The shine is coming off once bright prospects for natural gas as the future fossil fuel of choice in Asia as power companies in India and Southeast Asia tap abundant and cheap domestic coal resources to generate electricity. In Asia alone this year power companies are building more than 500 coal-fired plants, with at least a thousand more on planning boards. “Coal is still the cheapest and the fuel that most Asian countries will use,” said Loreta G. Ayson, undersecretary at the Philippine Department of Energy. –Florence Tan and Henning Gloystein, Reuters, 3 November 2015
Fracking and other new drilling techniques can nearly double the available supplies of oil and gas in the next 35 years, according to BP. In a report published yesterday, the oil major says that this impending glut of hydrocarbons has demolished fears that the world is running out of oil. Mr Eyton added: “Energy resources are plentiful. Concerns over running out of oil and gas have disappeared.” –Robin Pagnamenta, The Times, 3 November 2015
Ahead of the crucial climate change summit in Paris, India and Africa on Thursday urged developed nations to undertake “ambitious” mitigation measures to reduce carbon emissions and “honour” their commitment of providing financial resources and technology to developing countries. “Excess of few cannot become the burden of many”, asserted Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had earlier invited African countries to join an alliance of solar-rich nations that he would announce on November 30 at crucial climate Summit in Paris. —Press Trust of India, 31 October 2015
The green energy transition is becoming ever more expensive for consumers. By the end of 2016 an average household will incur additional charges of approximately 540 euros. This is evident from calculations by the Institute of the German Economy in Cologne (IW K√∂ln) seen by Welt am Sonntag. “Most subsidies are politically questionable,” said IW energy expert Esther Chrischilles, because they hit those on lower incomes particularly hard. –Martin Greive and Daniel Wetzel, Welt am Sonntag, 1 November 2015
President Obama’s environmental agenda hangs in the balance as federal courts consider whether his administration overstepped its authority in drafting a host of regulations designed to combat pollution and climate change. It’s now up to a select group of judges — many appointed by Republican presidents — to shape Obama’s environmental and climate legacy by deciding the regulations pass legal muster. –Timothy Cama, The Hill, 2 November 2015
On a whim, I downloaded the monthly expenditure details from the Department of International Development for August 2015, the most recent figures available. I don’t know about you but you could get the impression that a great deal of what DFiD reports as overseas aid spending is actually bungs to environmentalists. –Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, 29 October 2015
