Top climate negotiators from more than 160 nations launched a new round of talks in Bangkok today aimed at setting out what is meant to be the most ambitious treaty yet for battling global warming. Opening the five-day meeting with a video message, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged countries to work together to find … Read More
extreme energy
Four Nations Bid to be Carbon Neutral
It’s the race for the ultimate ecological accolade. Four countries are competing to be the first of the world’s 195 nations to go entirely carbon neutral. Iceland, New Zealand, Norway and Costa Rica have formally signed up to go zero carbon, although each faces huge challenges.
Britain “Makes a Mockery” of Tackling Climate Change
Give a politician a minute and they will wriggle out of a supposedly steadfast commitment. Britain is seeking to change the rules governing renewable energy targets to make it easier for the UK to fulfil its commitment to promote clean energy. At present, only 3% of the UK’s power comes from renewable energy, but government … Read More
Chavez Blames Iraq for Soaring Oil Prices
As the price of oil futures surged yesterday as investors worried about Iraqi oil output after a key pipeline was bombed near Basra, with impeccable timing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez once again took a diplomatic swipe at his old enemy the US. Chavez argued that the American invasion of Iraq is partly to blame for … Read More
Western US is Fastest Warming Region
The American West is heating up faster than any other region of the United States, and more than the Earth as a whole, according to a new analysis of 50 scientific studies. For the last five years, from 2003 through 2007, the global climate averaged 1 degree Fahrenheit warmer than its 20th century average. During … Read More
Russia Plans to Double Spending on Exploration
The Russian government will double state spending on oil exploration to 2020 to $23 billion with the focus on oil in eastern Siberia to ensure a “good” replenishment of reserves, the country’s Natural Resources Minister Yury Trutnev said yesterday. Trutnev told reporters that the Cabinet had approved his proposal to increase state spending on mineral … Read More
Greenland Joins the Oil Rush
There is something absurdly ironic when climate change caused by the oil industry leads to the melting of ice, which in turn leads to more land or sea being available to explore for oil and gas. The latest country to be affected is Greenland, where oil companies have begun looking for crude deposits off the … Read More
Nobel Peace Prize Winner Warns Against Biofuels
Another day and another warning about biofuels. The world must take care when developing biofuels to avoid perverse environmental effects and higher food prices, Nobel Peace Prize winner and chair of the IPPC, Rajendra Pachauri said yesterday.
Basra Fighting Could Disrupt Oil Supplies
The fighting in Basra could soon affect Iraq’s oil supplies. Oil production and exports from Iraq’s southern oilfields could be disrupted in three days if workers cannot reach their offices due to fighting in Basra. “If the military operations continue for three more days, the oil workers will not be able to continue their work … Read More
Land Deal Could Open Alaskan Refuge to Drilling
A controversial land swap proposal could open portions of an Alaska wildlife refuge to oil drilling, but the scheme is already dividing native Alaskans. Supporters of the plan to exchange land in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, which lies just south of the more-famous ANWR, want the plan approved before the pro-oil Bush Administration … Read More