Transition From Fossil Fuel to Green Energy Is Gaining Traction

By Michael T. Klare, TomDispatch Apr 16, 2015 Four key trends could speed the transition to renewables: the world’s growing determination to put a brake on climate change; a sea change in China’s stance on growth and the environment; the increasing embrace of green energy in the developing world; and the growing affordability of renewable energy. Dig deeper ( 12 Min. Read )

The Real Story Behind the Oil Price Collapse

By Michael T. Klare, TomDispatch Mar 13, 2015 With demand stagnant and excess production the story of the moment, the very strategy that once generated record-breaking profits for the oil industry has suddenly become hopelessly dysfunctional. Dig deeper ( 10 Min. Read )

Carbon Counterattack

By Michael T. Klare, TomDispatch Jan 9, 2015 Instead of retreating from a moral assault that portrays them as the enemies of humankind, the major oil, gas and coal companies have gone on the offensive, extolling their contributions to human progress and minimizing the potential for renewables to replace fossil fuels in just about any imaginable future. Dig deeper ( 13 Min. Read )

Fossil-Fueled Republicanism

By Michael T. Klare, TomDispatch Nov 20, 2014 In the wake of the midterm elections, Republican energy hawks are ascendant, having taken the Senate and House by storm. They are preparing to put pressure on a president already presiding over a largely drill-baby-drill administration to take the last constraints off the development of North American fossil fuel reserves. Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )

Obama’s New Oil Wars

By Michael T. Klare, TomDispatch Oct 10, 2014 The Obama administration is wielding the oil weapon against two of the world’s leading producers, Iran and Russia. These efforts, which include embargoes and trade sanctions, are likely to have a great impact on world output, reflecting White House confidence that, in the pursuit of U.S. strategic interests, anything goes. Dig deeper ( 10 Min. Read )

A Global Warming President Presides Over Drill-Baby-Drill America

By Michael T. Klare, TomDispatch Sep 4, 2014 We should certainly be witnessing real progress toward a post-petroleum economy. But the opposite is occurring. U.S. oil consumption climbed by 400,000 barrels per day in 2013 alone and is set to rise again both this year and next. Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )

Twenty-First-Century Energy Wars

By Michael T. Klare, TomDispatch Jul 10, 2014 The world is aflame with new or intensifying conflicts that appear to be independent events, driven by their own unique and idiosyncratic circumstances. But look more closely and they share several key characteristics -- notably, a witch’s brew of ethnic, religious, and national antagonisms that have been stirred to the boiling point by a fixation on energy. Dig deeper ( 15 Min. Read )

The Gravitational Pull of Planet Carbon

By Michael T. Klare, TomDispatch Feb 14, 2014 The pull is reflected in three recent developments in the energy news: a declaration of surrender by BP, a major setback in the European Union, and a strategic end-run by Canadian tar sands companies. Dig deeper ( 13 Min. Read )

Is a Green Energy Revolution on the Global Agenda?

By Michael T. Klare, TomDispatch Nov 18, 2013 As intensifying floods, fires, droughts, and storms become an inescapable feature of daily life across the planet, more people are joining environmental groups and engaging in increasingly bold protest actions. Sooner or later, government leaders are likely to face multiple eruptions of mass public anger and may, in the end, be forced to make radical adjustments in energy policy or risk being swept aside. Dig deeper ( 12 Min. Read )

Fossil Fuel Euphoria

By Michael T. Klare, TomDispatch Oct 17, 2013 For years, energy analysts had been anticipating an imminent decline in global oil supplies. Suddenly they’re singing a new song, and the expected boost in energy is predicted to provide the United States with a cornucopia of economic and political rewards, including industrial expansion at home and enhanced geopolitical clout abroad. Dig deeper ( 12 Min. Read )

The Race for What’s Left

Louise Rubacky / Truthdig Jun 6, 2013 It's dire but simple: There are no longer any essential resources for economic expansion or survival that are abundant, accessible or safe to obtain. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

The Cold War Redux?

By Michael T. Klare, TomDispatch May 30, 2013 Did Washington just give Israel the green light for a future attack on Iran via an arms deal? Did Russia just signal its further support for Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime via an arms deal? Are the Russians, the Chinese, and the Americans all heightening regional tensions in Asia via arms deals? Dig deeper ( 9 Min. Read )