International Oil & Gas is a category for stories relating to tar sand production or climate change but not in any of the projects already listed geographically. This includes other regions of the planet with horrible environmental and high energy costs that, like the tar sands, are only a "choice" because of high prices and the global depletion of easily recoverable oil reserves. Such issues as the threat of war on Iran, "instability" in Iraq and Venezuela or disasters like Katrina will all drive up oil prices, which in turn doubly encourages tar sand production-- by price demand and energy demand.
Stock markets and global oil interests (including war) would be included here, as would attempts to get oil out of high risk, low return areas from oil shale in Colorado, to natural gas and heavy oil in the high eastern Arctic. The tar sands are part of this trend and should be seen as such. What happens with the tar sands will have a tremendous impact on what kind of choices are made elsewhere, environmentally and socially.
Combating climate change: lessons from the world’s indigenous peoples
Bolivia’s president says developing nations must not be shut out of international negotiations for combating the greatest environmental issue of our time.
Evo Morales
LA Times. April 23, 2010
Cochabamba, the water wars and climate change
April 23, 2010
COCHABAMBA, Bolivia — Here in this small Andean nation of 10 million people, the glaciers are melting, threatening the water supply of the largest urban area in the country, El Alto and La Paz, with 3.5 million people living at altitudes over 10,000 feet. I flew from El Alto International, the world’s highest commercial airport, to the city of Cochabamba.
Chávez asks leaders to introduce written proposal at Cancun Summit
April 22, 2010 in Press
EL UNIVERSAL-CARACAS, Thursday April 22, 2010
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez suggested the leaders participating in the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, which is held in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba, to submit a proposal to the meeting of the United Nations to be held in Cancun, Mexico. The move is intended to counter the Copenhagen Document that some governments led by the United States seek to impose at the Cancun Climate Change Summit.
Musings from Cochabamba and Tiquipaya, Bolivia
April 21, 2010
RBS in battle with the Cree First Nation over dirty oil development project on tribal lands
18 Apr 2010
George Poitras has come a long way to make his point.
From his traditional Mikisew Cree homelands on the shores of Lake Athabasca in northern Alberta, he has journeyed to Murray Place in the centre of Stirling – to confront the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Oil Majors Under Shareholder Pressure For Canadian Tar Sands
04/13/2010
SustainableBusiness.com News
As shareholders gather in London this week for BP’s (NYSE: BP) annual general meeting, American and British investors are coordinating an effort to put pressure on four major oil multinationals over their controversial investments in the Canadian oil sands.
See You in Cochabamba!
Evo Morales Plans Bolivian Alternative Climate Summit for April
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 01. 6.10
Not wasting any time, Bolvian president Evo Morales has announced that his nation will be hosting an alternative climate summit in the city of Cochabamba on April 20-22, the New York Times reports. Morales is calling on activists, scientists and government officials "who want to work with the people" to attend. Bolivia was one of five nations dissenting on the non-binding COP15 agreement:
EU yields to Canada over oil trade "barriers": sources
Wed Mar 24, 2010 6:27pm EDT
Reuters
By Pete Harrison
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union has yielded to Canadian demands it remove possible trade barriers to polluting oil sands to avoid further damage to ties, according to sources and leaked documents.
Relations are already strained after the European Union banned imports of seal products last July on animal welfare grounds, a move Canada is challenging at the World Trade Organization.
Company seeks first U.S. oil sands project, in Utah
The Associated Press
Updated: 03/28/2010 11:44:51 AM MDT
Salt Lake City - An energy company with government approvals to launch the first significant U.S. oil sands project is trying to raise money to build a plant in eastern Utah that would turn out 2,000 barrels of oil a day.
Earth Energy Resources Inc. has a state lease to work a 62-acre pit in Uintah County, where it has demonstrated technology that can extract oil out of sands using a proprietary solvent it calls environmentally friendly.
