THE EDIT
Your monthly briefing on the journey to fossil freedom
Issue #24, Tracking a changing planet, June 2025
Photo: Adobe Stock
Satellites keeping a watching eye on biodiversity
What to know: Satellites are becoming a vital tool in the way we monitor and understand biodiversity. Today’s satellite technology offers sharp, frequent and expansive views of Earth’s surface which can be used to observe how landscapes change over time.
Why it matters: With the ability to track environmental changes from above, researchers now have access to long-term, high-resolution data that can reveal how climate change is altering ecosystems. This enables a broader and more continuous view of biodiversity trends, and smarter use of resources on the ground.
Photo: Charles Walker
AI reveals surprising data about bird collisions
Offshore wind farms have long raised concerns about their potential threat to birds, especially during mass migrations. But now, new research using advanced AI, radar, and thermal cameras is bringing real data into a space that’s largely been filled with guesswork. Early readings suggest that seabirds and migrating birds might be better at avoiding turbines than we previously thought.
Germany takes the lead in wind power
New statistics from WindEurope show that Germany is best in class when it comes to the installation of new wind power in Europe. The country built 4 GW of new capacity in 2024 or 25 per cent of the total amount of new capacity installations.
WindEurope’s forecast is that a total of 187 GW of European wind power will be installed between 2025 and 2030. This would bring total installations in Europe to 430 GW by 2030, with 331 GW in the EU alone. To reach the EU’s renewable energy target of 42.5 percent by 2030, the EU figure should be 423 GW.
Life aquatic – a marine study
Photo: Vattenfall
The Biotest Lake is heated by cooling water from the nearby Forsmark nuclear power plant, making it 10 degrees warmer than the surrounding sea — year-round. That makes it a rare, real-world lab for researchers tracking how climate change could alter marine ecosystems.
News flash
3 x quick updates from the energy world
Where it’s (habit)at
Well-managed solar farms can support thriving wildlife populations, shows the UK’s most extensive study to date. Solar Habitat 2025 is based on data from 120 solar sites and highlights their biodiversity potential. (solarenergyuk.org)
Iberian blackout in detail
The blackout in Spain and Portugal in April was one of the worst to hit Europe. The Conversation is trying to understand how a functioning grid suddenly became unable to supply power to millions of homes. (theconversation.com)
Race for nuclear storage
With nuclear power on the rise again, questions are raised about storage. Finland appears to have a strong chance of becoming the first country with a permanent solution for safely containing the fuel for millennia (wired.com)
And finally …
Raindrops keep lighting up the LEDs
For a long time, scientists have tried to transform raindrops hitting the surface into energy. Now, researchers at the National University of Singapore have found a way to generate a considerable amount of power from raindrop-like water droplets running through a tube, Euronews reports. The Singaporean method uses the principle that contact between two materials alters entities on their surfaces, similar to how rubbing a balloon on your skin creates static electricity. So far, the researchers' experiments have generated enough energy to light up 12 LED lamps.
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