It looks like those who dispute the necessity for action on climate change will now have to take on one of the world’s most popular figures: Pope Francis. “Humanity is called to take note of the need for changes in lifestyle and changes in methods of production and consumption to combat this warming, or at… Keep reading →
The global coal industry continues to expand with new coal-fired power plants planned or being built throughout the developing world, especially in Asia where coal remains the preferred low-cost fuel option for power generation. Building up coal mining operations, constructing new coal-fired power plants and developing infrastructure requires billions of dollars in initial investments. Where… Keep reading →
A new Thomson Reuters/BSD Consulting “Global 500 Greenhouse Gas Report: The Fossil Fuel Energy Sector” shows that energy companies emitted 31 per cent of total GHG emissions globally from their operations as well as the use of the products further down the value chain on an annual basis. As the title of this study indicates,… Keep reading →
President Obama is arguing that climate change is a public health hazard, as the White House launches a new initiative aimed at addressing the impacts a warming planet has on communities. These initiatives are intended to address smog, allergies and the increasing risk of extreme-weather-related injuries. Obama spoke about the initiatives during a discussion at… Keep reading →
The number wasn’t a big reveal – the Obama administration signaled last November, in a joint announcement with China, that it wanted to commit the U.S. to greenhouse-gas emissions cuts of 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. Still, advocates for bold U.S. action, like Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy for the Union… Keep reading →
A new web-based tool named the “Global Calculator” is designed to interactively raise awareness of looming climate change impacts. A lack of swift and meaningful action on behalf of the international community to implement global mitigation and adaptation strategies is expected to increase the severity of these climate change impacts. An accompanying report with insights from the Global Calculator… Keep reading →
The Washington Post editorial board penned a scathing op-ed in response to Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe’s asinine stunt on the Senate floor last week. Inhofe brought in a snowball from outside to make the point that it was cold in Washington DC and thus climate change was a farce. Bravo, sir. In the face of… Keep reading →
British oil major BP issued its annual energy outlook and reported that rising energy demand in the coming decades will cause increasing carbon emissions despite efforts to draw them down. BP projects that the growing global economy will cause energy demand to rise 40% in the next twenty years and two-thirds of the demand will… 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 new report from Oxford University says that the most promising “Negative Emissions Technologies” (NETs) for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in the near term are also among the simplest: afforestation, soil carbon improvements and biochar. These are considered “No Regret” technologies because they offer co-benefits such as improved soil vitality, low cost, and… Keep reading →
