🌍 CAT Newsletter 309 - 2026-03-29
Hey CATs,
Welcome to issue 309 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.
Remember you can unsubscribe from this newsletter at any time - the link is at the bottom.
Stay curious 😌💚🐱
CAT Community News
💪 New CAT Assembly Co-chairs
New Co-Chairs Matt Munz and Janne Kalliola have volunteered to join Ariel Chamberlain as new Assembly co-chairs. They'll lead our decision-making body for the CAT community. A huge thank you to Fiona Leibundgut, who's stepping down as communications co-chair to focus on other projects. Her work helped launch the Assembly—we're so grateful!
#️⃣ Slack conversation highlights
#carbon-footprint: M shared a tool for measuring the carbon footprint of your AI coding and would love to discuss how and what other methodologies folks are using to calculate this
#greener-ai: C started a conversation about S's article titled 'the path to responsible AI'. C added a focus on designing AI models for long-term use, deploying AI with explainability, and eco-friendly data centers while A added safety & wellbeing to the mix, saying "I believe we should be taking a much firmer stance against technology or tech firms that are deliberately financing or being financed by arms contractors or governments to use digital products to cause harm or death to other".
#greener-infra: CATs are discussing that carbonrunner has closed down
#local-united-states: S (our new CAT Comms/Content Organizer) is looking to get to know other US-CATs - reply in the thread
❤️ Help a CAT
E is learning a lot from Green IO and wants to make tech at work more sustainable. She's asking: Has anyone seen blog articles or LinkedIn posts (ideally from employees at other tech companies) who have shared their experience making the AWS, Kubernetes, Golang, Python, VSCode, Gemini and Gemini CLI, or Asciidoc more sustainable?\nShare links in the thread
📅 CAT events (See all)
Wed, Apr 8 - The Trap of Easy Solutions: A Systems Archetype Workshop [online] - this #cat-systems-series workshop will give you a practical mental tool: a way to recognize when a solution is masking a deeper issue
Apr 9 - Meme-tivisim - Rethinking AI's environmental impact in #local-london [in-person] - a 2-hour, fun, hands-on, in-person workshop where we'll explore how memes can help us re-think the environmental impact and sustainability of AI & ML
Local events were shared in #local-canada, #local-france, and #local-washington
🍩 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, Apr 3rd. More info
Media, events, and news
▶️ CAT videos
10-15 minute videos providing accessible explainers to climate related issues.
RARE/EARTH: The Geopolitics of Critical Minerals and the AI Supply Chain
The global AI ecosystem is deeply dependent on critical minerals—primarily sourced from countries in the Global South—that are essential to hardware production, energy infrastructure, and the deployment of AI systems. As the tech economy rapidly expands, so too does its appetite for natural resources: critical minerals, energy, land, and water. The emergence of generative AI has not only introduced new geopolitical dynamics but also intensified long-standing tensions over access to the natural resources that power its extensive supply. A growing contest over critical minerals—described by some as the next "critical mineral supercycle"—is reshaping global power relations and heightening geopolitical tensions, particularly between China and the United States.
🎤 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: Shifting Social Norms in Sustainability Leadership, with Andrea Learned
You don't have to be a CEO to have a lot of influence. In fact, you can effect much more change that you might realise…
On today's episode of Green IO, Gaël is joined by Andrea Learned, a renown communications strategist who's using her skills to revolutionise the conversation around sustainability. Andrea's specialty is climate leadership - but that doesn't mean her insights are exclusive to the C-Suite. As she explains it, all of us have the power to impact our professional workspaces and communities. And it starts with employing the hidden power of being seen actually living your values.
Tech Talks: From European Sun to Texas Steel - The Pragmatic Math Behind E-Fuels
Anthony Wang (Co-Founder of ETFuels) initially thought Spain's sunshine made it the perfect home for his startup. He was wrong.
The CTO reveals why his startup abandoned European plans for the wind-swept oil fields of West Texas. We discuss the surprisingly simple science of e-fuels, why unit economics always beat political agendas, and why the tech sector must stop obsessing over software and start building physical infrastructure again.
Making Sense: Why Clean Tech companies are critical for energy security
In this episode of Making Sense, Chuka Umunna sits down with JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s Dr. Sarah Kapnick, global head of Climate Advisory, and James Janoskey, global co‑head of Natural Resources Investment Banking, to unpack how clean technologies are reshaping the global energy landscape. They explore surging electricity demand from AI data centers, the modernization of aging grids, the nuclear renaissance and the rise of long‑duration storage beyond lithium. The conversation also explores the intersection of energy security and geopolitics — how has the ongoing situation in the Middle East amplified concerns around grid resilience?
Techologie: L'échec du numérique éducatif avec Arnaud Levy
Dans cet épisode, parlons de numérique à l'école, avec Arnaud Levy, co-fondateur et développeur au sein de la coopérative Noesya, maître de conférences associé à l'IUT Bordeaux Montaigne, auteur d'un essai L'échec du numérique éducatif, aux éditions Le bord de l'eau.
In this episode, let's talk about digital technology in schools, with Arnaud Levy, co-founder and developer at the Noesya cooperative, associate lecturer at the IUT Bordeaux Montaigne, author of an essay, The Failure of Digital Education, published by Le bord de l'eau.
Environment Variables: The Week in Green Software - Hourly Carbon Accounting
This Week in Green Software, hosts Oli, Adi, and Valeria explore the growing importance of hourly carbon accounting and what it means for building truly sustainable software. They discuss how moving beyond annual averages to real-time energy data can unlock more accurate insights, better decision-making, and smarter workload placement. The conversation highlights the challenges of measurement, the role of tooling and standards, and why aligning software systems with cleaner energy in the moment could be a key step toward reducing digital emissions.
📅 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 Apr 01, 2026 - Small Group Networking - Q2 2026
Join the Small Group Networking virtual meetup by Climate Conscious Leaders to connect with product professionals passionate about sustainability. Exchange ideas and build meaningful connections in small breakout groups.
Wednesday Apr 22, 2026 - The Carbon Market Emerging Beneath AI
A timely conversation about carbon removal during San Francisco Climate Week - at a gorgeous private residence. This event brings together AI founders, engineers and investors who care about climate and want to get involved in CDR.
Wednesday Apr 22, 2026 - Climate Tech Time
Climate Tech Time is the UK’s largest monthly gathering for climate tech. We bring together 150+ investors, startups, government and climate enthusiasts for meaningful conversations.
Thursday May 14, 2026 - Founders Connect
An event laser-focused on founders to tap into incredible resources and free advice from experts through 7 types of office hours (legal, branding, fundraising), founder fireside chats, and problem-solving workshops.
Wednesday May 20, 2026 - Climate Tech Time
Climate Tech Time is the UK’s largest monthly gathering for climate tech. We bring together 150+ investors, startups, government and climate enthusiasts for meaningful conversations.
Thursday May 21, 2026 - The Reverse Pitch: Climate VCs in the Hot Seat
In a playful turn of events, the VCs will be taking the stage to pitch themselves to the room. After presenting, each VC will be put on the spot by a panel of founders, answering the questions founders care about, live on stage. Anyone in the ecosystem is welcome to join!
📰 News Highlights
Mongabay: In the race for DRC's critical minerals, community forests are on the frontline
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo's copper-cobalt belt, a region rich in critical minerals, villagers are turning to local community forest concessions (CFCLs) to prevent their eviction and conserve the remaining savanna forests in the face of mining expansion.
BBC: Prioritising AI data centres could block new homes, builders warn
Artificial intelligence data (AI) centres could get priority access to the electricity grid under new UK government proposals to tackle soaring energy demands. Currently all new infrastructure, from hospitals to industrial sites, must join a virtual queue to get an electricity connection.Under Wednesday's proposals, projects which promise the most economic growth and jobs could jump the queue.
Eurekalert: Beyond green tech - the real reason digital economies drive down carbon emissions
A spatial analysis from the Anhui Institute of Information Technology demonstrates that restructuring industries—not just inventing eco-friendly gadgets—is the true engine of urban climate progress
Fintech Magazine: Digital Tools Enable Green Transition in Southeast Asia
United Overseas Bank's sustainability report reveals how fintech and digital banking are enabling a rapid green transition across the Southeast Asia region.
Oceanographic: Scientists to map vulnerable ecosystems in the High Seas with AI
Scientists have launched an ambitious project to produce the first comprehensive maps of vulnerable marine ecosystems across the Atlantic Ocean, using artificial intelligence to unlock biodiversity insights hidden within decades of seafloor imagery.
Forbes: The Iran War's Hidden Victim… The Green Energy Supply Chain
Green energy was supposed to be the escape hatch. Build enough solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicles, and the international community would eventually wean itself off fossil fuels—especially those produced in volatile parts of the world. But the war with Iran is casting a different light on that vision.
Simply Flying: American Airlines' Newest Solution To Get Rid Of Contrails
While the vapor trails produced by airliners don't contain chemical agents sprayed for secretive reasons, they do pose a risk. Contrails are an effect that results from specific atmospheric conditions combined with elements from an aircraft's engine exhaust, manifesting as long trails that form behind an aircraft. They can pose a significant threat to the environment, which is why airlines and manufacturers are looking for ways to combat it. American Airlines, the US' second-largest airline, is turning to artificial intelligence.
💚 Papers We Love 💚
Leafcloud: Heating Europe with AI
Europe faces a choice: AI's rapid growth challenges both energy security and climate goals. The IEA projects data center electricity demand will more than double by 2030, consuming as much power as Japan today. This demand shock is already forcing development moratoriums in Dublin, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt, risking fossil fuel dependency when decarbonization needs to accelerate. Traditional efficiency improvements have plateaued and incremental gains are no longer sufficient. Europe needs a fundamental rethinking of digital infrastructure.
This whitepaper presents that alternative: a distributed computing architecture that transforms AI's energy consumption from a climate liability into a valuable heating resource.
💼 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.
Vizzuality - Digital Project Manager - €30,000 - €40,000 Euros per year - Permanent - Totally remote
We're hiring a Project Manager with digital project experience, a high level of ownership, organization, and collaboration skills.
WHY US?
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 enthusiastic 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. We design and develop data-driven tools and applications for international organizations focusing on climate change, biodiversity, and inequality.
WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?
Collaborate with a diverse team of professionals. Develop tools that are informing how to tackle climate change worldwide. Enjoy remote work, flexible schedules, and paid time off. Experience a work culture that values autonomy, community and growth.
Enverse - Business Development Manager - GBP 40000-70000 - Permanent - Flexible - remote ok
Enverse is hiring a high-impact Business Development Manager to drive growth in industrial energy optimisation. This is a hands-on, technical role focused on building pipeline, engaging engineering stakeholders, and converting opportunities into funded projects and commercial deals. Work directly with the CEO at the intersection of IoT, AI, and decarbonisation. Ideal for candidates with 3–7 years in energy or industrial sectors who thrive on ownership, pace, and delivering measurable revenue impact.
Enverse - Senior Backend Engineer - £40,000.00-£70,000.00 - Permanent - Flexible - remote ok
Enverse is hiring a Senior Backend Developer to build and scale a cutting-edge industrial data and analytics platform. This is a high-ownership role working directly with the CEO, shaping backend architecture, APIs, and cloud/edge systems using Python, FastAPI, and AWS. Ideal for experienced engineers who thrive in fast-paced environments and want real technical influence, with a clear path toward leadership in a growing IoT and energy-focused startup.
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