Fossil industry faces a perfect political and technological storm
Ambrose Evans Pritchard, The Daily Telegraph
The IMF says we can no longer afford the economic wastage of fossil fuels, turning the green energy debate upside down as world leaders plan a binding climate deal in Paris.
The political noose is tightening on the global fossil fuel industry. It is a fair bet that world leaders will agree this year to impose a draconian “tax” on carbon emissions that entirely changes the financial calculus for coal, oil, and gas, and may ultimately devalue much of their asset base to zero…
Universal energy 10 times cheaper, twice as fast with renewables, says campaign
Sami Grover, Treehugger
Not long ago, I wrote a piece for MNN about how charities, private companies and micro-entrepreneurs were collaborating to eradicate kerosene lamps from Africa before the end of the decade with the use of solar lanterns…
What if we could actually achieve global, universal energy access through distributed renewables? And what if we could do so faster, at less cost, than the $700 billion that the IEA says it will take to achieve universal energy access by 2035?…
An Exclusive Excerpt From ‘Trade Is War’
Yash Tandon, Truthdig
Below is an exclusive excerpt from ‘Trade Is War: The West’s War Against the World’ by Yash Tandon (OR Books, 2015). In the book, Tandon—a Ugandan expert on international relations, politics and economics—argues that the “soft power” exerted by international powers through economic channels is anything but soft—and that free trade (or the refusal to adopt free trade policies) leads to physical violence, especially for poorer countries. To make his case, Tandon draws on both his extensive understanding of the Global South and his hands-on experience advising African leaders on trade agreements…
The sharing economy will go medieval on you
Izabella Kaminska, FT Alphaville Blog
In Paris this week, at the Ouishare Fest, the great and the good from Europe’s sharing economy have been delving deep into what it means to be running a collaborative business model within a capitalist framework. Are the two even compatible? Or is there a fundamental conflict at the heart of an industry that preaches collaboration but, due to being radically commercialised by venture capital money from Silicon Valley, also needs to profiteer from the goodwill of others if it’s to remain viable?…
Canada reneges on emissions targets as tar sands production takes its toll
Suzanne Goldenberg, The Guardian
Canada has retreated on past promises to fight climate change, setting out lower targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions than any other industralised country so far ahead of a critical conference in Paris.
The announcement was a setback to efforts to reach a deal in the French capital that would limit warming to 2C (3.6F), the threshold for dangerous climate change.
Under the announcement, Canada committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 30% below 2005 levels by 2030…
Hundreds more oil sands staff evacuated on Alberta fire threat
Scott Haggett and Nia Williams, Reuters
Statoil ASA, MEG Energy Corp and Cenovus Energy Inc evacuated hundreds of workers from three oil sands projects in northeastern Alberta on Tuesday as wildfires raged through the key crude-producing region.
The latest evacuations are in addition to project shutdowns by Cenovus and Canadian Natural Resources Ltd over the weekend, as companies rushed to remove staff from potential danger.
At least 233,000 barrels per day of oil sands production, 9 percent of Alberta’s total oil sands output, have been suspended because of the fire risk, though none of the projects have been damaged…
Texas Governor Says Deadly Flooding Is Worst Ever Seen
Jim Forsyth, Rueters via Scientific American
Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Monday described the flash flooding that had killed at least three people in his state as "a relentless wall of water that mowed down huge trees like they were grass."
Abbott declared states of disaster in 24 counties and flew over the area south of Austin to assess the damage caused by tornadoes, heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and flooding that forced evacuations and rooftop rescues and left thousands of residents without electrical power.
"This is the biggest flood this area of Texas has ever seen," Abbott said.
"It is absolutely massive – the relentless tsunami-type power of this wave of water," the governor said…
See also Climate Change May Have Souped Up Record-Breaking Texas Deluge
Extreme Heat Wave In India Is Killing People And Melting Roads
Katie Valentine, Climate Progress
A blistering heat wave in India has killed more than 1,100 people in the country in less than one week.
Eight hundred and fifty two people have died in a heat wave in Andhra Pradesh in southeastern India, while 266 have died in the adjacent state of Telangana, CNN reports. In northeastern West Bengal and Orissa, at least 24 people have died. Most of the deaths, according to officials, have been among construction workers, the elderly, and the homeless — people who are typically most exposed to high heat and who don’t have access to air conditioning.
“Almost all the victims are old,” said B.R. Meena, principle secretary for revenue for Telangana. “Inquiries reveal that most of them were working and were exposed to the heat. Dehydration and heat stroke caused the deaths.” In some regions, temperatures have reached a scorching 122°F — heat that’s melted sections of roads in some cities and that’s close, according to the Guardian, to the country’s all-time high of 123°F…
This Country Just Banned Grocery Stores From Throwing Out Food
Samantha Page, Think Progress
Grocery stores in France will soon be banned from throwing away or destroying unsold food, under a bill passed unanimously by the French parliament last week.
Food waste costs countries around the world billions of dollars each year and is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, but France’s action was spurred by another type of crisis. Mired in an economic slump, France has seen an growing number of people living off food scavenged from waste bins outside grocery stores, which has prompted an outcry from aid workers and activists.
“There’s an absolute urgency — charities are desperate for food. The most moving part of this law is that it opens us up to others who are suffering,” Assemblymember Yves Jégo told parliament…
ISIS Victories and Oil
Amy Myers Jaffe, Energy Collective
Right now, oil prices seem under pressure from any number of forces: Saudi market share strategies, Iran’s quiet sales from floating stocks, historically high U.S. and Chinese inventory levels, and a very large backlog of uncompleted tight oil wells in the United States. But over the longer term, the situation on the ground with the Islamic State for Iraq and Syria (ISIS) could render some of that surplus necessary, as ISIS emerges as an increasingly larger risk to regional oil production capacity.
News this week that ISIS had scored a major victory in Ramadi has forced several regional rivals to change their calculus in material ways…
Why India is captured by carbon
David Rose, The Guardian
India’s leaders are determined to restore economic growth and lift the country’s 1.3 billion citizens out of poverty. But rapid development will require India to double or triple its production of coal – and make it the world’s second largest carbon emitter. Is there any alternative?…
Vegetable prices hit the roof [India]
Staff, The Hindu
The prices of various vegetables have shot up by up to 100 per cent within a week….
Unless the monsoon arrives early, the traders said that the prices would go up further within no time…
Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google
Amien Essif, Alternet
A review of John Palfrey’s new book ‘BiblioTech,’ and the culturally critical role libraries play.
…The library’s value isn’t lost on us. A Gallup survey from 2013 found that libraries are not just popular, they’re extremely popular. Over 90 percent of Americans feel that libraries are a vital part of their communities. Compare this to 53 percent for the police, 27 percent for public schools, and just 7 percent for Congress, and you’re looking at perhaps the greatest success of the public sector. John Palfrey, in his new book BiblioTech: Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google, gives some truly bummer statistics on what’s happening to this beloved institution. A government report showed that while the nation’s public libraries served 298 million people in 2010 (that’s 96 percent of the U.S. population), states had cut funding by 38 percent and the federal government by 19 percent between 2000 and 2010. “It seems extraordinary that a public service with such reach should be, in effect, punished despite its success,” writes Palfrey….
