Climate Tech Newsletter: February 23, 2026

Welcome to last week’s edition of the CBKNY’s Weekly News Highlights. Explore the latest policies, innovations, and market trends driving the future of climate tech.

Climate Tech Insights

This week exposed constitutional climate tensions in America. The Trump administration systematically dismantled federal climate authority—revoking EPA's endangerment finding that underpinned greenhouse gas regulation, censoring science from seventeen national parks, and threatening IEA withdrawal unless it abandons net-zero scenarios. Yet subnational actors accelerated: thirteen states sued for $1.2 billion in frozen clean energy funds, Microsoft pledged 100% renewable electricity matching despite AI expansion, and Google signed major geothermal contracts. Meanwhile, Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy unexpectedly suspended new investments after deploying over one billion dollars across ten startups.

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1. Groups Sue Over Trump's 'Erasure' of History, Science in National Parks
   February 17, 2026 – The Washington Post

2. Tech Companies' AI Climate Claims Dismissed as Greenwashing
   February 17, 2026 – The Guardian

3. Legal Climate Justice: Why Rich Nations Owe $200 Trillion
   February 19, 2026 – MIT Technology Review

4. China's EV Momentum Slows as Pricier Batteries Steer Drivers to Hybrids
   February 19, 2026 – South China Morning Post

5. US Issues Ultimatum to IEA Over Net-Zero Goals
   February 21, 2026 – Reuters

6. Ormat Signs 150 MW Geothermal Power Deal to Supply Google in Nevada
   February 18, 2026 – Reuters

7. Microsoft to Keep Buying Enough Renewable Energy to Match All Its Electricity Needs
   February 19, 2026 – Reuters

8. California, Colorado and 11 States Sue Trump Administration to Unlock Clean Energy Funding
   February 19, 2026 – Reuters

9. €3B Investment Plan: How Europe Can Achieve A Protein Transition
   February 20, 2026 – Green Queen

10. EPA Sued Over Rescission of Endangerment Finding
    February 20, 2026 – ESG Dive

11. Solar Generation to Jump 17% in 2026, 23% in 2027: EIA
    February 17, 2026 – ESG Dive

12. Amazon Expands Carbon Credit Offerings to Cut Supplier Emissions
    February 18, 2026 – ESG Dive

13. Emerging Battery Technologies: Polymer and Sodium-Ion Promise Alternatives to Li-Ion
    February 19, 2026 – EnergyTech

14. The World's Largest Energy Lender Has a New Head. Here's How It Could Shape US Policy
    February 22, 2026 – CNBC

15. The Challenges in Projecting Future Global Sea Levels
    February 17, 2026 – Carbon Brief

16. New York Climate Goal Backtrack: Falling Behind on Decarbonization
    February 20, 2026 – Canary Media

17. States Push Climate Superfund Bills Despite Trump Opposition
    February 17, 2026 – Canary Media

18. Grid Battery Installations Soared in 2025, Surpassing 13 GW
    February 20, 2026 – Canary Media

19. Bill Gates' Key Climate Tech Fund Halts New Investment, Lays Off Workers
    February 17, 2026 – Bloomberg

20. China Is Becoming a Green Superpower as Trump Retreats on Climate
    February 18, 2026 – BBC News

21. Norway Reaches 97% EV Sales: What Comes After Success
    January 27, 2026 – IEEE Spectrum

22. IEEE at COP30 and Climate Mitigation Talks 2025
    February 20, 2026 – IEEE Spectrum

23. Illinois Considers Data Center Impacts Bill Amid Energy Demand Surge
    February 19, 2026 – Inside Climate News

24. Retired EV Batteries Bolster Texas Grid in Second-Life Applications
    February 17, 2026 – Inside Climate News

25. The Paradox of Nvidia's Sustainability Performance in 2026 Global 100
    February 19, 2026 – Corporate Knights

26. Clean200 Companies Hit $2.8 Trillion in Sustainable Revenues
    February 18, 2026 – Corporate Knights

27. Carbon Direct's 2026 VCM Report: Buyer Hesitancy Bottlenecks CDR Scale-Up
    February 10, 2026 – Carbon Herald

28. TotalEnergies Hits Record $73 Million Carbon Credit Spend as 2025 Profits Stay Strong
    February 17, 2026 – Carbon Credits

29. Silver in 2026 and Beyond: Rising Prices, Solar Substitution, and a Market Still in Deficit
    February 20, 2026 – Carbon Credits

30. Fusion Breakthrough: Google Venture-Backed Inertia Raises $450M to Build World's Most Powerful Clean Energy Laser
    February 18, 2026 – Carbon Credits