Interesting Ideas

One blaze broke out north-west of Fort Lauderdale in Florida, a state known for its wetlands and everglades

Much of the US is in the grip a widespread drought after a very dry winter and start to spring. South-eastern areas, in particular Florida and Georgia, are experiencing some of the worst of this prolonged bout of dry weather, with calls for the risk to be labelled a level 4 “exceptional” drought in the region, the most severe category. In recent days, strong winds and low humidity conditions have brought an increased fire risk. These ingredients combined with such unusually dry ground have led to multiple large wildfires, particularly across Florida, a state known for its wetlands and everglades.

A fire broke out early on Tuesday morning in Broward County, Florida, just north-west of Fort Lauderdale, scorching an area of more than 3,723 hectares (9,200 acres) as of Thursday afternoon. The National Guard helped Broward’s sheriff, fire and rescue service tackle the blaze, 50% of which has since been contained. Residents nearby and farther west have been warned of reduced air quality as a result of travelling smoke. Fires have been breaking out elsewhere, with multiple active blazes across northern Florida, Georgia and into Alabama. Abnormally dry weather is likely to continue over the next few weeks before the arrival of the rainy season, usually around June, with the drought and fire risk expected to last.

Companies Need Critical Minerals for Electronics, Medical Equipment, Crops, and More. These 3 Techniques (and Others) Could Make Some Easier To Get. “The Fast Lane” series zooms in on some of the thousands of technologies born in national laboratories that companies can license today. This iteration focuses on tools and ... [continued]

The post The Fast Lane: 3 Ways To Get More Critical Minerals, Now appeared first on CleanTechnica.

More than 50% of voters at first AGM under new leadership oppose plans to scrap climate reporting

BP’s board has suffered a triple climate rebellion in its first shareholder meeting since appointing new leadership to steer the embattled oil company.

More than 50% of shareholders voting at the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) came out against its plans to scrap its existing climate reporting, and its resolution to replace in-person annual shareholder meetings – a lightning rod for climate protest in recent years – with online-only events.

Ferries are public infrastructure that happen to float. They are marine buses, freight bridges, medical access routes, school links, tourism arteries, repair crew shuttles, food supply chains, and island lifelines. When they fail, communities notice at once. When fuel costs rise, farepayers and taxpayers notice soon after. That is why ... [continued]

The post Big Ferries Are Becoming Battery-First Systems appeared first on CleanTechnica.

In this week’s newsletter: Experts are predicting a stronger version of the weather pattern this year, which could supercharge extreme events and see temperature rises breach 1.5C

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Scientists and officials are keeping a close eye on conditions brewing in the Pacific Ocean that could spike temperatures and smash global heat records in the year ahead.

It’s still too early to get a definitive picture, but there are signs that a so-called super El Niño could develop this year, supercharging extreme weather events around the world. Some forecasts are suggesting it could become one of the strongest ever recorded.

Stern warning: one man’s mission to clear the rotting boats poisoning Cornwall’s creeks

On the trail with the hunters who believe shooting big game can save Africa’s wildlife

Who’d have thought a fossil-fuel shill like Trump would be the one to spark a green revolution? | George Monbiot

Are we heading for ‘super El Niño’ – and what could we expect?

What is supercharging global heat? – video explainer

Chance of El Niño forming in Pacific Ocean may push global temperatures to record highs in 2027

Hyundai invited CleanTechnica into its brand new automotive factory where it is building the IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 9 for US customers. It’s located a few minutes outside of Savannah in Ellabell, Georgia. Disclaimer: Hyundai paid for the author’s travel and accommodations to attend this event in Savannah, Georgia. The ... [continued]

The post A Look Inside Hyundai’s Metaplant appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The climate crisis is accelerating the frequency of devastating events across the world, displacing millions and disproportionately affecting women

The water mark on Naira Santa Rita’s wall told the story before she could find the words for it. High and brown, like a scar, it was the line left by the floodwater on 15 February 2022 – the night Petrópolis drowned.

Within minutes, the mountain city she called home became a war zone. From her window, she watched bodies float past in the streets below. More than 230 people died that night, in what was until then Brazil’s worst climate disaster.

In my flat Florida community I all-too-often see people exercising with a podcast playing in their ears. Earbuds allow non-stop entertainment, of course. I get that. It assuages boredom. Then again, listening to others’ thoughts removes us from awareness of the world around us. How do we enhance our ability ... [continued]

The post Take Out The Earbuds & Appreciate The Nature Around You! appeared first on CleanTechnica.

‘Coalition of the willing’ gathers in Colombia to try to bypass petrostate blockages of Cop summits and chart fresh path

The world’s first Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels conference, co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, takes place in Santa Marta, Colombia, from 24 to 29 April. A “coalition of the willing” – including 54 countries and various subnational governments, civil society groups and academics– will try to chart a new path to powering the world with low-carbon energy.

Divers are installing waterproof speakers in the ocean to help pull a coral reef near Jamaica back from the brink

The northern coast of Jamaica once served as the backdrop for scenes in the James Bond thriller No Time to Die. But today, beneath those same turquoise waves, a real-life mission is unfolding: the race to pull a dying coral reef back from the brink.

However, the tools a team of divers are carrying to the seafloor are not what you would expect to find in a marine biologist’s kit. They are installing waterproof speakers at the bottom of the ocean, and the man leading the team is not a scientist.

The most powerful single-seater in Formula E history made its public track debut this week at Circuit Paul Ricard, where the series’ incoming GEN4 machine gave onlookers their first unfiltered look at a car that former champion Jake Dennis has already described as an “absolute beast.” The testing sessions in ... [continued]

The post Formula E Unveils GEN4 Car As Series Eyes Berlin Double-Header appeared first on CleanTechnica.

When the federal EV incentives were removed because of the efforts of some Republicans, it was predicted that US EV sales would plunge. They did go into slumps for many, but not all, electric vehicles. There was a little boost for EV sales still remaining in the form of state ... [continued]

The post $30 Million In EV Incentives Approved In New York appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Inside the First Data Center–Grid Simulator Built To Test the Promising New Technology As demand for data centers continues to rise, many center operators, utilities, and American communities are asking: Can the U.S. power grid handle these energy elephants? The answer depends on just how many elephants the country adopts. ... [continued]

The post Could a New Kind of Power Supply Help Make Data Centers Grid-Friendly? appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Green groups say European Commission is ‘chief roadblock’ to its own plans, as report finds poor progress four years on

Harmful compounds in children’s nappies and toxic “forever chemicals” in everyday products are among 14 hazardous substance groups hit by lengthy delays to EU pollution controls, according to report findings described by scientists as “extremely frustrating”.

The European Commission sought to push broad categories of dangerous substances off the market with a “restrictions roadmap” in April 2022 that was hailed at the time as the largest-ever ban of toxic chemicals.

Brancepeth, County Durham: It’s nearly 30 years since St Brandon’s was devastated by fire. Today, both inside and out, it is full of light and life

“Please close the door. It conserves heat and keeps the organ in tune,” requests the notice inside the church door. It’s pleasantly warm inside, on this chilly April morning. But on the night of 16 September 1998, temperatures here exceeded 1,000C, when fire consumed the old organ, along with the floors, window, roof and 900 years of history, leaving a charred shell.

Seven years of reconstruction and renewal followed, creating a light, airy interior: simple pale oak has replaced the darker, more intricate furnishings, and a new east window portrays an exotic floral paradise.

Hyundai opened up to us this week about its partnership with Waymo to produce a robotaxi based on the IONIQ 5 with Waymo that could see Waymo purchasing 50,000 of the EVs over the next few years. Initially, they stated that they would be building the first robotaxi to be ... [continued]

The post Hyundai Partners With Waymo To Produce An IONIQ 5 Robotaxi — Field Trip appeared first on CleanTechnica.

One of the best climate and environmental communicators of the last few decades, Bill McKibben, will be speaking at our Electric Home Show in Hawaii this weekend. To be honest, I wasn’t keen on promoting this much in advance, because the event is focused on helping people who live in ... [continued]

The post Bill McKibben Speaking at Our Hawaii Electric Home Show on Sunday! appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Most landholders in regional Victoria support renewable energy – if they get a say. But planning approvals are riding roughshod over community concerns

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The wind never really stops on Peter Watts’ hill. On his grazing property, 90km north-west of Bendigo, it sweeps in across the plains and picks up strength as it climbs. “I can go up there any time of the day,” Watts says. “It might be completely still down here but it’s always windy up there.”

For five generations, the hill was just part of the landscape. Then, in 2002, scientists told him it was the “perfect spot” for a windfarm. Developers came knocking a decade later, proposing to build six turbines on the hill, each one 95 metres high

Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast has begun reshaping its lineup in India by positioning the fleet-focused Limo Green as a more luxurious product under a new name: MPV7. But VinFast tells CleanTechnica this is not the Limo Green. Not even a rebadge, because the MP7 is a premium vehicle in the ... [continued]

The post VinFast Launches The Limo Green In India, Renames It The MPV7 appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Study of fossilised beaks shows patterns of wear and suggests some ancient species were up to 19 metres long

Giant “kraken-like” octopuses that used powerful beaks to crunch through bones of prey were among the most formidable predators of the Cretaceous oceans, according to research.

Analysis of dozens of newly identified fossils reveals that some ancient octopus species reached up to 19 metres in length, meaning they would have rivalled – and possibly even preyed upon – apex predators such as mosasaurs and plesiosaurs.