Germany, the UK and Poland have the dirtiest coal plants in the EU, where the share of coal in power generation is currently around 25%. The IEA says EU coal-fired generation needs to be below 4% by 2035 to combat climate change. Germany exported a record amount of power in 2013 as it generated more… Keep reading →
An ancient fern whose growth was influential in cooling the planet after an earlier runaway warming period is being studied around the world for everything from a food source to a filter to a possible climate change mitigation agent. Scientists believe a fern called Azolla sucked up about half the available CO2 in the atmosphere… Keep reading →
China is the world’s largest coal producer and consumer and the world’s leading emitter of carbon dioxide emissions. China is also the world’s most populous country and is suffering from high pollution levels due to its unrestrained fossil fuel use. China’s leadership is under a great deal of pressure to both reduce air pollution and to… Keep reading →
The growing controversy over the degree to which environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council influenced EPA’s new carbon emission regulations for existing power plants ratcheted up today. Coal lobby American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity blasted EPA for comments made in an internal memo – “obtained” by The Hill about the New York Times’ story that… Keep reading →
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently proposed new carbon emission standards for fossil fuel power plants under the Clean Air Act (CAA). The rules for new-build power plants fall under Section 111(b) and are known as the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS). This should not be confused with Section 111(d) that regulates existing power plants.… Keep reading →
NEORI, the National Enhanced Oil Recovery Initiative is organized and staffed by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) and the Great Plains Institute. NEORI has authored a series of innovative policy proposals to promote the use of carbon capture and sequestration, CCS, to provide much needed CO2 for use in enhanced oil recovery,… Keep reading →
A Colorado federal judge ruled that regulators failed to consider the “social cost of carbon” associated with a coal development project proposed by Arch Coal. The project’s future economic benefits were estimated as part of the project review process, but failing to estimate potential negative environmental impacts caused from burning coal left the reviewers remiss… Keep reading →
In the past I have been extremely skeptical of carbon capture and sequestration, CCS, but recently my opinion has evolved based on the sober conclusion that hydrocarbon fuels simply are not going away. Both supply and demand for coal, oil and gas continue to grow globally along with their carbon emissions and dangerous impacts on… Keep reading →
Former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson’s endorsement last week has put the carbon tax in the spotlight. But don’t be fooled: even with increased visibility and the wide endorsement of economists – and with a proposal or two floating around on Capitol Hill – turning U.S. energy policy in a cleaner, more climate-friendly direction continues to… Keep reading →
