President Barack Obama’s assertion last month that climate change will bring more asthma and worse allergies drew a skeptical response in some quarters, but it turns out the president’s signature climate solution – the Clean Power Plan – could come with significant health “co-benefits.” That’s the conclusion of a new study in the journal Nature… Keep reading →
Coal
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We will never sell or share your information without your consent. See our privacy policy.Republicans have been pummeling President Barack Obama for waging what they call a “war on coal,” but you’ve got to wonder how politically useful that tactic is when one of the nation’s biggest corporations is suggesting that it wants nothing to do with comparatively dirty fuel. General Motors this week put out a press release boasting… Keep reading →
Energy Quote of the Day: ‘Is There Another Issue that Might Engage…the Way Keystone Has?’
By Edward DodgeGreen groups are contemplating the next battle after the fight over the Keystone XL pipeline is over. While no one knows what the ultimate fate of the pipeline will be, the decision will come soon and activists will need to move on to other issues. Green groups including the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council,… Keep reading →
Conventional hydropower fell from its perennial perch as the source of the majority of U.S. renewable energy in 2014, yet another sign of the rise of a new wave of renewables – wind and solar, especially – on the U.S. electrical grid. Data released Wednesday by the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed hydropower with net… Keep reading →
Energy Quote to the Day: India Seeks Balance Between Taxing Pollution and the Price of Power
By Edward DodgeIndia’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set ambitious new targets for reducing coal consumption and scaling up renewables. India will double the tax on coal production, promote renewable energy projects and electric vehicles to balance out emissions from coal-fired power plants. “With regard to coal, there’s a need to find a balance between taxing… Keep reading →
Chinese Air Pollution Documentary Paints Chilling Picture, Goes Viral
By Kate Rosow ChrismanIt’s unusual when a documentary film on air pollution becomes a blockbuster hit, but that’s exactly what’s happened with “Under the Dome,” a film produced about energy and environmental issues in China. Released online on Saturday, the 100-minute film has already racked up more than 150 million views on Youku, China’s YouTube equivalent. That’s equal to… Keep reading →
This speech is important. Royal Dutch Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden says that it is time for the oil industry to join the debate over climate change. Shell has long advocated for a price on carbon, but in a speech Thursday in London he took the message farther by saying: “Our sector needs to enter… Keep reading →
A blockbuster of an article is out today describing some highly questionable associations and dealings around Adana’s long-running scheme to turn the Galilee Basin of northern Queensland into a coal mine. The article, published this morning in the Sydney Morning Herald and reprinted in more than 100 papers across Australia, describes a “complex corporate structure”… Keep reading →
South African Utility Resorts to ‘Load Shedding’ Amid Power Emergency; Could it Happen Here?
By Roman KilisekWho would have thought even just a few years ago that one could use a smart phone to check the ‘status’ of electricity availability in the area in real-time. No worries, I am not talking about the US or Germany. Though it’s possible those countries could face power supply issues in certain regions if decommissioning… Keep reading →
Energy News Roundup: Oil Prices and Your 401k, BHP Cuts US Shale Drilling 40% and RWE Considers Split
By Jared AndersonAnalysts and economists are trying to figure out how falling oil prices impact various economic sectors. Many 401ks and pension funds invest in oil companies, but as long as funds are diversified they should not be hit too badly by the oil price decline. “But this is precisely why investment advisers tell us to diversify,… Keep reading →