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Missing in Action? Europe’s Mineral Finance Approach

Transport & Environment (T&E) on CleanTechnica

How Europe should finance transition mineral projects effectively and responsibly. As Europe accelerates its efforts to secure the supply of critical raw materials vital for clean energy technologies, including batteries, ensuring diverse supply chains will be key. Several initiatives such as Strategic Partnerships, Clean Trade & Investment Partnerships, Global Gateway ... [continued]

The post Missing in Action? Europe’s Mineral Finance Approach appeared first on CleanTechnica.

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Death toll from Indonesia floods passes 750 as one million evacuated
Death toll from Indonesia floods passes 750 as one million evacuated
Death toll from Indonesia floods passes 750 as one million evacuated

Death toll from Indonesia floods passes 750 as one million evacuated

Rebecca Ratcliffe with Hidayatullah in Pidie Jaya on Environment | The Guardian

About 3.2 million people have been affected by the floods, while 2,600 have been injured and 504 people remain missing

The number of people killed by floods and landslides on Indonesia’s Sumatra island rose to 753 on Tuesday, the disaster agency said, with 504 people missing.

The toll was a sharp increase from the 604 dead reported by the agency on Monday.

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An Elegy for NREL and the Passing of America’s Renewable Compass

Michael Barnard on CleanTechnica

The erasure of the word “Renewable” from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory marks the end—or hopefully just an interruption—of a long and consequential chapter in energy history. Renaming it as the National Laboratory of the Rockies doesn’t change the buildings in Golden or the servers in ESIF or the unfinished ... [continued]

The post An Elegy for NREL and the Passing of America’s Renewable Compass appeared first on CleanTechnica.

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More US States Are Promoting Balcony Solar

Steve Hanley on CleanTechnica

Utah started the trend toward balcony solar in the US and now five other states are considering similar legislation.

The post More US States Are Promoting Balcony Solar appeared first on CleanTechnica.

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BYD BEV Sales Up 20% in November

Zachary Shahan on CleanTechnica

BYD had another mixed result in November 2025 compared to November 2024. Full electric vehicles were up solidly (+19.9%), but plugin hybrids were down slightly more (-22.4%). Overall, that meant BYD’s plugin vehicle sales were down slightly (-5.8%) It’s a somewhat similar but somewhat better story across the first 11 ... [continued]

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UK and Europe’s hidden landfills at risk of leaking toxic waste into water supplies
UK and Europe’s hidden landfills at risk of leaking toxic waste into water supplies
UK and Europe’s hidden landfills at risk of leaking toxic waste into water supplies

UK and Europe’s hidden landfills at risk of leaking toxic waste into water supplies

Leana Hosea and Juliet Ferguson on Environment | The Guardian

Exclusive: Rising flood risks driven by climate change could release chemicals from ageing sites – posing threats to ecosystems

Thousands of landfills across the UK and Europe sit in floodplains, posing a potential threat to drinking water and conservation areas if toxic waste is released into rivers, soils and ecosystems, it can be revealed.

The findings are the result of the first continent-wide mapping of landfills, conducted by the Guardian, Watershed Investigations and Investigate Europe.

Disclaimer:This dataset may contain duplicate records. Duplicates can arise from multiple data sources, repeated entries, or variations in data collection processes. While efforts have been made to identify and reduce duplication, some records may remain.

Journalismfund.eu provided funding support for the investigation.

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Tesla Appears to Have 29 Robotaxis in Operation in Austin

Zachary Shahan on CleanTechnica

In a recent roundup of Tesla “Full Self Driving” (FSD) news, I mentioned Elon Musk tweeting that the number of Tesla Robotaxis on the road in Austin would “roughly double” in December. First of all, it’s important to note these are not truly driverless robotaxis yet, as Tesla still has ... [continued]

The post Tesla Appears to Have 29 Robotaxis in Operation in Austin appeared first on CleanTechnica.

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NIO Sales Soar 76%

Zachary Shahan on CleanTechnica

NIO has been on a hot streak the past few months. November sales didn’t continue the trend of setting a new monthly sales record month after month, but it was NIO’s second highest selling month on record. With 36,275 NIO vehicles delivered last month, the company had 76.3% growth over ... [continued]

The post NIO Sales Soar 76% appeared first on CleanTechnica.

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‘The Chinese will not pause’: Volvo and Polestar bosses urge EU to stick to 2035 petrol car ban
‘The Chinese will not pause’: Volvo and Polestar bosses urge EU to stick to 2035 petrol car ban
‘The Chinese will not pause’: Volvo and Polestar bosses urge EU to stick to 2035 petrol car ban

‘The Chinese will not pause’: Volvo and Polestar bosses urge EU to stick to 2035 petrol car ban

Lisa O’Carroll in Gothenburg on Environment | The Guardian

Exclusive: Swedish carmakers push to retain target as Germany lobbies to help its own industry by softening cutoff date

As the battle lines harden amid Germany’s intensifying pressure on the European Commission to scrap the 2035 ban on production of new petrol and diesel cars, two Swedish car companies, Volvo and Polestar, are leading the campaign to persuade Brussels to stick to the date.

They argue such a move is a desperate attempt to paper over the cracks in the German car industry, adding that it will not just prolong take up of electric vehicles but inadvertently hand the advantage to China.

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Tesla Model 3 Standard Range — 6-Year, 60,000-Mile Review

Zachary Shahan on CleanTechnica

We’ve had our 2019 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus (SR+) since August 2019. It feels like half that long, and I hope the car can go at least twice this long. I completely forgot about doing a 6-year review of the car until Fritz Hasler published his. Thanks, Fritz. ... [continued]

The post Tesla Model 3 Standard Range — 6-Year, 60,000-Mile Review appeared first on CleanTechnica.

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Wood-burning stoves could face partial ban in Labour’s updated environment plan
Wood-burning stoves could face partial ban in Labour’s updated environment plan
Wood-burning stoves could face partial ban in Labour’s updated environment plan

Wood-burning stoves could face partial ban in Labour’s updated environment plan

Helena Horton and Peter Walker on Environment | The Guardian

Exclusive: Pollution targets set out alongside nature recovery projects to allay concerns over housebuilding

Wood-burning stoves are likely to face tighter restrictions in England under new pollution targets set as part of an updated environmental plan released by ministers on Monday.

Speaking to the Guardian before the publication of the updated environmental improvement plan (EIP), the environment secretary, Emma Reynolds, said it would boost nature recovery in a number of areas, replacing an EIP under the last government she said was “not credible”.

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Country diary: A rusting shipwreck that’s part of the family | Nick Acheson
Country diary: A rusting shipwreck that’s part of the family | Nick Acheson
Country diary: A rusting shipwreck that’s part of the family | Nick Acheson

Country diary: A rusting shipwreck that’s part of the family | Nick Acheson

Nick Acheson on Environment | The Guardian

Blakeney Point, Norfolk: The old steamer, called Yankee, has long been abandoned on the shingle, dwindling in the elements. I take the four-mile walk to visit

There are thrushes on the wind today. A redwing has just landed in the veil of shrubby seablite between the tidal ooze of Blakeney Pit and the shingle where I’m standing. Exhausted by its crossing from Scandinavia, this handsome bird sits in a seablite’s wind-torn tips and lets me watch. Mottle-chested, creamy-browed, it is exquisite.

I have made the four-mile, shingle-crunching pilgrimage from Cley to near the end of Blakeney Point to visit my great-great-grandfather. To visit his memory, at least. He was Martin Fountain Page, co-owner of Page and Turner, last of the River Glaven shipping companies in 700 years of documented navigation here. Beneath the doormat in the north porch of Blakeney Church lies a slab of polished stone, engraved to his eternal memory, generous benefactor of the village as he was.

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XPENG Sales Rise 19% in November

Zachary Shahan on CleanTechnica

XPENG didn’t have a blockbuster growth months for once in November, but its sales did rise 19% year over year. It was actually November of last year that XPENG’s sales first jumped up a lot year over year. So, it’s going to be a bit harder now to have those ... [continued]

The post XPENG Sales Rise 19% in November appeared first on CleanTechnica.

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Life Invisible: the fight against superbugs starts in the driest place on Earth – documentary
Life Invisible: the fight against superbugs starts in the driest place on Earth – documentary
Life Invisible: the fight against superbugs starts in the driest place on Earth – documentary

Life Invisible: the fight against superbugs starts in the driest place on Earth – documentary

Bettina Perut, Iván Osnovikoff, Harri Grace, Paul King, Ekaterina Ochagaviaand Lindsay Poulton on Environment | The Guardian

Cristina Dorador is on an urgent mission in the world’s highest desert, the Atacama in Chile. As the rise of drug-resistant superbugs kills millions per year, Cristina has made it her mission to uncover new, life-saving antibiotics in the stunning salt flats she has studied since she was 14. Against the magnificent backdrop of endless plains, microscopic discoveries lead her team of scientists to question how critically lithium mining is damaging the delicate ecosystem and impacting Indigenous communities

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Hole in Antarctic ozone layer shrinks to smallest since 2019, scientists say
Hole in Antarctic ozone layer shrinks to smallest since 2019, scientists say
Hole in Antarctic ozone layer shrinks to smallest since 2019, scientists say

Hole in Antarctic ozone layer shrinks to smallest since 2019, scientists say

Ajit Niranjan on Environment | The Guardian

EU’s Copernicus monitoring service hails ‘reassuring sign’ of progress observed this year in hole’s size and duration

The hole in the ozone layer over the Antarctic this year was the smallest and shortest-lived since 2019, according to European space scientists, who described the finding as a “reassuring sign” of the layer’s recovery.

The yearly gap in what scientists have called “planetary sunscreen” reached a maximum area of 21m sq km (8.1m sq miles) over the southern hemisphere in September – well below the maximum of 26m sq km reached in 2023 – and shrank in size until coming to an early close on Monday, data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (Cams) shows.

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‘The current could kill an elephant’: Asia flood survivors describe escaping with their lives
‘The current could kill an elephant’: Asia flood survivors describe escaping with their lives
‘The current could kill an elephant’: Asia flood survivors describe escaping with their lives

‘The current could kill an elephant’: Asia flood survivors describe escaping with their lives

Hidayatullah in Pidie Jaya and Rebecca Ratcliffe in Bangkok on Environment | The Guardian

From Thailand to Indonesia, torrential flooding has carried away people’s possessions and homes, upending entire communities

Aminah Ali, 63, was at home in the Pidie Jaya district of Indonesia’s Aceh province when the rains started at midnight on Wednesday. The waters rose gradually. It seemed like the usual flooding that happens during monsoon season, but then came a loud roar of water: her village was suddenly inundated.

With help from her son, she managed to clamber on to her rooftop, where she waited for 24 hours. Flood waters, 3 metres high, stretched into the distance. “I saw many houses being swept away,” she said.

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Hurricanes in 2024 Led to the Most Hours without Power in the United States in 10 Years

US Energy Information Administration on CleanTechnica

U.S. electricity customers experienced an average of 11 hours of electricity interruptions in 2024, or nearly twice as many as the annual average experienced in the decade before, according to our Electric Power Annual 2024 report. Major events such as Hurricanes Beryl, Helene, and Milton accounted for 80% of the hours ... [continued]

The post Hurricanes in 2024 Led to the Most Hours without Power in the United States in 10 Years appeared first on CleanTechnica.

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England’s water industry issued £10.5bn in ‘green bonds’ despite pollution record
England’s water industry issued £10.5bn in ‘green bonds’ despite pollution record
England’s water industry issued £10.5bn in ‘green bonds’ despite pollution record

England’s water industry issued £10.5bn in ‘green bonds’ despite pollution record

Jasper Jolly on Environment | The Guardian

River Action says use of issuance tied to environmental benefits is ‘corporate greenwash on steroids’

Water companies have issued a fifth of the UK’s “green bonds” since 2017, despite a consistently poor record of sewage pollution during that time, research has shown.

Privately owned water companies in England have together issued £10.5bn in bonds tied to projects that offer “environmental benefits”, according to analysis of financial market data by Unearthed, which is part of Greenpeace UK.

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‘We’re true guardians of the forest’: quilombola community near Belém demand land rights and recognition
‘We’re true guardians of the forest’: quilombola community near Belém demand land rights and recognition
‘We’re true guardians of the forest’: quilombola community near Belém demand land rights and recognition

‘We’re true guardians of the forest’: quilombola community near Belém demand land rights and recognition

Damien Gayle in Belém on Environment | The Guardian

Short boat ride from Cop30 host, Afro-descendant residents of Menino Jesus say their voices are not being heard

Walk through the conference centre where the recent UN climate talks were held and representations of Indigenous people and culture were everywhere, from the spear-carrying, fiery-headed Cop30 mascot Curupira to huge mural-sized photos of people navigating the Amazon in dugout canoes and the many protests demanding dialogue outside.

Yet a short boat ride down the river from Belém, into the forest itself, takes you to another forest-dwelling community also fighting for further recognition within the Cop process. The quilombola community of Menino Jesus has existed for six generations. Quilombolas are the descendants of former enslaved people who fled into the forest as a site of refuge. Over hundreds of years, they established a unique way of life separate from mainstream Brazilian society, living in harmony with nature as fugitives protected by the jungle.

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German Study Finds Tesla Model Y Has Worst Reliability of 2022–2023 Models … And Worse!

Zachary Shahan on CleanTechnica

Well, this is not good news. TÜV of Germany — or Technischer Überwachungsverein if you want to try your tongue at the full name — is a collection of independent German organizations that evaluate the safety and quality of a variety of products and systems. It is a widely respected ... [continued]

The post German Study Finds Tesla Model Y Has Worst Reliability of 2022–2023 Models … And Worse! appeared first on CleanTechnica.

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