The EP Industry Committee has voted to two major components of the Commission proposals for implementing the EU climate targets for 2020, 20 percent C02 reduction, 20 percent increase in energy efficiency and a share of 20 percent of renewable energy in total energy consumption.
Last week the Committee has pleaded against a 10 percent [...]

Gasoline prices in Europe went up by about a quarter during the first half of 2008, to a peak of around € 1.50 in late July, a normal consequence of the spectacular rise of oil prices.
For a short time, gas prices became the dominant concern of car owners, no longer able to pay for their [...]

The EU makes National Opt-Out of Nuclear Power ineffective
EU member states are split on whether to authorise nuclear reactors on their territory. In recent years, Finland and Italy have decided to go nuclear in view of implementing their climate targets. Germany remains committed to phasing out nuclear power before 20205, believing that it can reconcile [...]

Putting a price tag on C02 emissions has been rightly hailed as a major advance in fighting climate change.
The EU has been the trend setter in organising C02 emission trading. It is proud of the European Emission Trading System (ETS). Thanks to these efforts, a European Commodity Exchange fixes spot and future prices for C02 [...]

The 2008 hurricane season in the Caribbean promises to be costly.
Gustav, Hannah and Ike have forced millions of people to temporarily evacuate their homes and caused immense human suffering, loss of property and damage of infrastructure along the coastal areas in Florida, Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Cuba and Haiti.
More tropical storms are expected to follow according [...]

The dream will have lasted less than a decade!
When oil became increasingly expensive governments and the automobile industry put a bet on biofuels as a safe way for driving without damaging the climate; and farmers across the earth were full of jubilation about the new market for their corn, sugar cane, rapeseed or palm oil.
Last [...]

Only specialists know about INGA, the site for the biggest hydropower potential in the world, situated on the Congo River, some 200 km downstream from Kinshasa. With its 44 GW, it is able to generate more hydropower than either the Itaipu or the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze, so far the biggest hydropower plants [...]

Putting a price tag on C02 emissions has been rightly hailed as a major advance in fighting climate change.
The EU has been the trend setter in organising C02 emission trading. It is proud of the European Emission Trading System (ETS). Thanks to these efforts, a European Commodity Exchange fixes spot and future prices for C02 [...]

The failure of the 150 odd trade ministers from the WTO member countries, on July 28th, to wind up seven years of laborious negotiations throws a dark shadow on the increasing dysfunction of the international community.
Most commentators have focused on the negative impact on international trade, fearing rising protectionism and a blow to the confidence [...]

Ask an ordinary citizen where our energy comes from and he will tell you from the gas station or the power plant. If you insist he might add from coal or oil and gas; he might even mention nuclear fission, wind turbines, wooden chips or maize turned into biofuel.
These answers miss a crucial point: these [...]