SAIL POWERED CARGO SHIP SHOWS POTENTIAL OF WIND

Retrofitting giant, rigid sails to a cargo ship has effectively cut its fuel use and carbon dioxide (CO²) emissions, shipping firm data shows.

The Pyxis Ocean tested the British-designed WindWings for six months.

Sails have powered boats for millennia – but the type of sails trialled on the Pyxis Ocean are different to those normally seen on wind-powered vessels.

Made of the same material as wind turbine blades, they are folded down in port then opened out to stand at 123ft (37.5m) on the open seas.
After having the wings fitted in Shanghai, the ship set sail in August 2023.

Cargill says the ship spent half a year sailing the Indian and Pacific Oceans and the North and South Atlantic, during which time it used on average three tonnes less fuel each day – equating to 11,2 tonnes of CO² emissions saved for each day the sails were up.

Reasons to be Cheerful was founded by artist and musician David Byrne (Talking Heads), who believes in the power of approaching the world with curiosity—in art, in music, in collaboration, and in life. The website will give you your daily dose of dopermine in a world consumed by negativity, greed and indifference. Check out the website here … https://reasonstobecheerful.world/

SOLAR AND WIND HELPED CLEAN ENERGY SUPPLY 40% OF THE WORLD’S ELECTRICITY IN2024

Source: https://www.dailyclimate.org/good-news/

RENEWABLE ENERGY IN AUSTRALIA

Total electricity generation in Australia in 2023 was an estimated 273,106 gigawatt hours (GWh), with renewables contributing 95,963 GWh or 35% of the total.

Clean Energy Australia reports that estimates for the renewable energy share of the total for 2024 increased to 39.4%.

Source: https://www.energy.gov.au/energy-data/australian-energy-statistics/

Research suggests that over the past 40 years, Australia’s Red Goshawk (Erythrotriorchis radiatus) – which can measure 60cm long with a wingspan over a metre – has disappeared from at least one-third of its breeding area, and may be barely hanging on in another third.

However, a bird snapped by Newhaven wildlife sanctuary ecologist Dr Tim Henderson is likely a juvenile on risky 1,500km journey away from parents, expert says. The bird was sighted about 300km west of Alice Springs where there had not been a sighting of this rare bird of prey for about 30 years.

Read the full story here … https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jan/24/endangered-red-goshawk-photographed-central-australia

OLD CAR BATTERIES ARE QUIETLY POWERING A CLEANER FUTURE

Altilium, a UK startup recycling company, has developed a water-based method to recover valuable metals like nickel and lithium from used EV batteries, avoiding emissions-heavy techniques like pyrometallurgy.

The rise in EV adoption and growing concerns over mining’s human rights and environmental costs are fueling interest in battery recycling, but the industry is still in its infancy.

Governments, including the European Union and the US, are introducing policies and incentives to support battery recycling as a way to secure resources and reduce reliance on unstable global supply chains.

Source: https://www.dailyclimate.org/how-old-electric-car-batteries-are-quietly-powering-a-cleaner-future-2671800369.html

THE POWER OF WATER

A rare good news story on climate and clean renewable energy.

GOOD NEWS. Over the past 5 years Evolution Mining and advisory form ICA Partners have spent $25 million on initial work to convert the mined-out Mt Rawdon gold mine into a pumped hydro power project.

EVEN BETTER NEWS. The Queensland government has committed $50 million to the project and will purchase the project, after feasibility, as part of its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

The system would work by by moving water between two dams, one at the top of a hill and another at the bottom, through a turbine. Because it is a steep site a lot of power could be generated over a relatively short distance.

Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-12/mt-rawdon-mine-pumped-hydro-project-gets-50-million/105161320

2025 – bagMUSTER IS OFFICIALLY OPERATING

Operated by Agsafe, bagMUSTER offers a structured, sustainable solution for collecting and recycling agricultural plastic bags, specifically single-use polypropylene (PP) bags used for fertilisers, seeds, grain, stock feed, and pet food. Our mission is to promote responsible waste disposal, reduce on-farm plastic waste, and support product stewardship across the agricultural community.

First established in western Victoria, bagMUSTER is now preparing for Phase 2, which will see the program expand into other states. Link to the bagMUSTER website for updates as we work towards nationwide access to sustainable agricultural plastic recycling.

bagMUSTER website link … https://www.bagmuster.org.au/

Fighting Global Warming, One Abandoned Oil Well at a Time
When Curtis Shuck learned that the oil and gas industry had left orphaned wells all over the US, he made it his mission to cap as many as he could.
By: Michaela Haas | August 5, 2024  | Reasons to be Cheerful
Read the essay here … https://reasonstobecheerful.world/well-done-plugging-oil-wells/

The solutions we need for a carbon-zero future already exist

Low cost solar, wind, and battery technologies are on profitable, exponential trajectories that if sustained, will be enough to halve emissions from electricity generation by 2030. Wind and solar energy now regularly out-compete fossil fuels in most regions of the world. Electric vehicle growth has the potential to reach a 90% market share by 2030 if sustained, but only if strong policies support this direction.

Developed responsibly, we can harness these technologies and potentially scale further unproven ones to reduce about nearly two thirds of potential emissions in 2030. However, we need governments to drive this progress and take us the rest of the way.

From: WWF … https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/the-good-news-about-climate-change