Interesting Ideas

Study estimates 53,000 females have died on South Georgia since 2023, with ‘dramatic impact’ on future of the species

Bird flu has wiped out half of South Georgia’s breeding elephant seals, according to a study that warns of “serious implications” for the future of the species.

The remote island in the South Atlantic Ocean is home to the world’s largest southern elephant seal population. Researchers estimate 53,000 females died after bird flu hit in 2023.

Climate summit in Brazil needs to find way to stop global heating accelerating amid stark divisions

“It broke my heart.” Surangel Whipps, president of the tiny Pacific nation of Palau, was sitting in the front row of the UN’s general assembly in New York when Donald Trump made a long and rambling speech, his first to the UN since his re-election, on 23 September.

Whipps was prepared for fury and bombast from the US president, but what followed was shocking. Trump’s rant on the climate crisis – a “green scam”, “the greatest con job ever perpetrated”, “predictions made by stupid people” – was an unprecedented attack on science and global action from a major world leader.

Clean tech stocks have seen a recent upsurge. Investors are smiling at the rebound after a relatively long period of disappointing returns. What’s happening to make green investors so happy? Well, renewable energy is expanding faster than fossil fuels around the world, despite policy changes in the US. Oil demand ... [continued]

The post Are Clean Tech Stocks Really On The Rise? Or Are Bubbles Artificially Boosting Valuations? appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Brazil’s president welcomes world leaders while navigating divided government, promising action on deforestation and emissions

• How could the Tropical Forest Forever Facility tackle deforestation?

Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has welcomed world leaders to Belém for the first climate summit in the Amazon, where conservationists hope he can be a champion for the rainforest and its people.

But with a divided administration, a hostile Congress and 20th-century developmentalist instincts, this global figurehead of the centre left has a balancing act to perform in advocating protection of nature and a reduction of emissions.

Electric cars will get a 25% discount and electric vans and HGVs 50% in changes to be introduced in January

London’s congestion charge will rise by 20% in January to £18 and electric vehicle drivers will be liable to pay to enter the heart of the capital for the first time.

EVs will no longer be exempt from the levy, Transport for London said, but will pay a lower rate. Electric car drivers will get a 25% discount, while electric vans and HGVs will pay 50% of the full charge.

Advocates say conservative states’ push to define gender as ‘biological sex’ would backslide on decade-old language within the UN

A row over the definition of the term “gender” threatens to bog down pivotal talks at the Cop30 climate summit.

Before the UN talks in Brazil, hardline conservative states have pushed to define gender as “biological sex” over their concerns trans and non-binary people could be included in a major plan to ensure climate action addresses gender inequality and empowers women.

Exclusive: Supporters say grants largely going to middle-class households, but experts warn move will slow transition from gas boilers

Hundreds of thousands of homeowners will lose their right to subsidies for eco-friendly heat pumps as a result of government plans to bring down energy bills at the budget.

Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, is planning to announce a series of measures to bring down energy bills amid concerns the country’s stubbornly high cost of living is driving millions of voters to Reform UK.

Tyrella Beach, County Down: The surface of the sea is churning with desperate fish and hungry seabirds. This is life and death down the end of a telescope

Out to sea there is a squadron of juvenile great black-backed gulls, each one dark as a witch’s cape against the tide’s limpid sheen. I turn my scope to match their flight, chasing them until they splash down at the edge of a messy raft of birds.

At first I just tick off the species: adult herring, common and great black-backed gulls, dipping their heads almost casually into the water; a gannet irritably wielding its sword-like bill at the mob; razorbills and guillemots in their seasonal tuxedos, diving down and popping up around the larger birds. Askance of the main fray, cormorants buck smoothly under the surface and more gulls tip from the sky. When a winter‑white black‑headed gull struggles back into the air with a silver rag hanging from its bill, I pull back my scopeand finally realise what’s happening. I’m witnessing a feeding frenzy – a bait ball.

Waymo took a big step forward today. Well, it has been a very long process of stepping, but I think we can say the foot hit the ground today. Here are a few key notes: Waymo now operates in several cities, but it has historically avoided getting on freeways. In ... [continued]

The post Boom — Waymo Takes The Freeway (+ Important Note On Waymo’s Approach) appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The Promise Of A New Solar Revolution Most Americans love the idea of going solar. Few can actually do it. Traditional rooftop solar has helped millions cut bills and emissions, but it leaves most of the country behind — renters, apartment dwellers, low-income families, and anyone whose roof is too ... [continued]

The post The People’s Solar: How Plug-In Solar Could Bring Affordable Energy To 60 Million Americans appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Industry claims, often echoed by governments to justify airport expansion, that more flights benefit the economy, undermined by new research. The first ever Europe-wide analysis investigating the link between the growth in air transport and economic growth has found industry claims that economic growth is driven by increased air connectivity, ... [continued]

The post New Analysis Debunks the Assumption That Air Passenger Growth Drives Economic Growth appeared first on CleanTechnica.

When I was invited onto UK energy regulator Ofgem’s eight-part Inside Energy podcast to discuss where the next great shift in the global energy system might come from as part of the closing episode, due to drop in January, the hosts likely expected an answer rooted in Europe or Asia. ... [continued]

The post Crocodile Economics Comes to Africa: Trade, Solar, and the New Energy Map appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Our resident farmer, Dan Allard, tells us that converting tractors and other farm machinery to battery-electric systems is not easy. Unlike an electric car, which coasts along at part throttle much of the time, a tractor is expected to supply its maximum output for hours on end. There is no ... [continued]

The post Bosch Introduces 800 Volt Platform For Farm Tractors & Other Machinery appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Exclusive: ‘Deep-rooted injustices’ affect billions of people due to location of wells, pipelines and other infrastructure

A quarter of the world’s population lives within three miles (5km) of operational fossil fuel projects, potentially threatening the health of more than 2 billion people as well as critical ecosystems, according to first-of-its-kind research.

A damning new report by Amnesty International, shared exclusively with the Guardian, found that more than 18,300 oil, gas and coal sites are currently distributed across 170 countries worldwide, occupying a vast area of the Earth’s surface.

The mountains have always been part of our lives. But now they pose a new threat and we need to take action. This is Saúl’s story

Location Huaraz, Peru

Disaster Lake Palcacocha glacier melt

Saúl, a Quechua-speaking mountain guide, farmer and father who lives in the Andean highlands, was the lead plaintiff in a landmark climate lawsuit against the German energy firm RWE. On 28 May, the higher regional court of Hamm dismissed his case on the grounds that there was no concrete threat to Saúl’s home. However, it held that major greenhouse gas emitters could be accountable for the impacts of those emissions under German law.

October saw plugin EVs at 98.4% share in Norway, up from 95.6% year on year. BEVs alone took 97.4% share. Overall auto volume was 11,138 units, down some 4% YoY. The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling passenger car. October’s sales totals saw combined EVs take 98.4% share in Norway, ... [continued]

The post EVs At 98.4% Share In Norway appeared first on CleanTechnica.

If there’s one criticism of Waymo’s approach to development of its self-driving taxi business, it’s that Waymo has been slow and boring. (Yes, a certain segment of people — basically, Tesla [NASDAQ:TSLA] investors — have also claimed Waymo’s approach is too sensor-heavy and expensive, but I don’t think that’s proving ... [continued]

The post Safety Audit of Waymo Comes to Some Surprising Findings — NOT! appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Researchers at Poly U in Hong Kong have presented a roadmap for introducing higher-performing, lower-costing tandem perovskite-silicon solar cells to the market.

The post You Snooze, You Lose: US President Fails To Stop Tandem Perovskite Solar Cells From Happening appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The steady stream of good EV charging news keeps on coming — this time in the state of Michigan. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) has awarded $1.84 million dollars in funding for the installation of 201 new EV chargers at 31 multifamily properties in Michigan.  ... [continued]

The post 201 EV Chargers Coming To Michigan Apartment Complexes appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Host uses Indigenous concepts and changes agenda to help delegates agree on ways to meet existing climate goals

Shipping containers, cruise ships, river boats, schools and even army barracks have been pressed into service as accommodation for the 50,000 plus people descending on the Amazon: this year’s Cop30 climate summit is going to be, in many ways, an unconventional one.

Located in Belém, a small city at the mouth of the Amazon river, the Brazilian hosts have been criticised for the exorbitant cost of scarce hotel rooms and hastily vacated apartments. Many delegations have slimmed down their presence, while business leaders have decamped to hold their own events in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.