Interesting Ideas

10–15 years ago, a common joke you’d see in online forums and Facebook groups was that Barack Obama was America’s Greatest Gun Salesman. With the prospect of strict gun control laws (that never had a snowball’s chance in hell of passing or surviving court challenges in the United States), many ... [continued]

The post Donald Trump: America’s Greatest EV Salesman appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The 55 pilot whales, which had to be euthanised, had been following a female having a difficult birth, scientists believe

The mass stranding and death of 55 whales on the Isle of Lewis in 2023 was caused by the mammals’ loyalty to their pod, a report has concluded.

It had been thought that the unusually large incident on Tràigh Mhòr beach, Tolsta, could have been caused by trauma, disease or acoustic disturbance from military or industrially generated noise.

This next-generation offshore wind vessel from Singapore will install the turbines for the 810-megawatt Empire Wind project, where construction is under way off the coast of New York.

The post A Boat Made In Singapore Will Build An Offshore Wind Farm In New York appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Energy dominance doesn't come from the barrel of a rifle, it comes from harvesting the abundant energy of the sun.

The post “Energy Security” Makes Us Less Secure. Renewables Are The Answer appeared first on CleanTechnica.

EV sales tanked in the US after the federal tax credit evaporated last September, but stationary energy storage and renewable energy are keeping the zero emission electrification trend alive.

The post US Battery Makers Gave Up Waaaaay Too Soon On EV Sales (But They Have A Backup Plan) appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Developers argue that eco-tourism helps ‘underfunded’ parks but former Greens leader Bob Brown says the idea of wilderness lodges is an ‘oxymoron’

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

When the Gardens of Stone in the Blue Mountains was declared a state conservation area in 2022, it should have been cause of great celebration for Keith Muir. Instead, the plans put forward by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) for the nature reserve make him weep.

“The geology is spectacular,” he says of the nature reserve. “The pagoda landforms are sculptured natural artworks, that is the only way to describe them. They are symphonies in stone.”

Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads

There’s been some buzz in the past few days about Tesla sales rising in Germany, after much press in the past year or two on declining sales there and in Europe more broadly — and across the world even more broadly. One could say that, yes, Tesla sales rose in ... [continued]

The post Tesla Sales in Germany Actually Still Down Enormously appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Photographer Murdo MacLeod patrols the snow with members of the Scottish Avalanche Information Service, which has for several decades published a vital daily avalanche forecast for mountain areas

Scottish avalanches are back. More than 200 have been recorded this winter, against the previous year’s record low of 42. The worst season for fatalities was 2012-13 when eight people died, four of whom were buried in deep snow when an avalanche struck without warning while they descended Glen Coe’s Bidean nam Bian.

Fortunately, so far – despite one person being carried a distance down Ben Nevis and two people falling through cornices and triggering slips – there have not been any confirmed avalanche deaths, though one person is still missing on Ben Nevis. The search goes on in and around the sites of recent avalanches.

A mountain rescue team looks for a missing climber in Observatory Gully on the north face of Ben Nevis, an area where there has been a succession of avalanches

Prof Tim Lang says country produces far less food than it needs to feed population and is particularly vulnerable

The British government should be stockpiling food, according to a leading expert on food policy, as it is not prepared for climate shocks or wars that could cause the population to starve.

Prof Tim Lang of City St George’s, University of London said the UK produced far less food than it needed to feed itself, and as a small island that relied on a few large companies to feed its giant population, it was particularly vulnerable to shocks.

New European Code Against Cancer calls on politicians to phase out use of fossil fuels in homes

Cutting air pollution should form part of government strategies to reduce cancer rates, the European Code Against Cancer has recommended.

The code previously focused on advice to help people to reduce the air pollution that they breathe. But, for the first time since its launch in 1987, it has given clear direction to governments.

Someone recently pointed me at a chart published by H2 Mobility that shows hydrogen dispensed per month across its German refueling network climbing steadily over time. The chart is visually persuasive. The blue area rises from near zero in 2017 to roughly 59 tons per month in early 2026. It ... [continued]

The post Germany’s Hydrogen Refueling Network Looks Impressive Until You Do The Math appeared first on CleanTechnica.

First of the trusts, formed with 12 people in a Norfolk pub in 1926, buys swath of farmland to restore to nature

The place where Norton Wood once stood is now a vast field of decaying wheat stubble. The ancient wood was grubbed up during the second world war. No trace of it remains – on the surface, at least. This ghost in the landscape lives on only in the name of the local village: Wood Norton.

But trees will soon be bursting upwards again and the wood will regrow after Norfolk Wildlife Trust celebrated its 100th birthday by buying a swath of farmland to revive for nature.

The starting point for evaluating seawater air conditioning on Oʻahu is the fully electrified energy system for the island that has been developed through the earlier Sankey analysis. In that framework the island’s civilian energy system excludes overseas aviation fuel, maritime bunkering for ships crossing the Pacific, and military energy ... [continued]

The post District Cooling From the Pacific: A Targeted Efficiency for Oʻahu appeared first on CleanTechnica.

In some ways, software-defined vehicles are great. By tying basically everything to a computer, you can gain a lot of control over practically everything. You can use a physical control (unless you opt for a cheapskate car company that eliminates nearly all of them), the car’s infotainment screen, a mobile ... [continued]

The post Cars Shouldn’t Control Critical Safety Systems With Chatbots appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Many Australians are choosing oat, almond and soy over cow’s milk – but which choice is the most sustainable?

• Change by degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household’s carbon footprint

• Got a question or tip for reducing household emissions? Email us at changebydegrees@theguardian.com

Oat cap, skinny flat white, almond chai, soy matcha. Everyone has a different milk preference: cow, skim, lactose-free, oat, almond, soy, goat or camel.

Milk choices may be due to environmental reasons, dietary concerns or just taste preferences.

A “golden age” is a flourishing period in the history of a nation. It is a period when everything seems really good, peaceful, and successful — not utopian, but a time of extraordinary human achievement. A golden age of agriculture commonly refers to the late 19th century, a time of ... [continued]

The post It’s Time For An Authentic Golden Age Of Agriculture appeared first on CleanTechnica.

At a funeral for Jesse Jackson In Chicago last week, President Obama brought a message of love and tolerance to honor his memory.

The post Obama Speaks To America At Jesse Jackson Funeral Service In Chicago appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Buxton, Derbyshire: Their ‘parents’ were planted 50 years ago by my wonderful late mother. Yet we all have a connection to these uplifting flowers

I wonder if nature has found a way to compensate us for the dreariest winter I can recall, because the snowdrops this year have been unbelievable. I’m seeing them everywhere – along road verges, on village greens, with vast white sheets across churchyards and especially in old gardens with driveways and mature trees around their margins.

I have a small snowdrop patch under our crab apple and while they’re modest in number, they are, in a way, more than flowers. My mother first planted those same bulbs (or their “parents”) in her garden, which is half a mile from here, in the 1970s. When she died a decade ago, I took them first to our old house and now to this property. I’d actually forgotten the last transfer: a scoop of both the bulbs and surrounding soil, a short car journey, then a hasty reinterment in a hole on this south-facing slope. Now here they all are, up in the light, sparkling and brimful of this seasonal moment, but also laden with memories of my wonderful Ma and her love of gardens. In a way, her snowdrops are now family.

Jenny wants to spread her wings and see the world, but Teddy is happy at home. Where do they go from here? You decide

• Find out how to get a disagreement settled or become a juror

I worry about my carbon footprint, but you can’t go everywhere by train and I want to see the world

It’s not an environmental issue. I’ve just had my fill of flying and don’t really enjoy being a tourist

Researchers identify sharp rise to about 0.35C every decade, after excluding natural fluctuations such as El Niño

Humanity is heating the planet faster than ever before, a study has found.

Climate breakdown is occurring more rapidly with the heating rate almost doubling, according to research that excludes the effect of natural factors behind the latest scorching temperatures.