As G20 leaders prepare to meet later this week in South Korea, they face a daunting in-tray. But amongst the issues they need to address are fossil fuel subsidies. In part they have created a rod for their own back. It was a just over a year ago in September 2009 at the G20 meeting … Read More
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The Game Remains the Same
In the days after the BP oil spill, many environmentalists argued that the spill would be a “game-changer”, that it would facilitate the transition to a clean energy future. But any new legislation that might have been introduced after the spill that placed stricter regulations on offshore drilling is not likely to come into force, … Read More
Compromise Can Be Dirty
As people still digest the new political landscape in Washington, there is no doubt that the oil and gas industry lobbyists will be salivating at the prospect of dealing with some of their old friends, who will soon be in important positions. To give you just one example: The prospect of Joe Barton becoming the … Read More
When Ignorance Costs More than Bliss
Since the election on Tuesday, the chasm between what action is needed on the ground and what our politicians believe just got a whole lot wider. We all know that it is the poorest people from third world countries who are most at risk from climate change. And yet half of the new Republicans – … Read More
Two Small Bits Of Good News
It’s a bleak and bloody political landscape this morning in Washington for anyone interested in progressive politics on climate and energy. The Democrats lost badly. It was the biggest switch of seats since 1948, so, it was a big, big election victory for the Republicans and the new kids on the block, the Tea Party. … Read More
GOP Plans Attack on Climate
So the GOP enters Election Day confident it will take control of the House and even maybe take the Senate. Some pundits are saying the Democrats may have their worst mid-term election night for 60 years. All this means bad news for Obama’s environmental agenda and for climate science. The fallout has already started.
BP Disaster Adds to Oil Major “Identity Crisis”
Its not a new concept that the oil majors are struggling to come up with new reserves, but its not often that it is written in black and white. Well pink, actually. Today’s Financial Times has one of its special reports on Energy. It combines two of the recurring themes I have written about on … Read More
Chevron Must Think We Are Stupid
Sometimes the best laid plans go awry. Oil giant Chevron’s multi-million ad campaign, entitled “We agree” has back-fired badly. What’s worse it has given its critics a real opportunity to spoof the company’s highly misleading adverts.. And boy are they having fun and games. The the spoof campaign is beginning to go viral.
Web Tools: California Propositions 23 and 26
California’s Proposition 26 would increase the legislative vote requirement from a majority to two-thirds for new and increased state and local fees and charges. Many of California’s environmental protection programs are funded with such fees. Opponents of Prop 26 say that it would make it even more difficult to hold polluters accountable, and to raise … Read More
Spill panel slams White House; warns over Arctic drilling
Back at the height of the BP oil spill, President Obama asked a commission to find out “what worked and didn’t” in the government’s response to the disaster. Well the bad news for Obama is that much didn’t work, making grim reading for the President and forcing the White House to hit back at some … Read More