The Transnational Institute has surveyed moves towards fracking and counts four countries that have started and 18 that are interested, including the major imperialist powers, except France, and all the BRIC countries. In France, fracking was banned in July 2011, following a large national mass movement, based on opposition in areas where sites had been earmarked for exploration. A... Read more
Climate Justice
Europe cannot drill its way to a low-carbon economy, say climate justice groups
Brussels, May 21, 2013. - EU leaders will meet tomorrow (May 22nd) to discuss how to lower energy prices and this way ‘improve’ European industrial competitiveness (1). However, the undersigned organisations warn that under the rhetoric of boosting growth, productivity and employment, lays the intention of furthering fossil fuel extraction including shale gas.... Read more
De mondiale wedloop om de allerlaatste grondstoffen
Michael T. Klare is professor ‘peace and world security studies’ aan Hampshire College en auteur van The Race for What’s Left: The Global Scramble for the World's Last Resources (2012) , Blood and Oil (2004) en Resource Wars (2002).
De wereld wordt geconfronteerd met uitputting van grondstoffen – een crisis zonder precedent die zich manifesteert in een tekort aan olie en kool, koper en kobalt, water en land. Nu dat alle toegankelijke natuurlijke bronnen al worden geëxploiteerd, heeft de jacht op de laatste voorraden een nieuwe grens bereikt.
Grondstofwinning gaat steeds moeizamer en de milieurisico’s nemen steeds ernstigere vormen aan. Micheal Klare stelt in zijn nieuwe boek dat de wereldwijde strijd om de laatste grondstoffen zal leiden tot nieuwe mondiale conflicten en terratoriale geschillen.
Wat is de rol van onconventionele energiebronnen zoals schaliegas in de verandering van geopolieke verhoudingen? Kan deze ‘energie revolutie’ leiden tot minder afhankelijkheid van het Midden Oosten en Rusland? Kan het Nederland helpen de economische crisis te boven te komen? Of hebben we het punt bereikt dat we bij onszelf te rade moeten gaan of ons huidige energie consumptiepatroon nog wel vol te houden is?
Entree is gratis. Graag aanmelden bij Hilde van der Pas (hildevanderpas@tni.org)

The Global Scramble for the World's Last Resources
Michael T. Klare is a professor of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College and the author of The Race for What’s Left: The Global Scramble for the World's Last Resources (2012) , Blood and Oil (2004) and Resource Wars (2002).
The world is facing an unprecedented crisis of resource depletion---a crisis that encompasses shortages of oil and coal, copper and cobalt, water and arable land. With all of the Earth’s accessible areas already being exploited, the desperate hunt for supplies has now reached the final frontiers.
With resource extraction growing more difficult, the environmental risks are becoming increasingly severe and the global scramble for the worlds last resources will lead to new conflicts and territorial disputes.
What role are unconventional energy resources like shale gas playing in the changing geopolitics of energy? Could this ‘energy revolution’ lead to less dependence on Russia and the Middle East and help the Netherlands trade its way out of the crisis? Or are we at the point that we have to take a good hard look at the rates at which we consume energy?
Free entrance: please register with Hilde van der Pas (hildevanderpas@tni.org)
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Climate change, energy security and arms trade
"I think climate change is a real opportunity for the aerospace and defense industry," said Lord Drayson, then British Minister of State for Strategic Defence Acquisition Reform, in 2009. New markets are emerging.... Read more
Flagship carbon scheme in jeopardy?
BBC World Business Report, 16 April 2013,... Read more
EU carbon price collapses
After the vote, the price of carbon permits dropped by about 40% to its lowest ever price of €2.63. New Energy Finance predicts that it might fall as low as €1.... Read more
Protecting carbon to destroy forests
NGOs call for ETS to be scrapped
A group of global NGOs have released a report today (15 April) calling for the European Union's emissions trading scheme (ETS) to be completely scrapped. It comes one day before a highly uncertain vote by the European Parliament in Strasbourg which could determine the fate of emissions trading. The report “EU ETS myth busting: why it can't be reformed and shouldn't be replicated” has... Read more