And they are exacerbated by bad management, says Simon Long AS IT SCOURS the universe for signs of extraterrestrial life, NASA has a motto-cum-mission-statement: “Follow the water”. About 70% of the human
Californians have been enduring the latest in a string of power "emergencies" that have become a routine.Southern California and Pacific Gas & Electric, the state's two giant power utilities, have
America is about to enter the Dark Ages. So you would conclude, anyway to George Bush talk about energy. The electricity mess in California, which has left its biggest utilities nearly bankrupt and
When earlier this year George Bush started talking about his desire for a "common North American energy policy", the immediate reaction in Canada took the characteristic form of an undignified
After two years and $250m in exploration costs, a Shell/Mobil consortium has told Peru that it will not go ahead with developing Peru's huge Camisea gas field. The big trouble was the role the
California will need to buy a lot of expensive power this summer. It must work out how to pay for it : a
The Japanese never used to be this awkward. On May 27th the residents of the village of Kariwa on the Japan Sea coast voted in a referendum against the use of MOX, a new type of fuel, in the local
On May 29th George W. Bush, on his first visit to California since his election, met Gray Davis, the governor, to discuss the electricity shortage that grips in the state. Mr Davis has been
"Four birdwatchers and a couple of mayors." That is how Ecuador's president, Gustavo Noboa, describes environmental opposition to the route of a new $1.1 billion oil pipeline. The pipeline, already
Bashing Big Oil has been a popular sport of late. The soaring oil price and high petrol taxes helped to inspire widespread protests across Europe last month. Though the initial target was government,
Strategic or shameless? Bill Clinton's decision to release oil from America's Strategic Petroleum Reserve is still causing heads to be scratched. In response to soaring oil prices and a shortage of
