The International Energy Agency is now wondering what we had discussed earlier in the week: OPEC’s discipline is fraying. The Agency believes that OPEC members are beginning to cheat because oil prices have risen from $32 earlier this year in part due to OPEC’s coordinated cuts. However, when prices are $60 a barrel, discipline is […]
I just wanted to flag what I thought were some pretty good items out and about in the media lately. China and Climate Change – One of the go-to guys for progressive economics, Paul Krugman, has a column today, Empire of Carbon, that is both pessimistic and optimistic. (Boy, do I know that feeling when […]
China-based solar producer Suntech Power announced plans this week to build a manufacturing facility in the United States to serve the growing U.S. market for large-scale utility projects and to take advantage of government incentives. “We believe in the outstanding long-term prospects of the solar energy market in the United States” Suntech Chairman and CEO […]
A deal has been done between the Democrats in the House driving for a strong, aggressive, meaningful climate change and energy bill and those who are fearful for and/or protective of the special interests of the big utilities, the oil & gas industry, the auto manufacturers and some other heavy industries. The “discussion draft” of […]
I had a chance to review a great new collection of essays on the science and policy of climate change. It’s illustrated with some stunning photographs. I’m very happy that this is appearing in “Nature Reports Climate Change,” a pretty important voice in the discussion. Here’s the website for the book.
OPEC reported a rise in output despite a pledge from the organization’s member to reduce production to meet quotas agreed to in December. Five members (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, Nigeria and Angola) increased production over the past month by a total of 180,000 bbls/day, although Saudi Arabia remains within its quota of roughly 8 mln […]
Forging a new partnership between the United States and China can help address climate change, but only if regulatory and market shortcomings can be overcome. A new alignment on energy and the environment between China and the United States sounds like a formula capable of delivering real solutions on climate-change issues. China’s abundant scientific research-and-development […]
The Chinese government is considering imposing a pro rata carbon tax on coal and fossil fuels such as gasoline, jet fuel, and natural gas, Finance Ministry official Su Ming has told the country’s state-run media. For the past year, 20 experts from seven different government agencies have been investigating the development and implementation of a […]
The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) chief countered the perception put forward by development experts that the international food trade was key to the recent global food crisis. Speaking at the International Food and Agricultural Trade Policy Council conference in Austria, Pascal Lamy, the Director General of the World Trade Organization, rebuffed the idea put forward […]
Chevron CEO David O’Reilly spoke out last week against the Administration’s plan to use a cap and trade system to limit carbon emissions. His stance against US policy is nothing new. from a policy standpoint, America has been moving in the wrong direction for a very long time. He further outlines his list of grudges […]
First of all, sorry to have been absent for a week (plus), but I’ve been wrapping up the end of semester with my great students at NYU, been to a conference (more on that next week), had a house guest with whom I did some local culture, and a few other odds and ends. I’ll […]
Is it possible to make a difference in the fight against global hunger from your computer? Organizations that are dedicated to fighting hunger work approach this challenge in many ways, and must dedicate a great deal of time and resources to raising funds to support their programs. The United Nation’s World Food Programme (WFP) for […]
U.S. President Barack Obama announced the creation of a “Biofuels Interagency Working Group” to be composed of the Departments of Agriculture, Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA). The working group will be tasked with supporting the U.S. biofuels industry through funds to support existing refiners, new loans to increase crop production and the building of […]
The Influenza A H1N1 virus (also known as “swine flu”) outbreak continues to challenge the globe, despite a pronouncement by the CDC’s acting director of “encouraging signs” concerning the severity of the outbreak. Still, various countries and international organizations are dealing with the possible spread of the virus and the effects on the world population. […]
On Friday, T Boone Pickens entitled an article “Swimming in Natural Gas” playing off a similar quote from the Wall Street Journal. (It is also sounds similar to, er, my coulumn I wrote last month that the world is swimming in oil as stocks had increased driving down the price of oil.) In his piece, […]