Environment

Karma Automotive has raised a $100 million lifeline from outside investors, as reported by Bloomberg, with the struggling electric vehicle maker’s fortunes likely buoyed by the current market optimism on other EV companies including Tesla. Karma is the reincarnated version of Fisker Automotive, which previously faced bankruptcy before being acquired by Wanxiang Group in 2014.

Tesla’s 2014 acquisition of SolarCity turned the electric vehicle manufacturer into the undisputed largest player in residential solar, but that lead has steadily eroded as its major competitor, Sunrun, surged ahead with more aggressive plans. Now with the $3.2 billion dollar acquisition of the residential solar installation company, Vivint Solar, Sunrun looks to solidify its

Replenysh has been kicking since 2016, but up til now, the Orange County, California startup hasn’t done much press. That changes today, as the company announces that it has raised a $2 million seed round with the fairly lofty goal of transforming recycling in the U.S. A press release outlining Replenysh’s plans offers up plenty

As perennial front runner for the title of probably-the-most-evil tech company, Amazon has a long way to go to rehabilitate its image as a take-no-prisoners, industry-consolidating wealth machine. In a bold effort to do so, the company announced today that it would buy the rights to Seattle’s KeyArena, an aging stadium currently under redevelopment in

DroneBase, a Los Angeles-based provider of drone pilots for industrial services companies, has raised $7.5 million during the pandemic to double down on its work with renewable energy companies. While chief executive Dan Burton acknowledged that the company was fundraising prior to the pandemic, the industrial lockdown actually accelerated demand for the company’s services. Even

Roger Duncan Contributor Roger Duncan is a former Research Fellow at the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin and the former General Manager of Austin Energy. He is the co-author of the upcoming book, “The Future of Buildings, Transportation and Power.” The economic lockdown resulting from the coronavirus pandemic has had an

PHOENIX (Reuters) – Over 2,000 people were evacuated from three large wildfires in Arizona on Thursday as dry conditions and gusty winds whipped blazes across the U.S. Southwest. Over 1,500 residents fled small communities in mountains about 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Phoenix, Arizona, as a wildfire grew to an area larger than the

(Reuters) – The U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed a major conservation bill that would permanently direct $900 million a year to a long-standing federal program aimed at acquiring and protecting public lands. The 73-25 vote in the Republican-led chamber was a rare bipartisan effort led by Republican Senators Cory Gardner of Colorado and Steve Daines

FILE PHOTO: The European Central Bank (ECB) logo is pictured before a news conference on the outcome of the meeting of the Governing Council in Frankfurt, Germany, January 23, 2020. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Euro zone banks are heavily exposed to carbon-intensive industries and face significant climate-change related risks so they must start to

Pale Blue Dot, a newly outed European venture capital firm focused on climate tech, announced this week the first closing of its debut fund at €53 million. Targeting pre-seed and seed stage startups, the firm says it will consider software and technology investments with a strong positive climate impact. Current areas of focus include food/agriculture,

A diver tries to cut a rope from the tail of a whale shark near Koh Tao Island, Thailand June 13, 2020, in this still image obtained from a social media video. Sarakorn Pokaprakarn/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. BANGKOK (Reuters) – Divers in Thailand have captured dramatic

Finland-based Swappie has closed a €35.8 million ($40.6M) Series B to expand into new markets in Europe. The ecommerce business refurbishes and resells used iPhones, taking care of the entire process from testing and repairing used handsets, to selling the refurbished devices via its own marketplace, with a 12-month warranty. Local VC and private equity

(Reuters) – Six European Union countries, including Germany, France and the Netherlands, have called for EU legislation and increased funding to support hydrogen, a low-carbon technology in line for cash from the bloc’s coronavirus recovery fund. FILE PHOTO: European Union flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, February 19, 2020. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File

(Reuters) – Unilever Plc (ULVR.L) said on Monday it will invest 1 billion euros in a fund to invest in climate change projects and reduce to net zero greenhouse gas emissions from all its products by 2039, 11 years ahead of the Paris Agreement deadline. FILE PHOTO: Unilever headquarters in Rotterdam, Netherlands August 21, 2018.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba/TORONTO (Reuters) – Canadian oil sands companies have shelved nearly C$2 billion in green initiatives in a cost-cutting drive to weather the coronavirus pandemic, a reversal in some of their commitments to reduce emissions and clean up their dirty-oil image. FILE PHOTO: A Suncor refinery is seen in Sherwood Park, near Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

(Reuters) – Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Friday unveiled what he called a “blueprint” for enabling energy extraction, mining, grazing and logging in federal forests by speeding up environmental reviews and permitting. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue holds a U.S. flag-themed face mask while speaking about the nation?s food supply chain during

Volkswagen has started to sell a home-charging device as the automaker prepares to bring its new ID family of electric vehicles to market. The ID.3 is the first electric vehicle under the ID label and will only be sold in Europe. Customers who made reservations for the launch edition, known as ID.3 1st, will be

LONDON (Reuters) – The Scottish government said on Friday it has set up a 62 million pound ($78 million) fund to help the energy industry recover from the impacts of the coronavirus crisis and the collapse in oil and gas prices. The energy transition fund will support businesses in the sector over the next five

BRASILIA (Reuters) – Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest rose for a 13th consecutive month in May, government data showed on Friday, despite President Jair Bolsonaro’s deployment of the military to fight soaring environmental destruction in the region FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: An aerial view shows a deforested plot of the Amazon near Porto Velho, Rondonia

BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil’s government has renewed for 30 days a presidential decree allowing the deployment of the armed forces to combat rising deforestation in the Amazon and protect the world’s largest rainforest. FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Smoke billows from a fire in an area of the Amazon rainforest near Porto Velho, Rondonia State, Brazil,

BRASILIA (Reuters) – Deforestation of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest was worse than previously reported in 2019, revised government data showed on Tuesday, during the first year of President Jair Bolsonaro, who is keen to develop the forest crucial to curbing global warming. FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: An aerial view shows a deforested plot of the Amazon

FILE PHOTO: Tropical Storm Cristobal is seen on a northern track over the Gulf of Mexico in a satellite image taken June 7, 2020. NOAA/Handout via REUTERS (Reuters) – Tropical Depression Cristobal became a post-tropical cyclone on Tuesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest advisory. The storm system was located about

South Africa-based renewable energy startup Sun Exchange has raised $3 million to close its Series A funding round totaling $4 million. The company operates a peer-to-peer, crypto-enabled business that allows individuals anywhere in the world to invest in solar infrastructure in Africa. How’s that all work? “You as an individual are selling electricity to a

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Diesel fuel from a major spill in the Russian Arctic has reached the waters of a pristine lake that serves as the basin for a river flowing into the Arctic Ocean, a senior official said on Tuesday. A member of the Marine Rescue Service takes part in a clean-up operation following a

MONTREAL (Reuters) – The United States supports changing a landmark aviation emissions scheme now under review by a UN agency, after airlines said the current deal could leave them with higher carbon offsetting costs when air travel recovers from coronavirus, sources familiar with the matter said. FILE PHOTO: An airplane is silhouetted against a full

Tropical Storm Cristobal is seen on a northern track over the Gulf of Mexico in a satellite image taken June 7, 2020. NOAA/Handout via REUTERS (Reuters) – The center of Tropical Storm Cristobal has made landfall along the coast of southeast Louisiana between the mouth of the Mississippi River and Grand Isle, the U.S. National

HOUSTON (Reuters) – Tropical Storm Cristobal on Saturday dumped rain from Louisiana to the Florida peninsula as it moved through the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, prompting evacuations of several southeast Louisiana towns and dozens of offshore oil platforms. Workers disembark from a helicopter after being evacuated from oil production platforms ahead of Tropical Storm Cristobal,

Workers disembark from a helicopter after being evacuated from oil production platforms ahead of Tropical Storm Cristobal, at Bristow Galliano Heliport in Galliano, Louisiana, U.S. June 6, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman HOUSTON (Reuters) – Tropical Storm Cristobal moved through the U.S. Gulf of Mexico on Saturday carrying strong winds and heavy rains that prompted the evacuation

BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombia has captured 50 people and charged them with illegally trafficking plants and animals as part of efforts by authorities to protect the environment, the government said in a statement on Friday. The Andean country is the world’s second most biodiverse country after neighboring Brazil and is home to over 50,000 recorded

FILE PHOTO: The Environmental Protection Agency headquarters is seen in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 19, 2020. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released on Thursday a proposed overhaul of how major clean air rules are written by changing the cost-benefit analysis process, a move that would affect the stringency of future

The remains of a well that has been exposed in the sand due to costal erosion and sea storms are seen on the sandy beach of Baguida, a suburb of Lome, Togo, February 16, 2020. REUTERS/Luc Gnago BAGUIDA, Togo (Reuters) – The Togolese coastal community of Baguida has always had the ocean at its doorstep,

People pull the body of a dead pregnant elephant out of the water, after the animal was allegedly fed with firecracker-stuffed pineapple and died, in Malappuram, India, May 27, 2020 in this still image taken from a video. ANI/Reuters TV via REUTERS KOCHI, India (Reuters) – A pregnant elephant died in India apparently after eating

A worker wearing a protective mask due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak carries a saw blade after it was confiscated during a police operation named Flora Amazonica against illegal sawmills and loggers in Manacapuru near Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil June 2, 2020. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly MANAUS, Brazil (Reuters) – Police stormed a dozen sawmills in

MOGADISHU (Reuters) – A new solar power plant in Mogadishu should quadruple the city’s generation capacity and cut bills, the owners said, providing relief to businesses facing crippling costs from diesel-generated electricity. Electrical power lines from the Benadir Electricity Company (BECO) solar project in the outskirts Mogadishu, Somalia May 21, 2020. REUTERS/Feisal Omar BECO, Somalia’s

FILE PHOTO: EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler testifies at a hearing titled ‘Oversight of the Environmental Protection Agency’ in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, U.S., May 20, 2020. Kevin Dietsch/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler will sign a rule on Monday that would limit state

SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) – Tropical Storm Amanda has killed at least seven people in El Salvador as heavy rains made rivers overflow, flooded city streets and produced landslides, Interior Minister Mario Duran said on Sunday. “We’ve seen people asking for help, asking for the government. We haven’t deployed everywhere, the situation is overwhelming,” said Duran.

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesian authorities are considering two companies’ requests to dispose mining waste into the ocean, a senior government official said on Sunday, at a time of heightened sensitivity about the environmental impact of mining. The requests come as mining waste management is increasingly scrutinized after a nickel plant in neighboring Papua New Guinea

HAVANA/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Ken Hutton is worried Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas where he lives is far from rebuilt after being devastated by Hurricane Dorian last year yet he is bracing for another hurricane season in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. FILE PHOTO: A man walks among the debris of his house

The U.S. has suffered from devastating wildfires over the last few years as global temperatures rise and weather patterns change, making the otherwise natural phenomenon especially unpredictable and severe. To help out, Stanford researchers have found a way to track and predict dry, at-risk areas using machine learning and satellite imagery. Currently the way forests

(Reuters) – Washington state has confirmed its third sighting of an Asian giant hornet, dubbed the “murder hornet,” indicating the invasive, predatory insect has survived the winter in the U.S. Northwest, state agriculture officials said on Friday. The stinging hornet, which can grow as large as 2-1/2 inches (6.4 cm) in length, could potentially pose

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Two lions attacked a woman worker at an Australian zoo on Friday as she was cleaning their enclosure, inflicting critical wounds on her head and neck, officials said. Paramedics treated the 35-year-old at the Shoalhaven Zoo, in New South Wales (NSW) state, which has been closed since March 25 because of shutdowns

London-based Greyparrot, which uses computer vision AI to scale efficient processing of recycling, has bagged £1.825 million (~$2.2M) in seed funding, topping up the $1.2M in pre-seed funding it had raised previously. The latest round is led by early stage European industrial tech investor Speedinvest, with participation from UK-based early stage b2b investor, Force Over

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Sea turtles have been spotted swimming amid garbage next to an airport in Brazil’s tourist hotspot of Rio de Janeiro, as the scream of jet engines that would normally keep them away has been largely silenced due to the coronavirus pandemic. Animals are increasingly entering areas normally populated by humans,

The European Commission is proposing to direct billions of euros of financial relief into high tech and green investments to help the bloc recover from the coronavirus crisis. Technologies such as 5G, AI, cloud, cybersecurity, supercomputing and renewable energy look set to benefit from a €750BN pan-EU support package set out today — aligning with

FILE PHOTO: Cars fill the roads as people travel before the Thanksgiving Day holiday in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. November 20, 2018. REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A group of 23 U.S. states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit on Wednesday challenging a Trump administration decision to weaken Obama-era fuel efficiency standards. In March,

(Reuters) – A U.S. judge in Montana has thrown out a Trump administration directive that weakened an Obama-era policy aimed at protecting a threatened Western bird, invalidating hundreds of oil and gas leases on federal land in Montana and Wyoming. In a ruling issued late on Friday, District Court Judge Brian Morris sided with environmental

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Eight European countries have urged the European Union to include natural gas in future funding, as the bloc’s executive prepares to unveil its plan for a green economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. FILE PHOTO: A European flag is seen outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium November 6, 2019. REUTERS/Yves

FILE PHOTO: Ola Kaellenius, CEO of German luxury car manufacturer Daimler AG, speaks at the annual results news conference in Stuttgart, Germany, February 11, 2020. REUTERS/Andreas Gebert FRANKFURT (Reuters) – German luxury automaker Daimler on Monday announced tougher carbon emissions targets, saying it aimed to reach carbon dioxide-neutral production of passenger cars worldwide by 2022.