Interesting Ideas

Geely may have quietly secured a strategic opening into the Canadian market long before its own badge officially arrives there. Through its ownership of the British performance marque Lotus Cars and its Nasdaq-listed technology arm Lotus Technology, the Chinese automotive giant has now physically delivered the first Chinese-made electric vehicles ... [continued]

The post Lotus Sent Its First Batch Of 18 EVs To Canada. Is It Paving The Way For Geely? appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Council’s plan will leave Federal Emergency Management Agency ill-equipped to respond to extreme weather events, experts say

Sweeping changes may be in store at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), the nation’s frontline emergency response coordinator, that experts warned could further erode US capacity to handle disasters as the risks of extreme weather fueled by the climate crisis continue to rise.

Fears about a fundamental overhaul of Fema’s form and function have been brewing since Donald Trump returned to the White House. After castigating the agency over claims that it was too expensive and “doesn’t get the job done”, Trump set to gutting Fema as an early priority for his second term.

London mayor talks up coalition-building, highlights his environmental record, and worries national Labour party is on the wrong track

When Sadiq Khan was first elected as mayor of London 10 years ago, Barack Obama was US president, the UK was still in the European Union and Leicester City had just been crowned the unlikely champions of the English Premier League.

In the intervening decade, Donald Trump has gone from reality TV star to two-time US president, the UK has had six different prime ministers, and Brexit has convulsed the country. London has been rocked by tragedies ranging from terror attacks to the Grenfell Tower fire.

Allendale, Northumberland: Once again, wildlife has made a home here, in part because they feel safe

A big moon is cresting the Scots pine as I sit at an upstairs window looking down on to the garden. Awaiting the dusk emergence of a female tawny owl has become an evening ritual. After a day spent in the confines of a nest box in our sycamore tree, her departure shifts back by a few minutes every night. Completely silent, she drops towards the woodland border and skims the plants, each time on the same trajectory, a grey shadow in the gloaming.

Another movement on the path below catches my eye: a woodcock slinking along, using the box hedge to disguise her passage. If I hadn’t been watching for the owl I would never have known that she too is nesting somewhere in the garden’s thick leafiness. In July 2023, I wrote about a woodcock nesting in a flower border a few metres from the house, four chicks successfully hatching from four eggs. Last year, another attempt was disturbed by a cat captured on trailcam. This may be the same bird returned for a third time. Woodcocks are extremely secretive birds, their close proximity to a house very unusual.

A biogas-to-fuel SAF system developed by the US startup Syzygy Plasmonics is sparking a fresh round of interest, now that the Iran war has cut the cost gap between sustainable aviation fuels and conventional kerosene jet fuel.

The post US Innovator Crosses The Bridge From Powdered Milk To SAF appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Levels of Pfas in northern gannet eggs in Canada fell up to 74% over 55-year period of study

Levels of some of the most dangerous Pfas compounds have dramatically fallen in Canadian seabird eggs, which the authors of a new peer-reviewed study say illustrates how regulations are effective.

Researchers looked at Pfas levels in the eggs of northern gannets in the St Lawrence Seaway basin over a 55-year period. Pfas levels shot up from the 1960s through the peak of the chemicals’ use in the late 1990s and early aughts, then fell.

Warming ocean waters are priming beaches and raw shellfish for Vibrio even as scientists are trying to stay one step ahead

Bailey Magers and Sunil Kumar cut strange figures on Pensacola Beach. Bags of disinfectant solution surrounded them on the white sand; their gloved hands juggled test tubes while layers of rubber and plastic shielded their skin from the elements. As the two organized their seawater samples on the popular Florida shoreline last August, an older woman wearing a swimsuit walked over to ask what they were doing.

“We’re just actively monitoring water quality,” they told her, but she pressed on.

Move by largest donor to environment programme poses further uncertainty for already troubled negotiations

The largest donor to the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) has paused funding to the body before its revised budget on 12 May, triggering concern among member states and NGOs.

The news could carry significance for the already troubled plastic treaty negotiations being overseen by Unep. Since 2022 countries have been struggling to agree on how to deal with the volume of plastics being produced and used, a subject widely acknowledged to be one of the most serious environmental issues of the age, but despite six rounds of talks there has been no agreement in sight.

After publishing my monthly report on BYD sales last week, some commenters left superb comments putting the continued sales drop into perspective, and also hinting at a sales explosion in coming months — a potential sales explosion. Before getting into those, just note that BYD’s sales were down in April ... [continued]

The post BYD Ready to See a Sales Explosion appeared first on CleanTechnica.

With the help of citizen scientists, researchers studying rare humpback ‘jaw-gaping’ believe the move could be a social display

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Off the coast of Western Australia, a humpback whale is “pirouetting”, sweeping its pectoral fins through the water, its massive jaw hanging wide open. Surrounded by companions, the animal isn’t lunging for a meal: rather, it is putting on a mysterious behavioural display.

This underwater ballet, captured on camera by an onlooker and shared online, is one of the clearest examples of a rarely documented phenomenon known as “gaping”.

Starting July 1 of this year, local tariffs for imported EVs to Malaysia will increase based on the value of the vehicle. Malaysia’s Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) said in a statement earlier this month, May 2026, that the significant policy shift is designed to protect national automakers ... [continued]

The post Malaysia Is Increasing Local Tariffs To Protect Its National Car Brands appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Last year, Greenlane shared some details with CleanTechnica about its truck charging expansion in southern California and Arizona. In May of this year, Greenlane announced it is expanding its truck charging offerings into the state of Texas, with charging sites planned for Houston and Dallas along Interstate 45. This area ... [continued]

The post Greenlane Expands Electric Truck Charging, Plans Chargers In Texas appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Two-hundred and fifty EV chargers have been installed at Winnipeg multi-family residential properties by Powertec Electric. “At Powertec Electric, we care deeply about the environment. Our sister company, Powertec Solar, focuses exclusively on solar panel installations because green solutions matter so much to us. Partnering with New Flyer, a company ... [continued]

The post 250 EV Chargers Installed In Winnipeg appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Despite our vast distances in Australia, most trucks operate along transport corridors north–south on the east coast. With a will and some investment, this corridor can be electrified. Here are a couple more stories of progress along the route to electrification. It is certainly not China speed and can get ... [continued]

The post More Battery Electric Trucks Take To Australian Roads appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Data from missions showing critically low snowpack on mountains across the west raises alarm among experts

High above the jagged peaks of California’s Sierra Nevada, the view from the cockpit is breathtaking. At first glance, the mountains appear draped in a pristine white blanket. But as the flight crew gears up for a high-stakes mission, the sensors onboard this specialized aircraft prove that looks can be deceiving.

“This is a distinct dry year,” says Tom Painter, CEO of Airborne Snow Observatories.

The Eden Project’s National Wildflower Centre is opening entries for its Wildflower Photographer of the Year 2026 competition on 29 May. The contest showcases images of some of Britain and Ireland’s 1,600 wildflower species, and a selection of photos from last year’s competition will be on display at Eden Dock, Canary Wharf, London, during CWG’s Nature Week, from 13 July

Are high gas prices driving a switch to electric cars? Not according to one recent survey that indicated quite the opposite.

The post Oooooh, Scary Electric Cars Are Everywhere In America! appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Vitória Régia imagines rightwing Bolsonaro plot succeeded with US help – and highlights threats facing Indigenous peoples

The year is 2025 and far-right coup plotters have annihilated Brazil’s democracy, assassinating the president, closing the national congress and surrendering the Amazon rainforest and its untold riches to the United States.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Amazon of America,” a thick-accented North American soldier tells a group of journalists being taken on a propaganda tour of an oil refinery in the newly annexed jungle realm. Nearby, a replica of the Statue of Liberty has been carved out of the wilderness to celebrate Washington’s tutelage over more than half of Brazil.

One of my former co-workers once explained to me how she sold her car and rode public transportation to save $3,000 per year for ten straight years, resulting in savings of $30,000. At the time, she didn’t make much, and being able to save $3,000 a year was quite meaningful ... [continued]

The post Electric Vehicle Calculator Shows Yearly Savings appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Chery Automobile has evolved from a single domestic Chinese automaker into a large multi-brand automotive group with brands targeting mainstream, premium, EV, off-road, export, and luxury segments. Some are global facing, while others remain mostly China focused. Chery increasingly resembles a Chinese version of a multi-marque automotive group similar to ... [continued]

The post Does Chery’s Roster of Brands Provide More Opportunities in Canada? appeared first on CleanTechnica.