đ CAT Newsletter 236 - 2024-09-08
Hey CATs,
Welcome to issue 236 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.
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CAT Community News
đ§ Knowledge base deepdive
Greener Data & AI: Curious about the environmental impacts of LLMs such as ChatGPT? Log into the CAT knowledge base with your CAT Slack account to explore articles, papers, and other resources related to greener machine learning. And help a fellow CAT make greener choices by adding your own recommendations.
#ïžâŁ Slack channel highlights
#3-questions-and-ideas:Â AÂ asked 'What are your thoughts on using generative AI to help us spark curiosity and imagination about possible future eco worlds or transformed cities?'Â Share your answer in the thread
#greener-infra: H followed up on the thread we highlighted last year and shared an article talking about Big Tech's bid to rewrite the rules on net zero. Share your thoughts in the thread
#3-questions-and-ideas: L shared a paper which upon reflecting on the last ~20 years of computer development and our knowledge of planetary limits, proposes that computer science as a discipline "may need a radical approach, redesigning the digital world from scratch with specifications based on explicit hardware and software limits." Have a read and join the conversation.
đ CAT events
Thu, Sep 19 - London [in-person]: Green IO Conference where CAT will have a booth and participate in the NGO roundtable
Other local events events were shared in #local-boston #local-bristol #local-canada #local-new-york #local-quebec and #local-uk.
đ© Community networking
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, Sep 20th. More info
Media, events, and news
đș CAT recommendations
â¶ïž CAT videos
10-15 minute videos providing accessible explainers to climate related issues.
Planet A: How restoring river landscapes can keep flash floods in check
Floods threaten more people globally than any other natural hazard. But nature offers a solution to this problem. A region in Germanyâs east has been training local forests to absorb more water.
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
Outrage and Optimism 256: We're Back! With a Cascade of Climate News
Welcome back to Season 10! With the hosts together again following our break, Tom, Paul and Christiana are bursting with news and analysis. Up for discussion this week, the hosts try to understand why the Democrats havenât been talking much about climate change and what drives Kamala Harrisâ outrage and optimism. They delve deeper into the UKâs new Labour Governmentâs plans around energy, nature and climate change. Plus the hosts scan the horizon for the consequential moments in climate policy, with UNGA, Climate Week NYC and two COPs hurtling towards us.
Volts: How to activate climate voters?
The Environmental Voter Project has a unique approach: rather than convincing people to care about climate change, it identifies people who already do, but don't consistently vote, and works to get them to the polls. In this episode, EVP founder Nathaniel Stinnett discusses how to find these voters, keep them engaged, and measure their impact.
Zero: The sleek, fuel-saving airplanes coated with synthetic shark skin
Achieving net-zero carbon emissions is a massive challenge for every industry, but some have it harder than others. This week, Bloomberg Green senior reporter Akshat Rathi spoke with two Australian startups that are tackling carbon emissions in sectors whose carbon footprints are particularly intractable. Inspired by shark skin, MicroTau is creating a plastic film that makes airplanes more aerodynamic, reducing their fuel consumption. Novalith, meanwhile, is redesigning lithium battery manufacturing to make it cleaner.
Rathi sat down with MicroTau founder Henry Bilinsky and Novalith Chief Executive Officer Steven Vassiloudis to understand the challenges their startups face and where they find optimism.
Catalyst with Shayle Khan: The rise of climate adaptation tech
In this episode, Shayle talks to Katie MacDonald, co-founder and managing partner at Tailwind, a VC firm investing in adaptation and resilience (A&R) technologies. They talk about the areas of applications - like wildfire prevention, air filtration, health monitoring, and more â that are attracting the attention of governments, corporations, and investors. But the space is young and still needs metrics and definitions, which is why Tailwind developed a taxonomy of A&R themes and sectors and plans to release an âinnovation playbookâ with market insights in the fall.
Environment Variables: Academic Forefronts
This week we are joined by two PhD researchers, Silke Kaiser and Chiara Fusar Bassini, from the Hertie School in Berlin. With host Chris Adams they discuss their use of data science and machine learning and how they are using them to tackle some of todayâs most pressing environmental challenges. Silke shares insights into her research on predicting cycling traffic in cities to better inform urban planning and promote sustainable transport, while Chiara discusses her work on analyzing European energy data to support the renewable energy transition. Together, they explore the intersection of technology, data, and policy, highlighting the importance of data-driven decision-making in achieving sustainability goals.
Green IO #44 - Can the data center industry become circular? with Deborah Andrews
Fueled by the ongoing artificial intelligence boom, data centers are popping up around the world like mushrooms after a good rain raising serious sustainability concerns. Hence a pressing question: can the data center industry become circular? To get some answers, Gaël Duez welcomes a veteran in Circular Economy and Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment, Prof. Deborah Andrews, from London South Bank University, the founder and academic lead for CEDaCI.
đ Submitted events
Want an event listed here? Use this event listing form to submit the details so we can add it in the newsletter.
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.
Wed Oct 09 2024 - The Scope 3 Playbook: Mitigation Strategies for Companies
Featuring experts from Environmental Defense Fund and leading industry practitioners, the webinar series is designed to provide practical insights and strategies for overcoming the challenges associated with managing Scope 3 emissions.
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
Mon Oct 14 2024 - SOSV Climate Tech Summit
The SOSV Climate Tech Summit is a virtual, free event designed for the climate tech startup ecosystem and open to all. It covers everything from climate venture investing to the major categories of climate tech. Save your seat today!
Tue Dec 10 2024 - RIPE GreenTech Hackathon
Hi CATs! We are co-organising a Green Tech Hackathon for the RIPE community to help make IT more sustainable (with both technical and non-technical ideas). Please register if interested! When: 10-11 December. Where: Amsterdam & Online. Registration deadline: 30 September
đ° News Highlights
The conversation: When did the climate crisis begin?
With some exceptions (economic downturns, the pandemic), humanity has released more COâ into the atmosphere each year than the one before it for at least two centuries. Earth is not only hotter as a result of all this additional greenhouse gas, it is also getting hotter at a faster and faster rate. Where did it all begin? Figuring that out can tell us who or what is responsible â and what a possible solution looks like.
Grist: Amazon says it's going 'water positive' â but there's a problem
The companyâs pledge to conserve water at its data centers doesnât account for the thirsty power plants that keep them running.
Hugging Face: The Environmental Impacts of AI - Primer
The goal of this primer is to shed light on the environmental impacts of the full AI lifecycle, describing which kinds of impacts are at play when, and why they matter.
Canary Media: Chart - The UK is about to stop using coal to produce electricity
The country that once boasted the worldâs first coal-fired power plant is now set to eliminate the highly polluting fossil fuel from its power grid. In late September, the United Kingdom will shutter the Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station, the countryâs last operational coal-fired power plant. The closure indicates just how far the U.K. has come in its bid to do away with dirty sources of electricity.
Blocks and Files: Microsoft says its opting for robots to recycle disk drives
Microsoft is using robots to take dead disk drives apart and recycle the parts as part of its e-waste reduction efforts.
Science: âMy jaw droppedâ: Bat loss linked to death of human infants
In places where bat populations crashed, farmers sprayed more insecticides, and baby mortality spiked.
Irish Business Post: Revealed - How surging data centre power demand has stalled renewable electricity progress since 2020 (archive link)
Irelandâs share of renewable electricity has fallen from 39 per cent in 2020 to 38.9 per cent in 2023 as data centre growth outpaces new renewable electricity being added to the system
MotherJones: Fossil-Fuel Funding of Colleges Is Hurting Clean Energy Transition, New Study Says
Fossil fuel companiesâ funding of universitiesâ climate-focused efforts is delaying the green transition, according to the most extensive peer-reviewed study to date of the industryâs influence on academia.
Climate Tech VC: Climate tech on the ballot pt. 2
A guide to election outcome scenarios and impact on the IRA-related funding
"Itâs officially 60 days to go until US voters elect their next president (and Senators, and House representatives). In the countdown, weâre continuing our coverage of whatâs at stake â and whatâs at risk â this November."
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.
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.
Fresh Food Connect - Board Member - Volunteer
Fresh Food Connect is a nationwide nonprofit that mobilizes gardeners to support hunger relief through homegrown produce donations. We're looking to expand our board this year and would love to consider a CAT community member.
Are you passionate about food/ag systems, hunger relief, gardening, local climate solutions, and/or community building? Do you have experience in tech development, strategic partnerships, legal, or finance? If so, please consider applying! Bonus if you're in San Diego or Seattle, our next two expansion cities.
Icebreaker One - Senior Project Manager - Up to ÂŁ550/day - Contract - Totally remote
Icebreaker One is a non-profit that helps organisations across the economy share data more effectively to achieve their net-zero targets. Our programmes are collaborative efforts with a wide range of stakeholders to develop legal, technical and procedural solutions for trusted data sharing. We have been successful in winning new projects for the second half of 2024 and consequently need an experienced project manager to join our existing PM team to ensure our work is delivered on time and within scope.
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