Interesting Ideas

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.

‘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”.

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

The Solutions Project is a nonprofit philanthropic foundation that funds and amplifies the stories of grassroots climate organizations, most of which are led by women and people of color. The Project practices Solidarity Philanthropy, centering equity and justice at the heart of grant-making. They’ve invested $50 million+ in grants to ... [continued]

The post Black-Led Climate Actions — Featuring The Solutions Project Grantees appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Last week, XPENG officially launched in Mexico. Their initial models start with the recently refreshed G6 starting at 819,900 MXP (~$45,000 USD), which is slightly higher than the recently stripped back Model Y at 799,000 MXP. Mexican automobile prices tend to overall be somewhat more than those in the US. ... [continued]

The post Mexico Entry Expands XPENG Group’s Global Presence appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Homeowners in New York state are eligible for incentives to purchase home energy management and battery storage systems. The incentives come from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and virtual power plant (VPP) programs provided by National Grid’s ConnectedSolutions and Orange & Rockland Utilities’ Smart Savers ... [continued]

The post New York Homeowners Can Get Paid To Invest In Battery Storage appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Holkham, Norfolk: They’re noisy and boisterous and should by rights should be breeding in Siberia, not eastern England. But I’m delighted they’re here

Barnacle geese in Norfolk still surprise me. In my childhood, tiny numbers from the Siberian population visited, but only in the cruellest spells of winter. Even though I know that they breed in Norfolk now, seeing 700 of them over Holkham Park today is oddly jarring.

I hear them first, as I tiptoe past an angry pair of cheese-beaked greylags to admire a cherry plum in bloom. I register their breathy, barking calls. Ah yes, the barnacles are back.

The great naturalist, who is about to turn 100, is still surprised by wildlife in his new series about British gardens. But not every pet owner will be happy with his top tips

Whenever David Attenborough speaks, the world listens – so his latest BBC programme, which heralds the broadcaster’s 100th birthday, is bound to attract attention.

Secret Garden, which features five different UK gardens, might not be what people normally expect from Attenborough, says the show’s series producer, Bill Markham, as “there’s no lions and tigers”.

The Sierra Club on Friday filed a request for rehearing to ask for a reconsideration of the Arizona Corporation Commission’s (ACC) decision to repeal Arizona’s Renewable Energy Standard and Tariff (REST), a program that has supported the development of clean, affordable renewable energy, bringing clean energy jobs and investment to Arizona. In its ... [continued]

The post Sierra Club Files Request for Rehearing on ACC REST Decision appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Energy industry analysts are warming that $200 a barrel oil is possible if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed into April.

The post $200 A Barrel Oil? — Bloomberg Says It’s Possible appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Starmer to convene major energy industry and insurance figures to draw up emergency plans amid continued blockade of strait of Hormuz

Rachel Reeves will warn G7 nations they must move faster on clean energy to insulate economies against global price shocks from oil and gas as she and the energy secretary Ed Miliband meet G7 finance and energy ministers on Monday.

Keir Starmer will also gather major energy industry and insurance figures to thrash out what emergency measures might be needed to contain the continuing crisis from the blockade of the strait of Hormuz.

Nationwide reforms aim to standardise collections and expand food waste recycling to tackle stagnating rates

Recycling rules across England have long been inconsistent – but that will change from Tuesday when the government’s Simpler Recycling legislation comes into effect.

For decades, there was no record of Andrena rehni exisiting in the US. In 2018 it was found in Maryland and five years later I found it in New York State

I’ve loved insects ever since I was a kid and spent summers looking for them. My mum would always tell me that from the age of one – even before I could walk – I would happily sit outside, watching ants and trying to follow them back to their colony.

As an adult, I take people out to meadows with nets to catch insects and take a close look at them. It’s about trying to cultivate a childlike curiosity that people have lost or forgotten in daily life.

Bedrock Environmental Law Restored to Pre-Trump Status Oakland, CA — A federal court struck down President Trump’s attacks against the Endangered Species Act (ESA), restoring key values of the bedrock environmental law to the status it held for decades before the first Trump administration attacked the bedrock environmental law. After a seven-year ... [continued]

The post Federal Court Strikes Down President Trump’s Attacks Against Endangered Species Act appeared first on CleanTechnica.

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.

A new electric vehicle bill passed recently in Wyoming. The title is sort of self-explanatory: “HB0145 – Removing triple taxation for resident EV drivers.” Removing the overtaxing of electric vehicles owned and driven by residents of Wyoming sounds like a great idea. Overtaxing them in the first place was not. ... [continued]

The post Wyoming Reduces Electric Vehicle Taxes appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Here at CleanTechnica we like to step aside and have a little fun on April 1 and tease our readers a bit. (See here, here, here, and here.) So, in keeping with that tradition, I’d like to test your ability to separate truth from tripe, to distinguish applesauce from argument. ... [continued]

The post An April Fool’s Joke Or Not? “The God Squad Is Overriding Protections For Endangered Species” appeared first on CleanTechnica.

T&E calls for a temporary tax on oil companies’ super-profits. Oil majors are set to make a €24 billion¹ windfall from European drivers off the back of the latest conflict in the Middle East, a new T&E tracker shows². Oil companies have already made €1.3 billion in excess profits, the ... [continued]

The post Oil Companies Set to Make €24 Billion in Excess Profits from European Drivers This Year appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Brittlestars, sea anemones and a catshark among new-to-science species collected during expedition off the Queensland coast

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Marine scientists have discovered more than 110 new fish and invertebrate species in the Coral Sea – a figure they believe could exceed 200 as more are identified.

The species were found in waters between 200 metres and 3km deep in the Coral Sea marine park, Australia’s largest marine protected area, which spans nearly 1m sq km to the east of the Great Barrier Reef.

Toyota Motor Corporation is moving to join cellcentric as an equal shareholder alongside Volvo Group and Daimler Truck AG, following the signing of a non-binding memorandum of understanding among the parties. The planned structure would give all three companies equal ownership in cellcentric, which will continue to operate as an ... [continued]

The post Volvo, Toyota, & Daimler Truck Ink Memorandum For Fuel Cell Development appeared first on CleanTechnica.