š CAT Newsletter 296 - 2025-11-30
Hey CATs,
Welcome to issueĀ 296Ā of theĀ ClimateAction.techĀ (CAT) Newsletter - your weekly summary of what's happening inside the CAT Slack community (join hereĀ andĀ check out our onboarding checklist), and in the wider world of climate and tech.
JoinĀ #fosdemĀ for more info on FOSDEM 2026, and to co-ordinate with other CAT members!
Remember you can unsubscribe from this newsletter at any time - the link is at the bottom.
Stay curious ššš±
CAT Community News
š RSVP for our 2025 end-of-year celebration on Tue, Dec 16
Community organisers and volunteers will share how CAT evolved in the 2025 climate & tech landscape, we'll share CAT projects and we'll give an update on our community health and we'll highlight some ofĀ your PAWSĀ (Projects, Actions, Wins, and Stuff you learned at CAT). PleaseĀ add a slide (or multiple slides) here.
Register here:Ā https://luma.com/j1llcnbs
The presentation will be recorded andĀ shared on our YouTubeĀ when ready
š Ā Upcoming CAT events
Dec 9-11 - Green IO ParisĀ [in person in Paris, France] - join as a CAT volunteer by filling out the form in #local-franceĀ or get a free ticket by following the instructionsĀ hereĀ (limited numbers available)
Dec 10 -Ā Responsible AI Study GroupĀ :books: - There's so much information to read, and not enough time! Let's share what we've been reading and make sense of things together.
Dec 16 -Ā CAT end-of-year celebrationĀ š -Ā join to reflect on 2025 and celebrate community progress & member projects
Jan 31 - Feb 1, 2026 - FOSDEMĀ [in person in Brussels, Belgium] - join #fosdemĀ for sharing travel plans and event info, or get support if you want to propose a talk
We're planning some local roundtables on the topic of Responsible AI -Ā get involved
š© Community networking
Every 2 weeks, we match 2-3 CATs so you can connect over a quick 30-minute call. JoinĀ #cat-roulette, pick your region and wait for a message fromĀ Donut. The next round of matches will go out onĀ Fri, Dec 12th.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.
Bloomberg Originals: Reclaiming Water for an Increasingly Thirsty World
In this episode, we examine water, the essential resource that sustains life on Earth. Climate change has placed its global supply under increasing strain with many regions facing water scarcity. Around the world, communities are finding innovative ways to reclaim and protect itāfrom harvesting mist in Peru to reviving traditional well-digging in India and a pioneering Finnish plant transforming wastewater into clean water. This episode explores how tradition, technology and human ingenuity can help reclaim our planet's most precious resource.
š¤Ā Podcasts
The latest climate-related podcast episodes.Ā Don't forget, if you're looking around, there's aĀ list of podcasts maintained by CATsĀ - and there's aĀ full playlist of all the podcast episodes shared in this newsletter in 2025 so far, on ListenNotes.
CXO Bytes: Green AI with Empathy with Kerry O'Donnell
Host Sanjay Podder speaks with Kerry O'Donnell, a technology and sustainability leader, about how organizations can embed environmental responsibility into digital transformation and AI adoption. Kerry explains why sustainability must be treated as a value driver, how architecture and procurement can enforce greener decisions, and the importance of measuring IT and AI footprints to manage them effectively. They cover practical tactics such as right-sizing AI models, running workloads where clean energy is available, and demanding transparent carbon data from vendors to ensure innovation supports climate goals rather than undermines them.
Bloomberg Australia: How Australia's Climate Fight Was Rekindled
Australia has suffered a major climate setback, losing its bid to host next year's COP summit in Adelaide. At the same time, the Coalition has reignited Australia's climate wars by abandoning its commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 ā a reversal that resets the political debate just as the world pushes for faster decarbonisation.
In this episode, Rebecca Jones asks Bloomberg's David Stringer to unpack what the failed COP bid means for Australia's international standing, how the Coalition's shift could shape the next election and what renewed climate volatility means for investment, energy transition plans and ultimately your power bill.
Climate Curious: COP30 takeaways
What really happened at COP30? Tune in to the Climate Curious COP30 wrap-up mixtape and hear expert hot takes to soothe your soul, raise your spirits, and understand what the hits and misses were at this year's 2025 COP30.
The Climate Question: How can the world speed up climate action?
How can the world speed up its efforts to fight climate change?
It's been a dramatic fortnight at the COP climate summit in the Amazonian city of Belem, with torrential rains and floods, protests and even a fire. A deal has finally been done but it's divisive and has left many wondering whether we'll really avoid the worst effects of a warming world.
Join Jordan Dunbar and Graihagh Jackson as they take a deep dive into the results of the negotiations and find out what they mean.
š Submitted events
Want an event listed here?Ā Use this event listing form to submit the details so we can add it in the newsletter.
š Ā CAT Workshop: Designing Responsibly in the Age of AI
Wednesday, October 29th | 16:00 - 17:30 GMT
ZoomĀ š©Ā RSVPĀ https://luma.com/2cf0sfmc
Through stories, small-group reflection and hands-on exercises we'll examine and discuss how AI is showing up in our work, and what we can do to shape it with a bit more care, curiosity and conscience. You don't need to be an AI expert (in fact, that's the point). This session is open to the public, invite your colleagues! Led by CAT member Paolo Rizzi, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Principal at ustwo.
Monday Dec 01, 2025 - SOSV's Robotics VC-Founder Matchup
Join us Dec 1-5 for a free virtual robotics investment event. 500 startups meet 500 investors for 1:1 meetings. Hosted by SOSV, connect emerging robotics innovators with capital to scale. Register:Ā https://sosv.com/announcing-sosvs-vc-founder-robotics-matchup-dec-1-5/
Tuesday Dec 09, 2025 - Green IO Paris 2025
Green IO is where Tech leaders join forces to overcome unprecedented sustainability challenges in IT. The theme of the 2025 edition is "Building Europe of Green IT". The "crĆØme de la crĆØme" of European thought leaders in Tech Sustainability will be there to share & network!
Tuesday Dec 09, 2025 - Edges. The hidden glue of your organisation
Edges are āthe outside limit of an object, area, or surfaceā. Organisations themselves do not have real boundaries but artificial ones, a cognitive creation. We'll cover the key principles from Biomimicry research which led to Natureās Blueprint for Business Power of Edges book.
Thursday Dec 11, 2025 - Startup Tank: Climate Edition
Join us for the next edition of 4WARD's Startup Tank Climate Investor Pitch ā the premier platform where vetted climate tech founders pitch live to a global panel of leading climate VCs and investors.
š° News Highlights
Al-Jazeera: Dozens killed in DR Congo after bridge collapses at copper, cobalt mine
At least 32 people have been killed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to officials, after a bridge at a copper and cobalt mine collapsed due to overcrowding. The deaths came after miners rushed a makeshift bridge at the Kalando mine in southeastern Lualaba province, an official says.
Digital Construction today: How machine learning is helping architects design more sustainable cities
How economically feasible is sustainable construction? Renovating existing buildings or building sustainably from scratch can oftentimes be an expensive and tricky process, but technology can help alleviate the costs and empower architects to design smarter cities. Emerging technologies like visualisation and rendering software powered by AI and machine learning enable architects to assess sustainability early in the design process, writes Dan Ring of Chaos
The Guardian:Ā 'Nature's original engineers': scientists explore the amazing potential of fungi
Unique properties of fungi have led to groundbreaking innovations in recent years, from nappies to electronics. Several forces are converging to put fungi in the spotlight, and initiatives like the Future is Fungi Awards say fungi may be the key to tackling some of the planet's most urgent environmental challenges.
GreenPT: Introducing a new AI metric to drive sustainability
GreenPTĀ introduces a thought piece about a transparencyāfocused metric for AI sustainability: mWh per 100 tokens. GreenPT users get real-time estimated feedback on energy use, promoting more efficient, lower-impact AI use.
CarbonCredits.com:Ā Microsoft (MSFT) Signs Solar Deal with Zelestra to Power Data Centers in Spain, Supporting Community Projects
Microsoft (MSFT) has signed a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Zelestra for 95.7āÆMWAC of solar power. The energy will come from two new solar farms in AragĆ³n, Spain ā EscatrĆ³n II and Fuendetodos II, both under construction. This clean energy will help power Microsoft's data centers and operations in the region. It also supports Microsoft's wider climate goals.
Industry Today:Ā North America Investor ESG Software Market Expands Amid Rising Sustainability Demands
The North America Investor ESG Software Market is surging due to regulatory pressures like SEC climate disclosures and investor demand for sustainable analytics. This positions the region as the epicenter for ESG-driven investing resilience.
šĀ PapersĀ WeĀ LoveĀ š
Nature.com: Digital innovation and green productivity gap
Despite rapid progress in green innovation, the limited conversion of technological achievements into productivity gains has resulted in a persistent green productivity gap. this study investigates how digital innovation contributes to narrowing this gap by promoting the effective transformation of green innovation into sustainable economic performance.
Policy implications emphasize region-specific strategies for digital-green integration and sustainable productivity transformation.
š¼ Jobs
RememberĀ only jobs listing salary ranges are listed hereĀ - 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 ourĀ #climate-careers channel.
Right to Repair Europe - Campaign Manager - ā¬4,000āā¬4,250/month - Contract - Onsite only
The Campaign Manager of Right to Repair Europe serves as the strategist, spokesperson, and operational manager for the coalition advocating for the right to repair at the European level. The primary goal is to ensure that EU policy and legislation are adopted and robustly implemented to make repair affordable, accessible, and mainstream for consumers and repair businesses.
https://behold.cam - Mobile app developer (hybrid) - ā¬46,000āā¬55,000 - Permanent or contract - Totally remote
Weāre looking for a skilled, creative mobile app developer who can take ownership of the hybrid app development at Behold, making our app work seamlessly (and sustainably) with our physical Behold Cam-1 and remote services. If you want to work on encouraging meaningful behavioural change, increasing engagement and repairing relationships with the animals you share your local environment with then this might be the time to do it.
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