Interesting Ideas

Exclusive: 110 of 117 bodies of water tested by Environment Agency would fail standards, with levels in fish 322 times the planned limit

Nearly all rivers, lakes and ponds in England tested for a range of Pfas, known as “forever chemicals”, exceed proposed new safety limits and 85% contain levels at least five times higher, analysis of official data reveals.

Out of 117 water bodies tested by the Environment Agency for multiple types of Pfas, 110 would fail the safety standard, according to analysis by Wildlife and Countryside Link and the Rivers Trust.

Green 10, which represents more than 50 million Europeans and spans all of the member states and candidate countries of the European Union, has a message for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: protect the European Green Deal in order to protect people and the planet. How do we ... [continued]

The post Green 10 to Ursula von der Leyen: Defend the European Green Deal appeared first on CleanTechnica.

NIO has just brought a new vehicle model to market, via its new-ish family-oriented brand, ONVO. The model is the ONVO L90. It’s a large, 3-row SUV. NIO indicates that it is a high-end model, but the starting price for the large SUV is just RMB 279,900 (~$39,000). You can ... [continued]

The post NIO Looks to Shatter 3-Row SUV Market with ONVO L90 appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Farmers are seeking ways to fend off birds who are stirring up soil in flooded paddy fields in Ferrara province

An unusual bird is ravaging crops and infuriating farmers in north-eastern Italy: the flamingo.

Flamingos are relatively recent arrivals in the area, and have settled into the flooded fields that produce rice for risotto in Ferrara province, between Venice and Ravenna.

Abandoned fishing equipment haunts our oceans, killing coral, turtles, sharks and whales. But in Colombia’s Gulf of Tribugá, ‘guardians’ are on call to free entangled marine animals

After a day of scuba diving, Luis Antonio “Toño” Lloreda was exhausted. Then a friend brought urgent news. “Toño, man, there’s a whale caught in a net out there.” Lloreda, 43, had freed other, smaller wildlife from fishing nets but this would be his first marine animal of such size.

The four to five metres-long juvenile humpback, accompanied by its mother, had a net studded with hooks wrapped around its fin and mouth. One wrong move could have been fatal for Lloreda or the whale.

Luis Antonio ‘Toño’ Lloreda holds a photo of the whale he freed from a fishing net

The EU should reduce its emphasis on megaprojects to focus future funding on rail infrastructure upgrades which would generate more rapid and widespread benefits for connectivity, efficiency and resilience. Europe does not have a coherent strategy to fund rail that will make cross-border travel a reality for millions of Europeans, a ... [continued]

The post 7 Rail Megaprojects Get More EU Funds than 84 Other Key Upgrades — New T&E Report appeared first on CleanTechnica.

There are many compelling reasons to replace fossil fuels with clean, renewable energy sources. Chief among them is to solve the climate change crisis and it is an urgent one. Another is to eliminate toxic air pollution that causes a huge number of human deaths per year around the world. ... [continued]

The post How Solar Power Is Helping In Ukraine appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Levels even lower than in severe drought year of 2022, data shows, with water firms urged to ‘be proactive’

England’s reservoirs are at their lowest levels for a decade, new data reveals, as experts urge water companies to immediately put hosepipe bans in place.

In June, reservoirs across the country were 76% full, which is below their level in the severe drought year of 2022 when they were at 77% capacity at this time in the summer.

As the Texas flash flooding risk moved west, the National Weather Service pointed to the effect of burn scars from 2024

After the extreme rainfall in Texas on 4 July, the flash flooding risk moved to New Mexico, with 89mm (3.5in) of rain falling in the Rio Ruidoso catchment area on Tuesday.

In the town of Ruidoso, 35 homes were swept away and three people died. The National Weather Service attributed the extreme event to the wildfires that devastated the same area in 2024.

Worst-case scenario of 4.3C of warming could result in fiftyfold rise in heat-related deaths, researchers say

More than 30,000 people a year in England and Wales could die from heat-related causes by the 2070s, scientists have warned.

A new study calculates that heat mortality could rise more than fiftyfold in 50 years because of climate heating. Researchers at UCL and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine compared different potential scenarios, looking at levels of warming, measures to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis, regional climatic differences and potential power outages. They also modelled the ageing population.

NIO Profitability? NIO’s got a big target in mind. It is aiming to finally achieve profitability in the 4th quarter of this year. Naturally, that’s a huge deal for the company. Tesla’s stock price soared in 2019 when it finally achieved profitability, and I think most investors assume startup car ... [continued]

The post NIO Aims for Profits in Q4, BYD Factory News in Brazil & Mexico appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Woodland Trust’s 10 nominees from across the country highlight how trees inspire creative minds

A cedar tree climbed by the Beatles, an oak that may have inspired Virginia Woolf and a lime representing peace in Northern Ireland are among those shortlisted for tree of the year 2025.

Voting opens on Friday for the Woodland Trust’s annual competition, which aims to celebrate and raise awareness of rare, ancient or at-risk trees across the UK.

Aventon’s latest e-bike model, the Aventure M, “is the perfect blend of rugged capability, performance, and technology to help you explore further than ever before,” according to the company. Designed for the adventurer who seeks both thrills and intelligence in their ride, this bike combines fat-tired durability with cutting-edge features. Here’s ... [continued]

The post The Aventon Aventure M Is A Smart Mid‑Drive Fat Tire E‑Bike With Auto‑Shift appeared first on CleanTechnica.

California is set to lose 17% of its oil refinery capacity over the next 12 months because of two planned refinery closures. If realized, the closure of the facilities is likely to contribute to increases in fuel price volatility on the West Coast. Phillips 66 announced plans last October to close its ... [continued]

The post Refinery Closures Present Risk for Higher Gasoline Prices on the West Coast appeared first on CleanTechnica.

A €5.5bn project has transformed the Emscher from ‘the sewer of the Ruhr’ to a place where nature is starting to flourish

Strolling beside the Emscher, the Tyczkowskis say it is the stench that they remember most about the river’s darker days.

“The whole thing was filthy and it stank terribly,” says the couple, a retired watchmaker and tax adviser in their 80s. Were they ever tempted to take a dip? “No,” they laugh in disgust. “There were other things swimming inside.”

Hyundai Motor Company has unveiled IONIQ 6 N, its second high-performance EV, at the iconic Goodwood Festival of Speed in West Sussex, England Building on the success of the award-winning IONIQ 5 N, IONIQ 6 N integrates cutting-edge technologies and capabilities derived from Hyundai N’s motorsport programs and ‘rolling lab’ ... [continued]

The post Hyundai Motor IONIQ 6 N Debuts at Goodwood Festival of Speed, Setting New Benchmark for High-Performance Evs appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Scientists say Perito Moreno, which for decades defied trend of glacial retreat, now rapidly losing mass

One of the few stable glaciers in a warming world, Perito Moreno, in Santa Cruz province, Argentina, is now undergoing a possibly irreversible retreat, scientists say.

Over the past seven years, it has lost 1.92 sq km (0.74 sq miles) of ice cover and its thickness is decreasing by up to 8 metres (26 ft) a year.

Ynys Môn (Anglesey): Their energy was breathtaking, their display thrilling – though this was also a purposeful signal of their fitness

Eventide, and calm waters were slowly departing the warm sands of a small bay in Ynys Môn. The dark igneous rocks that bound the bay had retained some midsummer heat, providing a comfortable vantage point to enjoy the sunset. In the shallows, a lone spectator watched the deep pink of the sea. My eyes followed hers and landed on two grey seals, their heads implanted in the iridescent waters. They watched, we watched, then they lazily slipped below, hardly a ripple raised.

Enter the Risso’s dolphins. A pod of four surfaced stage left, injecting the scene with breathtaking energy; their stout, torpedo-shaped, pale grey bodies surging forth, tall dark dorsal fins ripping the limpid sea apart. One after another, they breached clear of the water, their power and scale full blown, heightened by the intimacy of the bay. A thrilling display – but also, scientifically, a purposeful, non-verbal signal of their intrinsic fitness to potential mates and competitors. In midsummer, Risso’s migrate from the pelagic deeps into the relatively shallow shelf waters of the Celtic Sea, perhaps providing more opportunities for social interactions.

The Lynk & Co 02 has been awarded the highest ever Euro NCAP score for a compact SUV in its current evaluation cycle, confirming it as the safest vehicle in its class tested in 2025. With outstanding results across all assessment categories — including the highest ever recorded rating of ... [continued]

The post Lynk & Co 02 Achieves Highest EURO NCAP Safety Rating in Compact SUV Segment appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The race for world's highest-performing electric hypercar heats up to the boiling point as Rimac preps its new record-breaking four-motor Nevera R for delivery to just 40 customers.

The post Rimac Does It Again With New Record-Breaking Nevera R Electric Hypercar appeared first on CleanTechnica.