March 31, 2025
The Canadian 2025 election landscape Midway through the 2025 Canadian election campaign, the discourse is captivated by two themes, 1) Canada’s response to Trump’s tariffs; and 2) an all-party race to the bottom for lowering taxes. On the latter, information is not provided on cuts in government services and programs required, the consequences of due […]
March 6, 2025
Introduction The current oil and gas gluts and planned expansion projects will hit walls as demand around the world for fossil fuels is already on trajectories to decline. China, the largest importer of fossil fuels, is engaged in a transition to a green economy at such a humongous pace, it is difficult to keep up […]
COP29: China, Trump and the EU, each own way: Green vs....
For climate action, China has chosen long-term extraordinary innovation investments and scale to wean off fossil fuels.
The European Union (EU) is making progress for energy independence by 2027, though with some Chinese technologies.
Too, the UK and Brazil have set ambitious climate targets
The U.S., Trump administration will enhance paths towards stranded fossil fuel assets. The private sector will continue floundering on clean tech innovation and base performance on the short-term, quarterly reports.
Canada will emulate the U.S.
China
China spent $676 billion on...
CSRD: EU revolutionizing corporate sustainability accountability and decisions
Introduction
The EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), many years in the making, is revolutionary. CSRD will replace the questionable smorgasbords of stand alone inserts on corporate sustainability profiles. It does so by requiring firms to provide detailed framed descriptions on integrating sustainability into all facets of corporate decision-making.
This includes Scope 3 considerations on suppliers and end-users.
Most important, CSRD will become an international gold standard since all firms with significant business in the EU most submit CSRD reports.
In total, CSRD...
EV slump to dissipate: Delaying EV lineups paints automakers in a...
Short lifespan illusions
An imagined slump in fully electric vehicle (EV) sales reflects short-lived illusions of a society-wide osmosis. According to Cox Automotive report on U.S. EV prospects, 2024 Path To EV Adoption, high EV prices and fear of there not being enough public charging units available have taken hold.
Broken down, the study indicates that currently 45% of those intending to purchase a new vehicle within the next 12 months are considering an EV, that becomes 79% in the 2026...
China’s electric vehicles go global: Protectionism won’t work
Electric vehicle (EV) imports from China will account for 25% of EV sales in Europe in 2024.
Now China-based EV and battery firms are on...
China green shift global impact greater than COP
Expectations for COP29 in Azerbaijan, based COP28 in the United Arab Emirates?
The light getting in though the cracks is few countries are immune to...
Shell, two CEOs, two cultural shifts: Green transition to business-as-usual
New vison, clean tech acquisitions and fossil fuel divestments
Under the leadership of Shell CEO, Ben van Beurden, 2014 to 2022, it really seemed that Shell was taking climate change seriously. In 2017, Ben van Beurden purported that the “biggest challenge” for the company was to acquire public acceptance. He asserted “If we are not careful, broader public support for the sector will wane.”
Perhaps, the most astonishing component of the new orientation was the Ben van Beurden plan to divest...
Fossil fuel euphoria to meltdown: EU energy crisis to transition
The European Union (EU) target for an energy transition and energy independence is 2027. EU just-in-time fossil fuel substitutes from countries other than Russia has got liquefied natural gas (LNG) and oil exporters and importers euphoric. These latter stakeholders are in for a big surprise. The EU REPowerEU strategy resulted in gas-fired power demand peaking in 2023, with an overall gas consumption drop by 29% to 52% by 2030 or, at the very least, no LNG import growth. Somber...
Ukraine green reconstruction: Global model opportunity
Many stakeholders from Ukraine, the European Union and around the globe, including just-in-time working groups, international financing institutions and the private sector, are currently engaged in "Made in Ukraine" green reconstruction agenda. The challenges are colossal.
Half of Ukraine’s power generation infrastructure has been destroyed or badly damaged. It makes little sense to reconstruct a tangled web of centralized energy distribution networks. Rather the emerging consensus among key players is for decentralized area-specific clean energy solutions that can be built...
Perfect storm for the green economy and fossil fuels alike
Investments in clean tech deployment in 2022, US$1.1 trillion, were for the first time ever, equivalent to that spent on fossil fuel production. The story behind these historic stats is that of a current perfect storm and circumstances leading up to the present.
The combination of the Ukraine war; high fuel prices; European Union energy independence and electric vehicle (EV) strategies; the U.S Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law; China’s new 5-year plan; and tectonic changes in other countries...
Electric vehicles and equipment for mining decarbonization
As with most environmental solutions, electric mining equipment (EME) offers opportunities for reducing capital and operating expenditures, while providing a host of solutions to address risks. These lower risks include decarbonization; curtailment of colossal ventilation expenses to evacuate fumes, particulate matter and heat from diesel engines; and improved employee health and working conditions. Higher profits, diminished risks and enhanced social acceptability associated with EME, are hard to beat.
Upfront capital expenditures
Contrary to common public perceptions, according to an Ernst &...
Critical minerals: Global and Canadian portraits
Global developments in a nutshell
For the rest of this century, most of the world’s needs for critical minerals can be accommodated from mined resources in democratic countries and 95% recycling of battery content. China and the European Union have policies in place to optimize electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling.
Australia towers above the rest as a source of half of global lithium resources.
Canada and the U.S. provide financial support for advancing critical minerals activities.
Howbeit, China’s critical mineral importation practices are...
