Ninety-four million years ago, Earth experienced warming similar – but much slower – than today.  So changes that occurred then hold clues to the fate that awaits humanity in the (relatively) near future. In a new study published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Assistant Professor of Geology Jeremy Owens …

US company TestAmerica, a member of the industry group Marcellus Shale Coalition, is being sued by landowners who claim that the company faked the result of water testing to produce favourable results for the fracking industry. Susan Phillips at State Impact explains that the lawsuit against the company over its …

In the course of an increasingly farcical referendum campaign, every twitch in every economic indicator is hailed as proof positive that leaving/remaining in the EU will bring forth nothing less than the four horsemen of the apocalypse to wreak war, famine, pestilence and plague upon anyone so foolish as to …

The process of hydraulically fracturing shale rock in order to recover oil and gas depends upon access to vast quantities of water.  Fracturing a single well can involve pumping as much as six million gallons of water – together with toxic fracking fluids (the exact content of which is considered …

The North Sea oil and gas industry is a mere shadow of its former self.  Once the cash cow for successive UK governments, the industry is now a basket case that requires government grants and tax breaks just to keep it operating.  Even with these props, the industry predicts a …

A new survey of its membership by the Energy Institute has cast doubt on the likelihood of governments meeting climate targets in the Paris Agreement that was signed earlier this year. The Energy Institute (EI) is the leading chartered professional membership body for the energy industry, supporting over 23,000 individuals …

Peabody Energy – once the world’s largest coal company – funded at least 24 campaign groups and several scientists who denied the existence of climate change.  The “astroturfing” (where artificial grass roots movements are created) activities came to light when the company filed for bankruptcy earlier this year. According to …

In a further sign that all is not well with the UK economy, large numbers of investment bankers are seeking work elsewhere.  Recruitment firm Morgan McKinley have seen an 8pc drop in the number of new financial services jobs on their books over the past year, with just 7,695 available, …

Energy regulator Ofgem has floated plans to make bill-payers pick up some of the costs of failing energy suppliers. According to Emily Gosden at the Telegraph, the regulator is seeking a means of protecting customers in credit with energy companies in the event of their running into financial difficulties: “The …

Trends in the European economy look a lot like Japan’s lost generation.  This is hardly surprising given that Europe has followed the same monetary policies adopted by Japan when its economy stalled in the 1990s.  Writing for the Evening Standard, Hamish McRae explains: “That is not a pro-Brexit statement. It …