Energy

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The paradox of India’s unhelpful stance at COP30, which has gone into extra innings over the obstacles the “like-minded developing countries” have placed in the way of a renewed pledge to transition away from fossil fuels, lies in New Delhi’s impressive investments in renewables. That is, even the right wing […]

Climate Crisis

Global Battle Royale at COP30 between Fossil Fuel Producers and Green Energy Advocates

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Fiona Harvey at The Guardian reports from the COP30 climate conference that a bloc comprising such countries as India, China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt and Bolivia (under its new right wing President Rodrigo Paz), calling themselves “like-minded developing countries,” are attempting to deep-six the pledge made at COP28 in Dubai […]

Climate Crisis

Trump Luxuriates in Golden Ballroom Plans as Americans Scrimp By

Tom Engelhardt

( Tomdispatch.com ) – When I began TomDispatch in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and the invasion of Afghanistan, believe me, the world did not look good. But I guarantee you one thing: if you had told me then that, almost a quarter of a century later, the president of the United States would […]

Green Energy

Pacific Nations aim to go 100% Renewables, saving 25% of GDP

The Conversation

By Wesley Morgan, UNSW Sydney and Scott Hamilton, Monash University (The Conversation) – Picture dusk falling somewhere in the Solomon Islands. A fisher’s skiff glides home using a whisper-quiet electric outboard motor. In the Cook Islands, a big battery steadies the island grid. In Papua New Guinea’s highlands, solar kits bring electric light to homes […]

China

How China Is Turning Climate Action into Economic Strategy

Foreign Policy in Focus

If the world is to make real progress in Belém, it will need more than pledges. It will need examples. And right now, China is providing one. By Imran Khalid | ( Foreign Policy in Focus )- If global climate diplomacy feels stuck, China’s new 2035 roadmap offers a reminder that ambition and realism can […]

Featured

With China’s Help, Saudi Arabia is Deploying Solar Power Faster than any Country in History

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Jeffrey Beyer and Stephen Gitonga of the UN Development Program present an overview of Saudi Arabia’s full court press to get 50% of its electricity from renewables by 2030. The kingdom is aware that fossil fuels, the source of its fabulous wealth, are on their way out. Its leaders want […]

Agrovoltaics

Iraqi Kurdistan aims at 3 Gigawatts of Solar, as Households and Villages Rush to Rooftop Panels

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Iraqi Kurdistan is developing an interest in sustainable energy, despite being an oil exporter via Kirkuk. Solar provides little of Iraq’s electricity at the moment, but the situation is set to change rapidly over the next decade. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has set a goal of putting in 3 […]

China

Juan Cole on Gaza, U.S. Policy, and the Future of the Middle East

Juan Cole

I was welcomed onto David Lin’s Podcast, “The David Lin Report” to talk about Gaza, the Middle East and the US-China rivalry. Embedded video and transcript below. He describes it this way: The David Lin Report! I’ll be reporting on the most impactful market-moving events, as well as interviewing experts in finance, economics, science, and […]

Climate Crisis

Trump pushing Allies to Buy US Gas is bad Economics and a Climate Catastrophe

The Conversation

By Christoph Nedopil, Griffith University (The Conversation) – The price of partnership with the United States has changed. Washington is now using assurances of defence and trade access to pressure allies in Europe and Asia to buy more of its fossil fuels under decades-long contracts. The scale is immense. The European Union intends to import […]