Japan Plays Russian Roulette in its Energy Quest

onDec 26, 2007 @ 06:49 PST

Fifty-five million years ago the world’s climate was catastrophically changed when volcanoes melted natural gas frozen in the seabed. Now Japan plans to drill for the same icy crystals to end its reliance on imported energy. Billions of tons of methane hydrate, frozen chunks of chemical-laced water buried in sediment some 3,000 feet under the Pacific Ocean floor, may help Japan win energy independence from the Middle East and Indonesia. Japanese engineers have found enough “flammable ice” to meet its gas use demands for 14 years. The trick is extracting it without damaging the environment.

By Ross Gelbspan

Somalia’s Parliament and Public Are Questioning the President’s Shadowy Oil Deal With Turkey

ByOscar Rothstein

on Nov 10, 2026 @ 20:00 MST

Some MPs say the arrangement — which gives Turkish Petroleum 95 percent of revenues on estimated 20 billion barrels of oil — is "illegitimate".

UN Fails to Disclose Company Names on Biodiversity Summit Delegates List

ByRachel Sherrington, Clare Carlile and Brigitte Wear

on Nov 10, 2026 @ 09:39 MST

Hundreds of representatives from the world’s most powerful industry bodies representing sectors that harm, or exploit, the natural world were present on the ground at the October nature summit in ...

Series: Big Ag's Climate Push

French Oil Giant Backs Dozens of Lobby Groups Fighting New Methane Rules Around the World

ByCécile Marchand and TJ Jordan

on Nov 10, 2026 @ 04:07 MST

TotalEnergies has won plaudits for voluntary steps to tackle the planet-heating gas. So why does it fund moves to delay, dilute or dismantle regulation?