When it comes to action over Georgia, Russia has the European Union over a barrel. In fact, 1.2 million barrels. That's how much Russian crude is pumped westward every day down the Druzhba pipeline to fuel Europe's economies. This hard economic reality explains why Monday's emergency EU summit will struggle to produce much more than a slap on the wrist for Russia, despite Europe's exasperation over Moscow's invasion of Georgia and backing for its two separatist regions to break away.

     --International Herald Tribune, 29 August 2008

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CCNet 126/2008 - 29 August 2008 -- Audiatur et altera pars

ENERGY WARS AND THE RETURN OF OLD KING COAL

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Fears are mounting that Russia may restrict oil deliveries to Western Europe over coming days, in response to the threat of EU sanctions and Nato naval actions in the Black Sea. Any evidence that the Kremlin is planning to use the oil weapon to intimidate the West could inflame global energy markets. The Kremlin declined to comment.

     --Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, The Daily Telegraph, 29 August 2008

When it comes to action over Georgia, Russia has the European Union over a barrel. In fact, 1.2 million barrels. That's how much Russian crude is pumped westward every day down the Druzhba pipeline to fuel Europe's economies. This hard economic reality explains why Monday's emergency EU summit will struggle to produce much more than a slap on the wrist for Russia, despite Europe's exasperation over Moscow's invasion of Georgia and backing for its two separatist regions to break away.

     --International Herald Tribune, 29 August 2008

At least one noteworthy policy directive emerged from the recent G8 forum in Japan. It now seems that the preferred option to meet the energy needs of the 21st century is for all of us to start burning coal again.

     --Mark Robinson and Martin Li, Investors Chronicle, 28 August 2008

To put it bluntly, the Kyoto Protocol is subsidizing Putin's military retrenchment. If the supposed oil wealth funding of madrassas is a problem, then I suggest this one is at least as big. This is, needless to say, a terrible situation to be in. When environmentalists get their way, Putin gets his. If Putin's energy weapon is to be neutralized, Western European governments need to face down the environmental lobbies in their countries, and allow digging for coal and new nuclear build. Political calculus, however, suggests otherwise. And Putin knows this.

   --Iain Murray, The Really Inconvenient Blog, 26 August 2008

Chief executive Jon Lloyd said he believed it was accepted that in the face of higher energy prices, and despite the impact of the large combustion plants directive, which limits power station emissions, coal would play a "significant and perhaps major part in the UK's energy mix over the next two decades". "There will be environmental challenges but frankly it's a political must to keep the lights on," Lloyd said.

      --Mark Milner, The Guardian, 29 August 2008

The use of coal in UK electricity production supplied to households, business and factories was up 10.1 per cent on the equivalent period in 2007, while the use of natural gas fell sharply against the backdrop of higher energy prices, government figures released on Thursday show.

    --Point Carbon, 28 August 2008

So my question is extremely simple, we know temperature goes up and down. We know there is tremendous amount of natural variations, but for how many years must the planet cool before we begin to understand - we politicians and scientists - that the planet is not warming? For how many years must cooling go on?

    --David Gee, Chairman of the Science Committee, International Geological Congress, 8 August 2008