The Stream, August 19: Meeting U.S. Energy Demand

Is there common ground in analyzing financial systems and ecosystems, and are there similarities between the current economic and ecological crises? This Yale Environment 360 opinion piece argues that the Ponzi scheme of hyper-consumerism is approaching the equivalent of the Lehman collapse in 2008.

Norwegian oil producer Statoil pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges related to water use at its oil sands project in Alberta, Canada, Reuters reported. The company was charged with contravening its water license, and providing false and misleading information about its water withdrawals in northeastern Alberta in 2008 and 2009.

This interactive graphic by Climate Central shows what it would take to meet the Obama administration’s 2035 clean energy goals.

Bioenergy has a real potential to become a major energy provider by 2100, but this would significantly increase the prices of food and water, and would require new technology to increase agricultural yield, according to new research by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany.

Grist comments on the the USDA-Department of Energy-U.S. Navy agreement to spend $510 million to construct or retrofit advanced biofuel plants to produce drop-in aviation and marine biofuels for the military and commercial transportation.

Environmentalresearchweb analyzes whether water-saving cooling techniques could solve Texan electricity woes amid a relentless drought.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.