Energy

I hope you’ve downloaded our latest free report, “Engaging Middle America in Recycling Solutions.”. We conducted that research because we were curious about whether Americans were aware of what was happening with our recycling system — that most Asian countries no longer will take our plastics off our hands, many municipal curbside programs are shutting

CEO and founder of U.S. Nikola Trevor Milton Massimo Pinca | Reuters Shares of Nikola opened Monday at their lowest price since the company went public June 4 after company founder and Executive Chairman Trevor Milton announced his resignation overnight. The stock was down as much as 30% in premarket trading before opening at $24.97. The shares rebounded a

The world (well, most of it) attacked COVID-19 as if it were a true global emergency: with extraordinary speed, scale and scope. With real collaboration and a healthy dose of courage, some gutsy decisions were made both in government and business. Getting billions of people to don masks, allocating trillions of dollars and putting massive

This image shows how the airplanes might look when in flight. Airbus European aerospace giant Airbus released details of three hydrogen-fueled concept planes on Monday, saying they could enter service by the year 2035. The designs, named ZEROe, differ in size and style, but are all meant to be zero-emission, using hydrogen as their primary

Oil pumping jacks, also known as “nodding donkeys”, are reflected in a puddle as they operate in an oilfield near Almetyevsk, Russia, on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020. Andrey Rudakov | Bloomberg via Getty Images LONDON — A group of some of the world’s most powerful oil-producing nations on Thursday will meet to review production policy,

Patrick Pleul | picture alliance | Getty Images Carbon dioxide emissions from plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are more than two-and-a-half-times greater than official test levels, new research claims. Published this week, the analysis — conducted by the Transport & Environment campaign group and supported by environmental organization Greenpeace U.K. — stated that, on average, “typical” plug-in hybrid

Used in everything from the detergent that washes our clothes to the toothpaste that keeps our mouths clean, chemicals play an integral role in society.  While it’s hard to imagine life without them, if not used in a responsible way their effect on the natural world – and us – can be harmful. The European

The Block Island Wind Farm, pictured above, began commercial operations at the end of 2016. Scott Eisen | Getty Images Stretching for thousands of miles, the east coast of the United States is home to major cities, stunning beaches and millions of people. Soon, though, it could also host several major offshore wind farms, a

An employee looks for items in one of the corridors at an Amazon warehouse. Carlos Jasso | Reuters Amazon, one of the largest consumers of batteries in the world, is investing in battery recycling start-up Redwood Materials, a company started by former Tesla executive JB Straubel.  The investment, which wasn’t disclosed, is part of $2

As global apparel consumption continues to rise—an expected increase of 60% by 2030—that growth could have a dangerous impact on the environment. Currently, 87% of textiles are landfilled or incinerated and 10% of GHG emissions come from fashion industry. As Earth’s resources become more and more constrained, the global fashion industry is looking toward innovative materials

Early this month, McDonald’s made headlines when it teamed with Cargill, Target and The Nature Conservancy to put $8.5 million toward helping Nebraska farmers cultivate regenerative agriculture practices over the next five years. The initiative, like others emerging in the past several years from Cargill, General Mills, Danone and other big companies in the food

SINGAPORE — Oil prices have plunged during the pandemic and the sector’s crisis could get worse as new investments are unlikely to flow in, experts said at an energy conference this week. Pandemic-related movement restrictions stopped people from commuting and traveling, drastically reducing oil usage. Earlier this year, the May contract for U.S. benchmark West Texas

Skyven Technologies, founded in 2013, is a company with a unique proposition for companies in the industrial sector — a way to save money through decarbonizing. Skyven CEO Arun Gupta said the idea came when he applied the thinking behind his Ph.D. dissertation in microelectronics to an entirely different field: climate change. “I was able

ivanastar | iStock Unreleased | Getty Images The Lego Group is planning to invest as much as $400 million across three years in order to “accelerate sustainability and social responsibility initiatives.” The company’s plans, announced Tuesday, are wide-ranging and cover a number of areas. Among other things, the toy-making giant said it would look to

Nikola Motor Company Two truck Source: Nikola Motor Company Shares of electric truck maker Nikola fell Tuesday after Bloomberg news reported that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is examining short-seller claims that the company misled investors. Short-seller Hindenburg accused Nikola founder Trevor Milton of making false statements about the company’s technology in order to grow the company and

A major problem with behavior-change programs in the waste industry is that they rely on consumers being taught to feel the guilt of plastic in the ocean, and the harm to turtles and whales. They’ve tried to condition people to believe that if we buy so-called “zero waste kits,” choose zucchini and cucumbers without plastic

The Wilmington ARCO refinery is seen before dawn on December 19, 2003 in Los Angeles, California. David McNew | Getty Images Oil prices inched lower on Tuesday as a bleaker outlook for global fuel demand prompted fresh selling, but short-covering ahead of a meeting later this week of OPEC and its allies, known as OPEC+,

The chickens are coming home to roost. Even before the western United States became a regional inferno, even before the Midwest U.S. became a summertime flood zone, even before an annual hurricane season so bad that the government is running out of names to attach to them, even before Colorado saw a 100°F heatwave swan

A oil tanker goods train passes towards Nizamuddin Railway Station near Ashram in New Delhi on July 30, 2020. Mayank Makhija | NurPhoto via Getty Images LONDON — OPEC has cut its forecast for oil demand growth this year, citing a weaker-than-expected recovery in India and other Asian countries, and warned risks remain “elevated and skewed to

Pump jacks operate near Loco Hills on April 23, 2020 in Eddy County, New Mexico. Paul Ratje | Getty Images Oil prices tumbled to their lowest level since June on Tuesday amid growing demand concerns as Covid-19 continues to spread. West Texas Intermediate crude, the U.S. oil benchmark, slipped $3.19, or 8%, to trade at

The development is located in the St George area of Bristol, England. Jon Craig Photos Whether it’s sky-high apartment blocks, low-rise housing or converted shipping containers, the buildings we occupy come in all shapes and sizes. In Bristol, England, one development is attempting to address the city’s housing needs through a modular design that places

Sebastian Rothe | EyeEm | Getty Images A “dramatic” scaling up of clean energy technologies will be required if the world is to reach its climate and energy goals, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). In a report published on Thursday, the Paris-based body said that while calls to cut greenhouse gas emissions were

A computer-generated image of the new Mayflower vessel. IBM Humans aren’t the only ones to have had their travel plans ruined by the coronavirus. A robot-powered boat that was due to cross the Atlantic this month has been forced to delay its voyage until next April after the virus caused complications in its development. The

Week in Review Stories discussed this week (9:30). Features Bank of the West’s checking account for climate (23:40)  In July, Bank of the West, part of BNP Paribas, announced a partnership with 1% for the Planet to launch a checking account designed for climate action. Joel Makower, chairman and executive editor at GreenBiz, speaks with

Offshore oil platforms are seen on April 20, 2020 in Huntington Beach, California. Michael Heiman | Getty Images Oil prices extended declines on Friday, under pressure from a surprise rise in U.S. stockpiles and ongoing weak demand from the coronavirus pandemic. Brent crude was down 8 cents, or 0.2%, at $39.98 a barrel by 0110

The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the inequities and fragility of our industrialized food system and accelerated the movement to create strong regional food systems that support local growers, provide food security, give communities agency over their food supply and yield environmental benefits. These systems will remain out of reach, though, unless we address persistent, decades-old

A line handler helps dock the oil tanker, Texas Voyager, as it pulls into its mooring to offload its crude oil at Port Everglades on April 21, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty Images Oil futures fell in early trade on Thursday, paring overnight gains, on worries about fuel demand after data

One of the most consistent dividend payers in the history of the energy trade could be in danger of having to slash its payout, according to the options market.  The energy space as a whole has suffered greatly at the hands of the global coronavirus pandemic. Demand for oil has fallen off a cliff, sending

An oil refinery is situated along a highway in Big Spring, Texas. Spencer Platt | Getty Images Oil futures fell further on Wednesday after big declines the previous session with Brent sliding below $40 a barrel for the first time since June as Covid-19 cases rebounded in several countries. The biggest global health crisis in

One downside of a career as an engineer is that you are trained to notice detail. Robert Downey Jr., playing Sherlock Holmes in the 2011 movie “Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows,” is asked what he sees. His answer: “Everything. That is my curse.” It can make you the invaluable go-to person for information and analyses,

A view of the Marathon Petroleum Corp’s Los Angeles Refinery in Carson, California, April 25, 2020. Robyn Beck | AFP | Getty Images Oil prices fell on Tuesday amid concerns that a possible rise in Covid-19 cases following the U.S. Labor Day long weekend, which also marks the end of the peak U.S. driving season,

German Chancellor Angela Merkelgreets Russian President Vladimir Putin in January 19, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. Adam Berry | Getty Images News | Getty Images German officials are increasing pressure on the Kremlin to cooperate in the investigation into the suspected poisoning of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, with one lawmaker noting this weekend that Berlin

In the run up to California Clean Air Day, join GreenBiz for a conversation about some of the available and affordable solutions that are delivering a real lasting impact in California’s fight against air pollution and climate change.  Certain regions in the United States, particularly in California, continue to face an air pollution crisis. Fighting

A man walks on a path in front of an oil derrick near the Huntington Beach Oil Fields on April 20, 2020 in Huntington Beach, California. Michael Heiman | Getty Images Oil prices slipped on Friday, on track for a weekly loss, as investors’ focus shifted to lackluster demand and ample fuel supplies, offsetting support

How about this for a series of maddening statistics? Landfills in the United States generate 15 percent of the country’s emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas with a potential warming impact 34 times that of carbon dioxide. The single largest input into U.S. landfills is food waste, yard trimmings and other organic matter. Sending organic

Greg Berndt takes a selfie as the thermometer reads 131 degrees Fahrenheit (55 Celsius) at the Furnace Creek Visitors Center in Death Valley, California, U.S. August 17, 2020. David Becker | Reuters A dangerous heat wave is expected to hit California over the weekend and trigger one of the hottest days in state history. Temperatures

On Aug. 14 and 15, the California electric grid operator made the incredibly rare decision to proactively shut off parts of the electricity grid, resulting in limited rolling blackouts affecting businesses and homes throughout the state. Forced outages are a tool of last resort, employed in circumstances of incredible stress to the grid and done

Is ESG worth it? Analysts at Barclays grappled with that question in a recent report titled “ESG funds: Looking beyond the label,” a look at whether investing in assets based on environmental, social and governance factors actually leads to better financial outcomes. In the report, the firm wrote that growth in ESG “has been driven

I’ve written about my high hopes for microgrids and my disappointment at the speed of deployment (due in part to COVID-related slowdowns that stalled construction).  But don’t be confused. Like a swimming duck, a lot has been happening with microgrids under the surface. New third-party financing options for microgrids in which the energy offtaker does

Russian energy minister Alexander Novak arrives for the 177th Organization Of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting in Vienna, Austria, on December 5, 2019. JOE KLAMAR | AFP via Getty Images Russian energy minister Alexander Novak made a call for only modest oil price recovery in 2021, based on a weak demand look and pandemic-induced changes

Week in Review Stories discussed this week (4:08). Features Mainstage highlights from Circularity 20 (15:30) Last week, GreenBiz hosted Circularity 20, the largest North American conference focused on circular economy issues. We’ll be posting videos for many sessions in mid-September. Meanwhile, here are highlights from five mainstage speakers.  Circularity and equity in cities: Mark Chambers, director of the

Blessed with a wide variety of landscapes, the African country of Uganda produces everything from bananas and coffee to tea and cocoa. Indeed, its land plays a big role in its economy: the Uganda National Household Survey for 2016/17 found that 65% of the country’s working population were involved in the agriculture, forestry and fishing

The pressure is on when it comes to sustainability in the private sector. No longer is it sufficient to announce new ambitions. Now, driven by new reporting requirements in the form of TCFD, new regulatory regimes being enacted by the EU, increasing shareholder and consumer pressure around the pace of climate change, companies are being

Andrew Wheeler, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), speaks during a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing, May 20, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Al Drago | Getty Images President Donald Trump will continue to weaken environmental regulations on industries if re-elected for a second term in November, while working to

As GreenBiz co-founder and Executive Editor Joel Makower wrote earlier this week, many companies are moving to disclose “climate risk,” although far fewer are moving to actually minimize it. And as those tasked with preparing those reports can attest, the process of gathering the data for them is frustrating and complex, especially as the level

Members of a local family with a long history of using the Jubilee Pool Lido become the first people to experience the Lido’s new geothermal pool on August 28, 2020 in Penzance, England. Hugh R Hastings | Getty Images News | Getty Images Cornwall, in southwest England, is famed for its rolling countryside, stunning coastline

This week, I’ve been thinking a lot about electric vehicle batteries and the massive potential for battery recycling and reuse. As the market for electric vehicles takes off, that means eventually hundreds of millions of EV batteries will be in use and then face end of life. The industry needs to make the process of

South Belridge Oil Field is the fourth-largest oil field in California and one of the most productive in the U.S. David McNew | Getty Images Crude oil futures extended gains on Wednesday after a bigger-than-expected draw in U.S. crude stockpiles and as solid U.S. and Chinese factory activity fueled optimism of a recovery from the