Energy

The ‘carbon footprint’ was co-opted by fossil fuel companies to shift climate blame – here’s how it can serve us again

By Marcelle McManus, University of Bath | – “You can’t manage what you can’t measure”, according to a famous business mantra often attributed to management guru Peter Drucker. This can help explain why carbon emissions are under more scrutiny than ever as we ramp up our efforts to avoid the catastrophic effects of climate change. […]

Climate Crisis

The last Time our Atmosphere had 421 ppm of Carbon Dioxide, Florida was under Water and Giant Camels and Rhinoceri roamed Indiana

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on Friday that in May, carbon dioxide peaked at 421 parts per million, a level not seen since the Pliocene Climatic Optimum between 4.1 and 4.5 million years ago. Human civilization developed during a long period when carbon dioxide was between 270 […]

Climate Crisis

Electricity from the cold Ocean Depths could One day Power Island States

The Conversation

By Rosalind Archer, Griffith University | – In the tropics, the deep sea is cold and the sea surface is very warm. That temperature difference can be harnessed and turned into electricity. If we can improve the technology, this method of producing power could be a godsend for island nations reliant on expensive and polluting […]

Authoritarianism

Biden Reverses himself on Saudi “Pariah,” needing Riyadh’s Oil to Punish Putin for Ukraine

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – President Joe Biden ran on making Saudi Arabia a “pariah,” given that the CIA accused Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman of authorizing the murder in 2018 of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Istanbul Saudi consulate. Biden and a bipartisan majority in the US Congress were also upset about […]

Climate Crisis

Ukraine War: Europe declares Independence of Russian Petroleum, Looks to Mass Transit, EVs to Achieve “Freedom” Goal

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – France 24, with AFP, reports that the 27-member European Union succeeded on Monday in agreeing to a sixth round of boycott measures against Russia. Most importantly, Europe pledged immediately to halt two-thirds of all European purchases of Russian petroleum, and to halt 90% of such imports by the end of […]

Climate Crisis

Will Japan be the Godzilla of Deep Sea Current Energy?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – If you were going to try to generate electricity from a deep water ocean current, you’d like it to be flowing in one direction and to be fast and steady. Most deep sea currents are unidirectional because of the earth’s rotation. and this tendency is reinforced where they flow through […]

Climate Crisis

Stubborn US, UK Oil Investments Expose Corporations, Investors to $1.7 Trillion in Stranded Assets

Sustainability Times

By Laureen Fagan | – ( Sustainability Times ) – Universities, governments, faith groups and others are changing their investment policies to better align with Paris Agreement climate goals, but they’re also doing so to limit the risk of financial exposure — and that’s been met with political pushback over stranded assets, particularly in Britain […]

Climate Crisis

Oil Profiteering: High Gas Prices, Climate Change, and the War in Ukraine share a Common Cause

OtherWords

By Lindsay Owens and Hebah Kassem | – ( Afterwords.org) – Amid the ongoing atrocities in Ukraine, rising gas prices, and the existential threat of climate change, policymakers in Washington have a long list of crises to address. But there’s one step that could help mitigate all of them: reducing our dependence on oil — […]

Australia

3 ways Australia can become a Renewable Energy Superpower – without Leaving anyone Behind

The Conversation

By Madeline Taylor, Senior Lecturer, Macquarie University | – Australians will bear yet another blow to our cost of living in July when electricity prices will surge up to 18.3%, which amounts to over A$250 per year in some cases. This is partly due to geopolitical tensions driving up the cost of generating electricity from […]