Interesting Ideas

The EU Commission has proposed a plan to stockpile fertilisers in the wake of the conflict in the Middle East. Expanding crop-based biofuels production would put further strain on the EU’s fertiliser supplies. Despite European fuel policy now limiting their use, around half of biofuels consumed in the EU and UK still rely on ... [continued]

The post Feeding The Fuel Crop: Fertilisers Are Powering More Than Just Food appeared first on CleanTechnica.

May 2026 saw the Tesla Model Y regain the top spot in BEV sales in Australia, after losing it to BYD’s Sealion in April. In fact, the Model Y was Australia’s best-selling vehicle of all powertrains — the first EV to take the gold. In May 2026, 107,000 passenger vehicles ... [continued]

The post BYD & Tesla Play Tag for Top Spot in Australia in May 2026 appeared first on CleanTechnica.

May 7 marked the world premiere of the TZ at Toyota Technical Center Shimoyama (TTC-S), which straddles the cities of Toyota and Okazaki in Aichi Prefecture. As Lexus’s first three-row BEV SUV, the event drew media from across Japan and around the world. Toyota Times has previously featured Chief Branding ... [continued]

The post How Does the All-New TZ Drive? A Look Inside the Development Hub and a Growing Charging Network appeared first on CleanTechnica.

​The first heatwaves of the season reveal how ​ill-prepared governments across the continent are to protect people from increasingly dangerous temperatures

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Meteorological summer has begun, ushered in with scorching heat that struck before spring was up. Although western Europe is nowmostly free from last week’s heat dome – which shattered temperature records for May in the UK and Ireland – it is already bracing for yet another sweltering summer. Oppressive days, restless nights and furious fires are brewing. On Tuesday, the World Meteorological Organisation warned us all to prepare for the imminent return of the warming weather pattern El Niño.

Scientists have not worked out how many people died during thislatest bout of hot weather, but one environmental epidemiologist’s early modelling pegged it at 250 extra deaths in the UK alone on the weekend before temperatures peaked. The full death toll is likely to be particularly high because the heat struck before people had properly adjusted their behaviour to stay safe in the heat.

As recent conflicts expose vulnerability of fertiliser markets and its effect on food security, VunaNexus offers an alternative

When staff answer the call of nature at the European Space Agency’s headquarters in Paris, their urine is not simply flushed away – it is turned into something much more useful. While urine-diverting toilets are often associated with smelly festival loos, there is nothing bohemian about recycling nutrients from human pee, said David de Chambrier, the chief executive of VunaNexus.

The process isn’t so different from recovering minerals in used electronics.

The new National Geographic Documentary Films project "Time and Water" draws an intimate portrait of human and environmental loss, while underscoring the potential for change and restoration.

The post Lost Glaciers And Geothermal Energy In The Land Of Contrasts appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Smartphone data shows how we seek refuge in extreme heat, and why social inequalities leave some vulnerable

Heatwaves are now an increasingly expected part of summer for many. But how people stay cool varies from place to place. A new study uses mobile phone location data to track where people go when the mercury climbs, and assesses how we need to adapt to live better with the inevitable heatwaves to come.

During the summer of 2025, a 10-day extreme period of heat across Europe led to 2,300 deaths. Globally, governments are implementing heat action plans, but social inequalities mean some people are more vulnerable to heat than others. Researchers used mobile phone location data across seven countries – Brazil, China, France, India, Nigeria, Turkey and the US – to assess how people stayed cool during heatwaves in 2022 and 2023.

As São Paulo faces a climate-induced water crisis, campaigners are fighting to reverse the impact of pollution and illegal deforestation on its largest reservoir

In a small motorboat laden with water-monitoring equipment, biologist Marta Marcondes and community activist Wesley Silvestre Rosa cross Billings reservoir on the far southern edge of São Paulo. Bright white herons glide over the water, which is flanked by thick dark green clusters of Brazil’s Atlantic forest, as the boat heads towards one of the more polluted parts of the reservoir.

“We see where sewage is entering, we see what has been deforested and how that has affected the water quality of the reservoir,” Marcondes says.

There are a handful different approaches to self-driving technology. Much of the discussion centers around the pros and cons of the different approaches and which is better. However, one can easily argue that all of the approaches are making progress and will get there at some point. In fact, they ... [continued]

The post Rivian CEO: Self-Driving Cars Here Before 2030 (BYD: Here Now) appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Exclusive: New loopholes for developers will exacerbate extreme disparities across country, charity coalition warns

The poorest and most nature-deprived communities in England will be further left behind in their access to green spaces if proposed changes to planning laws go ahead, a report finds.

More than 7.4 million people in England live in areas completely devoid of immediate biodiversity, including 1.4 million children under 15, the report commissioned by a number of wildlife and environmental NGOs says.

Global report provides an alternative to climate breakdown, political extremism and economic tensions

• ‘Happiness is not just about GDP’: ambitious plan or utopia?

Humanity can raise living standards, reduce inequality and keep global heating within a 2C rise, according to a sweeping vision for planetary survival.

The report by the World Inequality Lab (WIL) aims to be the most comprehensive attempt yet to navigate the polycrisis that is pushing the world toward climate breakdown, political extremism and ever greater economic and social tension.

Campaigners say builders’ demolition of nest site highlights weak protection of wildlife from development

A building that was a noted nesting site for swifts, among the UK’s most at-risk birds, has been demolished during the nesting season, highlighting significant weaknesses in the protection of wildlife from development, campaigners say.

Contractors for the housebuilder Hill Group carried out the demolition of Regent House near Dorking station in Surrey over the last few weeks, during the nesting season which runs from 1 March to 31 August.

While there generally is greater interest in electric vehicles among members of the public than interest in EV chargers, there are some intriguing developments in the EV charging space. If you haven’t heard of the EV charging company Eleport, here is some background information. Eleport operates about 800 public EV ... [continued]

The post EV Charging Company Using Renewable Energy For Chargers In Poland appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Physical and psychological impacts of a tap water parasite outbreak continue to be felt in south Devon

• South West Water fined £1.85m over parasite outbreak in Devon

Most of the tourists milling around the busy fishing harbour or visiting Agatha Christie’s riverside holiday retreat have probably forgotten what South West Water euphemistically calls the “Brixham incident”.

But for residents at the centre of the “incident” – a parasite outbreak that caused perhaps hundreds of people in south Devon to fall ill after they drank contaminated water – the physical and psychological impacts are still keenly felt.

Electric shock is one of the biggest causes of death among wildlife in the country but a court ruling is a first step to making power lines safe

Peque, a small black howler monkey, scratches her head as she sits on a thick wooden branch in a wired enclosure with seven other orphaned baby howler monkeys at a rescue centre in Nosara, on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast.

Last year, Peque was one of more than 100 animals to arrive at International Animal Rescue Costa Rica (IARCR) as a result of electrocution on power lines, which primates such as monkeys frequently mistake for trees and vines.

The Tesla Cybercab has achieved a stunning efficiency rating. At 165 Wh/mile efficiency, it has an estimated running cost of 2.6¢/mile. The hyper-efficient Lucid Air Pure, for comparison, has a 230 Wh/mile efficiency. Yes, the Cybercab is going to blow the efficiency of other EVs out of the water, even ... [continued]

The post Tesla Cybercab Is Super Efficient — Questions & Hurdles Remain appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Understanding whale sounds could help prevent strikes from ships and even aid in search for extraterrestrial life

If you stand on certain shorelines and listen carefully you might just hear deep rumbling noises. Sharp-eared fishers, lighthouse keepers and sea kayakers have been haunted by these late-night sounds for centuries and now, for the first time, scientists have recorded these thrums and pinpointed them to humpback whales, proving that whales have a far larger vocabulary than previously thought.

Fred Sharpe from the Alaska Whale Foundation and his colleagues set up land-based microphones to tune in to the mysterious ocean noises. Tip-offs from Alaskan coastal communities helped to narrow down the best recording locations. Along with the previously documented trumpets, blows and shrieks that humpback whales make, the researchers recorded very low frequency rumbles, a bit like distant thunder, and new sounds including pizzle, howl and hooting noises. The night thrums travelled through the air and could be heard up to 6 miles (10km) away.

A $230 million battery manufacturing facility is proposed for Texas, aimed at scaling up the production of LFP cathodes for use in EVs among other applications.

The post What War On EVs? New $230 Million LFP Battery Materials Factory Proposed For Texas appeared first on CleanTechnica.

EVs are reaching new levels of market penetration in China. Chinese retail NEV (BEV and PHEV) market share was estimated to be 63% for May, while Chinese wholesale (includes exports) reached 61%, according to CPCA, as reported in CnEVPost. We will have to wait for a more detailed breakdown. While ... [continued]

The post Chinese NEV Share Hits 63%. What’s Next? appeared first on CleanTechnica.

BEVs on the way up, PHEVs on the way down Plugin vehicle registrations were up 9% year over year (YoY) in April, ending the month at around 1.6 million units. Interestingly, BEVs (+19% YoY) and PHEVs (-9% YoY) behaved very differently, with pure electrics back to double-digit growth while plugin ... [continued]

The post Top Selling Electric Vehicles in the World — April 2026 appeared first on CleanTechnica.