Day: 13 November 2024

New recyclable Amazon packaging is landing on doorsteps in the UK

Stuart Mitchell

Amazon have invented a shock-proof, lightweight paper envelope in the UK that’s designed to be recycled at home. As part of our commitment to avoiding unnecessary packaging wherever possible, Amazon scientists and engineers worked with packaging industry expert Mondi to develop a new paper-padded envelope with shock-absorbent, paper-based lining. The new envelopes, which have started landing on UK doorsteps, protect deliveries without using any plastic content — unlike envelopes lined with bubble wrap which had been used previously. Amazon customers want rightsized, recyclable packaging that minimises waste and ensures damage-free…

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US Falling Behind on its Climate Goals; Faster Adoption of Low-Carbon Technologies Needed to Get it on Track

Stuart Mitchell

The US’s transition to a net-zero economy by 2050 represents a $41 trillion investment opportunity in the country’s energy system, according to the New Energy Outlook: US, published today by research provider BloombergNEF (BNEF). The report details a pathway for the US energy system to reach net-zero emissions using the lowest-cost technologies available. The window for the US to get on track to hit its 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target is closing. The new report shows that getting there requires immediate action across multiple sectors. However, achieving that goal…

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Record Growth Drives Cost Advantage of Renewable Power

Stuart Mitchell

Renewables remain competitive despite fossil fuel prices returning closer to historical cost levels, concludes Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2023, released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) at the Global Renewables Summit during the UN General Assembly in New York recently. Of the record 473 gigawatts (GW) added in 2023, 81% or 382 GW of newly commissioned, utility-scale renewable projects had lower costs than their fossil fuel-fired alternatives. IRENA’s new report shows that after decades of falling costs and improving technology particularly for solar and wind, the socio-economic and…

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Octopus Energy turbocharges the UK’s green energy revolution with £2 billion investment by 2030

Stuart Mitchell

In a move set to power up Great Britain’s green energy future, Octopus Energy’s generation arm announces plans to pump £2 billion into UK clean energy projects by 2030. Octopus seals the deal on four new solar farms being developed by BayWa r.e. in Bristol, Essex, East Riding of Yorkshire and Wiltshire. The solar projects will have a combined capacity of 222 MW, in addition to a 30 MW battery located on one of the sites. Construction on three of these solar farms will start later this year and the…

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“We’re Eating Microplastics Every Day,” Actor Daniel Dae Kim Warns in WWF Video

Stuart Mitchell

Recently WWF released a new video that uses wry humor to demonstrate the pervasiveness of plastic pollution, especially in the food we eat, ahead of the crucial final round of negotiations for a legally-binding global plastic pollution treaty, otherwise known as INC-5.  In the video titled “Daniel’s Kitchen”, Korean-American actor Daniel Dae Kim initially seems to be teaching viewers how to make gimbap, a popular Korean dish. But as the scenes unfold, we see that the gimbap’s key ingredients, which include seaweed, rice, carrots and eggs, have been replaced with…

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