Rhein on Energy and Climate

Archives for Energy

The USA is getting serious with tackling climate change. Just in time for the next International Climate Conference in November in Warsaw, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed strict emission standards for new power. To meet these standards, power plants will have to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by about 40% to roughly 500g… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

This year’s Frankfurt Automobile Show has been marked by an impressive presentation of electric cars. New manufacturers like BMW and Volkswagen have entered the fray, with considerable delay, to contest the dominant position of incumbents like Nissan/Renault, Daimler and GM. No major manufacturer can any longer afford not to offer a range of electric cars.… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Hardly noticed in Europe, India, China and Indonesia, the three biggest Asian countries, have most recently raised their gasoline prices. This unpopular measure had become necessary in view of rising world market prices, excessive budget subsidies or current account deficits. The persistent preaching by the IMF against fossil fuel subsidies might also have had some… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Climate change keeps accelerating at an alarming rate. The 2013 global weather conditions demonstrate it once again, with summer temperatures in northern Alaska , floods in central Europe and India, algae pollution at Chinese beaches, forest fires in California etc. Humanity must put an end to climate change if it wants to survive in the… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

After many months of discussion, negotiators of Council, Parliament and Commission agreed to a compromise on June 24, to make stricter C02 car emission standards (95 g/km) mandatory by 2020.The finalisation of this compromise under the Irish presidency was considered a formality. But this turned out to be illusory. Under high-level pressure from Germany, the… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

After months of preparations President Obama has unveiled a new strategy for coping with climate change. In a strong policy message at Georgetown University he stressed the absolute necessity for the USA and the world to take more drastic joint action to prevent climate change from devastating the future of the earth and mankind. This… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

The EU suffers from the highest unemployment ever since its start half a century ago. Its political leaders have been unable to respond with appropriate medicines. But they are also increasingly unable to explain their citizens what the EU is all about, what it can do and where it is not competent. They are lost… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

On June 3rd 2013 EON, one of Europe`s big utilities, and the Canadian company Pieridae Energy have signed a 20-year contract for the supply of 6.5 billion cubic meter per year (5mtpa) liquid gas starting 2020. This deal deserves attention for several reasons. It is the first time that a major European energy company turns… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

At the ongoing international climate conference in Poznan the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has rightly underscored that “our work for the environment should be timeless”. This commitment for preserving the global climate does not prevent the Polish government from raising serious objections to the EU climate package, which the European Council is scheduled to… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein