For the first time, the well-respected
Energy Information Administration appears to be joining with
experts arguing that the era of cheap and plentiful oil is
drawing to a close. With Asia's insatiable demand for energy, it suggests that a new
era of cutthroat energy competition is upon us, writes Michael T. Klare.
The global financial crisis has cleared intellectual space for new ideas on economy, ecology and well-being. We need to urgently reject our policymakers addiction to growth and promote these alternative, localised economic systems, argues Peter A. Victor.
As UN climate change talks close in Bonn, two reports spell out what is at stake.
The impact of climate change is hitting hardest on the world’s poorest
people, yet rich countries are responsible for three quarters
of green house gas emissions - a situation that, if left unchecked, could lead to the greatest human migration in history.
The future of the world’s water supplies is contested between campaigners that understand water as a basic human right, and corporations that see 'blue gold' as a profitable commodity - leading to a crisis that can only be resolved if water is reclaimed as a public trust and sustainably shared.
Energy companies are pursuing a carbon 'techno-fix' in the name of a Green New Deal. Rather than palliative measures, we should
remove subsidies for polluting
industries, invest in genuinely renewable power solutions and return the energy sector to public control, argues Oscar
Reyes.
In response to charges of human rights violations in Nigeria, Shell has made one of the largest recorded corporate payouts.
Human rights lawyers view the settlement as a step towards international businesses being made accountable for the social and environmental impact of their actions.
As the global pressure to reduce carbon emissions mounts, corporations from rich countries are buying huge tracts of land in poorer countries to cultivate biofuels. This 'climate colonialism' violates the land-rights of local communities and threatens their food security, argues Seif Madoff.
Policymakers and scientists are increasingly proposing nuclear energy as the solution to reducing carbon emissions. Yet nuclear power remains a safety hazard and its proliferation is an obstacle to investment in renewable alternatives, writes the Great Transition Initiative.
As negotiations on a global climate change treaty continue, a key issue of contention is the difference in consumption levels between rich and poor countries. The resulting proposals could be crucial in defining not only the successor to the Kyoto Protocol, but the future sustainability of the environment.
Carbon markets are failing to protect the environment by allowing rich countries to "buy
their way out" of emissions cuts. If carbon trading continues, the amount of credits available must reflect scientific evidence rather than political and economic expediency, writes Rachel Godfrey Wood.
