Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Wed, Feb 18, 2026 09:21 PM All times are UTC

Follow Series

Future of Coal Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

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,...

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Economy

Xi Jinping Highlights People-to-People Ties as U.S.-China Relations Show Signs of Stabilization

Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed the enduring importance of people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States, emphasizing that cooperation between the two nations will continue regardless of...

Asian Stocks Rise as Japan Tech Shares Rebound Ahead of Fed Minutes and PCE Data

Asian stock markets moved higher on Wednesday, led by a rebound in Japanese technology shares, even as lingering concerns over artificial intelligence continued to weigh on the broader tech sector. Trading activity across...

RBNZ Holds OCR at 2.25% as Inflation Set to Ease Toward 2% Target

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) kept its official cash rate (OCR) unchanged at 2.25% on Wednesday, signaling that monetary policy will remain supportive as inflation gradually moves back toward the midpoint of its...

Oil Prices Steady as U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks and Fed Outlook Shape Market Sentiment

Oil prices were largely unchanged in Asian trading on Wednesday after posting sharp losses in the previous session, as progress in U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations eased concerns about potential supply disruptions. The...

Christine Lagarde Reportedly Set to Exit ECB Before End of Term

Christine Lagarde is expected to step down as President of the European Central Bank (ECB) before completing her full eight-year term, according to a report published Wednesday by the Financial Times. The report cited a...

Politics

Vatican Declines to Join Trump’s “Board of Peace,” Urges UN to Lead Gaza Crisis Efforts

The Vatican has confirmed it will not participate in U.S. President Donald Trumps proposed Board of Peace, a new initiative aimed at overseeing Gazas temporary governance and addressing global conflicts. Cardinal Pietro...

Cambodia’s Hun Manet Urges Thailand to Resolve Border Dispute Amid Fragile Ceasefire

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has accused Thai forces of occupying Cambodian territory months after renewed fighting along the disputed Cambodia-Thailand border, despite a ceasefire brokered in December. In an...

U.S. Official Alleges China Conducted Underground Nuclear Test at Lop Nor in 2020

A senior U.S. official has alleged that China carried out a covert underground nuclear test in June 2020 at its Lop Nor test site in western China, raising fresh concerns about global nuclear security and arms control....

Zelenskiy Says Trump Pressuring Ukraine as Donbas Peace Talks Intensify

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has raised concerns that U.S. President Donald Trump is placing excessive pressure on Ukraine to make concessions in ongoing peace negotiations aimed at ending the nearly four-year...

Medical Groups Sue FTC Over Gender-Affirming Care Investigations Amid Trump Policy Dispute

Two leading U.S. medical organizations have filed lawsuits against the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), alleging the agency launched unconstitutional investigations into their support of gender-affirming care for...

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

European IT Hardware Stocks to Watch as Gaming Demand Outpaces Smartphones, Says BofA

BofA Researchs February report highlights a clear split in European IT hardware demand trends, with gaming spending significantly outperforming other consumer technology categories while smartphone sales remain under...

Microsoft Plans $50 Billion AI Investment to Accelerate Growth in the Global South

Microsoft has announced plans to invest up to $50 billion by the end of the decade to expand artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and digital capabilities across countries in the Global South. The announcement was...

Qualcomm to Invest $150 Million in India AI Startups, Strengthening Presence in Growing Market

Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) announced on Wednesday that it plans to invest up to $150 million in a new fund dedicated to supporting artificial intelligence startups in India. The move highlights the chipmakers long-term...

Yotta to Build $2 Billion AI Data Centre Hub in India with Nvidia Blackwell Ultra Chips

Indian data centre operator Yotta Data Services has announced plans to invest more than $2 billion to develop one of Asias largest AI computing hubs, powered by Nvidias latest Blackwell Ultra chips. The large-scale AI...

YouTube Outage Disrupts Thousands Worldwide as Recommendation System Fails

YouTube experienced a widespread outage on Tuesday evening and early Wednesday morning, affecting thousands of users across the globe. According to checks conducted by Investing.com, the popular video streaming platform...