The Polish president has said that he will refer a bill which would impose a windfall tax?on the profits of oil and gas companies to the country's Constitutional Court, citing?concerns about its'retroactive' nature and 'potential impact' on consumers. The Polish Parliament has approved a bill that will tax windfall profits made by oil and gas firms who have enjoyed soaring margins in the face of supply shocks caused by the Middle East conflict. The bill assumes that in 2026, fuel sales exceeding the average of the previous year by 20% will be taxed 60%. This would generate 4 billion zlotys...

The Mediterranean Sea's high temperatures, which have limited the availability of cooling water for gas plants in southern France, could lead to a gas plant going offline on Thursday evening. This would add further pressure to an energy system that is already under stress due to reduced nuclear output. Early summer heatwaves have caused temperatures to rise to unheard of levels in Europe, leading water shortages, fires and even deaths. The French utility EDF has issued a?restriction? notice for its 930 megawatt Martigues power plant. This is the first time in this summer that an electricity plant powered by gas...

Alice Weidel of the far right Alternative for Germany said that Germany should stop a boycott against Russian oil and gas to boost its flagging economy. She was describing the party's ambitions to form a national coalition. Weidel claimed that the AfD could win two important federal state elections within the next few months. He described them as a milestone towards securing the position of German chancellor at the next national election due in 2029. The success of Made in Germany was due to the cheap energy that Russia provided. Weidel stated that we need to get it back. "The...

Cambodia's energy minister stated on Wednesday that the oil shock caused by the conflict in Iran has prompted Cambodia to resolve its maritime dispute with Thailand and unlock underwater energy resources worth $300 Billion. The grip of Iran on the Strait of?Hormuz - the conduit for a fifth of global oil supplies - has made the conflict in the region the worst ever global energy crisis. In an interview, the Minister of Mines and Energy Keorottanak said that Cambodia relies on renewable energy, including hydropower and solar power, to help it weather this current crisis. However, its hopes for industrialisation...

The Energy Information Administration's Short-Term Energy Outlook released on Tuesday predicted that U.S. electricity consumption would continue to rise in 2026 & 2027. The EIA projects that the power demand in 2027 will increase from 4,195 billion Kilowatt-hours in 2025, to 4,248 in 2026, and 4,379 in 2027. The demand for electricity is increasing as more homes and businesses are using less fossil fuels to heat and transport their vehicles and use more electricity. The agency stated that the increase in electricity demand is being led by the commercial sector. This is expected to surpass residential demand for the first...

Venture Global announced on Tuesday that it had signed new LNG supply contracts with TotalEnergies, and trading house Vitol for combined sales of over 1 million metric tonnes per annum (mtpa), over the next five-year period. Mike Sabel, the CEO of Venture Global, said on a Tuesday earnings call that the company charges customers more than twice the price of long-term LNG for the five-year contracts. This reduces the risk profile. Sabel said, "It gives us the opportunity to blend out...the risks with much higher prices than 20-year contracts. We can double our long-term contracts." These deals bring the total...

Coal has been given an unlikely reprieve by the combination of U.S. support and the Iran War. Don't call this a comeback. In the first weeks of Tehran’s war against the U.S., and Israel, the global seaborne thermal prices of coal rose by over 25%. Prices rose to the highest level since late-2024, adding new momentum to a 'unexpected' rebound. This price rise reflects short-term market conditions, not a structural improvement in the?coal economy, as is evident by the fact that prices are only 15% higher than pre-war levels. These recent steps come after coal achieved several positive milestones in...

Taiwan's economy minister announced on Saturday that the energy minister of a "major country" producing liquefied gas had given Taiwan assurances about supply. He was speaking in relation to the?impact of the Iran War on Middle East energy imports. Taiwan, which is a major producer of semiconductors, relied on Qatar to supply around a third its LNG prior to the conflict. It has now said that it has secured alternative supplies from countries such as Australia and the United States for the months ahead. Kung Ming Hsin, Taiwan's Economy Minister, told reporters in Taipei that Taiwan enjoys good relations with...

In times of high demand for electricity, the U.S. tech industry is being pressured to reduce its power consumption. This comes amid growing public concerns that Big Tech's massive energy needs in expanding data centers will'max out' the country's electrical grid. When utilities and grid operators ask for it, the power industry and its regulators are increasingly pushing tech companies to make a concession that was previously unthinkable - they're asking them to?scale?back their energy consumption in giant server farms called data centers. The majority of the attempts to make data centres more flexible are in pilot mode. Data centers...

JERA, Japan’s largest power generator, is not facing a shortage of liquefied gas, despite the U.S. and Israel’s war against?Iran. However, JERA is in talks with long-term suppliers about possible additional supplies, according to a senior executive on Saturday. Global CEO Yukio KANI said that Japan's biggest LNG buyer, Global, handles around 35 million metric tonnes of super-chilled gas annually. Around 27 million tons of this fuel are used in Japan, with about 5% passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has disrupted the shipping in the'strait', which is a conduit for 80% of the world's fossil fuel?supplies. Kani, speaking...

Katherina Reiche, Germany's Economy minister, said that the International Energy Agency has recommended the release 400 million barrels from its stockpiles. This is the largest?such move? in IEA's history. Reiche confirmed to reporters in Berlin that the government intends to limit petrol price increases to one per day at filling station and introduce "more stringent antitrust regulations of the sector." She did not provide a definite time frame for these measures but said that the United States, Japan and other countries would contribute the most to the release. Reiche stated that the situation is tense as oil supplies are strained...

Two Greenpeace activists rushed onto the stage during a global nuclear summit held in France on February 2, interrupting Emmanuel Macron, President of France and Rafael Grossi, U.N. nuclear watchdog chief. The protesters were dressed in black suits with ties and held banners that bore the Greenpeace logo, and read "Nuclear Power= Energy Insecurity", and "Nuclear Power fuels Russia's War". Macron was shouted by one of the protesters, "Why are we still buying Uranium from Russia?" The president responded, "We produce nuclear power ourselves." According to the latest data from the French government, France not only has its own uranium-enrichment...

The United Nations weather agency warned on Monday that pollution from heat waves and wildfires could undermine global efforts to improve the air quality and protect human health. The World Meteorological Organization, in its annual report on climate and air quality, said that air pollution and climate changes are closely related and should be addressed through coordinated policies rather than isolated ones. The World Meteorological Organization warned that it would be more difficult to meet the World Health Organization air quality guidelines in the future because of the increased likelihood of extreme wildfires. WMO's?report? stated that wildfires have become a...

On Saturday, tens of thousands of protesters gathered on the central square of Zagreb to demonstrate against the failure of the government to begin cleaning up the more than 30,000 tonnes of waste that have accumulated in central Croatia. Environmentalists claim this is polluting drinking water in the area. The protest was one of the largest in Croatia for several years. It was called "Walk for Lika", named after the mountainous area where the wastes are stored. Last year, authorities discovered between 34,000 to 37,000 tons at a site in the Lika region of Croatia, near the town of?Gospic. Much...

Officials said that wildfires are spreading near Indonesia's new capital city, which is currently under construction. Project authorities have urged the disaster mitigation agency to conduct cloud-seeding, water-bombing, and other operations. Indonesia has intensified its efforts to control haze, particularly in six provinces that have been hardest hit by the forest and landfires on Borneo and Sumatra Islands, which total 73,311 ha. Wildfires are raging on Borneo Island in several spots, but in the eastern portion, which is home to the new capital Nusantara (Nusantara), the situation has been relatively calm in recent weeks, since the fires started to worsen...

Malaysia declared an emergency on Friday in the district of Serian in Sarawak after thick haze from forest fires in?Indonesia caused air pollution to reach 'hazardous' levels. Sarawak on Borneo has been severely affected by the fires that have ravaged the Indonesian side. Haze forced the closure of schools in certain parts of the state. Malaysian authorities classify Air Pollution Index (API), readings over 300, as hazardous. A measurement of 500 is the threshold to declare an emergency. Government data revealed that the API in Serian reached 519 on Friday. Anwar's Office said that the king of Malaysia, Sultan Ibrahim,...

Indonesia is on high alert to prevent the devastation caused by the wildfires that are raging in the country. Indonesia has deployed cloud seeding and firefighting planes to try to stop fires and smoke spreading. This is especially true in five provinces of Borneo Island, which are home to large stretches of?peaty lands. WHAT ROLE DOES EL NINO PLAY? El Nino may not be the direct cause of fires but it can act as a catalyst. The additional heat and drying conditions allow them to spread faster. Indonesian authorities have said that the El Nino index for this year has...

Scientists said that coral reefs experience bleaching so often, they don't have the time to recover before another one strikes. The global coral cover is now below "normal" levels and faces irreversible decline. Coral reefs are vital to the world, supporting a quarter all marine life. They also make coasts more resilient, and provide food and livelihoods to millions. But their survival is threatened by pollution, and by mass bleaching due to rising ocean temperatures. In a report that was based on data collected over 40 years from more than 37,000 reef sites in 120 countries, the Global Coral Reef...

Experts and officials from Nepal and China met in Kathmandu three months before the wall of mud, water and rock that 'hurt down' a Himalayan Valley bordering Nepal and China killed hundreds. The agenda for the meeting, held in the capital of Nepal on May 27, included 10 Nepali officials and 12 Chinese officials, including those from the Tibet region, where the disaster occurred. They discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries to monitor and respond effectively to hazards such as floods, bad weather, and glacier-related hazards. Participants called for "joint measures to reduce risk, including inventories and...

Experts and officials from Nepal and China met in Kathmandu three months before the wall of mud, water and rock that hurled down a Himalayan Valley bordering Nepal and China killed hundreds. The agenda for the meeting, held in the capital of Nepal on May 27, included 10 Nepalese officials and 12 Chinese officials, including those from the Tibet region, where the disaster occurred. They discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries to monitor and respond effectively to hazards such as floods, bad weather, and glacier-related hazards. Participants called for joint measures to reduce risk, such as inventories...

El Nino, a weather phenomenon that has brought rain and an unexpected increase in temperatures to Peru could put more than 1,000,000 people in danger in areas of the country susceptible to climate change. Luis Vazquez is the head of the Civil Defense Institute in the state. He said that El Nino will intensify in November and cause flooding and mudslides across 10 different regions. Vazquez stated at a press conference that, based on the historical data of all regions affected by El Nino in the past, 1.2 million people may be affected. El Nino is most likely to affect...

Tuesday, the?Trump Administration took a first step towards?rescinding?a decades-old regulation that protects undeveloped forest. The administration claims this will help to manage wildfire risks, but environmental groups say it will do just the opposite. Donald Trump has reversed environmental regulations and removed land from conservation to be used for energy extraction. According to a Department of Agriculture press release, the 'proposed rule' filed by the U.S. Forest Service will rescind 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule which bans logging and roads in undeveloped forest and transfer authority to the local national forest managers. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, wildfires...

In lab tests, we also found that a flavoring chemical in e-cigarettes damages human embryonic cells. A BLOOD TEST CAN DISCOVER PRE-CANCEROUS COLORECTAL LEES Researchers say that an experimental blood test for the detection of colorectal carcinoma also has promise as a way to prevent it. Commercially, there are several blood tests for colorectal screening. However, the new test can also detect precancerous polyps called advanced adenomas. The removal of these polyps may prevent cancerous cells from developing. The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology reported that they tested the assay on more than 1,500 adult participants in colonoscopy programs in China....

In the early hours of Friday morning, authorities in Germany ordered about 1,800 residents to leave their homes after a wildfire spread from the west to a village near the Belgian border. In a statement issued at 4 am (0200 GMT), officials from the municipality of Strass said that residents should immediately leave the village?of Gey and head to the assistance centre set up in the nearby village Strass. The 'only essentials' were identification documents, medicines and essential belongings. Authorities said that a wildfire in the nearby woods affected about 25 hectares (62 acre) and triggered a major response. The...