Category Archives: Energy markets

US Still at Risk of Iran Retaliation on Oil and Other Fronts

Why the US is vulnerable to Iran disrupting Middle East energy supplies or targeting critical non-oil infrastructure.

Oil and Gas Emissions Are Reversing Progress from Coal’s Decline

More grim emissions news….

The Real Reason the U.S. Is Interested in Iran

An Iran backgrounder that attempts to explain America’s obsession.

We Broke Down the Last Decade of Climate Change in 7 Charts

Some key climate change factoids.

Soil Science, Climate Change, and Property

Our understanding of soil is changing fast with new science. But can soil science help prevent global warming? Or, if the problems are political, not scientific, what is the political barrier?

Energy Analysts Deliver More Bad News for US Fracking Industry’s Business Model

The old business model of firms borrowing money from investors while hoping for future payouts on record-breaking wells no longer works.

Argentina Wants a Fracking Boom. The US Offers a Cautionary Tale

Argentina attempts to push fracking, despite its poor economic prospects – even worse than the industry’s lossmaking record in the US.

Coal Is Dead, But China Is Reviving It

Bad climate news: coal is far from over.

An Introduction to the State of Energy Storage in the U.S.

A look at energy storage options in connection with wind and solar power is not entirely reassuring.

Oil and Gas Industry Rebukes Fracking Ban Talk as UN Shows Just How Much Fossil Fuel Plans Are Screwing Climate Limits

American Petroleum Institute steps up lobbying efforts to thwart a fracking ban, notwithstanding the climate crisis.

Neoliberalism and Climate Change

How economists have contributed to climate change inaction.

A New Pipeline Could Undo America’s Influence In Asia

A China-Pakistan pipeline deal bodes ill for the US.

With Coal’s Decline, Pennsylvania Communities Watch the Rise of Natural Gas-fueled Plastics

A growing chorus agrees the expansion of the natural gas industry, which feeds plastics and petrochemical plants like Shell’s, is moving the U.S. in the wrong direction to prevent catastrophic impacts from climate change.

Making Sense of Bolivia’s Discontent

Unpacking the many political and policy contradictions in Bolivia over the past decade.

Plastics Watch: Recycling, Raccoons, and Rubbish

Even a massive recycling campaign won’t make a dent in the plastics problem, as long as the industry ramps up production; some thoughts on raccoons, and rubbish.