Interesting Ideas

National Trust begins planting the 49 ‘trees of hope’ so the illegally felled tree can live on in a positive way

Saplings from the felled Sycamore Gap tree are to be planted across the UK, including at a pit disaster site, a town still healing from the Troubles and a place which became an international symbol of peace, protest and feminism.

The National Trust said planting of 49 saplings, known as “trees of hope”, would begin on Saturday. It is hoped that the sycamore will live on in a positive, inspirational way.

A deal is welcome after talks nearly collapsed but the final agreement contains small steps rather than leaps

The UN climate summit Cop30 moved forward the fight against the climate crisis and the damage it is already causing to lives and livelihoods. But the measures agreed are steps, rather than the leaps needed.

Finally! Waymo partnered up with Zeekr awhile back to develop custom-designed robotaxi vehicles for Waymo’s operations. It was a bit of a funny partnership, since Waymo is a US company focused on the US market and Zeekr is a Chinese EV startup. If that wasn’t odd enough in a vacuum, ... [continued]

The post New Waymo Robotaxi Custom Built By Zeekr Spotted in San Diego appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Dalby Forest, the North York Moors: It was a misty morning in the forest, and everything was damp – that’s when I saw one for the first time

If you ask someone to draw a mushroom, chances are they will draw a red cap with white dots and a stalk, but they have probably never seen one like this outside of a book. I saw these elusive mushrooms for the first time this autumn when we went to Dalby Forest.

It was early morning and the mist was rolling across the forest, making everything slightly damp. I love forests at this time of year, with the decomposing leaves creating that autumn smell, letting you know that winter is getting closer. I had come with my family to go on a forest walk, and that’s when I saw it.

CleanTechnica recently published an update on plug-in car sales in Australia for October 2025. It was mainly focussed on the top sellers. One of our readers pointed out: “It looks like the list has a long tail.” And asked the question: “How many models are selling more than 50?” Thank ... [continued]

The post The Long Tail of BEV Sales in Australia appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Organised criminals face few repercussions for dumping toxic rubbish as Environment Agency struggles to keep up

In a once scenic ancient woodland outside Ashford, an enormous biohazard cleanup operation is under way to remove the toxic aftermath of the criminal dumping of 35,000 tonnes of rubbish.

Tankers come and go along a new road, built for the purpose. Behind metal gates away from public view, specialists in hazmat suits dig through the mountain of waste dumped on an industrial scale in a woodland that is a protected site of special scientific interest.

Countries around the world have significantly increased their renewable energy capacity. The application of artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) has boosted renewable energy viability and is sparking significant growth. No longer strictly reliant on government incentives, profitable renewable energy is becoming the norm. In fact, the ... [continued]

The post Profitable Renewable Energy: Abundant & Scalable appeared first on CleanTechnica.

At the 2025 APAC Wind Energy Summit of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) last September, the Philippines made its strongest commitment yet to building a commercial offshore wind industry (OSW). This month, a breakthrough Green Energy Auction Program Round 5 (GEA-5) confirms that the country’s national pipeline is set ... [continued]

The post First Fixed-Bottom Offshore Wind Project Auctions In The Philippines Secured appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Drought and high temperatures are putting pressure on groundwater sources all across Texas, and making water a highly profitable business.

The post Water Wars Come To Texas appeared first on CleanTechnica.

She was sure that there would be warnings if there was any danger. But then the floods came. This is Toñi García’s story

Location Valencia, Spain

Disaster Floods, 2024

Toñi García lives in Valencia. On 29 October 2024, devastating storms hit the Iberian peninsula, bringing the heaviest rain so far this century. The national alert system sounded at around 8.30pm local time; by then, however, flood waters had already broken through the city. Scientists say the explosive downpours were linked to climate change.

Conversion, the kind that doesn’t involve swapping religions or political affiliations, is a practice well known in the Philippines. The most famous, so far, is converting vehicles from right-hand drive to left-hand drive. This kind of conversion, looked upon with disdain and sometimes fright by engineers, has given the Filipinos ... [continued]

The post Philippines’ C-Trike Electric Tricycle Proves That Not All Conversions are Bad appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-to-home technology has been a long time coming. Some automakers and smart tech companies led the way a decade or more ago with pilot programs, but real commercial products have been coming to market in recent years. The latest to join the vehicle-to-home (V2H) party is Cadillac. Here’s ... [continued]

The post Your Cadillac Can Now Power Your Home appeared first on CleanTechnica.

I wrote a handful of articles before the US EV tax credits ended pondering what would happen to used EV prices after they were gone, and asking you readers to chime in with your thoughts. We got all kinds of interesting responses. Prices could drop considerably due to the $4,000 ... [continued]

The post How Have Used Electric Car Prices Changed Post–$4,000 Tax Credit? appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Need for new road taxes is clear – but there are concerns that pricing plan could stall transition away from petrol

Three pence: a small charge per mile for an electric vehicle, but a giant conceptual leap for Britain.

Chancellors of the exchequer have long resisted any form of road pricing as politically toxic. That may be about to change next week: Rachel Reeves, perhaps inured to being pilloried for any money-raising proposal, is expected to introduce a charge explicitly linked to how far EVs drive.

Cross-party coalition behind proposals hope eco-friendly scheme for million people could begin before end of decade

In the next few years, spades could be in the ground for a city made of wood, in the middle of the largest new nature reserve created in England in decades, with four-bedroom homes on sale for £350,000.

It sounds too good to be true, but a cross-party coalition of campaigners is trying to make a “forest city” to house a million people a reality, with construction commencing by the end of this parliament. It would be the first such project in England since the purpose-built new town of Milton Keynes in the 1960s.

Though federal electric vehicle incentives are gone in the United States, some states still have them. As we’ve reported already, these states include: California, Colorado, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Add another to the list: Connecticut, which has actually increased its new battery electric vehicle incentive ... [continued]

The post Connecticut Increases Its Electric Vehicle Incentives appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Climate summit in Brazil needs to find way to stop global heating accelerating amid stark divisions

“It broke my heart.” Surangel Whipps, president of the tiny Pacific nation of Palau, was sitting in the front row of the UN’s general assembly in New York when Donald Trump made a long and rambling speech, his first to the UN since his re-election, on 23 September.

Whipps was prepared for fury and bombast from the US president, but what followed was shocking. Trump’s rant on the climate crisis – a “green scam”, “the greatest con job ever perpetrated”, “predictions made by stupid people” – was an unprecedented attack on science and global action from a major world leader.

A while back, considering a rather tiny personal investment in a typical financial product, I asked a bank if they knew if it was invested in fossil fuels. They didn’t seem to know. Not knowing what typical financial products, such as CDs or retirement accounts, are invested in might be ... [continued]

The post Trillions Of Dollars Committed To Fossil Fuel Divestment appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Ending use of coal, oil and gas is essential in tackling climate crisis – but even talking about it is controversial

Brazil’s president welcomes world leaders while navigating divided government, promising action on deforestation and emissions

• How could the Tropical Forest Forever Facility tackle deforestation?

Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has welcomed world leaders to Belém for the first climate summit in the Amazon, where conservationists hope he can be a champion for the rainforest and its people.

But with a divided administration, a hostile Congress and 20th-century developmentalist instincts, this global figurehead of the centre left has a balancing act to perform in advocating protection of nature and a reduction of emissions.