Commentary / World Jul 18, 2014

The real shale revolution

It was the mastery of horizontal drilling around 1990 — originally for oil rather than gas exploration — that lit the long fuse for the so-called shale revolution that erupted 15 years later.

Commentary / World Jul 14, 2014

Why capturing CO2 emissions remains frustratingly expensive

Deploying carbon caputure and storage technology will be essential if the rise in average global temperatures is to be limited to no more than 2 degrees Celsius by the middle of the century. Yet CCS remains frustratingly expensive.

Commentary / World Jul 13, 2014

Squeezing the friendly fire out of ol' King Coal

There is no way to meet growing global demand for electricity that does not rely on large amounts of coal-fired power generation for the foreseeable future. The challenge is to burn coal more cleanly, producing more electricity with fewer emissions of CO2 and other ...

Commentary / World Jun 24, 2014

China can learn from U.S. how to cut smog

Smog in China's cities is often presented as if it were the same problem as greenhouse emissions and climate change. In fact, China could significantly reduce its air pollution by enforcing the same emission control techniques that have been used in the U.S. and ...

Commentary / World Jun 17, 2014

U.S. may have to 'drink poison' on Iran

President Barack Obama and the overstretched U.S. may have to decide whether to settle with Iran on the nuclear issue because that would be better than watching the Middle East descend into chaos.

Commentary / World Jun 12, 2014

Politics at the root of India's power problems

India finally has an integrated nationwide power system. Now it needs to sweep away the entrenched interests in the state electricity boards and shift to a full cost-recovery model.