Rhein on Energy and Climate

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During the last 150 years coal-fired power plants have been the major cause of climate change. That has not changed much despite the arrival of alternative energy power sources like wind nuclear, gas, hydropower and solar. Today, some 40 percent of global electricity is generated from coal-fired power plants. Coal fired power plants constitute a… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

By a large majority, the 175 contracting parties of CITES (“Convention on the international Trade in endangered Species”; have rejected a request by Monaco, backed by the USA and the EU, to put a temporary ban on the fishing of blue-fin Atlantic tuna. The stock of this increasingly expensive fish has declined by 75 percent… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

The Copenhagen Climate Conference has been a water shed in the fight against climate change. Disappointment, indifference and frustration have annihilated the little hope that the endless series of preparatory UN conferences had generated. Today, three months after Copenhagen, nobody seems to have a clue on how to reduce green house gas emissions sufficiently to… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

In view of the stalemate on climate legislation in the Senate President Obama has instructed the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to prepare executive regulations for capping green house gas emissions from automobiles, trucks, refineries, power plants and major industrial emitters. These measures are designed to enter into force in early 2011 if no legislation has… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Kerosene is the only fuel that is globally exempt from any taxation. This bizarre situation is due to an extensive interpretation of article 24 of the Chicago Convention (1944!) on civil aviation, which provides that states should admit aircraft temporarily free of duty and that fuel shall be exempt from customs duty. This provision prevents… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Iran is probably the country with the cheapest gasoline prices. A litre of gasoline costs only 45 cents beyond the monthly entitlement of 80 litres per car for which car owners pay ridiculous 11US cents. The Iranian government has to pay almost $ 100 billion annually for financing its generous subsidies on petrol, fuel and… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Not everything has become dark on the climate front after the disappointing outcome of the Copenhagen Climate Talks three months ago. In procedural terms, the Mexican hosts of the Cancun meeting in November/December have multiplied their contacts with main players to insure a more successful outcome. But more important, there many signs that the business,… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Less than two months after the Copenhagen Climate Conference Congress the US Administration has taken three major decisions on its future energy policy: • A 10 percent increase of its nuclear capacity President Obama has signed an $ 8 billion loan guarantee for the first two new nuclear reactors to be built in 30 years.… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein