Interesting Ideas

American car company Buick, huge with grandparents back when I was a kid, has released a very cool looking new sedan, the Buick Electra L7 BEV. Unfortunately, it won’t be available in the US. It’s a model developed solely for China. Of course, as things have evolved over time, Buick ... [continued]

The post The Buick Electra L7 BEV Looks Awesome — But Only For China appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The births, fledgling flights and even first dates on Robert Fuller’s site are about to hit a million global subscribers

Having enjoyed setting up bird boxes with his father as a child, the wildlife artist Robert Fuller wanted to go one step further. While he happily spent hours making the boxes and dotting them around the Yorkshire Wolds, he found it tantalising that he was unable to see exactly what the nesting owls, kestrels and kingfishers were up to.

It transpires Fuller was not alone in his curiosity. His YouTube channel, which livestreams footage from his artificial habitats and documents his love of British nature, is about to hit a million global subscribers. His channel now generates on average 2.8m monthly views.

Jacksonville Community Shared Testimony on Coal Ash Pollution and Demanded Stronger Protections JACKSONVILLE, Florida — Yesterday, Jacksonville residents joined advocates and environmental leaders from across the country to participate in a public hearing regarding EPA’s attempt to roll back its Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) rule, a move which experts warn would ... [continued]

The post Local Residents, Environmental Advocates Spoke Out at EPA Coal Ash Public Hearing appeared first on CleanTechnica.

In this week’s newsletter: We began writing Down to Earth in 2021, but the global political, economic and environmental landscape has changed drastically in the past five years

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The Cop26 UN climate summit in Glasgow in 2021 represented a high-water mark in climate diplomacy, and in hope for global unity. Two weeks in Scotland that year resulted in all countries affirming they would strive to limit global heating to 1.5C, with most setting net zero goals and national plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions, halt deforestation, protect nature and boost renewable energy.

It wasn’t perfect: the plans would still result in about 2.8C of heating, though they agreed to work on strengthening them, and a commitment to phase out coal was weakened at the last minute to a phase down instead. But the direction of travel was clear: the whole world agreed on how to fight the climate crisis. The Paris agreement of 2015 bound countries to keep temperatures “well below” 2C above preindustrial levels, with 1.5C as an aspiration, but at Glasgow the 1.5C limit – in line with scientific advice, which warns of dire consequences beyond that threshold – was adopted as the clear goal.

‘It’s getting hotter and it’s not stopping’: dealing with the heat in five of Europe’s capitals

‘My head spins with the heat’: India’s gig workers battle exhaustion amid soaring temperatures

Climate crisis is accelerating antibiotic resistance across world, study says

Hour by hour, Shahida and her baby are exposed to the full force of the deadly temperatures affecting India’s capital – without reliable access to food, water or healthcare. Here is a day in their lives

Delhi is sweltering through another summer of extreme heat, with top daytime readings consistently reaching 43C and even minimum temperatures hovering around 32.4C (90.3F).

Last week the city endured its warmest May night in 14 years. As government heat alerts follow one after another and people retreat indoors, more than 300,000 individuals living on the city’s streets remain out in the punishing heat.

Shahida dreads the arrival of summer, and this year, she has the additional worry of keeping nine-month-old Jannat safe from the heat

Despite government pledges, more than 20 authorities will not allow gullies, citing safety, legal and parking concerns

The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has said charger gullies to connect electric cars parked on streets will help cut costs for drivers, yet millions of UK households may be unable to use the simple technology because their local councils will still not allow charging cables to cross the pavement.

Despite government promises to “slash red tape” and make it easier to put in gullies, more than 20 local authorities appear to be holding out against them.

Illinois has become the first Great Lakes state to pass legislation designed to curb the discharge of plastic pellets into the environment.

The post Illinois First Great Lakes State To Enact Plastic Pellet Pollution Law appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Conservation groups warn slashing Darwin Initiative will put species and habitats in jeopardy, and set back efforts to halt decline in nature

One of the UK’s longest-standing funds for global nature protection is being drastically cut back, the Guardian has learned.

At least 89 countries will lose eligibility for funding for biodiversity projects under the Darwin Initiative, in a round of cuts that conservationists warned would put species and habitats in jeopardy, and set back global efforts to halt the precipitous decline in nature.

Madley, Wye Valley, Herefordshire: A day of nervous excitement as we invite all-comers to this unveiling. But does everyone know the chimes will continue through the night?

The clock chimes had not rung for two years. A wire had snapped, cogs had broken and the weights had crashed to the floor. We applied for grants and found specialist engineers, and now, finally, they’re ready to ring again.

It’s 11.55 on a Saturday morning and the bellringing chamber of Madley parish church is filled with wellwishers and regulars from the congregation. I splash the clock mechanism, the main bell ropes and the gathered company with water and proclaim a trinitarian blessing. Mike, one of our lead ringers, unhooks a couple of wires that releases the hammers on the eight bells. We wait a slow, nervous minute till noon. Would they really sound again after all this time? Then, 12 distinct “dongs”. We hear the Saturday Social Club raise a cheer from the ground floor.

On May 28, BYD launched its “Dare to Be” intelligent strategy, which taps into their deep vertical integration. BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu stated, “The first half of electrification is all about batteries, while the second half of intelligentization is all about chips.” At the event, BYD unveiled China’s first 4nm ... [continued]

The post BYD Technology Strategy Highlights Hardware With China’s First 4nm Intelligent Driving Chip appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Most cities are flat, or if there are elevation differences, they are typically gradual. In these cases, these cities are well suited to traditional means of public transit, such as buses or subways, which is why they are so plentiful. Some cities, however, have rapid elevation differences, which cause public ... [continued]

The post The Successes & Failures of Gondola Transit Systems (The Good Outweighs the Bad) appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Rather than dreaming of restoring past glory, some are advocating for a future with a lighter footprint. And there are signs of renewal

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Kerry Outerbridge motored his powerboat through coral reef ringing the lush, tropical island and alighted upon white sand.

Catamarans and jetskis lay strewn about the beach. Nothing but quiet emerged to greet him from the bungalows scattered among a grove of coconut trees. A plate of food sat on a kitchen table, mouldering.

The new law should have a laser sharp focus on what needs to be onshored and localised. By Julia Poliscanova and Diane Strauss Another one bites the dust. Morrow Batteries is the latest in the sad saga of EU battery start-ups that have gone bankrupt. The company was burning through ... [continued]

The post How the Industrial Accelerator Act Can Help Avoid More Battery Factories Going Bust appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Ian Hughes is boosting one of the continent’s most at-risk species with science, his sons and some homemade T-shirts

Ian Hughes and his son, Ben, are driving through the hills of north Wales with an array of homemade animal artefacts rattling around their car: diagrams, plaster casts, hand-printed T-shirts. They finally reach Llyn Tegid – Bala Lake in English – where, knee-deep in the water, Ian brandishes two glutinous snails.

It is a mollusc the size of a fingertip. It is also one of Europe’s most endangered species, which Ian has dedicated himself to protecting. “It’s beyond passion,” he says. “It’s an obsession.”

On May 28, the California Energy Commission announced $55.2 million in new funding through the California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project. The funding is to be used for expanding public EV fast charging infrastructure in California. Over 201,000 public EV chargers are operating in California, but most are Level 2 chargers, ... [continued]

The post Over $55 Million Announced To Expand California Public EV Fast Charging appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Steve Hanley had an excellent article this week discussing how the SpaceX IPO may well be a boondoggle to bail out a couple of Elon Musk ventures and enrich a few friends. It’s honestly a bit shocking once you get into the details of the IPO. I think most of ... [continued]

The post Tesla & SpaceX Merger Getting Real appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The MINI Paul Smith Edition blends Paul Smith’s signature “classic with a twist” aesthetic with MINI’s iconic design elements. This special edition is available for the MINI Cooper 3-Door, MINI Cooper 5-Door, and MINI Cooper Convertible. Munich. MINI and Paul Smith bring together what defines both brands: iconic form, meticulous ... [continued]

The post British Collaboration, Reinterpreted: The MINI Paul Smith Edition. appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Survey shows 44% increase on RSPB reserves of bird that almost became extinct in England in the 60s

More than half a century after the Dartford warbler almost vanished from the English countryside, the charismatic heathland bird appears to be staging a comeback.

A survey has revealed the highest number of Dartford warblers ever recorded on reserves run by the bird conservation charity RSPB, with 264 pairs counted in 2025, a 44% increase in five years.

Proposal would leave investors with less information about climate risks while advancing legal theory that could weaken corporate disclosure more broadly. Proposal would leave investors with less information about climate risks while advancing legal theory that could weaken corporate disclosure more broadly WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Securities and Exchange Commission today formally ... [continued]

The post SEC Formally Proposes Rescinding Climate Disclosure Rule, Deepening Retreat From Investor Protection appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Exclusive: Local authority asked what steps it is taking after hordes of splashing revellers seen disturbing nesting birds

Ministers have written to the City of London demanding it stop people from swimming in a protected pond on Hampstead Heath, after disturbing scenes of cygnets and eggs being disrupted went viral on social media.

Swans and their 12-day-old cygnets were disturbed by hordes of splashing revellers in the north London park on Monday as temperatures reached a record 35C in the capital. In one video, a swan was seen poking an unhatched egg with its beak after it fell into the water during the chaos.