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Welcome to a Pivotal Year
Andy Rowell
Jan05
Welcome to 2009 – which promises to be a pivotal year in the debate on oil, energy and climate. We have already seen the problems of reliance on foreign oil and gas supplies, with Russia having its yearly spat with Ukraine over payment for gas, and tensions in the Middle East pushing up the price…
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A New Chapter but Same Old “Solutions” (maybe)
Andy Rowell
Nov19
American President-elect Barack Obama sent a video-taped message to a conference on climate change in Los Angeles yesterday that, under his administration, he would to promise a “new chapter in America’s leadership on climate change”, leading to a “new era of global cooperation” on the issue. In his message, Obama pledged “a new chapter in…
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Help Defeat Dingell “the Dinosaur”
Andy Rowell
Nov14
Next week there is another crucial American election. OK – its not as important as the one ten days ago, but the outcome will have a huge bearing on Obama’s plans for energy, climate change, and how he tackles America’s ailing auto industry. The battle is for the Chairmanship of the powerful Energy and Commerce…
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World Bank lending for coal up 256%…
Steve Kretzmann
Oct08
Relying exclusively on the World Bank’s own figures, a new analysis shows World Bank Group lending to coal, oil and gas is up 94% from 2007, reaching over $3 billion. Coal lending alone has increased an astonishing 256% in the last year. This is the same World Bank that would like to lead – and…
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Oxfam Criticises Shell for “burying its head in the (oil) sands”
Andy Rowell
Oct06
The development charity Oxfam has added its influential voice against Shell’s investment in Canadian oil sands. In a report entitled “Forecast for Tomorrow,” the development charity has highlighted both good and bad business practices that are being adopted in the UK or by British businesses abroad.
Gore: Its Time for Direct Action
Andy Rowell
Sep25
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…
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Jury: Its OK to break the law to combat climate change
Andy Rowell
Sep11
It’s not often that the world’s leading climate scientist, Professor James Hansen, turns up and gives evidence in your defence. But Hansen’s appearance at a court in Maidstone in the South East of England is being credited as one of the reasons why a jury decided yesterday that the threat of climate change justifies breaking…
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A New Precedent to Tackle Climate Change
Andy Rowell
Aug28
Every now and then you get a small, but significant shift in the battle against climate change and this could be one of those moments. One of the America’s largest builders of coal-fired power plants has been forced to now give investors detailed warnings about the risks that climate change poses to its business.
World Bank’s “Slightly Cleaner Technology Fund”
Andy Rowell
May01
At a briefing today on the Stategic Framework on Climate Change and Development, a World Bank official conceded that the proposed “Clean Technology Fund” might better be called the “Slightly Cleaner Technology Fund,” but said she would not go so far as to call it the “Dirty Technology Fund.” Addressing Members of the UN Permanent…
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Britain “Makes a Mockery” of Tackling Climate Change
Andy Rowell
Mar31
Give a politician a minute and they will wriggle out of a supposedly steadfast commitment. Britain is seeking to change the rules governing renewable energy targets to make it easier for the UK to fulfil its commitment to promote clean energy. At present, only 3% of the UK’s power comes from renewable energy, but government…
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