What does the current energy crisis mean for the clean energy transition?

Apr 28, 2022
The war in Ukraine is forcing the U.S. to reconsider its dependence on oil.
"We have seen this scenario time and time again, where oil is proving to be an unstable factor in our economy," said Mark Brownstein at the Environmental Defense Fund. "And now we have the opportunity to move to a different future."
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War in Ukraine could affect food and energy prices through 2024, World Bank says

Wheat prices could increase more than 40% and energy more than 50% this year, according to the bank's president, David Malpass.
Commodity prices are rising, and "it’s hitting people in the poorest countries hardest," World Bank President David Malpass says. Stagflation is also a risk.
Louai Beshara/AFP via Getty Images

Coal, the dirtiest of the fossil fuels, is in high demand

Apr 26, 2022
While coal is having a resurgence as a fuel source, the spike in its use may not last.
People line up for ice cream in Cheswick, Pennsylvania, near a coal-burning power station. Existing coal plants in the U.S. are being used more, though that’s likely only temporary.
Jeff Swenson/Getty Images

Why do oil companies call themselves “energy” companies? 

Apr 22, 2022
Over the past several decades, several corporations have tried to distance themselves from being known as oil and gas companies.
A view of a Chevron gas sign in Houston, Texas.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Crypto miners use natural gas "stranded" in wells to power energy-hungry rigs

Mar 25, 2022
Usually the gas is burned off at the well. Environmentalists say using it for mining incentivizes more drilling.
If natural gas from oil wells can't be used or sold, it's sometimes flared, as above, or vented into the air. Some cryptocurrency miners see it as a potential energy source.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
"The way that we're defining this...is not just about those water volumes, it's also about water quality, and also about access to water for the poor," Pacific Institute President Jason Morrison said about the business-led Water Resilience Coalition.
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Crypto miners came to upstate New York for cheap energy. Some regret letting them come.

Mar 11, 2022
The miners have blown through one town's allocation of cheap power, while another has put a moratorium on new mining operations.
Coinmint is using an old aluminum smelting plant as a cryptocurrency mining facility. The plant comes with its own electrical substation with direct hookups to the grid.
Lily Jamali/Marketplace

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As oil companies divest from Russian oil and gas, what happens to their assets?

Mar 1, 2022
The decision by big oil companies like BP and Royal Dutch Shell to walk away from Russian energy puts the industry into uncharted territory.
Royal Dutch Shell, BP and other energy companies are shunning Russian oil and gas in what experts are calling an unprecedented stance.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Why it's tough to wean the West off Russian oil and gas

Feb 24, 2022
For 15 years the EU has been talking about decreasing its dependence on Russia's gas and oil, but it didn't do it intime.
Russia is the main supplier of natural gas and oil to the European Union. Above, oil tank cars on rail tracks near the Siberian town of Tobolsk.
Andrei Borodulin/AFP Getty Images

What does hitting pause on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline mean for Europe's energy supply?

Feb 23, 2022
Europe is trying to pivot away from coal and crude oil, and has limited capacity for liquified natural gas.
Workers building a section of the wall of the Nord Stream 2.
Carsten Koall/Getty Images