Shell is trying to establish itself as a leader in Arctic exploration and drilling, despite the companyâs poor safety record in the region, writes Subhankar Banerjee, author of the new book Arctic Voices: Resistance at the Tipping Point. According to Banerjee, Shellâs activities are a mortal threat to one of the last untouched environments on the planet. President Obama still has a choice: to stop Shell â or to let it go ahead and become … [Read more...]
Interview Andriy Kobolev, CEO Naftogaz: âGazprom breaches EU law by blocking reverse flow to Ukraineâ
Gazprom is blocking reverse gas flow from Slovakia to Ukraine in violation of EU law, says Andriy Kobolev, the CEO of Ukraineâs state-owned gas monopoly Naftogaz, in an exclusive interview with Slovakian energy analyst Jozef Badida. As a result European companies are not able to meet the demand from gas in Ukraine and Ukraine is left at the mercy of Gazprom. Kobolev calls on the EU to take action against the Russian company. But he also notes … [Read more...]
New Silk Roads and the âChinese Dreamâ of a Brave New (Trade) World
Seen from the Chinese capital as the Year of the Sheep starts, the malaise affecting the West seems like a mirage in a galaxy far, far away. On the other hand, the China that surrounds you looks all too solid and nothing like the embattled nation you hear about in the Western media, with its falling industrial figures, its real estate bubble, and its looming environmental disasters. Prophecies of doom notwithstanding, as the dogs of austerity and … [Read more...]
Waiting for the next oil crisis
Many commentators have pointed out that, as current low oil prices make it difficult for oil companies to invest in exploration and production, we can expect lower supply in future, and therefore a return to high prices. But according to Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com, the reality is much worse. He notes that even when oil prices were high, over the past years, oil companies were struggling to replace their reserves. The world, he warns, will … [Read more...]
North Americanism: the new Republican plan to colonize Mexico and Canada, take on Putin and wreck the climate
Republican leaders in the US have developed a geopolitical strategy, which, according to famous energy author Michael Klare, is ânothing less than a plan to convert Canada and Mexico into energy colonies of the United States, while creating a North American power bloc capable of aggressively taking on Russia, China and other foreign challengersâ. He warns that this vision of a âNorth American energy fortressâ, which Republican presidential … [Read more...]
Nations really do go to war over oil
Politicians usually claim they wage war for "idealistic" reasons. Conspiracy theorists usually claim "it's all about the oil" (or other resources). As it turns out, they are more right than the politicians, according to new research that shows that military interventions often have a lot to do with oil. … [Read more...]
Vindication for Allan Hoffman: the US has turned the corner on renewables
It has been 37 years since Dr Allan Hoffman gave President Jimmy Carter the plan that could have started Americaâs renewable revolution. The idea was shelved after Reagan was elected. Hoffman waited, as administration after administration ignored the potential, until Barack Obama was elected. The retired senior Department of Energy executive views the growth of US renewables during 2014 as a vindication of what he and his colleagues saw decades … [Read more...]
Crushing the US energy export dream
Petroleum geologist Arthur Berman argues that itâs foolish to believe the US could become an energy exporter. âThe US will never be self-sufficient in oilâ, he writes in an article for Oilprice.com. âExporting crude oil and natural gas from the United States are among the dumbest energy ideas of all time.â … [Read more...]
Oil price decline: no room for conspirators
Some observers claim the US and Saudi Arabia have made a secret deal to bring down oil prices. They are supposed to be doing this in particular to hurt Iran and Russia. But Friedbert PflĂźger, Director of the European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS), Kingâs College London, finds their arguments unconvincing. The oil market is too big to be manipulated by conspirators. … [Read more...]
Christoph Frei, World Energy Council: âThe real hope for âParisâ is to see a connected carbon market started by the big players”
On 20 January, the World Energy Council (WEC) will publish its World Energy Issues Monitor â an annual survey of over 1,000 energy leaders in over 80 countries. WECâs Secretary-General Christoph Frei notes the biggest changes compared to last year are that energy leaders have become more concerned with security of supply (Russia) and cyber-security. Price volatility and climate framework remain at the top of the worries list. In an in-depth … [Read more...]
Measuring the CO2 impact of big infrastructure projects: the case of Keystone XL
Major energy infrastructure projects will be more and more put to a climate test. In the US, for example, draft environmental legislation adopted last year stipulates that climate analysis of federal projects should include âdownstreamâ emissions. In future it will not be so easy for companies to say âif we donât do it, somebody else willâ. But how do you measure indirect climate effects? The Stockholm Environment Institute is one place where … [Read more...]
Wind industry shake-up as policy uncertainty drives 25% of suppliers out of business
More than 120 suppliers have collapsed or stayed out of the wind business in the past two years, including 88 from Asia, 23 from Europe and 18 from North America, as the result of a "prolonged market contraction". That is the major conclusion to come out of the 2015 edition of the annual Global Wind Supply Chain Update  published by FTI Consulting. … [Read more...]
What came out of Lima
Hundreds of country negotiating teams have been meeting in Lima, Peru over the past two weeks for the latest round of international climate negotiations. Mat Hope of The Carbon Brief gives an excellent overview of the results and discusses next steps. Overall conclusion: international climate negotiations have taken a step forward, but only a very small step. … [Read more...]
US national interest requires clean energy, not fossil fuels
Many vested interests with short-term perspectives are fighting to maintain US dependence on fossil fuels. The long-term national interest, however, requires that the US makes a speedy transition to a clean energy society, writes energy expert Allan Hoffman. According to Hoffman, the shale revolution is only a temporary phenomenon. A continued reliance on oil and gas will imperil the nationâs future. … [Read more...]
In the new energy security war, Europe has the upper hand over Russia, say top US officials Â
Concerns about energy security have shot to the top of the political agenda in Europe. But the US has no intention of letting the EU down. âThe United States will be working with the EU to develop a plan for the mid- to long-term evolution of a more energy-secure futureâ, said US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz at a conference of the Atlantic Council in Istanbul. At this summit, top US officials and energy experts showed themselves surprisingly … [Read more...]
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