Climate Tech Newsletter: March 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

Across this week’s links, climate tech became a story of wartime energy vulnerability and uneven transition politics: Iran’s Hormuz closure strengthened renewables’ case, yet Washington advanced Arctic drilling, an offshore-wind buyout, and a $33 billion Ohio gas complex for AI demand, while methane scrutiny, geothermal financing, and the UK STEP fusion award showed cleaner countercurrents still moving this week globally.

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1. Why the World Doesn't Recycle More Nuclear Waste
   March 19, 2026 – MIT Technology Review

2. Iran War Energy Shock Sparks Global Push to Reduce Fossil Fuel Dependence
   March 18, 2026 – Reuters

3. Trump Officials Weigh New Plan to Stop Offshore Wind Farms
   March 17, 2026 – The New York Times

4. Grid Efficiency Could Save Utility Customers More Than $110 Billion
   March 19, 2026 – Latitude Media

5. Can Protein Grown Inside Potatoes Help You Live Longer?
   March 16, 2026 – Green Queen

6. Tesla, LG to Build $4.3B Battery Plant as Part of Supply Agreement
   March 20, 2026 – ESG Dive

7. Google Aims to Remove 200,000 Tons of Carbon by Converting Waste from Landfills
   March 18, 2026 – ESG Dive

8. Fervo Geothermal Plant Gets $421M in Debt Financing from Barclays, HSBC, More
   March 19, 2026 – ESG Dive

9. UK Selects EPC Firms to Design, Build Nuclear Fusion Prototype Plant
   March 18, 2026 – Energy Tech

10. EPA Tied Its Climate Rollback to Low Oil Prices. Then Came the Iran War.
    March 18, 2026 – E&E News

11. What the Dire Straits in Hormuz Mean for New Energy Flows
    March 16, 2026 – CTVC

12. Guest Post: How Changes to Coal Mining Have Affected China’s Methane Emissions
    March 19, 2026 – Carbon Brief

13. China Briefing: 19 March 2026 - China Joins Nuclear Pledge, Energy Approach Vindicated, New Ecological Code
    March 19, 2026 – Carbon Brief

14. Next-Gen Nuclear Has a Chicken-and-Egg Problem
    March 20, 2026 – Canary Media

15. Trump’s Latest Attempt to Derail EV-Charger Construction
    March 20, 2026 – Canary Media

16. Why Europe’s Power Prices Aren’t Soaring Like Gas
    March 17, 2026 – Bloomberg

17. Brazil Doubles Down on Conserving Forests in Revised Climate Plan
    March 17, 2026 – Bloomberg

18. Regulations to Watch in 2026 and Beyond
    March 19, 2026 – Trellis

19. The Best AI Investment Might Be in Energy Tech
    March 20, 2026 – TechCrunch

20. Google’s Data-Center Power Playbook Comes Into Focus
    March 17, 2026 – TechCrunch

21. Samsung Bets This Island Startup Can Tame the Grid with Software and Batteries
    March 16, 2026 – TechCrunch

22. Japan's Nuclear Fusion Firm Begins Building Its First Demonstrator
    March 17, 2026 – Interesting Engineering

23. Trump Administration Auctions Contested Arctic Lands for Oil Drilling
    March 19, 2026 – Inside Climate News

24. Senator Launches Investigation Into Methane Pollution in the Permian Basin
    March 19, 2026 – Inside Climate News

25. House Democrats Want Clean Energy Tax Credits Back
    March 18, 2026 – Inside Climate News

26. EV Manufacturing Is Collapsing in the U.S. Thanks to Trump
    March 19, 2026 – Corporate Knights

27. What Does Climate Change Progress Look Like?
    March 12, 2026 – Corporate Knights

28. Nuclear + AI: NVIDIA and AtkinsRéalis Power the Future of Data Centers
    March 19, 2026 – Carbon Credits

29. Conflict in the Middle East Threatens Carbon Capture Buildout: What It Means for the Global CCUS Market
    March 18, 2026 – Carbon Credits

30. DOE Unveils 10-Gigawatt Ohio Data Center, Gas-Powered Energy Plan
    March 21, 2026 – AP News