Conservatives argued the leases could bring in $900m, half for the federal government and half for the state.

But the lease sales fell dramatically short of that amount – with the high bids totaling about $14m on 11 tracts of land that cover about 600,000 acres of the 1.6m-acre coastal plain.

Alaska’s state-owned economic development corporation made almost all of the bids for the leases, in the hopes that oil companies will eventually be interested in the area. They spent $12m. Major oil companies steered clear of the auction.

... [Ammonia is] a far safer, easier and more energy dense way to transport hydrogen around the world and could be the final cog in the gears of a true hydrogen economy of the future. But some warn that it could actually be a smokescreen enabling the fossil fuel industry to continue burning huge quantities of natural gas and maintain their vice-like grip on the global energy market.

... two new companies have developed systems that mimic the effect of pumped hydro by raising and lowering extremely large and heavy weights up and down over huge height distances. So, do we have yet another addition to the growing grid scale energy storage family?

Structural batteries : Shaping the future of energy efficiency

Liquid metal batteries are being hailed by some as the most transformative and revolutionary energy storage technology since John B. Goodenough came up with lithium ion batteries several decades ago...

US President Joe Biden will sign a series of executive orders aimed to address climate change, including a new ban on some energy drilling. The orders aim to freeze new oil and gas leases on public lands and double offshore wind-produced energy by 2030.

They are expected to meet stiff resistance from the energy industry and come as a sea change from Donald Trump, who cut environmental protections.

Mr Biden will also label climate change a "national security" priority...

... American Petroleum Institute (API) ... is unhappy with the move, suggesting that any ban will lead to greater reliance on imports as the US economy recovers and needs more energy.

But experts reject that argument, pointing out that drilling on public lands will likely continue to expand even if a moratorium becomes a ban. That's because only half of applications for extraction approved between 2014 and 2019 have actually been used.

Moving towards a ban on future federal leases fulfills a campaign pledge and will reassure environmentalists that Joe Biden is the real deal when it comes to climate change...

... [In a highly polluting contrast:] During his four years in office, Mr Trump expanded the number of energy leases on environmentally sensitive national lands. [Trump] also rolled back dozens of rules designed to ensure access to clean air and water, protections for wildlife, and the containment of dangerous chemicals and pollutants. ... Some of the changes under Mr Trump, including one that sought to relax pollution rules affecting coal and gas-burning power plants, were overturned by federal courts...

... Mr Biden's initiatives are a stark divergence from the former president.

Despite the pandemic, almost two thirds of people around the world now view climate change as a global emergency...

... More than a million people in 50 countries took part in the survey, with almost half the participants aged between 14 and 18.

Conserving forests and land emerged as the most popular solution for tackling the issue...

... Newly installed US President Joe Biden can take some comfort that 65% of those in the US taking part now view climate change as an emergency.

Overall, younger people were more likely to agree with the view that rising temperatures were an emergency, with nearly 70% in favour. For people over the age of 60, this dropped to 58%...

... on an everyday level, what can we actually do? How can we make a difference when it seems like everything has a bad impact on the climate?

Well, Radio 1 Newsbeat has been chatting to sustainable bloggers for tips on easy changes we can make to help reduce our impact...

"We want to prove that a bio-derived fuel can serve just as well, if not better in some cases, than traditional fuels to power rockets and payloads to space," he says.
"It actually costs less per kilogram than traditional rocket fuel and it's completely non-toxic. And it's a carbon-neutral fuel which is inherently better for our planet and more responsible."

What are they using now ? Hydrogen and Oxygen couldn't be cleaner and greener.

This episode is overflowing with positivity as Elliot visits a world-leading city in which the drive to go electric has resulted in 16,000 electric buses and 22,000 electric taxis. The commitment to convert is simply astounding with incredibly well thought out infrastructure and facilities to support the switch to electric. Elliot finds that not only is the air cleaner, but people are happier and the services are significantly improved.

Nice. Just a question.
What is providing their electricity?
Solar power alone is not enough for such an infrastructure.

A steady decline in the levels of ozone-harming CFC chemicals in the atmosphere has resumed, scientists say...

... Atmospheric measurements published in 2018 pointed to illegal CFC production that was occurring in Eastern China. Stopping that production appears to have set the ozone layer's healing process back on track...

... Further detective work in China by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) - and by environmental journalists - found that the chemical was being used in the majority of polyurethane insulation foam that was being produced by firms in the region...

... Researchers say the recovery of the ozone layer is now "back on track"...

... It will serve as a hub for 200 giant offshore wind turbines.

It is the biggest construction project in Danish history, costing an estimated 210bn kroner (£24bn; €28bn: $34bn). Situated 80km (50 miles) out to sea, the artificial island would be at least half-owned by the state but partly by the private sector.

It will not just supply electricity for Danes but for other, neighbouring countries' electricity grids too. ... the UK could benefit, as well as Germany or the Netherlands. Green hydrogen would also be provided for use in shipping, aviation, industry and heavy transport.

Under Denmark's Climate Act, the country has committed to an ambitious 70% reduction in 1990 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and to becoming CO2 neutral by 2050. Last December it announced it was ending all new oil and gas exploration in the North Sea...

Given the amount of plastics of various types used to make throwaway bottles for fizzy drinks (soft or alcoholic) this is a step in the right direction:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-56023723

But I have to ask, what ever happened to the recyclable bottle we used to use - the glass bottle (either with a screw top or Crown Cork top) that was so common in days of yore?
(We could even get a little extra pocket money if were astute and "collected" and returned those glass bottles that were "deposit paid")