Full Coverage: Energy

01/31/2006 As China's car fleet gets bigger by the day, the cars themselves are getting smaller, thanks to a series of government-implemented carrots and sticks, including stricter fuel efficiency standards and preferential pricing for parking and oil.

01/31/2006 As ExxonMobil announces record profits of US$32 billion in 2005, evidence that global warming is gathering pace is rapidly piling up. While most oil companies are making huge profits, what Exxon does -- and doesn't do -- with those profits is what marks them out as the world's number one climate criminal, says Greenpeace. Have a word with the new Exxon boss.

01/30/2006 Tra le centinaia di seminari del V Forum Sociale policentrico che si è tenuto a fine gennaio a Caracas, la società civile latinoamericana ha affrontato anche il dibattito “dalla civilizzazione petrolifera alle civilizzazioni post-petrolifere sostenibili e le loro implicazioni con il debito ecologico”. Il Venezuela ispirato dal petropulismo può permettersi di lanciare anatemi contro il capitalismo e di fare la voce grossa con gli Stati Uniti, il paese che compra il 70 % del suo greggio. Ma nonostante l’irritazione della Casa Bianca, il Venezuela dei petrodollari continua ad attrarre i capitali americani. In base alla legge sugli idrocarburi, le multinazionali del petrolio potranno continuare a operare nel paese, quinto produttore mondiale, a patto che sottoscrivano accordi di “associazioni mista” con la holding energetica statale. Chavez ha fatto della questione energetica uno degli assi fondamentali del suo progetto politico per il continente e ha trovato un importante alleato nel neo presidente boliviano Evo Morales, che dovrà operare verso una nazionalizzazione dei giacimenti di gas impostagli dai movimenti indigeni, anche se trova una certa contrarietà da parte brasiliana. di Cristiano Morsolin

01/30/2006 World energy supplies are adequate and the market and energy institutions will be able to absorb any shocks, according to energy chief executives speaking at the World Economic Forum yesterday.

01/29/2006 from Discover:
Amory Lovins describes how the world's biggest economy could kick the oil habit. His ideas apply to any country hooked on 'cheap' energy based on fossil fuels. "Five years from now," says Lovins, "the official industry forecast suggests that decentralized low- and no-carbon generators will be adding 160 times as much capacity as nuclear will add up to that year." So let's get cracking with microgeneration, Grommit!

01/25/2006 from e-Parliament:
How many electrical items in your home are on standby all the time? Count them; the number may surprise you. And the amount of energy that these things guzzle over a year might surprise you even more. You can download a Parliamentary Tool Kit, produced by the e-Parliament Climate and Energy Network, to help get standby power down to 1 watt or less.

01/24/2006 from theworkshop.ca:
Frank Gombik has a workshop, but this is no ordinary workshop. Get inspired by his examples of converting soft drink cans into solar collectors, burnt-out fans into wind turbines and much more.

01/23/2006 The Swedish Minister for Sustainable Development, Mona Sahlin, has announced plans to break the country's dependence on oil by 2020.

01/23/2006 from Ashton Hayes village website:
The Cheshire village of Ashton Hayes is aiming to become carbon neutral. From 'eco-driving' to elephant grass, there will be plenty happening in Ashton this year. Isn't this what all of us should be trying to do?

01/23/2006 The UK government announces a formal public consultation of UK energy policy today. It will be launched with a statement of current evidence on the 2003 Energy White Paper goals and the government's plans for engagement with the public.

01/20/2006 from Ardent Eden's blog
"I'm trying a new eco-test to stay inspired and focused. This one has to do with the car," says Lauren.

01/20/2006 Very low-cost electricity that is not just clean but potentially beneficial for the environment, and comes from a flexible source that can be set up on any river without altering its course is the promise a Canadian company made in Brazil this week.

01/19/2006 from Grist magazine and blog:

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The environmental movement is reaching an important point of division, between those who truly get global warming, and those who don't.

01/19/2006 Beijing is setting up an "energy police" force to crack down on excessive lighting and heating and other power waste in shopping malls and office buildings, the China Daily said.

01/19/2006 I Coordinamenti dei Comitati della Piana (Firenze – Prato - Pistoia) propongono per il giorno 28 gennaio 2006 a Firenze una manifestazione contro la politica regionale dei rifiuti, che apre tavoli regionali di confronto con le ex aziende municipalizzate, non per affrontare il problema dei rifiuti e la grave situazione di precarietà ambientale e sanitaria degli abitanti della piana, ma per decidere invece quanti inceneritori servono per garantire, in maniera trasversale, il mantenimento degli attuali equilibri politici ed economici nella regione toscana. I Comitati chiedono che la Regione Toscana e tutte le amministrazioni provinciali e comunali aprano una fase SERIA di confronto fra le varie opzioni per la gestione dei rifiuti, con garanzie di PARI DIGNITA’ fra le diverse proposte, e individuazione e condivisione di percorsi atti a garantire una partecipazione REALE e DEMOCRATICA alle scelte. L'invito è per tutti per sabato 28 gennaio alle ore 15 in Piazza Bambine e Bambini di Belsam (Fortezza da Basso).

01/18/2006 from monbiot.com:
With the discovery that plants not only emit methane but that it increases as temperatures rise, we need a re-think about "carbon offset" accounting. We can no longer keep flying to Thailand for our holidays, as long as we purchase absolution by giving a few quid to a tree planting company.

01/16/2006 Jučer je u Njivicama na otoku Krku održan sastanak predstavnika ekoloških udruga Hrvatske, Italije i Slovenije. Na sastanku se je razmatrala problematika energetskih projekata planiranih u ovom dijelu Evrope.

01/16/2006 A leading environment group accused the oil giant Shell for blatant hypocrisy in seeking to link its brand with wildlife conservation, following the announcement that the company is the new sponsor of the British Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

01/16/2006 from sustainablog:
Can algae clean up power plant emissions? Yes, and grow biofuels too.

01/13/2006 from Guardian Unlimited:
"It's difficult to be so environmentally active when you've got children and a mortgage and suddenly you find you haven't the time, energy, or money to do half the things you used to." Now environmentally aware people are forming support groups to ensure their sustainable lifestyles don't slip, while exploring new ways to greener living.