https://www.intellinews.com/cop29-azerbaijan-fossil-fuel-scandal-sums-up-the-crisis-of-modern-climate-diplomacy-352396/ By bne IntelliNews November 11, 2024 A damning investigation has revealed that Azerbaijan’s COP29 leadership attempted to use the UN climate summit to broker fossil fuel deals, drawing fierce criticism from former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres, who condemned the actions as “a treason” to the climate process. Secret recordings and documents obtained through an undercover […]

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Their efforts in the past year have left an indelible mark on the entire speech industry, brought the technology to new heights and new markets, and generated a lot of buzz along the way.

[Addis Standard] Addis Abeba -- Drivers in Hawassa, the capital of Sidama Regional State, report an acute and worsening fuel shortage, which they attribute to widespread black market sales within the city.

One section of the motor trade is benefitting from the cost-of-living crisis: with consumers keeping their cars for longer, independent repairers are in huge demand. But they are also under pressure. Older cars need more repairs. They require more replacement parts, tyres and fluids. With car owners looking for value and a fast turn-around, independents are actively seeking the most efficient and effective way to source those parts.....

Bowker Transport is set to improve driver safety, reduce fuel use and cut CO2 emissions, due to an integrated Webfleet fleet management and VisionTrack camera system, supplied by Daisy Communications across its fleet of 225 HGVs.

Next week the U.S. military plans to begin draining fuel from World War II-era underground fuel tanks in Hawaii. Work to drain the 104 million gallons remaining in the tanks is scheduled to begin on Monday. 

The post US military to begin draining leaky fuel tank facility that poisoned Pearl Harbor drinking water first appeared on Federal News Network.

A trial for a mass environmental injury is starting more than two years after a jet fuel leak in Pearl Harbor's drinking water poisoned thousands of people.

The post More than a dozen military families in Hawaii spark trial over 2021 jet fuel leak that tainted water first appeared on Federal News Network.

Stick to the fossil fuel car ban, says incoming EU transport chief

The conditions favoring formation of Atlantic hurricanes are more extreme than ever seen before.

Location: Engineering Library- TP339.J65 2016

NPR's A Martinez speaks with Brian Murray, of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, about President-elect Trump's promise to increase fossil fuel production.

Beyond Fuel From World Fuel Services Reliable Fuel Supply Global Logistics And Innovative Technology Solutions We Deliver By Lan... Bill Stover, Vice President Internal Audit, Executive Management, Doral, FL, United States

College Park, GA United States - Description Directs and coordinates fueling activities to provide fast and efficient services for customers by performing the following duties personally or through subordinate supervisors. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may... View

E-commerce giant Amazon joins Google and other tech companies in investing in nuclear power they plan to use in the race to build new AI-powered products.

Green pump for diesel, blue for gas – but what’s the difference?

"I find it reassuring that in a game that is in some ways a libertarian power fantasy (you and your spaceship, go anywhere do whatever you want), and a PvP universe, one of the first things people did was create a volunteer ambulance service." Over on Mastodon, Dave Anderson walks us through the story of the Fuel Rats, the emergency refueling service of Elite:Dangerous.

Business group Logistics UK has expressed its members’ mixed emotions about the new government’s first Budget. While the industry is reassured by the freeze in fuel duty, the hike in National Insurance contributions from employers and higher business rates, amongst other tax rises, will be a real challenge for a sector that operates on small margins.

For people living near a gasoline storage facility in Commerce City, the company’s decision to cancel its expansion near an elementary school was an environmental victory.

Generative AI could also provide more opportunities for players to go off-script and create their own stories if designers can craft environments that feel more alive and can react to players’ choices in real-time.

The Government has introduced the Draft Consultation Fuels Bill and is inviting the public to provide feedback by emailing the Department of Energy at energy@gov.bm by September 7th. A Government spokesperson said, “The public will recall the efforts of the Department of Energy that led to the Government’s adoption of Bermuda’s National Fuels Policy in […]

The ‘Fuels Bill 2022′ will move the “responsibility for the regulation of fuels under the auspices of the Regulatory Authority,” Deputy Premier & Minister of Home Affairs Walter Roban said in the House of Assembly. The Minister said, “The Fuels Bill seeks to make the Regulatory Authority responsible for not only the regulation of the […]

BELCO advised that beginning October 1st, 2023 there will be an increase in the Fuel Adjustment Rate [FAR]. A spokesperson said, “With the approval of the Bermuda Regulatory Authority, the FAR will increase from the existing rate of 16.513 cents per kilowatt-hour [kWh] to 24.517 cents per kWh. The FAR is comprised of 20.09 cents per […]

[Column written by Denise DeMoura] A few people have asked me to help them understand more about Belco. So I’m going to try: starting with fuels and the generators that turn them into electricity. It’s overwhelming just trying to understand the differences between the types of fuel that Belco could potentially use–and the many different […]

The Regulatory Authority of Bermuda announced “its expansion into the regulation of the fuel sector, effective 1 January 2024.” A spokesperson said, “This strategic move is in alignment with the Fuel Act 2022, signifying a noteworthy step in the organisation’s commitment to regulatory oversight in Bermuda. This aligns with its mission to serve stakeholders through a proactive, […]

There is “no sign” of the transition away from burning fossil fuels that was pledged by the world’s nations a year ago, with 2024 on track to set another new record for global carbon emissions. The new data, released at the UN’s Cop29 climate conference in Azerbaijan, indicates that the…

DOGE trades at premium on Upbit and Bithumb relative to Binance. - The price differential is still noticeably lower than the previous bull market peaks. Today is just that day as Koreans seem to be jumping into the DOGE market, driving prices higher and creating a noticeable premium on local…

Undercover filming shows COP29 chief exec discussing new oil and gas projects ahead of climate summit.

1. 9 protein-packed Indian breakfasts to fuel your day  Business Insider India
2. 6 Protein-Packed Breakfast Without Eggs  HerZindagi
3. 8 High-Protein Indian Breakfast Recipes to Fuel Your Day  Recipes
4. Wholesome Indian breakfasts that boost energy  Business Insider India
5. Have a protein-rich breakfast every day for these 7 benefits  Hindustan Times

Fossil Fuels Expert Roundtable: Forecasting Forum 2018 12 February 2018 — 2:00PM TO 5:30PM Anonymous (not verified) 18 December 2017 Chatham House, London

This forum will present the latest thinking from senior researchers on the dynamics that will affect fossil fuels investment and markets in the year ahead. The first session will assess the various factors keeping oil and gas prices from bouncing back and will consider conditions and political developments that could influence markets in the year ahead. The second session will assess the future of the power sector and what this means for the fossil fuels industry.

Attendance at this event is by invitation only.

Fossil Fuels Expert Roundtable: How Solar is Shaping the Energy Transition 1 June 2018 — 9:00AM TO 10:30AM Anonymous (not verified) 22 May 2018 Chatham House, London

As global temperatures rise and extreme weather events multiply, doubts over the reality and imminence of climate change have dissipated. Despite this, there is a clear lack of urgency by governments to the approaching crisis. At this event, Prem Shankar Jha will set out what he believes are the three main causes for this inaction.

Furthermore, he will argue that catastrophic climate change is imminent, but even if it weren’t, the risk is too great to ignore. Only a complete shift from fossil fuels by 2070 at the latest would provide reasonable certainty of avoiding irreversible consequences. This transition is not only possible but the technologies to enable it were harnessed four to nine decades ago – and all of them draw their primary energy from the sun. These technologies are already capable of delivering electricity, transport fuels, and petrochemicals at prices that are competitive with the current delivered cost of electricity in the US and Western Europe. So what is holding up the energy shift?

Attendance at this event is by invitation only.

The Costs of Fuelling Humanitarian Aid Research paper sysadmin 7 December 2018

As humanitarian crises become more protracted and aid budgets face unprecedented scrutiny, agencies could save millions by switching from diesel and oil fuels to cleaner energy sources.

Download the accompanying toolkit

Most refugee and internal displacement camps are in remote locations, so humanitarian agencies consume large amounts of fuel on the transport of staff, equipment, and goods such as food and water.

Operations tend to rely on on-site electricity generation to power reception centres, clinics, schools, food storage, water-pumping and street lighting. Despite the essential role of energy in humanitarian action, and the UN’s stated commitment to carbon neutrality by 2020, there is no concerted effort to move away from fossil fuel to date.

Summary points

• Agencies are paying too much for the energy they consume. They are overwhelmingly dependent on oil fuel for electricity generation, even though renewable energy solutions are reducing costs for those deploying them in similar conditions. Well-below-optimum standards of efficiency in buildings, generator use and fleet management are also the norm.
• Agencies typically have few incentives to do things better. There is rarely motivation to conserve fuel, nor performance indicators for energy or fuel use. In addition, energy spending and use lacks transparency.
• Few agencies collect and report on energy use. Where numbers are available, they are usually partial and unverified. Energy costs are rarely transparent in budgets; and donors do not know how much is being spent.
• We estimate that around 5 per cent of humanitarian agencies’ expenditure goes on diesel, petrol and associated costs such as fixing generators. That would mean that the sector spent some $1.2 billion on polluting fuel in 2017.
• Based on current best-practice, the sector could save at least 10 per cent of fuel costs on ground transport, 37 per cent through behaviour change and more efficient technologies, and 60 per cent on generation – all using currently available, affordable and proven practice and technology changes.
• At current prices, this could mean operational savings of over $517 million a year for the humanitarian sector, roughly equal to 5 per cent of UNHCR’s funding gap for 2017.
• In Kenya, annual spending on diesel and petrol for the seven agencies surveyed was $6.7 million in 2017. Replacing gensets with solar systems could create significant savings due the costs of diesel, the likelihood of protracted camp situations, and the opportunities that off-grid solar would offer for extending electricity access to refugees and local populations in Garissa and Turkana counties.
• In Jordan, solar energy now powers the majority of camp facilities and many households. However, the use of grid electricity by humanitarian agencies’ large head offices in Amman remains high and expensive. Improving the energy efficiency of buildings is a priority for savings.
• In Burkina Faso’s Goudoubo camp, NGO offices are desperately short of power – they have no computers or air-conditioning. Investment in renewable forms of energy for this and other camp services such as street lighting and water pumping would enable better service provision, and could drive increased rural energy access among host populations across this area of the Sahel.

Toolkit

An accompanying toolkit, Powering Ahead: Improving How We Use and Account for Energy in Humanitarian Operations, provides practical guidance for humanitarian agencies that want to make energy cost savings and reduce their carbon and emissions footprint.

Cooking in Displacement Settings: Engaging the Private Sector in Non-wood-based Fuel Supply Research paper sysadmin 22 January 2019

In displacement settings, providing cooking solutions that reduce negative impacts on the environment and health remains a challenge for local governments, humanitarian agencies, businesses and refugees.

Summary

• Providing adequate cooking fuel and clean-burning, fuel-efficient stoves in displacement settings has long been a major challenge for local authorities, humanitarian agencies, non-governmental organizations, local communities and refugees themselves. Refugees generally have limited access to modern cooking solutions. Most either depend on insufficient humanitarian agency handouts of ‘in-kind’ firewood or have to travel long distances to collect firewood.
• There is significant potential for private-sector engagement in this context – which, though largely overlooked to date, could result in win-win scenarios for all stakeholders. Refugee camps and other displacement settings present opportunities for private-sector cooking fuel companies to expand their customer bases, with the added advantage for vendors of offering concentrated demand and scope for economies of scale.
• For the Kakuma refugee camp complex in Kenya, the Moving Energy Initiative (MEI) decided to engage with the private sector directly. The MEI requested expressions of interest from local private-sector companies for expanding sales and distribution of fuels in the complex through the concession. The winning company – National Oil Corporation of Kenya – is to receive a prize of $50,000 for its proposed concession to supply liquefied petroleum gas both to refugees in the Kakuma complex and to the surrounding host community.
• The MEI also conducted interviews with various stakeholders in other contexts and countries who are engaged in efforts to develop market-based approaches to providing clean, fuel-efficient cooking solutions to refugees.
• Based on the interviews and the concession process, the MEI recommends greater donor investment and longer-term guaranteed funding for cooking interventions. This is needed to allow sufficient time to build sustainable markets and secure the requisite engagement and investments from the private sector.
• Larger, longer-term investments by the private sector – supported through partnerships with donors and humanitarian agencies – in infrastructure and demand creation (both in and outside the refugee community) can reduce the price of alternative solutions and support a gradual transition away from subsidies.

A Credit-fuelled Economic Recovery Stores Up Trouble for Turkey Expert comment sysadmin 17 February 2020

Turkey is repeating the mistakes that led to the 2018 lira crisis and another freefall for the currency may not be far off.

Since the 2018 economic crisis, when the value of the lira plummeted and borrowing costs soared, Turkey’s economy has achieved a miraculous ‘V-shaped’ economic recovery from a recession lasting three quarters to a return back to quarterly growth above 1 per cent in the first three months of 2019.

But this quick turnaround has been built on vast amounts of cheap credit used to re-stimulate a consumption and construction boom. This so-called ‘triple C’ economy generated a rapid growth spurt akin to a modestly able professional sprinter injected with steroids.

This has made the currency vulnerable. The lira has steadily depreciated by 11 per cent against the US dollar since the beginning of 2019 and crossed the rate of 6 lira versus the US dollar on 7 February. And there are further warning signs on the horizon.

Credit bonanza

Statistics reveal that Turkish domestic credit grew by around 13 per cent on average throughout 2019. The credit bonanza is still ongoing. Mortgage-backed home sales jumped by a record high of 600 per cent last December alone and the 2019 budget deficit catapulted by 70 per cent due to higher government spending.

Turkey’s central bank fuelled this credit expansion by cutting interest rates aggressively to below inflation and, since the start of this year, purchasing lira-denominated bonds equivalent to around one-third of total acquisitions last year to push yields lower.

Equally, it has linked bank lending to reserve requirements – the money that banks have to keep at the central bank – to boost borrowings via state and private banks. Banks with a ‘real’ loan growth (including inflation) of between 5 and 15 per cent enjoy a 2 per cent reserve ratio on most lira deposits, which authorities adjusted from an earlier band of 10-20 per cent that did not consider double-digit inflation.

Cumulatively, bond purchases (effectively quantitative easing) and reserve management policies have also contributed to eased credit conditions.

Commercial banks have also reduced deposit rates on lira accounts to less than inflation to encourage consumption over saving. Together with low lending rates, the boost to the economy has flowed via mortgages, credit card loans, vehicle leasing transactions and general business borrowings.

Accordingly, stimulus is at the forefront of the government’s economic approach, as it was in 2017 and 2018. It does not seem to be implementing structural change to re-orient growth away from consumption towards productivity.

In addition, governance is, again, a central issue. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s near total monopolization of policymaking means he guides all domestic and external policies. He forced out the previous central bank governor, Murat Cetinkaya, in July 2019 because he did not share the president’s desire for an accelerated pace of interest rate reductions.

New challenges

Despite the similarities, the expected future financial turbulence will be materially different from its 2018 predecessor in four crucial respects.

Firstly, foreign investors will only be marginally involved. Turkey has shut out foreign investors since 2018 from lira-denominated assets by restricting lira swap arrangements. Unsurprisingly, the non-resident holdings of lira bonds has plummeted from 20 per cent in 2018 to less than 10 per cent today.

Secondly, the Turkish government has recently introduced indirect domestic capital controls by constraining most commercial transactions to the lira rather than to the US dollar or euro to reduce foreign currency demand in light of short-term external debt obligations of $191 billion.

Thirdly, the Turkish state banks are intervening quite regularly to soften Lira volatility, thereby transitioning from a ‘free float’ to a ‘managed float’. So far, they have spent over $37 billion over the last two years in a futile effort to buttress the lira. This level of involvement in currency markets cannot be maintained.

Fourthly, the Turkish state is being far more interventionist in the Turkish stock exchange and bond markets to keep asset prices elevated. Government-controlled local funds have participated in the Borsa Istanbul and state banks in sovereign debt to sustain rallies or reverse a bear market.

All these measures have one running idea: exclude foreign investors and no crisis will recur. Yet, when the credit boom heads to a downturn sooner or later, Turks will probably escalate lira conversions to US dollars; 51 per cent of all Turkish bank deposits are already dollar-denominated and the figure is still rising.

If Turkey’s limited foreign reserves cannot satisfy the domestic dollar demand, the government may have to impose comprehensive capital controls and allow for a double digit depreciation in the value of the lira to from its current level, with significant repercussions on Turkey’s political stability and economic climate.

To avoid this scenario, it needs to restore fiscal and monetary prudence, deal the with the foreign debt overhang in the private sector and focus on productivity-improving economic and institutional reforms to gain the confidence of global financial markets and Turks alike.

Nov. 8, 2024 — This month, over 100 academics, researchers, industry experts, and national lab staff gathered at Berkeley Lab’s Artificial Intelligence Science Summit (BLASS) to explore AI’s potential to drive […]

The post Berkeley Lab AI Science Summit Fuels Collaboration appeared first on HPCwire.

After clashing with the teacher community in often confrontational terms, Republican Gov. Matt Bevin faces a fierce battle to win re-election against Democratic rival Andy Beshear, the state's attorney general.

Advocates argue the need is greater than ever and that failure to press school funding lawsuits in this moment would be a missed opportunity.

In a rare technique among mammals, the bats burn proteins from blood, rather than carbs or fat, to power their pursuits of prey, according to a new study

More than 50 Norman Wells residents gathered at the Royal Canadian Legion on Thursday night to voice frustrations over high heating fuel prices.

With hundreds of vessels passing through Windsor's waterways every year, the company that fuels many of them will receive nearly $5 million in new funding to improve their infrastructure for the distribution of lower-carbon fuels — making the shipping industry more sustainable and lower emission. 

SOLIDWORKS design and COSMOS analysis software and technical support bring engineering fun, 3D CAD understanding to contests

3D CAD software enables U.K. company to design integrated heating and cooling systems that cut homeowner costs and reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent

A Ukrainian pastor responds to nearly 100 per cent unemployment in his village by starting biofuel and cash crop business enterprises.

The collection and use of data about just how prepared individual children are to enter kindergarten can be a ticklish proposition.

Michael Helbing, executive director of the Center for Energy Law and Policy and adjunct professor of law at Penn State, will give the talk, “Flying into the future: sustainable aviation fuel and the policies impacting its development,” at 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 7, in 112 Walker Building at Penn State University Park.

A new analysis finds that high-poverty schools are the least effective. But why those schools stifle achievement is harder to figure out.