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Natural gas is hailed by proponents as the crucial link between dirty fossil fuels and renewable power. But two new studies, to be published this week, suggest that natural gas development may be doing more to warm the planet than burning coal. The research reports, discussed in an NYT article by Tom Zeller Jr., say that newly developed techniques for tapping natural gas reserves — such as......read more
In conjunction with Asthma Awareness Month, Peabody Energy, the largest private-sector coal company in the world, announced its "Coal Cares" campaign. The program provides anyone living within 200 miles of a coal-fired power plant with a free inhaler and $10 towards medicine to treat asthma. The inhalers come in a variety of styles including Dora the Explorer, diamond plated, and Justin Bieber......read more
If the U.S. coal industry and their Republican comrades have their say, Americans will soon be filling their tanks with — you guessed it — coal. Or a refined version of it, anyway. At the Huffington Post, Tom Zeller Jr. lays out an in-depth exploration of liquified coal fuels, which are being pushed in Washington as an important element of the road energy independence. Sound like a......read more
In a symbolic gesture, German energy authorities are looking to repurpose old coal mines into wind power storage facilities. The concept involves placing hydroelectric pumps inside decommissioned mines, which would access wind power captured by turbines outside, giving new life to old mining communities and creating a sustainable storage system for the new wave of renewable energy. During......read more
Advocates of natural gas development like to tout the fuel's environmental benefits. They argue that it burns cleaner than coal, with significantly fewer emissions. Which is true. But according to new research, switching from coal to natural gas won't do much to curb cimate change. Why? Methane leaks. Methane leaks from pipelines and wellheads are a reality of natural gas production.......read more
The huge, belching smokestacks of electric power plants have long symbolized air pollution woes. But a shift is under way: More and more electric plants around the nation are being fueled by natural gas, which is far cleaner than coal, the traditional fuel. The most optimistic projections describe an abundant domestic energy source that will create enormous numbers of jobs and lead to cleaner......read more
A look at the diverse array foreign countries with the most companies listed on the Nasdaq -- Israel, China/Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, South Korea and Singapore -- reveals one common link: none of them have much in the form of natural resources. For these countries, economic success depends on the intelligence and creativity of the people that live there. In a recent New York Times......read more
Every year, around the world, almost one trillion dollars of subsidies is handed out to help the fossil fuel industry. Who came up with the crazy idea that the fossil fuel industry deserves our hard-earned money, no less in economic times of such harsh human consequence? We fire teachers, police and firemen in drastic budget cuts and yet, the fossil fuel industry can laugh all the way to the bank......read more
If all goes according to plan, Finland will become the first European country to stop using coal, with a goal to phase out the energy source by 2025. Currently, Finland imports all of its coal from nearby countries such as Russia and Poland. Annual import volumes range from less than 3 million to 9 million tons, depending on the rainy or dry climate, according to the Finnish......read more
In a press release that reads like sci-fi writing, a startup called Planetary Resources announced plans to identify, explore, tag, and finally mine asteroids for materials ranging from precious metals to water. The audacious venture is an attempt to locate and exploit a sustainable resource supply for Earth's ever-growing population. "Many of the scarce metals and minerals on Earth are in......read more
