blog post Fiona shares reflections and insights. Have a read
🧠 Knowledge base deepdive
CAT Events: Use your CAT Slack account to log into the knowledge base and browse the collection of recaps and notes from various CAT events, such as the upcoming July Open Meeting. Or, if you're looking for a bit of inspiration, explore the community notes from previous Watch parties.
Climate Careers
climate-carreers channel mod @Elisa:
Hi everyone! I'm trying something new with this channel: I'll be posting this monthly prompt so we can support and encourage each other on our climate journeys
- Burning questions (no pun intended) about a green career path, organisation, or industry
- A project or job hunting practice you want feedback on (CVs, elevator pitches, networking, etc)
- General insights or tips you'd like to share from your own experience
Reply in the thread to give some support to another CAT, or get some support from another member.
📅 CAT events
The next CAT Open Meeting is taking place next Wed, July 10!
CATs old and new please gather and join us as we talk about CAT projects and mini grants, updates on CAT as a CIC (Community Interest Company), community health & stats, AND as we make some decisions on whether we should keep our meetup subscription or not.nRegister now and read the agenda on Outline.
🍩 Community networking
Like we did last year, #cat-roulette is taking July and August off. For more info see the message in the channel.
Media, events, and news
😺 CAT recommendations
🌱 A cutting from Branch issue 8
Echoes of electronic waste
A hacker at heart, Joanna Murzyn has been using the same smartphone for 8 years now. A regenerative IT consultant working in India, she shares a deep dive on the realities in the supply chain, when electronics are discarded,and the biological and community-based solutions to address the global issue of electronic waste.
▶️ CAT videos
10-15 minute videos providing accessible explainers to climate related issues.
Planet A: Why Sweden is light-years ahead on climate
If you're looking for a climate success story, you'll find it, of course, in Scandinavia. Sweden has cut 80% of its net emissions since 1990 – while growing its economy. How have they done it? And can this be a blueprint for other countries?
🎤 Podcasts
The latest climate-related podcast episodes. Don't forget, if you're looking around, there's a list of podcasts maintained by CATs
Outrage and Optimism: 253. Mid-2024 Climate Review: How Are We Doing?
In our penultimate episode of the season, hosts Christiana, Tom, and Paul delve into a reflection on the year 2024 so far. This episode takes a deep dive into recent events, including London Climate Action Week, the global political landscape, and the clean energy transformation, all viewed through a climate lens.
Volts: What's up with solid-state batteries?
In this episode, CEO Siyu Huang of Factorial Energy talks through recent advancements in solid-state batteries, which promise significant improvements in energy density and safety and are paving the way for electric vehicles with substantially increased range to hit the market within the next few years.
Catalyst with Shayle Khan: Going deep on next-gen geothermal
Investment is on the rise in geothermal, where advances in drilling techniques are driving down the cost of generation right as the grid needs more clean, firm, dispatchable power to meet rising load growth. And enhanced-geothermal startup Fervo is leading the pack of entrants, signing agreements to provide power to Southern California Edison and Google.
So how ready are these next-generation geothermal technologies to scale?
Environment Variables: The Week in Green Software: AI's Power Problem
In this episode of Environment Variables, host Chris Adams is joined by Asim Hussain to dive into the complexities of AI's growing energy demands and its environmental impact. They discuss innovative approaches to sustainability, such as using fungi to manage building waste in data centers and the potential for greener materials and practices. The conversation also covers software optimizations to reduce AI's carbon footprint, emphasizing that energy inefficiency cannot be outsourced. They highlight the importance of integrated sustainable practices in tech development, particularly in the face of increasing AI power consumption projections.
Green IO #42 - Decarbonizing Tech: 2 CTO share their paths with Ludi Akue and Owen Rogers
Decarbonizing tech stacks and platforms? This is the challenge many CTO face these days. 🎙️In our 42th episode, 2 CTOs with different backgrounds and operating in different lines of business cross share their experience in reducing the environmental footprint of their operations. Ludi Akue, former Lunii's CTO, and Owen Rogers, .eco's CTO meet Gael Duez to share their insights and reflect on each other journeys in sustainability.
📅 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 Jul 15 2024 - How can IT help organisations to reduce their environmental impact?
Calling all Climate Technologists for discussing what are the services that we can offer to organisations that are concerned about their carbon footprint and what is the impact that we can achieve with them.
Thu Jul 18 2024 - GreenTech Gathering
Bringing together the North's GreenTech community to connect in person, share knowledge & collaborate.
What To Expect?
- Networking with industry experts & leaders.
- Learn more about the latest industry innovations.
- Free drinks and nibbles.
Fri Jul 26 2024 - TBLI Virtual Networking
Expand your work connections using your phone or computer.
Join the TBLI Virtual Networking (Mixer) and connect with impact investors, entrepreneurs, and sustainability thought leaders worldwide through our immersive virtual platform.
🕒 Timed 1-on-1 Speed Networking
Tue Oct 08 2024 - The Global Nature Positive Summit 2024
Global Nature Positive Summit aims to boost private sector investment to protect and repair our environment. With a focus on solutions to climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.
Fri Oct 11 2024 - Better Software
Italian Conference about Sustainable IT
Mon Oct 14 2024 - SxSW Sydney
From a grassroots start in Austin TX, 1987 to a new, second home in Sydney Australia. Tech Innovation with track focus on Energy, Climate & Sustainability
📰 News Highlights
Grist: The American Climate Corps officially kicks off
This month, the nation will deploy 9,000 people to help guide the country toward a cleaner future.
The launch of the American Climate Corps might appeal to the young voters who were crucial to Biden's victory in the 2020 election over President Donald Trump and many of whom, according to polls, aren't sure they'll vote for him again.
Bloomberg: Google's Emissions Shot Up 48% Over Five Years Due to AI
Google's emissions climbed by almost half over five years, as the company has infused artificial intelligence throughout many of its core products — making it harder to meet its goal of eliminating carbon emissions by 2030, according to a new environmental report from the tech giant.
Google is not the first major technology company to cite the rapid growth of AI as an obstacle to achieving environmental goals. In May, Microsoft Corp. said its carbon emissions climbed 30% since 2020, as the company increasingly invested in AI. The increase made that company's target of getting to below net-zero emissions by 2030 even harder than it was when it announced its carbon-negative goal.
Ars Technica: Apple's "Longevity, by Design" argues its huge scale affects its repair polices
Earlier this week, Apple published a whitepaper titled "Longevity by Design." The purpose, Apple says, is to explain "the company's principles for designing for longevity—a careful balance between product durability and repairability." It also contains some notable changes to Apple's parts pairing and repair technology.
Wired: Instead of Mining the Deep Sea, Maybe People Should Just Fix Stuff
A new report by environmental groups lays out a case for banning deep sea mining—and explains why the real solution to humanity's energy crisis might just be sitting in the trash. Deep sea mining is the pursuit of rare, valuable minerals that lie undisturbed upon the ocean floor—metals like nickel, cobalt, lithium, and rare earth elements.
"We don't need to mine the deep sea," repott author Nathan Proctor reiterates. "It's about the dumbest way to get these materials. There's way better ways to address the needs for those metals like cobalt, nickel, copper, and the rest."
Edie: Science Based Targets Initiative chief executive announces resignation amid carbon offsetting controversy
Yesterday (2 July), in a statement to the Board of the SBTi, Dr Amaral confirmed his intention to resign, stating that certain issues require his full attention at present, prompting his decision to step down. The SBTi had been in hot water over the past few months, since the organisation announced plans to provide revised guidance on how companies can use 'environmental attribute certificates,' including carbon credits, to account for their climate goals, particularly those related to Scope 3 (indirect) emissions. Shortly after the initial announcement, reports emerged that some SBTi staff were calling for the ousting of Dr Amaral. Simultaneously, a group of more than 30 SBTi members issued a letter expressing anger and disappointment, stating that the SBTi breached its own governance process due to a lack of internal consultation, with some technical staff members threatening to quit their jobs.
Climate Home News: New South African government fuels optimism for faster energy transition
South Africa's energy transition is likely to accelerate after voters forced the ruling African National Congress (ANC) into a power-sharing arrangement for the first time, analysts say. On Sunday President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed ministers from his ANC party and the pro-business opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) to serve in his "government of national unity".
In one of the most significant changes, Ramaphosa took away pro-coal minister Gwede Mantashe's control of the energy sector. Hilton Trollip, a Cape Town University energy researcher, told Climate Home that Mantashe had previously "paralysed" the government's renewables programme.
The Guardian: What is a heat dome and how is it contributing to the heatwave in the US?
"More than 270 million Americans – about 80% of the country's population – are experiencing a kind of heatwave not seen in decades, smashing records with temperatures at or above 90F (32.2C) for long periods of time under a weather phenomenon known as a heat dome." An explainer for the ongoing heatwave in the United States.
Climate Court: Overturning the Chevron Doctrine: The Impact on Climate Litigation in the U.S.
On June 28, 2024, the United States Supreme Court issued a new landmark ruling overturning the decades-old Chevron doctrine, fundamentally reshaping administrative law and the authority of federal agencies in the United States. Note: A helpful explainer to help understand why this court decision is such a big deal for climate.
Latitude Media: Running Tide's final year
An interesting post-mortem on the recent shut down of Running Tide, one of the most respected, promising carbon removal startups in the sector.
Despite the concerns and skepticism by many in the industry, Running Tide is adamant that it was the market, and not its business model, tech, or science, that brought it down. For Breighner, and a handful of industry observers, the company's demise is simply a classic tech startup story, reminiscent of the earliest and ultimately failed solar companies: that of a good idea that's ahead of its time.
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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. Remember: if you're looking for advice finding a role, check our #climate-careers channel.
Open Energy Transition - Full-stack/Backend/Frontend Software Engineer - EUR 40-80K/year for full-stack/backend, 30-60K for frontend/UX - Permanent - Totally remote
Open Energy Transition is a non-profit energy tech company that uses and develops open-source software solutions and contributes to open data to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable, accessible and reliable energy. Our goal is to increase the pace and reduce the cost of energy system planning decisions through open collaboration and innovation. We are looking to hire 2 software engineers for two projects: a cloud compute solution for solving large energy models, and a solver benchmark website that compares various OSS/proprietary solvers on energy modelling benchmarks. The goal is to build robust, secure, and efficient open-source software to be used for energy and climate modelling and play a part in accelerating the climate transition.
Marble - Founder in Residence, Geothermal - Anywhere - 2.5-3K per month - Contract - Flexible - remote ok
Dive into the geothermal revolution and help unlock clean, sustainable energy for our planet. We're on the hunt for entrepreneurial engineers/scientists from geothermal, oil & gas, or similar sectors. If you're passionate about innovation and ready to explore cutting-edge approaches to power the net zero economy, we want you.
PowerX.co - Senior Full Stack Software Engineer - $136,000 to $204,000 - Permanent -
PowerX is building energy management solutions for businesses, starting with restaurants. We believe that by equipping restaurants with the best tools to use less energy and save money, we can tackle climate change, one store at a time. PowerX is seeking a Senior Full Stack Software Engineer to play a foundational technical role in our product journey. In this role, you will be tasked with developing our product, which includes collaborating with other engineers, product owners, designers, and data team to architect, implement, and maintain new and existing features.
BlueConduit - Data Scientist - $125-145K - Permanent -
BlueConduit was founded in 2019 in response to the Flint water crisis. First in Flint, and then across the country, we pioneered the predictive modeling approach to lead service line identification and replacement, accelerating the removal of this significant health concern and saving communities millions of dollars in avoided digs. We are passionate about using data science and AI for public good, improving social equity, and protecting the environment, and are now working in new ways to help serve communities' needs outside lead service line replacement.
Open Supply Hub - Sales Director - $135,000 to $150,000 + monthly commissions. - Permanent - Totally remote
Help us power the transition to safe and sustainable production with the world's most complete, open and accessible global supply chain map. This is an exciting opportunity to bring your sales skills to a global NGO with a big and impactful mission!
Vizzuality - Front End Engineer - €30,000 - €49,000 - Permanent - Totally remote
Vizzuality is hiring a mid-level/senior frontend developer with experience and proficiency in ReactJS/TypeScript.
At Vizzuality, we create data-driven tools for international organizations tackling climate change, biodiversity, and inequality. We're seeking individuals who combine a global perspective with a strong inclination toward teamwork, a deep understanding of coding, and an unwavering commitment to continuous learning. You should possess a growth mindset to develop T-shaped skills. Here's a chance for you to make a difference!
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