Following on from an earlier blog this week, we know now from Tony Hayward that BP was woefully unprepared for the Deepwater oil spill. So if BP was not prepared in the warm accessable waters of the Gulf of Mexico, what about the cold remote and inhosbitable waters of the Arctic where oil could take … Read More
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Deepwater Disaster has “Long-Term Benefits”
I have explored enough on this blog how the perception that the Deepwater disaster would somehow be a game changer for the oil industry now looks wildly over optimistic and premature. There were always going to be winners and losers from the Deepwater Horizon disaster. But probably not many would have predicted that oil service … Read More
Shell’s Nigerian PR Strategy Exposed
To mark the 15th Anniversary of the execution of Nigerian activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, we are exposing the public relations tactics that Shell employed to counter criticism of its operations in the country. The evidence is contained in documents collected for the landmark trial last year of Wiwa versus Shell, but they were never made public … Read More
Hayward: “We Created Deepwater Mess”
So finally we get a bit of humility and contrition from Tony Hayward, ex-CEO of BP. Speaking for the first time since he resigned, Hayward has admitted that the Deepwater Horizon accident was BP’s fault, that he made mistakes and that BP was woefully unprepared for a disaster on this scale. So compare what Tony … Read More
G20: “There’s just no action behind the words”
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
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.