Interesting Ideas

The US geothermal industry is gearing up to move into new territory, helping to get fossil fuels out of the power generation business.

The post The Geothermal Energy Part Of “Unleashing American Energy” Is Beginning To Pay Off appeared first on CleanTechnica.

We found reusable wrapping clothes, garlands made from invasive species, and solar-powered lights that you’ll want to use season after season

• Nine eco-minded gifts for Americans that actually make a difference

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The holiday season is a time for joy, togetherness and generosity, but it can also be a time for overflowing waste bins. According to Oklahoma State University, families tend to generate about 25% more trash during this season, and it’s easy to see how. From disposable gift wrap to novelty decor destined for the landfill by New Year’s Eve, short-lived festivities can unintentionally generate long-term trash.

But that doesn’t mean you need to endure a drab and joyless December in a cave: a few thoughtful swaps can make for magical holiday celebrations with less waste, and some of them even help communities in need. Here are nine sustainable purchases that can help fill the season with intention, and maybe even inspire those around you to do the same.

The debate of the last 15 years rages on. Should automakers just focus on transitioning to fully electric vehicles as quickly as possible, or should they play in the half-electric, half-fossil fuel pool? The Chevy Volt extended-range electric vehicle was released in 2010, a decade and a half ago. It ... [continued]

The post ONVO Exec Torches Extended-Range Electric Vehicles appeared first on CleanTechnica.

UN GEO report says ending this harm key to global transformation required ‘before collapse becomes inevitable’

The unsustainable production of food and fossil fuels causes $5bn (£3.8bn) of environmental damage per hour, according to a major UN report.

Ending this harm was a key part of the global transformation of governance, economics and finance required “before collapse becomes inevitable”, the experts said.

Ghana’s capital is a party and entertainment hub but members of the diaspora would do well to experience its spectacular art scene

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After more than 50 editions surfing across the waves of the global Black diaspora with Nesrine, this will be my final dispatch for the Long Wave, as I move on to a new role on the Opinion desk at the Guardian. I am heartbroken to be leaving, but I am so thankful to all of our readers for being so encouraging and engaged throughout the past year.

Any who, time to cut the sad music (this is my farewell tune of choice), as I have one more edition for you. In late autumn, I took my first trip to Ghana for Accra Cultural Week. While there, I visited the historic area of Jamestown, which was reflected in an exhibition by artist Serge Attukwei Clottey.

Pulp and paper mills sit at the intersection of several decarbonization pressures. They burn large volumes of fossil gas in lime kilns and recovery boilers. They buy significant amounts of industrial oxygen for delignification and bleaching. They operate in communities where economic continuity matters at least as much as emissions ... [continued]

The post Why Hydrogen at a Kamloops BC Pulp Mill Fails the Cost Test appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Kolahoi is one of many glaciers whose decline is disrupting whole ecosystems – water, wildlife and human life that it has supported for centuries

From the slopes above Pahalgam, the Kolahoi glacier is visible as a thinning, rumpled ribbon of ice stretching across the western Himalayas. Once a vast white artery feeding rivers, fields and forests, it is now retreating steadily, leaving bare rock, crevassed ice and newly exposed alpine meadows.

The glacier’s meltwater has sustained paddy fields, apple orchards, saffron fields and grazing pastures for centuries. Now, as its ice diminishes, the entire web of life it supported is shifting.

I just wrote about ONVO President Shen Fei torching the idea of extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs). He’s not a fan. However, he had something else much more interesting to say in the interview with The Paper, a Chinese media outlet. ONVO, like its parent NIO, offers battery swapping to owners ... [continued]

The post Yes! EV Drivers with Choice & Time Downgrade Their Batteries! appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Wondering what to get the nature lover in your life? Our outdoor enthusiast curates the must-haves: Loop earplugs, Yeti Rambler and more

• The 163 best holiday gift ideas for 2025, vetted by the Guardian US staff

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Whether you know someone who camps every weekend or just enjoys morning coffee outside, you already know: outdoorsy people can be particular about their gear. They want to stay both comfortable and safe in the elements – a reliable water bottle means no spills in the pack and a good headlamp keeps them on the trail and not in a ravine.

Outdoor gear can be intimidating and expensive, but I’ve pulled together a list of affordable yet reliable things that I’ve personally used as an outdoors lover. (I have also gifted many of these to family members who now use them often.) These are things I’ve dragged through mud, shoved into carry-ons and relied on when the weather turned. Whether your person camps, hikes, fishes or bikes, here are durable and practical gifts that make being outside easier and more fun.

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Copernicus deputy director says three-year average for 2023 to 2025 on track to exceed 1.5C of heating for first time

This year is “virtually certain” to end as the second- or third-hottest year on record, EU scientists have found, as climate breakdown continues to push the planet away from the stable conditions in which humanity evolved.

Global temperatures from January to November were on average 1.48C higher than preindustrial levels, according to the Copernicus, the EU’s earth observation programme. It found the anomalies were so far identical to those recorded in 2023, which is the second-hottest year on record after 2024.

Tebay, Cumbria: We have 30 acres of Roman remains underground here, but thanks to recent storms and a redirected river, I fear they’re not safe

Today I am out in freezing temperatures photographing a riverbank. Mist, which we call “clag”, swirls over the higher ground and I cannot see any of our livestock that are overwintering on the hills.

The reason I’ve turned photographer may come as a surprise: on Low Borrowbridge farm we have a Roman fort and civilian settlement dating to the first and second century AD, including what is thought to be a Roman parade ground and cemetery. The remains are extensive, covering at least 12 hectares (30 acres) under the ground. Since Victorian times, there have been successive excavations, most recently in 2011-12 when a mansio (a guesthouse for people visiting the fort) was found. A geophysical survey has also located the headquarters building and the commander’s house.

Decision wins stricter pollution rules in face of rising asthma rates. DETROIT, Michigan — Detroit area residents will be able to breathe easier as Sierra Club’s latest win for clean air will result in stronger pollution standards at a time when asthma rates in the region are rising. The legal ... [continued]

The post Court Sides with Sierra Club and Advocates to Strike Down EPA Clean Air Designation appeared first on CleanTechnica.

A fin whale washed ashore in Anchorage and was left there for months. Then a self-described ‘wacko’ museum director made a plan

When a whale dies, its body descends to the bottom of the deep sea in a transformative phenomenon called a whale fall. A whale’s death jump-starts an explosion of life, enough to feed and sustain a deep-ocean ecosystem for decades.

There are a lot of ways whales can die. Migrating whales lose their way and, unable to find their way back from unfamiliar waters, are stranded. They can starve when prey disappears or fall to predators such as orcas. They become bycatch, tangled in fishing lines and nets. Mass whale deaths have been linked to marine heatwaves and the toxic algae blooms that follow.

Donald Trump has had a problem with wind farms for decades. It seems that it all started with a wind farm that was being proposed offshore near a golf course of his in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He sued the Scottish government in 2006 regarding this. This is the kind of illogical, ... [continued]

The post Comments on Federal Judge Vacating Trump’s Unlawful Wind Energy Ban appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The European car market and the Osborne effect was the topic of an article I wrote nearly 7 years ago. I made bold predictions for the future, and as all predictions of the future, they were wrong. I should have written a followup on it, but I did not predict ... [continued]

The post The Europe Car Market Is in the Grip of the Osborne Effect appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Once fairly frequent winter visitors to southern England, they now stay close to their northern breeding grounds

An owl? Or just a gatepost? In my experience, it’s usually a gatepost. So as I drove home across the Somerset Levels, returning from my first starling murmuration of the year, I was convinced that the owl-shaped lump a few yards away was just that. It was also dark brown, unlike the barn owls I sometimes see, which glow like beacons long after sunset.

Stopping the car, I lifted my binoculars and found myself face to face with a real, live short-eared owl (Asio flammeus), a bird I hadn’t seen in Somerset for several years. Once fairly frequent winter visitors to southern England, like so many other species from farther north and east their numbers have fallen as they stay put on, or close to, their breeding grounds.

Scientists issue urgent warning about chemicals, found to cause cancer and infertility as well as harming environment

Scientists have issued an urgent warning that some of the synthetic chemicals that help underpin the current food system are driving increased rates of cancer, neurodevelopmental conditions and infertility, while degrading the foundations of global agriculture.

The health burden from phthalates, bisphenols, pesticides and Pfas “forever chemicals” amounts to up to $2.2tn a year – roughly as much as the profits of the world’s 100 largest publicly listed companies, according to the report published on Wednesday.

Kia PV5 Cargo earns the top five-star rating in the 2025 Euro NCAP Commercial Van Safety assessment Strong performance across key categories, including Occupant Protection, Safety Assist/Crash Avoidance and Post-Crash Safety Standard ADAS technologies — including AEB, Lane Support System and Speed Assistance System — deliver high performance in demanding ... [continued]

The post Kia PV5 Cargo Achieves Maximum 5-Star Rating in 2025 Euro NCAP Commercial Van Safety Assessment appeared first on CleanTechnica.

By Waymo AI Team Autonomous driving is the ultimate challenge for AI in the physical world. At Waymo, we’re solving it by prioritizing demonstrably safe AI, where safety is central to how we engineer our models and AI ecosystem from the ground up. As a result, we’ve built an incredibly ... [continued]

The post Demonstrably Safe AI For Autonomous Driving appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The space solar power industry is gathering steam, with Aetherflux among the US startups working on space-to-earth and orbiting data center applications.

The post New Solar-Powered Orbiting Data Centers Skip To The Head Of The Line appeared first on CleanTechnica.