Environment

Solar power is surging in Europe, saving consumers billions on their utility bills just so far this year alone. The post Solar Energy Saves Europeans $135 Million A Day appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Deep in Taiwan’s misty mountains, researchers have confirmed the tallest tree in the country: a thousand-year-old fir tree higher than a 20-story building, which they’ve named “the heaven sword of the Da’an River.” Climbers scaled the tree and dropped a measuring tape from the top to the forest floor during the Lunar New Year holiday […]

World Oceans Day is celebrated every June 8 to raise awareness about the conservation of Earth’s oceans. In honor of World Oceans Day 2026, the United Nations is focused on marine protected areas (MPA), and the goal of protecting 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. The world collectively reached a third of the goal […]

Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. The platypus offers a useful lesson in conservation: before acting, it helps to know where the animal still lives, and where risks are growing. Australia’s best-known oddity is also difficult to count, reports contributor Paul Harvey for Mongabay. […]

With festivities scheduled in many communities to heighten awareness about the important role that the seas play in our lives, I had several choices for ways I could participate in World Ocean Day. One event stood out, though: I attended the 2026 International Ocean Film Festival at the Harbor Branch ... [continued] The post Happy World Ocean Day! appeared first on CleanTechnica.

France has announced a national electrification push that is directionally correct in a way that a lot of energy policy still is not. It is not treating electrification as a side dish to climate policy, a consumer rebate program, or a decorative set of EV chargers beside the real business ... [continued] The post France Gets Electrification Right, But 2030 Is Doing A Lot Of Work appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Driven by rising fuel costs, increasing demand for affordable transportation and growing policy support for clean energy solutions, investors are increasingly backing scalable electric motorcycle platforms capable of supporting Africa’s next phase of urban and industrial growth. The electric motorcycle sector is growing nicely on the continent. I have been ... [continued] The post Investments Starting to Grow Nicely In Africa’s Electric Motorcycle Sector appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Plug-in hybrids are the hottest thing in South Africa right now in terms of sales growth. Sales of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) were up 280% in 2025 compared with sales figures from 2024. naamsa’s quarterly review of business conditions for the South African motor vehicle manufacturing industry during the first quarter ... [continued] The post PHEV Sales Continue to Record Phenomenal Growth in South Africa appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Beauty is a curse — at least for the turquoise dwarf gecko of central Tanzania. Between December 2004 and July 2009, demand for this gecko from collectors in Europe boomed, leading to the capture and export of an estimated 40,000 of these striking reptiles from Tanzania. “I remember when I saw them for the first […]

A helicopter is used to transport more than 100 tonnes of stone to the site at Helvellyn.

The first quarter of 2026 saw plugin EVs take 33.0% share in France, up from 22.9% in Q1 2025. BEV share grew strongly year on year (YoY), while PHEV share was flat. Overall Q1 auto volume was 339,478 units, down some 2.5% YoY. The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling ... [continued] The post EVs Take 33.0% Share In France – Tesla Model Y Leads appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is going to be one of the biggest global events of the decade — as all World Cups are. It’s estimated that a whopping 1.5 billion people tuned in to watch the final match of the 2022 World Cup, and approximately 5 billion people “engaged ... [continued] The post Hyundai Scores Robotics PR Win, Shanks Ball On FIFA Transport Opportunity appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Hawaii is a fascinating story in the clean energy transition. Isolated, but with abundant natural resources, the islands have a unique blend of opportunity, incredibly high prices of electricity made by imported fuels, and a historic reliance on fossil fuels, the result of path dependency and short-term solutions. The state ... [continued] The post Panel Discussion with Hawaii’s Clean Energy Leaders appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Steel keeps getting framed as a hydrogen problem because hydrogen gives the sector a single shiny lever. Replace coal with hydrogen, keep making new iron, plug it into an electric arc furnace, and declare victory somewhere around the ribbon-cutting ceremony. It is an attractive story for governments, incumbent producers, electrolyzer ... [continued] The post Steel’s Future Starts With Demand, Scrap, And Electricity, Not Hydrogen appeared first on CleanTechnica.

More than a decade ago, conservationists began working to preserve a unique population of desert pampas cats that has adapted to the mangroves of Peru’s northern coast. This small, isolated population roams the San Pedro de Vice dry mangroves, a Ramsar Site and South America’s southernmost mangrove ecosystem. “This is a very unique population, because […]