TURKMENISTAN: THE DIVERSIFICATION OF GAS EXPORT MARKET

Among the Central Asian countries, Turkmenistan has the largest natural gas reserves and the world’s sixth largest reserves that amount 13,7 tcm. In 2015, Turkmenistan expects a total 48 bcm of natural gas exports comparing to 2014 figures of 45,1 bcm. At the same time, the country forecasted a 9 percent increase in natural gas production to 83,8 bcm in 2015. That means that Turkmenistan would have 35,8 bcm of natural gas for local consumption. That amount of gas might be too high for Turkmenistan’s domestic consumption, because the country burned roughly 22,3 bcm in 2013.Therefore, the margin between the production, consumption and export demonstrates that Turkmenistan has a significant potential to increase the export of its energy source.

Missing the Peace for the Trees

It has been more than a decade since warring parties signed a deal to end Liberia’s bloody conflict. Fueled by the pillaging of the country’s rich natural resources — diamonds, gold, iron, and timber — the two civil wars that raged across 14 years left more than 250,000 people dead and displaced more than 1 million others. When the final peace deal was signed in 2003, however, the resources that had sustained the war for so long were not mentioned at all. The oversight, though common, has often proved disastrous for countries trying to break free from years of violence.

At the merci of the water mafia

Down by the sandy banks of the Yamuna River, the men must work quickly. At a little past 12 a.m. one humid night in May, they pull back the black plastic tarp covering three boreholes sunk deep in the ground along the waterway that traces Delhi’s eastern edge. From a shack a few feet away, they then drag thick hoses toward a queue of 20-odd tanker trucks idling quietly with their headlights turned off. The men work in a team: While one man fits a hose’s mouth over a borehole, another clambers atop a truck at the front of the line and shoves the tube’s opposite end into the empty steel cistern attached to the vehicle’s creaky frame.

Do Or Die For Mexico’s Neglected Oil Sector

The Mexican government softened some rules on the bidding process for new oil tracts in an effort to placate private oil companies who had complained about too many restrictions. With the changes, the Mexican government gets rid of caps that would limit oil companies to bidding on only a certain number of contracts.

There were other tweaks to the auction terms that would sweeten the pot for bidding companies. Exploration companies will now be able to have more of their exploration costs recovered, with the possibility of seeing a 125 percent return for their costs if an oil discovery is commercialized. In return, oil companies will pay higher taxes to the Mexican government if their profits balloon beyond a certain threshold.

What can be done to stop the depletion of the world’s natural resources?

The depletion of most of the world’s most pivotal natural resources looms on the horizon, but state and private companies engaged in extracting, cultivating, and trading raw materials have proven reluctant to sufficiently factor in the risk of finite resources in their business models.

The years 2013-14 largely recorded a dramatic drop in commodity prices. For 2015, projections remain negative. Even for the next years to come, the pace of recovery will be moderate.

China's Appetite Will Strain Australia's Water

In the coming decades, Australia's water resources will be stretched not only by climate and domestic consumption but also through export. Australia will not physically export water; rather, it will virtually export water through its agricultural exports, mostly to China. Consumption shifts in China, a free trade agreement between Canberra and Beijing, and increased Chinese investment in foreign agricultural activities will drive up agricultural trade between China and Australia.

Australia, already the driest inhabited continent, is expected to experience more extreme droughts in the future, making water a precious commodity. A small overall population and progressive water regulations in basins already experiencing water stress will mitigate the impact, but Australia's role as a virtual water exporter will partially reverse efforts to avoid increased water stress.

Norway still optimistic over Arctic oil

The drastic fall in oil prices has made petroleum explorations in the Barents Sea seemingly unprofitable. Yet, despite severe economic, technological and environmental concerns, the Norwegian government pushes for increased activities, and recently handed out exploration licenses in the Barents Sea.

The huge fall in global oil prices since June from $115 to around $50 has dramatically lowered cost-margins in the volatile petroleum industry. After 5 years of stable high prices, the recent fall in oil prices is attributed to several reasons: sluggish economic output, the shale gas revolution in the US, a switch to alternative fuels, and finally the unwillingness of OPEC and the Saudis to sacrifice their market share by cutting productions.

Industrial Expansion Will Strain Mexico's Water Resources

Much like its northern neighbor, Mexico is not water scarce when viewed as a whole. But unequal water distribution has led to significant water stress in several parts of the country. Supply has been further strained by poor infrastructure, pollution and overuse — partly attributable to inefficient management and a growing population. Still, Mexico is positioned to experience significant economic growth because of its proximity to the United States and the likely expansion of its manufacturing sector as the country's population increases.

Recent changes to the constitution to encourage much-needed investment in the country's energy sector will further aid the faltering sector. Asymmetrical distribution and increased competition for limited water resources, however, could temper Mexico's potential for growth. Growth is still possible without addressing the problem, but it must be dealt with if Mexico hopes to fully utilize its geographic advantages, especially in the industrial and manufacturing sectors. In addition to the other obstacles that must be addressed, Mexico will need to make policy and behavioral adjustments to overcome its current water scarcity issues.

The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Plunging Oil Prices

Crude oil prices plunged to a six-year low Tuesday in a potentially painful threat to oil-exporting nations that rely on crude to power their economies. The drop brings some welcome relief to countries that have been struggling with economic headwinds, but brings a mixed bag for others, like the United States, that are both big producers and consumers of oil.

Oil prices are still looking for a floor, in part because the persistent mismatch between global supply and demand continues even as big oil producers inside OPEC keep spooking the market by refusing to countenance any voluntary production cut. The energy minister for the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, Jan. 13, dismissed the idea that OPEC would cut production to boost prices and said it was up to other oil suppliers, such as the United States, to blink first.

The fossil fuel bailout: G20 subsidies for oil, gas and coal exploration

Governments across the G20 countries are estimated to be spending $88 billion every year subsidising exploration for fossil fuels. This report documents, for the first time, the scale and structure of fossil-fuel exploration subsidies in the G20 countries. The evidence points to a publicly financed bailout for carbon-intensive companies, and support for uneconomic investments that could drive the planet far beyond the internationally agreed target of limiting global temperature increases to no more than 2ºC.

Downloads

COUNTRY BY COUNTRY BREAKDOWN

How much is each G20 government subsidising fossil fuel exploration?

OPEC Releases November Oil Production Report

OPEC just published their November Monthly Oil Market Report which contains crude only production data for all OPEC nations. The only big surprise was that everyone had declining production except Libya and Algeria, that is according to “secondary sources”.

Infographic: Why Waste Water?

http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2013/09/03/why-waste-water-infographic

Greek Minerals Sector Potential in 2013 and Beyond: an Overview

The Greek mineral sector is an overlooked, but developing industry in the country. Greece’s varied soil and geomorphic layers host a variety of minerals and metals. Some are rare, others are not, but all still have different industrial uses and financial value.

However, looming not far in the background of the public and political discussion of the mineral sector is the issue of how the perceived profitability of mineral exploitation is being affected by possible currency changes in years ahead. Although this aspect deserves a study of its own, it is interesting to keep in mind when considering why certain investments have or have not been made in the minerals sector at this time.

Associated Press: Masked intruders raid Greek gold mining company, set machinery on fire

By Associated Press, Sunday,via Washington Post

THESSALONIKI, Greece — About 40 masked attackers raided the facilities of a prospective gold mine in northern Greece overnight Sunday, setting machinery and offices alight, authorities said.

There has long been vehement opposition to the prospect of a gold mine and processing plant being built at Skouries in the Halkidiki peninsula, with residents objecting to what they say will be the destruction of the environment and of pristine forest in the area, leading to the loss of tourism and other local activities such as farming, the rearing of livestock and fishing.

For the first time in the history of the EU Citizens’ Initiative against the deregulation of water utilities was approved

For the first time in EU history, an European Citizen's Initiative (ECI) has been registered by the European Commission after one million people from seven EU countries signed a petition.

"For the first time in the history of the EU" a European Citizen's Initiative (ECI) has been registered by the European Commission, says Spanish business daily Cinco Días. A petition of one million signatures from people in at least seven EU countries, was deposited on February 11 by Right2Water a non-governmental organisation.

24 PLACES THAT LOOK NOT NORMAL, BUT ARE ACTUALLY REAL

CHAND BAORI – ABHANERI, INDIA

Source: farm8.staticflickr.com

Resources: the coming crunch and some things that could be done about it

In the twentieth century the west’s boundless determination to extract ripped apart the social, political and cultural fabric of whole countries. Today, a century’s worth of price decline has been wiped out in a single decade, without reducing unprecedented levels of demand. 

I have already remarked, and it’s the starting point for the new edition of myState of the World Atlas (published this week), that the human population is seven times greater than it was 200 years ago but our use of resources is disproportionately greater still: we produce 50 times as much, using 60 times as much water and 75 times as much energy. Where is that all going – and perhaps more to the point, how long can it keep on going? A new report offers insights.

Global population is still growing. 

The resource issue is fundamental. How it is addressed will do much to shape the prospects for fairness and justice in the world system, the likelihood of peace or war, the possibilities of sustainable prosperity, and the kind of freedoms we can expect to enjoy. Resources Futures from the Chatham House think-tank in London sets out to explore the political economy of natural resources, covering agriculture, metals, energy and water.

Reuters:Greece looks out to sea for gas wealth salvation should early estimates of $600 billion worth of reserves be confirmed

By Oleg Vukmanovic and Stephen Jewkes

(Reuters) - Offshore natural gas could dramatically change Greece's fortunes, should early estimates of $600 billion worth of reserves be confirmed, according to a study presented to Prime Minister Antonis Samaras in June and seen by Reuters.

The study, collating existing scientific data, says that geological similarities indicate that reserves offshore Crete may match the prolific Levantine Basin where recent Israeli and Cypriot discoveries are clustered.

The Guardian: Food shortages could force world into vegetarianism, warn scientists

 

Water scarcity's effect on food production means radical steps will be needed to feed population expected to reach 9bn by 2050

Leading water scientists have issued one of the sternest warnings yet about global food supplies, saying that the world's population may have to switch almost completely to a vegetarian diet over the next 40 years to avoid catastrophic shortages.
Humans derive about 20% of their protein from animal-based products now, but this may need to drop to just 5% to feed the extra 2 billion people expected to be alive by 2050, according to research by some of the world's leading water scientists.
"There will not be enough water available on current croplands to produce food for the expected 9 billion population in 2050 if we follow current trends and changes towards diets common in western nations," the report by Malik Falkenmark and colleagues at the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) said.
"There will be just enough water if the proportion of animal-based foods is limited to 5% of total calories and considerable regional water deficits can be met by a … reliable system of food trade."