It’s lost 73% of its water and is unable to sustain some wildlife – and could soon negatively affect human health.Continue reading‘Last nail in the coffin’: Utah’s Great Salt Lake on verge of collapse
Author: Shane White
A summary of the latest energy and climate data has been published on this site. Image above is Bełchatów Power Station, Poland.Continue readingEnergy and Climate Data Summary
Researchers found that unlogged forested areas are generally carbon neutral, but that moderately and heavily logged tropical forest areas are a carbon source. They estimate an average carbon source of 1.75…Continue readingForests recovering from logging act as a source of carbon
Fewer and fewer migrant species, which used to be seasonal fixtures, are flying to our shores as the climate crisis takes its toll on their habitat.Continue readingEmpty nests: why UK’s winter bird numbers are in sharp decline
Without global heating, such warm temperatures would be expected only once every five centuries, Met Office says.Continue readingUK’s record hot 2022 made 160 times more likely by climate crisis
Half of the world’s glaciers – frozen reservoirs supplying three-quarters of the global water supply – could “disappear” by the end of the century under 1.5˚C of warming, a study concludes.…Continue readingHalf of world’s glaciers to ‘disappear’ with 1.5˚C of global warming
Exxon was expected to record more than $56bn in profits in 2022 and Chevron is set to top $37bn, record highs for both companies, according to Wall Street estimates compiled by…Continue readingExxon and Chevron share $100bn in profit after surge in oil prices
A minimal [sea level] rise of another 2 feet (0.6 metres) is projected from now through 2100, though the Federal Emergency Management Agency uses an intermediate rise of 4.65 feet (1.4…Continue readingClimate change is coming for the Jersey Shore, retiring coastal expert warns
Woodside Energy, Santos and BHP among companies who have sponsorship deals with Australian arts, sport, education and community organisationsContinue readingFossil fuel interests revealed to have sponsored more than 500 Australian community organisations
From Petrobras’ own platform portfolio, the P-71 is an FPSO (floating unit for the production, storage, and transfer of oil and gas) type with capacity to process up to 150,000 barrels…Continue readingPetrobras announces start of P-71 production
Spending bill passed by Senate includes less than $1bn in climate assistance for poorer nations even though Biden promised $11.4bnContinue readingUS fails to give money promised for developing countries to ease climate impacts
Researchers say there has been a dramatic drop in particular in the number of female bears and cubs in Hudson Bay.Continue readingCanada polar bears declining at alarming rate, study finds
DfT refuses to publish emission figures, which campaigners say could make new road projects unviable.Continue readingUK government blocks release of CO₂ figures behind transport plan
Scientists say loss may be as significant as ‘insectaggedon’ in terms of impact on soil, birds and ecosystems.Continue readingEarthworms may have declined by a third in UK, study reveals
The phase II of Johan Sverdrup project entails an investment of NOK48bn ($4.8bn) and includes a new platform, five new subsea systems, 28 new wells, a new module for the existing…Continue readingEquinor begins production from Johan Sverdrup Phase 2 project
Scientists behind car number plate study say ‘potentially catastrophic’ decline must be reversed.Continue readingFlying insect numbers plunge 64% since 2004, UK survey finds
Conservation groups warn not enough is being done to protect ecosystems as state government data shows more than 400,000ha of land was cleared in 2019-20.Continue readingCalls for tougher regulations as Queensland, Australia records highest rate of land clearing in country
Claim by academics, including former integrity chair of Australia’s carbon credit scheme, raises further doubts about system. ‘The wild west approach needs to end,’ says climate scientist Bill Hare, amid warning…Continue readingAustralia’s carbon offset scheme fraudulent
Vast tracts of countryside transformed into barren wasteland, decimated crops and animal herds and children dying of starvation. The grim reality confronting drought-stricken east Africa is a frightening portent of what…Continue readingHorror of a hotter world on stark display in parched East Africa
The Arctic is getting wetter and rainier Arctic precipitation is on the rise across all seasons, and these seasons are shifting. As sea ice rapidly declines, more open water is exposed,…Continue readingArctic Report Card
It was when the US Bureau of Indian Affairs built schools in Alaska, as part of an effort to assimilate Indigenous peoples into white culture, that the community was forced to…Continue readingAlaska Native community relocates as climate crisis ravages homes
Wealthy nations have offered Vietnam a $15.5 billion package to help pay for its move from coal to renewable energy, the latest in a total of $44 billion in deals aimed…Continue readingWealthy nations offer Vietnam $15 billion-plus deal to shift from coal
Devastating floods this [northern hemisphere] summer and fall [autumn] displaced 1.5 million Nigerians and killed 612. In all of West Africa, more than 800 people died. Researchers have determined that human-caused…Continue readingClimate change made deadly floods in West Africa 80 times more likely
Almost one fourth of Sweden’s last unprotected old-growth forest was logged between 2003 and 2019. At this rate, all of these ecologically unique and valuable forests will be lost in about…Continue readingStudy uncovers widespread and ongoing clearcutting of Swedish old forests
Scientists attempting to replicate a 1964 survey of freshwater bivalves in a stretch of the Thames near Reading found striking results, as native mussel populations had crashed by almost 95%. One…Continue readingNative mussel numbers down almost 95% since 1960s
Illegal and unsustainable fishing, fossil fuel exploration, the climate crisis and disease are pushing marine species to the brink of extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)…Continue readingMarine life hit by ‘perfect storm’ as red list reveals species close to extinction
Saudi Arabia posted a budget surplus of US$27 billion (SR102bn) this year and 8.5% economic growth as the kingdom enjoys a petrodollar windfall from high oil prices. Revenues are expected to…Continue readingSaudi Arabia posts surplus of 27 billion US dollars with oil windfall
The first coal mine in Britain for 30 years has been given the go-ahead by the government. Michael Gove, the levelling-up secretary, granted approval for the mine in Whitehaven in Cumbria.…Continue readingFirst UK coal mine in 30 years gets government go-ahead
The analysis, by the Global Carbon Project, calculates Earth’s “carbon budget“, which is how much CO₂ humans have released, and how much has been removed from the atmosphere by the oceans…Continue readingGlobal carbon emissions at record levels with no signs of shrinking
At least 8 coalmining projects in Great Barrier Reef catchments and floodplains have been exempted from requiring environmental impact statements (EIS) by the Queensland government, with 6 already gaining state environmental…Continue readingCoal projects in Great Barrier Reef catchments approved without environmental impact statements
Big polluting industries have been given almost €100 billion (£86 billion) in free carbon permits by the EU in the last nine years. The free permits did not come with climate…Continue readingBig polluters given almost €100 billion in free carbon permits by EU
QatarEnergy and ConocoPhillips have signed two sales and purchase agreements to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Germany for at least 15 years starting 2026 – the first such supply deal…Continue readingQatarEnergy, ConocoPhillips sign LNG deal for Germany
Equinor has submitted a plan for development and operation (PDO) for the NOK 14.8 billion ($1.46 billion) Irpa gas project in the Norwegian Sea to the Norwegian Petroleum and Energy Minister…Continue readingEquinor submits PDO for $1.5 billion Irpa gas project in Norwegian Sea
US-based New Fortress Energy (NFE) has partnered with Mexico’s state-owned oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) to develop and operate an integrated upstream and natural gas liquefaction project off the coast of…Continue readingNFE, Pemex partner for Lakach offshore gas field development
The Venezuelan government and the opposition returned to political negotiations in Mexico — suspended for more than a year — and signed a rare humanitarian agreement that seeks to free up…Continue readingChevron to resume Venezuela oil production
BP’s US boss said Washington’s new climate law would put its green plans in the US “on steroids”, even as the oil supermajor says it will expand its shale oil and…Continue readingBP praises Biden climate law while expanding US shale operations
Italian oilfield services provider Saipem has won three offshore drilling contracts in the Middle East, and two in West Africa, for a total amount of about $800 million. Both projects are…Continue readingSaipem secures five new offshore drilling contracts worth $800m
The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved Commonwealth LNG’s proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal project of the same name in Louisiana. Proposed to be constructed on the…Continue readingUS FERC approves Commonwealth LNG project in Louisiana
Dutch construction company HSM Offshore Energy has secured a contract for the construction of a production platform at N05-A gas field in the North Sea. HSM will build the N05-A gas…Continue readingHSM wins contract to build N05-A gas production platform in North Sea
QatarEnergy entered into a 27-year Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) with China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) for the supply of 4 million tons per annum (MTPA) of LNG (liquid natural…Continue readingQatarenergy and Sinopec sign a 27-year 4 million tons per annum LNG supply agreement to China
At the talks, nearly 200 countries agreed that a fund for loss and damage, which would pay out to rescue and rebuild the physical and social infrastructure of countries ravaged by…Continue readingWorld still ‘on brink of climate catastrophe’ after COP27
Tens of thousands of delegates have descended on Sharm el-Sheikh, an Egyptian resort town, for COP27, the UN climate summit. Of the 33,000-odd that registered, about 16,000 represent the 197 countries…Continue readingWhat is the fossil-fuel industry doing at COP27?
There’s some hocus-pocus going on with the emissions reduction numbers the European Union is proudly touting at the COP27 climate summit, climate campaigners allege. The EU says it’s one of the…Continue readingEU accused of climate accounting tricks
“At the moment,” writes Warren Hern, “we are the most misnamed species on the planet: Homo sapiens sapiens—’wise, wise man.’ Not.” Hern, 84, physician and adjunct professor of anthropology at the…Continue readingHumanity devouring itself and the planet
Eni, ExxonMobil, and other Area 4 partners have achieved the milestone of shipping the first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the $8 billion Coral South floating LNG (FLNG) project…Continue readingFirst cargo from $8 billion Coral South Floating LNG project
Gas producers and their financial backers see COP27 as an opportunity for discussions about rebranding natural gas as a transition fuel rather than a fossil fuel, experts have said. Egypt’s goal…Continue readingCOP27 being used to rebrand gas as transitional fuel, experts warn
More than 30 tankers holding liquefied natural gas (LNG) are floating just off Europe’s shoreline as energy traders bet the autumn price reprieve prompted by robust supplies and warm weather will…Continue readingLNG tankers idle off Europe’s coast as traders wait for gas price rise
Before President Biden lambasted oil companies for excess profits and threatened to slap a “windfall tax” on them, several of his top energy advisers privately attempted to woo that same industry…Continue readingBiden courted oil companies before threatening them with windfall tax
The building and construction sector’s energy consumption and CO2 emissions have rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic to an all-time high. The sector accounted for more than 34% of energy demand and…Continue readingClimate change emissions from buildings and construction hit a new high
Passenger traffic reached 74% of pre-pandemic levels in September as people rushed back to travel following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has shown.…Continue readingGlobal air travel rebounds to 74% of pre-pandemic levels
More and more scientists are now admitting publicly that they are scared by the recent climate extremes, such as the floods in Pakistan and west Africa, the droughts and heatwaves in…Continue readingWhy scientists are using the word scary over the climate crisis
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, stated:Continue readingUN: World is on ‘highway to climate hell’
There is “no credible pathway to 1.5C in place”, the UN’s environment agency has said, and the failure to reduce carbon emissions means the only way to limit the worst impacts…Continue readingUN: ‘No credible pathway to 1.5˚C in place’
Pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions will lead to global heating of 2.5˚C, a level that would condemn the world to catastrophic climate breakdown, according to the United Nations. “At the…Continue readingUN: Current emissions pledges will lead to catastrophic climate breakdown
Approximately 90 world leaders are attending COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from November 6 to 18, 2022. However, key figureheads from some of the globe’s most polluting States are not on…Continue readingLeaders of world’s largest emitters a no-show at COP27
Global warming is responsible for bigger and bigger fires in Siberia, and in the decades ahead they could release huge amounts of carbon now trapped in the soil. Researchers fear a…Continue readingArctic fires could release catastrophic amounts of carbon dioxide
ExxonMobil’s Uaru development is targeting approximately 1.319 billion barrels of oil. MODEC has won a contract to undertake engineering and design for a floating production, storage, and offloading vessel (FPSO) to…Continue readingMODEC wins contract for FPSO of ExxonMobil’s Uaru oil project
The Ugandan government has secured support from the African, Caribbean, Pacific -European Union (ACP-EU) for proceeding with the East African crude oil pipeline project (EACOP), a 1,443km (896 mile) long pipeline…Continue readingUganda secures support from ACP-EU for East African crude oil pipeline
At the bottom of a crater in southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, 20,000 people work at a cobalt mine, in shifts of 5,000 at a time.Continue readingDR Congo’s faltering fight against illegal cobalt mines
The fossil fuel industry is experiencing a remarkable rebound, with sudden momentum behind more than 80 projects that range from coal-fired power plants to hulking gas export terminals, many of which…Continue readingFossil fuel projects were stalled a year ago. Now they’re making a comeback.
Plastic recycling rates are declining even as production shoots up, according to a Greenpeace U.S. report out Monday that blasted industry claims of creating an efficient, circular economy as “fiction”. Titled…Continue readingPlastic recycling remains a ‘myth’: Greenpeace study
ExxonMobil reported $19.7 billion in third-quarter net profit, or $4.68 a share, almost triple the $6.8 billion, or $1.57 a share, earned a year ago. The company was “driving volumes at…Continue readingExxon profit triples to record $20 billion
The heart-shaped Lake Eyre Basin covers about one-sixth of Australia. It contains one of the few remaining pristine river systems in the world. The Lake Eyre Basin is probably the last…Continue readingThe magnificent Lake Eyre Basin is threatened by 831 oil and gas wells, and more are planned
None of the 134 companies assessed for disclosure of climate-related risks passed basic tests. The annual review by independent non-profit Carbon Tracker group found that carbon-intensive companies were not sufficiently disclosing…Continue readingCorporate polluters fail basic tests
The stresses of warming temperatures and forest losses are driving dozens of species of monkeys and lemurs that normally shelter and feed high in the tree canopy to spend more time…Continue readingAnthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions driving monkeys and lemurs from trees to the ground
Mitsubishi Power said that the fourth and final unit of the Chonburi power plant, a 2.65GW gas-fired power facility in Thailand, has commenced operation. The Chonburi power plant is made up…Continue readingMitsubishi fully commissions 2.65GW gas power plant in Thailand
The first LNG (liquid natural gas) import terminal in Finland has been connected to the transmission network. Hamina LNG provides LNG storage services, regasification and injection services into the Finnish gas…Continue readingFinland’s first LNG import terminal has started commercial operations
Norwegian oil and gas major Equinor said that Peregrino phase 2 was executed within the original cost estimate of $3 billion. The phase 2 project is aimed at extending the lifetime…Continue readingEquinor begins production from $3 billion project in Brazil
Severe to exceptional drought conditions remain common in the West, which has been battling its driest period in the past 1,200 years. But the drought is now far more widespread, with…Continue readingNearly 82% of the U.S. is facing troubling drought conditions
“We are getting hotter, drier summers and wetter winters and that is making trees more susceptible to disease. Climate change is already having some really significant effects”, said Rob Stoneman, director…Continue readingDisease ravages UK’s fragile woodlands
More than 90% of the heat caused by adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere through burning fossil fuels is taken up by the ocean. 15 scientists carried out a review which…Continue readingOcean heat found to be accelerating and fuelling extreme weather
Concerns about climate change shrank across the world last year, with fewer than half of those questioned in a new survey believing it posed a “very serious threat” to their countries…Continue readingConcern about climate change shrinks globally
The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), a system of ocean currents that carry warm water from the tropics into the North Atlantic, and transport cold water from the northern to the…Continue readingScientists discover mechanism that can cause collapse of great Atlantic circulation system
MidOcean Energy, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) company formed and managed by EIG, has agreed to acquire the stakes of Tokyo Gas in four integrated LNG projects in Australia for $2.15…Continue readingMidOcean to acquire Tokyo Gas’ stakes in Australian gas projects for $2.1 billion
Heatwaves will become so extreme in certain regions of the world within decades that human life there will be unsustainable, the United Nations and the Red Cross said Monday. Heatwaves are…Continue readingHeatwaves will make regions uninhabitable within decades: UN, Red Cross
Fracking and drilling for new oil and gas in the North Sea is green and good for the environment, Liz Truss’s new climate minister said on Wednesday. Graham Stuart insisted that…Continue readingUK fracking and oil drilling good for environment, claims climate minister
A report published on Wednesday by the upper house’s environment and climate change committee urged ministers to lead a public campaign and use regulations and taxation to guide public behaviour change…Continue readingThird of emissions cuts must come from behaviour changes, say Lords
An ADB report presented during the bank’s annual board meeting (26-30 September) warns that sea levels in the Asia-Pacific could exceed two meters by 2100. “For short- to medium-term projects (i.e.,…Continue readingSea-level rise ‘may cross two meters by 2100’
Earth’s wildlife populations have plunged by an average of 69% in just under 50 years, according to a leading scientific assessment, as humans continue to clear forests, consume beyond the limits…Continue readingAlmost 70% of animal populations wiped out since 1970, report reveals