IEA: “Urgent Action” Needed on Renewables

September 30, 2008By Andy RowellBlog Post 1 Comment

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that nearly 50% of global electricity supplies will have to come from renewable energy if we want to halve CO2 emissions by 2050 in order to minimise irreversible climate change. Meeting these very ambitious objectives will require unprecedented political commitment, which has so far been badly lacking across both … Read More

Green Jobs Now!

September 26, 2008By Steve KretzmannBlog Post

Looking for something great to do on Saturday?  All of us here at Oil Change urge you to join the National Day of Action for Green Jobs. Its a perfect way to address the crises in both our economy and our ecology  at the same time. Green Jobs Now is a National Day of Action … Read More

“A Good Day for Democracy”

September 26, 2008By Andy RowellBlog Post 1 Comment

Whilst the biggest political fight of the moment in Congress concerning the toxic bank bail-out continues to make headlines, another bitter political fight is coming to a head, but this one is in Brussels. On the one side are progressive MEPs, and members of the European Commission coupled with environmental groups and scientists who are … Read More

Gore: Its Time for Direct Action

September 25, 2008By Andy RowellBlog Post 2 Comments

Two weeks ago a jury in Britain ruled that it is acceptable to break the law if you are protesting against climate change. They acquitted six Greenpeace protestors who had been charged with $70,000 worth of criminal damage after painting the side of the controversial Kingsnorth coal-fired powered station. Now Al Gore, the former vice … Read More

The spoils of war are coming home…

September 24, 2008By Andy RowellBlog Post 1 Comment

It could be the ultimate irony for millions of people who opposed the illegal war in Iraq – within months when they switch on their heating or their cooker, they could be burning Iraqi gas. Their homes could be heated by the spoils of war. Yesterday Shell signed a $4 billion gas deal – the … Read More

The Methane Time Bomb Explodes

September 23, 2008By Andy RowellBlog Post

For nearly twenty years anyone concerned about climate change has been worried about the millions and millions of tonnes of frozen methane locked in the permafrost slowly melting and being released into the atmosphere. It was seen as a nightmare scenario, known as a positive feedback mechanism, where the more the Arctic melted the more … Read More

The Trillion Dollar Wake Up Call

September 22, 2008By Andy RowellBlog Post

Tackling climate change can have a significant impact on your company’s value to the total of $7 trillion, according to a new report by the London-based Carbon Trust. The report, based on analysis by McKinsey & Co, found that companies’ futures will be highly dependent on how well prepared they are for the move to … Read More

US Government Loses Billions in Oil Royalties

September 19, 2008By Andy RowellBlog Post 1 Comment

You would think that as the US government thinks about buying up large numbers of distressed mortgages held by the country’s ailing financial institutions and sticking them in the “Bad Bank”, it would be in need of every dollar it could get. As one financial analyst said last night, the bad bank might work until … Read More

The Flawed Defence of “Dirty Oil”

September 18, 2008By Andy RowellBlog Post

It was inevitable that some sections of the Canadian press would defend tar sands, but the arguments they are using are fundamentally flawed. In an editorial entitled “’Dirty oil’ beats bloody oil” today, the Calgary Herald tries to hit back at recent moves (see blog here) that highlight the financial risks of oil sands. The … Read More