An eclectic mix of energy and climate news stories from around the world compiled by Roger Andrews.
Featured in this week’s Blowout is the Paris Climate Agreement, where the big issue is no longer how to cut emissions but why the developing countries aren’t getting the $100 billion/year the developed countries promised to give them. Coming later we have global oil demand to hit 100 million bpd; oil & gas in the North Sea and Norway; the Russia-China gas pipeline; coal in North Carolina, South Africa, Poland, Queensland and the EU; Fukushima’s first radiation fatality; Austria appeals Hinkley Point verdict; melting glaciers and Swiss hydro; France names new energy minister; Alberta pulls out of Canada’s climate plan; Australia declares climate ‘single greatest’ security threat; EVs in the EU; solar companies consider leaving UK; Brexit to drive up energy bills and whether global warming caused Roger Federer to lose a tennis match.
Inhale, exhale. Carry on.
Re “Rich governments have promised to mobilise $100 billion per year in climate finance by 2020 to help poorer nations make the transformation to clean energy and cope with the impact of higher temperatures.”
Has any western leader explained that their countries carbon taxes are going to be sent to other countries?
If global warming was a problem (and it isn’t) then a 50$/tonne tax on carbon is not enough to stop anyone using gasoline in their car, natural gas to heat their home, or coal fired electric energy to light their homes.
That’s the whole problem with carbon taxes and Marxist governments love them. Demand for CO2 producing products is inelastic. Almost no-one is going to quit heating their homes at -40 if the price doubles or triples and the few that do are likely old and are candidates for Marxist provided assisted suicide. People are not going to quit eating fruit and veggies in the winter if the price of diesel doubles or triples nor are they going to quit driving to work if the price of gasoline doubles or triples. It’s the perfect tax and governments can claim honorable intentions for simply another confiscatory tax. A way to help solve the problem is to quit bringing people from low carbon footprint countries to countries like Canada with super high carbon footprints.