Kazakhstan needs a “me first” campaign to achieve its net-zero goal, Raekwon Chung told Eurasianet. The South Korean Nobel laureate believes action should start at the grassroots.  There are over 400 environmentally oriented non-governmental organizations in Kazakhstan, a country with a complex environmental history, including the scarring legacy of nuclear testing at Semipalatinsk. An estimated 75 percent of the country’s territory is vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. Heat waves are intensifying. Glaciers…

The U.S. national average price of gasoline has fallen below $3 per gallon for the first time in more than three and a half years. According to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 12 million individual price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country, the average national gasoline price was $2.97 per gallon on Monday, a level they last touched in 2021. De Haan has noted that some 35 U.S. states now enjoy average gas prices below $3 per gallon, an increase of seven states from a month ago. “The national average has finally…

According to data published by the United Nations Statistics Division, China accounted for 31 percent of global manufacturing output in 2022. As Statista's Felix Richter shows in the chart below, that puts the country almost 15 percentage points ahead of second-placed United States, which used to have the world’s largest manufacturing sector until China overtook it in 2010. You will find more infographics at Statista With total value added by the Chinese manufacturing sector amounting to more than $5 trillion in 2022, manufacturing accounted…

California’s fuel market, where gasoline prices have been consistently higher than the national U.S. average, has seen multiplying challenges in recent years, which resulted in new state legislation and an announcement of a refinery closure in October, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in an analysis on Monday. As of December 9, the average U.S. retail price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.018, according to AAA data. Retail gasoline prices in California, however, averaged $4.365 per gallon. California retail gasoline…

An explosion and fire at a fuel depot owned by energy major Eni near Florence, Italy, killed on Monday morning at least two people and injured another nine, while three people are still unaccounted for. At least three of the injured are in critical condition, Italian officials say. The fuel depot at Calenzano, just northwest of Florence, receives, stores, and ships out gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. The explosion occurred in an area where trucks were refueling in a loading shelter. The explosion and fire have not affected the storage tanks, Eni…

An explosion and fire at a fuel depot owned by energy major Eni near Florence, Italy, killed on Monday morning at least two people and injured another nine, while three people are still unaccounted for. At least three of the injured are in critical condition, Italian officials say. The fuel depot at Calenzano, just northwest of Florence, receives, stores, and ships out gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. The explosion occurred in an area where trucks were refueling in a loading shelter. The explosion and fire have not affected the storage tanks, Eni…

Oil prices climbed by more than 1% on Monday after China unveiled plans to adopt its first loosened monetary policy stance since 2010 as it looks to boost economic growth. Brent crude for February delivery was up 1.52% to trade at $72.21 per barrel at 10.00 am ET while the WTI crude January contract gained 1.80% to $68.41 per barrel. "The easing of monetary policy stance in China is likely the driver of the oil price rebounding, supporting risk sentiment," UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said.  According to an official readout from a meeting…

Germany’s power margin, the available electricity supply to meet demand, is set to drop this week to the lowest level so far this winter, as low wind speeds and colder weather are straining the power system, according to models compiled by Bloomberg. This week, wind speeds in Germany have dipped again, while colder-than-usual temperatures have settled over much of northwest Europe. Since early November, the so-called ‘Dunkelflaute’, German for “dark wind lull”, have often resulted in wind farms in Europe’s biggest…

Germany’s power margin, the available electricity supply to meet demand, is set to drop this week to the lowest level so far this winter, as low wind speeds and colder weather are straining the power system, according to models compiled by Bloomberg. This week, wind speeds in Germany have dipped again, while colder-than-usual temperatures have settled over much of northwest Europe. Since early November, the so-called ‘Dunkelflaute’, German for “dark wind lull”, have often resulted in wind farms in Europe’s biggest…

Germany’s power margin, the available electricity supply to meet demand, is set to drop this week to the lowest level so far this winter, as low wind speeds and colder weather are straining the power system, according to models compiled by Bloomberg. This week, wind speeds in Germany have dipped again, while colder-than-usual temperatures have settled over much of northwest Europe. Since early November, the so-called ‘Dunkelflaute’, German for “dark wind lull”, have often resulted in wind farms in Europe’s biggest…

Germany’s power margin, the available electricity supply to meet demand, is set to drop this week to the lowest level so far this winter, as low wind speeds and colder weather are straining the power system, according to models compiled by Bloomberg. This week, wind speeds in Germany have dipped again, while colder-than-usual temperatures have settled over much of northwest Europe. Since early November, the so-called ‘Dunkelflaute’, German for “dark wind lull”, have often resulted in wind farms in Europe’s biggest…

Iran is poised to significantly increase the production rate of highly enriched uranium, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned in a confidential report. The IAEA report said the effect of the change "would be to significantly increase the rate of production of uranium enriched up to 60 percent," according to news agencies quoting the report on December 6. This means the rate of production will jump to more than 34 kilograms of highly enriched uranium per month at its Fordow facility alone, compared to 4.7 kilograms previously,…

BP has decided to merge all its offshore wind business into a new joint venture with Japan’s energy firm JERA, to which the companies will provide up to $5.8 billion for investments by 2030, the UK-based supermajor said on Monday as it shifts its focus back on oil and gas. BP has been seeking for months to offload spending on project developments in the offshore wind sector, including by studying ideas to sell a small stake in the business. Now BP and JERA have agreed to combine their offshore wind businesses to form a new standalone, equally-owned…

BP has decided to merge all its offshore wind business into a new joint venture with Japan’s energy firm JERA, to which the companies will provide up to $5.8 billion for investments by 2030, the UK-based supermajor said on Monday as it shifts its focus back on oil and gas. BP has been seeking for months to offload spending on project developments in the offshore wind sector, including by studying ideas to sell a small stake in the business. Now BP and JERA have agreed to combine their offshore wind businesses to form a new standalone, equally-owned…

BP has decided to merge all its offshore wind business into a new joint venture with Japan’s energy firm JERA, to which the companies will provide up to $5.8 billion for investments by 2030, the UK-based supermajor said on Monday as it shifts its focus back on oil and gas. BP has been seeking for months to offload spending on project developments in the offshore wind sector, including by studying ideas to sell a small stake in the business. Now BP and JERA have agreed to combine their offshore wind businesses to form a new standalone, equally-owned…

Climate finance is a white-hot topic right now. The COP2 delegates failed to agree on a generous enough deal for the transition in developing countries; in the U.S., project Veritas revealed that the EPA was funneling billions into climate activist organizations ahead of Trump’s presidency to ensure continued pressure on the government; and in the EU, a think tank put a price tag on the transition. The EU cannot afford it. Bruegel, the Brussels-based energy outlet, published a policy brief this week focusing on what the EU needs to get to…

Three major nuclear events throughout the history of nuclear power production have tainted the image of the clean energy source, according to recent reports and years of public opinion polls. The events at Chornobyl, Fukushima, and Three Mile Island swayed public opinion against nuclear power in many areas of the world for several decades, encouraging governments worldwide to move away from the clean energy source in favor of continued fossil fuel use. Today’s energy mix could look extremely different if these events had not occurred, or…

Rare earth metals are a set of 17 chemically similar elements which are integral to modern technologies. From neodymium, used in powerful magnets that can withstand extreme temperatures, to beryllium, which is used to manufacture lightweight materials for fighter jets, these elements have a variety of crucial technological uses. While rare earth metals are not particularly rare, they are seldom found in pure form and are often mixed with other minerals, making them costly to mine. This graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Kayla Zhu, visualizes rare…

Oil prices fell on Thursday, a day after OPEC+ delayed its planned output increase by three months to April 2025, and extended the full unwind of production cuts by a year until the end of 2026. The organization also unveiled several other key decisions including the extension of baselines for all countries by a year to end-2026. Brent crude for February delivery fell 1.3% to trade at $71.16 per barrel at 11.30 am ET while WTI crude for January delivery fell 1.5% to $67.32 per barrel   And now commodity analysts at Standard Chartered have…

The U.S. LNG export industry has recently hit several stumbling blocks. And who will be America’s president in the next four years may not even be the biggest.   Litigation at court from environmental groups, a contractor bankruptcy, and President Joe Biden’s permit pause have combined to increase uncertainty for U.S. LNG project developers and exporters this decade.  Top LNG Exporter The expansion of the LNG export infrastructure over the past five years and the flexibility in cargo destination of U.S. LNG have made…