All Entries in the "Energy Resources" Category
Water seeks its own level: here comes that sinking feeling
What’s the difference between the climate jamboree and the Titanic? At least the latter had an orchestra. Numerous groups are eager to grab the headlines in Copenhagen; the smaller you are, the more original the initiatives. But dressing up as a polar bear is a tiresome business. Better try for direct appeal to bleeding hearts [...]
Pascal’s Wager, Gore’s Wages
“- Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?
- Supposing it didn’t, said Pooh after careful thought.”
(The House at Pooh Corner)
The Economist in its special report argued that the world needs a new climate treaty as an “insurance policy against a catastrophe that may never happen”. A curious statement, especially in [...]
Monsanto, mon amour
In truth, there is no such thing as absolute safety; but this fundamental human need may explain the excessive search for certainty in particular as the world seems awash with a constant flow of disconcerting events.
It seems obvious then to assume that risk is the opposite of safety. But it isn’t: as inaction also entails [...]
The Hypocritical Oath – Save Yourself – Blame the Media
The leading energy company Vattenfall and it’s owner has been under attack recently. Einar Du Rietz tries to sort out the mess.
One of the largest energy companies in Europe, Swedish state owned Vattenfall has come under heavy media attack recently, and so has the responsible minister for industry, Maud Olofsson. The main reason is [...]
Reversing the burden of spoof
by Jacob Arfwedson
One of the less endearing features of government supporters is their general disdain for democracy when eventually popular vote goes against their designs. The legitimacy of consent suddenly becomes irrelevant and a downright nuisance. In Europe, we experienced this in the constitutional negotiations: first with the Maastricht Treaty, and more recently with [...]
Gone With the Wind: Carbon Millionaires Arrested for Fraud
Italian Wind Fraud Investigation Extends to the Netherlands, UK, Ireland, and Spain. Subsidies Questioned.
For some carbon millionaires, lining their pockets legally through taxpayer subsidies and hand outs is not enough. They choose to cheat even though they’re playing a game that’s already rigged.
The Efficiency Battle is Won – Don’t Lose it
The development in energy efficiency for appliances has been remarkable over the past decades, notes Einar Du Rietz. The best thing is not only the cost savings, but that not even a galloping increase in the amount of white goods in use in the world would harm the environment. Quite the opposite. However, the industry seems [...]
Germany’s High Solar Subsidies Under Fire
EDGAR L. GÄRTNER (Frankfurt)
Although the document released on Saturday, October 24th doesn’t mention it, the new German government coalition between Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats and Guido Westerwelle’s Liberals will be obliged to sooner or later reign in Germany’s high subsidies for photovoltaic power. One of the main causes of high German power prices is the [...]
All Pain No Gain
The reality behind American Cap and Trade
PAUL DRIESSEN (Washington)
What is Cap and Trade?
To address concerns that global warming threatens our planet, activists and politicians are pushing for a “cap-and-trade” program that would limit and tax carbon dioxide released by power plants, cars, factories and other facilities. It is a very complicated regulatory scheme that [...]
Wind Farms Cause Bird Populations to Decline by Half
The Daily Telegraph reports windfarms, “can reduce bird numbers by up to half” citing a study by Britain’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
The idea of generating electricity from the wind always seems attractive at first glance. However, wind continues to generate only one percent of world power. Increasing that percentage requires adding [...]
Web Site Evolution
As CFACT EU revamps its web site. Here’s how twenty popular web sites looked when they launched.
20 Popular Sites At Launch
CFACT's Presentation to the Paneuropa Youth Conference in Vienna
HOLGER J. THUSS (Jena)
On February 6th an audience of 80 assembled in the Miller Aicholz Conference Center in Vienna, Austria, to discuss the upcoming European Elections, and to listen to various prominent speakers addressing this year’s key event of EU politics. Most of the attendees so called PanAlp09 conference were students and young academics from [...]
Wind Watch: Wind Farm Threatens to Spoil the Albanian Coast
Albania’s government risks wrecking one of Europe’s last unspoiled environments ( and breaking its own laws) by allowing an Albanian subsidiary of an Italian company to build a wind farm on a coastal nature reserve and on part of a national park.
The government has transferred more than 97 hectares of land to Italy’s Moncada Energy [...]
Germany Cancels Biofuel Plans
Fears repercussions from angry motorists
HOLGER J. THUSS (Jena)
“ production may go down as one of the biggest blunders in history. An unholy alliance of environmentalists, agribusiness, biofuel corporations and politicians has been touting ethanol as the cure to all our environmental ills, when in fact it may be doing more harm than good. An array [...]
