Tensions in the Middle East often spark fears of rising gasoline prices, but disruptions to oil production and transport can have far broader consequences for modern societies. Crude oil is not only burned as fuel; it is also the foundational raw material used to produce thousands of essential products, including plastics, fertilizers, synthetic fabrics, pharmaceuticals …
Meat and dairy corporations are facing growing criticism for allegedly slowing global climate progress by influencing policymakers and shaping narratives around livestock production. Environmental groups argue that these companies are using lobbying, partnerships with international institutions, and public messaging campaigns to defend the continued expansion of industrial livestock systems despite mounting scientific evidence about their …
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Ireland’s renewable energy transition accelerated significantly in 2025 as the country recorded a major expansion in photovoltaic capacity. According to Solar Ireland, cumulative installed capacity reached 2,345 MW by December 2025 across all PV segments, reflecting a substantial surge in deployment during the year. Approximately 1,005 MW of new installations were added in 2025 alone, …
Scientists have developed a new mathematical method that helps quantify how human-caused climate change is intensifying extreme weather events across Europe. The breakthrough approach, created by climate researcher Gottfried Kirchengast and colleagues at the University of Graz in Austria, provides a powerful tool for analyzing the growing hazards posed by heatwaves, floods, droughts, and other …
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France and Sweden are pushing back against a European Commission proposal that would require EU member states to share more of the financial burden for upgrading the continent’s power infrastructure. At the center of the dispute is a broader effort to modernize and expand the EU electricity grid, a critical pillar of the bloc’s strategy …
Continue reading “EU electricity grid funding fight intensifies”
Battery markets are expanding at an extraordinary pace as the clean energy transition accelerates and artificial intelligence reshapes global electricity consumption. The rapid buildout of electric vehicles, renewable power systems, data centers, and AI infrastructure has made energy storage indispensable. As a result, global battery demand is surging, transforming batteries from a niche clean-tech component …
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A new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) delivers a clear message: Europe does not lack ideas—it lacks scale. While the continent remains a global leader in research, pilot projects, and early-stage breakthroughs, it consistently struggles to translate those advances into large-scale industrial deployment. This imbalance risks turning Europe into a testing ground for …
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Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) is emerging as a transformative solution to two of renewable energy’s greatest constraints: land use and intermittency. As countries accelerate the buildout of solar and wind power, they face mounting land competition with agriculture, biodiversity protection, and local communities. Large utility-scale renewable projects often require vast tracts of land and can …
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Professor Doyne Farmer of University of Oxford is leading an ambitious effort to build a Global economic simulation that models every company in the world as a digital agent making realistic, adaptive decisions. The goal is nothing less than a living, evolving model of the entire economy—capable of producing forecasts with unprecedented clarity. Farmer compares …
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Automakers are increasingly betting on humanoid robots as a cornerstone of future factory automation, even though today’s machines remain slower and less productive than human workers. Companies such as Tesla and Hyundai Motor Group are prioritizing long-term efficiency and cost savings over short-term performance limits, signaling a major shift in how vehicle manufacturing could evolve …
