ExxonMobil decides to proceed with Whiptail development offshore Guyana

The Whiptail project, which will use a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, will entail an investment of around $12.7bn. It would include up to ten drill centres…Continue readingExxonMobil decides to proceed with Whiptail development offshore Guyana

Global heating pushes coral reefs towards worst planet-wide mass bleaching on record

Global heating has pushed the world’s coral reefs to a fourth planet-wide mass bleaching event that is on track to be the most extensive on record, US government scientists…Continue readingGlobal heating pushes coral reefs towards worst planet-wide mass bleaching on record

Peregrine falcons expose lasting harms of flame retardant use

Peregrine falcon populations across North America are heavily contaminated with harmful flame retardants–including those that have been phased out for years—according to a new study published in Environmental Science…Continue readingPeregrine falcons expose lasting harms of flame retardant use

World’s coal power capacity rises despite climate warnings

A report by Global Energy Monitor found that coal power capacity grew by 2% last year, driven by an increase in new coal plants across China and a slowdown…Continue readingWorld’s coal power capacity rises despite climate warnings

Saudi Aramco CEO calls energy transition strategy a failure

Pointing to the still paltry share of renewable energy in global supply, the head of Saudi Aramco described the current energy transition strategy as a misguided failure. “In the…Continue readingSaudi Aramco CEO calls energy transition strategy a failure

Oil executives talk down rapid shift to green energy as profits boom

Big Oil used an industry conference this week to argue against a rapid transition to green energy, as fossil fuel companies are emboldened by high demand and record profits…Continue readingOil executives talk down rapid shift to green energy as profits boom

Massachusetts town grapples with sea rise after sand barrier fails

On the border with New Hampshire and Massachusetts – about 35 miles north of Boston – is Salisbury, a coastal town and popular summer destination for tourists. But for…Continue readingMassachusetts town grapples with sea rise after sand barrier fails

Methane emissions from energy sector rose in 2023: IEA

Planet-heating methane released by the fossil fuel industry rose to near record highs in 2023 despite technology available to curb this pollution at virtually no cost, the International Energy…Continue readingMethane emissions from energy sector rose in 2023: IEA

Amid explosive demand, America is running out of power

Vast swaths of the United States are at risk of running short of power as electricity-hungry data centers and clean-technology factories proliferate around the country, leaving utilities and regulators…Continue readingAmid explosive demand, America is running out of power

What’s slowing down America’s clean energy transition? It’s not the cost

For the first time, clean energy in the United States is at the same price as energy from burning fossil fuels thanks to policy measures. The report found that…Continue readingWhat’s slowing down America’s clean energy transition? It’s not the cost

Vanishing ice and snow: record warm winter wreaks havoc across US midwest

While ice cover across the Great Lakes – a network of five freshwater lakes about the size of the United Kingdom – has been declining since the early 1970s,…Continue readingVanishing ice and snow: record warm winter wreaks havoc across US midwest

Oil and gas profits triple under Joe Biden even as industry decries him

Profits for the biggest US oil and gas producers have almost tripled under President Joe Biden, even as the industry berates his administration’s “hostile” policies and warns that a…Continue readingOil and gas profits triple under Joe Biden even as industry decries him

Shell begins production from Rydberg project in US Gulf of Mexico

Shell has commenced production at Rydberg, a subsea tie-back to the Appomattox production hub in the Gulf of Mexico. Rydberg is a conventional oil development located in ultra-deepwater in…Continue readingShell begins production from Rydberg project in US Gulf of Mexico

Big firms with $7 tn exit climate investment pressure group

Launched in 2017, Climate Action 100+ aims to work with companies to halve their greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, through governance reforms, the elimination of emission through the value…Continue readingBig firms with $7 tn exit climate investment pressure group

US West’s ‘hot drought’ is unprecedented in more than 500 years

There’s no precedent in at least five centuries for how hot and dry the West has been in the last two decades, new research asserts using analysis of tree…Continue readingUS West’s ‘hot drought’ is unprecedented in more than 500 years

ExxonMobil and Chevron notch second-biggest annual profits in decade

Exxon posted full-year net income of $36bn, down from $55.7bn the previous year, but otherwise its biggest profit since 2012. Chevron’s net income of $21.4bn was down from $35.5bn…Continue readingExxonMobil and Chevron notch second-biggest annual profits in decade

Hurricane waves hitting Americas grow 20% per decade

The U.S., Mexico and countries in the Caribbean are being battered by hurricane-induced ocean waves that have grown in areal size by 80% over the past 40 years, a…Continue readingHurricane waves hitting Americas grow 20% per decade

More than Half of all Daily Trips in US Were Less than Three Miles in 2021

A research study for the Bureau of Transportation Statistics focused on the number of daily trips taken in the United States. In 2021, 52% of all trips, including all…Continue readingMore than Half of all Daily Trips in US Were Less than Three Miles in 2021

Hundreds of new oil and gas projects approved despite climate crisis

More than 400 oil and gas projects were approved globally in the last two years despite calls to abandon all new hydrocarbon development, new figures showed as the UN…Continue readingHundreds of new oil and gas projects approved despite climate crisis

UN human rights experts express alarm over PFAS pollution in North Carolina

A new investigation by human rights experts appointed by the United Nations has expressed alarm at evidence of pollution from a North Carolina PFAS manufacturing plant, describing it as…Continue readingUN human rights experts express alarm over PFAS pollution in North Carolina

US industry disposed of at least 60m pounds of PFAS waste in last five years

US industry disposed of at least 60m pounds of PFAS “forever chemical” waste over the last five years, and did so with processes that probably pollute the environment around…Continue readingUS industry disposed of at least 60m pounds of PFAS waste in last five years

Excelerate Energy signs 15-year LNG supply deal with Petrobangla

Excelerate Energy, a US-based liquefied natural gas (LNG) company, and Bangladesh Oil, Gas & Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla), a government-owned national gas company of Bangladesh, have entered into a long-term…Continue readingExcelerate Energy signs 15-year LNG supply deal with Petrobangla

Coral researchers see ‘mass mortality’ amid Florida Reef bleaching crisis

Elkhorn corals are already considered “functionally extinct” in the upper Keys, and other elkhorn and staghorn populations in the Florida Reef are following suit, according to Liv Williamson, an…Continue readingCoral researchers see ‘mass mortality’ amid Florida Reef bleaching crisis

Researchers report mass bleaching of coral reefs in warming Florida oceans: ‘Like a forest without trees’

An unprecedented rise in ocean temperatures off the coast of Florida early in the summer made headlines as it caused countless dead fish to wash ashore. But the impact…Continue readingResearchers report mass bleaching of coral reefs in warming Florida oceans: ‘Like a forest without trees’

Here are the places that could become too hot for humans due to climate change

Heat waves have always been part of summer, but the familiar short periods of oppressive conditions have grown into weeks to months of sweltering heat. Research has shown that…Continue readingHere are the places that could become too hot for humans due to climate change

Ørsted cancels two US offshore windfarm projects at £3.3bn cost

Denmark’s Ørsted has cancelled two big offshore windfarm projects in the US at a cost of more than £3bn amid surging costs facing the global wind industry. Shares in…Continue readingØrsted cancels two US offshore windfarm projects at £3.3bn cost

The mighty Mississippi, America’s water highway, is dangerously low

From the Great Lakes in the north to Louisiana in the south, the majestic Mississippi is a shadow of its former self. For the second straight year, water levels…Continue readingThe mighty Mississippi, America’s water highway, is dangerously low

Competitive Power Ventures completes 1.25GW Three Rivers natural gas-fired plant

Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) celebrated with its partners, local officials and supporters the successful completion of the CPV Three Rivers Energy Center (CPV Three Rivers) in Grundy County, IL.…Continue readingCompetitive Power Ventures completes 1.25GW Three Rivers natural gas-fired plant

ExxonMobil signs $60bn all-stock deal to acquire Pioneer Natural Resources

ExxonMobil has signed an all-stock deal worth $59.5bn to acquire Pioneer Natural Resources, an American publicly listed company focused on upstream operations in the Permian shale basin. The merger…Continue readingExxonMobil signs $60bn all-stock deal to acquire Pioneer Natural Resources

Chevron signs $53bn all-stock deal to acquire rival oil and gas firm Hess

Chevron has agreed to acquire rival American publicly listed oil and gas company Hess in an all-stock deal worth $53bn in a move to upgrade and diversify its portfolio.…Continue readingChevron signs $53bn all-stock deal to acquire rival oil and gas firm Hess

China is set to dominate the deep sea and its wealth of rare metals

The ocean floor is shaping up to be the world’s next theater of global resource competition — and China is set to dominate it. The sea is believed to…Continue readingChina is set to dominate the deep sea and its wealth of rare metals

Seatrium delivers floating production unit for Gulf of Mexico project

Seatrium Limited announced the successful delivery of the Floating Production Unit (FPU), Whale, for deployment in the Gulf of Mexico, in accordance with the contract secured in November 2019…Continue readingSeatrium delivers floating production unit for Gulf of Mexico project

Roundup herbicide ingredient connected to epidemic levels of chronic kidney disease

For the past couple of decades, tens of thousands of people living in rural Sri Lanka have been devastated by kidney failure due to unclear causes, also known as…Continue readingRoundup herbicide ingredient connected to epidemic levels of chronic kidney disease

ExxonMobil doubles down on fossil fuels with $59.5 billion Pioneer deal

ExxonMobil is buying itsoil and gas rival Pioneer Natural Resources in a $59.5 billion megadeal. The latest ExxonMobil deal creates a shale-drilling behemoth in the U.S. Permian Basin, where…Continue readingExxonMobil doubles down on fossil fuels with $59.5 billion Pioneer deal

Climate-driven extreme heat may make parts of Earth too hot for humans

If global temperatures increase by 2°C above pre-industrial levels, the 2.2 billion residents of Pakistan and India’s Indus River Valley, the one billion people living in eastern China and…Continue readingClimate-driven extreme heat may make parts of Earth too hot for humans

At least 1,000 birds died from colliding with one Chicago building in one day

At least 1,000 birds died from colliding into a single building in Chicago on Thursday, 5 October, as they migrated south to their wintering grounds. Volunteers are still recovering…Continue readingAt least 1,000 birds died from colliding with one Chicago building in one day

Flash flooding inundates New York City

New York City and its adjoining areas have been brought to a standstill after a bout of torrential downpours triggered flash flooding, disrupting subway service, inundating ground-level apartments and…Continue readingFlash flooding inundates New York City

Woodside announces start of production at Shenzi North project

Australian oil and gas company Woodside Energy announced that its Shenzi North project has commenced production in the deepwater US Gulf of Mexico. Discovered in 2002, the Shenzi platform…Continue readingWoodside announces start of production at Shenzi North project

US hit by record number of billion-dollar disasters so far this year

Between January and August, the United States was struck by a record-breaking 23 weather and climate disasters where losses exceeded $1 billion in each case. The tally for 2023…Continue readingUS hit by record number of billion-dollar disasters so far this year

US climate scientist risks felony by chaining herself to pipeline drill

Two women climbed in the dark down the banks of the Greenbrier River in West Virginia on Thursday morning and locked themselves to a massive drill, stopping work on…Continue readingUS climate scientist risks felony by chaining herself to pipeline drill

The Energy System of the United States of America (USA)

A profile of the energy system of the USA has been published on this site.Continue readingThe Energy System of the United States of America (USA)

Louisiana sees ‘unprecedented’ wildfires amid record heat, drought

More than 450 fires have scorched parts of Louisiana amid weeks of record-breaking heat and severe drought conditions. The Tiger Island Fire, the largest wildfire in the state’s history,…Continue readingLouisiana sees ‘unprecedented’ wildfires amid record heat, drought

Hurricane Idalia could become 2023’s costliest climate disaster for the US

Hurricane Idalia could become the costliest climate disaster to hit the US this year, analysts say, with massive implications for the insurance and risk management industries. The category 3…Continue readingHurricane Idalia could become 2023’s costliest climate disaster for the US

The U.S. is pumping oil faster than ever. Republicans don’t care.

U.S. oil production — already the highest in the world — is on track to set a new record this year, and will probably rise even more in 2024.…Continue readingThe U.S. is pumping oil faster than ever. Republicans don’t care.

90% of Great Lakes water samples have unsafe microplastic levels

About 90% of water samples taken over the last 10 years from the Great Lakes contain microplastic levels that are unsafe for wildlife, a new peer-reviewed paper from the…Continue reading90% of Great Lakes water samples have unsafe microplastic levels

Drinking water of millions of Americans contaminated with ‘forever chemicals’

The water of as many as 26 million Americans is contaminated, according to an analysis of the new EPA data performed by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a Washington…Continue readingDrinking water of millions of Americans contaminated with ‘forever chemicals’

Non-native grass species blamed for ferocity of Hawaii wildfires

Scientists and academics say they have been warning for several years that invasive grasses covering a quarter of the Hawaii islands are a major fire risk. Untamed grassland helped…Continue readingNon-native grass species blamed for ferocity of Hawaii wildfires

‘Huge’ coral bleaching unfolding across the Americas prompts fears of global tragedy

Corals across several countries are bleaching and dying en masse from unprecedented levels of heat stress, prompting fears that an unfolding tragedy in Central America, North America and the…Continue reading‘Huge’ coral bleaching unfolding across the Americas prompts fears of global tragedy

Missing ice and bleached coral: the sudden warming of the oceans

Over the past few weeks, a large-scale rescue operation has been under way off the coast and keys of Florida. It began as water temperatures were rising towards a…Continue readingMissing ice and bleached coral: the sudden warming of the oceans

Huge wildfire explodes in southern California and spreads into Nevada

A massive fire burning through the desert in California and southern Nevada has scorched tens of thousands of acres in a biodiverse national preserve and torched its iconic Joshua…Continue readingHuge wildfire explodes in southern California and spreads into Nevada

Colorado River Basin megadrought caused by massive 86% decline in snowpack runoff

The Colorado River Basin provides freshwater to more than 40 million people within the semi-arid southwestern United States, including major cities such as Las Vegas and Los Angeles. However,…Continue readingColorado River Basin megadrought caused by massive 86% decline in snowpack runoff

Florida ocean temperature topped 100˚F, setting potential record

Shallow waters off south Florida topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8˚C) for several hours on Monday, potentially setting a new world record with temperatures more commonly associated with hot tubs.…Continue readingFlorida ocean temperature topped 100˚F, setting potential record

Blistering US heatwave spreads from south and scorches 190m Americans

A blistering heatwave that has engulfed the southern US over the past four weeks has spread to the Great Plains, midwest, mid-Atlantic and north-eastern regions, placing about 190 million…Continue readingBlistering US heatwave spreads from south and scorches 190m Americans

Heatwaves set more records across Europe, Asia and US

China Tourists flocked to a giant thermometer in China showing surface temperatures of 80 degrees Celsius (176 degress Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, the latest extreme weather sparking havoc and curiosity…Continue readingHeatwaves set more records across Europe, Asia and US

Deadly flooding hit several countries at once. Scientists say this will only be more common

Extreme rainfall accompanied by deadly flooding hit the United States and several other countries over the weekend and last week. In the U.S., flooding claimed five lives in Upper…Continue readingDeadly flooding hit several countries at once. Scientists say this will only be more common

US West and South bake under extended heat wave

Swaths of the United States home to more than 80 million people were under heat warnings or advisories Sunday, as relentless, record-breaking temperatures continued to bake western and southern…Continue readingUS West and South bake under extended heat wave

Global warming is supercharging weather events, say scientists

Schools in Delhi closed after monsoon rains caused landslides and flash floods on Monday. More than 50 people died across northern India, including in the Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand…Continue readingGlobal warming is supercharging weather events, say scientists

‘Hell on earth’: Phoenix’s extreme heatwave tests the limits of survival

Arizona’s capital city is nicknamed “Valley of the Sun”, and residents are used to scorching heat. But by day 12 of a vicious heatwave that’s sent temperatures soaring into…Continue reading‘Hell on earth’: Phoenix’s extreme heatwave tests the limits of survival

Risk of tap water exposure to toxic PFAS chemicals higher in Southern California

In what is considered to be the nation’s first large-scale analysis of PFAS in tap water from private wells and public water supplies, researchers estimated that at least 45%…Continue readingRisk of tap water exposure to toxic PFAS chemicals higher in Southern California

Alarmingly high PFAS levels found in the populations of Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Denmark and the UK

PFAS is used in almost all industries and is found in many products such as textiles, carpets, shoes, food packaging, cosmetics, fire foam and pesticides. The hunting community in…Continue readingAlarmingly high PFAS levels found in the populations of Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Denmark and the UK