Tackling emissions – Nov 27
•Cornucopia of Prosperity Can Flow From Carbon Tax [Craig Comstock]•The economics of carbon taxes Beyond carbon policy: A national feed-in tariff [Chris Nelder]•The economics of carbon taxes [Video presentationts]
Energy Policy
Shale gas – Nov 23
•Methane leaks suggest fracking benefits exaggerated •Gas Industry Attacks Scientists After Research Finds Triple The Normal Levels Of Methane At Australian Gas Fields •Shale gas needs regulation, not a ban -European Parliament •A Contrarian on Shale Gas •US Shale Gas Won’t Last Ten Years: Bill Powers •Gas is abundant, affordable and acceptable. It’s also the future, argues Shell chief Peter Voser
ODAC Newsletter Nov 23
A week of brutal bombing and rocket fire between Israel and Hamas pushed oil prices back to around $110/barrel this week. A fragile ceasefire is now in place, but there is much concern that it will be short-lived. Oil market news may all be about US production, but it is primarily the politics and geopolitics of the Middle East that is still driving global oil prices.
Germany’s energy transition – Nov 20
•Germany Has Built the Clean Energy Economy That U.S. Rejected 30 Years Ago •The German nuclear exit
China energy outlook: an inside look at Chinese energy thinking
Globally, only two reports are published on an annual basis wherein the world’s energy situation is fully scrutinized…A number of years ago China decided it needs its own version of the truth.
ODAC Newsletter Nov 9
The end of the US election season and a return of the incumbent Barack Obama saw oil markets turn their attention back to the economy. Despite much talk of upside the picture remains bleak with the US showing a huge deficit, and the EU still unresolved on how to deal with its highly indebted members. Oil prices showed their steepest decline of the year on Wednesday before recovering slightly to around $107/barrel for Brent.
Energy – Nov 7
•Big Coal in big trouble as coal production costs rise •Obama, Romney avoid hard truths about energy •Japan kicks off winter energy-saving campaign •Full Text: China’s Energy Policy 2012
ODAC Newsletter Nov 2
The US Presidential campaign in which the issue of climate change has been avoided for the first time since 1988 got a last minute shake-up this week as the Northeastern seaboard was hit by superstorm Sandy. The storm which also hit the Caribbean and Canada, might just end up forcing the climate issue back onto the political agenda.
President Declares ‘War on Entropy’
Enjoy this satirical look at the politics of energy by PCI Senior Fellow Richard Heinberg…At a hastily organized news conference, president Obama this morning called for a new national effort to restore America’s greatness by combating “entropy.”
ODAC Newsletter Oct 26
BP took a gamble this week, entering into partnership with the Russian state backed energy company Rosneft. The deal frees the company from a stormy relationship with its oligarch partners at TNK BP. At the same time, it effectively makes BP business partners with the Kremlin…
ODAC Newsletter Oct 19
Oil prices remained steady this week as the closure of the Keystone pipeline in the US to address possible safety issues balanced bearish news on the Chinese economy. Beijing reported that Q3 saw growth slow to 7.4%, compared to the same period last year.
Scapegoat-in-Chief: The Race for the Oval Office
The energy world portrayed in the debates—in which coal is “clean” and oil and gas companies will lead the U.S. to a new era of energy abundance if only they are unleashed or regulated properly—is a stage set carefully crafted by fossil fuel industry PR professionals and political consultants. Once viewers have dutifully mistaken this painted scenery for reality, it’s the actors’ job to raise the audience’s adrenaline levels with taunts and sneers. Meanwhile, outside the theater, the real world is hurtling toward an energy supply crisis for which no one is being prepared, and whose impact will not be blunted by sensible policy.
