Politics & economics headlines – Oct 11

It’s a gas gas gas tax /
Oil-rich countries gain political power /
Bolivia orders higher gas production /
Don’t cry for me, Venezuela (Chavez bio) /
Energy costs take a bite out of business /
FedEx may hit the wall /
Families pinched by heating bills

Environment headlines – Oct 11

Special report on Global Warming from Seattle Times / NY Times enthuses about GW (for shame!) / Insurance and GW / Tim Flannery’s new book: The Weather Makers

Nuclear in the UK: Back to the future

Nuclear power was dead in the water – wildly expensive, deeply unpopular and a nightmare to clean up. But now the government is talking about a new generation of reactors. Can it really be the green answer to our energy needs?

Other Energy Headlines – October 12, 2005

The Illusive Bonanza: Oil Shale in Colorado / Green Fuel Revolution a Challenge for Grain Sector / Cleaner coal? IGCC nice, but.. / Clean coal isn’t climate-friendly yet / Nuclear power quietly confident in energy debate / Atlantic coal plant dirtiest, green group says

UK Energy Part 2: 2005 Quarter 2 Update

Two interesting reports have been published recently, Energy Trends from the DTI updated with 2005 Quarter 2 data and Winter Outlook Report 2005/06 from Ofgem. These two reports contain a wealth of data on the UK energy market past, present and looking forward to the winter. However I am less impressed with the analysis and conclusions drawn from the data. This is part two of the article and discusses the Energy Trends report, in part one I discussed the Winter Outlook Report here: UK Energy Part 1: The Winter Outlook.

UK Energy Part 1: The Winter Outlook

Two interesting reports have been published recently, Energy Trends from the DTI updated with 2005 Quarter 2 data and Winter Outlook Report 2005/06 from Ofgem. These two reports contain a wealth of data on the UK energy market past, present and looking forward to the winter. However I am less impressed with the analysis and conclusions drawn from the data. In part one of this article I discuss the Winter Outlook Report, part two discusses the Energy Trends report here: UK Energy Part 2: 2005 Quarter 2 Update.

Solutions & sustainability – Oct 10

Greenpeace report on solar power /
London’s answer for traffic congestion /
Umbra loves bikes /
Pollan high on grass, down on corn /
Down and dirty: soil in industrial society /
Ecolanguage /
Hard cash and climate change /
China looks to California for solutions /
White House picks up conservation mantra /
Energy efficiency in Wyoming /
McMansions out of style? /
Save energy around the house

Politics & economics headlines – Oct 10

US energy bill OKd in raucous vote /
Inside the secretive Bilderberg Group /
Gas row between China and Japan escalates /
Boom times await new BRIC powers /
Fool shortage? Not in Georgia /
US revs up the China threat /
Chavez interview – has ‘strong oil card’ /
High oil prices met with anger worldwide /
Pombo proposes offshore drilling

Environment headlines – Oct 10

Water and wind, the warming globe /
Carl Pope on global warming /
Climate probe crashes /
Green evangelical leader Richard Cizik /
Bill McKibben on GW /
Bill Moyers: caring for creation /
Climate linked to shipboard illness /
Wetter atmosphere a sign of GW /
Bayou sinks, Louisiana floods /
Tremendous impact from gulf oil spills

Dow Chemical CEO: US should declare national emergency on NG supplies

Testifying before the Senate Energy Commitee, Dow Chemicals CEO Andrew Liveris said, “The short-term outlook for natural gas consumers is grim. If prices remain at or near current levels, manufacturers will be driven out of the market and many may not return.”…
The government should also “declare a national emergency” to shock consumers into awareness of tight supplies, he said.

Is the economy spoiled? Are we sour?

There was an economy that loved SUVs /
To haul all its workers far from the cities. /
The cars pushed the economy to depend on more oil. /
But I dunno why it depended on oil; perhaps it will spoil. (To the tune of “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly”)