Are oil company–sponsored windmill ads about to disappear from our TV screens? Oil giant Shell has decided to abandon investments into renewable energy like wind and solar. A Shell executive told the Guardian that the company will no longer put…
Category: Cap and trade
Carbon cap and trade: pros, cons, and cautionary tales for Canada’s government
The world does not have much experience with carbon cap and trade schemes. The European ETS has only been in operation since 2006 and early experience has been generally negative. Price fluctuations in carbon permits have allowed coal-based power generators…
Alberta oilsands face threats from the U.S.: if not Waxman, then Lieberman-Warner II
To read new posts, see the Canadian Energy Issues homepage Section 526 of the 2007 U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act prohibits U.S. federal agencies from buying fuels whose lifecycle emissions are higher than those of conventional petroleum. This means…
Storm clouds gathering around European carbon trading scheme: a growing credibility gap
To read new posts, see the Canadian Energy Issues homepage When they championed carbon cap-and-trade schemes, forward-thinking European environmentalists thought they had outmaneuvered their opponents in the mainly coal-fired power generation industry. Greens who wanted emitters to pay for pollution…
Alberta’s route to massive carbon reduction: a winnable war
Fighting the climate change war in Alberta is a two-front proposition. There’s power generation and there’s the oilsands. Both are the biggest emitters of their kind in Canada (see article). And unless there is progress in both, or at least…