🌍 CAT Newsletter 268 - 2025-05-18
Hey CATs,
Welcome to issue 268 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
💚 New CAT Organizer!
This week we're happy to announce that @Eugenus Optimus (he/him) is joining the organizing team as the new Tech Organizer! 🎉 In this role Eugene will be responsible for coordinating and maintaining our tech infrastructure (Slack, our website, Outline, Google services, this newsletter, etc.), ensuring CAT runs smoothly and securely. He will...
- Set up a roadmap for tool improvements & sustainability best practices
- Streamline automations to reduce manual tasks
- Collaborate with volunteers to bolster our backend & privacy/security measures
Please reach out to @Eugenus Optimus directly with any questions or ideas or drop them into #6-cat-community-feedback!
🙋 Get involved as a CAT Slack volunteer
We're always looking for more folks to join our volunteer team and for Slack we're especially looking for:
👋 #introductions volunteers to respond to new messages
🚨 Moderators to handle spam or Code of Conduct issues across the Slack channels
#️⃣ Channel hosts to keep our channels welcoming, active, and safe: we're especially looking for help with #2-greener-software, #greener-webdev, #greener-data-ai, #3-questions-and-ideas, and #share-your-work
You can find more open volunteer roles here.
📗 CAT bookclub
Vote here for the next #cat-bookclub book! Voting closes on Monday, May 19th!
:date: CAT events
:repeat: Thu, May 22rd – Systems Series [online]
Join us to build a shared vision for sustainable tech in the first part of the co-creation systems series, "Systems Change for Sustainable Tech".
In this part we will be imagining the kind of future we want, reflect on the values that will make this future possible, use the insights from indigenous wisdom, imagine ourselves in this future, and make a commitment to create this future.
🛠️ Fri, May 23rd – Zürich Hackathon [in-person]
🍩 Community networking
Every 2 weeks, we match 2-3 CATs so you can connect over a quick 30-minute call. Join #cat-roulette, pick your region and wait for a message from Donut. The next round of matches will go out on Fri, May 30th. More info.
Media, events, and news
😺 CAT recommendations
▶️ CAT videos
10-15 minute videos providing accessible explainers to climate related issues.
PBS Terra: Earth's Worst Mass Extinction Is Actually a Warning
There is a surprising natural wonder in the middle of the vast West Texas desert: a prehistoric ocean reef built from the remains of ancient sea life. This fossil-rich landscape tells the story of Earth's most devastating mass extinction—and can help enlighten the climate threats we face today.
🎤 Podcasts
The latest climate-related podcast episodes. Don't forget, if you're looking around, there's a list of podcasts maintained by CATs
Catalyst: Terrawatt Infrastructure's billion-dollar strategy
In 2021, Neha Palmer co-founced Terrawatt Infrastructure with a bold mission: create the backbone for America's electric trucking revolution. In this episode, Lara talks with Neha about how Terrawatt aims to transform freight transport despite market skepticism. Neha explains Terawatt's strategic approach to site selection, innovative charging designs for fully-loaded trucks, and the vision for a revolutionary California-to-Texas network.
Outrage & Optimism: The Spanish Grid Goes Down: Are renewables really to blame?
On April 28th, millions of people across Spain, Portugal and beyond were plunged into darkness in one of Europe's most severe blackouts in decades. Was it a cyberattack? A renewables failure? Or might things be a little more complex?
The Climate Question: Will the new Pope be a climate campaigner?
Will Pope Leo continue the Catholic Church's work on fighting global warming? And how influential might he be? Graihagh Jackson investigates.
Environment Variable: Hardware Standards Working Group
TWiGS host Chris Adams is joined by Zachary Smith and My Truong, prominent figures working on datacenter efficiency, to explore the vital role of hardware standards in building greener, more sustainable software systems. They dive into the challenges of improving hardware efficiency in data centers, the importance of standardization, and how emerging technologies like two-phase liquid cooling systems can reduce emissions, improve energy reuse, and even support power grid stability. They also discuss grid operation and the potential of software-hardware coordination to drastically cut infrastructure impact\n
📅 Submitted events
Want an event listed here? Use this event listing form to submit the details so we can add it in the newsletter.
Saturday Jun 21, 2025 - London Climate Action Week
London Climate Action Week 2025:- 350+ Events, 45,000 attendees Themes; Building climate ambition on the road to COP30, Financing inclusive and resilient climate transition, Delivering a net zero and resilient London and UK, Mobilising Whole of Society Climate Action
Saturday Jun 21, 2025 - London Climate Action Week
London Climate Action Week mobilises London’s unparalleled ecosystem of climate and non-climate organisations to accelerate global climate action and supports action in London to ensure it acts as a global climate leader. 9 days, 300+ Events, 45,000 attendees.
Thursday Jul 03, 2025 - Green IO Munich 2025
Apidays Munich and the Green IO podcast have partnered to bring you the first Green IO conference for the DACH region, packed with the latest insights from thought leaders in Tech Sustainability and hands-on feedback from practitioners scaling Green IT.
Sunday Jul 06, 2025 - Pacific Northwest Climate Week
Pacific Northwest Climate Week is a community-powered event series that unites individuals & organizations. Accelerates the fight against climate change. The week-long gathering brings together climate innovators, thought leaders, & enthusiasts from Seattle, Vancouver, & Portland
Sunday Aug 29, 2027 - Biodiversity Basics for Product Professionals
The products we build rely on and affect nature. This workshop will address: 1. What is biodiversity and why is it relevant for product professionals 2. What can you do & practical examples 3. Your takeaway: first biodiversity analysis along your product's value chain
📰 News Highlights
NPR: How tech companies could shrink AI's climate footprint
AI is rapidly transforming how we live, work, and communicate. But can we undergo that transformation without destroying the environment? As AI models have grown in size, so have the energy required to run and maintain their infrastructure
Energy Live: AI's future hinges on sustainable power supply
As artificial intelligence (AI) transforms industries and economies, a new report highlights its growing dependence on the energy sector. While AI promises unprecedented productivity and innovation, its energy demands could outpace expectations – unless governments, industry and civil society act fast.
Environment EC: Critical considerations in partial decommissioning of offshore wind farms include residual liability and biodiversity trade-offs
Could leaving some structures behind when removing obsolete wind farms generate multiple benefits? This study engages with stakeholders at two Dutch wind farms to identify and analyse key criteria for decommissioning decisions.
FE News: From Shared Challenges to Collective Action: Why Community Matters in Digital Sustainability
The digital world is built on networks and connectivity, and that's exactly how we should be tackling its environmental impacts: together.
Discover Wildlife: Massive marine sanctuary the size of Yosemite created in the South Atlantic Ocean
Patagonia Azul Provincial Park aims to protect one of the most biodiverse areas of the South Atlantic, home to whales, sea lions and over 50 species of seabirds.
Smart Energy International: From code to carbon - rewriting the rules for sustainable digital infrastructure
Professor Aoife M. Foley of the University of Manchester writes on the AI energy consumption conundrum and how a critical piece of the puzzle has been missing from the dominant narrative: energy demand is about far more than silicon and servers.
University of Exeter: Watching nature scenes can reduce pain, new study shows
A new neuroimaging study has revealed that viewing nature can help ease how people experience pain, by reducing the brain activity linked to pain perception. The research offers a promising foundation for new types of non-pharmacological pain treatments
Smithsonian: Can Scientists Harness the Magic of Mushrooms to Clean Up Polluted Landscapes?
Researchers and grassroots activists are working with fungi to restore damaged environments. Fungi can convert complex toxins such as petrochemicals and pesticides into simpler molecules that they and other organisms can repurpose.
💚 Papers We Love 💚
Nature.com: High-income groups disproportionately contribute to climate extremes worldwide
Climate injustice persists as those least responsible often bear the greatest impacts, both between and within countries. Quantifying the link between wealth disparities and climate impacts can assist in the discourse on climate equity and justice. This study shows how GHG emissions from consumption and investments attributable to the wealthiest population groups have disproportionately influenced present-day climate change.
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.
Optivide - Part-time Chief Technology Officer - 36000-66000 - Volunteer - Flexible - remote ok
We are a B2B2C/B2C social enterprise that supports people in solving climate problems with financial confidence.
In our mobile app, our users can:
Set their 5-10-year sustainability and financial goals Review their sustainability impacts and financials Customize sustainability practices while planning finance
Based on their interaction in climate, our AI advisor will be able to better customize their climate reduction plan and disclose our users’ financial goals success rate after reflecting on the potential climate financial loss.
The solution will help them better realize the negative impacts of climate change on their personal goals(retirements, real estate, college tuition) and learn how they could increase their goal success rate by taking sustainability action in their daily lives.
Vizzuality - Back End Engineer - €24,000 to €35,000 Eur per year - Permanent - Totally remote
We are looking for a Back-end Engineer with experience and proficiency in NodeJS/TypeScript - Remote based in Spain, Portugal, or UK.
At Vizzuality, our purpose is to reach a fair and sustainable planet by creating tools that radically empower people to make positive changes now. We’re always looking for passionate people who strive to use their creativity and skills to make a difference in people’s lives and help make the world a better place. Finally, we know how life goes and are open to exploring full-time and part-time contract options (with a minimum of 80% time dedication).
WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU? - Collaborate with a diverse and passionate team of professionals. - Develop tools that are informing how to tackle climate change worldwide. - Enjoy remote work, flexible schedules, and generous paid time off. - Experience a work culture that values autonomy, community and growth. - Depending on experience, a salary ranging from €24,000 to €35,000.
Equilibrium Energy - Multiple - Salary is based on OpenComp, varying depending on role, level, and location - Permanent - Flexible - remote ok
Equilibrium Energy is building an end-to-end platform to help operators like power companies manage the growing grid instability and radically accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. We're a well-funded series B startup full of engineers and scientists with decades of experience in the energy industry, looking to add even more talented people to our team!
Global Canopy - Full Stack Developer - £60K - Contract - Flexible - remote ok
Global Canopy is a non-profit using data to target the market forces destroying nature, focusing on reducing deforestation and hence fighting climate change. We enable major companies, investors and governments to take positive action, and we help campaigning organisations and investigative journalists shine a light on those not doing enough. And we help policymakers to design laws that make it mandatory for the private sector to change. We're looking for a skilled full stack developer (React/Next.js, Python, AWS) to lead on the creation of the a new interactive product called the EU Nature Dependency Dashboard. This will provide essential data on each of the 27 EU countries, connecting macroeconomic data to nature materiality data, supply chain and possibly state-of-nature data near upstream locations. The data will be used by governments, central banks and NGOs in assessing financial risk and economic impacts, and will feed into financial institutions' internal risk assessments.
Verna - Product Manager - Circa £50-80k (doe) + share options - Permanent - Flexible - remote ok
Verna builds software to help people manage land in the best way for the environment – enhancing biodiversity and drawing down carbon, whilst making sustainable returns. We are looking for a Product Manager to develop and lead our product management approach. This role involves introducing best-in-class processes, systems and practices for product management, enabling us to deliver products and features that support and delight users in a consistent and timely fashion.
Green Coding Solutions GmbH - Green Software Developer - 70k-100k - Permanent or Freelance - Totally remote
We at Green Coding Solutions (Berlin, Germany) are hiring and looking for a Green Software Developer to join our team :rakete:
Key facts: - Small team dedicated to deliver specialized open source software solutions to help developers reduce carbon emissions of the digital world - Freelance, Part time or full time possible - No restriction days or hours per day - 70k-100k (EUR) for full-time equivalent depending on qualification - Fully remote but occasional need to be in Berlin for Meetups, conferences, client business (no more than 3 times per month) - Must be proficient in German (C1+)
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