By Vijay Jayaraj As host of the Sept. 9 G20 summit, India is ready to defend its use of fossil fuels despite the hostility of some of its guests toward the energy source. Speaking at a pre-summit conclave organized by local media, Union Power Minister R.K. Singh answered criticism that his country is a large emitter of… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj Amidst the serene backwaters of Alleppey in Southern India, where emerald waters weave through coconut groves, there emerges a dish that embodies the soul of coastal India – Fish Moilee. A representation of India’s maritime bounty, the dish is a golden-hued masterpiece of silky-smooth coconut cream, tender fish and fragrant spices simmered… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayarj British Steel, the U.K.’s last bastion of primary steelmaking, announced plans to shutter its two blast furnaces at Scunthorpe, effectively ending 150 years of virgin steel production in Britain. Media outlets have rushed to pin the blame on U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent 25% tariffs on steel imports. But this narrative is… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj The peak bloom of the cherry blossoms has arrived in Washington, D.C. Seeing the Capitol in the spring of 2023 was a visual feast for me. However, nothing compares to Japan’s stunning Sakura flowers. Be it the brighter Kawazu-zakura variety or the Yoshino cherry, these blossoms draw thousands of visitors from all… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj Nations once relegated to the margins of economic discourse are now sprinting toward prosperity, their trajectories propelled by a single, unifying force: energy. Energy is indispensable. From the huge AI data centers in the U.S. to the mega-scale manufacturing factories in China, affordable and dependable energy supplies make all the difference between… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj While news about President Trump’s tariffs and crackdowns on the questionable financial management of federal agencies has dominated media reports in recent weeks, a quiet transformation has been under way in agricultural policy. An order to remove climate change references from U.S. Department of Agriculture websites signals a departure from the red tape of… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj A decade ago, I was able to get away from a terrible flood that killed more than 500 people in the southern India city of Chennai (formerly known as Madras). The bus taking me from the city barely managed to avoid rising water slowly but inexorably engulfing the roads. My escape was… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj Most, if not all, individuals encountered daily in my native country of India appear to have adopted the media’s narrative of a climate crisis. Of course, individuals with demanding schedules often lack the time or energy to research climate science and sort through conflicting assertions in the news. Ideologues, in collaboration with… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj With 1.4 billion energy-hungry citizens, India stands at the epicenter of the geopolitics of energy and climate policy. As the world’s third-largest energy consumer and projected to have the fastest growth in demand over the next two decades, the subcontinent’s choices reverberate far beyond its borders. The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has signaled a change that could mean the difference between life and death for millions in Africa. Speaking at the “Powering Africa Summit” in Washington, D.C., Wright told leaders of a continent of 1.5 billion people that the Trump administration “has no desire to tell you what to do… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj For two decades, the public has been bombarded with dire warnings of an impending climate-induced agricultural apocalypse. The claim is that a climate warmed excessively by the carbon dioxide emissions of human activity will ravage the food supply and plunge humanity into famine and chaos. For many reasons, none of this ever made sense.… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj For many across the world, the U.S. Federal Reserve’s decision to exit the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) is a sign that central banks can refocus on their primary mandates: stabilizing economies, controlling inflation and fostering growth. Developing nations that need financial backing for the development of fossil fuel projects… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj President Donald. J. Trump’s seismic shift in energy policy will be felt far beyond U.S. borders. His withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, expanding American oil and gas exports, terminating the Green New Deal and eliminating the prospect of carbon tariffs offers a lifeline to developing nations grappling with chronic energy poverty. When… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj Climate policy being given to financial imprudence, Donald Trump’s withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement is not only a geopolitical shift likely to have positive effects abroad but also a monetary relief for American taxpayers. The pecuniary implications of Trump’s withdrawal are substantial: The United States has shouldered an… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj Methane emissions have become a focal point of the climate debate, triggering absurd agricultural regulations negatively affecting farming communities worldwide. Targets for abuse are ruminant animals, including cattle and sheep, that produce methane (CH4) through enteric fermentation — a natural digestive process that converts grass into protein-rich meat and milk for human… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj For years, climate activists like Al Gore and John Kerry have made bold, headline-grabbing predictions that have failed to materialize. Gore’s 2007 assertion that the Arctic would be ice-free by 2013 stands in stark contrast to reality: Arctic ice has not disappeared despite seasonal fluctuations, and Antarctica sea ice has rebounded from record low… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj On a frigid January morning, the fruit of the U.K.’s overreliance on wind energy was reaped when its contribution to the national grid plummeted to a pitiful zero. Solar output, meanwhile, was a paltry 1% of power generation. This wasn’t just a fluke but rather a stark illustration of the dangers of… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj Today, African leaders and policymakers will gather at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – East Africa’s most populous city – for the highly anticipated “Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit.” Mission 300 is an initiative to provide electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030. Success would have profound implications for a continent that has… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj A few hundred years ago, coffee was almost an unknown commodity with hardly a handful of countries consuming it at a commercial scale. But today, it is a sought-after drink that drives multiple companies to compete for the world’s best beans. An estimated 21 billion pounds of green coffee are produced annually across more… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj The winter of 2025 has been brutal for Europe, exposing the severe flaws of its over-reliance on wind and solar energy. As temperatures plummeted, countries grappled with electricity shortages, soaring energy prices, and the grim specter of blackouts. In the United Kingdom and Germany, two countries that have positioned themselves as global… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj Fanciful dreams of green hydrogen powering the future have met reality. The cost of producing this much-hyped fuel will remain prohibitively high for decades to come, crushing hopes of its rapid adoption across industries. Green hydrogen start-ups are shuttering operations, major projects are being shelved, and investors are retreating from what was… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj and Ananya Bhatia South Korea has long been a radiant mosaic of industrial might, technological innovation, and global ambition. Yet, beneath the gleaming skyline of Seoul and the industrious hum of Ulsan’s refineries lies a delicate but indispensable thread: Energy. As South Korea faces mounting pressure to bridge its energy supply-demand gap,… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj When it comes to global energy policy, few narratives are as instructive — and as cautionary — as Europe’s. Why? Their ill-fated experiment with wind and solar energy. The continent’s self-inflicted woes contain lessons that should be taken to heart by those formulating U.S. energy strategy for the incoming administration. Europe’s Misplaced… Continue Reading
By Vijay Jayaraj The climate movement’s annual showpiece, the United Nation’s Conference of Parties (COP), held this year in Baku, Azerbaijan, has been exposed to an unprecedented level of disinterest – even dissent – from developing nations. Leaders of some of the world’s most resource-rich, economically aspiring countries have opted to sit this one out,… Continue Reading
By Ananya Bhatia and Vijay Jayaraj From my residential perch overlooking Ho Chi Minh City, I embrace the tranquillity of daybreak. Quickly, the idyllic morning transforms into a pulsing canvas of vitality as middle-class ambitions surge through the arteries of this burgeoning metropolis – Vietnam’s largest city known to some as Saigon. It is an… Continue Reading