MenuEnvironmental advocates made an impassioned plea to the UN for a novel request: a moratorium on deep-sea mining. This call comes amid both forthcoming international meetings on the subject scheduled for 2024 and the rapid, albeit quiet, explosion of interest in deep-sea mining. Once a topic for science fiction, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has
Category Archives: Geopolitics
War In Israel Will Not Damage Oil Markets Unless Iran Wants It To
Oil prices surged on Monday as fears of a broader war in the Middle East panicked investors. Worries about an escalation that could’ve affected oil-producing Middle Eastern countries caused a 4% rise in Brent Crude oil prices to $88 per barrel. After the heinous terrorist attacks in Israel committed by Hamas, which have thus far
Germany’s Infrastructure Spending Spree Won’t Solve Its Energy Problems
In one of the most important energy deals in its history, Germany is purchasing its single largest power grid thus far. It plans to acquire Dutch state-owned operator TenneT Holding BV for $20 billion Euros. In doing so, it hopes that this will help it realize its goal of 100% renewable energy by 2045 through
Who Wins & Loses The New Sino-American Green Trade War?
In a bold move, the US has announced sweeping tariffs on Chinese solar cells and modules, intensifying the Sino-American trade war in the renewable energy sector. Like electric vehicles, U.S. will use the full power of its trade regulatory apparatus to stymie China’s unfair competition. This latest announcement came after a Department of Commerce probe
BRICS Expansion: China’s Energy Victory?
At a recent summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) group, which some believe can counter-balance the West, for the first time in over a decade, opted to invite six new members: Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE UAE0.0%). This disparate group of emerging economies has one
Will China’s Electric Vehicle Dominance End?
Amidst Hangzhou’s modern skyline are scores of weed-infested lots filled with the remains of thousands of abandoned electric vehicles (EVs). China’s EV revolution soared to prominence, generating envy and fear from Western competitors. Like the Greek mythological hero Icarus, however, it may have flown too close to the sun. As China now confronts intense deflationary
Putin’s Threats To Zaporizhhia Nuclear Power Plant Endangers Energy Transition
Carl Sagan once said, “The nuclear arms race is like two sworn enemies standing waist-deep in gasoline, one with three matches, the other with five.” The near-universal recognition of the futility of an all-out nuclear war led to widespread cuts in nuclear armaments since Gorbachev’s perestroika and the Soviet collapse in 1991. Even anti-communist hawks
Russia’s War & China’s Ambition Remake Eurasian Energy Routes
Putin’s chef and international villain par excellence, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s half-baked coup against Russia’s Vladimir Putin highlighted just how toxic Russia has become as a global business partner. While Prigozhin ostensibly failed and his power base is being purged, his failed coup revealed the fragility of the Russian state. Read the full article here.
The Promise and Peril of AI in the Energy Sector
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the energy industry, driving digitalization and predictive capabilities. While boosting efficiency, it also exposes vulnerabilities that require careful management. Cyberattacks, which will increasingly leverage AI, experienced a significant surge of 2000% between 2018 and 2019, but the frequency has since stabilized. Read the full article here.
India’s Green Energy Potential Hampered By Pakistan’s Turmoil
The environmental costs of extracting lithium present another barrier to local lithium production which may exacerbate tensions. The mining of lithium, like other minerals, will pollute the surrounding areas, potentially contaminating the groundwater and exposing local populations to toxic chemicals. The fact that Jammu and Kashmir are the origin points for Pakistan’s primary river, the Indus River,