Interesting Ideas

From the WWW of RSS
‘I was watching osprey for five hours a day’: how the world fell in love with nature live streams
‘I was watching osprey for five hours a day’: how the world fell in love with nature live streams

‘I was watching osprey for five hours a day’: how the world fell in love with nature live streams

Phoebe Weston on Environment | The Guardian

More and more people are hooked on watching animals in real time. Now researchers say it could even improve your mood, help you relax and give you better sleep

In 2012 Dianne Hoffman, a retired consultant, became a peeping Tom. For five hours a day she watched the antics of a couple, Harriet and Ozzie, who lived on Dunrovin ranch in Montana.

The pair were nesting ospreys, being streamed live as they incubated their clutch of eggs. The eggs never hatched, but the ospreys sat on them for months before finally kicking them out of the nest.

Continue reading...

Read More

Is BYD Touching Its Demand Ceiling at Home? — April 2025 Sales Report

José Pontes on CleanTechnica

I just reported on the top selling electric models in China. Now, let’s have a look at the top selling EV brands and auto groups. Looking at the overall manufacturer ranking (not just electrics), I believe the most relevant fact could be that BYD has found out the demand ceiling ... [continued]

The post Is BYD Touching Its Demand Ceiling at Home? — April 2025 Sales Report appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Read More
‘I’m in love with the birds and the river’: how ecotourism helped a small Colombian town recover from war
‘I’m in love with the birds and the river’: how ecotourism helped a small Colombian town recover from war

‘I’m in love with the birds and the river’: how ecotourism helped a small Colombian town recover from war

Natalia Torres Garzón in Mesetas, Colombia on Environment | The Guardian

Since the 2016 peace treaty, Mesetas has embraced its natural assets and visitors have flocked to enjoy the region’s unique biodiversity. But the threat of violence is never far away

  • Photographs by Antonio Cascio

Ten years ago, violent conflict made it impossible for tourists to enjoy the natural riches of Mesetas. The town was one of the centres of the armed conflict that ravaged Colombia for decades, claiming nearly half a million lives.

But since the historic peace treaty in 2016, with efforts to uphold it now led by the leftist president, Gustavo Petro, the people of Mesetas have had their hopes raised for a better life, thanks to those natural assets.

Continue reading...

Read More
Bogs and dogs: Chelsea flower show puts practical gardens in spotlight
Bogs and dogs: Chelsea flower show puts practical gardens in spotlight

Bogs and dogs: Chelsea flower show puts practical gardens in spotlight

Helena Horton Environment reporter on Environment | The Guardian

Loo that makes compost with human waste and drought- and dog-friendly creations among highlights at 2025 event

Frisbees, solar panels and a toilet are among the rather unorthodox stars of the Chelsea flower show, as horticulturalists attempt to show how gardens can be practical as well as beautiful.

The event, now in its 112th year, usually tends toward showcasing peonies and roses over human waste. But the Garden of the Future, designed by Matthew Butler and Josh Parker, features a lavatory that creates a biochar compost perfect for growing vegetables.

Continue reading...

Read More

New Texas Bill Threatens Growth Of Wind & Solar Industry

Derek Markham on CleanTechnica

The Texas Senate has passed Senate Bill 715 (SB 715), a proposal that could impose new costs and operational challenges on wind and solar power producers across the state. The bill is now under consideration in the Texas House of Representatives, where clean energy supporters are urging lawmakers to block ... [continued]

The post New Texas Bill Threatens Growth Of Wind & Solar Industry appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Read More

Queensland Makes Electric Vehicle Progress Despite Government Shift to the Right

David Waterworth on CleanTechnica

Late in 2024, Queensland citizens voted out the left-leaning Labour state government and voted in the more conservative Liberal National Party. Electric vehicle purchases by government agencies have been affected. From the official website: “The QFleet Vehicle Emissions Reduction Strategy 2025-2030 (ER Strategy) was introduced on 10 March 2025, replacing ... [continued]

The post Queensland Makes Electric Vehicle Progress Despite Government Shift to the Right appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Read More

Geely Xingyuan Takes Top Spot in China! — April 2025 Sales Report

José Pontes on CleanTechnica

BEVs represented close to a third of the total Chinese car market in March. April saw the continuation of the never ending growth of the Chinese EV market, with plugins scoring over 900,000 units in April (in a 1.8-million-unit overall market). They grew over 30% YoY, a positive outcome in ... [continued]

The post Geely Xingyuan Takes Top Spot in China! — April 2025 Sales Report appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Read More
A deadly mission: how Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira tried to warn the world about the Amazon’s destruction
A deadly mission: how Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira tried to warn the world about the Amazon’s destruction

A deadly mission: how Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira tried to warn the world about the Amazon’s destruction

Dom Phillips on Environment | The Guardian

The Guardian journalist and the Brazilian Indigenous expert were killed while investigating the impact of deforestation. In this extract from the book Phillips was writing at the time of his death, he reflects on his encounters with the rainforest and its people – and why it is so vital to save this precious place

Phillips and Pereira disappeared on a research expedition into the far western Amazon. Pereira had received death threats due to his work helping Indigenous people protect the rainforest from illegal fishing and hunting. When the pair did not return, a search was launched. After 10 days, their bodies were found. Two men will go on trial for their murder later this year.

“SNAKE!” The cry came from near the end of the line of 11 men, strung out along a narrow trail being hacked out of thick Amazon rainforest. I shivered. I had walked right past the danger lurking unseen in the dense undergrowth. Poisonous snakes are one of the most lethal threats in this part of the world. Indigenous people fear them and they present even more danger to a bumbling, middle-aged journalist like me, stumbling over roots the local men stepped lightly over in their rubber boots, skidding on muddy ground where they were sure-footed.

Continue reading...

Read More

Who Thinks Urban Sprawl Is A Good Thing?

Carolyn Fortuna on CleanTechnica

The Dallas area has grown by about three million people over the past two decades, and Ross Perot, Jr. predicted in the New York Times that greater Dallas would continue to push outward for many decades more. It will start at a point 40 miles from downtown, he says, then ... [continued]

The post Who Thinks Urban Sprawl Is A Good Thing? appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Read More
Revealed: European ‘green’ investments hold billions in fossil fuel majors
Revealed: European ‘green’ investments hold billions in fossil fuel majors

Revealed: European ‘green’ investments hold billions in fossil fuel majors

Damian Carrington, Giorgio Michalopoulos and Stefano Valentino on Environment | The Guardian

Exclusive: Funds with names such as ‘Sustainable Global Stars’ have stakes in some of the world’s biggest polluters

European “green” funds holding more than $33bn of investments in major oil and gas companies have been revealed by an investigation, despite fossil fuels being the root cause of the climate crisis. Some of these investment funds used branding such as Sustainable Global Stars and Europe Climate Pathway.

Over $18bn was invested in the five biggest polluters: TotalEnergies, Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron and BP. These topped a 2023 Carbon Majors ranking for oil and gas production among shareholder-owned firms. Other investments by funds following EU sustainable finance disclosure regulations (SFDR) included those in US fracking company Devon Energy and Canadian tar sands company Suncor, the investigation by Voxeurop and the Guardian found.

A Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) fund called Europe Climate Pathway had $88m invested in Shell, BP and TotalEnergies. In total, LGIM held $210m in “green” funds.

The Robeco Sustainable Global Stars fund had $40m in TotalEnergies. Overall, Robeco held $207m in these funds.

Another fund, a State Street product called World ESG had $43m in combined investment in all five of the oil majors. ESG is a label for funds promoting environmental, social and governance goals. In total, State Street Global Advisors UK held $243m in the “green” funds.

Continue reading...

Read More
Bees face new threats from wars, street lights and microplastics, scientists warn
Bees face new threats from wars, street lights and microplastics, scientists warn

Bees face new threats from wars, street lights and microplastics, scientists warn

Helena Horton Environment reporter on Environment | The Guardian

University of Reading report says conflicts including war in Ukraine among 12 most pressing threats to pollinator

War zones, microplastics and street lights are among the emerging threats to the bee population, according to scientists.

Bee experts have drawn up a list of the 12 most pressing threats to the pollinator over the next decade, published in a report, Emerging Threats and Opportunities for Conservation of Global Pollinators, by the University of Reading.

Continue reading...

Read More
Country diary: A fly is never just a fly | Mark Cocker
Country diary: A fly is never just a fly | Mark Cocker

Country diary: A fly is never just a fly | Mark Cocker

Mark Cocker on Environment | The Guardian

Buxton, Derbyshire: St Mark’s flies are out in force, food for the swifts and starling chicks, and everything else besides

Examine any part of the horizon from our garden and you find the air freckled with slow-dreaming swarms of black dots. I’d hazard a guess that all of them are Bibio marci, a fly named because it’s said to emerge on the feast of Saint Mark – 25 April.

All spider webs inspected thus far have contained their remains, but a larger revelation came from some cattle troughs 10 miles from here. The surface film was full of drowned insects. The fly of St Mark is so often a corpse that you could easily imagine that its species’ raison d’être was to exit life as casually as possible. Those many victims, however, hint only at the creature’s astonishing abundance. For the ensuing weeks it will be probably the most numerous macro-organism in our countryside.

Continue reading...

Read More

On Sale Now: This Cargo E-Bike Can Carry Your Kids, Groceries, & More

GearTechnica on CleanTechnica

For electric bike enthusiasts looking to expand their lifestyle beyond solo commuting or joyrides, or for the e-bike-curious, the HOVSCO HovCart 20″ Step-Thru Electric Fat Tire Cargo Bike could offer a new frontier. Whether you’re hauling groceries, ferrying kids to school, or enjoying a weekend family outing, the HovCart delivers ... [continued]

The post On Sale Now: This Cargo E-Bike Can Carry Your Kids, Groceries, & More appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Read More

Trump Loses Big Game Of Offshore Wind Chicken, Bigly

Tina Casey on CleanTechnica

The Empire Wind offshore wind farm is back on track, saving thousands of US jobs both onshore and off, in red and blue states alike.

The post Trump Loses Big Game Of Offshore Wind Chicken, Bigly appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Read More

Republican Bill in Congress Threatens 300 US Factories, 300,000 American Jobs

Zachary Shahan on CleanTechnica

It’s been such a big part of the US Republican Party for so long that it’s hard to keep in mind how insane opposition to clean energy is. Solar and wind energy power millions of homes, and they provide hundreds of thousands of US jobs, and they don’t cause cancer, ... [continued]

The post Republican Bill in Congress Threatens 300 US Factories, 300,000 American Jobs appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Read More

From Coal Dominance To Renewables: How Poland Changed Its Energy Story

Michael Barnard on CleanTechnica

Poland’s energy story is both a cautionary tale and an inspiring narrative about how a nation heavily dependent on coal has managed to diversify its energy mix significantly within just a few decades. Back in 1990, Poland was essentially synonymous with coal energy, relying on it for nearly three-quarters of ... [continued]

The post From Coal Dominance To Renewables: How Poland Changed Its Energy Story appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Read More
Citizen testing reveals phosphate ‘crisis’ in English and Welsh rivers
Citizen testing reveals phosphate ‘crisis’ in English and Welsh rivers

Citizen testing reveals phosphate ‘crisis’ in English and Welsh rivers

Sandra Laville Environment correspondent on Environment | The Guardian

Anglers say more than a third of freshwater sites breach phosphate levels for good ecological status

Citizen testing of rivers in England and Wales by anglers reveals that more than a third of freshwater sites breach phosphate levels for good ecological status.

Volunteers from angling groups are using the data to try to drive change in the way rivers are treated – but the task ahead is huge, according to the Angling Trust and Fish Legal.

Continue reading...

Read More
Dry spring weather to make way for rain in parts of Europe
Dry spring weather to make way for rain in parts of Europe

Dry spring weather to make way for rain in parts of Europe

Brendan Jones for the MetDesk on Environment | The Guardian

Polar jet stream to break down areas of high pressure, while cold winds could bring snow to South Africa

The extremely dry spring weather in north-western Europe has continued this month, with swathes of the UK, northern France, the Low Countries and Germany receiving just 10% of their normal May rainfall.

The summery conditions, caused by semi-permanent high pressure across the region, are expected to change significantly this week, ending the dry spell for many and delivering much-needed rainfall.

Continue reading...

Read More

Local Opposition To Data Centers Is The Next New Thing

Steve Hanley on CleanTechnica

Data centers are getting pushback from local residents in many parts of America, particularly In northern Virginia.

The post Local Opposition To Data Centers Is The Next New Thing appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Read More
Video suggests capuchin monkeys ‘kidnap’ baby howler monkeys, scientists say
Video suggests capuchin monkeys ‘kidnap’ baby howler monkeys, scientists say

Video suggests capuchin monkeys ‘kidnap’ baby howler monkeys, scientists say

Associated Press on Environment | The Guardian

It remains unclear why the monkeys, filmed on a Panamanian island, were taking the babies from another species

Scientists have spotted surprising evidence of what they describe as monkey kidnappings while reviewing video footage from a small Panamanian island. Capuchin monkeys were seen carrying at least 11 howler babies between 2022 and 2023.

“This was very much a shocking finding,” said Zoë Goldsborough, a behavioural ecologist at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany. “We’ve not seen anything like this in the animal kingdom.”

Continue reading...

Read More