Interesting Ideas

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

• UK politics live – latest updates

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.

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.

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.

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.”