"Earthlings, Half Your Planet's Biodiversity Now Unsafe"

CLIMATE NEWS

Biodiversity is below safe levels across more than half of world's land – study

Habitat destruction has reduced the variety of plants and animals to the point that ecological systems could become unable to function properly, with risks for agriculture and human health, say scientists

 Enormous swaths of dry forest in Paraguay’s sparsely populated Chaco Boreal region have been cleared for cattle ranching. Photograph: Planet

The variety of animals and plants has fallen to dangerous levels across more than half of the world’s landmass due to humanity destroying habitats to use as farmland, scientists have estimated.

The unchecked loss of biodiversity is akin to playing ecological roulette and will set back efforts to bring people out of poverty in the long term, they warned.

Analysing 1.8m records from 39,123 sites across Earth, the international study found that a measure of the intactness of biodiversity at sites has fallen below a safety limit across 58.1% of the world’s land.

Under a proposal put forward by experts last year, a site losing more than 10% of its biodiversity is considered to have passed a precautionary threshold, beyond which the ecosystem’s ability to function could be compromised.

The Guardian

Coup d'état Attempt: Turkey's Reichstag Fire?

The damage that was inflicted on the parliament building in Ankara was huge reminiscent of the Reichstag fire in Germany in 1933. The Reichstag fire marked the end of basic freedoms and critical thinking in Germany. 

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article45124.htm 

Greenpeace: 'Extremely High' Jump in Post-Fukushima Radioactive Chemicals 

There is no return to normal. The vast expanse of contaminated forests and freshwater systems will remain a perennial source of radioactivity for the foreseeable future, as these ecosystems cannot simply be decontaminated.

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/07/21/greenpeace-extremely-high-jump-post-fukushima-radioactive-chemicals 

Unicef Report Reveals 250 Million Child Victims Of War

There have not been so many children suffering the consequences of conflicts, crises and natural catastrophes since the Second World War. Some 250 million girls and boys, one in nine children, are forced to grow up in conflict zones. Even more are threatened by natural disasters such as droughts, floods and epidemics. 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/15/unicef-report-reveals-250-million-child-victims-of-war/

Nearly 3,000 Migrants Have Died so far This Year in Mediterranean

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Nearly-3000-Migrants-Have-Died-This-Year-in-Mediterranean-IOM-20160722-0012.html 

 Some disturbing figures about the upcoming banking crisis 

Deutsche Bank has a capital level of less that 3% (just like Lehman), and a risky asset base with derivatives exposure of more than $70 trillion, roughly the size of world GDP. Even the IMF has stated unequivocally that Deutsche Bank poses the greatest risk to global financial stability. And the IMF would be right… except for all the other banks.

https://www.sovereignman.com/trends/some-disturbing-figures-about-the-upcoming-banking-crisis-19997/ 

Currency Crash Drives Stg to a 31 Year Low As Deutsche Bank Sinks To Lowest Level Ever

The British pound could eventually hit parity with the US dollar.  We are seeing seismic shifts on the foreign exchange market right now that will affect trillions of dollars of currency-related derivatives.  

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/currency-crash-drives-british-pound-to-a-31-year-low-as-deutsche-bank-sinks-to-the-lowest-level-ever 

Heat Dome Expected to Bake the United States

Forecasters expect a high pressure ridge and extreme temperatures to combine to create what is referred to as a "heat dome" over large portions of the US. A heat dome occurs when high pressure in the upper atmosphere acts as a lid, preventing hot air from escaping. The air is forced to sink back to the surface, warming even further on the way. Heat index values for parts of the U.S. are expected to reach 110 degrees or higher.

http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/imageoftheday.php 

Today's ENERGY News - 29 July 2016

Top Stories 

 Goldman says oil’s rebalancing remains fragile amid macro headwinds

A natural gas flare on an oil well pad burns as the sun sets outside Watford City, North Dakota January 21, 2016. Oil’s recovering fundamentals remain fragile, with many global factors offsetting each other, leaving a firmer U.S. dollar as the main driver of lower prices recently, Goldman Sachs said in a note this week. The Wall Street bank, which turned bullish on oil earlier this year, said oil prices will remain in a $45 a barrel to $50 a barrel trading range through mid-2017, with near-term risks skewed to the downside due to high inventory levels and the possibility of a stronger dollar. “Beyond these near-term uncertainties, however, our updated supply-demand balance is little changed and still points to a slow rebalancing of the global oil market over the coming year,” the U.S. bank said in a note dated Wednesday. Oil prices on Friday were hovering around April […]

 reuters.com

Sinking Oil Prices Mean Fragile Unity for OPEC’s New Chief

Mohammed Barkindo becomes secretary general on August 1 OPEC at ‘critical time’ as cost of new strategy hits members When OPEC’s new chief starts next week, he’ll take over an organization that’s largely reconciled internal differences after a two-year fight over strategy. But as oil prices sink again, that unity could be at risk. Nigerian Mohammed Barkindo will be the first new top official at the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in almost a decade. He comes to the role after a dispute over output policy split OPEC’s richest and poorest nations and marked the final months of his predecessor’s tenure. While members now back Saudi Arabia’s tactic of pumping without restraint to choke off supply from rivals such as U.S. shale drillers, many struggle with its effects. Oil’s 53 percent recovery since January hasn’t boosted prices enough to relieve the economic pain that pushed some members, notably Venezuela, […]

 bloomberg.com

Aramco Buyer Beware: The Risky Track Record of Government Oil

Saudi Arabian Oil Co. has captured the oil industry’s attention with plans for an initial public offering that could raise more than $100 billion, but some investors are wary, pointing to the track records of other government-controlled energy companies. The plan to float as much as 5% of Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, has kicked off a scramble among banks for a role in a deal that could generate $1 billion in fees—the biggest investment-banking deal ever. The kingdom estimates the company has a value of between $2 trillion and $3 trillion. But several publicly listed, state-run oil firms have stumbled, demonstrating the hazards in investing in government-controlled companies. That highlights the dilemma that would-be Aramco investors could face: Would Aramco be accountable to shareholders or to the kingdom that still would own a stake of at least 95%? “Investing into a government-run entity, which acts as kind […]

 wsj.com 

Pemex Losses Accumulate as Oil Production Hits Record Low Mexico oil company hasn’t reported positive results since 2012 Pemex had plant explosion, received capital injection in 2Q Petroleos Mexicanos added to more than three years of losses as a cash injection from the government wasn’t enough to overcome the pinch of record-low crude output, refinery upsets and a petrochemical plant explosion. The second-quarter deficit narrowed to 83.5 billion pesos ($4.42 billion), from 84.6 billion pesos during the same period a year earlier , according to a filing sent to the Mexican Stock Exchange. The result adds on to $59 billion of losses since 2012. Crude production at Pemex, as the company is known, fell 2.2 percent from a year earlier to 2.176 million barrels a day, following a budget reduction in the first quarter that crimped the company’s exploration spending. Pemex’s refineries, which lose more than 100 billion pesos each year, continued to be hampered by outages during […]  bloomberg.com   Petróleos Mexicanos Posts $4.4 Billion Second-Quarter Loss Mexican state oil company Petróleos Mexicanos on Thursday said it recorded an after-tax loss of $4.4 billion in the second quarter, as lower oil prices and output hit sales and hefty exchange losses boosted its financial costs. Sales in the quarter fell 17% from a year earlier to $13.5 billion. Pemex’s hydrocarbons production fell 3.4% in the quarter, with crude oil output down 2.2% to 2.18 million barrels a day and natural gas output off 6.4% at 5.88 billion cubic feet a day. Crude oil prices averaged $36.69 per barrel compared with $52.92 in the second quarter of 2015. Output of the company’s refineries fell 5.4%, partly because of unscheduled maintenance shutdowns. The second-quarter loss was slightly smaller in Mexican peso terms than that of a year earlier. Meanwhile, Pemex’s operating profit rose 91% to $6.6 billion, lifted by reduced cost of sales. The peso’s slide to new […]  wsj.com

Faltering Oil Rally Boosts Leveraged Loan Defaults, Fitch Says

Templar, Stallion likely to miss interest payments, Fitch says The defaults would push energy default rate to nearly 18% The default rate for leveraged loans in the energy sector could spike close to 18 percent if Templar Energy LLC and Stallion Oilfield Services Ltd. are unable to make interest payments on their debt, Fitch Ratings said. The companies will likely be forced to default on the loans in August, according to Fitch, as weak oil and gas markets leave them short on cash. The July trailing 12-month energy leveraged loan default rate rose to nearly 14 percent from 11.3 percent in June, Fitch said. Officials at Templar, an oil and gas exploration company, and Stallion, which provides drilling support, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. “The impact of commodity price pressures has been the largest driver of defaults in the leveraged loan market this year,” said Eric Rosenthal, […]

 .bloomberg.com

Today's ENERGY News - 28 July 2016

Top Stories 

Crude Rally Unwinds Completely – Expect $40 Oil

Oil prices plunged on Wednesday as the EIA shocked traders once again, raising the possibility that the oil markets are not as close to “balance” as once thought. The EIA revealed several worrying signs for the oil markets. First, crude oil inventories actually increased by 1.7 million barrels for the week ending on July 22, the first increase in over two months. Oil stocks rose to 521.1 million barrels. And in another worrying sign for product markets, gasoline inventories also increased for the week, rising by 0.5 million barrels, the fifth increase in the past six weeks. Gasoline inventories are now sitting largely unchanged from March levels, despite hopes and expectations that the summer driving season would cut down on the high levels of supply. Citigroup now estimates that gasoline inventories around the world have topped 500 million barrels. The figures came as a surprise, with analysts’ expecting a […]

 oilprice.com

Oil nears a fresh bear market: 5 things to watch

Crude oil’s quiet slide from its 2016 high sharpens questions about the outlook for the commodity S ince oil prices hit a year-high above $52 a barrel in June they have slipped almost 20 per cent, leaving them on the cusp of a new bear market and heaping more pressure on oil companies and major producing countries that had hoped the worst of the rout was over. Here are five things traders are tracking to see if the slide continues — or if the sell-off is just a blip in a recovery. Supply and demand Two years since oil began its precipitous decline from above $100 a barrel, troughing below $30 in January, the market appears to be edging closer towards balance. High-cost supplies are declining, demand has been boosted, and concern about the impact of investment cuts on future supplies have all helped the market recover from levels […]

 www.ft.com

Oil Industry About To Be Burned Again By Fall In Oil Prices

The current oil-price rally is over. U.S. rig counts have surged as oil prices sink. Capital is driving the oil markets and it enables bad behavior 

by producers. That is why oil prices will stay low. The oil-price rally that began in February is over. Prices rose from $26 per barrel to $51 by early June and are now below $42 (Figure 1). If they fall through $40, the next likely support level is at $36 per barrel. (Click to enlarge) Figure 1. The current oil-price rally is over. Source: EIA, Wall Street Journal and Labyrinth Consulting Services, Inc. Capital Drives The Oil Market and Prices Most people think that fundamentals–supply and demand–drive the oil market but capital drives the market and oil prices. More than anything, rig count reflects capital flow. Many believe that oil prices drive the rig count but it is really capital flow that drives […]

 oilprice.com

Why Saudi Arabia Continues To Pump Crude At Record Levels

Hawtah field As the Financial Times reported on 12 July , Saudi Arabia’s oil-output reached record highs in June 2016. Increasing production 280,000 barrels/day to 10.6m b/d, Saudi Arabia has once again waved off OPEC’s request not to glut the market with oil. As it turns out, economic principles explain why the Saudis began, in late 2014, to pump crude as fast as they could – or close to as fast as possible. In fact, there is a good reason why the Saudi princes are panicked and pumping. Let’s take a look at the simple analytics of production. The economic production rate for oil is determined by the following equation: P – V = MC, where P is the current market price of a barrel of oil, V is the present value of a barrel of reserves, and MC is the marginal recovery cost of a barrel of oil. […]

  oilprice.com

Shell misses expectations with 70 percent earnings plunge

Filled oil drums are seen at Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s lubricants blending plant in the town of Torzhok, north-west of Tver, November 7, 2014. Royal Dutch Shell ( RDSa.L ) reported a more than 70 percent fall in quarterly profit on Thursday, well below analyst estimates, blaming weak oil prices, poor refining profits and higher charges resulting from its $54 billion acquisition of BG Group. Shell’s current cost of supplies — its definition of net income — came to $1 billion in the second quarter, compared with analyst expectations of $2.2 billion and $3.8 billion achieved the same time last year. “Lower oil prices continue to be a significant challenge across the business, particularly in the upstream (business),” said Chief Executive Ben van Beurden, who said last month he wants to turn Shell into the best oil company for investor returns. Rivals BP ( BP.L ) and Statoil ( […]

 at www.reuters.com 

Massive Methane Releases In Siberian Tundra

CLIMATE NEWS

 

Trembling tundra - the latest weird phenomenon in Siberia's land of craters

Earth is moving as 'leaking methane gas due to global warming causes surface to bubble' in a new phenomenon.

This extraordinary sight - in a video filmed of the tundra on remote Belyy Island in the Kara Sea off the Yamal Peninsula coastline - was witnessed by a scientific research expedition. Researchers Alexander Sokolov and Dorothee Ehrich spotted 15 patches of trembling or bubbling grass-covered ground.

When punctured they emitted methane and carbon dioxide, according to measurements, although so far no details have been given. The reason is as yet unclear, but one possible explanation of the phenomenon is abnormal heat that caused permafrost to thaw, releasing gases.

Alexander Sokolov said that this summer is unusually hot on the Arctic island, a sign of which is polar bears moving from the frozen sea to the island.

WATCH VIRAL VIDEO 

Over One Million Views In July So Far

Amazing Methane Bubbles From Tundra

https://youtu.be/06Xc3LtZRWo

The Siberian Times

Sections of Great Barrier Reef suffering from 'complete ecosystem collapse'

Without enough surviving corals, the fish didn’t have the shelter and food sources they needed and had died or moved elsewhere. Without many of those fish, Marshall said the coral would face a harder time recovering, since the entire ecosystem had been degraded.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/21/sections-of-great-barrier-reef-suffering-from-complete-ecosystem-collapse 

How Extrajudicial Executions Became Policy in Washington 

The US has been fighting wars for almost 15 years.  As vets have returned from their tours of duty, numbers have gone into police work when weaponry, vehicles, and military equipment have poured off distant battlefields and into police departments.  And while the police were militarizing, gun companies have been marketing battlefield-style assault rifles by the millions, at the very moment when citizens can carry weapons in public.

http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176166/tomgram%3A_rebecca_gordon%2C_how_extrajudicial_executions_became_%22war%22_policy_in_washington/

The Trojan Drone: An Illegal Military Strategy Disguised As Technological Advance 

The technical advances embodied in drone technology distract us from a more fundamental change in military strategy. The US has now embraced extrajudicial executions on foreign soil.

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/18/the-trojan-drone-an-illegal-military-strategy-disguised-as-technological-advance/ 

Blazing ALL-TIME Record 129F Degrees Heat Hits Middle East

CLIMATE NEWS

Two Middle East locations hit 129 degrees, hottest ever in Eastern Hemisphere, maybe the world

The temperature in Mitribah, Kuwait, surged Thursday to a blistering 129.2 degrees (54 Celsius). And on Friday in Basra, Iraq, the mercury soared to 129.0 degrees (53.9 Celsius). If confirmed, these incredible measurements would represent the two hottest temperatures ever recorded in the Eastern Hemisphere, according to Weather Underground meteorologist Jeff Masters and weather historian Christopher Burt, who broke the news.

It’s also possible that Mitribah’s 129.2-degree reading matches the hottest ever reliably measured anywhere in the world. Both Mitribah and Basra’s readings are likely the highest ever recorded outside of Death Valley, Calif.

Death Valley currently holds the record for the world’s hottest temperature of 134.1 degrees (56.7 Celsius), set July 10, 1913. But Weather Underground’s Burt does not believe it is a credible measurement: “[T]he record has been scrutinized perhaps more than any other in the United States,” Burt wrote. “I don’t have much more to add to the debate aside from my belief it is most likely not a valid reading when one looks at all the evidence.”

 The Washington Post

Global warming hadn’t paused at all. It was just getting ready to hit the accelerator.

It is the increasing rate of emissions that indicates we are entering an increasingly rapid-change era in which each increase adds fuel onto the next. Exponentially! 

http://i.amz.mshcdn.com/sNAyvLvN_u1rQeNDdAwlA23jlvM=/fit-in/1200x9600/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fcard%2Fimage%2F151336%2F20-yearperiods.jpg 

 The Myth of “Aggressive Russia”

The US and allies have imposed sanctions because of the Crimea decided to separate from Ukraine and rejoin Russia. Tourist cruise ships no longer stop at Crimean ports and international airlines are prohibited from flying directly to the international airport at the Crimean capital, Simferopol. Students from Crimean universities cannot transfer their academic credits to universities internationally. Despite the sanctions Crimea appears to be doing reasonably well.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-myth-of-aggressive-russia/5535996 

Scores of City-Sized Siberian Wildfires Spew 2,500 Mile-Long Plume of Smoke 

Practically no one in the global mainstream media is talking about how Northern and Central Siberia is burning. Scores of massive fires, some the size of cities and small states, are throwing off a great pall of smoke 2,500 miles long.

https://robertscribbler.com/2016/07/18/scores-of-city-sized-siberian-wildfires-spew-2500-mile-long-plume-of-smoke-over-northern-hemisphere/

US Releases Saudi Documents: 9/11 Coverup Exposed

fresh evidence of a deliberate cover up of the role played, not only by the Saudi government, but US intelligence agencies themselves, in facilitating the attacks and then covering up their real roots.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article45115.htm 

The full text

http://intelligence.house.gov/sites/intelligence.house.gov/files/documents/declasspart4.pdf 

 

Today's ENERGY News - 26 July 2016

Top Stories 

 Oil prices dip on ongoing oversupply, economic headwinds

Oil prices held near two-month lows on Monday amid worries that a global crude and refined product glut would weigh on markets for some time to come. International Brent crude oil futures were trading at $45.58 per barrel at 0657 GMT, down 11 cents from their previous close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was at $44.11, down 8 cents a barrel. Both benchmarks were close to two-month lows reached last week. Traders said that ongoing oversupply and growing economic headwinds were weighing on oil. “Sentiment looks to have turned negative,” said Matt Stanley of brokerage Freight Investor Services (FIS) in Dubai, although he added that markets would likely remain volatile. Barclays bank said “global oil demand in Q3 16 is growing at less than one-third the rate it was in Q3 15, weighed down […]

 reuters.com

Faulty Data? Why The Oil Glut Could Be Much Smaller Than Believed

The oil price rally came to a quick end in June, topping $50 per barrel but quickly falling back again. Optimism stemming from the four-month rally has vanished, and since June prices have retreated back to $45 per barrel. The main reason for the renewed sense of pessimism comes down to the glut of oil sitting in storage. The U.S. has been dealing with oil stocks at 80-year highs since early 2015, a metric that has become closely watched in the market for signs on whether or not supply and demand are moving closer to balance. After hitting an all-time high earlier this year, crude oil stocks began to decline in May, and although they are still above 500 million barrels, the industry has steadily drawn inventories down from their peak. (Click to enlarge) A more recent worry for the oil markets are the stubbornly high levels of gasoline […]

  oilprice.com 

Russian company Gazprom Neft pumping 67,000 barrels of oil a day in eastern Iraq

Russian oil company Gazprom Neft said nearly half of the total production from an eastern Iraqi oil field came online this year. Photo courtesy of Gazprom Neft KUT, Iraq, July 25 (UPI) — Production momentum at the Badra oil field in eastern Iraq has resulted in almost half of the total volumes emerging this year, Russian company Gazprom Neft said. Gazprom Neft said its Iraqi subsidiary commissioned its 10th production well at the Badra oil field in Wasit province in eastern Iraq, near the border with Iran. “With production volumes at the newly launched well now at 6,527 barrels per day, its commissioning has allowed daily production levels at the field to reach 67,000 barrels,” the company said in a statement. Total production at Badra now stands at 2.9 million barrels of oil, the company said, with almost half of that coming online since the start of 2016. An […]

 upi.com

India mulls merger of 13 state-run firms into oil giant

Should India proceed with a merger of 13 state-held oil companies, the Indian giant would be able to compete with the likes of Rosneft and BP on terms of size. Photo by AzmanMD/Shutterstock India’s government is considering launching talks to merge 13 state-held oil companies into one giant conglomerate that could rival some of the industry’s global giants, India’s Economic Times reported Monday. India’s Cabinet Secretariat has tabled the idea to the oil ministry which has started assessing the prospects of a mega-merger, the ET said, citing sources, adding that the oil ministry had declined to comment on the report. The country’s biggest oil producer, Oil and Natural Gas Corp., as well as Indian Oil Corp., Bharat Petroleum Corp., Hindustan Petroleum, GAIL, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals, Chennai Petroleum, Numaligarh Refinery and Oil India are said to be subject of the merger idea, according to ET. The government is also […]

 upi.com

Russian economy recovering slowly

With oil holding relatively stable, there are few restrictions on meeting inflationary goals by the end of next year, a Russian finance minister said. “Inflation [in 2016] will be in the range of between 5.5 percent and 6 percent,” Deputy Finance Minister Maxim Oreshkin said Monday. “This is how it is going now.” Crude oil prices moved from above $100 per barrel in 2014 to below $30 per barrel in early 2016 because the global economy was too slow to take on the excess supply on the market. That price collapse hurt economies like Russia that depend in part on oil for revenue. With oil prices holding relatively stable at around $45 per barrel since May, the Central Bank of Russia said […]

 .upi.com