“Business as usual for the tar sands is over”

“Business as usual for the tar sands is over”

The oil industry is in surprisingly bullish mood. As America prepares to go to the polls today in the crucial mid-term elections, Republicans have signalled that, if victorious, they will immediately push to free up exports of gas and oil and pass legislation forcing him to approve the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.

The Largest Climate March. Ever.

The Largest Climate March. Ever.

On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to take part in what the organisers are promising to be the largest climate march ever in New York.

Shell Calls for Lifting of Export Ban

Shell Calls for Lifting of Export Ban

For years the oil industry has been lobbying the Obama Administration to lift the US export ban of crude oil, which has been in place since the Arab oil embargo of the 1970s. The calls have become greater as the fracking boom has led to a significant increase in domestic production.

40% of Global Shale Reserves Face Water Shortage

40% of Global Shale Reserves Face Water Shortage

n the blinkered rush to frack the globe – first in the United States, secondly in Europe and thirdly in the rest of the world – the oil industry always undermines the risks of the technology. But this brutal technique has a dangerous downside, ranging from air and water pollution, to the use of vast amounts of sands and chemicals. And then there is, of course, the huge volumes of water used in the fracking process.