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Posts in April 2008

• Brazil President Defends Biofuels

  Andy Rowell

  Apr17

  Despite new evidence appearing every day about the dangers of biofuels, finally someone has spoken out for their use. Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has rejected allegations that biofuels are responsible for the recent rise in global food prices. He said food had become more expensive because people in developing countries were gaining…
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• Sea-Level Rise Could Wipe Out Bangladesh by 2100

  Andy Rowell

  Apr16

  Sea levels could rise by up to one-and-a-half metres by the end of this century, according to new scientific research. The new analysis comes from a UK/Finnish team which has built a computer model linking temperatures to sea levels for the last two millennia. “For the past 2,000 years, the [global average] sea level was…
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• Iraq Parliament to Discuss Oil Law

  Andy Rowell

  Apr16

  Iraq’s government and Kurdish officials will resume talks “soon” to finally try to iron out remaining disputes over the country’s controversial oil law. Although officials have said drafts of the oil law have been submitted to parliament four times in the past year only to be rejected by the legislature’s oil and gas committee, according…
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• Chinese Buy Into BP

  Andy Rowell

  Apr16

  A Chinese government entity has acquired a sizable stake in BP, one of the world’s biggest oil and energy companies, for about $2 billion. The investment is the latest indication that China, flush with cash from its booming economy and its huge currency reserves, is becoming an increasingly important global investor and that it has…
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• China “Now Top Carbon Polluter”

  Andy Rowell

  Apr15

  It’s been a long time in coming, but China has overtaken the US as the world’s “biggest polluter” of carbon dioxide. According to a report to be published next month by a team from the University of California team, China’s greenhouse gas emissions have been underestimated, and probably passed those of the US in 2006-2007.

• Iraq: 35 Companies Qualify for Oil Deals

  Andy Rowell

  Apr15

  Iraq’s Oil Ministry has approved 35 companies it will allow to bid for soon-to-be announced tenders to develop oil and gas fields. The largest oil companies in the world — ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Conoco Phillips, Chevron — all qualified, as did firms of a variety of sizes and nationalities. The announcement yesterday is a major…
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• Biofuels: the Burning Question ….

  Andy Rowell

  Apr15

  From today in the UK, all petrol and diesel sold on forecourts must contain at least 2.5 per cent biofuel. Although the Government insists its flagship environmental policy will make Britain’s 33 million vehicles greener, there is a huge amount of evidence that the biofuel revolution will speed up global warming and the loss of…
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• Rich States have Failed on Climate Leadership

  Andy Rowell

  Apr14

  Developing countries, including China and India, are unwilling to sign up to a new global climate change pact to replace Kyoto because the rich world has failed to set a clear example on cutting CO2. That’s the blunt message from Rajendra Pachauri, the head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He argues that…
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• Shell’s Future in Nigeria “in Doubt”

  Andy Rowell

  Apr14

  Interesting story this one. For fifty years, Shell and Nigeria’s future has been intertwined despite the lethal consequences. But now things are changing. According to press reports, the Nigerian government has withheld up to $1bn as part of a production-sharing agreement while the two sides are locked in talks over how to pay for new…
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• Sakhalin: “Britain ignored risk of whale extinction in rush for oil”

  Andy Rowell

  Apr14

  Britain agreed to bankroll controversial drilling for oil and gas off Russia’s Sakhalin island, despite a warning from its own officials of the “potentially devastating effects” on a critically endangered species of whale. The decision to flout their own experts’ advice is revealed in deeply embarrassing documents the British Government fought for three years to…
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