In The News

Japan Says Fukushima Leak Worse Than Thought, Government Joins Clean-Up

Mari Saito, Antoni Slodkowski August 9, 2013
More than two years after the Fukushima nuclear plant was destroyed by an earthquake and tsunami, the utility company in charge still struggles to contain the radiation. Groundwater flowing through the plant’s basement is radioactive, with about 300 tons assumed to be escaping each day and heading for the Pacific Ocean. “The revelation amounted to an acknowledgement that plant operator Tokyo...

The Shale Oil Revolution

July 24, 2013
New US drilling technologies have shifted nations’ rank for energy potential, and rising production in the US and throughout Asia has reduced prices, exports and GDP growth for Russia. The Asia Sentinel reports that the US has passed Russia as the largest producer of natural gas, and research from Samsung Economic Research Institute suggests that “China, one of the world's biggest energy...

Time for India to Clean Up Its Act

Nayan Chanda July 8, 2013
Nations all over the world are keen to explore and drill for oil and gas in a melting Arctic– even though research roundly blames human reliance on fossil fuels for a rapidly warming climate. China, Japan, India, Korea and Singapore are among 12 permanent observer states on the Arctic Council, added just five days after researchers reported the level of carbon dioxide had climbed past 400 ppm for...

World’s Biggest Coal Company Turns to Solar Energy to Lower Utility Bill

Ryan Koronowski June 7, 2013
In a triumph for alternative energy, the world’s largest coal company, Coal India, is installing solar photovoltaic panels at its facilities to reduce energy bills, reports Ryan Koronowski for Climate Progress. “Coal India produces 90 percent of India’s coal, and not only is it turning to solar as an efficient business practice, it understands India cannot power itself by coal,” he writes. “In...

Japanese Consortium Set for Turkish Nuclear Power Deal

Daniel Dombey, Jonathan Soble, Hugh Carnegy May 6, 2013
Ample energy is necessary for strong economic growth, and Turkey is moving ahead on a deal to construct a second nuclear power plant in cooperation with Japan and France. It’s the first overseas project for Japan since the Fukushima disaster in 2011 and the second nuclear plant for Turkey. Russia is constructing Turkey’s first nuclear power plant and is absorbing all risk to establish itself as a...

Bacteria “Can Produce Diesel Biofuel”

Rebecca Morelle April 29, 2013
A genetically modified form of E. coli bacteria can convert sugar into diesel-like oil, UK researchers report in a journal of the US National Academy of Sciences. The development is part of “a push to increase the use of biofuels around the world,” reports Rebecca Morelle of BBC News. Currently most biofuels are not “fully compatible with modern engines” and require blending with some petroleum....

Oklahoma Earthquake Linked to Oil Extraction Wastewater

Jason Palmer April 1, 2013
Injecting millions of liters of water and chemicals into the ground for drilling oil and gas has been linked to seismic events, including a 5.7 earthquake in Oklahoma in 2011. A study in the journal Geology suggests that related seismic activity can occur years after wastewater injections begin. “The new study adds to an increasing body of evidence that the injection of wastewater is correlated...