Energy Crunch: Kicking coal?
This week we saw three important signs of the increasingly moribund state of the fossil fuel industry.
China
Nuclear war: A forgotten threat to human sustainability
The possibility of a new Cold War between Russia and the United States and its NATO allies brings with it the spectre of nuclear war.
Did Russia and China just sign a death warrant for U.S. LNG exports?
Russia and China have signed two large natural gas deals in the last six months as Russia turns its attention eastward in reaction to sanctions and souring relations with Europe, currently Russia’s largest energy export market. But the move has implications beyond Europe.
Fracking Moves To China, Part II
Host Alex Wise caught up with Mother Jones journalists Jaeah Lee and James West to talk about how U.S. oil and gas interests are exporting fracking around the globe and how the technology may pose risks in China that even exceed those associated with coal.
Fracking Moves To China, Part I
Mother Jones journalists Jaeah Lee and James West spent a year investigating the ins and outs of the growing fracking industry in China. Host Alex Wise caught up with them to talk about how U.S. oil and gas interests are exporting fracking around the globe and how the technology may pose risks in China that even exceed those associated with coal.
Peak oil notes – Oct 9
Mid-Week Update. Energy prices continued to fall this week with New York futures trading below $87 a barrel on Wednesday and London oil falling to a close of $91.37.
Peak oil review – June 23
A weekly update, including: -Oil and the Global Economy -The Middle East and North Africa -China -Ukraine -Quote of the week -The Briefs
Peak Oil Review – Apr 28
A weekly update including Oil and the Global Economy, The Middle East & North Africa, China, Ukraine, Quote of the Week, The Briefs.
Kashagan – Back to the drawing board?
The recent shutdown of Kashagan oil field in Kazakhstan represents one of the most scathing riches-to-rags stories in modern oil history.
China, choking on growth – headlines
•China cracks down on emissions to combat choking smog •China’s first coal-to-gas plant soon to pump gas to Beijing •China’s smog reduction plan could add to water stress and boost emissions •China Faces Gas Shortage after Cutting Coal Consumption •China’s oil demand to 2020 •Beijing slashes car sales quota in anti-pollution drive •Shale Gas Revolution Not Coming To China Anytime Soon •China faces a long battle for blue skies
Peak Coal In China
Citibank has released an interesting report on "peak coal" in China – referring to peak demand rather than any supply driven peak of production (something I view as quite far off) -The Unimaginable: Peak Coal in China. The limit to coal use appears to be how much pollution the Chinese population is willing to tolerate – a reminder that there is more than one "limit to growth".
Agriculture headlines
•China’s Bad Earth •Pesticides, fungicides harming bee colonies, UM study says •Can Agriculture Reverse Climate Change?