For the first time in history the European Air Space has been closed. For five days essentially all air traffic had come to a halt. Seven million air travellers – tourists, air commuters, officials, businessmen and even statesmen – could not reach their destinations by using aircraft, the fastest, cheapest and often the most convenient… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

With $ 87/b the oil price has reached the highest level since October 2008, due to the recovery of the world economy and rising energy demand in Asia. The International Energy Agency expects oil demand to reach record levels in the course of the year and fears negative repercussions for global recovery if oil prices… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

After being in place for almost three years the Union for the MED, invented by President Sarkozy to intensify the cooperation around the Mediterranean, has not been able to produce any visible results except putting in place a Secretariat in Barcelona and organise ministerial and official meetings. Energy and water were supposed to be among… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Everybody interested in the survival of the planet should pin his eyes and ears on Washington, April 26th. On that day a bi-partisan group of senators will release a new climate bill amending the 2009 House bill that had no chance to pass the Senate due to adamant resistance from conservative circles and States with… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

With $ 87/b the oil price has reached the highest level since October 2008, due to the recovery of the world economy and rising energy demand in Asia. The International Energy Agency expects the oil demand to reach record levels in the course of the year and fears negative repercussions for global recovery if oil… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Iran is one of the world’s big polluters and C02 emitters. It consumes more gasoline per automobile than any other country except the USA. The reasons are simple: Car owners pay only 10 US cents for a litre of gasoline, less than in any other country. In the middle of the 1970s during the Iraq… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

China and USA account for one third of global green house gas emissions. The international community is therefore largely ineffective without these two giant emitter countries taking more effective action, and doing so without delay. The prospects do not look encouraging, despite a few hopeful signals sent out recently. The USA seems incapable of reducing… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

The member countries of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) and China met at Easter to discuss the dramatic consequences of the drought wave in South East Asia for the Mekong River. The mighty 4.400 km long Mekong River, which originates in the Tibetan heights and flows through the mountainous Yuhan Province, has reached its lowest… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

The discreet call last month by Nobuo Tanaka, the Director General of the International Energy Agency (IEA), upon China to join the organisation is overdue. The IEA has ceased to represent the major oil consuming countries, as it did when it was founded in 1973/74 as an autonomous OECD agency to meet the challenge of… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein