In a country long wary of nuclear, an Indonesian chases the thorium dream
JAKARTA — In 2013, Bob Effendi was at a turning point. He wanted to leave the oil company he was working for. He had growing concerns about climate change and…
Energy Efficiency News
Sumatran habitat for tigers, orangutans gets a partial reprieve from development
JAKARTA — Officials in the Indonesian province of Aceh have vowed to safeguard the last known habitat shared by tigers, orangutans, rhinos and elephants, but concerns abound that the proposed…
UN forest accounting loophole allows CO2 underreporting by EU, UK, US
Scientists say burning woody biomass is not carbon neutral, yet the United Nations IPCC appears to be ignoring its own guidelines, so substantial emissions aren’t getting counted. But nature knows.
Red Cloud’s Revolution: Oglalla Sioux freeing themselves from fossil fuel
In the Trump era, the Oglalla of South Dakota are setting up solar companies and alternative energy schools to train their people for a New Economy, leaping past enslavement to fossil fuels.
Renewable energy to power 139 countries? Scientists say it’s possible
Clean, renewable energy holds immense potential to help us tackle a rapidly warming climate. But until a major shift away from fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas, it…
Methane mystery: fossil fuels spewing less methane, but gas continues to accumulate
It has no smell, but it’s a product of decay. You can’t see it with the naked eye, but it’s in increasingly high-demand. It’s methane: a gas that arises from…
China’s coal use has peaked ‘sooner than expected’
China is the largest consumer of coal in the world. It is also the world’s biggest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world. But China’s coal use may have reached…
Canada, Mexico, US announce joint clean energy, climate commitments
Canada, Mexico, and the United States have pledged to generate 50 percent of their electricity using clean energy technologies by 2025, according to a joint climate plan unveiled today. The…
Germany tops energy efficiency rating while U.S. remains stuck near the bottom
High speed rail train in China, which comes in fourth (tied with France) in the new ranking for energy efficiency. China has the world's largest high speed rail network. Photo…
Top scientists propose ambitious plans to safeguard world from devastating climate change
World must aim for one degrees Celsius warming, instead of two say leading scientists. Two degrees is too much: that's the conclusion of a landmark new paper by top economists…
Building a new generation of local conservationists: how improving education in Uganda may save one of the world’s great forests
The 2013 Zoos and Aquariums: Committing to Conservation (ZACC) conference runs from July 8th—July 12th in Des Moines, Iowa, hosted by the Blank Park Zoo. Ahead of the event, Mongabay.com…
Saving one of Africa’s most stunning parks through biomass briquettes and fuel-efficient stoves
The 2013 Zoos and Aquariums: Committing to Conservation (ZACC) conference runs from July 8th—July 12th in Des Moines, Iowa, hosted by the Blank Park Zoo. Ahead of the event, Mongabay.com…
Proposed coal plant threatens Critically Endangered Philippine cockatoo
One kilometer off the Philippine island of Palawan lies the Rasa Island Wildlife Sanctuary; here forest grows unimpeded from a coral island surrounded by mangroves and coral reefs. Although tiny,…
Energy efficiency gains failing to keep pace with Internet’s growth
Energy efficiency gains are failing to keep pace with the Internet's rapid rate of expansion, meaning that global web use is consuming an increasing share energy, warns a new perspective…
Energizing Sustainable Cities: Assessing Urban Energy – book review
Energizing Sustainable Cities: Assessing Urban Energy, edited by Arnulf Grubler and David Fisk, is a very well written book describing challenges and opportunities to define, analyze, and implement sustainable energy…
Paradigm shift needed to avert global environmental collapse, according to author of new book The Blueprint: Averting Global Collapse
Scientists and experts are increasingly concerned that we are entering an age of ecological collapse with untold impacts for future generations. In Daniel Rirdan's new book, The Blueprint, he outlines…
As Doha Climate Summit kicks off, more ambitious cuts to greenhouse gas emissions needed
Bangui Windfarm in the Philippines. Photo by: John Ryan Cordova. As the 18th meeting of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) kicks off this morning in oil and…
U.S. to become world’s largest oil producer in 5 years
In a dramatic reversal, the United States is set to become the world's largest producer of oil by 2017, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA).…
Will we need to pull carbon out of the atmosphere to save ourselves?
The ongoing decline in Arctic sea ice hit a new record this year that rocked even the most pessimistic predictions. The low sea ice extent hit 18 percent below the…
U.S. boosts fuel economy standard to 54.5 mpg
US oil consumption and fuel economy. Data from the EIA. The Obama administration finalized rules that will boost the national fuel economy standard for cars and light trucks to 54.5…
Special series
Endangered environmentalists
- Murder of activist in India highlights growing risk to environmental defenders
- Number of murdered environmental activists rose once again in 2017
- Indonesia to investigate death of journalist being held for defaming palm oil company
Indonesias forest guardians
- Papuan chef Charles Toto serves up sustainability and environmental protection in a platter
- In eastern Indonesia, a forest tribe pushes back against miners and loggers
- Faith in the forest helps Indonesia’s Dayaks keep plantations, loggers at bay
Amazon infrastructure
- Bolivian coca crops follow a planned highway through indigenous lands
- Jair Bolsonaro: looming threat to the Amazon and global climate?
- Fate of the Amazon is on the ballot in Brazil’s presidential election (commentary)
Asian rhinos
- In a rhino stronghold, indigenous wood-carvers cut through stereotypes
- Indonesian government puts off Sumatran rhino IVF program
- The rhino reckoning
