World:
¶ “Chocolate Could Disappear By 2050. Could This Climate-Resistant Alternative Take Its Place?” • Chocolate production is down 40% in the last two years, as extreme weather conditions threatens the future of global cocoa crops. Scientists at the National University of Singapore are successfully improving carob as an alternative. [Euronews]
Carob tree in Spain (LBM1948, CC BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “How SOFAZ Is Diversifying Azerbaijan’s Sovereign Wealth Beyond Oil And Gas” • The State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan is reshaping its investment strategy as it diversifies beyond oil and gas revenues. Managing about $71 billion in fifty countries, SOFAZ says renewables offer stable long-term returns while helping to mitigate oil price volatility. [Euronews]
¶ “Geely Xingyuan EV Reaches 500,000 Deliveries In Just 14 Months!” • In China, there is no EV hotter than the Geely Geome Xingyuan this year. Passing up the Tesla Model Y, the Wuling HongGuang Mini EV, and all of the BYD models on the list, the Xingyuan is by far the top selling electric vehicle in the biggest EV market in the world. [CleanTechnica]
Geely Xingyuan (JustAnotherCarDesigner, CC0 1.0, cropped)
¶ “BYD Reaches 15 Million Plugin Vehicles In Crazy Time” • In November 2024, BYD reached total all-time production of 10 million plugin vehicles (called “new energy vehicles” in China). But in December 2025, the company reached 15 million. BYD has made plugin cars since 2008, and almost a third of them are less than a year old. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Ford Launches New Electric Bronco” • Ford has launched a fully electric EV and extended-range electric Bronco in China. It is shutting down EV shop in the USA, for the most part, but it is gung-ho about the new electric era in China. The Ford Bronco BE comes with a 105 kWh LFP battery that provides roughly 650 km (404 miles) of range. [CleanTechnica]
Ford Bronco EV (AutoLab, CC BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Two-Way Electric Vehicle Charging At Scale Could Stop Renewable Energy Being Wasted” • The amount of renewable energy generated worldwide increasingly exceeds demand, so clean power has to be curtailed. But “bidirectional charging,” means EVs don’t just have to be energy users; they can store energy and provide it. [Bilyonaryo Business News]
¶ “Russia Plans Nuclear Power Plant On The Moon To Support Lunar Base By 2036” • Russia plans to build a power plant on the moon within the next decade to support its lunar ambitions and a joint research base with China, as major world powers intensify efforts to establish a long-term presence on Earth’s only natural satellite. [Newsweek]
Moon (Neven Krcmarek, Unsplash)
US:
¶ “Flash Flood, Thunderstorm Alerts In Effect For California With Heavy Rain Expected To Last” • Torrential rains fell on the California coast on Christmas Eve, leading to many flash flood warnings, turning roads into rivers and causing landslides. More than 43 million Americans in California, southern Nevada and northwest Arizona are under flood watches. [ABC News]
¶ “Judge Upholds Hawaii’s New Climate Change Tax On Cruise Passengers” • A federal judge’s ruling cleared the way for Hawaii to include cruise ship passengers in a new tourist tax to help cope with climate change. The tax goes into effect at the start of 2026. US District Judge Jill A Otake denied a request to stop officials from enforcing the new law on cruises. [ABC News]
Passenger ship (Vidar Nordli-Mathisen, Unsplash)
¶ “Autonomously Navigating The Real World” • Waymo said, “This past Saturday, as a widespread PG&E outage cut power to nearly one-third of San Francisco, our service was put to the test. With power now restored, we want to share an account of our operations during the outage and how we are evolving to better serve the city.” [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Trump’s Rollbacks Made 2025 A Turbulent Year For Clean Energy. So Why Are Experts Optimistic?” • President Trump is boosting polluting fuels while blocking wind and solar. But amid the lows, there were some highs for clean energy, experts say. For example, despite Trump, solar and storage accounted for 85% of the new power added to the grid. [Euronews]
Wind turbine (Filipe Resmini, Unsplash)
¶ “New England Residents Brace For Inflated Utility Bills As Natural Gas Prices Surge” • Maine Public reported that electric power bills are projected to reach a three-year high because natural gas prices for generating have increased by roughly 40%. In New England, around 50% of the electricity is generated by plants fueled by natural gas. [The Cool Down]
¶ “Purelight Power Lays Off Workers, Citing Republican Rollback Of Solar Credits” • In a notice sent to the state, Medford-based solar company Purelight Power said it is cutting 109 jobs in the US and shuttering operations as it prepares to file for bankruptcy liquidation. Purelight specialized in selling and installing rooftop residential solar panels. [Oregon Public Broadcasting]
Have a cozily jolly day.
geoharvey 