Interesting Ideas

Seattle — Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Tana Lin of the Western District of Washington entered final judgment in State of Washington v. U.S. Department of Transportation, a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s unlawful freeze of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program—a $5 billion federal initiative to build reliable, high-speed electric vehicle charging infrastructure ... [continued]

The post Judge Protects Billions for Reliable EV Charging; Cleaner Air, & Lower Driving Costs Across the Country appeared first on CleanTechnica.

An extraordinary mosaic of wildlife has made Britain’s urban jungle its home

London is the only place in the UK where you can find scorpions, snakes, turtles, seals, peacocks, falcons all in one city – and not London zoo. Step outside and you will encounter a patchwork of writhing, buzzing, bubbling urban microclimates.

Sam Davenport, the director of nature recovery at the London Wildlife Trust, emphasises the sheer variation in habitats that you find in UK cities, which creates an amazing “mosaic” of wildlife.

Environmental charity to prioritise water capture and storage as it urges gardeners to prepare for ‘new normal’

The Royal Horticultural Society has unveiled emergency plans to protect its gardens from major water shortages in the future.

The environmental charity, which owns and operates five renowned public gardens in England, said on Saturday it will invest in more water-capture and water-management projects in 2026 after severe droughts last year.

Researchers found a new way to filter and destroy Pfas chemicals at 100 times the rate of current systems

New filtration technology developed by Rice University may absorb some Pfas “forever chemicals” at 100 times the rate previously possible, which could dramatically improve pollution control and speed remediations.

Researchers also say they have also found a way to destroy Pfas, though both technologies face a steep challenge in being deployed on an industrial scale.

Elon Musk surprised attendees with an appearance in Davos at the World Economic Forum. His remarks were delivered as part of a conversation with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and filled with ideas that ranged from the future of AI and human longevity to driverless transportation. “We are in the most ... [continued]

The post Elon’s Promises At Davos: A New Era? appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The most popular posts on r/animalid are exotic lizards and rare birds – but it’s the haziest trail cam screenshots that feel the most dangerous, the most spectacular

• Read more in the Internet wormhole series

I spent the first decade of my life in Vancouver Island, Canada, in an area rich with parks, lakes and forests. Deer would occasionally wander into our neighbourhood and nibble on the blossoms in our front yard. In that neck of the (literal) woods, mountains and deer also mean cougars.

My sister and I would play at a local park, then walk home along a track parallel to a dense forest. My older sister, being three and a half years ahead of me in life and therefore lightyears ahead of me in wisdom, would helpfully declare that if we encountered a cougar it would attack me, not her, as I’m the smaller prey.

Electric van sales are behind government targets, but those fleets that have switched are seeing a real difference

Swinging a fully laden electric van around a training centre in Bishop’s Stortford feels easy, with instant acceleration that belies the racks of heavy equipment in the back. Perhaps too easy, as the sudden shriek of its proximity sensor suggests the Guardian was a whisker away from a bill for some new paintwork.

The van in question belongs to Openreach, BT’s fibre broadband subsidiary. It is one of 6,000 electric vans out of 23,400 in Britain’s second-largest commercial fleet – and a further 1,000 are expected to be added by March.

Germany’s Council of Economic Experts, working jointly with France’s Conseil d’analyse économique, has already stepped away from hydrogen as a broad energy carrier, and that shift sits uneasily alongside a 400 km pressurized segment of Germany’s hydrogen backbone with no suppliers and no customers. The joint guidance from these two ... [continued]

The post When Europe’s Economic Institutions Step Away From Hydrogen appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Experts say climate crisis, corruption and lack or misuse of infrastructure among factors driving water conflicts

Water-related violence has almost doubled since 2022 and little is being done to understand and address the trend and prevent new and escalating risks, experts have said.

There were 419 incidents of water-related violence recorded in 2024, up from 235 in 2022, according to the Pacific Institute, a US-based thinktank.

Governor-appointed commissioners allow SWEPCO to raise rates by 23% Little Rock, Arkansas — Yesterday, as the region focused on an impending winter storm, the Arkansas Public Service Commission approved a move to raise customers’ electricity costs in much of Northwest Arkansas. With the go-ahead from the three governor-appointed PSC commissioners, SWEPCO will ... [continued]

The post Arkansas PSC Opens Door For Higher Electricity Bills appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Most of CleanTechnica’s contacts at Gogoro have cleared the deck. Luckily, we have one or two of them still in the Taiwan HQ and we will get more insider information during Computex 2026. But for now, here are the goods.  Gogoro is trying to stop the bleeding. After years of ... [continued]

The post Gogoro’s Reset: From Electric Scooter Brand to Energy Infrastructure Company appeared first on CleanTechnica.

ATLANTA — Yesterday, environmental groups pushed back on Georgia Power’s defense of its plan to build the most expensive gas plants in the nation. The Sierra Club, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, and the Southern Environmental Law Center filed a response to Georgia Power and the Georgia Public Service Commission’s reply ... [continued]

The post Advocates Challenge Georgia Power’s Overbuilt, Flawed Data Center Plan appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Devon: We saw massive mounds of soil and pine needles where ants were hibernating – but not all of them

We pulled into the frosty car park just as the sun was rising. It was early in the morning and I was still a little bit sleepy, but the sharp winter air woke me up. The tall oak trees that surrounded the car park looked like they were crying icy tears. Everything was silent. We set off into the cold, solemn woods with our dog charging ahead.

That’s when I saw it! Further on down the path, there was a huge mound of soil and pine needles. It was a wood ant nest! I took a closer look and, to my surprise, a few ants were dozily trundling around it.

It is quite ironic: Tesla became such a popular company, sold millions of vehicles, and became profitable by selling people on the fun of electric driving. The instant torque, all of the YouTube videos of drivers stepping down on the pedal and passengers getting pushed back into their seats and ... [continued]

The post Tesla Became Popular Selling the Fun of Driving, Now Selling Cars to Not Be Driven appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The economy of India today is where China's was twenty years ago. Ember suggests India can bypass fossil fuels on its way to growth.

The post India Poised To Become World’s First Electrostate? appeared first on CleanTechnica.

OLYMPIA, Washington — On January 22, 2026, the Washington State Supreme Court heard oral arguments centering on the legality of I-2066, centering on how the initiative’s title misled voters by its ballot title and instead silently amended existing climate and clean air laws and programs across multiple state agencies, utilities, ... [continued]

The post Energy Affordability & Clean Air on the Line in Washington State appeared first on CleanTechnica.

This year’s RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, which begins on Friday, could reveal ‘some surprise migratory visitors’

The chances of spotting a fieldfare or redwing in 2026 have risen, thanks to cold and unsettled weather in Europe, prompting a bumper year in birds migrating to the UK.

The RSPB highlighted the trend on the eve of the Big Garden Birdwatch, an annual event that constitutes the world’s largest garden wildlife survey, which will take place between 23 and 25 January.

Of course, we who follow electric vehicles know China is the world’s largest EV manufacturer. It’s also clear there are many affordable Chinese EVs — much more affordable than in some other countries. There might be less clarity about how much China is also leading in the number of EV ... [continued]

The post Over 20 Million EV Chargers Operating In China Now appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Pollution from wood burners kills thousands but proposed emissions limit would cut toxic particles by 10%

New wood-burning stoves will carry a health warning highlighting the impact of the air pollution they produce, under UK government plans.

Ministers have also proposed cutting the limit on the smoke emitted from wood burners by 80%. However, the measure would only apply to new stoves, most of which already meet the stricter limit. The new limit would cut the annual toxic emissions from wood burning in the UK by only 10% over the next decade, according to the consultation.

Therapy lights, sunrise alarm clocks and infrared saunas can all help shake the winter blues as the weather drops

• Heated socks and puffy booties: what people in the coldest cities on Earth are wearing

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As a lifelong Canadian, I’m no stranger to that familiar sinking feeling in my chest as the days get shorter, dimmer and colder. I suffer from seasonal affective disorder (Sad), which also affects about one in 20 people in the US.

“Sad is a type of depression that happens at certain times of the year, usually in the fall and winter when there’s less sunlight,” said Dr Stefanie Mazer, a licensed psychologist and founder of the psychology practice Mindwise, Inc. Changes in sunlight can affect your body’s internal clock and levels of serotonin and melatonin, which influence mood and sleep, Mazer explained. People with Sad often feel low energy, sadness and irritability, with noticeable changes in sleeping or eating.

For gentle wake-ups in the morning:
Hatch Restore 3 Sunrise Alarm Clock