Interesting Ideas

Merlin could disappear in worst-case scenario, with British isles facing ecological ‘point of no return’

The merlin, Britain’s smallest bird of prey, is one of more than 200 species that will become extinct in the UK if action is not taken to curb emissions and unsustainable land use, a study has claimed.

According to the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), there is a 20-year window in which decisions on climate and land use will determine the fate of dozens of Britain’s native species.

After being pushed to ‘distress’ by people trying to film and take selfies with the cattle in Kent, the fold has had to be taken away from public view

Name: Highland cows.

Age: More than 1,000 years old.

Home to one of the world’s largest deposits of freshwater, the Great Lakes region will soon host next-generation generators – just as prices are being hiked across the US

Submersible hydroelectric technology deployed across the Great Lakes could become a key cog in clean energy efforts, supporters say, amid surging electricity demand and costs.

Home to one of the largest deposits of freshwater on the planet, the Great Lakes region has on its shores some of the largest cities in North America in Chicago, Toronto, Montreal and Detroit, where electricity demand is growing. While none of the five Great Lakes have significant tides or currents to fuel hydropower, several of the waterways that link the lakes do.

Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire: These early spring bloomers are a favourite of mine, a model of nature’s generosity, yet so often ignored

The drier days of March are always marked by the hum of dutiful grass-cutting on our urban Midlands housing estate, and so I know I will have to look to the gutters and pavements to spot my favourite spring flower. Sure enough, the first one I see is blooming in a crack beside a crumbling wall on the busy main road. I can’t help but let out a joyful shout, leaning down to cradle its fierce lion head in my fingers. Hello, dandelion, how I’ve missed you!

Perhaps it’s being a wheelchair user, closer to the ground than most, that has given me a special place in my heart for them, or perhaps it’s because I’ve always felt like a weed myself, inconvenient and growing in the wrong place. Either way, I have long been kindred spirits with keen-eyed toddlers who love to carry them in their fists. I’ve often joked that my bridal bouquet will be dandelions, please. I can honestly think of no finer flower. Why? Because there is no better example of nature’s generosity than a dandelion.

XPENG’s 2026 vehicle deliveries continue to be notably lower than a year before. Though, this month, they at least grew significantly compared to the month before. With 27,415 deliveries in March, XPENG’s vehicle sales were down 17.44% compared to March 2025 (33,205 deliveries), but they were up 79.7% compared to ... [continued]

The post XPENG Sales Down 17% Year Over Year appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The Giving Trees project is an endeavor from Cool Effect, a climate crisis non-profit organization. Farmers in Africa can choose trees to plant locally; the trees provide many free benefits to the local communities and the environment. Through the project’s work, the African farmers have planted over 28 million trees. ... [continued]

The post Millions Of Trees Planted In Africa To Remove Carbon & Restore Soil appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Electric trucks now almost €1,800 a month cheaper to run than diesel. European diesel hauliers face a monthly increase in fuel costs 1.5 times higher than electric trucks, which now deliver an extra €280 in monthly savings per vehicle. In Germany, fuel cost increase for diesel trucks is over 2.5 ... [continued]

The post German Truckers To Face Over €1,200 A Month In Additional Diesel Costs appeared first on CleanTechnica.

If you’ve ever owned an older British car, you probably know your mechanic on a first-name basis. You might even have gotten a thank you note when his son graduated college. For a long time, Mini was the poster child for that stereotype. In fact, if you look back at ... [continued]

The post How Going Electric Helped Drag Mini Out of the Reliability Basement appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Waymo recently hosted an event in Tokyo to share more about our autonomous driving technology and our progress in Tokyo to the local media specializing in automotive technology. As the original pioneer in the autonomous driving technology industry, Waymo has developed industry-leading hardware, AI and operations, which enabled the company ... [continued]

The post Waymo Visits Japan appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Not so long ago in a galaxy very close by, a stupid man assembled a team of stupid people to steal the essence of a nation.

The post Rumpledthinskin — A Parable For Our Time appeared first on CleanTechnica.

‘Precious ocean life is being pushed to the brink,’ say campaigners, arguing that overfished marine areas are ‘protected only on paper’

Almost 40% of England’s seas are designated as marine protected areas. Their purpose, the government says, is “to protect and recover rare threatened and important marine ecosystems … from damage caused by human activities”.

And yet in the four years to 2024, trawlers using vast nets, including those that scour the seabed, caught more than 1.3m tonnes of fish within them, according to official figures that campaigners say show they are “little more than lines on a map”.

Government told to focus on transition to mix of wind, solar, tidal and nuclear energy

More drilling in the North Sea would do nothing to improve the UK’s energy security, former military leaders have said, as a new analysis finds no fossil fuel importer is safe from chokepoints in the global supply chain.

The government should focus on a rapid transition to a mix of wind, solar, tidal and nuclear energy to ensure the UK’s future security, the former military leaders told the Guardian, as well as a programme of energy efficiency and a “major renewal” of the electricity grid.

As energy prices keep rising, new analysis highlights the benefits of truck electrification Only weeks after the EU Parliament approved a weakening of the HDV CO2 standards, this emerging energy crisis should serve as a stark reminder that Europe’s only path to true strategic sovereignty lies in accelerating electrification of ... [continued]

The post Middle East Energy Crisis: Comparing Operating Costs for Diesel vs Electric Trucks appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Government keen to avoid panic as oil price surges, but perhaps households need advice on reducing consumption

Labour ministers asked in recent days about the looming energy crisis sparked by the Iran war, including Keir Starmer himself, have essentially stuck to that reassuring wartime slogan: keep calm and carry on.

“I think people should go about their lives as normal, knowing that the government is taking action to bring energy bills down,” James Murray, the chief secretary to the Treasury, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday.

Research from the University of Exeter find that the method could help reduce thefts by as much as 50%

Gulls thrive on snatching chips from unwary beachgoers, but now research shows that painting a pair of eyes on takeaway boxes could put gulls off, reducing thefts by as much as 50%.

Laura Kelley, from the University of Exeter, and colleagues presented herring gulls with tempting takeaways at a number of seaside towns in Devon and Cornwall. When faced with a choice between a box with eyes painted on it and a plain box, the gulls were slower to approach the box with eyes and less likely to peck at it. And the findings, which are published in Ecology and Evolution, show that the effect is sustained, with gulls remaining wary of the boxes with eyes on them, even after repeated exposure.

The more than 100 bat species living in the Mozambican reserve’s labyrinth of caves play a key role in maintaining a fragile ecosysytem that benefits wildlife and people

• Words and photographs by Kang-Chun Cheng

After wriggling gingerly into a damp, cool cave, Raúl da Silva Armando Chomela waits for his eyes to adjust. Donning latex gloves, a helmet fitted with a headlamp, and a mask to protect his lungs from fine particles and bacteria, the molecular biologist from the Mozambican port city of Beira gazes into the shadowy recesses for signs of bats.

He has spent two years in these claustrophobic spaces studying the winged mammals and their excrement. “Guano is far more than just bat droppings,” he says. “If I had to describe it in one word, I’d say ‘ecosystem’.”

A death rate of up to 90%, attributed to warming seas, is threatening the trade in Hiroshima prefecture, which produces most of the country’s farmed oysters

The Kure oyster festival is doing a brisk trade in beer and grilled meat on sticks. But the longest queues are in front of the oyster stalls, where chefs shuffle piles of mottled shellfish across griddles, waiting for their hinges to ease and reveal their fleshy interiors.

Nobuyuki Miyaoka, who is attending the festival with his son, daughter-in-law and their young children, likes his oysters steamed with sake and served with a few drops of tangy ponzu sauce. “The local oysters were fine until this year,” he says. “They used to be a lot bigger … look how small they are.”

Chefs prepare oysters at the Kure oyster festival. This year, local businesses and consumers say the shellfish have been scarce and smaller than usual

https://cleantechnica.com/2024/10/21/fervo-energys-update-shows-enhanced-geothermal-is-hot-literally/

The post Closed Loop Geothermal Moves Forward In Germany appeared first on CleanTechnica.

In this episode of CleanTech Talk, Dylan McDowell, CEO of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL), and Hawai‘i State Senator Chris Lee break down why state action matters now more than ever in the clean energy transition, how hands‑on learning is shaping real policy outcomes, and what trends are ... [continued]

The post How States Are Powering America’s Clean Energy Future appeared first on CleanTechnica.

While some other EV automakers have had a hard — or very hard — start to the year, NIO was absolutely popping in March. The company scored 35,486 deliveries in March, which was a whopping 136% increase year over year. Compared to February, it was a 70.6% increase. Note that ... [continued]

The post NIO Sales Grow 136% Year Over Year appeared first on CleanTechnica.