Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is expected to have electricity-powered cars on its streets soon. Abu Dhabi, the emirate that exports oil, is now busy buying stakes in alternative energy. This includes a stake in Tesla Motors, the automobile start-up firm, based in California, the United States, which makes high-performance battery-electric vehicles.

(more…)

If you're new here and you like our articles, how about subscribing free for our updates via RSS feed.

Japan and the United States are hanging out together in back rooms working on a proposal to allow Japan to engage in “coastal whaling” off its (Japan’s) own shores. The catch is Japan will scale back on the country’s controversial “research whaling” in Antarctic waters.International Whaling Commission Chairman will ” issue a public proposal on Feb. 2 that the commission members will openly debate a month later,” said the Washington Post.

Commercial whaling was banned by the IWC in 1986.  Since that time, whaling nations like Japan and anti-whaling countries like the United States and Britain have been at each others’ throats.

IWC allows Japan to kill the whales for scientific purposes. Japan has a culture of consuming whale meat. But Japan argues that its research activities are legal, in compliance with IWC.

There is a very fat whale chance of the new proposal getting through. For one, if Japan is permitted to whale off its coast, the IWC will not be needed any more, and nobody wants to lost their job..

Japan says it intends to withdraw from the IWC or create a new body unless commercial whaling is somehow allowed again.