Interesting Ideas

Puffins, guillemots, razorbills and terns are washing up on shores across Europe, after a string of storms affected their ability to find food

The two puffins washed up among seaweed and bits of plastic on a beach in Newquay, Cornwall, on a damp February morning. Normally, these much-loved seabirds pull in crowds of tourists eager to see their courtship rituals, but these were rolling in the surf, dead. Most people walking past probably missed them.

Their breast bones were sticking out, they had no fat on them, and their muscles were wasted; the pair probably starved to death, unable to find enough food out in the Atlantic Ocean where they spend the winter.

Former diplomat Arthur Snell says a heating planet is accelerating conflict and migration – and fostering a new age of empire. Democracies are dangerously unprepared, he warns

After a diplomatic career spent in the war zones of Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen, the last place Arthur Snell expected to cheat death was on holiday.

But it was an uncomfortably close brush with a falling boulder while climbing in the Swiss Alps that helped to bring his personal and professional lives together. His beloved mountains were, he realised, becoming less stable thanks to a changing climate. And if physical geography drives the way states exercise their power, as classic geopolitical theory argues, then a heating planet must be dislodging more than rocks.

Democratic rematch in Durham-area district draws focus to fight over AI datacenters increasingly shaping US elections

• Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox

A North Carolina congressional primary held on Tuesday is an early test of datacenter politics – a fight increasingly shaping elections nationwide.

In the Durham-area fourth district, Congresswoman Valerie Foushee is seeking her third term against progressive challenger Nida Allam, a Durham county commissioner she defeated in 2022. The election was too close to call as of Wednesday morning, with Foushee up by less than one percentage point, and is likely headed for a recount.

On March 5th at 7:00 PM in Shenzhen, or 6:00 AM on the East Coast here in the US, BYD will be launching the next-generation Blade Battery and Flash Charging, in addition to multiple models using the technology. People who have seen a preview are expecting this to be a ... [continued]

The post Next-Generation BYD Blade Battery & Flash Charging Debuts Tomorrow appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Analysis shows average levels are 30cm higher than thought, and up to 150cm in south-east Asia and Indo-Pacific

Sea levels around the world have been underestimated due to inaccurate modelling, with research suggesting ocean levels are far higher than previously understood.

The finding could significantly affect assessments of the future impacts of global heating and the effects on coastal settlements.

The digital universe is dominated by a few extremely large companies which leverage your online activity to generate profits for themselves.

The post How To Break Free Of Digital & Internet Monopolies appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Electric cars already have no tailpipe emissions, but even cleaner EVs — built with low-carbon steel, aluminium and batteries, and in a way that minimises harm to people, communities and the environment — are now within reach, according to a new ranking of the world’s largest carmakers. Crucially, this progress ... [continued]

The post Carmaker League Table Shows EV Supply Chains Are Becoming Even Cleaner — Thanks To Strong EU Rules appeared first on CleanTechnica.

School buses are part of the critical transit system in many countries. School buses ferry hundreds of thousands of school children daily. In a lot of countries, these buses tend to be painted bright yellow so you can’t miss them. With predictable set times of travel and well known routes, ... [continued]

The post School Of The Nations Acquires Electric School Buses From BasiGo, Making It The First School In Kenya To Transition To E-Mobility appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Kenyan electric mobility manufacturer Roam has launched a vehicle intelligence platform aimed at solving visibility of key performance metrics, one of the most overlooked challenges in Africa’s electric mobility transition. The system, called Roam Explorer, enables the connection of electric motorcycles, tuk-tuks, buses, and cars to a centralized digital platform ... [continued]

The post ROAM Launches AI-Enabled Real-Time Monitoring Solution For Electric Fleets In Kenya appeared first on CleanTechnica.

CleanTechnica readers met Marc Anderson last February, when he shared his Xpeng G6 experience with us. We were very impressed with the tech available on an Xpeng, especially when he demonstrated how he could use his phone to reverse park the car, outside the Bracken Ridge Tavern where our local ... [continued]

The post Experience Changes Perception — Bums on Seats! appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Though coffee is one of the world’s most important commodities, little of the profit trickles down to the farmers, while workers are abandoning the countryside in search of more lucrative jobs in the city

Mary Luz Pérez Arrubla and her brother, Rodrigo, are fourth-generation farmers cultivating coffee on steep Andean slopes near the town of Líbano, in the rich agricultural region of Tolima. Along with the rest of Colombia, the family has enjoyed a historic harvest amid surging global coffee prices, which hit record highs for the second year in a row in 2025.

Severe US tariffs imposed on Brazil and Vietnam, – the world’s two largest coffee producers – as well as poor harvests there, helped drive the surge. Both countries were hurt by the El Niño phenomenon, a cyclical weather pattern characterised by dry spells and aggravated by the climate crisis.

Aker QRILL is facing criticism of its fishery management amid calls by environmentalists for curbs on Antarctic fishing of the keystone species

Environmental groups have objected to the recommendation of a “blue tick” sustainability label being awarded to a Norwegian krill fishing giant, amid concerns over concentrated fishing pressure and dramatic climate-driven effects on the Antarctic’s fragile ecosystem.

Norway’s Aker QRILL, the world’s largest harvester of krill, a tiny crustacean and keystone of Antarctica’s fragile ecosystem, and its sister company, Aker BioMarine, produce feed additives for aquaculture and dietary supplements for pets and humans.

The centuries-old maritime firm Bibby Marine steps into the 21st century with a new offshore wind service vessel that skips dirty marine fuel in favor of electric propulsion.

The post New Electric Boat To Banish Emissions From Offshore Wind Sites appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Government says it is working to solve ‘postcode lottery’ of access to green or blue spaces

There are urban areas of England where no one lives within a 15-minute walk of nature, government data shows, as ministers scramble to meet their access to nature targets.

While the data shows 80% of people live within walking distance of green or blue spaces such as a river, park or woodland, it also reveals a disparity between rural and poorer urban areas.

Energy storage has steadily expanded over the last twelve years. This growth may be mostly because of how much battery prices have dropped in the period, which is as much as a 75% decline. Individual homeowners and some business owners, because of how much more affordable batteries are now, may ... [continued]

The post Puget Sound Energy Is Paying Customers To Get Battery Systems appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Tesla has historically gotten billions of dollars of revenue from regulatory credits, mostly from the US, but also a significant chunk from Europe. Last year, Tesla “pooled” with Ford, Honda, Mazda, Subaru, Stellantis, and Toyota, among others. Basically, Tesla got paid to help those other automakers meet EU fleet carbon ... [continued]

The post Automakers Drop Out of Carbon Credit Pool with Tesla appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Olivier De Schutter says new economic agenda needed to tackle crises of rising inequality and ecological collapse

The global economy must be reordered to ensure it serves ordinary people around the world rather than the “frivolous and destructive demands of the ultra-rich”, according to a leading UN figure.

Olivier De Schutter, the UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, says politicians must stop prioritising “socially and ecologically destructive growth” that only increases the profits – and serves the consumption demands – of the world’s richest individuals and corporations.

Scientists are calling loss of biodiversity the ‘homogenocene’, where niche species are pushed out by generalists like pigeons and rats

Plants and animals are disappearing at an alarming rate across the planet, with some estimates suggesting a loss of up to 150 species every day. Meanwhile, the versatile species that thrive alongside humans, such as pigeons, rats and cockroaches, expand to fill the vacant gaps. Some scientists are calling this loss of biodiversity the “homogenocene”: the era when the world’s wildlife became more samey.

It started during the last ice age, when humans hunted large mammals such as the mammoth to extinction, and has continued to the present day as land is cleared to make way for fields, farms and cities. Specialist creatures that exploit a particular niche – such as the flightless Fijian bar-winged rail – have been pushed out by adaptable generalists, like mongooses, brought to Fiji by humans in the 1800s. More recently the homogenocene has hit the oceans, with warmer waters devastating coral reefs for example.

Energy discussions about Hawaiʻi often begin with the largest numbers on the chart. Aviation fuel, maritime bunkering, and military logistics dominate many of the data tables that describe the state’s energy system. When those numbers are placed on a single chart, the scale of the challenge appears enormous and the ... [continued]

The post Oʻahu’s Real Energy System: Stripping Away Aviation, Shipping, & Military Demand appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Instead of removing plant-munching caterpillars, gardeners asked to take relaxed attitude to support the moths many of them grow into

As spring unfolds and plants come to life, gardeners often fight a losing battle against the caterpillars who munch their cabbages.

Traditionally, advice for gardeners regarding caterpillars would be about how to get rid of them and stop unsightly holes in plants. But the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and the Wildlife Trusts are asking Britons to take a relaxed attitude to caterpillar carnage in order to support the moths many of them grow into.

Foxgloves: These pretty plants are food for several moths, including the lesser yellow underwing (Noctua comes), angle shades moth (Phlogophora meticulosa) and setaceous Hebrew character (Xestia c-nigrum).

Lady’s bedstraw: This native wildflower with frothy yellow blooms provides food for the hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum), elephant hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor) and bedstraw hawk-moth (Hyles gallii).

Mullein: These tall, drought-resistant yellow plants are enjoyed by the brightly striped caterpillars of the mullein moth (Cucullia verbasci).

Mint: This provides food for the mint moth and beautiful plume moth. It is also loved by bees.

Hedges: If you have space, a mixed native hedge planted with hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), hazel (Coryllus avellana) and dog rose (Rosa canina) provides food for a multitude of caterpillars.