Europe fighting a losing battle against climate change

Europe has been at the forefront of the fight against global warming for decades now, going so far as to criticize the rest of the developed world – the United States especially – for not following their lead. Recently, however, the European Union has been victimized be inauspicious governing and ineffective legislation, and now find themselves fighting a losing battle.

One proposal under consideration would place a ‘carbon cap’ across the continent, allowing companies to save and trade their surplus of allotted pollution. This would grant companies an additional stream of revenue in hopes that, with that additional revenue, the company will invest in green-renovations for their manufacturing and corporate facilities.

But, as author John Steinbeck once wrote: “The best laid plans of mice and men, often go awry…”

The E.U. didn’t present a fully-fleshed out proposal. They allowed the demand for carbon permits dry up, and then voted down a rushed, patch-work relief plan. Any hope for continental-congruency in the plight against climate change has all but disappeared. Instead, individual regions will be responsible for drafting their own energy policies and passing their own legislation – an act of delegated democracy that has proven itself futile in the past. Most analysts place the blame on incompetent politicians hovering on the fence, too afraid to lose what little power they’ve been entrusted with. Their inability to present long-term solutions has set the entire union back who knows how far.

For example, Germany has suddenly closed several of its carbon-free nuclear power plants in an ‘all-or-nothing’ gamble on renewable energy. Though well-intentioned, the move has forced the country’s remaining power providers to burn more coal to pick up the slack.

Spain’s economy has suffered due to investments in ill-conceived energy projects. France continues to syphon through coal while (wisely) refusing to explore domestic fracking operations. This has contributed to creeping levels of carbon emissions across Europe, while countries like the United States have been able to reduce their overall CO2 levels.

The U.S.’s progress is due, partially, to an increased emphasis on vehicle fuel efficiency, a willingness to open power-plants near residential areas, and a curious courtship with natural gas. Hopefully the country will learn from Europe’s mistakes and enforce a strict, extensive cap on carbon emissions.

NRGLab offers a variety of solutions to today’s energy problems. Innovative techniques of extracting oil from agricultural waste and shale. A low-cost renewable generator called the SH-Box. Learn more by visiting nrglab.asia, and see which solution best suits your energy needs.

Earth Day 2013: shouldn't it be EVERY day?

Tomorrow, 192 countries around the world will be celebrating Earth Day, a day where we join together to debate possible solutions to global warming while promoting positive examples of community action.

The Earth Day Network will be spotlighting a recycling drive, a special NASA exhibit, as well as a rural farmer’s market. The theme of Earth Day 2013 is “the face of climate change,” said Bryan Buchanan, a spokesperson for the network. They’ll be televising inspirational stories and photos submitted online by users who want to ensure their voices and efforts are given the platform they deserve.

Global warming “has real consequences for real people,” said Buchanan. “We want to bring this massive problem down to size. It makes everyone who’s doing their little part feel connected to the bigger environmental movement.”

Amongst the photographs featured, one should expect a portfolio’s-worth of snapshots from Hurricane Sandy and the heroic relief efforts that followed. The storm, which ravaged the east coast of the United States, was simply one in a distributing new trend of “superstorms” resulting from the melting icecaps and variations in ocean currents.

Another issue expected to be addressed is deforestation. Groups such as The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management need public support to continue to defend our forests. From the Amazonian rain-forest to the Californian redwoods, trees absorb carbon dioxide out of our atmosphere. Carbon levels are already out of control. Cutting down more trees will only escalate the rate of global warming. Not to mention, protecting our forests means protecting the ecosystems on which we rely. The wildlife. The water. All aspects of life are interconnected, and it’s up to us to shepherd the network.

Unfortunately, due to the global economic crisis, governments are beginning to sacrifice the environment in order to stimulate job creation and consumer spending. The state of Oregon, for example, was once lush with beautiful prehistoric forests. Today, thanks to over-logging and inadequate re-planting, the land is dying – both physically and fiscally.

Local communities, even the government, should take it upon themselves to create stable streams of revenue that do not require stripping the Earth of its natural resources. I think we can all agree – a livable planet is equally important, if not more so, than one’s livelihood.

So tomorrow, consider it your responsibility to do the research. Read about recycling drives sponsored by your local community. Learn more about politicians’ stances on green energy. Visit nrglab.asia and check out the SH-Box, a carbon-free electrical generator capable of bringing power to the third world. But first and foremost, consider what you can do on a day-to-day basis to help make the Earth a better place. Because EVERY day should be Earth Day. Not just April 22nd.

Little to no progress made on cleaning up energy, according to research

This week, the Clean Energy Ministerial, an organization of representatives from countries responsible for 80% of today’s carbon emissions, will meet in New Delhi to share environmental experiences and encourage the transition to a more stable, globalized energy infrastructure.

However, according to one representative who will be in attendance, Maria van der Hoeven, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), renewable energy has been shelved in favor of temporarily stimulating national economies. “The average unit of energy produced today is basically as dirty as it was 20 years ago,” she claims.

Modern power plants are the worst polluters of all. Usually dependent upon coal, the dirtiest of all fossil fuels, these power plants emit astronomical amounts of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere. In order to track these levels, the IEA has relied on a system of evaluation called the Energy Sector Carbon Intensity Index (ESCII). The ESCII calculates the average amount of carbon emissions expected in the production of an individual unit of energy. In 2010, the index calculated that, in order to produce energy from one metric ton of oil, 2.37 metric tons of carbon dioxide would be given off – or nearly the exact same number registered back in 1990!

Can you think of any other industry that’s experienced stagnant quality or production costs and actually survived amidst the free-market? Didn’t think so. Hence the reason Apple, Nike, and all of your favorite brands compete for the top designers and then outsource production to manufacturers where laborers have never heard of a “minimum wage.”

The important of developing alternative energy sources has been stressed amongst the media, environmentalist, and politicians alike for decades now. Yet, as van der Hoeven points out, the “growth of coal-fired power is actually outpacing the increase in generation from non-fossil energy sources.”

Why? Because sticking with what’s already in place is usually the easiest option -- not necessarily the right one.

 
Even countries making “honest” attempts to curb their carbon emissions eventually succumb to greed. The United States, for example, is burning less coal than in the past, but is selling their stockpile of unused coal to facilities over in Asia. One way or the other, the stuff is getting burned. It’s polluting our air and waterways. And the problem is only getting worse. Since we consume roughly 50% more energy compared to a decade ago, and yet the ratio of carbon output to energy production hasn’t improved, that means we’re pumping cataclysmic amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

At our current pace, van der Hoeven thinks “the world is on track to have global temperatures rise by 6 degrees Celsius,” or 10.8 degrees Fahrenheit, by the year 2100. If that happens, most scientists agree – we’re done for. (In fact, they estimate that if surface temperatures rise more than 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the world as we know it will cease to exist.)

“The overall lack of progress should serve as a wake-up call,” warns van der Hoeven. “We cannot afford another 20 years of listlessness. We need a rapid expansion in low-carbon energy technologies if we are to avoid a potentially catastrophic warming of the planet.”

NRGLab couldn’t agree more. That’s why we developed the SH-Box, a generator that produces electricity with absolutely ZERO carbon emissions. Not only is it a clean and renewable source of energy, the SH-Box is also a penny-saver, generating electricity for as little as $0.03 per kWh. That’s four times less than your current energy provider is probably charging you!

Want to know more? Check out the SH-Box and NRGLab’s other green initiatives at nrglab.asia.com.

U.K.'s energy industry on the verge of collapse?

The United Kingdom’s energy industry risks collapse if the government isn’t able to come to terms with EDF Energy on the price-point for electricity from the planned £14 billion nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point.

According to Lord Hutton, chairmen of the Nuclear Industry Association, the strained negotiations could scare future investors away from other energy projects. "If a deal cannot be struck for new nuclear, can it be struck for offshore wind or carbon capture and storage?"

If negotiations do collapse, the future of EDF’s influence in Britain would be uncertain. Currently, EDF controls eight nuclear power plants, employs over 20,000 people and handles 5.7 million customer accounts across the U.K. But these existing plants are projected to stop generating electricity within the next ten years. What then?

Lord Hutton is meeting with senior executives of the French-owned EDF, as well as U.K.’s Energy secretary, Stephen Lovegrove, and Treasury minister, Lord Deighton. The negotiations center on a guaranteed price-point for electricity over the next 30 years – a price which the government plans to subsidize through an energy tax.

However, the two sides appear far apart on the operating costs for the power plant, and the return rate EDF is entitled to. Hutton estimates that roughly £3 billion could but cut from construction costs due to the previous design and development of U.K.’s other nuclear facilities. “Time is of the essence,” he stressed. “EDF Energy has spent £1 billion already and the project is at present costing the company £1 million a day.” (That’s over £100 million EDF’s spent since they missed their December deadline to get the deal done!)

Last week, CEO of EDF Henri Proglio was quoted as saying he expects the two sides to come to an agreement “within a month.” This after EDF missed their March deadline, too.

Critics of the deal with EDF say any agreement will enslave consumers for years to come, forcing them to pay billions of pounds to the French. They also cite recent progress in the natural gas industry as, potentially, a more affordable long-term solution.

Yet nuclear and natural gas are both CARBON-EMITTING sources of energy. If either becomes the predominant industry in the U.K., it will only be contributing to the spiraling effects of global warming.

“Left to its own devices, the market would not choose to invest in capital intensive low-carbon infrastructure,” said Hutton. “This would lead us to a precarious, high-carbon future increasingly dependent on imported gas. This would be absolutely the wrong direction for us to take and is why we must not lose sight of this in the current negotiations.”

He’s right. Just because we’ve relied on fossil fuels since the Industrial Revolution doesn’t mean we should be forced to give-in to the unreasonable demands of greedy corporate executives. The free market should be exactly that – free. People should be free to choose their own energy providers. They should be fear-free to invest in innovative new technology.

Technology like the SH-box by NRGLab. Learn more by visiting nrglab.asia, before the energy crises reaches you and your home.

An endless European depression?

According to one of England’s largest financial managers, focusing on deficit reduction could result in an “endless depression” for the United Kingdom.

"The prospects for gross domestic product (GDP) recovery in the euro zone in 2013 or 2014 are diminishing by the month," said John Greenwood, chief economist at Invesco Perpetual.  "My forecast is for real GDP growth of -0.2%, compared with an estimated -0.5% in 2012. In short, there will be no meaningful recovery in 2013, and there is a risk of the downturn extending into 2014."

Greenwood went on to scrutinize the precedent set by Cyprus's $13 billion bailout. From now on, banks in the European zone will be far more conservative in loaning money, which could lead to severe deleveraging.

"In view of (the Cyprus bailout), it's clear that the euro area orthodoxy implies further austerity and almost endless depression," said Greenwood.

Greenwood’s prediction comes on the heels of newly appointed United States Treasury Secretary Jack Lew urging the European Union to enact more pro-growth legislation.

"We have an immense stake in Europe's health and stability," said Lew at a recent press conference. "I was particularly interested in our European partners' plans to strengthen sources of demand at a time of rising unemployment."

But, according to Greenwood, "the longer term danger is a 'Japanization' of Europe, as growth stalls and deflation takes hold.”

In March, Greece suffered from similar economic deflation for the first time in nearly half- a-century. Others countries may soon follow.

Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho, a staunch supporter of fiscal responsibility, reiterated this week his intent to cut government spending, while some, like Nick Spiro of Spiro Sovereign Strategy, aren’t convinced that austerity is the answer.

"Portugal's 2011 bailout went off track some time ago,” said Spiro. “If it weren’t for the troika's leniency and the dramatic rally in Portuguese debt, the program would have already failed by now.”

As governments around the world struggle to balance their budgets and boost their economies, more and more individuals will be faced with alternative investment opportunities. Investing in clean energy, for example, could prove to be the future of finance. No matter what the economic climate, the demand for energy will always exist. Owning and operating a means of renewable electricity production, like the SH-box by NRGLab, is one way to protect yourself from the corrupt and crumbling banking system. Don’t wait until it’s too late. See how you can get in with NRGLab by visiting their website at narglab.asia.

A spill too close to home

Thought oil spills only occurred in the middle of the ocean? You thought wrong.

Last week, the Pegasus pipeline burst near the Arkansas suburb of Mayflower, spewing approximately 5,000 barrels of Canadian crude oil into the streets. 22 families were forced to evacuate their homes, with a total of 60 reported to have been affected. Once playful and gardened backyards now sport disgusting pools of oil. See below:

Could this prove to be the final straw? Up until the incident, many people viewed the hazards of oil transportation strictly from an ecological standpoint. Think of all the pictures of fish, birds, and seals caked in oil being cleaned up by kindly rescue volunteers. Could you have ever imagined a small child standing there instead of an animal?

In a statement released Friday, ExxonMobil claimed that “about 600 people are responding to the incident in addition to federal, state and local responders. Affected wildlife includes ducks, turtles, a beaver and a muskrat. Fourteen dead ducks, one dead nutria and two dead turtles have been recovered.”

But think of all the unseen consequences. Tainted water supplies. Ruined crops. Sickness. Premature death. When hazardous materials are introduced into nature, it’s difficult to predict the ramifications since so many ecosystems are so closely intertwined.

Oil transportation is closer to home than ever. Too close, according to two women who live near the ruptured pipeline. They’re filing a $5 million lawsuit against ExxonMobil for the “permanent diminishment of property value.”

One of the lawyers involved in the case, Phillip Duncan, claims the section of pipeline that ruptured was in an “unsafe, defective and deficient condition presenting an immediate environmental harm.”

ExxonMobil asserts that all inspections were up to date. (Didn’t they originally say the same thing about the BP oil spill?) The Pegasus Pipeline was built in 1947 and runs 858 miles from Patoka, Illinois to the Texas Gulf Coast, stretching from the northwest to southeast tips of Arkansas. It’s currently out of service. In order to get the pipeline up and running again, ExxonMobil would have to obtain written authorization from a federal pipeline safety official.

The cause of the spill is still under investigation. By the time the government does identify a culprit, perhaps the dangers of domestic oil transportation will have become so glaring that politicians will have no choice but to surrender to the will of their public, and push for real change to our energy infrastructure.

NRGLab is ready to be a force for change. By developing cost-effective alternatives to traditional means of oil production, there may not be a need for pipelines in the future. From low caloric value coal, to agricultural waste -- NRGLab has the technology to extract oil like never before.

To learn more about NRGLab’s efforts to reinvent and revitalize our world’s energy infrastructure, visit nrglab.asia.

Photos first published by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The New Class System

The global economic crisis has uprooted the traditional class system, according to a recent British study. Gone is the idea of a three-tier -- upper, middle, and working class -- designation. Modern society has become a cornucopia of identities.

The study was conducted by professor Fiona Devine and a team of sociologists at Manchester University. Devine discovered that the British social stratosphere contains such denominations as "emergent service workers" and the "technical middle class." Seven total, up from three.

Experts contribute the paradigm shift to fluctuations and changes in the global economy. Tradesmen with specific skill-sets now earn more money than undervalued and ill-experienced college graduates. The income dynamic has led many to seek secondary-educational opportunities (i.e. tech schools that offer specific skills) in order to stay competitive in the job market.

Backed by the BBC, Devine surveyed over 160,000 people about their background, level of education, income, lifestyle, and ambitions for the future.

According to Devine: "Many people think that the problem of social and cultural engagement is more marked in poorer class groups, but the survey shows that our levels of social and cultural capital don’t always mirror our economic success."

Affluent households no longer take pleasure in traditional "middle class" activities, the survey found.

“The ‘technical middle class’ score low for social and cultural capital, but are quite well off," said Devine. "While the ‘emergent service workers’ score highly for cultural and social capital but are not very prosperous.”

A person's occupation no longer dictates his or her social standing. In fact, the social landscape is just about as complex as our economy, which relies on a network of seemingly indeterminable variables that ebb and flow like a river. How much we make doesn't seem to translate into specific entertainment choices anymore, either. Instead, the economic crisis has, in a sense, leveled the playing field by creating a diverse spectrum of individuals comfortable with the quality of their lives.

As this new class system solidifies, people will have unheralded opportunities to invest in their aspirations. One of ours at NRGLab has been to bring affordable energy to the developing world. But we can't do it alone. We need other visionaries to help bring our dream to fruition. If you consider yourself a visionary, visit our website at nrglab.asia and learn more about how you can become a part of NRGLab's exclusive Research Council.