Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair has admitted that climate change could be much more serious than previously thought in a new government report on global warming published today. The report is a major update to a scientific conference held in Exeter last year by the British government on the subject.
Author: Andy Rowell
Meanwhile Shell’s vision is ….. “green fossil fuels”
Whilst everyone else gets excited about the potential for renewable energy, the Chief Executive of Shell, Jeroen Van Der Veer shows a remarkable lack of foresight or imagination. Writing in the Financial Times this week, Van Der Veer outlined his “vision for meeting energy needs beyond oil”.
Two continents: Same message: The solutions are there.
Let’s move on from the last blog about the political will being needed to make technological change. Two reports on two different continents show how we could reduce our oil dependency now, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions given political will and economic investment.
America Must Reduce its Oil Dependence Says Ex-CIA Director
Writing in Monday’s Financial Times, James Woolsey, the head of the CIA from 1993 to 1995 and Robert McFarlane, who was Ronald Reagan’s national security adviser, argued that “America must end its dependence on oil”.
Gaia Scientist Says we are Doomed as BP Says it is “Time To Listen”
Today’s Independent newspaper carries an indepth interview with celebrated scientist, James Lovelock who invented the “Gaia” theory thirty years ago. His new book, called the The Revenge of Gaia is published next month. In it Lovelock argues that climate change has already past the point of no return and that billions of people will die … Read More
Even James Watt Didn’t Want the Oil Industry to Drill Here – But Bush Does
So the Bush administration has just given the green light to oil and gas exploration in an area of the Arctic that even the hard-line Reagan administration wanted to protect. Frustrated by its failure to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Bush administration has given the green light to open up an area … Read More
Expect a New Backlash On Climate Science
The news reported in the scientific journal Nature this month that trees might be account for about 10 to 30 per cent of the potent greenhouse gas methane that is entering the atmosphere is a gift to climate skeptics and the oil industry. For years they have tried to argue that man-made emissions were not … Read More
BP: Rich Financial Rewards, Great Reputation but at What Cost?
BP is on course this year to announce the largest profits ever by a British company, with annual profits of over $21bn (£12bn). This is despite the company taking a billion dollar hit over the fallout from Hurricane Katrina. The company’s giant windfall is due to the recent high oil prices.
Fat Profits by OPEC Too
BP is not the only one making obscene amounts of money from oil at the moment. The US Department of Energy has forecast that OPEC’s revenues will increase by 10 per cent to a record $522bn this year – this would be the largest in real terms in 25 years.
From Russia With Love
Chris Finlayson obviously likes a big challenge. Having been running Shell’s highly controversial operations in Nigeria, where the company has repeatedly been cited for environmental pollution and for being complicit in human rights abuses, he has moved to head up Shell’s operations in Russia.