Nobel laureates say sustainability needs more than science

"Science is not the problem," said Donald Glaser, a UC Berkeley physics professor who won the Nobel Prize in 1960. "We can certainly build fuel-efficient cars. (But) year after year, Congress has refused to improve the mileage requirements for automobiles. We have to get together as a democracy and get our government to make changes."

Behold the Rise of Energy-Based Fascism (Part II)

What lies in our future may well be a blend of conflicts between rising and declining energy superpowers and a state-protected nuclear renaissance.

Global warming: the final verdict

The impact will be catastrophic, forcing hundreds of millions of people to flee their devastated homelands, particularly in tropical, low-lying areas, while creating waves of immigrants whose movements will strain the economies of even the most affluent countries.

New Orleans of Future May Stay Half Its Old Size

The empty streets, deserted avenues and abandoned houses prompt a gnawing question, nearly 17 months after Hurricane Katrina: Is this what New Orleans has come to — a city half its old size?

Green concerns prompt Prince Charles to skip ski holiday

Europe's first climate sink inaugurated in Monaco

Prince Albert of Monaco inaugurated Europe's first so-called "climate sink," in a bid to help fight global warming.

The concept of carbon sinks is based on the natural ability of trees, other plants and the soil to soak up carbon dioxide and temporarily store the carbon in wood, roots, leaves and the soil, thus purifying the atmosphere by absorbing part of the carbon dioxide generated by human activity.

JV with Russia may be the answer to India's energy crisis

Collaboration with Russia in exploration of oil and gas might be the answer to India's energy crisis instead importing fossil fuel from there, a CII report said.

Sacrifices necessary with new energy plan

President Bush must have the courage to ask the public to make some sacrifices as part of a "bold" energy plan he has promised to present in his State of the Union address this week, a Carter-era adviser said Saturday.

Draft Law Keeps Central Control Over Oil in Iraq

After months of tense bargaining, a cabinet-level committee has produced a draft law governing Iraq’s vast oil fields that would distribute all revenues through the federal government and grant Baghdad wide powers in exploration, development and awarding major international contracts.

Shell issues first Technology Report

Royal Dutch Shell plc today issues its first Technology Report, an overview of 27 advanced technologies - some delivering benefits today and others that will shape the future of the energy industry.

NATO Urges Saudi Arabia to Join Cooperation Pact

NATO appealed to Saudi Arabia on Sunday to consider entering a cooperation agreement with the Western alliance, citing shared interest in stopping weapons proliferation in an apparent reference to Iran.

Vast Pipelines in Amazon Face Challenges Over Protecting Rights and Rivers

Rather than steamrolling the opponents and skeptics, however, as often happens in Brazil, the company chose to woo them. The two million residents of Amazonas State have been promised economic benefits that have contributed to the project’s $1.15 billion price, and scientists and environmentalists were consulted about how to minimize damage to the jungle that blankets the state, which is larger than Britain, France, Germany and Italy combined.

Filipino Workers Held Hostage in Nigeria

Kidnappers grabbed six Filipino workers off a merchant ship Saturday in the latest hostage-taking in Nigeria's restive southern oil-producing region, officials said.

India: Work begins on Tata car project despite villager protests

India's Tata Motors said it broke ground for a new car plant under tight security after months of bitter protests against the project by farmers in communist-ruled West Bengal state.

...Activists and landowners have protested against the project, saying the government acquired prime fertile land for the 220-million-dollar plant to build small cars for Tata, a leading Indian car and truck maker.

Beyond the green corporation: Moving away from platitudes to strategies that help world and bottom line

'Gas Opec' premature

Two of top European gas suppliers, Russia and Algeria, sought to calm fears among their consumers yesterday that they plan to set up an Opec-like group for the gas industry.

MENA region to invest $57b in power generation by 2013

British energy expert Neil Walker has said that the power and water infrastructure projects in the GCC countries have witnessed a boom, as these countries have demonstrated sufficient level of stability that developers are now willing to risk capital. MENA region will invest $57 billion over the next six years to install new generation capacity.

UK utility poised to take giant step in green power generation

The UK utility Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) will develop a plan to build a 90sq.km wind farm on the Shetland Islands. The 200-turbine wind farm will generate about 600MW of power – enough to meet the needs of one fourth of Scottish homes.

Big Game? An Enron Survivor Hunts for Riches

In November, the relatively obscure Houston company that owns most of that refinery, the InterOil Corporation, made the kind of announcement investors crave: explorations near the refinery had uncorked a vast pool of natural gas potentially larger than the United States’ total residential consumption of the fossil fuel in 2005. The size of the discovery was so large, Phil E. Mulacek, InterOil’s chairman and chief executive, informed an analyst, that simply controlling its output “was sort of like trying to stop the Mississippi.”

A Substitute for Oil?

Bloodshed in the Middle East dominates the evening news, fuel costs continue to creep upwards, and whispers circulate about a doomsday from global warming. As America looks for solutions, the proponents of alternative energies are finally being taken seriously. Yet despite myriad ideas, only a few alternatives have made their way to consumers, usually with the help of controversial government subsidies. Foremost among these alternatives is ethanol, a fuel made from corn or other crops, which burns cleaner at a higher octane. Yet the mere mention of ethanol causes environmentalists to cringe. As it stands, the energy input is hardly worth the payoff, with some opponents actually claiming negative gains. Furthermore, even converting all of the corn in America to ethanol using existing technology would hardly make a dent in the national thirst for fuel. However, in an age of genetic modification, biotechnology in the fields could potentially engineer the ideal fuel crops.