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Future of Coal Series

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Despite major shifts in the industry and serious worries in coal communities, today coal still supplies nearly 40% of our electricity. According to the Bureau of Land Management, one out of every five homes and business in the US use electricity made from Wyoming coal. But what does the future look like for fossil fuels in a world where there is increasing pressure to keep them in the ground? In this series, we examine the role of coal as an energy source in a world where constraints on carbon emissions are adopted to mitigate global warming. Indeed, the challenge for governments and industry is to find a path that mitigates carbon emissions yet continues to utilize coal to meet urgent energy needs, especially in developing economies.

Future of Coal Series

Australian trade deficit narrows in September, driven by firmer coal exports

Nov 03, 2016 05:25 am UTC| Commentary Economy

Australias trade balance improved during the month of September, driven by strong exports of coal and significantly beating market expectations. This surprise improvement was driven by a spike in resource exports, with...

Future of Coal Series

Australia's coal politics are undermining democratic and Indigenous rights

Oct 26, 2016 09:45 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Can Australia achieve fair and open decision-making when big coal players are involved? The case of Adanis proposed Carmichael coal mine suggests the answer is no, and Indigenous land owners are bearing the brunt. The...

Future of Coal Series

The gas industry needs a carbon price to compete with coal

Oct 25, 2016 17:20 pm UTC| Insights & Views

Putting a price on carbon would benefit the Australian gas industry, at least in the short term. It is therefore in the interests of gas producers to lobby for the emissions trading scheme proposed for the electricity...

Future of Coal Series

China’s coal imports likely to remain strong, policy measures to dictate prices

Oct 20, 2016 06:36 am UTC| Economy Commentary

Coal imports in China are expected to remain strong in the near term, despite efforts to limit the impact of capacity closures on utilities, while prices are likely to be dictated by the countrys policy...

Future of Coal Series

Bangladesh is building a dirty and expensive coal plant next to the world's largest mangrove forest

Sep 27, 2016 13:42 pm UTC| Insights & Views

A controversial new coal power plant being built in Bangladesh is already running out of friends. Environmentalists worry it will spell disaster for the worlds largest mangrove forest, while locals worry about pollution...

Future of Coal Series

King Coal is dethroned in the US – and that's good news for the environment

Sep 23, 2016 08:08 am UTC| Insights & Views

This is the worst year in decades for U.S. coal. During the first six months of 2016, U.S. coal production was down a staggering 28 percent compared to 2015, and down 33 percent compared to 2014. For the first time ever,...

Future of Coal Series

Pacific pariah: how Australia’s love of coal has left it out in the diplomatic cold

Sep 23, 2016 08:06 am UTC| Insights & Views

Australias Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will have some explaining to do when he attends the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Pohnpei, Micronesia, this week. Australias continued determination to dig up coal,...

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Economy

Chinese Yuan Edges Higher but Faces Biggest Weekly Drop in Over a Year Amid Strong Dollar

Chinas yuan edged slightly higher against the U.S. dollar on Friday but remained on track to end a historic winning streak, as global investors reacted to a stronger dollar driven by escalating tensions in the Middle East....

Asian Stocks Slide as Middle East Conflict and Rising Oil Prices Shake Global Markets

Asian stock markets were mixed on Friday but remained on track for steep weekly losses as escalating tensions in the Middle East and surging oil prices weighed heavily on investor sentiment across the region. Ongoing...

ADB: Short Strait of Hormuz Closure Would Have Limited Impact on Developing Asia Growth

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) says the economic impact on developing Asia would likely remain limited if tensions in the Middle East and any potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz last only about a month. According...

Gold Prices Steady in Asian Trade as Strong Dollar and Rising Yields Weigh on Bullion

Gold prices remained largely steady during Asian trading on Friday after posting losses in the previous session, as a stronger U.S. dollar and rising Treasury yields continued to pressure the precious metal. Despite...

Dollar Gains as Middle East Conflict Boosts Safe-Haven Demand, Oil Prices and Inflation Concerns Rise

The U.S. dollar remained broadly steady in early Asian trading on Friday and is heading toward its strongest weekly performance in more than a year as escalating tensions in the Middle East push investors toward safe-haven...

Politics

Shell Signs Oil and Gas Agreements With Venezuela to Advance Dragon Gas Project

Energy giant Shell has signed multiple oil and gas agreements with the Venezuelan government, marking a significant step toward expanding energy development in the region. The deals include offshore natural gas development...

U.S. State Department Expands Charter Flights as Americans Struggle to Leave Middle East Amid Iran Conflict

The U.S. State Department announced it is increasing charter flight operations from the Middle East as thousands of American citizens remain stranded following the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. The move...

Israel Orders Evacuation of Beirut’s Southern Suburbs as Tensions With Hezbollah Escalate

Israel warned residents to evacuate Beiruts southern suburbs on Thursday, signaling a potential escalation in the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah. The warning targeted densely populated areas of the Lebanese capital known...

Ukraine to Assist U.S. in Countering Iranian Shahed Drones in the Middle East

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that Ukraine will assist the United States in defending against Iranian Shahed drones in the Middle East following a request from Washington. The decision highlights...

Trump Says Iran Seeking Deal After U.S.-Israel Strikes as Washington Eyes Measures to Ease Oil Prices

President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran is attempting to open negotiations with the United States following recent U.S. and Israeli military strikes targeting Tehrans military capabilities. Speaking at a White House...

Science

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

SoftBank Seeks Up to $40 Billion Loan to Fund Major Investment in OpenAI

SoftBank is reportedly pursuing a loan of up to $40 billion to support a large investment in OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. According to a Bloomberg News reporter who shared the update on X (formerly Twitter) on...

Foxconn Sees Strong Growth Ahead Despite Limited Impact From U.S.–Israel–Iran Tensions

Foxconn, the worlds largest electronics manufacturer and a major supplier of AI servers for Nvidia, says geopolitical tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran are having only a limited impact on its...

California Court Rejects xAI Bid to Block AI Data Transparency Law

Title: Elon Musks artificial intelligence company xAI has failed to secure a temporary court order that would block Californias new AI data transparency law. A federal judge in California ruled that the company did not...

Pentagon Labels Anthropic AI a Supply-Chain Risk, Restricting Use in U.S. Military Projects

The U.S. Pentagon has officially designated artificial intelligence company Anthropic as a supply-chain risk, a move that immediately restricts government contractors from using the companys AI technology in projects tied...

Amazon Website Outage Disrupts Thousands of U.S. Shoppers Before Services Recover

Amazons e-commerce platform experienced a significant outage on Thursday that temporarily disrupted online shopping for tens of thousands of users across the United States. According to Downdetector, a website that tracks...