Welcome to another edition of Climatebase Weekly — our newsletter read by 150k+ professionals, delivering insights and perspectives on the latest climate news, curated job opportunities, and key updates from our team and community.
In today’s edition of Climatebase Weekly:
This Week In Climate:
In today's edition of This Week in Climate, we saw national climate plans cut projected 2035 emissions reductions in half to just 6% below 2019 levels, Lula’s reelection keep Brazil on track for zero deforestation by 2030 as Amazon clearing hits a record low, and the Trump administration move to scrap methane rules covering wells responsible for half the industry’s emissions.
Fellowship Community Highlights
Climatebase Fellows are landing big new climate roles, from climate think tanks think tanks to EV charging startups. Scroll down to meet six of them and celebrate their wins.
New Climate Jobs
Discover the thousands of climate jobs that have been posted on Climatebase over the past few days—from startups to major employers hiring across climate tech, energy, policy, food, nature, and more.
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Climatebase Fellowship Community
🌍 Fellowship Community Highlights:
Climatebase Fellows keep making an impact long after their 12 weeks with us wrap up. Here are some recent career moves we’re celebrating:
Maddie Booth (Cohort 9) became a Learning and Development Specialist at the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
Ratikanta Nayak (Cohort 10) stepped into a role as Associate Vice President at CSRBOX, advancing CSR, ESG and philanthropy.
Michael Poosikian (Cohort 9) pivoted into renewable energy as a Community Engagement Associate at Invenergy.
Shelby Capacio (Cohort 9) became an Integrated Public Relations Supervisor in the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Fish and Wildlife division.
Angha W. (Cohort 8) started as a Consultant at puREsource partners, an international cleantech advisory firm.
Declan McDonnell (Cohort 6) was promoted to Staff Data Scientist at EVgo.
💚 Help us congratulate them: see the full post on LinkedIn →
Want to make a move like this? Cohort 11 of the Climatebase Fellowship kicks off in March 2027. Apply today →
This Week in Climate
Climate Plans Cut Ambition in Half, Lula's Victory, and More
By Julian Moore
Brazilian climate activists are celebrating the victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the country’s presidential elections on Sunday. His reelection keeps Brazil on a climate path centered on forest protection, rather than the sharp pivot his opponent Flávio Bolsonaro promised, which included more Amazon development and looser environmental rules. Deforestation is the country’s main source of carbon emissions, and Amazon clearing fell this year to its lowest level since official monitoring began in 1988. Lula has pledged to reach net-zero deforestation across all Brazilian biomes by 2030.
The win also preserves Brazil’s prominent role in UN climate talks, with COP31 starting Nov. 9 in Turkey. Lula is expected to release two roadmaps next month that he committed to at COP30 in Belem: one for transitioning away from fossil fuels and one for ending deforestation.
The result also boosts the Tropical Forest Forever Facility. Norway, the largest participant, has offered a concessional loan of up to $3 billion on the condition that the fund reaches $10 billion by the end of 2026. The Netherlands pledged up to $500 million over a decade just after the election, bringing announced commitments to roughly $7.8 billion.
While Lula’s victory comes as a relief for climate advocates, several tensions over energy policy lie ahead. Lula wants to expand renewables, transmission, batteries, biofuels and hydrogen, but a government plan also has Petrobras increasing oil and gas exploration, including near the Amazon River, expanding refining and investing in LNG logistics.
The Trump administration is moving to weaken federal rules requiring oil and gas companies to reduce methane emissions. President Trump announced the plan at a Texas rally for Senate candidate Ken Paxton, calling the Biden-era rules “expensive and unnecessary.”
The EPA proposes relaxing requirements for hundreds of thousands of low-output “marginal” wells, which make up about 7 percent of U.S. production but roughly half of the industry’s methane emissions. It would also end the Methane Super Emitter Program, which let third parties use satellites to report major leaks, and reverse a rule requiring operators to capture and sell associated gas, allowing flaring instead. Administrator Lee Zeldin said the changes would save industry $45 billion through 2050. Officials framed the move as boosting production and easing fuel prices, a political burden for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.
Environmental groups criticized the rollbacks, noting that leaked methane is wasted product, and that the rules also curbed toxic and smog-forming compounds. Large oil companies have generally accepted some limits, while small independent operators argued the rules would force marginal wells to shut down.
The proposal will have a 45-day public comment period. It follows earlier federal moves, including a delay of the 2023 rules, disavowal of Biden’s emissions pledge, and a congressional bill postponing a methane fee for 10 years. Some states are pushing ahead, including Colorado, which adopted rules replicating the Biden standards, and New Mexico, whose governor vowed to strengthen its rules, is considering new ones.
Countries’ climate plans would cut global emissions only half as much by 2035 as the UN projected a year ago, according to its annual assessment, after the US exit from the Paris Agreement and weaker new pledges worsened the outlook. Accounting for the national climate plans (NDCs) of 154 countries, covering about 71% of global emissions, plus current policies elsewhere, emissions would fall to roughly 6% below 2019 levels by 2035. Last year’s update, based on 113 countries, put the figure at 12%. The IPCC says a 60% cut is needed to limit warming to 1.5C, a threshold now inevitably going to be breached, at least temporarily. The latest plans point to 2.1C to 3.2C of warming by century’s end, slightly higher than last year’s 1.9C to 3.0C range.
The US, the second-largest emitter, is a major factor. Last year’s assessment counted the Biden-era pledge to cut emissions 61% to 66% by 2035, but since the US has left the Paris Agreement, that pledge is excluded and its projections now rest on current policies, which point to far higher emissions. US emissions grew significantly last year amid rising electricity demand and Trump administration policies that rolled back clean energy support and backed fossil fuels.
Weak new pledges are another factor. About 40 new NDCs submitted since last year’s update were less ambitious than the UN’s earlier modelling had hoped. India’s plan would let emissions climb almost 64% above 2023 levels by 2035, according to Climate Action Tracker, and its targets are weaker than current policies. Saudi Arabia set no 2035 target, and CAT rates its plan “critically insufficient.” About 30 countries, including Egypt, Vietnam and Argentina, have still not submitted updated plans.
UN climate chief Simon Stiell said progress remains insufficient and uneven, and that COP31 in Türkiye can help address key gaps through ambitious outcomes on emissions cuts, adaptation, finance and just transitions.
Latest Jobs
New Jobs & Employers
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