Every now and then you get a small, but significant shift in the battle against climate change and this could be one of those moments.

One of the America’s largest builders of coal-fired power plants has been forced to now give investors detailed warnings about the risks that climate change poses to its business. Continue reading ‘A New Precedent to Tackle Climate Change’

Although the oil price has now dipped significantly from its highs of the summer, its relatively high price is having an effect on both oil consumption and production.

Take the UK: The rising cost of running a car has caused traffic on Britain’s major roads to drop for the first time since congestion was measured, a new report has revealed.

Elsewhere in the UK, the oil price is having a different effect as a record number of prospectors for oil are scouring scores of sites across the East Midlands, Yorkshire and a swathe of southern England. Continue reading ‘A Nodding Donkey in your Back-Yard’

There might be a “mine it flat” mentality in Alberta concerning tar sands, but one provincial government has just adopted a different approach to unconventional oil resources.

The only problem is that it is thousands of miles away in Australia.

Australia’s Queensland state has banned shale-oil mining for 20 years, blocking a plan for a strip-mine that was only 10 kilometers from the world heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef. Continue reading ‘Oz Bans Shale-Oil Mine’

As news leaks out that the Alberta’s government has launched a C$25 million PR campaign to greenwash oil sands, here is Kenny’s final post from Alberta. Kenny goes behind the spin:

“The rest of the world must share that hope. Through no choice of his own, Coutoreille and the First Nations of Fort Chip are at Ground Zero of a globally significant fight about the future of energy and climate change. Continue reading ‘The “You’ve Got To Be Kidding” Department’

Oil giants BP and Shell maintain that they are still negotiating about short-term oil contracts in Iraq, despite comments a few days ago to the contrary (see blog) .

However, the controversial oil law, which is seen as the key that will unlock the jewels of Iraq’s oil reserves for the oil majors in now said to be on “ice”.

“Negotiations go on,” a Shell spokesman said about the short-term technical contracts. Continue reading ‘Iraq Oil Law “On Ice”’