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:

In this edition of This Week in Climate, we cover:

Scroll down to the bottom of this newsletter to check out over 40 new jobs we’re featuring — and if you want to see more, go to Climatebase.org to browse over one thousand new jobs that have been posted in the last 24 hours.

Updates on the Climate Week Network — a philanthropically supported project powered by Climatebase and a global community of partners, helping launch and grow climate weeks in cities around the world.

Quick reminders:

As the world prepares for COP31 in November, we’re excited to let you know about COP Climate Week — a shared global calendar designed to make it easier for anyone, anywhere to discover, host, and participate in climate events happening around COP.

COP Climate Week is built for the thousands of side events, meetups, workshops, dinners, panels, virtual sessions, community gatherings, and conversations that happen outside of the official COP program. Because while the official COP negotiations are important, some of the most meaningful climate conversations happen beyond the walls of the conference itself.

The event calendar itself is not live quite yet — we’ll be launching the public calendar soon, along with an event submission process for organizers who want to add their events. If you’re planning to host a side event, meetup, dinner, workshop, virtual session, or gathering around COP, you’ll soon be able to submit it directly to COP Climate Week so it can be discovered by people around the world.

Become a partner: We are actively looking for mission-aligned partners who want to help shape the launch of COP Climate Week from the ground up — whether by helping spread the word, contributing ideas, supporting programming, or otherwise helping build this new global initiative. If that sounds exciting to you, we’d love to hear from you — please fill out this form.

In the meantime, the best way to stay in the loop is to sign up for email updates on the website. We’ll notify subscribers as soon as the calendar goes live and event submissions open:

👉 Sign up for email updates at copclimateweek.org

👉 And if you’re excited about this idea, please help spread the word by sharing our LinkedIn post.

👉 Looking to become a partner of COP Climate Week? Please fill out this form.

We’re thrilled to officially kick off the very first week of Colorado Climate Week — and what an incredible start it’s shaping up to be.

Over the next week, nearly 100 events will take place across Colorado, bringing together founders, policymakers, nonprofits, students, investors, community leaders, and climate advocates to connect, collaborate, and take action.

From panels and workshops to networking events, community gatherings, and outdoor experiences, Colorado Climate Week is a chance to celebrate and strengthen the growing climate community across the state.

👉 Explore the full calendar here.

Cincinnati Climate Week brings together community organizations, businesses, educators, advocates, and residents for a week of events focused on climate solutions, sustainability, and building a more resilient region.

Events can include workshops, panels, tours, art events, and hands-on activities. Interested in hosting an event? Learn more at CincinnatiClimateWeek.org!

The Midwest Sustainability Summit will serve as the cornerstone event of the week, featuring a keynote by Dr. Rebecca Carter and a full day of panels and workshops exploring how we can Adapt Today, Thrive Tomorrow! Tickets for individuals and exhibitors are now available.

With our latest cohort now in full swing, it’s been especially inspiring to see members of the broader Climatebase Fellowship community continuing to land jobs, launch companies and projects, and hit major milestones in their climate careers. Here are a few recent wins from Fellows — and if you’d like to be part of this community, applications for the next cohort are open now.

By Julian Moore

Arctic Sea Ice Hits Record Low

Arctic sea ice has tied last year's record for lowest-ever winter coverage, according to the US National Snow and Ice Data Center. This year's peak, reached on March 14, matched 2024's historic low of roughly 14.3 million square kilometers — a loss of 2.3 million square kilometers compared to when satellite tracking began in 1979.

Scientists say the trend reflects dramatic, year-round changes to Arctic ice driven by rising temperatures. Summer ice has shrunk by over 12% per decade, and with global warming accelerating since 2015, the last 11 years have been the hottest on record.

Beyond the environmental impact on ecosystems and local communities, melting ice is opening new shipping routes and mining opportunities, intensifying geopolitical competition. This is most visible in renewed interest in Greenland, with several NATO nations deploying military personnel in response to US acquisition threats.

Climate Researchers Self-Censor to Keep Funding

Under the Trump administration, federal scientists and researchers are self-censoring climate-related language to protect their funding and jobs. Terms like "climate change" and "global warming" have been replaced with politically safer alternatives such as "extreme weather" and "elevated temperatures" across agencies including the USDA and NSF.

The impact is measurable: NSF grants mentioning "climate change" dropped 77% between 2023 and last year. Meanwhile, DOGE layoffs and sweeping budget cuts have eliminated billions in science funding, with entire research programs cancelled simply for carrying a "climate change" label.

Researchers are adapting in various ways — reframing study proposals, scrubbing forbidden terminology, and seeking private or foreign funding. Words like "equity" and "environmental justice" are considered even more toxic than climate terms.

The result is a research landscape where scientists can still pursue climate work, but only by carefully disguising what they're actually studying.

Report: Renewables Could Have Limited Blackouts

A new Union of Concerned Scientists report finds that offshore wind energy could have significantly reduced New England's blackout risk last winter. Had Vineyard Wind and Revolution Wind — two recently completed projects with a combined 1,500 megawatt capacity — been fully operational, days of dangerous energy shortfalls would have dropped from 53 to just 24 out of 90.

Beyond grid reliability, offshore wind offers major cost benefits. During January's winter storm, the two projects could have saved ratepayers over $800 per megawatt-hour compared to expensive gas peaker plants, providing stable energy at $80–$90 instead.

Despite federal courts repeatedly blocking the Trump administration's attempts to pause these projects, uncertainty remains. Union workers and clean energy advocates pushed back strongly, arguing that halting offshore wind harms both workers and ratepayers. Industry observers remain optimistic, noting that falling renewable energy costs will ultimately drive continued investment regardless of political headwinds.

China Investigates US for Clean Energy Obstruction

China has launched two counter-investigations into U.S. trade practices it says are blocking Chinese goods and disrupting global supply chains — with green energy at the center of the dispute. Beijing specifically flagged U.S. measures that restrict Chinese green product exports, limit U.S. clean energy exports, and slow the deployment of new energy projects in ways that harm Chinese companies.

The probes are a direct response to recent U.S. Section 301 investigations into Chinese industrial overcapacity and forced labor practices across 16 trading partners.

Despite the escalating trade tensions, both sides appear to be treading carefully. A trade truce has held since Trump and Xi met last October, Trump has announced a planned Beijing visit in May, and Chinese officials have signaled willingness to cooperate — suggesting green energy trade friction may be a key flashpoint in broader ongoing negotiations.

Hydro Emerging as Energy Storage Solution

Record renewable energy curtailment in 2025 — including 20% of Brazil's solar power going to waste — has highlighted a critical gap in green energy infrastructure: storage. When grids can't absorb surplus renewable power, it gets dumped, undermining the clean energy transition.

Pumped storage hydro (PSH), which uses excess electricity to pump water uphill for later power generation, is emerging as the leading long-duration solution, accounting for 90% of global storage capacity. Another 570 GW is in development worldwide, with China leading at 40% of that pipeline.

Despite proven reliability and growing demand, PSH faces major barriers: high upfront costs, environmental permitting hurdles, and slow licensing processes that can stretch decades. Innovative closed-loop designs — which use artificial reservoirs rather than natural waterways — are helping address ecological concerns.

Experts warn that without faster permitting reform and stronger government market signals, clean energy storage will remain dangerously behind renewable generation capacity.

Check out some of the latest featured jobs below. If you don't see anything that speaks to you, you can always go to Climatebase to explore over 50,000 new climate jobs.

Solar Oregon

“Empowering sustainable energy adoption through solar initiatives in Oregon and beyond.”

Solar Stewards

“Solar Stewards creates opportunities for equity in renewable energy and infrastructure deployment”

VEIC

“Innovative solutions reducing greenhouse gases for a healthier planet and future.”

Avnos

“Scalable carbon removal and water production to decarbonize globally and conserve resources.”

Bank.Green

“Empowering bank customers to drive sustainable lending and decarbonize the banking sector.”

Tellus Markets

“Tellus bridges the gaps to enterprise deacrbonization.”

Ethic

“Empowering value-driven, sustainable investments with advanced technology.”

Building Decarbonization Coalition

“Accelerating zero-emission buildings for a cleaner, healthier, and affordable future.”

Presto Charging

“Empowering mass electrification with reliable, affordable charging to combat climate change.”

Furbnow

“Retrofit services to cut energy bills and carbon emissions for a greener, warmer home.”