All Environment
Dear UN, put a price on carbon. Yours truly, Big Oil.Major European oil firms have called on world leaders to put a global price on carbon. It's a sign of growing unity around a potential tool for slowing climate change, but not everyone is on board.
How secure is global oil? [Recharge]US oil abundance helps to counteract vulnerabilities in the Middle East; the Obama Administration opens up a second front in environmental policy; North America reimagines energy trade. Catch up on global energy with the Monitor's Recharge.
In oil-rich Middle East, an opening for renewable energyWith solar costs falling, oil-poor countries in the Middle East 鈥� like Egypt and Jordan 鈥� might be able to cash in on their plentiful sun power, writes Darrell Delamaide.- California oil spill: Did official cleanup start soon enough?California's U.S. senators called the oil spill response insufficient and demanded Plains All American Pipeline explain what it did, and when.
Investors turning away from green energyBig investors are confident that fossil fuels will remain a key energy source for years down the road, writes Michael McDonald, and the number of clean energy patents 鈥� a proxy for innovation 鈥� fell last year.
Coal is having a terrible year. Is this the beginning of the end?With the world鈥檚 largest coal consumers trying to rid themselves of the dirty fuel, it appears that there is little room to maneuver for coal producers, Cunningham writes. 2015 may be the year in which it all starts to fall apart.
The US economy is slowing. Are energy costs to blame?The high energy prices of the last decade or so may be, in part, responsible for low productivity growth in the US, Cobb writes.
California oil spill: Did pipeline operator act fast enough?What was done to detect and stop a California oil pipeline spill and protect some of the most fabled coastline in California has come under scrutiny, as officials continue cleaning up the mess created by a leak estimated at up to 101,000 gallons.
Mysterious oily goo on California beaches puzzles officialsA mysterious oily goo has shut down 7 miles of California beaches. Officials are scooping up truckloads of tar balls and patties that began washing ashore Wednesday.
Norway oil fund to divest from coal amid climate concernNorway's massive oil fund will exclude companies that get at least 30 percent of their revenue from mining or burning coal due to its contribution to climate change.
Arctic drilling: Why oil won't be flowing anytime soonEven Shell officials think that the oil major will not be able to see Arctic oil hit the market until sometime in the 2030s, Cunningham writes.
US forecaster predicts below average Atlantic hurricane seasonNOAA's forecast does not say whether any of the storms are likely to make landfall in the United States.
EPA issues new rules to protect Americans drinking water, streamsPresident Obama said in a statement Wednesday that the rules will provide needed clarity for business and industry and 'will ensure polluters who knowingly threaten our聽waters聽can be held accountable.'
Can US meet its climate goals? New study says 鈥榊es鈥�Ahead of global climate talks in December, a new study outlines how the US can meet its ambitious goals to cut back on carbon emissions.
The 19th-century engine that could give solar power a boostFirst developed in the early 19th century, the Stirling engine is regaining favor as a way to squeeze even more power out of the sun's energy.
Putting a price on cheap energy [Recharge]An IMF study examines global energy subsidies; China cuts back on coal; World leaders set the table for Paris climate talks. Catch up on global energy with the Monitor's Recharge.
Why oil firms want a say in global climate talksMajor oil companies including Total, Eni, Saudi Aramco, BG, Royal Dutch Shell, and others have come together to form an industry group to weigh in on climate negotiations to take place in Paris later this year.
The ExplainerHow climate change threatens national securityResearchers have grown increasingly concerned by the threat that global warming poses to global peace. And political leaders are beginning to take notice.
How Obama's 'butterfly highway' paves way to save embattled monarchsEastern populations of the North American monarch have declined by 90 percent over the past 20 years. Conservation biologists hope that the buzz about the butterfly highway will inspire the public to join efforts to preserve habitat.
Antarctic glaciers thinning so fast, it's like a switch was flippedA new study finds that processes related to global warming are weakening several Antarctic ice shelves surprisingly quickly 鈥� causing glaciers to lose large amounts of ice.
