Lead Story
UK's wind and solar boom saves £5.9bn in gas imports through the Hormuz energy crisis
Analysis published by Carbon Brief found that record wind and solar generation has spared the UK from needing £5.9 billion worth of additional gas imports since the US-Iran war and Strait of Hormuz crisis began in February, equivalent to more than 100 tanker deliveries of liquefied natural gas. Wind and solar have supplied a record 41% of Britain's electricity so far in 2026, up 14% year-on-year and ahead of gas at 25%, with September alone delivering nearly 10 terawatt-hours of renewable output and a £1.3 billion saving even as global gas prices surged.
Read more →Lead Story
UK's wind and solar boom saves £5.9bn in gas imports through the Hormuz energy crisis
Analysis published by Carbon Brief found that record wind and solar generation has spared the UK from needing £5.9 billion worth of additional gas imports since the US-Iran war and Strait of Hormuz crisis began in February, equivalent to more than 100 tanker deliveries of liquefied natural gas. Wind and solar have supplied a record 41% of Britain's electricity so far in 2026, up 14% year-on-year and ahead of gas at 25%, with September alone delivering nearly 10 terawatt-hours of renewable output and a £1.3 billion saving even as global gas prices surged.
'Lost' Ghana cuckooshrike filmed for the first time, rediscovered after 13 years
Researchers Stephanie Bartlett and Paulo Ditzel of the International Bird Conservation Partnership documented a Ghana cuckooshrike in Côte d'Ivoire's Taï National Park, the first confirmed sighting of the elusive West African bird since 2013 and the first time it has ever been filmed. The pair spotted the bird's distinctive yellow, orange and black plumage moving through the canopy during a six-month survey of the Upper Guinea forests, confirming that one of Africa's least-known bird species has survived despite continuing habitat loss across its range.
Read more →'Lost' Ghana cuckooshrike filmed for the first time, rediscovered after 13 years
Researchers Stephanie Bartlett and Paulo Ditzel of the International Bird Conservation Partnership documented a Ghana cuckooshrike in Côte d'Ivoire's Taï National Park, the first confirmed sighting of the elusive West African bird since 2013 and the first time it has ever been filmed. The pair spotted the bird's distinctive yellow, orange and black plumage moving through the canopy during a six-month survey of the Upper Guinea forests, confirming that one of Africa's least-known bird species has survived despite continuing habitat loss across its range.
Trail cameras confirm hundreds of elephants are using Tanzania's first official wildlife corridor
Camera traps have recorded 529 African savanna elephants safely crossing the Nyerere-Udzungwa Wildlife Corridor, a narrow strip through Tanzania's densely farmed Kilombero Valley that links Nyerere National Park's savanna woodlands to the highland rainforests of Udzungwa Mountains National Park. The corridor, Tanzania's first legally designated wildlife passage, exists because 368 local farmers agreed to set aside parts of their land, which they now co-manage with the government alongside the elephant migration route.
Read more →Trail cameras confirm hundreds of elephants are using Tanzania's first official wildlife corridor
Camera traps have recorded 529 African savanna elephants safely crossing the Nyerere-Udzungwa Wildlife Corridor, a narrow strip through Tanzania's densely farmed Kilombero Valley that links Nyerere National Park's savanna woodlands to the highland rainforests of Udzungwa Mountains National Park. The corridor, Tanzania's first legally designated wildlife passage, exists because 368 local farmers agreed to set aside parts of their land, which they now co-manage with the government alongside the elephant migration route.
Botswana launches national plans to scale up renewables and build a domestic solar manufacturing industry
Botswana's Ministry of Minerals and Energy, with support from Sustainable Energy for All, launched the National Renewable Energy Power Sector Plan and the Clean Technology Manufacturing Policy and Investment Guide on September 24 on the sidelines of UN Climate Week in New York. The twin plans lay out investment priorities to help Botswana hit its 2030 renewable energy target while building domestic solar panel manufacturing and related industries, aiming to let the country capture more economic value from its clean energy transition rather than only importing the technology.
Read more →Botswana launches national plans to scale up renewables and build a domestic solar manufacturing industry
Botswana's Ministry of Minerals and Energy, with support from Sustainable Energy for All, launched the National Renewable Energy Power Sector Plan and the Clean Technology Manufacturing Policy and Investment Guide on September 24 on the sidelines of UN Climate Week in New York. The twin plans lay out investment priorities to help Botswana hit its 2030 renewable energy target while building domestic solar panel manufacturing and related industries, aiming to let the country capture more economic value from its clean energy transition rather than only importing the technology.
New Zealand's kākāpō population reaches 325 after a record breeding season
New Zealand's Department of Conservation confirmed that 90 kākāpō chicks from the 2026 breeding season survived to independence, the largest cohort on record, lifting the critically endangered flightless parrot's total population to 325 birds, its highest level in decades. The milestone was reached on September 1 once the youngest surviving chicks passed 150 days old, the age at which young kākāpō are considered fledged, continuing a decades-long recovery for a species that once numbered barely 50 birds.
Read more →New Zealand's kākāpō population reaches 325 after a record breeding season
New Zealand's Department of Conservation confirmed that 90 kākāpō chicks from the 2026 breeding season survived to independence, the largest cohort on record, lifting the critically endangered flightless parrot's total population to 325 birds, its highest level in decades. The milestone was reached on September 1 once the youngest surviving chicks passed 150 days old, the age at which young kākāpō are considered fledged, continuing a decades-long recovery for a species that once numbered barely 50 birds.