Hey CATs,

Happy New Year!

Welcome to issue 299 of the ClimateAction.tech (CAT) Newsletter - your weekly summary of what's happening inside the CAT Slack community (join here and check out our onboarding checklist), and in the wider world of climate and tech.

Join #fosdem 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 😌💚🐱

CAT Community News

📋 Community to-do's to get you started

• Please take 5-7mins today to fill out our member survey if you haven't done so yet.

• Last year CATs started sharing their aspirations for 2026. If you haven't done so yet, please share your climate goal(s) in this thread.

❤️ Help a CAT

O is looking for questions and feedback for their company's FY2025 GHG emissions report - have a read & share your thoughts

In #open-source S has been looking for open-source alternatives for GitHub - have a recommendation? Add it to the thread

C is wondering "Has anyone here tried using something like claude code or mistral's own vibe coding product and used the context window countdown to estimated their likely energy use from them on a per session basis?" Share your experience

🧠 Learn something new

Want to start the year with some learning? Here are some recommendations from your fellow CATs:

• Sustainability Metrics: Infrastructure Utilization Efficiency (IUE) considerations - shared in #2-greener-tech

• Human Nature by Kate Marvel - shared in #cat-book-club

• NY Times: Why Do A.I. Chatbots Use 'I'? - shared in #culture-society

• A day in the carbon life of an LLM prompt - shared in #greener-ai

📅 Meet CATs in person

Jan 13 - Permacomputing meetup in #local-austria [in-person]

Jan 15 - Europe at a crossroads: Responsible AI, sustainability & digital sovereignty in #local-switzerland [in-person]

Jan 31 - Feb 1, 2026 - FOSDEM [in person] - join #fosdem for sharing travel plans and event info, or get support if you want to propose a talk

🍩 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, Jan 9th. More info.

Media, events, and news

😺 CAT recommendations

▶️ CAT videos

10-15 minute videos providing accessible explainers to climate related issues.

The Economist: Geothermal energy's massive leap forward

Could geothermal soon overtake nuclear power? Vijay Vaitheeswaran, The Economist's Global energy & climate innovation editor and winner of the Energy Writer of the Year Award 2025, speaks to Alok Jha, host of the Babbage podcast, about long-neglected geothermal energy and the new suite of technologies that could finally see it rolled out across the world.

🎤 Podcasts

The latest climate-related podcast episodes. Don't forget, if you're looking around, there's a list of podcasts maintained by CATs - and there's a full playlist of all the podcast episodes shared in this newsletter this year so far, on ListenNotes - catch up with last year's here!

Green IO: #71 Software and Hardware Challenges Manufacturing Sustainable Smartphones with Agnes Crepet

How hard is it to make a mobile phone that's low on environmental impact and big on ethics?

Perhaps a radical idea to some, but that's one of the main aims of Faiphone, a mobile phone maker that's all about creating systemic change from within the industry. And as Fairphone Tech Lead Agnes Crepet explains, this goal isn't just a lofty ambition, but something that is actually being achieved thanks to the participation of chipset makers, suppliers, factories, software vendors and everyone in between.

Environment Variables: The Green Shift - Transitioning .NET Services Across Architectures

Anne Currie is joined by Sara Bergman to explore what the shift to greener computing really looks like in practice, using .NET and modern CPU architectures as a concrete example. They unpack why moving from traditional x64 systems to more efficient ARM-based platforms can cut costs and carbon, how runtime environments like .NET make architectural transitions easier, and why staying up to date with platforms is essential for performance, security, and sustainability. Along the way, the conversation connects DevOps, modernization, and energy efficiency into a clear message: the green shift starts with building systems that are designed to change.

The Climate Question: Are there any quick fixes to the climate crisis?

People often ask whether there are any quick fixes to the climate crisis — easy wins that could cut emissions without waiting decades. This week, The Climate Question does something a little different. Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar stage an imaginary cabinet meeting, with three "ministers" competing to deliver the biggest climate impact in just five years. Together, they explore whether these quick fixes are enough — and why, if they're so effective, they aren't already happening.

Techologie: #100 Des outils libres pour l'éducation avec Emmanuel Zimmert

Dans cet épisode, Marion Rébier reçoit Emmanuel Zimmert, le créateur et développeur de La Digitale, un ensemble d'outils libres au service des enseignant·es et des formateur·rices.

Sommaire y compris:

• Présentiel vs distanciel

• Quelles responsabilités numériques ?

• Quid du RGPD ?

• Décroissance numérique

In this episode, Marion Rébier welcomes Emmanuel Zimmert, the creator and developer of La Digitale, a set of free tools for teachers and trainers.

Contents including:

• In-person vs. remote learning

• What are the digital responsibilities?

• What about the GDPR?

• Digital degrowth

Eco Chamber: AI and the environment - Is the genie out of the bottle?

The global market in artificial intelligence is projected to hit $4.8 trillion by 2033, according to the UN's latest analysis, and it seems all that anyone can talk about. But with its drain on water resources, and high energy demands, the technology could pose serious environmental risks. As AI's deployment in the environmental space gathers pace, how are the UK's green professionals squaring this circle? On this week's ECO Chamber, host James Agyepong-Parsons speaks with ENDS Report editor Jamie Carpenter about how the sector is changing, and what's at stake.

Euronews Tech Talks: Can we reduce AI's environmental cost?

Artificial intelligence might seem invisible, yet it has a significant environmental impact — one that is difficult to quantify due to companies' lack of transparency with their data.

So, to what extent should we be worried?  Is there a way to reduce the environmental cost of AI?

To answer this question and unpack the relationship between AI and the environment, Euronews Tech Talks sits down with Jonathan Niesel, leader of the information technology department at Greenpeace Germany and Maja Kirkeby, researcher in the energy consumption of software at Roskilde University in Denmark.

📅 Submitted events

Want an event listed here? Use this event listing form to submit the details so we can add it in the newsletter.

Wednesday Jan 14, 2026 - DIGITCORE Toolkit Demo

Open Environmental Data Project will host a demo of their new Digital Toolkit for Collaborative Environmental Research on Wednesday, January 14, 2026. It aims to help users make better decisions about tools, governance, and research designin collaborative environmental research.

Wednesday Jan 14, 2026 - Make It Count: Sustainability Communication Workshop

The ultimate 90-minute workshop to get to grips with how you can make every sustainability conversation count.

✅ Start better conversations about sustainability ✅ Avoid the awkwardness or overwhelm ✅ Share your passion in a way that invites curiosity – not shutdown

Tuesday Feb 03, 2026 - AimHi Earth's Sustainability Essentials for Professionals

The ultimate 90-minute crash course for professionals to get to grips with the key climate, nature and sustainability concepts, how they link together and how to talk about them with impact!

Thursday Feb 05, 2026 - GovClimate Show and Tell

The monthly GovClimate Show and Tell

First Thursday of each month at 4pm

People from across the public sector sharing work, challenges and ideas about the climate crisis.

👉 Sign up for reminders and info at https://bit.ly/govclimatereminders

Tuesday Mar 03, 2026 - Make It Count: Sustainability Communication Workshop

The ultimate 90-minute workshop to get to grips with how you can make every sustainability conversation count.

✅ Start better conversations about sustainability ✅ Avoid the awkwardness or overwhelm ✅ Share your passion in a way that invites curiosity – not shutdown

📰 News Highlights

Interesting Engineering: Low-energy compound captures CO2 from ambient air without extreme heat input

Pulling carbon dioxide straight from thin air usually comes with a heavy energy price. A new compound developed in Finland could change that equation.

Researchers at the University of Helsinki's chemistry department have created a novel material that captures carbon dioxide directly from ambient air, without reacting with other atmospheric gases and without extreme heat.

Tom's Hardware: Nearly 7,000 of the world's 8,808 data centers are built in the wrong climate

Nearly 7,000 of the world's 8,808 operational data centers are located in climates that fall outside the temperature range recommended for efficient operation, according to a new analysis that maps global data center locations against long-term climate data. While only a minority are in regions that are persistently too hot, the findings underline how economic, political, and network realities often outweigh environmental suitability when companies decide where to build.

ESG Today: China Releases Corporate Climate Reporting Standard

China's Ministry of Finance, alongside several other of the country's ministries, central bank, and regulators, announced the release of its new "Corporate Sustainable Disclosure Standard No. 1 – Climate (Trial)," a new standard, aligned with the IFRS Foundation's climate reporting standard, aimed at enabling companies to report on climate-related risks, opportunities and impacts, and to support China's green development goals.

The Zimbabwe Mail: Zimbabwe's Critical Minerals Moment - Why a Circular Economy Is No Longer Optional

Zimbabwe today stands at the centre of a global scramble for critical minerals. Lithium, nickel, copper, cobalt and rare earth elements, once peripheral commodities, have become the backbone of the clean energy transition, electric mobility and the digital economy.

HPCWire: University of Southern Denmark Launches Energy-Efficient AI and HPC Data Center

The University of Southern Denmark (SDU) is establishing a new supercomputer in Sønderborg that combines more sustainable energy management and advanced artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. The data center, to be developed with Danfoss and HPE, will serve as the framework for a joint research and development project that demonstrates the potential of energy-efficient data centers internationally.

The Guardian: Trump taking 'drill, baby, drill' plan to Venezuela 'terrible' for climate, experts warn

Donald Trump, by dramatically seizing Nicolás Maduro and claiming dominion over Venezuela's vast oil reserves, has taken his "drill, baby, drill" mantra global. Achieving the president's dream of supercharging the country's oil production would be financially challenging – and if fulfilled, would be "terrible for the climate", experts say.

EuroNews: How rewilding efforts are helping Ukrainian soldiers and families heal

Amid Russia's invasion, rewilding efforts have emerged as a 'much-needed symbol of resilience' for Ukraine.

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues to devastate the country, and the conflict, which is nearing its fourth year, has also wreaked havoc on the country's natural landscapes - risking irreversible damage and severe habitat destruction. However, Ukraine has turned to conservation efforts to provide a "much-needed symbol of resilience" and help nature recover after the war is over.

💚 Papers We Love 💚

World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology International Journal of Environmental and Ecological Engineering: Understanding the Carbon Footprint of Storage Media - A Critical Review of Embodied Emissions in Hard Disk Drives

The rapid adoption of data-intensive technologies has led to exponential growth in storage demands, significantly impacting global energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This paper presents a critical analysis of the environmental footprint of data storage devices, specifically the embodied impact of hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid-state drives (SSDs).

💼 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.

Furbnow - Software Engineer - £70-80k - Permanent - Flexible - remote ok

We help homeowners make their homes sustainable with energy efficiency upgrades, managing complex projects involving low carbon tech and fabric improvements.

Support our work

You can support us financially on Open Collective.