Energy

Dirty Energy Dollars

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 10/28/14 By Michael Shank and Julia Trezona Peek Members of Congress should refuse campaign donations from fossil fuel industries. Despite the fact that the American people mobilized in historic numbers last month to demand climate solutions, with the march in New York City drawing up […]

What’s the Value of Divestment?

NATIONAL JOURNAL 10/20/14 By Clare Foran and Jason Plautz WHAT INSIDERS ARE SAYING WHAT’S THE VALUE OF DIVESTMENT? ExxonMobil this month criticized the divestment movement, which seeks to pressure investors to drop stock in oil and gas companies. Does divestment have symbolic and financial value? Are there costs, and who […]

Go After Super Pollutants

THE HILL 10/20/14 By Michael Shank and Rep Scott Peters (D-CA) Last month was a significant time for climate action and raising awareness about climate change, featuring the massive People’s Climate March and the United Nations’ Climate Summit. Despite these events, Congress hasn’t acted. But there is an opportunity for […]

What’s the Impact of Falling Oil Prices?

NATIONAL JOURNAL 10/14/14 By Clare Foran, Ben Geman and Jason Plautz WHAT INSIDERS ARE SAYING WHAT’S THE IMPACT OF FALLING OIL PRICES? Which nations have the most to gain from the recent downward trend in prices, and which have the most to lose? “With ‘demand for petroleum products declining worldwide, […]

Are Energy Sanctions Working?

NATIONAL JOURNAL 10/06/14 By Clare Foran and Ben Geman WHAT INSIDERS ARE SAYING ARE ENERGY SANCTIONS WORKING? Despite U.S. sanctions aimed at Moscow’s energy sector, oil production is up in Russia. Should sanctions be stronger to achieve U.S. diplomatic aims? What’s the best metric to gauge success? “Without question, oil […]

Rethink America’s Yemen Policy, Set New Standard for Syria, Iraq

HUFFINGTON POST 09/29/14 By Michael Shank and Casey Harrity Authors Michael Shank and Casey Harrity published a policy brief this month as part of FCNL’s “Shared Security” series. For the full 20-page “Security in Yemen” report, click here. Below is the executive summary excerpted from the report. Yemen is on […]

Yemen is on the Brink of Chaos – And Why It’s So Important

POLITIX 09/27/14 By Michael Shank and Casey Harrity Yemen is on the brink of slipping back into chaos. Outcomes from the National Dialogue Conference, which concluded in January 2014, have been slowly and inadequately implemented. Grievances among minority groups and non-state actors are growing. The economy of Yemen is in […]

UN Summit Already Successful: $50 Billion Divested From Fossil Fuels

NATIONAL JOURNAL 09/22/14 By Michael Shank The United Nations climate summit in New York, where I’m writing from this week, is already a success. With Rockefeller Brothers Fund announcing this week that they’re divesting entirely from fossil fuels, pulling $860 million of RBF funds out of fossil fuel stocks, the […]

Fossil Fuel Divestment Makes UN Climate Summit a Success

HUFFINGTON POST 09/22/14 By Michael Shank The United Nations climate summit in New York, where I’m writing from this week, is already a success. With Rockefeller Brothers Fund announcing this week that they’re divesting entirely from fossil fuels, pulling $860 million of RBF funds out of fossil fuel stocks, the […]

Don’t Let China Dominate

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 09/18/14 By Michael Shank, Elena Krieger and Julia Trezona Peek This month’s report on renewable energy markets from the International Energy Agency indicates that by 2020, China will account for almost 40 percent of the growth in renewable energy capacity. The United States, meanwhile, lags […]