Economy & Business

"As coal-fired power plants in the state continue to close, Kentucky closes in on reaching federal clean-air standards it resists."

"The insurance company Axa has said it will remove around €500m (£355m) of coal investments from its portfolio, in a move that reflects long-term concerns in the insurance industry over climate change."

A Goldman Sachs prediction fueled predictions that the price of crude oil would remain low for another five years.

"Governments around the world charge prices for energy that do not account for its harmful environmental, health and other side effects, amounting to a $5.3 trillion "post-tax" subsidy this year, the International Monetary Fund said in a report on Monday."

"Commodity investors are in a twist about the weather. Warmer ocean temperatures last spring indicated an El Niño event was on the horizon, signaling buys, sells, and hedging positions in securities linked to products impacted by storms and droughts. Everything from sugar prices to coffee futures were retooled."

"Bank of America is cutting off its financing for coal extraction projects, the company announced at its shareholder meeting Wednesday."

"In recent years, the fast-growing popularity of solar panels has intensified a central challenge: how to use the sun’s energy when it isn’t shining. Now, Tesla Motors, the maker of luxury electric sedans, says it is taking a big step toward meeting that challenge with a fleet of battery systems aimed at homeowners, businesses and utilities."

"If Royal Dutch Shell’s Arctic drilling program leads to a major spill, it could cost the oil company — and therefore its shareholders — an entire year’s worth of profit, according to a Tuesday legal filing by the conservation group Oceana and a University of Chicago law clinic."

"Environmental advocates and states are scrutinizing coal mining company financial reports to determine whether they have enough money to cover the cost of returning sites to pre-mining conditions."