Japan's Ambivalent Diplomacy on Climate Change
Japan often pictures itself as an environmental leader. While many examples of Japan’s actions against climate change are in line with global climate change norms, others can be in opposition to them.
Jurassic Oil
Why do we have to drill through a mile of water and then three miles of rock to get oil? Surely there are better options in the world’s geologic resource base than deep, acidic, high pressure deposits that threaten the waters and coasts of the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Guinea, Campos Basin, Barents Sea and the Caspian. Most of this is oil that got deposited even before continental drift started.
Disaster in Gulf not a Disaster for Obama
Pundits argue that the BP accident in the US Gulf is a final nail in the coffin of President Obama’s energy and environment legislation. They conclude that American energy and environment policy will be left in disarray with little hope for key decisions before the crucial Cancun climate change talks.
Copenhagen's Legacy Is Ambiguity
The third Ifri Annual Energy Conference held at the Plaza Hotel, Brussels in February 2010 posed the question: “How do we begin effectively to close the gap between climate change policies and current practices - or put another way between climate change rhetoric and market reality”.
Climate Change: When the Media Play the Role of Speculators
Climate change, the risks it implies, the time horizons it imposes and the extent of possible consequences it threaten are exposing how the media deals with public issues.
Who Needs OPEC - Russia steps up to the Plate ?
News that Conoco will sell off a significant portion of its Russian holdings is couched in terms of various corporate strategies that make all this perfectly normal. Conoco is said to need cash and will anyway have a 10% share remaining in Lukoil that will provide them some degree of influence in corporate decisions.
German Power Options: Lack of Clarity Will Be Costly
The German environment minister Norbert Röttgen (CDU) revived the German debate about the future of nuclear power in February when he argued for a limited lifetime extension of Germany’s nuclear plants.
Getting Carbon Out: Tougher Than it Looks. An Assessment of EU, US & Chinese Pledges
This paper intends to examine the emissions trajectories of the three largest emitters, China, the US and the European Union through the optics of indicators and assess the feasibility of their targets for 2020.
Oil Markets Range-bound?
We have heard admonitions about peak oil and that we have already passed the geologic peak of world oil production capacity. On the other hand, the IEA warns that if we continue our present patterns of energy consumption, we will need the equivalent of four Saudi Arabia’s in new oil production capacity by 2030 - seemingly at ease that the oil is geologically out there.
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