🌍 CAT Newsletter 244 - 2024-11-03
👉 Latest newsletter
CAT 244 - 2024-11-03
Hey CATs,
Welcome to issue 244 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
💰 Apply for a mini grant
Got a project in mind for 2025? Applications are open for our next round of mini grants! Apply through this form and your project will be evaluated in December. More info
The mini-grant program is funded by CAT donations. If you want to see more of these, donating via OpenCollective is the fastest easiest way to support this work.
🐾 Show your CAT PAWS
What did you get up to in 2024? Share Projects, Actions, Wins, or Stuff you learned at CAT (PAWS!) by adding a slide to our CAT member PAWS presentation. Some of these slides will be part of our 2024 - year in review presentation which is shared and celebrated publicly.
🧠 Knowledge base deepdive
Learn about climate justice: The impacts of climate change aren't equally distributed. Log into the CAT knowledge base with your CAT Slack account to learn more about various types of climate injustices, anti-racism, and other resources that can help you become a more intersectional CAT.
📅 CAT events
If you want to explore the intersection of climate action in tech and generative AI, you can attend the following community discussions as part of the CAT Generative AI Exploratorium:
Wed, Nov 6 - Part 1 - 💬 Questioning [online]
Wed, Nov 13 - Part 2 - 📚 Learning [online]
Wed, Nov 20 - Part 3 - 🐱 Practicing [online]
Wed, Nov 27 - Part 4 - 🌊 Reflecting [online]
The Exploratorium events are part of a funded CAT mini grant project run by @Alja Isaković. Learn more in #gen-ai-exploratorium or on the CAT blog.
🍩 Community networking
Due to inactivity from a lot of folks in the channel, #cat-roulette is doing a clean up! Facilitated by channel host @Brett Duboff, all members will be removed on Fri, Nov 1st. Rejoin the channel after Nov 1st to participate in Donut matches every other week again. The next round of matches will go out on Fri, Nov 15th. More info
Media, events, and news
😺 CAT recommendations
▶️ CAT videos
10-15 minute videos providing accessible explainers to climate related issues.
Planet A: Has the EU already lost the lithium battery war?
Right now, Europe is almost entirely dependent on China for its lithium battery needs. Can the bloc develop its own supply chain in time for its ambitious climate goals? Editor's note: this is a one of the most accessible primers out there on the entire supply chain for batteries, and the global environment and labour issues related to creating batteries.
🎤 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: Best of: 2C or not 2C? That is the question. Climate summits as Shakespeare would see them.
In fractured times, what does it take to reach agreement? That's the question writers Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson set out to explore in a play about the drama of climate negotiations. Kyoto, which ran at the Royal Shakespeare Company's Swan Theater in Stratford-upon-Avon this summer, tells the story of the 1997 Kyoto Summit as seen through the eyes of Don Pearlman, a notorious fossil fuel lobbyist and chain-smoking lawyer dubbed "the high priest of the Carbon Club" by der Speigel. Actor Stephen Kunken, who plays Pearlman, tells Akshat Rathi why he was drawn to the character, and what Kyoto can teach us about how agreement is achieved.
Outrage And Optimism 269. COP16: Making Peace with Nature?
This week, Christiana has a fascinating window into the Biodiversity COP negotiations underway in Colombia. From Cali, she's joined by Freya Newman and Irene Suarez Perez from the Global Optimism team who give us the lowdown into what's going on inside and outside the negotiating rooms. They tell what's unique about Colombia hosting, how it's given a platform to indigenous and local community voices; and why business is talking about love as well as finance.
Green IO #47b - The Microsoft Azure dilemma with Holly and William Alpine - When enabled emissions "offset" sustainability claims
They both went to this job interview to hone their skills, and got a dream job at Microsoft! nYet several years later, Holly and Will Alpine decided to both resign. Why? On sustainability ground, and more specifically for the lack of support on the "enabled emissions" issues.
Holly and Will are now the Bonnie & Clyde of Azure and they provide us with an insider perspective, in a nuanced and well-documented way, on this "elephant in the room" in all big tech companies: are their sustainability claims offset by the so-called enabled emissions?
In the final part of this 2-part episode, great insights were shared on :
🤯 What is enabled carbon and why it offsets by far all Microsoft achievements
😈 Devil is in the details from tailored solutions to "carbon-neutral" oil company not following standard definitions of "net-zero"
✨ Can responsible AI principles really not mention anything about the environment?
⚖️ Why regulation will ultimately be needed
♀️✊ And … the Pussy Riot!
📅 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 Nov 04 2024 - Building a Nature-Positive Future: Fireside Chat with Siddharth Shrikanth
✨ Join us for a fireside chat with Siddharth Shrikanth, author of "The Case for Nature", at Europe Climate Career Week! This inspiring discussion will explore how to build a nature-positive future, driven by the emerging nature tech ecosystem.
Tue Nov 05 2024 - Climate Jobs for Regeneration: Blending Tech & Nature
Join us for an engaging panel discussion exploring the emerging nature tech ecosystem, where cutting-edge tech meets nature-based solutions tackling the climate and biodiversity crises.
Tues-Thu Nov 05-07 2024 - Sustainable and equitable internet infrastructure dialog series
On November 5, 6 & 7, the Green Web Foundation is collaborating with Lori Regattieri and Fieke Jansen to host three online conversations. Join in as we discuss communal and regenerative computing practices, and pathways that center people and planet over profit and capital.
Wed Nov 06 2024 - Climate Jobs for Regeneration: Nature Tech Success Stories
Hear inspiring stories from professionals who have successfully transitioned into nature tech, and gain practical advice on how to leverage your skills for a nature-positive future.
Wed Nov 13 2024 - Mastering PR and Public Speaking for Your Climate Startup
Two fantastic speakers, on how to get eyes on your work and grow your impact. Founder of Climate Connection, Juliette Devillard brings together individuals passionate about climate. Abi Smith from Harpswood PR, works with businesses making the world cleaner, fairer and better.
Wed Nov 20 2024 - DIGITAL IMPACT PITCH : Discover the impact of digital & AI on our lives and planet + how to act !
The Digital Impact Pitch is a 60 to 90 minute interactive conference which aims to help you discover what is hidden behind our daily use of multiple digital objects and technology in general.
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!
📰 News Highlights
Grist: The climate stakes of the Harris-Trump election
With early voting already underway and two weeks before Election Day, when voters will decide between Vice President Kamala Harris, who has called climate change an "existential threat," and former President Donald Trump, who has called climate change a "hoax," Grist's editorial staff presents a climate-focused voter's guide — a package of analyses and predictions about what the next four years may bring from the White House, depending on who wins.
The Register: Microsoft tries out wooden bit barns to cut construction emissions
Microsoft is experimenting with datacenters made out of wood in a bid to cut the growing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that result from constructing its expanding network of bit barns.
It claims that the hybrid timber, steel, and concrete construction model being adopted for the two new facilities will reduce their embodied carbon footprint by 35 percent compared to conventional steel construction, and 65 percent when compared to precast concrete.
Datacentre Dynamics: Microsoft accused of "greenwashing" due to fossil fuel partnerships
Microsoft has been accused of greenwashing due to its close links with fossil fuel companies.
In a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission from the non-profit As You Sow, Microsoft is accused of hypocrisy for styling itself as a "first mover" on climate change while targeting fossil fuels as the most significant growth opportunity for artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and cloud computing services.
Rest of World: No Tesla dealership? No problem. Uruguayans import the EVs from China
Uruguay, with its compact size, robust public charging network, and tax cuts for EVs, is becoming an unsanctioned Tesla hot spot.
The Tesla Model 3 parked at AutoImport, a car dealership in the seaside port of Punta del Este, Uruguay, appeared flawless, except for one detail: The driver's touch screen was set to China Standard Time. "It's the local time and weather from the place it comes from," Ramiro Duer, owner of AutoImport, told Rest of World. "China is 11 hours ahead."
BBC: Spain mourns as death toll passes 150 in catastrophic floods
At least 158 people have died in Spain's worst flooding disaster in generations as rescuers battle odds to find survivors. On Thursday more than 1,200 workers, aided by drones, were deployed to the rescue mission as rains continued to threaten parts of the country.
"No doubt about it, these explosive downpours were intensified by climate change," said Dr Friederike Otto, from Imperial College London, who leads an international group of scientists who try to understand the role that warming plays in these type of events.
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 £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.
Vizzuality - Front End Engineer - €30,000 - €49,000 Euros year - Permanent - Totally remote
We're on the lookout for a talented Front-End Engineer! Join us on our mission and help us create data-driven tools for organizations tackling climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequality.
What we're seeking - Proficiency in ReactJS/TypeScript (mid-level or senior) Experience with modern front-end frameworks (Next.js, Redux) Passion for solving complex challenges and delivering user-focused solutions
Green Angel Ventures - Support and Development Engineer - £24,000 - £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.
Elemental Impact - Entrepreneur in Residence: Community Impact (Contractor) - $150/hr - Contract - Flexible - remote ok
We are looking for someone who is deeply knowledgeable about the experience of building a responsible community engagement practice in or for a climate tech company or similar context within corporate, and who can be a diligent partner for our entrepreneurs!
Icebreaker One - Senior Account Manager - Up to £600/day, up to 3 days/wk until April 2025 with option to extend - Contract - Totally remote
IB1 is a non-profit with a mission to make data work harder to deliver net-zero outcomes. We convene stakeholders across sectors to develop systems of data governance called Trust Frameworks. These increase trust in decision-critical data in order for money and resources to be deployed more confidently to accelerate decarbonisation and boost biodiversity.
The Senior Account Manager is responsible for identifying, targeting and landing sales then implementing excellent customer service to clients and members to ensure exceptional delivery that builds long term relationships and secures repeated renewals
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