Bryan Walker • Jun 25, 2012 •
The International Energy Agency (IEA) continues to plug the energy transformation necessary if we are to have any hope of staying within a 2oC rise in global temperature. This month has seen the publication of Energy Technology Perspectives 2012 (ETP 2012) in which they explain the technologies and behaviours that according to the press release [...] … Read More
Bryan Walker • May 28, 2012 •
Fatih Birol, chief economist at the International Energy Agency (IEA) said at Reuters’ Global Energy & Environment Summit this month that the door for a 2 degree Celsius target is about to be closed and closed forever. That’s a serious statement, but one which has been backed up in recent days by a news release [...] … Read More
Bryan Walker • May 24, 2012 •
The section of the recent G8 Camp David declaration which deals with energy and climate change can only be described as depressing. No clarion call from these nations. Instead, a confused jumble starting with an “all of the above†statement: … we recognise the importance of meeting our energy needs from a wide variety of [...] … Read More
Gareth Renowden • May 16, 2012 •
As US corporate donors step away from the Heartland Institute following their ad campaign likening climate change believers to mass murderers and terrorists, big coal — in the shape of the Illinois Coal Association, supported by all the major US coal companies — has stepped in as a “Gold Sponsor” to support Heartland’s climate “conference” [...] … Read More
Bryan Walker • May 08, 2012 •
An extraordinary op-ed headline caught my eye in the NZ Herald this morning. “Oil and gas reserves can be part of low carbon future.†Professor Basil Sharp, director of the University of Auckland Business School’s Energy Centre and Frank Duffield, an Honorary Fellow at the Centre, argue that continuing exploration for oil and gas reserves [...] … Read More
Bryan Walker • Apr 19, 2012 •
The latest communication from James Hansen to his email list this week was a sharp reminder that the New Zealand Government’s commitment to the pursuit of unexploited fossil fuels is part of widespread malpractice. The global stampede to find every possible fossil fuel is not being opposed by governments, no matter how dirty the fuels [...] … Read More
Bryan Walker • Apr 17, 2012 •
I watched TVNZ’s Q+A on Sunday with dismay. Phil Heatley, the Minister of Energy and Resources, was interviewed about the New Zealand government’s intention to increase oil, gas and coal exploration and mining. The emphasis of the interview was on the environmental issues, yet not a word was said about greenhouse gases or climate change. [...] … Read More
Bryan Walker • Apr 07, 2012 •
At the suggestion of Slovenian colleagues, James Hansen has written to the President and members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia urging them to deny a state guarantee for a proposed European Investment Bank loan to fund a new lignite-fired power plant in their country. He points out that they are considering [...] … Read More
Bryan Walker • Feb 12, 2012 •
The Minister for Economic Development Steven Joyce had a curious op-ed in the Herald earlier this week. It was aimed at those pesky people who obstruct progress when government tries to remove roadblocks in the way of business development. And that’s when the problems start to arrive. The people who say “we want jobs” but [...] … Read More
Bryan Walker • Feb 02, 2012 •
A mild protest from the NZ Wind Energy Association arrived in my inbox recently. It was in response to the Ministry of Economic Development’s latest Energy Outlook forecast, published last week. The Energy Outlook estimates that wind farm capacity will increase from the current 622MW, to around 1,410MW and produce close to 10% of the [...] … Read More