Things aren't as bad as they seem.

Fairphone’s Gen 6+ is designed so owners can replace 12 parts with one included screwdriver, including the battery, screen, cameras and USB-C port. The $650 phone, now entering the US market, will receive software updates and spare parts through 2033, though its modular design is thicker and only IP55

There’s a fully self-repairable smartphone coming to the market

There’s a fully self-repairable smartphone coming to the market

09.09.2026

Heading layer

There’s a fully self-repairable smartphone coming to the market

22.06.2026

Solar-powered ice towers bring spring water back to Himalayan farms

In Ladakh, India — a high-altitude desert where lower glaciers have vanished — a computer-controlled system now pipes mountain water into vertical jets that freeze into ice towers, releasing meltwater precisely when spring planting begins. Ten units ran across the region in winter 2025, automatically protecting pipes from cracking at minus 30°C.

22.06.2026

Wet coffee grounds become clean solid fuel in 90 seconds flat

Researchers at South Korea's KIGAM institute converted spent coffee grounds — at 55% moisture, no drying needed — into high-grade biochar in 90 seconds using flame plasma pyrolysis. The resulting fuel matches anthracite coal in energy output at 29.0 MJ/kg, and the process produces almost no smoke, tar, or sulfur emissions.

17.06.2026

Russian dandelions emerge as a new source of natural rubber

As climate-driven weather extremes, disease, and rising demand strain global rubber supplies, researchers are revisiting a plant first used during World War II. Russian dandelions grow in temperate regions, need little water or pesticides, and can be cultivated without deforestation. A project in Norwich aims to produce 3,000 tonnes of rubber annually.

17.06.2026

How a tiny blue gecko staged a comeback in Tanzania’s forests

Once driven toward collapse by the pet trade, Tanzania’s turquoise dwarf gecko is recovering after international trade was banned and local conservation efforts expanded. Communities around Kimboza Forest Reserve have removed nearly 100,000 invasive trees, cut forest fires by about 80%, and restored habitat critical to the species’ survival.

17.06.2026

WasteBar swaps litter for pancakes at Dutch festivals

A food truck in the Netherlands is turning cigarette butts into currency, offering poffertjes, drinks and fruit in exchange for collected litter. Since launching in 2022, WasteBar has appeared at more than 50 events and gathered over 500,000 cigarette butts while encouraging people to see waste as something that can be removed, valued and discussed.

17.06.2026

California’s first 8-hour grid battery doubles clean power storage

A 125-megawatt battery installation in Kern County, California, went live on June 1 as the first grid-scale storage facility in the US capable of discharging for eight hours straight — double the four-hour industry standard. Built with lithium-ion phosphate cells, it can absorb solar power during the day and supply the grid through most of the night.

17.06.2026

Solar cold storage cuts food waste and raises farmers’ income by 50%

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that up to 40% of food produced in Africa is lost between harvest and market. Solar-powered cold rooms, rented on a pay-per-use basis, are changing that: provider Soko Fresh reports cutting spoilage rates from 50% to under 2%, while farmers earn up to 50% more per kilogram sold.

17.06.2026

Scientists map 166,000 sq km of coral reefs that can survive warming

A new analysis of 45,000 coral surveys across decades of climate and ocean data has identified nearly 166,000 square kilometers of climate-resilient coral reefs spanning 71 countries and 100 territories — three times more than previously thought. More than half are concentrated in Australia, the Bahamas, Cuba, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Only 28% currently sit within protected areas.

15.06.2026

Uganda’s Green Daddy turns Afropop into climate classroom

Born in Nateete, a Kampala suburb damaged by illegal wetland construction, singer Green Daddy watched his neighborhood flood and responded with action. He opened a kindergarten three years ago where children learn to clean streets, drain stagnant water, and plant trees — then carries the same message onto Uganda's stages with upbeat tracks about plastic waste and tree planting.

15.06.2026

A whole different kind of soccer World Cup is happening in South Africa

Wakati Kombe la Dunia la wanaume linavyovutia umakini wa dunia nzima, mashindano tofauti lakini ya ushindani sawa yanakua katika mji mdogo wa Afrika Kusini: Grannies International Football Tournament, ambayo umri wa chini wa kucheza ni miaka 50. Yaliyoanza kama mpango wa afya wa ndani kwa wanawake, mwaka 2025 yaliwakusanya timu kutoka nchi saba — ikiwemo Marekani, Ufaransa, Togo, Kenya, Msumbiji, Zambia na Afrika Kusini.

15.06.2026

Kenya offers free skin cancer checks for people with albinism

On International Albinism Awareness Day, Kenya organized free cancer screenings for people with the condition — a rare genetic disorder that leaves skin highly vulnerable to sunlight. Because regular screening is essential to catch early signs of cancer, access without cost makes a direct difference for a community that faces both medical and social discrimination.

15.06.2026

Naples ring road becomes Italy’s first certified smart road

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15.06.2026

France places 157,000 hectares of forest under stronger protection

France announced seven new biological reserves and two expansions, adding 157,000 hectares to its protected forest network. The vast majority lies in French Guiana, a territory of France in South America. The move advances the country's goal of placing 10% of its land under strong protection by 2030, targeting an additional 250,000 hectares total.

15.06.2026

Wärtsilä’s 13,000-hp hydrogen engine powers Spain’s grid

The Finnish energy company has run its Wärtsilä 31H2 — a bus-sized, 13,000-horsepower piston engine — on pure hydrogen at its test facility in Bermeo, on Spain's Basque coast, feeding the output directly into the national grid. It is the first time a large-scale combustion engine has run on 100% hydrogen at grid level, with no natural gas in the mix.

12.06.2026

Barcelona expands climate shelters for hotter summers

As heat waves become more frequent, Barcelona has built a network of climate shelters in libraries, schools, parks, and civic centers where residents can cool down during extreme temperatures. The city now offers hundreds of shelters within a short walk of most homes, giving access to existing indoor and outdoor public spaces that offer shade and water and reduce heat-related health risks.

12.06.2026

Maasai women build income by farming drought-resistant grass

When prolongued droughts made it difficult to keep livestock in Tanzania, Maasai women in Monduli and Longido districts started growing resilient grasses to sell as animal feed, shifting their role from dependents to economic providers. Herding families also benefit during drought periods, when natural grazing disappears, and these managed plots become a lifeline for livestock.

12.06.2026

Battery “bath” restores 95% power and cuts recycling costs

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12.06.2026

A jacket that pulls drinking water from the air

Researchers have developed jackets made of a fabric that can harvest moisture from ambient air and channel it into detachable units, producing 400 to 900 milliliters of drinkable water per day. The same textile could be adapted for use in backpacks or tents for emergency responders and remote use.