Paul Higgins

How Australia’s new fuel efficiency scheme quietly created a carbon currency for cars - and it’s working Australia’s new fuel efficiency standards are already working to cut emissions – but the real story is behind the scenes.

How Australia’s new fuel efficiency scheme quietly created a carbon currency for cars - and it’s working theconversation.com/how-australi...

What’s Emerging February 2026 A newsletter on interesting stuff that is emerging around the world so you can think about strategy.

Our latest newsletter is out: What’s Emerging February 2026, by @futuristpaul A newsletter on interesting stuff that is emerging around the world so you can think about strategy open.substack.com/pub/whatseme...

World’s first one-piece cast aluminium vehicle frame revealed on BYD Yangwang U8L Hantek unveils world-first one-piece aluminum frame installed on BYD Yangwang U8L, enhancing rigidity, torsional stiffness, and safety.

World’s first one-piece cast aluminium vehicle frame revealed on BYD Yangwang U8L carnewschina.com/2025/12/04/w...

Longer roots for drought? How an edited protein could reshape crop resilience What's the key to growing resilient crops that can survive tough conditions? Researchers at the University of Missouri are getting to the root of it—literally. Researchers in the Walter Gassmann lab a...

Longer roots for drought? How an edited protein could reshape crop resilience phys.org/news/2026-02...

'Scarecrow of the sky' in full flight to protect Australian fruit and almond crops A new falcon drone wards off peckish birds that have been destroying valuable fruit crops.

Peregrine falcon drone could save Australian fruit and almond orchards from hungry birds - ABC News www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02...

Perry's evolution cements greatness as milestone looms Cricket superstar Ellyse Perry will become the first woman to play 350 matches for Australia across all formats on Saturday.

Legend: Ellyse Perry's evolution cements greatness as Australian cricket milestone looms - ABC News www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02...

Dramatic changes in upper atmosphere are responsible for recent droughts and bushfires: new research Fast-flowing jetstream air currents have shifted further southwards, dragging rain-bearing weather away from Australia.

theconversation.com/dramatic-cha...

Dramatic changes in upper atmosphere are responsible for recent droughts and bushfires: new research Fast-flowing jetstream air currents have shifted further southwards, dragging rain-bearing weather away from Australia.

theconversation.com/dramatic-cha...

Amazon’s Ring wanted to track your pets. It revealed the future of surveillance Private companies selling ‘intelligence as a service’ are changing the face of intelligence and how private and personal data is used.

theconversation.com/amazons-ring...

How vegetable scraps could soon help power Queensland homes A new $291 million project set to turn farm scraps to energy has begun construction in Queensland's Scenic Rim.

Vegetable scraps to be turned into bioenergy by Scenic Rim farm as part of $291 million project - ABC News www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02...

Child vaccination rates are falling fast, with some regions barely reaching 80% Before COVID, Australia reached its target of 95% of one-year-olds fully immunised. Now, lower coverage means more babies are at risk of whooping cough and measles.

theconversation.com/child-vaccin... a disaster waiting to happen

Forrest launches battery-powered trains as green deadline nears After years of delays, the Pilbara's largest carbon emitters are testing greener ways to haul iron ore, and Andrew Forrest has now joined their ranks.

Fortescue trials battery-electric locomotives in Pilbara as decarbonisation race tightens - ABC News www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02...

Deep-sea fish larvae rewrite the rules of how eyes can be built Deep-sea fish larvae combine features of both rods and cones into a single, highly specialised cell that is optimised for life in between light and darkness.

theconversation.com/deep-sea-fis...

An illegal bioweapons lab was found in a Las Vegas garage. It’s a warning for Australia The rise of AI and synthetic biology has made deadly diseases look like a ‘low-risk, high-reward’ option for would-be terrorists.

theconversation.com/an-illegal-b...

Used EV sales soar 45% in the UK amid growing demand 274,815 used EV models were sold in the UK in 2025, marking a 45.7% rise over 2024 levels, as more used buyers make the switch.

Used EV sales soar 45% in the UK amid growing demand
electricdrives.tv/used-ev-sale...

Algae Cultivated in Labs Effectively Eliminate Microplastics from Water In an era increasingly defined by environmental challenges, one pressing issue that continues to escalate is the pervasive contamination of water bodies by microplastics—tiny fragments of plastic p

Algae Cultivated in Labs Effectively Eliminate Microplastics from Water bioengineer.org/algae-cultiv...

Wine bottles made from seaweed and plant sugar instead of glass The federal government provides $2 million towards developing low-emissions alternatives to glass wine bottles using materials like seaweed and plant sugar.

Boost for development of low-emissions alternatives to glass wine bottles - ABC News www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02...

Wing and Walmart expand drone delivery to 150 new stores coast to coast Wing offers drone delivery. Our fleet of lightweight, autonomous delivery drones can transport small packages directly from businesses to homes in minutes. Wing delivery is safe, sustainable, and easy...

Wing and Walmart expand drone delivery to 150 new stores coast to coast wing.com/news/wing-wa...

Iran crippled Starlink and why the rest of the world should worry The service became synonymous with censorship-proof connectivity. Iran has just proved that assumption wrong.

Iran’s internet shutdown crippled Starlink and why the world should care - Rest of World restofworld.org/2026/iran-st...

Social media time does not increase teenagers’ mental health problems – study Research finds no evidence heavier social media use or more gaming increases symptoms of anxiety or depression

www.theguardian.com/media/2026/j...

Shopify Merchants to Pay 4% Fee on ChatGPT Checkout Sales | PYMNTS.com When Shopify enables sales through artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots later this month, the merchants using its platform will pay OpenAI a 4% fee on

Shopify Merchants to Pay 4% Fee on ChatGPT Checkout Sales www.pymnts.com/news/ecommer...

Ukraine says drone campaign logged nearly 820,000 verified strikes in 2025, with UAVs driving majority of battlefield interactio Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence said drone operations accounted for hundreds of thousands of confirmed battlefield strikes in 2025, underscoring the

Ukraine says drone campaign logged nearly 820,000 verified strikes in 2025, with UAVs driving majority of battlefield interactions – Resilience Media resiliencemedia.co/ukraine-says...

Amazon to close Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh physical stores Company doubles down on online grocery delivery and Whole Foods Market expansion to reach more customers.

Amazon to close Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh physical stores massmarketretailers.com/amazon-to-cl...

Project Genie: Experimenting with infinite, interactive worlds Google AI Ultra subscribers in the U.S. can now try out Project Genie.

Project Genie: AI world model now available for Ultra users in U.S. blog.google/innovation-a...

Renewables over 50%, wholesale prices down – is the energy transition… succeeding? It wasn’t so long ago pundits claimed Australia’s grid couldn’t run on higher than 20% renewables. Now it’s 50%.

theconversation.com/renewables-o...

Subsidies the fuel as household battery demand 'straps on a rocket' Even as Australia appears to have passed the peak of solar uptake, demand for batteries is seemingly headed into orbit.

Battery demand 'straps on a rocket' as rooftop solar passes its peak - ABC News www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02...

The Purple Tomato™ Receives Full Regulatory Approval in Australia The Purple Tomato™ Receives Full Regulatory Approval in Australia Food safety and cultivation approvals clear the way for Purple Bliss™ tomatoes to reach Australian consumers later in 2026 Melbourne, ...

The Purple Tomato™ Receives Full Regulatory Approval in Australia – Norfolk Healthy Produce www.norfolkhealthyproduce.com/blogs/news/t...

EV sales overtake petrol for the first time in the EU In a key milestone, new registrations of fully-electric cars have now overtaken registrations of pure petrol cars in the EU.

EV sales overtake petrol for the first time in the EU electricdrives.tv/ev-sales-ove...

China's birth rate has hit a record low. Experts say it spells long-term trouble National data shows that in 2025, China's population shrank by 3.39 million people, as experts warn the trend is likely to continue.

China's population declines for a fourth-straight year amid record low birth rates - ABC News www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...

Bi-Partisan Support Offered Up For A Podcast Equipment Buyback Scheme WENDELL HUSSEY | Cadet | CONTACT The nation of Australia has reached a rare moment of unity today, as the country's leaders came together in a stunning display of bi-partisanship. With a flurry of l...

www.betootaadvocate.com/bi-partisan-...