Interesting Ideas

An evidence based assessment of key barriers to Onboard Carbon Capture and Storage, and its potential for maritime decarbonisation. As shipyard orderbooks are full of fossil-powered vessels, and uncertainty remains about the speed of green fuels uptake, the shipping industry is also looking at a wide range of alternative solutions. ... [continued]

The post Can Shipping’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Be Captured At The Funnel? 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.

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

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.

T&E’s reaction to the proposed Industrial Accelerator Act. Local content rules are a positive step for Europe’s battery industry as corporate cars will be required to have local batteries. But extending EV purchase subsidies to all FTA countries and requiring non-strategic components to be local, undermines its effectiveness. From 2027, ... [continued]

The post IAA Will Ensure Most EVs Sold in Europe Will Have Batteries Made in the EU, but Loopholes Threaten Its Impact appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The latest announcement about Hinkley Point C was predictable. The first reactor at the plant in Somerset is now expected to begin generating electricity in 2030. The cost estimate has climbed again, now reaching roughly £35B in 2015 pounds or about £49B in current money according to Electricité de France. ... [continued]

The post While Hinkley Nuclear Was Being Built, The UK Grid Decarbonized appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The court of justice said Portugal had committed serious infringements of EU environmental law

Portugal has been fined €10m (£8.7m) by the EU’s court of justice for failing to comply with environmental laws that require it to protect biodiversity. It has also been ordered to pay €41,250 a day until it complies with a previous court order made in 2019.

The court said it was imposing the maximum fine possible to “encourage” Portugal to bring the infringement to an end.

Surging demand shows customer buy-in and willingness to pay

The post Battery Shortages & Wait Times At Swap Stations In Kenya’s Booming Electric Motorcycle Sectors Show That It’s Time For Big Investors To Support These Companies appeared first on CleanTechnica.

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

Why EU type approval is the missing lever to make every EV a grid asset. In 2024, T&E highlighted the potential of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G), and bi-directional charging of Electric Vehicles (EVs). EVs are ‘Batteries on Wheels’, delivering flexibility benefits for the electricity grid, supporting the integration of more renewables, and delivering ... [continued]

The post Unlocking Vehicle-to-Grid at Scale 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.

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.

US consumers may not admit it, but they’re getting very interested in Chinese EVs. Part of the curiosity arises as neighboring countries court trade deals to bring more affordable vehicles westward. For example, during a January visit to Beijing, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed to admit a small number ... [continued]

The post Gen Z Consumers Are Warming Up To The Idea Of Chinese EVs appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The Latest Bait & Switch If you follow the electric vehicle space, you probably feel like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football when it comes to Tesla and its Full Self Driving promises. The latest drama involves a very quiet update to the terms and conditions for transferring FSD ... [continued]

The post Tesla’s Latest FSD Transfer Shenanigans Show The Tough Choice Electric Truck Buyers Face appeared first on CleanTechnica.

It was just a little while ago that Canada announced 8,000 new EV chargers will be installed in the nation to the north of the US. Well, maybe it could be called an EV charger sandwich, because Mexico will be getting many new EV chargers too, courtesy of a $500 ... [continued]

The post $500 Million To Be Invested In Mexican EV Chargers & EVs appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Badenoch and Strathspey, Cairngorms: Conservation efforts to help them are working – numbers are still small, but I’ve seen signs in the late winter snow

It is always interesting to see how overnight snow reveals what goes on under the cover of night. Around the granny pines, I see the smaller fore and larger hind prints of a red squirrel. Across the fields and along pinewood paths, there is evidence of hares and badgers, pine martens and deer, before they veered off, back into the heather and blaeberry understorey.

On a recent walk, I came across some less familiar animal tracks around the edges of the pinewoods and I was convinced they were those of a wildcat. After going to a talk by the Saving Wildcats project I’m even more certain. The project was launched in 2015 after conservationists feared the wild population was facing extinction in Britain. It involves captive breeding followed by careful release and monitoring – and so far it has been a success.

Any serious discussion of renewable energy on Oʻahu should begin with a clear understanding of how much electricity the island actually needs once fossil fuel end uses are electrified. Earlier analysis constructed a fully electrified civilian energy Sankey for Oʻahu that removed overseas aviation fuel, international maritime bunkering, and military ... [continued]

The post Wind on Oʻahu: A Modest but Valuable Complement to Solar appeared first on CleanTechnica.

In this week’s newsletter: From nature projects to biodiversity funds, key programmes will suffer as the UK aims to lower its international climate finance commitments by billions

The UK’s spy chiefs are accustomed to being listened to at the highest levels of government. Prime ministers and cabinets take notice when the joint intelligence committee (JIC), which directs MI5 and MI6, warns of threats to national security. Except, it seems, when it comes to the future of the planet.

Last year the JIC produced a hard-hitting report which, the Guardian revealed, found the collapse of globally important ecosystems around the world – including the potential shift of the Amazon from rainforest to savannah, the demise of coral reefs, and the loss of glaciers – would threaten the UK’s national security, through food shortages at home and the potential for conflict overseas.

Dirty water, death and decline: the inside story of a privatisation scandal

Global sea levels have been underestimated due to poor modelling, research suggests

‘I live in constant fear’: surge in giant sinkholes threatens Turkey’s farmers

What exactly is climate finance? Who pays it? And who gets it? | Explainer

We can move beyond the capitalist model and save the climate – here are the first three steps | Jason Hickel and Yanis Varoufakis

Biodiversity collapse threatens UK security, intelligence chiefs warn

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 US startup aims to provide farmers with ammonia fertilizer produced from green hydrogen at local facilities, while solving a curtailment issue for wind power, too.

The post Green Hydrogen Can Help US Farmers & Fix Wind Power’s Curtailment Problem, Too appeared first on CleanTechnica.