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Five companies using AI to address climate change.

In today's issue of "This Week in Climate", we look at five companies using AI to address climate change.
Abigail Bassett
Jul 25, 2023 10 min read
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There’s no denying that AI is hot right now, and we’ve officially entered the era of ChatGPT. There are plenty of questions about whether or not we’ll all be replaced by AI, but the systems currently being developed offer quite a bit of upside when it comes to climate tech, especially as global climate change takes hold.


There is a new breed of emerging innovators who are harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to devise creative and effective solutions for managing the planet's future. AI could help with everything from predicting weather patterns and optimizing mining, to minimizing food waste, diagnosing plant diseases, and optimizing energy consumption. The advancing tech could lead to a number of shifts in climate tech. Here are seven trailblazing companies with open jobs around the world that are leveraging AI to combat climate change.


⛏️ KoBold Metals: Using AI to make mining more efficient

KoBold Metals is leveraging AI to help find new lithium, cobalt, copper, and nickel sources, all of which are key materials in battery manufacturing. The company's mission is to reduce the world's dependence on fossil fuels which involves replacing 60% of all new light cars and trucks with electric vehicles by 2030 and 100% by 2050. All this translates to a jump from the current 10 million EVs on the road today to 200 million by 2030 and up to 3 billion by mid-century.


With so many EVs on the road, the battery components have to come from somewhere. KoBold is leveraging geoscience, massive data about the earth's crust, and combining it all with AI to help reduce the uncertainty factor when mining. KoBold currently has two proprietary AI models: TerraShedSM, a comprehensive data system aggregating and structuring more than a century's worth of data from around the world; and Machine Prospector, a library of predictive models that then interpret the data from TerraShedSM.


KoBold also has some solid backers, including Bill Gates's Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a16z, Bond Capital, Sam Altman, and T Rowe Price. Based in Berkeley, California, the company currently boasts around 100 employees and is significantly growing its ranks.


KoBold currently has more than 30 job openings located around the world and remotely on Climatebase, including spots for geologists, communications leads, data engineers, and more. Check out KoBold’s latest listings.


⛏️ Station A: Helping property owners find clean energy providers

Station A is a platform that simplifies the process of buying and selling clean energy. Their AI technology collects and synthesizes geospatial, environmental, and financial data for properties, providing a full portfolio analysis using just a list of addresses. This data then allows users to identify the best project opportunities and build Request for Proposals (RFPs) by using a simple checklist, making the whole process of matching clean energy buyers with sellers much more streamlined. Station A also assists users in interpreting and comparing bids and provides access to a team of clean energy advisors in cases where managers need it.


Station A is a climate tech startup that’s based in San Francisco, with around 20 current employees. The company is currently hiring for a handful of remote positions. You can check out the job listings on Climatebase here.



👣 CarbonBright: Managing the carbon footprint of consumer goods

Figuring out the cradle-to-grave carbon footprint of consumer goods is a tricky science known as Life Cycle Analysis or LCA. Using AI, CarbonBright provides instant assessments of consumer goods and products' environmental footprint from the time it’s created to the time it’s recycled. Their tools allow suppliers, brands and retailers to automatically and accurately measure a product's impact throughout the supply chain, making it faster and easier for stakeholders to identify emissions hotspots and transition to more sustainable products and ingredients.


CarbonBright's platform computes product-level emissions across large and varied portfolios, leveraging data science to fill gaps, and independent third-party accreditors verify their methodology. The resulting data is in accordance with global industry standards. If and when a hotspot is identified in a portfolio, CarbonBright offers recommendations to reduce emissions or substitute alternative materials and packaging.


The London-based startup is looking to grow its ranks and is specifically looking for software engineers. You can see open positions at CarbonBright right here on Climatebase.



🏗️ Rhizome: Understanding the impact of infrastructure projects

Quantifying the economic, social, and environmental impacts of infrastructure projects is an intense and challenging task because there are so many factors to take into consideration. The larger the infrastructure project, the more unwieldy the data. That's where Rhizome says its AI-powered SaaS platform comes in. Rhizome works with states, utilities, and cities to give policy analysts and leaders a better idea of just how much an infrastructure project could impact a given area and its population. Their platform prioritizes resilience investments and helps identify potential vulnerabilities.


The Washington, D.C.-based company is pre-seed but looking to grow its ranks and seeking skilled engineers. Find out more about the latest job openings at Rhizome on Climatebase.


🐄 Pastoral: Making livestock farming more regenerative

The world’s food systems are largely inefficient and broken, but Pastoral is working to change that by reducing the environmental impact of global meat production while increasing profit for livestock farmers. Pastoral uses AI-powered animal sensors to track animals in remote areas and let farmers know when it's time to rotate the herd to new pastures and prevent over-grazing. While Pastoral is currently only available in Uzbekistan, it uses the messaging system, Telegram, to send text messages about the health and location of the animals wearing trackers back to the farmers. The company reports an average of 30% increase in productivity and revenue for the farms on its platform.

While Pastoral is hiring for a remote Project Manager role on Climatebase.


🌎 New Climate Jobs


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 thousands of other opportunities.


Energy and Environment Transitions Lab, UCSB

“The Environmental and Energy Transitions Lab ( ENVENT ) is a social science research group run by Leah Stokes and Matto Mildenberger, Associate Professors at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In our lab we research climate change, energy and environmental policy. Our environment and climate change research focuses on public opinion, political behavior and public policy. Our energy research ...”

  • Lab Manager, Energy and Environment Transitions Lab, UCSB (Remote (Santa Barbara, CA, USA))


Carbon Business Council

“The Carbon Business Council is comprised of leading carbon management growth companies working to reverse climate change. Our companies are diverse in their approach but united in their resolve to create a safer and more prosperous world. Together, we serve as a resource for our members, lawmakers, the energy industry, and the environmental community to advocate for the responsible growth ...”

  • Associate (Full-Time) (Remote)


Zinc VC

“Zinc is an early-stage investor. We back Founders who want to build a new mission-driven business, even if they don’t yet have a team or an idea. We support the Founders to build brand new commercial businesses by providing access to co-founders, investment, experts, in-house R&D support and a proven process to launch a new venture. Since 2017, we have backed ...”

  • Co-founder (London, UK)


Yale Center on Climate Change and Health

“A leading school of public health, serving the community, the nation, and the world. ...”

  • Executive Director, Yale Center on Climate Change and Health (New Haven, CT, USA)


Asoba

“We help enterprises, commercial farmers, property developers, and municipalities build microgrids with battery storage to ensure 24/7 power. Then we provide virtual power plants to optimize the scheduling and dispatch of power within the microgrid. We monetize through software licensing baked into Power Purchase Agreements and by managing sales of excess power to local retail markets. ...”

  • Software Engineering Manager (Remote (San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA))


Uplight

“At Uplight, we are motivating energy users and providers to accelerate the clean energy ecosystem. Working with over 75 of the world’s leading electric and gas utilities, Uplight provides end-to-end customer energy experience. Uplight delivers personalized experiences that customers have now come to expect–improving satisfaction, increasing revenue, reducing the cost to serve, and contributing to carbon reduction goals. We are ...”

  • Senior Director, Account Management (Remote)


Ethic

“Accelerating the global transition to sustainable investing We are a technology-driven, sustainable asset manager empowering institutions to create passive investment portfolios specific to their values and financial goals. We are powering the future of sustainable investing. ...”

  • Investment Operations Director/Associate Director (New York, NY, USA)
  • Associate Director/Director of Engineering Delivery (New York, NY, USA)


Carbon Reform

“Carbon Reform is building modular carbon capture and energy-saving indoor air solutions. ...”

  • Product Engineer - Mechanical (Philadelphia, PA, USA)


Toco

“We are Toco, a company driven by a passion to combat climate change by revolutionising archaic aspects of the global financial system. Our mission is to create a new era of environmental consciousness and action through the introduction of Tocos, a groundbreaking carbon currency. Tocos represents one tonne of carbon dioxide that has been removed from the atmosphere, giving individuals ...”

  • Senior UI/UX Designer (remote) (Remote (Cape Town, South Africa))
  • Senior Software Engineer (remote) (Remote (Zug, Switzerland))
  • Quality Assurance Engineer (remote) (Remote (Zug, Switzerland))
  • Principal Software Engineer (remote) (Remote (Zug, Switzerland))
  • Principal Engineer - Platform Engineering (remote) (Remote (Zug, Switzerland))
  • Principal - Data Engineering and Analytics (remote) (Remote (Zug, Switzerland))


Great Plains Institute

“A nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, the Great Plains Institute is transforming the energy system to benefit the economy and environment. We work on solutions that strengthen communities and provide greater economic opportunity through creation of higher paying jobs, expansion of the nation’s industrial base, and greater domestic energy independence while eliminating carbon emissions. GPI’s goals for transforming the energy system are to - increase ...”

  • Communications Director (Remote (Minneapolis, MN, USA))
  • Public Policy Manager, Carbon Capture Coalition (D.C., DC, USA)
  • Vice President of Energy Systems (Remote (Minneapolis, MN, USA))
  • Transportation Planner - Program Manager/Senior Program Manager (Minneapolis, MN, USA)
  • Industrial Decarbonization Manager, Carbon Management (Remote (Minneapolis, MN, USA))
  • Communities Program Associate (Remote (Minneapolis, MN, USA))
  • Energy Systems Program Manager/Senior Program Manager (Remote (Minneapolis, MN, USA))
  • Writing and Research Specialist, Energy Systems (Remote (Minneapolis, MN, USA))
  • Shared Mobility Program Manager, Transportation & Fuels (Remote (Minneapolis, MN, USA))
  • Public Policy Manager (Remote (Washington D.C., DC, USA))


Yard Stick PBC

“Yard Stick is a remote-first climate tech startup with founders based in Boston, MA and Oakland, CA. We are on a mission to reverse climate change with agriculture. Scientists and farmers alike know that climate-friendly agricultural practices have the potential to remove atmospheric CO2 at gigaton/year scale. When these practices are adopted, more carbon is stored in soils, improving soil ...”

  • Mechanical Engineer (Oakland, CA, USA)


CEF

“CEF is a preeminent, by-invitation membership organization creating a safe space for sustainability executives from large, global companies to have candid, closed-door, practical discussions on a not-for-attribution basis with business peers about driving value, innovation, and impact by integrating sustainability and corporate objectives. Our mission is to empower influential business leaders to deliver a sustainable future by cultivating a community based ...”

  • CEF Program Lead (Remote (North America))


MCE

“MCE is a not-for-profit public agency that has set the standard for clean energy in our communities since 2010. We offer more renewable power at stable rates, significantly reducing energy-related greenhouse emissions and reinvesting millions of dollars in local energy programs. MCE provides electricity service and cutting-edge energy programs to more than one million residents and businesses in 37 member ...”

  • Principal Power Procurement Manager (Remote (San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA))


Chloris Geospatial

“The global economy urgently needs to transition to new models of operation that remove carbon from the atmosphere and preserve and restore natural capital. Chloris Geospatial is an early-stage company developing technology that will transform the way businesses and governments use data about the environment to guide their investment and carbon management decisions. We use satellite data and artificial intelligence to ...”

  • Forest Carbon Manager (Remote)
  • Software Engineer (Full Stack) (Boston, MA, USA)


Post Script Media, Inc.

“Post Script is building the leading source of news, analysis, and events for the transition to a net-zero economy. We are beginning with a focus on artificial intelligence and digital solutions for climate-tech, expanding our legacy work in audio journalism and our founders' past in building Greentech Media and covering the emergence of the global clean energy market. Post Script Media ...”

  • Reporter (Remote)


Carbon Direct

“Carbon Direct is decarbonizing the global economy. What is Carbon Direct? We are a team of scientists, engineers, and innovators with a shared goal of reducing atmospheric CO2 by scaling carbon management. What do we do? We operate two distinct businesses: - Advisory & Software : We work with Fortune 500 corporate clients like Microsoft, Shopify, and Alaska Airlines to develop long-term carbon management plans. ...”

They are hiring across the following departments:

  • Data
  • Carbon & Climate
  • Customer Success
  • Finance
  • Research
  • Writer/Editor
  • People & Culture
  • Strategy & Operations
  • Sales


Elephant Energy

“We're building the SunRun for building electrification. We help customers upgrade their homes with the latest comfortable, energy-efficient technology: heat pumps, mini splits, EV chargers, induction ranges, etc. We're on a mission to electrify nearly 100M homes here in the US as one of the best ways to avoid catastrophic climate change. ...”

  • Junior Operations Builder (Remote)
  • Project Manager (Boston, MA, USA)
  • Home Comfort Advisor (Field Sales Consultant) (Denver, CO, USA)
  • Home Comfort Advisor (Field Sales Consultant) (Boston, MA, USA)
  • Project Manager (Denver, CO, USA)
  • Operations Ninja / Project Manager (Denver, CO, USA)


Solar Landscape

“Based in Asbury Park, Solar Landscape is a leading full-service provider of community solar and solar energy solutions for the commercial/industrial, municipal, public school and non-profit marketplaces. The company employs more than 130 people and has more than 200 megawatts of solar energy projects completed or under construction. The company owns and operates one of the largest portfolios of community solar ...”

  • Project Finance Analyst (Asbury Park, NJ, USA)


Impulse Labs

"We’re Impulse . We’re a team of engineers, designers, and innovators based in San Francisco who believe making good decisions for your home and the environment should not come at a cost to your lifestyle. We’re dedicated to building delightful, high-performance products for everyday needs that enable rewarding, long-term, scalable solutions for whole-home electrification. We're looking for individuals excited to ...”

  • Hardware Engineer (Power Electronics) (San Francisco)
  • Hardware Product Manager (San Francisco)


Sustain.Life

“Founded by entrepreneurs who want to help others put the planet first, Sustain.Life exists to help jumpstart the sustainability journey for other companies and businesses. Whether you’re just beginning your sustainability journey, consolidating employee-led sustainability efforts, or launching a new strategic initiative, Sustain.Life is your partner for every step of your sustainability journey. We provide the resources you need to do ...”

  • Customer Success & Enablement Manager (Remote (Remote - Australia))
  • Business Development Executive (Contract) (Remote (Remote Uk, Ireland))
  • Sustainability Director (Remote (Remote - USA))
  • Senior Sales Executive (Remote) (Remote (Remote))
  • Sales Executive (Remote) (Remote (Remote))
  • SaaS Software Engineer (Remote) (Remote (Remote (Dublin, Ireland, London, England, United Kingdom, New York, New York, United States)))
  • Head of Commercial Sales (Remote) (Remote (Remote))
  • Backend Software Engineer (Remote) (Remote (Remote (Ireland, Uk)))


That's it for this week! Remember, you can always view thousands of more jobs on Climatebase.org.

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The Author

Abigail Bassett