All Environment
Energy efficiency means lower utility bills, less mortgage riskThe risk of mortgage default is one-third lower for people with energy efficient homes, according to a recent study. Energy efficient homes can save up to $250 per month, Alic writes, an amount that for many households could be the difference between foreclosure and mortgage repayment.
Exxon Mobil earnings up despite drop in oil, gas productionExxon Mobil announced a rise in earnings in the first quarter despite a decline in production of oil and gas. Profits from chemicals production and lower taxes helped Exxon Mobil offset the drop in oil and gas production.
What does Fisker Automotive tell us about clean energy?Fisker Automotive's failure to repay a Department of Energy loan Monday is a blemish on the department's push to promote clean energy through public-private partnerships. Is it a sign of a broader policy failure, or do individual shortcomings distract from broader success?
Trump ad slamming wind farms is bannedTrump ad banned by British regulator, who calls it unsubstantiated and 'misleading.' Trump ad warned that wind farms would hurt Scotland tourism.
Statoil eyes major new North Sea oil discoveryStatoil could be sitting on between 40 million and 150 million recoverable barrels of oil equivalent in the North Sea, the company announced last week. The 40-150 million recoverable barrels estimate is still under a “high degree of uncertainty”, Statoil said, with additional appraisals ongoing to confirm the findings.
BP delays $10 billion Gulf of Mexico project due to rising costsBP's largest new oil project in the Gulf, called Mad Dog Phase 2, sits atop a 4 billion barrel oil field. BP blames 'market conditions and industry inflation' for delay.
Earth's cooling came to sudden halt in 1900, study showsAn international study used tree rings and pollen to build the first record of global climate change, continent by continent, over 2,000 years.
ABB's 'blue jeans' strategy in solarABB $1 billion purchase of inverter maker Power-One signals its desire to cash in on the boom in solar-panel installations – without investing in solar panels themselves.
House aims to expand oil drilling in Gulf of MexicoMembers of the US House of Representatives last week proposed legislation that would open up more areas for oil drillers offshore, Graeber writes. Lawmakers say getting more work done in the Gulf of Mexico would ensure energy independence.
FocusOn Earth Day 2013, a planetary report card on global warmingPlanetary carbon dioxide concentrations are the highest they've been in the past 800,000 years, an ignominious milestone for Earth Day 2013. Still, the world is making some progress toward addressing global warming.
Earth Day 2013: 10 quotes about planet Earth Earth Day is April 22. There is no shortage of famous musings on what Carl Sagan once called our 'pale blue dot.' Here are 10 of our favorite things said about planet Earth.
FocusA way to curb global warming: Suck carbon emissions right out of the air?Most efforts to address carbon emissions focus on preventing them from entering the atmosphere in the first place. But how to get rid of CO2 already there? Start-ups are developing prototype air-capture systems.
- How to join climate team
The many empty meanings of 'energy security'We have talked about the concept of ‘energy security’ so much that it no longer means anything, Holland writes. It is time to retire the term.
How much will replacing coal cost Los Angeles?Coal-based electricity is one of the least expensive, most reliable means of producing electricity, and it’s a central part of the American energy portfolio, Tracey writes. Not only that, coal has a long history of providing energy to Americans.
Nebraska hearing vitrifies Keystone XL pipeline debateThe Keystone XL pipeline debate comes to a head in Grand Island, Neb., as the State Department holds a public hearing on the Canada-Texas pipeline. If the passionate, opposing sides agree on anything, it's that the Keystone XL pipeline debate is about more than just a pipeline.
Climate change deniers strike out – even in energy-rich KansasStates, not Congress, are taking the lead on climate change laws – from a new cap-and-trade program in California to widespread adoption of renewable electricity standards. Moves to weaken those standards aren't gaining traction in state capitals.
How GE is boosting its oil and gas portfolioGE's acquisition of a Lufkin significantly boosts GE’s oil and gas portfolio, which was worth $15.2 billion of its total $147 billion in revenues for 2012, Alic writes. Over the past three years, GE’s oil and gas segment has realized annual growth of 16 percent due to an ambitious acquisition drive.
Has clean energy hit a plateau?Clean energy growth worldwide has stalled despite significant gains in electric vehicles and renewable power, and financing has slowed, according to separate studies released Wednesday. Is increased government funding the answer for clean energy, or should private business play a bigger part?
Why the 2012 US drought keeps growingDrought conditions now cover nearly two-thirds of the continental US, according to a new report. The South and West are particularly vulnerable to drought in years ahead, scientists say.
