Energy This Week

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Trump’s energy policies demand lower oil prices, risk China competition

Donald Trump, re-entering the White House, has launched a whirlwind of orders, many relating to energy and climate. But his policies on green energy risk ceding the future to China. Alongside the US’s withdrawing – again – from the Paris Agreement on climate change, some Americans living in the UAE expressed concern about climate policy and how Mr Trump “basically says global warming is all fake”.

Speaking by video to the World Economic Forum, he criticised former president Joe Biden’s environmental signature programme, saying, “The Green New Deal [which Mr Biden did not implement] was a total disgrace”. Mr Trump demanded Opec cut oil prices, saying “if the price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately”. He wants to cut inflation, of which, energy prices are a large part, but also to impose numerous tariffs which would drive up US domestic prices.

Oil prices did fall last week, for the first time in the year. Brent crude lost 2.8 per cent over the week. Mr Trump’s declaration of a national energy emergency is meant to unleash his “drill, baby, drill” mantra, though lower prices would mean less drilling and a fall in US output. The US is currently the world’s biggest oil and gas producer, and biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas.

Adnoc Gas has signed up to supply Jera, the Japanese utility, with $450 million worth of LNG. Japan is a key customer for Adnoc’s expanding LNG output.

Dubai-Abu Dhabi high-speed rail could cut emissions

The planned Dubai-Abu Dhabi electric high-speed railway should cut pollution and greenhouse gas emissions by giving a speedy alternative to the car or bus. The train could cut millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year. In a UK example, flying emits 246 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per passenger-kilometre, a petrol or diesel car 170 grams, an electric car 47 grams, and a train only 4 grams.

Electric vehicles now have as long a lifetime and are as reliable or better than petrol and diesel cars, find researchers from a group including the University of Birmingham. And the world’s first independently-developed supersonic jet, the XB-1 of US start-up Boom Supersonic, has broken the sound barrier in a test flight in California. It is designed to run on 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel.

Colonise Mars, or clean up at home?

Elon Musk, supporter of US President Donald Trump, advocates colonising Mars – does our planet need a back-up plan in case of disastrous climate change? Perhaps a more constructive approach is to use research on the Red Planet as a way of advancing sustainability at home. But the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved their famous Doomsday Clock one second closer to midnight, to reflect the danger of disastrous climate change among other risks.

Storms and novel foods come to UK as climate heats up

A hotter climate could bring cultivation of oranges and hummus to the UK. And, as Britain and Ireland are battered by Storm éowyn, named after JRR Tolkien’s warrior maiden, scientists have again pointed out that climate change is making such tempests stronger. Two Emirati scientists have returned from an expedition to the South Pole, setting up seismic and meteorological stations, hoping their work will “help humanity”.

In a very different climate, cloud-seeding has been effective in the UAE, and the International Rain Enhancement Forum was held in Abu Dhabi this week. However, a US expert warned that weather modification must be wary of misinformation and conspiracy theories. Pioneering conservationist and chimp researcher Jane Goodall opened a bee sanctuary named after her in Dubai Expo City. And the Abu Dhabi Pearls Centre has intensified efforts on the sustainable farming of pearls.