Blog

Tar sands-by-rail is a major issue in the debate on Keystone XL. In this first of a series of blogs on the issue, we look at the ongoing failures of the first tar sands unit train terminal.

From tar sands refinery subsidies in Whiting, Indiana and cash-strapped Detroit to petcoke covering the neighborhoods of Southeast Chicago, this subsidy spotlight explores the human impact of government subsidies gone haywire.

The oil industry and its allies are used to dismissing those who are warning about climate change as a bunch of lentil-eating, sandal-wearing commies. But over the last few months we have seen a growing number of authoritative voices calling for fossil fuel disinvestment, with a growing number of institutional investors actually saying they will disinvest from fossil fuels.

Despite an EU commitment to phase out fossil fuel subsidies by 2020, countries across Europe are still subsidising dirty coal boy over €10 billion a year, according to new figures released by the European Commission today.

This week, the Central Java Coal Power Project added to its list of failures, as continued refusal by villagers to sell their land for the proposed coal plant has forced the Indonesian government to yet again extend the deadline for financial closure of the project. This provides yet another reason for the World Bank to intervene.

A proposal to label the dirty tar sands as more polluting than conventional oil has been spectacularly abandoned by the European Commission after a four year lobbying campaign by the Canadians.

There has been a huge amount written over the last few days about the plummeting oil price. One British newspaper is warning of an “oil war” as the price of Brent crude “tanks” on the back of oversupply in the market.

Shell has become the latest western company to cease its activities in Russia due to sanctions imposed on Russia over Ukraine. The oil giant has suspended its operations with its joint venture partner Gazprom Neft to frack Russian shale oil.

Later today, the Spanish nomination for the new EU Energy and Climate Commissioner, Miguel Arias Cañete, will answer questions from Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) about taking up his new influential role.