Understanding China’s domestic oil market is akin to following an opaque and moving target, but a new report by independent price reporting organization Platts highlights the changing dynamics of one area in the Chinese oil market that is most responsive to economic signals: China’s teakettle refiners. Playing Against Monopolies Monopolized by state-owned but publically listed… Keep reading →
The United States and China made a big splash this past month with the announcement of an important climate agreement between the two superpowers. President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping jointly pledged November 11 in Beijing to make significant CO2 reductions in the next two decades. The United States will reduce its net greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to 28% below 2005 levels by 2025, accelerating the pace of reductions already planned by 2020. China will peak its CO2 emissions no later than 2030, by which point the country will obtain 20% of its energy supply from non-fossil fuel sources. China’s commitment marks the first time the country has pledged to stop its rapidly increasing emissions; the nation has previously resisted calls for reductions, saying that as a developing country, the pollution increases are necessary for its growth. This agreement preceded a November 16 communiqué by G20 leaders to focus their policies and investments on cleaner and renewable energy sources with the goal of mitigating climate change. The next step began December 1 at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change conference in Lima, Peru.
Many of China’s coal-fired power plants are equipped with air pollution scrubbers, but in some parts of the country they are seldom used. Scrubbers take energy to run which reduces total output and makes operating the equipment more expensive. The government often sends plant operators mixed messages that prioritize economic growth (which requires maximum power… Keep reading →
The world is constantly and almost instantaneously transforming right before our eyes. Given the complexity and interconnectedness of resulting emerging challenges it is advisable for policymakers to attempt to get ahead of the curve. This is exactly what the World Economic Forum’s “Outlook on the Global Agenda 2015” is envisioned to offer to a broad… Keep reading →
In recent months, spot prices for uranium have rebounded. It’s a welcome relief to uranium miners, who have dealt with plunging prices since 2007 (and again after the tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan). The rise in prices hasn’t been enough to propel a renaissance in the uranium mining industry, but some companies… Keep reading →
Ed. note: This is a new weekly column by Elie Mystal, Managing Editor of Above the Law Redline. This space will focus on the laws that exist, should exist, and should be put out of their misery. OVER-REGULATED Chinese Diplomacy: Let me get this straight: our new “deal” with China involves the U.S. agreeing to… Keep reading →
The UN Environment Program released a report ahead of the upcoming international climate meetings in Lima, Peru that finds global carbon neutrality should be attained by mid-to-late century. “Countries are giving increasing attention to where they realistically need to be by 2025, 2030 and beyond in order to limit a global temperature rise to below… Keep reading →
Notoriously complex global energy issues encompass science, economics, politics, the environment, demographics and social dynamics. And sometimes it seems nothing is more complicated than charting a course that effectively mitigates the worst impacts of climate change. One of the most stubborn problems is finding a way to simultaneously address energy poverty while reducing global carbon… Keep reading →
The energy poverty issue is being drawn into stark relief in India, where the government is pursuing an aggressive coal expansion strategy as it seeks to bring electricity to the over 300 million people without. The New York Times reports air quality in cities is worse than China, rising seas will impact the country disproportionately… Keep reading →
News broke late last week the world’s second and third largest oil field services providers Halliburton and Baker Hughes were in merger negotiations. The combined company would more effectively compete with Schlumberger, the world’s largest oilfield service company. The deal briefly went hostile when it was reported over the weekend that Halliburton would make a… Keep reading →
