Realism Returning To Brussels? EU Energy Chief Warms To Offshore Oil And Shale Gas

Europe is at a competitive disadvantage because of a reluctance to take risks on offshore oil drilling and tar sands, and a failure to fully explore its shale gas options, EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger says.

World Bank President Jim Kim on Climate

[Kim] “I think our governors—the board—expect the World Bank to play a very large role in climate change issues and other environmental issues and trying to make contributions around global public goods. We’ll simply have to figure out over time the best mechanisms to do that.”

Later, in response to a question about possible World Bank support for a lignite-fueled power plant in Kosovo (see the excellent NYT story by Lisa Friedman), Kim returned to the question of climate, expressing alarm that impacts of temperature rise that had not been expected until average temperatures were substantially higher are occurring now.

“I am trained as a scientist,” he said. “I have to tell you that the data that I’m seeing about changes that are happening today that we didn’t think would happen until we got to two to three degrees , this is extremely disturbing to me. We have to put the science of climate change in front of all our member countries and I guarantee to do that.”

Twitter / UN_CarbonMechs [More warmists enjoying more cool, refreshing, allegedly planet-killing bottled water]

Photos from ‪#UNFCCC‬, @UNEP, @ADBClimate, ‪#IGES‬, workshop on enhancing regional distribution of ‪#CDM‬ projects in Asia. http://on.fb.me/MKVviU