Potential of renewables (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
WE will need fossil fuels like oil and gas for the foreseeable future. So there’s really little choice (sigh). We have to press ahead with fracking for natural gas. We must approve the Keystone XL pipeline to get Canadian oil.
This mantra, repeated on TV ads and in political debates, is punctuated with a tinge of inevitability and regret. But, increasingly, scientific research and the experience of other countries should prompt us to ask: To what extent will we really “need” fossil fuel in the years to come? To what extent is it a choice?
As renewable energy gets cheaper and machines and buildings become more energy efficient, a number of countries that two decades ago ran on a fuel mix much like America’s are successfully dialing down their fossil fuel habits. Thirteen countries got more than 30 percent of their electricity from renewable energy in 2011, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency, and many are aiming still higher.
Could we? Should we?
A National Research Council report released last week concluded that the United States could halve by 2030 the oil used in cars and trucks compared with 2005 levels by improving the efficiency of gasoline-powered vehicles and by relying more on cars that use alternative power sources, like electric batteries andbiofuels.
Just days earlier a team of Stanford engineers published a proposal showing how New York State — not windy like the Great Plains, nor sunny like Arizona — could easily produce the power it needs from wind, solar and water power by 2030. In fact there was so much potential power, the researchers found, that renewable power could also fuel our cars.
“It’s absolutely not true that we need natural gas, coal or oil — we think it’s a myth,” said Mark Z. Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and the main author of the study, published in the journal Energy Policy. “You could power America with renewables from a technical and economic standpoint. The biggest obstacles are social and political — what you need is the will to do it.”
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Life After Oil and Gas
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As I warned in my February article Russia Is A Major Supplier Of Oil To The U.S., Russia could potentially benefit from the sanctions on its oil exports. Although Russia hadn’t yet invaded Ukraine ...
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- UK slaps one-off tax on oil and gas giants to ease the pain of soaring household energy billson May 26, 2022 at 2:28 am
The decision to impose a windfall tax on energy companies marks yet another U-turn for Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government.
- A Los Angeles teen led a fight to shut down urban oil wells, survived cancer, and won a 'Green Nobel'on May 25, 2022 at 11:50 am
Nalleli Cobo fought to close a leaking oil well near her home, sue the city of Los Angeles for environmental racism, and phase out urban drilling.
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Christian beat Sarah Stogner in the Republican primary runoff for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission after she accused him of corruption during the campaign.
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From creative financing to better walking infrastructure, these strategies can reduce traffic, noise, and pollution.
- Despite Doomsday Predictions, Bulgaria Proves There Is Life After Russian Gason May 20, 2022 at 12:45 pm
The predictions were dire when Gazprom turned off the gas taps in late April to Bulgaria. But less than a month later, Bulgaria is confident it can survive without Russian gas.
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Oil and gas sector employment is on the road to recovery in the United States after the significant job shedding that took place during the pandemic era. But a full recovery won't be seen for ...
- Oil and Gas Sector’s New Climate Policies Still Overheat the Planet: Reporton May 11, 2022 at 5:45 pm
(Bloomberg) -- Thirteen of the biggest 15 publicly traded oil-and-gas companies have revised climate ... Advisers Say Kim Orders Lockdown After North Korea Reports First Covid Case Crypto ...
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- UK touts financial aid package, including windfall tax on oil companies, as it aims to banish ‘partygate’on May 26, 2022 at 5:13 am
The British government was unveiling a package of help on Thursday to ease a severe cost-of-living squeeze, including a windfall tax on oil and gas ...
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Oil prices move higher Thursday, buoyed by tight supplies of U.S. crude and gasoline ahead of the start of summer driving season.
- How Sanctions Have Increased Russia’s Oil And Gas Revenueon May 26, 2022 at 5:04 am
As I warned in my February article Russia Is A Major Supplier Of Oil To The U.S., Russia could potentially benefit from the sanctions on its oil exports. Although Russia hadn’t yet invaded Ukraine ...
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After weeks of insisting that a windfall tax on oil and gas companies would discourage them from investing in the UK, Rishi Sunak performed a U-turn on Thursday by announcing the government would ...
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Chancellor says ‘energy profits levy’ will be temporary but will raise around £5bn over the course of the next year ...
- Cost of living grant for eight million households and windfall tax on oil and gas companies announced by chancelloron May 26, 2022 at 4:38 am
Eight million of the poorest UK households will receive a one off "cost of living payment" of £650 - and there will be an effective windfall tax on the profits of oil and gas companies, the chancellor ...
- Rishi Sunak announces windfall tax on oil and gas companies and £650 grant for millions of low-income families - UK politics liveon May 26, 2022 at 4:38 am
Chancellor says ‘energy profits levy’ will be temporary but will raise around £5bn over the course of the next year ...
- UK Slaps 25% Windfall Tax on Profits of Oil and Gas Companieson May 26, 2022 at 4:34 am
Boris Johnson’s government will impose a so-called windfall tax on the profits of oil and gas companies to help fund at least £5 billion pounds ($6.3 billion) of support for Britons facing a ...
- LEDA working with Lafayette oil and gas companies to look at renewable energy optionson May 26, 2022 at 4:01 am
The Lafayette Economic Development Authority is working with local oil and gas companies to "engage in the energy transition" as part of the organization's strategy for growing the parish's economy, ...
- The war in Ukraine may ramp up pollution in US oil and gas communitieson May 26, 2022 at 3:30 am
War in Ukraine may ramp up oil and gas production — and the pollution that hurts the people in US who live near wells and terminals.
