Sometimes you wonder if anyone actually heeds the warnings any more. There have been so many of impending doom about climate catastrophe, that people seem oblivious to the warnings. Two scientific reports released today maybe the ones where people sit up and notice. One of the lead scientists thinks so. “This changes the way we … Read More
Month: April 2009
Shell’s Tar Sands Operations Make a Loss
Its been a bad year so far for the oil barons. The oil price has plummeted through the floor and so have their profits. Yesterday BP announced a drop of 62 per cent and today Shell announced a similar reduction of reduced profits of 58 per cent, the first time it has posted a quarterly … Read More
Shell: “A tough year to come in Nigeria”
Yesterday a campaign was launched, called ShellGuilty. It is intended to stop Shell’s on-going gas flaring in the Niger Delta and to campaign for justice for the Ogoni people. The campaign highlights many of the issues that will come to trial next month in New York, in WiwavShell, including Shell being accused of complicity in … Read More
‘ShellGuilty’ Campaign Launched
It has been a long fight for justice, but the day that Nigerian writer Ken Saro-Wiwa dreamed of is now just a month away. Saro-Wiwa was hung along with eight others in November 1995, having been framed by the Nigerian military for a crime he did not commit. His only crime had been to take … Read More
“No longer will petroleum be the only game in town”
California has long liked to set the trend that others follow: whether it be movies, fashion, celebrities or even clean air. And yesterday was another first. It adopted the world’s first regulation to limit greenhouse gas emissions from transport fuels. The State’s Air Resources Board adopted a regulation expected to slash gasoline consumption by 25% … Read More
New King Coal
Much to the utter dismay of climate scientists, the British Government is to announce a new generation of coal-fired power plants to stave off a potential energy crisis. The plants will also use unproven carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology to try and pump CO2 emissions under the sea. Each CCS could cost more than … Read More
The Next Big Thing: Shale Gas
Most people across the spectrum of the energy industry – from its critics to its most ardent supporters – believe that the days of easy oil are really over. Apart from the abundant deposits in the Middle East, which are not under the control of the international oil majors, oil is becoming harder to find … Read More
Shell to Continue Arctic Drilling Despite Legal Ruling
At the end of last week, environmental campaigners and Native Alaskans were celebrating a huge victory. A US Federal Appeals court ruled that the Bush administration did not properly study the environmental impact of expanding oil and gas drilling off the Alaska coast.
Iraq: Politicians Pledge to “Push Shell Out”
Only last Thursday, the boss of oil company Shell Jeroen van der Veer suggested that the oil giant was interested in joining forces with China on a number of oil projects in Iraq. “We are in the process of forming partnerships for certain bids, and Chinese companies are a part of that,” he said. But … Read More
California says “No” to Offshore Drilling
It’s not often that US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar delivers a speech to polar bears, dolphins, jelly fish and sea turtles, who all sit intently on chairs in the audience. It’s not every day that you see surfers covered in chocolate oil spills. Salazar was making the opening remarks to a public hearing … Read More