On Saturday the outgoing Democratic governor of New York State, David Paterson ordered a seven-month moratorium on some natural gas drilling in the state. He issued an executive order prohibiting high-volume hydraulic fracturing of horizontally drilled wells. The order stands until July 1. Hydraulic fracturing which is also known as fracking, involves blasting millions of … Read More
Featured
From Life-Support to Life-Line
So the car crash somehow didn’t happen. Somehow the groundhog talks managed to conjure up a deal in the last twenty four hours. A diplomatic rabbit was pulled by the Mexican hosts out of the hat. It is a deal of sorts, that keeps the show on the road, at least for now. “Confidence is … Read More
Zombies, Car-Crashes and Life-Support..
It’s the last day at the Goundhog talks in Cancun and its going to be a late-nighter, that’s for sure. But whether anything meaningful comes from the Summit remains to be seen. This year’s summit was all about just keeping the talks on the road, not about radical deals, but even that limited goal seems … Read More
Nigeria: “Shell has access to everything”
One of the main concerns of the Ogoni activist and writer, Ken Saro-Wiwa was the collusion between Shell and the Nigerian Government. We already know that this collusion went from the top levels of the government to routine logistical and financial support for the military. Saro-Wiwa once said that one of their protests was “anti-Shell, … Read More
Global Climate Fund In, World Bank Out
With only a few days to go in the UN climate talks in CancĂşn, many questions remain on the outcomes, including on one of the most important issues currently on the table – climate finance. Finance in the context of the climate talks refers to funding for developing countries to address climate needs – financing … Read More
Canada’s Secret “Sensitivities” over Tar Sands
Six years ago, in preparation for George Bush’s visit to the US, leaked Diplomatic cables by Wikileaks show that the ecological cost of the dirty sands was not seen as a diplomatic issue of contention. A message to President Bush by America’s Ambassador in Canada, noted that, in advance of Bush’s visit to Canada at … Read More
“Yet another red flag being raised”
The latest from the Groundhog Summit. As the politicians pontificate, the science gets more scary. Today UNEP – the United Nations Environment Programme – will release the results of its latest research into the effects of climate change on glaciers from around the world. As UNEP says: “There is increasing concern about the effects of … Read More
“Gracias Por Nada” Canada
So its week two at the climate talks, when the heavyweights begin to arrive. Over the next few days, environment ministers, Prime Ministers and Presidents will all head to the Mexican resort of Cancun. Due to arrive tomorrow is Albertan Environment Minister, Rob Renner, who will be greeted by a sarcastic “muchas gracias” newspaper adverts. … Read More
Saro-Wiwa Was Framed, New Evidence Shows
Fifteen years after the execution of Nigerian playwright and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, new compelling evidence has surfaced that suggests that the Nigerian military killed the four Ogoni elders that Saro-Wiwa was later accused of murdering. The new evidence also reveals that the soldier’s commander, the notorious Lt Col Okuntimo, who was implicated in murder and … Read More
The IEA acknowledges peak demand is needed
This year’s IEA World Energy Outlook (WEO) contains a startling peak oil prediction. In order to prevent climate change getting out of control, global demand for oil should peak by 2018 at only 1 million barrels per day (Mbpd) more than today’s demand level. While the IEA has been much criticized for denying peak oil … Read More