Category: Climate

BRUSSELS—A planned global deal to keep average temperatures from rising more than two degrees Celsius to contain climate change is under threat unless more countries submit emission-reduction targets and technical negotiations are substantially accelerated, the European Union’s energy and climate commissioner warned Thursday. “The window of opportunity…is closing fast,” Miguel Arias Cañete said. With just over three months to go until the Paris Climate Conference, which is meant to come up with a follow-up deal for the Kyoto Protocol, just 56 out of more than 190 countries, representing 61% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, have submitted targets for reducing these emissions, Mr. Cañete said. While that is up from the 35 states that submitted targets under the Kyoto deal, proposals are still missing from some big economies, including Argentina, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. “There are big economies that should come on board.” Mr. Cañete said. The EU […]

Click here to view full article at www.wsj.com

Scientists have calculated how much less severe the drought would be without climate change. You’ve hit your limit of 5 free articles this month. Try our subscription options: Print & Digital 3 Months Transferring your credit card balance is proving to be a very smart move for most Two Banks That Pay 10 Times The Interest On Your Savings 4 in 5 Americans Are Ignoring Buffett’s Warning Is Donald Trump The Best Candidate for 2016? Vote Here. These 119 Rarely Seen Historical Photos Are Pretty Unnerving [Slideshow] Meet The Man Who Is Disrupting a $13 Billion Razor Industry

Click here to view full article at www.newsweek.com

Cooling towers are reflected in a puddle in Winfield, West Virginia. Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg The White House doesn’t want anyone to panic over its new climate rules. Instead of marking a big shift, the Obama team believes the Clean Power Plan is piggybacking on trends already under way in the economy: Natural gas is killing off coal; solar and wind are cheaper than ever; state-level renewable energy and climate policies are spreading. Americans won’t feel a thing. That’s why the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, in her first public appearance since the release of the climate plan, emphasized that the rules wouldn’t cause a disruption for energy companies. "I don’t expect that the energy industry is going to take a right turn," Gina McCarthy said last week . Yet just a short jaunt across the National Mall from the EPA’s headquarters, another part of the executive branch is […]

Click here to view full article at www.bloomberg.com

THE END OF THE FOSSIL FUEL AGE Big Oil, Saudi Arabia,the merchant banks and markets all think fossil fuel has had its day, a bold statement, where is the evidence for it? If you had been taking any notice you would have seen Big Oilhave been selling of their Oil Fields and getting out of the oil field asset ownership market since September 2011. Is what I am writing true? Why would they believe the Fossil Fuel Age has ended? It is basic due diligence to find out what the big players are doing. So do a Google search for any oil company name and the phrase ”Oil field” and the words divest or sell. You will see evidence like the following: SHELL Shell has been on a massive divestment strategy on its oil field assets, from Africa to the Far East since September 2011, though as it was […]

Click here to view full article at www.sifferkoll.se

The US Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to reduce ozone limits is both costly and unnecessary, 370 state business groups from across the country—including petroleum councils affiliated with the American Petroleum Institute—told White House Chief of Staff Dennis McDonough. EPA’s current regulations are working, air quality continues to improve, and the United States is leading the world in reducing emissions,” the groups said in an Aug. 13 letter to McDonough. “New ozone standards could significantly damage the economy by imposing unachievable emissions limits and reduction targets on almost every part of our country, including rural and undeveloped areas,” they continued. “Therefore, we strongly urge you to retain the current ozone standards when finalizing this proposal.” EPA proposed reducing allowable ground level ozone limits under the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) from 75 ppb, where they were set in 2008, to a 65-70 ppb range late last year ( OGJ […]

Click here to view full article at www.ogj.com

Power plants face new greenhouse gas regulations from the EPA. WASHINGTON—Industry representatives and a group of state attorneys general are preparing to file lawsuits soon to challenge Obama administration rules requiring significant cuts in power-plant carbon emissions. The move, expected in the coming weeks, would open up a legal battle by contesting the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency on a wide range of grounds, some of them little explored by the courts. The EPA issued the regulations last week under a seldom-used section of the Clean Air Act. The agency also is confronting a legislative oddity from 1990, when Congress updated the clean-air law but inadvertently enacted differently worded House and Senate amendments that are relevant to the EPA’s carbon rules. How courts interpret the amendments could determine whether the administration’s power-plant rules survive. Additional legal challenges will focus on whether the agency exceeded its powers by pushing […]

Click here to view full article at www.wsj.com

A rampant heat wave has hit some European countries recently, and more wildfires have been reported.  In the latest development, Spanish Authorities on Sunday announced a “slight improvement” as they Continue Reading