Government ‘puts the economy before the environment’ with transport plan

Ministers were accused of downgrading the drive to cut carbon emissions from Britain’s transport network after revealing a long-term strategy for increased road, rail and air travel. Environmentalists said the strategy did too little to combat climate change, attacking the decision to allow further airport expansion and road building and widening. A strategy document published […]

Hello, I

The doorbell will be ringing unexpectedly in millions of homes from next year as an army of government-funded They will ask you about your travel habits and will offer advice tailored to your journeys, including maps for walking and bus timetables. If you appear unconvinced, they will offer incentives such as discounts at local bike […]

The AA warned motorists last night that they face a Hundreds of petrol stations across the UK are charging more than

UK invites private funding for ‘green’ transport

LONDON, Oct 30 (Reuters) – Britain invited the private sector to play a bigger role in plans to ease congestion of the UK’s clogged transport network on Tuesday while keeping a lid on CO2 emissions. The transport department reiterated its support for airport expansion in southeast England, and said it would look at ways to […]

Peak oil: How serious is it?

Oil is the lubricant of our society. Transport is the obvious point of consumption, but the use of oil pervades almost all aspects of modern living. Agriculture (not only tractors, but also pesticides and fertilisers), plastics, pharmaceuticals, toothpaste, clothing, cars, and the generation of power are all, to some extent, dependent on oil. So, a […]

World’s growing dependence on coal leaving a trail of environmental devastation

It takes five to 10 days for the pollution from China’s coal-fired plants to make its way to the United States, like a slow-moving storm. It shows up as mercury in the bass and trout caught in Oregon’s Willamette River. It increases cloud cover and raises ozone levels. And along the way, it contributes to […]

How to Build a Local Energy Economy

Is it possible to get our power from local sources? Yes, and an interview with one expert explains how.The following conversation with David Morris is an excerpt from the new book Building the Green Economy: Success Stories from the Grassroots (PoliPointPress, 2007) by Kevin Danaher, Shannon Biggs, and Jason Mark. David Morris is a Co-Founder […]

Nuclear Renaissance In Russia?

Russia, the world’s second nuclear power, has long had an active nuclear-energy industry, including exporting reactors to countries such as India and Iran. Yet until recently, the Kremlin devoted far less attention to nuclear energy than to the country’s massive and profitable oil and natural-gas industries. In 2005, President Vladimir Putin indicated his interest in […]

Uganda: Oil – Americans Are Coming – And What Next?

In December 2000, the National Intelligence Council, a think-tank within the United States’ CIA declared in a report that sub-Saharan Africa, “will play an increasing role in global energy markets,” according to John Ghazvinian in his 2007 book, Untapped, The Scramble For Africa’s Oil. That observation set off a train of broad commercial and diplomatic […]

PetroVietnam to buy oil fields abroad

The Viet Nam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) said it will buy oil fields abroad to counter the threat of oil and gas shortage. PetroVietnam’s General Director Tran Ngoc Canh said the group is in the process of buying a Kazakhstan company which owns some oil fields with reserves of tens of millions tonnes.Canh further […]

Why the Economy Can Withstand $100 Oil

Forget the credit crunch and mortgage crisis for a moment. What about rising oil prices? So far, the economy has shaken off high prices at the pump, no problemo. But what if oil his $100 or more? Don’t fret, says Jim Glassman of JPMorgan:[…] 5) High oil prices, as unhappy as they make us, are […]

Schlumberger sees oil services cost inflation easing

Cost inflation in the oil industry is slowing as tightness in the services market eases, the chief executive of Schlumberger, the world’s largest oil services company by market value, said on Tuesday. Andrew Gould said an easing in steel price rises and weak demand for onshore drilling services in North America were contributing to moderation […]

East Siberia oil growth uncertain – TNK-BP CEO

Lack of exploration in new East Siberian oil fields means it is unclear to what extent that region can make up for declines in West Siberian production, the boss of one of Russia’s biggest companies said on Tuesday. “It remains to be seen,” Bob Dudley, Chief Executive of TNK-BP, told reporters on the sidelines of […]

Oil: No longer a heavyweight

Higher efficiency, a more diverse energy mix and a more prosperous nation have softened rising oil’s economic punch. NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The days of rising oil prices alone threatening to knock out the economy may be over. At more than $93 a barrel, oil prices are at or near all-time highs, even when adjusted […]

UK: Rising fear of energy crisis this winter

Electricity shortages and gas supply problems predicted to push bills up Britain faces the prospect of power shortages and soaring prices this winter after the National Grid warned of a shortfall in electricity-generating capacity yesterday. The alert coincides with a surge in gas prices, which are now 40% higher than in continental Europe, and the […]

Transport growth will not increase emissions, government claims

The road, rail and air networks of Britain can all be greatly expanded without undermining Britain’s commitment to reducing climate change emissions, a government report claims. The “pro-green, pro-growth” discussion paper launched today by the transport secretary, Ruth Kelly, wants to see a new high-speed rail linking London, Birmingham and Manchester, wider motorways, congestion charging […]

World oil output struggling, say Arab experts

LONDON, Oct 30 (Reuters) – Leading figures from the Middle East oil industry added their voices on Tuesday to those warning that the world is struggling to sustain rising oil production. “There is a real problem — that supply may not be possible to increase beyond a certain level, say around 100 million barrels,” Libya’s […]

Recession risk rises with record oil

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — There was a time when economists predicted that $60-a-barrel oil would cause a recession. Then they said $70 oil would. Then $80. So it might be tough to take the recession threat of $90 a barrel oil very seriously. But some economists say that would be a mistake. They note that […]

Gas emissions must be measured, professor says

To enforce regulations. Leaks in pipelines, flares at oil wells You can’t regulate greenhouse gas emissions if you can’t measure them, says Carleton University professor Matthew Johnson, who has discovered some new ways to measure what happens at pipeline leaks and gas flares at oil wells. “If you’re going to legislate a reduction, you have […]

Rising temperatures will drive up sickness

AS climate change turns up the heat, more Australians will have heart attacks, strokes, food poisoning and a range of insect-borne diseases such as dengue fever and malaria. Worrying rises in depression and obesity are also linked to climate change, according to Healthy Planet, Places and People, a report released yesterday by Research Australia, a […]

Australia: Poor outlook for grain stokes fight over biofuels

FOOD producers who rely on feed grain stepped up their attack on biofuels yesterday as the forecast for Australia’s grain harvest was slashed by another 4.5 million tonnes after two more months of exceptionally warm, dry weather. The dairy, pork, egg and feedlot beef sectors said the global demand for grain to produce ethanol was […]

A ‘vampire’ invades homes this Halloween: energy-sucking ’standby mode’

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A force as insidious as Dracula is quietly sucking a nickel of every dollar’s worth of the electricity that seeps from your home’s outlets. Insert the little fangs of your cell phone charger in the outlet and leave it there, phone attached: That’s vampire electronics. Allow your computer to hide in the […]

Candidates’ zeal for ethanol might ring true if it made a grain of sense

WASHINGTON “I have a glass of ethanol every morning before breakfast,” Mr. McCain, the Arizona Republican senator, joked during a recent swing through Iowa, the corn-growing heart of the country’s booming ethanol industry. Ms. Clinton, the leading Democratic candidate, says she would divert oil subsidies to ethanol and other renewable fuels. That there is no […]

Food or fuel? New technology offers both

In the “food vs. fuel” debate about global crop usage, fuel may be winning. Millions of bushels of corn are being diverted to ethanol production as gas-hungry countries scramble to offset the soaring cost of crude oil. As a result, grain and food prices are rising – a sign that quenching our thirst for fuel […]

Mud, sweat and tears

The vast tar sands of Alberta in Canada hold oil reserves six times the size of Saudi Arabia’s. But this ‘black gold’ is proving a mixed blessing for the frontier town of Fort McMurray, fuelling both prosperity and misery. As the social and environmental toll mounts, Aida Edemariam reports on the dark side of a […]

China top refinery cuts output despite shortages

BEIJING/SHANGHAI, Oct 30 (Reuters) – China’s largest refinery Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Co Ltd will shut a crude distillation unit in November for a one-month planned turnaround, an industry official said. The closure comes as the country faces its worst diesel shortage in four years, which has caused rationing on the east coast. Zhenhai refinery, […]

Syria: $1.5 bln agreement with Iran and Venezuela to build oil refinery

Syria’s ministry of petroleum and mineral resources on Tuesday signed an agreement for the establishment of an oil refinery with Iran, Venezuela and the Malaysian al-Bukhri Group in the area of Eastern Homs in Central Syria, reported Syrian state news agency SANA. The refinery will be able to produce up to 140,000 barrels per day […]

Global warming opens Arctic seabed to the search for oil and gas

As the ice retreats, nations try to advance their undersea borders and resource claims The Arctic is rich in natural resources, including hydrocarbons, and rapid thawing due to global warming could make exploiting those mineral resources feasible relatively soon. Large, discovered oil and natural gas reserves totaling 233 billion barrels of oil or its equivalent […]

US Auto Industry Faces Growing Headwind From High Oil Prices

The continuing rise in oil prices poses a growing challenge for auto makers already dealing with the effects of housing market weakness and a crisis in the subprime mortgage market. Crude oil futures hit a new record high of $93.80 a barrel Monday, and higher crude oil prices often precede a rise in gasoline prices. […]

Repeat of 1970s oil crisis not expected

Fast rising oil prices are bringing back uneasy memories of the 1970s, but there is optimism a return to the economic darkness can be avoided. That is despite oil prices near $US94 a barrel overnight, closing in on inflation-adjusted highs hit in early 1980. Depending on how the adjustment is calculated, $US38 a barrel then […]

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