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Thursday 17 June 2010
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Richard Adams: Texas Republican Joe Barton provokes anger and ridicule over his apology to BP for its treatment by the US government
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Kevin Costner's 'clean machine' may take millions of years to clean up the oil spill. Photograph: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images
We could be waiting millions of years before the Hollywood star's 'clean machines' wash BP's oil from the Gulf of Mexico
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Wednesday 16 June 2010
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BP chief executive Tony Hayward, left, listens to chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg speak outside the White House. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/Getty
It may have taken 57 days since the start of the disastrous Gulf oil spill, but for Barack Obama and BP today's events may mark the "inflection point" – to use current White House jargon – in their twin battles to convince the American public the crisis is being managed with competence.
Like it or not, BP and Obama are joined at the hip over the Gulf oil spill. Right now, neither can really succeed without support of the other. The only surprise is that the two groups left it this long to get together and discuss their shared interest in the White House's Roosevelt Room.
Although oil continues to spew in vast quantities into the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon rig's shattered well, today's meeting between the administration and BP executives injected a fresh tone of assurance, that the victims of the spill would be compensated for their loses and that both BP and the US government grasped the scale of the task facing them.
So what changed today? The sight and sound of the major actors, President Obama and BP chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg, talking openly about the plans for compensation and damages – including a new, independently administered $20bn fund paid for by BP – as well as the suffering being keenly felt in the Gulf of Mexico.
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President Obama meets BP executives, including chief executive Tony Hayward (left), in the White House's Roosevelt Room. Photograph: Pete Souza/White House
Under intense pressure from the White House, BP has agreed to contribute $20bn into a special fund to compensate victims of the Gulf oil spill.
The terms of the deal were being thrashed out in a tense meeting between six BP executives, including chief executive Tony Hayward, and administration officials in the White House. The deal would allow BP to spread the $20bn in payments over several years, to allow the company to survive, according to a report in the New York Times.
BP had made a preliminary agreement to pay the sum before the White House meeting today, but many details remain to be finalised as the meeting stretched out for over three hours.
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Tuesday 15 June 2010
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Lamar McKay, chief executive of BP America, sworn in to congressional hearing. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Richard Adams: Executives from BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Shell were grilled by Congress on oil safety
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Olivia Bouler's story goes viral helping her to raise huge sums for charities working to save stricken birds in the Gulf of Mexico
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Numbers of wild ass are thought to have grown to 200,000 in recent years. Photograph: Galen Rowell/Corbis
Jonathan Watts: Could an unlikely combination of Chinese government policy and the Dalai Lama's teachings help to conserve wildlife?
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Friday 11 June 2010
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John Vidal: Saudi name down the toilet, Yvo cooks a delegate, the World Bank gets a bashing and windy wonders Continue reading...
Outgoing executive secretary of the UNFCCC, Yvo De Boer, holds a present during a farewell event at the Bonn climate talks. Illustration: UNFCCC
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Thursday 10 June 2010
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The Home Office's real-time public display gives energy waste no place to hide. Graphic: Home Office
Juliette Jowit: Home Office and Decc are first two ministries to meet Cameron's pledge to publish energy data
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John Vidal: Monckton gives first official UN press conference, Mexico sets out its stall and the UN football team thrashes 'the world' Continue reading...
Bonn climate talks 2010. Photograph: UNFCCC/IISD RS
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How the BP oil spill would look over southern England Photograph: guardian.co.uk
Simon Jeffery: Website If it was my home takes an image of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and overlays it on a Google map.
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Wednesday 9 June 2010
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BP energy statistics: oil consumption around the world. Click image for full graphic. Illustration: Mark McCormick for the Guardian
The following correction was printed in the Guardian's Corrections and clarifications column, Tuesday 15 June 2010
The graphic pictured above gave a global breakdown of how much petroleum is used by countries, regions and continents. The total for Africa should have been 4,651,000 barrels a day, and for the Middle East, 12,584,000 barrels a day.
BP may be struggling to manage the Deepwater Horizon oil spill but its publication of key energy data goes on. Continue reading...
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Curry, baked beans – and even wine – are being sent over from UK. Photograph: Sarah Lee
Leo Hickman: How can it make financial or environmental sense for expats living in France to get their groceries delivered from the UK?
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Tuesday 8 June 2010
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Outrage at BP's attendance, aliens seal climate deal and Yvo's Sound of Music farewell
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Friday 4 June 2010
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Coins data released: what did the Treasury database really tell us? Photograph: Cate Gillon/Getty
Guardian specialist correspondents take a look at the Coins data out today
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