š CAT Newsletter 242 - 2024-10-20
Hey CATs,
Welcome to issue 242 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 outĀ our onboarding checklist.
Remember you can unsubscribe from this newsletter at any time - the link is at the bottom.
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CAT Community News
#ļøā£ Slack channel highlights
#culture-society: We had two post about language in the climate space,Ā AĀ started aĀ discussion on the term 'climate emergency'Ā andĀ M shared someĀ insights on the term 'degrowth'.
#2-greener-software: C sharedĀ a paperĀ that discusses how much of an impact the choice of programming language has on energy consumption. And a bunch of CATs have shared thoughts inĀ the thread.
#greener-design:Ā M askedĀ whether anyone is using the CSS analyser tool 'Project Wallace'
#greener-infra: After Google's announcement to use nuclear to power their AI data centers, G is asking what CATs think about this approach inĀ this thread.
š§ Knowledge base deepdive
Green Teams: Interested in starting a green team or project at your workplace? Log into the CAT knowledge base with your CAT Slack account to explore resources and tips from fellow CATs who have done it before.
š CAT events
Wed, Nov 6 -Ā Generative AI ExploratoriumĀ [online]:Ā Part 1 - Questioning
Wed, Nov 13 -Ā Generative AI ExploratoriumĀ [online]:Ā Part 2 - Learning
Wed, Nov 20 -Ā Generative AI ExploratoriumĀ [online]:Ā Part 3 - Practicing
Wed, Nov 27 -Ā Generative AI ExploratoriumĀ [online]:Ā Part 4 - Reflecting
The Generative AI Exploratorium events are part ofĀ fundedĀ CAT mini grant projectĀ run byĀ @Alja IsakoviÄ. Learn more inĀ #gen-ai-exploratoriumĀ or onĀ the CAT blog.
Local events were shared inĀ #local-netherlandsĀ andĀ #local-san-francisco-bay-area
š© Community networking
Due to inactivity from a lot of folks in the channel,Ā #cat-rouletteĀ is doing a clean up! Facilitated by channel hostĀ @Brett Duboff,Ā all members will be removed onĀ Fri, Nov 1st. Rejoin the channel after Nov 1st to participate inĀ DonutĀ matches every other week again. The next round of matches will go out onĀ Fri, Nov 15th.Ā More info
Media, events, and news
šŗ CAT recommendations
ā¶ļø CAT videos
10-15 minute videos providing accessible explainers to climate related issues.
Planet A: How plain old batteries could solve one of the world's big problems
Most of us are using them every day without ever thinking about it. Lithium-ion batteries power our laptops, phones, toothbrushes, vacuum cleaners ā and increasingly also cars. But there's an even bigger job awaiting them: helping the world switch to wind and solar.
š¤Ā Podcasts
The latest climate-related podcast episodes. Don't forget, if you're looking around, there's a list of podcasts maintained by CATs
Zero: The backlash against EVs is growing. Uber is pushing back
Electric vehicle sales have hit the brakes in Europe and the US in recent months, as cost-conscious drivers have opted for cars with exhaust pipes instead. Bucking the trend is ride-sharing giant Uber, which is not only adding zero emission models to its fleet, but also lobbying regulators to demand more EVs on the road. On Zero, Dara Khosrowshahi discusses the company's short and long-term green goals, and tells Akshat Rathi why he believes electric cars are good for business ā not just for the environment. He also discusses autonomous cars, flying taxis, carbon accounting and what a just transition would look like for the company's workforce.Ā
Volts: The Department of Energy has gotten serious about technology commercialization
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Vanessa Chan, DOE's Chief Commercialization Officer, to discuss the challenges of commercializing new clean energy technologies. Her office has helped develop a common vocabulary among stakeholders ("adoption readiness levels") and concentrated the attention of public and private capital on certain key technologies ("pathway to liftoff" reports). It's wonky stuff, but it has transformed and turbocharged DOE's commercialization efforts.
Catalyst with Shayle Khan: The complex path to market for low-carbon cement
Getting the construction industry to try a novel form of cement is like turning a giant ship. It's hard to redirect the immense momentum behind existing ways of doing business, especially involving cement, the most energy-intensive ingredient in concrete. So how do you get a risk-averse construction supply chain to try decarbonized cement? In this episode, Shayle talks to Leah Ellis, CEO and co-founder of Sublime Systems, a company that recently landed its first commercial deployment of decarbonized cement.
The Week in Green Software: Backstage: Remembering Abhishek Gupta: How does AI and ML Impact Climate Change?
In this episode, we honor the memory of Abhishek Gupta, who was an instrumental figure in the Green Software Foundation and a Co-Chair of the Standards Working Group. Abhishek's work was pivotal in the development of the Software Carbon Intensity (SCI) Specification. As we remember Abhishek, we are airing an old episode that featured Abhishek Gupta, Episode 5 of Environment Variables. Host Chris Adams is joined by Will Buchanan of Azure ML (Microsoft), Abhishek Gupta; the chair of the Standards Working Group for the Green Software Foundation and Lynn Kaack, assistant professor at the Hertie School in Berlin to discuss how artificial intelligence and machine learning impact climate change. They discuss boundaries, Jevons paradox, the EU AI Act, inferencing and supply us with a plethora of materials regarding ML and AI and the climate.
Green IO #C1 Special Green IO London 2024
Today, we don't have 1 or 2 guests but 12! In partnership with the YouTube channel Architect Tomorrow, we are glad to share with you snippets and interviews of the speakers who made the latest Green IO Conference in London a huge success last month.
If this episode gets some success, we will try to find a quieter place and better gear for the next editions of Green IO starting with Green IO Paris on December 4th and 5th.Ā nStill, I hope you'll enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed crafting Green IO London 2024 for its attendees.Ā
Outrage and Optimism: 261. How to Live a Good Life in a Climate Crisis - Introduction
In episode 1 of our How To Live A Good Life in a Climate Crisis series, the Outrage + Optimism hosts introduce you to their new mini series and discuss how they define a good life. For the next few weeks, Tom, Paul and Christiana will explore questions that you, the listeners, have asked us to address, around what it means to live a good life at this pivotal moment, facing uncertainty and judgments. Theyāll talk about whether we should fly, what we eat, how to enjoy a meaningful career and whether or not we should have children.
This free ranging discussion attempts to shine a light on the interplay between the largest issue facing humanity - the climate crisis - and the difference each of us can make. Although this series concerns itself with individual action, part of our role is to call on governments and other institutions to precipitate systemic change.
Please donāt expect any right or wrong answers! Tom, Paul and Christiana will not prescribe you the ingredients for the perfect life! They will share their own insights, stories and struggles. And after listening thereās a good chance you might feel more confused - we only hope youāll be confused at a deeper level.
š 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 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
Thu Oct 24 2024 - Design Systems Community Austin - monthly meetup
Monthly IRL design systems meetup in Austin, always open to those working on climate, green tech, and sustainable product design - https://designsystemsaustin.com
Thu Oct 24 2024 - Sustainable AI: Less Byte, More Right
In the race for tech innovation, AI's environmental impact is often ignored. Join us and Pascal Joly, Environmental Advocate, to explore the true cost of AI and how we can minimise it. Learn about sustainable AI and best practices to lower its footprint! On 10.24.2024 @ 17:00 CET
Tue Oct 29 2024 - Adapt NSW Forum - Pathways, Intersections & Evolution
AdaptNSW Forum - world class adaptation presenters, immersive workshops and interactive sessions. This year dedicated to catalysing action. We're bringing climate change adaptation specialists together for 2 days thought-provoking conversation & collective change making.
Wed Nov 27 2024 - Australian Climate Tech Connect & Awards 2024
One-of-a-kind opportunity to connect with investors, founders and industry leaders while celebrating the achievements of the Australian climate tech industry in 2024.
Tue Dec 10 2024 - The RIPE Green Tech Hackathon
Join the next RIPE NCC hackathon focused on Green Tech this December! This time, our goals are to develop tools, policies and protocols to reduce the environmental impact of Internet infrastructure. Apply now to join and help us organise this Sustain-a-thon!
š° News Highlights
Google to buy nuclear power for AI datacentres in 'world first' deal
Google has signed a "world first" deal to buy energy from a fleet of mini nuclear reactors to generate the power needed for the rise in use of artificial intelligence.
The US tech corporation has ordered six or seven small nuclear reactors (SMRs) from California's Kairos Power, with the first due to be completed by 2030 and the remainder by 2035.
For a more skeptical take, see also: Google, Amazon buy nonexistent mini nuclear reactors for AI data centers.
Green Web Foundation: What should Europeās nascent industrial policy for AI mean?
AI Now Institute has published a new collection of essays setting out to inform Europeās industrial policy for AI. Our chapter written with Fieke Jansen and Michelle Thorne calls out predatory delay and busts the myths about āAI for sustainability.ā
We call for Europe to reframe what it means to be innovative and center environmental justice in its industrial policy. As Europe ponders pouring billions of public funds into AI, this collection attempts to reorient the EUās industrial policy away from its current trajectory of further entrenching big techās dominance in the marketāāand outlines alternative pathways forward.
Nan: Quick carbon removal demand math
A newsletter issue outlining the expected numbers for carbon removal Nan Ransohoff, known as the the architect of the Stripe's Climate programe.
Carbon removal demand continues to be a much-discussed topic within the field. This is understandable. The numbers for carbon removal get very big, very fast. And, despite significant progress over the last few years, the question of "are all of these voluntary market efforts going to be a bridge to nowhere?" still looms large. I wanted to share some quick math suggesting that it is not completely crazy that the world would be able to raise enough money to remove all of the tons of carbon dioxide neededāin totalāto stabilize temperatures around 1.5C in the next ~100 years.
The Register: Norway datacenter dumps diesel diet, goes veggie with biofuel backup
Datacenter operator Stack Infrastructure has joined the ranks of companies switching to biofuel for its backup power source in a bid to offset some of the greenhouse gas emissions from its operations.
The biofuel in question is hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), or "advanced biofuel HVO100," according to the firm, which means that it is 100 percent vegetable oil rather than being partly blended with diesel.
BBC: Burning rubbish now UK's dirtiest form of power
Burning household rubbish in giant incinerators to make electricity is now the dirtiest way the UK generates power, BBC analysis has found. Nearly half of the rubbish produced in UK homes, including increasing amounts of plastic, is now being incinerated. The BBC examined five years of data from across the country, and found that burning waste produces the same amount of greenhouse gases for each unit of energy as coal power, which was abandoned by the UK last month.
Heatmap News: The IEA Isn't Sweating Data Center Electricity Demand
Early this morning, the International Energy Agency released its annual World Energy Outlook. And while the Paris-based agency says the world should certainly be concerned about rising electricity demand overall, it also conveys (not quite in so many words) that perhaps we should all just calm down when it comes to data center load growth driven by the rise of generative artificial intelligence.
So while this might not level up to a crisis on a global scale, it's still very much a problem worth mitigating ā all the more so because data centers are heavily geographically concentrated, meaning local grid impacts will be felt acutely.
Washington Post: A utility promised to stop burning coal. Then Google and Meta came to town.
OMAHA ā Residents in the low-income, largely minority neighborhood of North Omaha celebrated when they learned a 1950s-era power plant nearby would finally stop burning coal. The community has some of the region's worst air pollution and high rates of asthma.
But when the 2023 deadline to rid that plant of coal arrived, the power company that owns it balked. Eliminating toxic emissions conflicted with a competing priority: serving massive, power-hungry Meta and Google data centers the utility helped recruit to the region before it secured enough new energy to meet the extra demand.
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.
Icebreaker One - Senior Project Manager - Up to Ā£550/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.
4WARD's Global Climate Community - Climate "Local" Community Coordination Superstar - Unpaid Fellowship - Intern Fellowship - Totally remote
4WARD's has a part-time, unpaid fellowship to become a Climate Community Coordination Superstar to help plan, promote & support our 100s of local city meetup leaders.
Growth For Impact (hiring for client) - Senior Consultant - Climate Change & Sustainability - A$60T - A$95T/yr - Permanent - Onsite only
The client is one of the largest network of assurance, tax and consulting firms. Primary requirement-
- Carrying out sustainability baseline and materiality assessments and developing sustainability Roadmaps and Strategies.
- Working with the client to collect their data and develop a carbon account/inventory or Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 GHG emissions, as well climate risk assessments.
- Support clients in preparing for mandatory sustainability-related disclosure compliance in Australia and abroad.
- Developing Modern Slavery Statements. Qualifications- 3+ year's sustainability experience preferably within Professional Services or a relevant industry position
Growth For Impact (hiring for client) - Senior Consultant - Climate Change & Sustainability - A$60T - A$95T/yr - Permanent - Onsite only
The client is one of the largest network of assurance, tax and consulting firms. Primary requirement-
- Carrying out sustainability baseline and materiality assessments and developing sustainability Roadmaps and Strategies.
- Working with the client to collect their data and develop a carbon account/inventory or Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 GHG emissions, as well climate risk assessments.
- Support clients in preparing for mandatory sustainability-related disclosure compliance in Australia and abroad.
- Developing Modern Slavery Statements. Qualifications- 3+ year's sustainability experience preferably within Professional Services or a relevant industry position
Working understanding of at least some of the below key domestic and international frameworks, regulations and methodologies including: ASRS, NGER, GRI, SBTI, SASB, TNFD CSRD, GHG Protocol, CSDDD, EU Taxonomy, SFDR, CBAM, Climate Active, Accounting for Nature, Modern Slavery Act, Gender Equality Act
Vizzuality - Back End Engineer - NodeJS - 30.000 to 49.000 Euros per year - Permanent - Totally remote
Are you a passionate Back End Engineer looking to create meaningful change? Join us on our mission toward a fairer future
At Vizzuality, we develop innovative data-driven tools for global organizations addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequality.
What we're seeking:
-Proficiency in NodeJS/TypeScript (mid-level or senior) -Experience with SQL databases & cloud infrastructure -A problem-solver who excels in communication -A growth mindset with a thirst for learning
What's in it for you?
-Competitive salary (ā¬30,000 - ā¬49,000) + bonus plan -Remote work options (Spain, Portugal, UK) + Madrid office access -Training allowance and peer mentoring support -Generous vacation days and mental health resources -Flexible full-time or part-time contracts are available
For more information about our culture and the full benefits list, please visit our playbook. https://playbook.vizzuality.com/
Green Angel Ventures - Support and Development Engineer - Ā£24,000 - Ā£28,000 - Permanent - Totally remote
Green Angel Ventures is the reference early stage investor for UK climate innovation. We specialise in the fight against climate change.
The Support and Development Engineer is responsible for maintaining and improving IT systems and processes, for helping build them to support future growth, and for supporting our staff members. The role is quite broad, and will change over time.
Support our work
You can support us financially onĀ Open Collective.