Clearly, China’s economy is not yet back on the recovery track, as evidenced by the mixed bag of data for May released on Monday. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), industrial production in China saw a 5.6% increase in May 2024 compared to May 2023. However, …
Read More »Business World Begins U-Turn on Climate Targets
Barely a couple of years ago, setting climate targets and emission reduction plans was de rigueur in the business world. There was a veritable race to out-target competitors in order to win the hearts, minds, and wallets of customers and investors. Now, this has all changed. Last week, the Energy …
Read More »Growing Global Uncertainties Muddle Energy Transition Path
Recent years have witnessed an increase in global uncertainties, driven by economic, political and technological shifts, adding complexity to the environment in which countries operate and their energy transition trajectory. Geopolitical tensions pose risks to energy security and hinder international co-operation, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). Ongoing conflicts …
Read More »The Future of Water Management in a Changing World
‘Day Zero’ never arrived in Cape Town, South Africa. Day Zero was the name given by Cape Town officials to the day in 2018 they would have to shut down water flows to most of the city taps because of inadequate water supplies—supplies that had run desperately short in the …
Read More »Geothermal Energy: A Win-Win for Democrats and Republicans?
Geothermal energy is at the precipice of a major breakthrough in the United States. As technology rapidly advances, it’s seeming more possible than ever that the once niche energy production method could soon scale up for mass deployment in nearly any environment. Pilot projects are taking off across the country …
Read More »Saudi Arabia Signals a Shift in Oil Strategy
In 1943 President Franklin Roosevelt declared that “the defense of Saudi Arabia is vital to the defense of the United States.” The reason: Ten years earlier the desert kingdom had granted a concession to Standard Oil of California to explore for oil. It turned out there was some, in fact, …
Read More »Are China’s Oil, Coal, and Iron Ore Imports a Sign of Strength or Concern?
News coming out of China indicates the country set new records in 2023 for the import of crude oil, coal, and iron ore. The revelation caught many by surprise, but analysts caution that this may not really signify a robust demand for these essential materials. Nor does it indicate that …
Read More »China Overtakes Europe in Clean Energy Tech Research
China has become a powerhouse in clean energy, and has overtaken the EU on clean technology research, a paper prepared for the European Commission has shown. “China has caught up with the EU in R&D expenditure. While Chinese R&D intensity more than doubled since 2000, EU R&D intensity grew much …
Read More »Carbon Capture: A Crucial Tool or a Costly Distraction?
While experts are sceptical about carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, it’s not stopping companies worldwide from investing heavily in the equipment as a means of decarbonisation. As oil and gas firms strive to continue pumping oil for so long as demand and national regulations permit, they must quickly find …
Read More »The Remarkable Rise of Qatar as a Diplomatic Powerhouse
Qatar remains by far the biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the Middle East, and one of the top three in the world, together with the U.S. and Australia. Alongside this, though, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, it has accomplished something of a geopolitical …
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