Bright Ideas for Indoor Arenas
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Before you choose fixtures or wiring layouts, check out this modern guide to lighting a multi-purpose sports hall so every game, class and event shines. From basketball tournaments to evening yoga and academic exams, these spaces need adaptable lighting that works flawlessly. Good lighting design ensures athlete safety, spectator comfort, camera performance and operational efficiency […]
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Seven County Infrastructure Coalition: The Supreme Court’s “Substantial Deference” Standard and Implications for Judicial Review under NEPA
On May 29, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County (No. 23-975) in which it perhaps clarified, perhaps modified, or perhaps announced entirely new standards for judicial review of agency obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Justice Kavanaugh delivered the majority opinion, holding […]
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Confronting the AI/energy conundrum
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The explosive growth of AI-powered computing centers is creating an unprecedented surge in electricity demand that threatens to overwhelm power grids and derail climate goals. At the same time, artificial intelligence technologies could revolutionize energy systems, accelerating the transition to clean power. “We’re at a cusp of potentially gigantic change throughout the economy,” said William […]
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Cropped 2 July 2025: US public lands under attack; How India’s gig workers are suffering under climate change; Bonn to Belém
We handpick and explain the most important stories at the intersection of climate, land, food and nature over the past fortnight. This is an online version of Carbon Brief’s fortnightly Cropped email newsletter. Subscribe for free here. Key developments Roadless rule ROADLESS RULE NO MORE: The US agriculture department announced last week that it plans to […]
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Groups celebrate decade of wildlife gains on UK farmland
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Essex skipper (image credit:(c) Josh Kubale). A decade-long nature-friendly farming project has helped to increase the diversity and abundance of wildlife across farmland and prompted the return of rare species such as the butterfly orchid and red-listed birds such as the nightingale, according to the groups behind it. The Jordans Farm Partnership between The Wildlife […]
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Chart: UK misses tree-planting targets by forest the ‘size of Isle of Wight’
A forest area equivalent to the size of the Isle of Wight has not been planted because UK governments have failed to meet tree-planting goals since 2020, according to Carbon Brief analysis. The latest figures from Forest Research show that only 15,700 hectares of trees were planted across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland over […]
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New Book Explores How Advisory Opinions Are Shaping International Climate Law
As the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) prepares to release its advisory opinion on climate change on July 3, 2025—joining earlier decisions from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Seas (ITLOS) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), and in anticipation of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s advisory opinion—The Role […]
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Rare-earth recovery separates materials well enough to make new magnets from them
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Dr Miloslav Polášek of IOCB Prague, and Kelsea Grace Jones, PhD student (image credit: Tomáš Belloň/IOCB Prague). A Czech group has developed a new method of separating the rare earth elements, or lanthanides, which are widely used in the electronic, medical, automotive, and defense industries. The seemingly unique method allows metals such as neodymium or […]
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Rooftop solar is being held back by lack of government-backed price for selling surplus energy
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Image credit: Longevity power. (Words: renewable energy consultancy Longevity Power). The ongoing lack of a government-backed guaranteed price for selling back surplus clean power to the UK energy grid is discouraging businesses, property firms and commercial landlords from installing solar PV systems at their properties and holding back the expansion of solar across the country. […]
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Over half of Thames Water’s sewage works struggling to meet demand
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Oxford sewage treatment works (image credit: ©Google). Independent analysis has estimated that more than half of Thames Water’s 351 sewage treatment works are currently operating without sufficient capacity to treat the volumes of sewage they receive. Research conducted by the volunteer-led Oxford Rivers Improvement Campaign (ORIC) has identified 181 treatment works falling short of required […]
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Clean Shipping Alliance criticises move to restrict use of scrubbers in ports
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The Clean Shipping Alliance, a representative body within the shipping industry, has criticised a decision last week by North Atlantic marine protection body OSPAR to limit the use of Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (also called “scrubbers”) in ports and inland waters starting in 2027. These systems help reduce the air pollution created by shipping but […]
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Examining the Remarkable Rise of Ultra Vires Claims Against the Executive Branch
Since 2016, presidents and their administrations have increasingly drawn lawsuits arguing that they are overstepping their authority. In these ultra vires claims, litigants contend that presidential actions—including, for example, executive orders, proclamations, or memoranda, as well actions by executive agencies done at the President’s behest—exceed the scope of the authority granted to the President by […]
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The End of Nationwide Injunctions for Federal Funding Award Terminations
On Friday, June 27, the Supreme Court’s term closed and the Court handed down its final opinions, including in a case called Trump v. CASA. The CASA plaintiffs challenged President Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship, but the Court’s decision – which made no substantive holdings about citizenship or immigration status – has far broader […]
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The Effect of Electric Stackers on Modern Material Handling
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Modern equipment helps warehouses and manufacturing facilities in many ways. These machines improve efficiency, productivity, safety and cost effectiveness across material handling processes. As businesses look to optimise workflows and reduce manual labour, electric stackers are emerging as a practical and powerful solution. These compact, easy to use and increasingly affordable machines are changing the […]
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Fast-growing, global-south cities are ‘strikingly underrepresented’ in climate research
Research on climate change in urban areas is skewed towards large, well-established cities in the global north, according to analysis of more than 50,000 studies. The research, published in Nature Cities, uses keyword searching and machine-learning methods to produce a database of studies on climate change and cities published over 1990-2022. The authors find that […]
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Accelerating scientific discovery with AI
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Several researchers have taken a broad view of scientific progress over the last 50 years and come to the same troubling conclusion: Scientific productivity is declining. It’s taking more time, more funding, and larger teams to make discoveries that once came faster and cheaper. Although a variety of explanations have been offered for the slowdown, […]
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The Carbon Brief Interview: Ofgem CEO Jonathan Brearley
Jonathan Brearley became chief executive of the UK’s energy regulator Ofgem in 2020. Since then, he has seen the organisation through the Covid-19 pandemic, the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine and the subsequent energy crisis. In January, it was announced that Brearley will continue in the role until 2030, the target date for the […]
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Local Laws and Lawsuits Targeting Renewables Becoming More Prevalent in the US
While federal policy can have a significant impact on renewable energy development, local policy—and local sentiment—can be just as consequential. Between 2018-2023, at least 30% of utility-scale wind and solar projects were cancelled during the siting process, largely because of community opposition, local ordinances, and zoning. For the last five years, the Sabin Center has […]