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Bush's wealth may have fallen by millions
Published: May 16, 2008 at 12:47 PM
WASHINGTON, May 16 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush may have lost financial wealth during his time in office, as his assets have fallen to a possible $6.5 million, official papers say. -
Harding accuses ex-husband, others of rape
Published: May 16, 2008 at 12:45 PM
NEW YORK, May 16 (UPI) -- Tonya Harding's former husband and two other men raped her and threatened her life years ago, the controversial U.S. figure skater has alleged. -
Missouri mother accused of cyberbullying
Published: May 16, 2008 at 12:43 PM
LOS ANGELES, May 16 (UPI) -- A Missouri woman allegedly used a fraudulent online account to "cyberbully" a 13-year-old girl until the girl committed suicide, U.S. prosecutors say.
-
Bush's wealth may have fallen by millions
Published: May 16, 2008 at 12:47 PM
WASHINGTON, May 16 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush may have lost financial wealth during his time in office, as his assets have fallen to a possible $6.5 million, official papers say. -
Harding accuses ex-husband, others of rape
Published: May 16, 2008 at 12:45 PM
NEW YORK, May 16 (UPI) -- Tonya Harding's former husband and two other men raped her and threatened her life years ago, the controversial U.S. figure skater has alleged. -
Missouri mother accused of cyberbullying
Published: May 16, 2008 at 12:43 PM
LOS ANGELES, May 16 (UPI) -- A Missouri woman allegedly used a fraudulent online account to "cyberbully" a 13-year-old girl until the girl committed suicide, U.S. prosecutors say. -
India's PFC inks pact with Exim Bank
Published: May 16, 2008 at 12:31 PM
NEW DELHI, May 16 (UPI) -- India's Power Finance Corp. has signed an agreement with U.S. Exim Bank to receive an $800 million loan. -
BAE to upgrade PIM howitzer vehicles
Published: May 16, 2008 at 12:29 PM
YORK, Pa., May 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command has modified a contract with BAE Systems for upgrades on Paladin Integrated Management howitzer vehicles. -
Amputee sprinter eligible for Olympics
Published: May 16, 2008 at 12:22 PM
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, May 16 (UPI) -- Oscar Pistorius, the 21-year-old South African sprinter who runs on prostethic limbs, was declared eligible Friday for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.
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Interview: IEA head on climate, Russia
Published: June 15, 2007 at 8:56 AM
By STEFAN NICOLA
UPI Energy Correspondent
BERLIN, June 15 (UPI) -- Climate change is at the forefront of the international agenda, and linked to a successful fight against global warming is the reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions by pushing energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. However, there are a few unknowns in the equation: What about sharply rising demand for energy in India and China? And what about key energy providers like Russia and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries -- what will their role be in the energy mix of the future?
United Press International's Stefan Nicola spoke to Claude Mandil, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, the Paris-based intergovernmental organization founded by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 1974 in the wake of the oil crisis. The IEA aims to prevent disruptions in oil supply (in 2005, the IEA released 2 million barrels a day for a month after Hurricane Katrina affected U.S. production) and is the world's leading expert on statistics about the international energy market.
Q: Mr. Mandil, are you happy with the outcome of the G8 summit?
A: Mandil: Yes, I am very happy. And I believe that those who are not had totally unrealistic expectations about what such a summit can achieve. It can't set binding targets, and it's good that it can't, because the G8 countries can't commit for all the countries in the world, which you need to have on board to make real progress on climate protection.
Nevertheless, in Heiligendamm, several very important steps were taken: For the first time, the G8 leaders recognized that it is urgent to find a new framework to succeed the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012. They agreed that those negotiations should take place within the United Nations framework, which paves the way for a really comprehensive agreement that includes all the major players.
Q: And they said negotiations should start quickly so that they are over by 2009.
A: Yes, and that's also very good because we have to avoid too long of an uncertainty, which would be detrimental to investments. Moreover, the leaders set indicative targets to lower greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent in 2050, which is a very ambitious goal.
In the declaration of Heiligendamm, the cap-and-trade system with emission trading schemes is mentioned as one of the useful tools to achieve climate protection objectives; that means that there will be a limit on CO2 emissions, something that was not expected from the United States only two weeks ago. So what has happened in Heiligendamm was very good and makes progress (at the U.N. environment minister conference) in Bali possible.
Q: What should such progress look like?
A: I don't expect concrete emissions targets to be set in Bali, and I think anyway it would be premature: You first need to agree to a comprehensive framework and you need to define the exact mechanism of that framework before you talk about targets, and I hope progress will be made on that in Bali.
Q: What will the future energy mix look like, and how large of a share can renewables realistically have?
A: It ... depends on the country we are talking about. But here is my general view. First, biofuels: I think their scope is limited at least as long as there is not a technology breakthrough for second-generation biofuels.
The prospects for wind are great but it is hard to imagine that wind in one specific country makes up much more than 20 percent of the power production, because if the share is higher, that raises difficulties for the grid.
On photovoltaics, it is urgent to pursue more research and development because today, the prices are much too high. If there is progress on that, very good -- in that case many countries can significantly develop their PV potential.
And then there are the other tools, like hydro energy, biogas and biofuels. We are convinced that we need to use all the tools at our disposal, because the challenge of long-term sustainability is huge.
Q: So the future mix will be a very diverse one.
A: Yes, but we have not yet talked about the main tool to lower greenhouse gas emissions, one that is immediately available at very low cost: energy efficiency. There will still be a huge need for fossil fuels; that means we need to develop cost-effective carbon capture and sequestration. The world needs to invest more in research and development in the energy sector. And we are also absolutely convinced that there is a need for nuclear to have a share of the global energy mix although some countries don't like it.
Q: One country is Germany. The German government is divided on the issue, but it is bound to a previous agreement to shut down all German nuclear power plants by 2021.
A: Personally, I don't see how it is possible in Germany to at the same time drop nuclear, try to reduce CO2 emissions, trying to improve security of supply -- the three seem incompatible taking into account the present German situation.
Q: OPEC has recently complained that the push of biofuels threatens oil demand security. Is that claim justified?
A: No, OPEC's fears are not based on reality. Even in the best case scenario, biofuels will not have more than 10 percent of the market share of oil products in, let's say, 2030. Biofuels are an important tool, but it will remain a minor one. Most transportation fuels will remain oil-based in the next 20 or 30 years.
If you take into account that the demand for transportation fuels in China and India will sharply increase, and if you take into account that the share of OPEC countries within oil producers will increase because the non-OPEC production will probably reach a maximum and then decrease in the coming decade, then OPEC has really nothing to worry about. They will have to invest massively in new production capacities because the demand on their oil will be increasing.
Q: How will the growing hunger for energy in India and China influence the market and the mix?
A: We will publish later this year our World Energy Outlook and it will focus specifically on India and China. The trends are that most of the increase in world demand will be in the developing countries, the biggest of which are located in Asia.
In OECD countries, energy demand will also increase, but at a much more moderate pace. The vast growth in Asia is not very good for the energy mix, because an important part of this increase will be in the transport sector -- so that means more oil.
The demand for electricity will also sharply increase, and those two countries massively rely on coal for their power production. That's the reason why we have to work with them on energy efficiency, on biofuels and other renewables, and we have to help them develop nuclear energy and carbon capture and sequestration.
Q: Russia is Europe's main energy supplier. Are you worried about energy security in Europe?
A: We hope that Gazprom will remain a reliable supplier -- as it has been in the past. And for that, there is a very strong need for investments in Russia's upstream sector. For the time being, we don't have convincing figures that show that this is the case. We are asking for that and we are asking for cooperative work to better understand what Gazprom and other companies' domestic investment plans are.
We are also asking how Russia will improve its energy efficiency because there is a huge waste of gas within Russia. For the time being, there is not a lot of transparency, but we hope, of course, that this will improve.
--
(e-mail: energy@upi.com)
UPI Energy Correspondent
BERLIN, June 15 (UPI) -- Climate change is at the forefront of the international agenda, and linked to a successful fight against global warming is the reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions by pushing energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. However, there are a few unknowns in the equation: What about sharply rising demand for energy in India and China? And what about key energy providers like Russia and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries -- what will their role be in the energy mix of the future?
United Press International's Stefan Nicola spoke to Claude Mandil, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, the Paris-based intergovernmental organization founded by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 1974 in the wake of the oil crisis. The IEA aims to prevent disruptions in oil supply (in 2005, the IEA released 2 million barrels a day for a month after Hurricane Katrina affected U.S. production) and is the world's leading expert on statistics about the international energy market.
Q: Mr. Mandil, are you happy with the outcome of the G8 summit?
A: Mandil: Yes, I am very happy. And I believe that those who are not had totally unrealistic expectations about what such a summit can achieve. It can't set binding targets, and it's good that it can't, because the G8 countries can't commit for all the countries in the world, which you need to have on board to make real progress on climate protection.
Nevertheless, in Heiligendamm, several very important steps were taken: For the first time, the G8 leaders recognized that it is urgent to find a new framework to succeed the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012. They agreed that those negotiations should take place within the United Nations framework, which paves the way for a really comprehensive agreement that includes all the major players.
Q: And they said negotiations should start quickly so that they are over by 2009.
A: Yes, and that's also very good because we have to avoid too long of an uncertainty, which would be detrimental to investments. Moreover, the leaders set indicative targets to lower greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent in 2050, which is a very ambitious goal.
In the declaration of Heiligendamm, the cap-and-trade system with emission trading schemes is mentioned as one of the useful tools to achieve climate protection objectives; that means that there will be a limit on CO2 emissions, something that was not expected from the United States only two weeks ago. So what has happened in Heiligendamm was very good and makes progress (at the U.N. environment minister conference) in Bali possible.
Q: What should such progress look like?
A: I don't expect concrete emissions targets to be set in Bali, and I think anyway it would be premature: You first need to agree to a comprehensive framework and you need to define the exact mechanism of that framework before you talk about targets, and I hope progress will be made on that in Bali.
Q: What will the future energy mix look like, and how large of a share can renewables realistically have?
A: It ... depends on the country we are talking about. But here is my general view. First, biofuels: I think their scope is limited at least as long as there is not a technology breakthrough for second-generation biofuels.
The prospects for wind are great but it is hard to imagine that wind in one specific country makes up much more than 20 percent of the power production, because if the share is higher, that raises difficulties for the grid.
On photovoltaics, it is urgent to pursue more research and development because today, the prices are much too high. If there is progress on that, very good -- in that case many countries can significantly develop their PV potential.
And then there are the other tools, like hydro energy, biogas and biofuels. We are convinced that we need to use all the tools at our disposal, because the challenge of long-term sustainability is huge.
Q: So the future mix will be a very diverse one.
A: Yes, but we have not yet talked about the main tool to lower greenhouse gas emissions, one that is immediately available at very low cost: energy efficiency. There will still be a huge need for fossil fuels; that means we need to develop cost-effective carbon capture and sequestration. The world needs to invest more in research and development in the energy sector. And we are also absolutely convinced that there is a need for nuclear to have a share of the global energy mix although some countries don't like it.
Q: One country is Germany. The German government is divided on the issue, but it is bound to a previous agreement to shut down all German nuclear power plants by 2021.
A: Personally, I don't see how it is possible in Germany to at the same time drop nuclear, try to reduce CO2 emissions, trying to improve security of supply -- the three seem incompatible taking into account the present German situation.
Q: OPEC has recently complained that the push of biofuels threatens oil demand security. Is that claim justified?
A: No, OPEC's fears are not based on reality. Even in the best case scenario, biofuels will not have more than 10 percent of the market share of oil products in, let's say, 2030. Biofuels are an important tool, but it will remain a minor one. Most transportation fuels will remain oil-based in the next 20 or 30 years.
If you take into account that the demand for transportation fuels in China and India will sharply increase, and if you take into account that the share of OPEC countries within oil producers will increase because the non-OPEC production will probably reach a maximum and then decrease in the coming decade, then OPEC has really nothing to worry about. They will have to invest massively in new production capacities because the demand on their oil will be increasing.
Q: How will the growing hunger for energy in India and China influence the market and the mix?
A: We will publish later this year our World Energy Outlook and it will focus specifically on India and China. The trends are that most of the increase in world demand will be in the developing countries, the biggest of which are located in Asia.
In OECD countries, energy demand will also increase, but at a much more moderate pace. The vast growth in Asia is not very good for the energy mix, because an important part of this increase will be in the transport sector -- so that means more oil.
The demand for electricity will also sharply increase, and those two countries massively rely on coal for their power production. That's the reason why we have to work with them on energy efficiency, on biofuels and other renewables, and we have to help them develop nuclear energy and carbon capture and sequestration.
Q: Russia is Europe's main energy supplier. Are you worried about energy security in Europe?
A: We hope that Gazprom will remain a reliable supplier -- as it has been in the past. And for that, there is a very strong need for investments in Russia's upstream sector. For the time being, we don't have convincing figures that show that this is the case. We are asking for that and we are asking for cooperative work to better understand what Gazprom and other companies' domestic investment plans are.
We are also asking how Russia will improve its energy efficiency because there is a huge waste of gas within Russia. For the time being, there is not a lot of transparency, but we hope, of course, that this will improve.
--
(e-mail: energy@upi.com)
© 2007 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
