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China added a Germany-sized grid in 2025
Categories: clean powerAnd it was nearly all solar and wind: click here for more. Post. Source: Our World in Data. Category: clean power, tags China, solar, wind.Click on a link to see related content. For an index of all categories and tags on this website click here. Read more
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Energy from Waste
Categories: waste managementFor a list of UK power stations I go to DESNZ's Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES). DUKES is not very informative about EfW, showing only seven plants where the primary fuel is Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), a total of 471 MW of capacity. The largest plant here is Viridor's EfW in Runcorn at 91 Read more
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The Waste Management Hierarchy
Categories: waste managementThe Defra waste management hierarchy is a framework that ranks waste management options by their environmental impact. It guides businesses and public bodies to follow five steps, from most preferred to least preferred. They are: Guidance on applying the Waste Hierarchy | Defra June 2011 Post. Category waste management, tags EfW, reuse.Click on a link to Read more
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Defending Energy from Waste
Categories: waste managementIn The Conversation Edward Randviir, a lecturer in chemistry, argues that EfW is the least worst way to dispose of waste, at least until we fix the recycling system. It comes after EfW was deemed the UK’s “dirtiest form of power” by a BBC investigation in October 2024. I think the BBC is missing the point: EfW is a Read more
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Low-carbon electricity sources grew faster than demand in 2025
Categories: clean powerGlobal electricity production increased by around 850TWh in 2025, with solar and wind accounting for nearly all of this growth. The world burned more gas, but this was more than offset by a decline in coal and oil. One cheer overall I think: to reduce CO2 emissions overall fossil fuel use needs to fall not just Read more
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Moving beyond GDP
Categories: economicsGrowth at any cost leaves us all poorer.António Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN A report commissioned by the UN proposes 31 new indicators to “complement and go beyond” gross domestic product (GDP) as the world’s main measure of economic growth. They include: Beyond GDP | UNAlternatives to the world’s favourite measure of economic health | Marina Lenharo Read more
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Defossilize the chemical industry
Categories: plasticsAs well as stopping burning of fossil fuels we must stop using them as feedstock in industry. Alternative sources of carbon are plentiful, but we have to be careful - converting cropland to biofuel production, for example, can drive up food prices, damage biodiversity and harm soil health. Europe should look to recycled plastic waste and captured CO2 for sources of carbon. Source: Read more
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Net zero backlash
For the first time since monitoring began there were more UK newspaper editorials in 2025 opposing climate action than supporting it. All 98 editorials opposing climate action were in right-leaning outlets, while nearly all 46 in support were in left-leaning and centrist publications. The trend shows the net-zero backlash in the UK’s right-leaning press and the shift away Read more
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Sheep may safely graze
Categories: UncategorizedSheep graze on land that supports solar panels. Is the win-win-win for farmers, renewables and society, asks Amelia Hill, or just a PR exercise for energy companies? Solar grazing | Amelia Hill in the Guardian, 14 January 2026 Originally posted in Second Nature 049 (January 2026). Tags solar.Click on any link to see related content. For an Read more
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Microplastics in the human body
Studies reporting the presence of microplastics in the human body have been criticised by scientists who say the discoveries are likely the result of contamination and false positives. Microplastic and nanoplastic particles are tiny and at the limit of today’s analytical techniques, Doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body | Damien Carrington in the Guardian, 13 January 2026Challenges in Read more