Here is Rich Cookson’s third blog from Sakhalin. “In early-morning off-the-record briefings, Sakhalin Energy’s (SE) employees – many of them from Shell – insist that the company is committed to protecting the island’s environment. They say, for instance, that the company has new scientific data which proves that its offshore activities have had no discernable … Read More
Blog Post
World Facing “Catastrophic” Loss of Species
Nineteen leading scientists are warning today that the Earth is on the brink of a “major biodiversity crisis” fuelled by the destruction of habitats and climate change. The scientists estimate that 12 per cent of all birds, 23 per cent of mammals, a quarter of conifers, a third of amphibians and more than half of … Read More
Sakhalin – “No Guarantees” About Engangered Whales
Here is Rich Cookson’s second blog from Sakhalin Island, off Russia’s east coast. Rich writes: “The Sakhalin Energy (SE) project, Sakhalin II, is the second of nine planned extraction projects around Sakhalin. Exxon holds a 30 per cent stake in Sakhalin I, an oil development on the northeastern Sakhalin Shelf. Affiliates of the Russian oil … Read More
Q: Why is it So Hot Today? A: Its Climate Change
Its 100F in California and it could well be over 100 degrees in London today. As we all wilt in the heat, everyone is asking is this climate change? The Independent in its front page thinks so. “Temperature set to hit 100 degrees – and global warming is to blame”, says one of the headlines … Read More
Reporting Live from Sakhalin: Big Oil’s New Frontier
Over the next few days, Oil Change will be bringing you an exclusive blog by Rich Cookson, a British journalist who is visiting the oil and gas developments at Sakhalin Island off Russia’s east coast (see map). Rich writes: “In the sea off Sakhalin Island in the far east of Russia, the giant legs of … Read More
The End of the Amazon
As if the UN Heritage Committee (see below) needed any further proof to act, British climate scientists are warning that the Amazon could disappear by the end of the Century because of climate change. New research from the world-renown Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, part of the Met Office, has shown how vulnerable … Read More
U.N: Climate Change A Threat But Let’s Not Do Anything About it
After years of delay, the bumbling U.N. World Heritage Committee has finally recognized global warming as a threat to natural and cultural heritage sites. But, wait for it, having made the momentous decision, it has decided not to endorse CO2 cuts or even add places such as Mount Everest and Montana’s Glacier National Park to … Read More
Ford: $2 Billion Investment to Develop “Green” Vehicles
The troubled car giant Ford has announced that it will spend nearly $2 billion on “green” technologies across its full range of vehicles, including Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo. Under the plans, its best-selling Ford Focus will be able to deliver 70 miles per gallon with vastly reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Lewis Booth, Ford’s … Read More
Greens Slam G8 on Nukes and Climate
The G8’s Plan of Action on Global Energy Security is under fire from multiple directions, including Greenpeace, who argue the Plan will promote the proliferation of nuclear energy and weapons, the GRACE Policy Institute, who argue the Plan’s provisions for fuel efficiency and renewables don’t go far enough, and Oil Change International, who can’t understand … Read More
G8 Leaders Play Russian Roulette with Climate Chaos:
G8 Leaders released today a Communique and Plan of Action on Global Energy Security that will increase public support for the oil and fossil fuel industry and fuel global warming. The Plan, which emerges from the G8 Summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, seeks to “create”, “maintain”, “encourage”, “expand” and “develop” hydrocarbon production, processing and transportation … Read More