Natural gas is touted as a great success story in the US, not just by industry but also by the Obama administration and even by many environmentalists. The gas boom is supposed to have led to lower greenhouse gas emissions and to help pave the way to a greener future. But according to Harvard historian of science Naomi Oreskes, this is wishful thinking. There is no evidence that higher gas use has led to lower emissions and there is every reason … [Read more...]
Twenty-first century energy wars: how oil and gas are fuelling global conflicts
Fossil fuels are triggering violent conflicts all over the world, says Michael Klare, Professor of Peace and World Security Studies at Hampshire College in Massachusetts, the US. Klare zooms in on four areas â Iraq/Syria, South Sudan, the Crimea/Ukraine, and the South China Sea â to argue that the desire to control valuable oil and gas assets is fuelling long-standing historic tensions. âIn a fossil-fuel world, control over oil and gas reserves … [Read more...]
Moscowâs great new gas game: Russia will become a bigger player â but in a bigger market
Russia has embarked on a strategy to become a major player in the global LNG business, with as many as five or six  big new projects expected to come online by the end of the decade. This new LNG production capacity is part of Russia's broader strategy that involves reducing its reliance on European markets and becoming one of the top gas suppliers to the Asia-Pacific region. Paradoxically, these efforts, if they succeed, are likely to reduce … [Read more...]
Carbon Tracker blasts Shell’s take on Carbon Bubble
In a new report out today, Carbon Tracker Initiative (CTI), the NGO that invented the concept of âstranded assetsâ, blasts Shellâs âclimate letterâ of 16 May, in which Shell argues that âwe do not believe that any of our proven reserves will become strandedâ. According to CTI, Shellâs focus on proven reserves is âtoo narrowâ and âunderstates the risk that its business faces from changes in climate policyâ. EP editor Karel Beckman takes stock of … [Read more...]
US energy independence: fact or fiction?
What do you get when you speak with four American investment analysts about the prospects of US gas and oil production, the sustainability of fracking, the risks of the crises in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the potential of nuclear energy and renewables? You get four different, but outspoken opinions, from people with different  perspectives on the world than what you usually find in Europe. A four-way interview by J.T. Long for The Energy … [Read more...]
Russian energy sector will cease to be engine of growth
The contribution of the energy sector to Russian GDP will decrease by nearly 50% over the coming decades. Although energy will continue to provide an important foundation to the Russian economy, it will cease to be an engine of growth. That is the main conclusion of Global and Russian Energy Outlook to 2040, recently published the Energy Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Analytical Centre of the Government of Russia. … [Read more...]
Why Brussels is reluctant to adopt an energy efficiency target thatâs good for the EU economy
Within weeks, the European Commission will propose an energy efficiency target for Europe for 2030 that is substantially lower than what many stakeholders and policymakers believe is feasible. It will even be lower than what the Commissionâs own impact assessment concludes is beneficial for the economy. And it will probably be non-binding although the impact assessment says a binding target would be more effective. Why this reluctance from … [Read more...]
New BP Statistical Review shows US oil production increase helped avoid oil crisis
The new BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2014, published on 16 June, shows that the world only narrowly escaped an oil crisis last year, thanks to a large increase of production in the US. The figures in the famous Review â the publicationâs 63rd annual edition â show âhow geopolitical events in a number of countries continued to impact oil production in 2013, with Libya suffering the largest single decline in the face of renewed civil … [Read more...]
Oil and gas producers: we subsidise government, not vice versa
Oil and gas contribute hundreds of billions of euros to European government revenues every year, a new study shows, highlighting how the industry â far from being subsidised â crucially boosts public finances in the European Union and Norway. Energy taxation and subsidies in Europe, a study commissioned by the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (OGP) and carried out by independent consultant NERA Economic Consulting, sheds … [Read more...]
How the EU should deal with the Ukraine gas crisis
The Russian decision, on 16 June, to halt gas supplies to Ukraine spells trouble for the coming winter. Even if the current crisis is resolved, uncertainties over Ukraine will remain. Therefore, the EU needs to prepare for another gas crisis, both in the short term, by establishing crisis mechanisms, and in the medium term, to prevent future crises. Agata Ĺoskot-Strachota of the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) in Poland sets out the urgent steps … [Read more...]
Shale gas: what it could really mean for Europe
The Ukrainian crisis has revitalized discussions in Europe about the role shale gas could play in the European energy mix and to enhance security of supply. Opinions  on this are very polarized. Whereas optimists declare that Europe could start commercial production in 2020, the pessimists insist that shale gas will never be profitable in Europe. According to Alexander Gusev, the real picture is not black-and-white. Cutting through the confusion … [Read more...]
Interview Shell strategist Jeremy Bentham: âFuture organisations will have to cross boundariesâ
What will Shellâs role be in an increasingly carbon-constrained, and increasingly electrified world? Clearly the company sees its natural gas business as becoming central to its operations, gradually overtaking its oil business. But beyond that, the future is uncertain. Jeremy Bentham, Vice-President of Global Business Environment and head of the Shell Scenarios team, sees Shell evolving into a company that provides flexibility and resilience and … [Read more...]
Will China follow the US example and cap carbon emissions?
With his Clean Power Proposal, President Obama has entered on a drive to put a ceiling on carbon emissions in the US â for the first time. The question  is now whether China will follow this example. Nicholas Cunningham of Oilprice.com believes China may be about to turn a corner â with huge consequences for global energy markets. … [Read more...]
Perspectives on Obamaâs clean power plan: small step for US, big step for mankind?
The proposal made by the US Environmental Protection Agency to reduce CO2 emissions from power stations in the US by 30% has been hailed by many as a historic breakthrough in US climate policy. Others, however, argue that the proposal is quite moderate. Some even say the plan will do nothing for the climate at all. Supporters say the main benefits of the plan is the precedent it sets and the message it sends. Energy Post editor Karel Beckman … [Read more...]
IEA: Golden age of gas comes to China
Driven by booming demand, the "Golden Age" of natural gas that is now firmly established in North America will expand to China over the next five years, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its 2014Â Medium-Term Gas Market Report released today. The projected near-doubling of Chinese gas demand through 2019 compensates for a slight slowdown in growth in many other areas of the world, the report said. The annual report, which gives a … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- …
- 30
- Next Page »