Are human rights treaties a scam

Few events have shaped human history like the French Revolution has. France has seen many revolts and also full-blown revolutions. Still, as soon as I say the very words, you will immediately and correctly associate them with the events that…

Space Origami

A couple of days ago the world was given the opportunity to watch the fourth test flight IFT4 of the Starship-Superheavy combo from SpaceX. This new super large space transport system has created quite a stir over the last couple of years. But…

Summer Recess

2020 has turned out to be a weirdly exciting year for all of us. For all the wrong reasons I dare say. And it's not uniquely because of the COVID-19 virus situation. The oil price war and resulting extreme oil prices, the standoff in the…

Better than pie in the sky – Venus

Thanks for all the feedback I got on this space series so far. Out of all comments and questions, one loomed large. “Where would we get enough methane from in space and economically so?” But before we go there, we need to know what it…

Will the OPEC++ oil deal do any good?

If you are an oil and gas professional I want you to make a little mental exercise with me. Close your eyes, lean back and think very hard if you have ever seen such crazy times in your trade. Be honest and try really hard. Because you wont…

Border Adjustment Tax – Control Knob for Free Trade

Last week we saw that unchecked free trade leads into the abyss of countries competing on how to better destroy country and people.  How to fix it. In the developed world we like to give things a price. At least we pretend to like that.…

How free shall trade ever be

In nature, it often happens that two organisms form a mutually beneficial, stable relationship with each other. It's called a symbiosis. Both organisms have an interest in the relationship.  A very iconic example is the honeybee and flowers.…

How COVID-19 will reshape energy

In 1347, a ship of the Genoese merchant fleet arrived in Messina (Sicily). Most of the crew had already deceased when it pulled into the harbor. They had fallen victim to a mysterious affliction. The Black Death had arrived in Europe once again. From…

A flawed world economy laid bare by COVID-19

In 1955, the then-North Korean leader Kim Il Sung gave a speech. During this speech, he mentioned the term “Juche” for the first time. The exact title was “On Eliminating Dogmatism and Formalism and Establishing Juche in Ideological Work”. North…

The wrath of the Tsar

Every group of people has its stories, fables, and prejudices. That's no different for planet gas. The story of Russia's gas weapon wielded to achieve political objectives is its most pervasive staple. I have discussed it with many professionals…

The smallest LNG lobbying organisation does the heavy lifting to change excise taxes in Austria

The year is 2019 A.D. The energy world is entirely occupied by bureaucratic representative bodies doing the lobbying work on their behalf. Well, not entirely. One small organization of indomitable energy professionals still holds out against…

NOPEC’s last battle

In October 1973, the member countries of the Organisation of Arab Oil Exporting Countries proclaimed an oil embargo. A coalition of Arab countries had attacked the state of Israel. After first advances were beaten back by the much smaller…

The new American age

What comes to mind when thinking of ancient civilizations? Yes, that's right. It's the Romans or classical Greece with its many city-states. But what was ancient to the old Romans? What do they see when they look far back?  The fall of Nineveh…

The road to hell is paved with discarded business models

15 years ago, North America was any LNG seller's wet dream. It was the biggest payday ever. North American gas production was going down. The market needed Natural gas like a breath of fresh air. A huge number of LNG import terminal project…