Commentary
The full list of humiliations Europe has endured since Donald Trump returned to the White House makes for grim reading. But Washington’s adversarial approach to its allies undermines its own power base.
Rym Momtaz
{
"authors": [
"Deborah Gordon",
"David Livingston"
],
"type": "other",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
],
"collections": [],
"englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"programAffiliation": "SCP",
"programs": [
"Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics"
],
"projects": [
"Carnegie Oil Initiative"
],
"regions": [
"United States",
"South Asia",
"North America"
],
"topics": [
"Climate Change"
]
}
Source: Getty
Other
Petroleum Coke Use in India and South Asia: Recent Trends and Emerging Policy Options
Petcoke, a highly-polluting byproduct of refining heavier oils, can be more polluting than coal. Broad indicators show that highly-degraded petcoke ends up being burned to generate power in Asia, making it important to take stock of global petcoke markets and flows around South Asia.
Published on Oct 1, 2017
Source: Institute for Policy, Advocacy, and Governance
Heavier oils are naturally higher in their carbon content, creating challenges in production, refining, transport, and marketing. In order to refine heavier oils, the ‘coking’ process was patented in 1913 in order to make more high-value transport fuels out of the ‘bottom of the oil barrel.’ Wringing out more liquids using coking, however, results in a solid residue called petroleum coke, or ‘petcoke.’
The heavier the oil, the more petcoke produced. The higher an oil’s sulfur and heavy metal content, the lower the petcoke’s quality and value. While petcoke that is low in sulfur and heavy metals can be treated (calcined) and used to produce aluminum, steel, and as industrial feedstock, fuel grade or “green” petcoke, which is high in sulfur and heavy metals, is burned in power plants to generate electricity.
Fuel grade petcoke is generally too dirty to produce power in the United States. To prevent petcoke from piling up, the U.S. sells its stores of fuel grade petcoke, mostly to Asia where environmental regulations tend to be less stringent. With as much as 9% sulfur along with elevated levels of nickel and vanadium, burning petcoke emits particulates, sulfates, and other air contaminants that degrade the environment and threaten public health...
About the Authors
Deborah Gordon
Former Director and Senior Fellow, Energy and Climate Program
Gordon was director of Carnegie’s Energy and Climate Program, where her research focuses on oil and climate change issues in North America and globally.
David Livingston
Former Associate Fellow, Energy and Climate Program
Livingston was an associate fellow in Carnegie’s Energy and Climate Program, where his research focuses on emerging markets, technologies, and risks.
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Carnegie Europe
- Trump Turns NATO into a Tool of Coercion
- Ecological Statecraft in the Midst of War: Water, Regeneration, and the Future of Gulf SecurityPaper
The U.S.-Iran war has crossed a dangerous threshold: water infrastructure in the Gulf is now a target. Ecological statecraft is no longer peripheral to security, it's part of its foundations.
Olivia Lazard, Ali Bin Shahid
- How the EU Can Become Energy IndependentCommentary
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has triggered a global energy crisis, but Europe is stuck in reaction mode. Without more strategic foresight, the EU will remain dependent on fossil fuels and will never be truly secure.
Milo McBride, Pauline Gerard
- Taking the Pulse: Is it Worth it for Europeans to Placate Trump?Commentary
After spending much of 2025 trying to placate Donald Trump, some European leaders are starting to change posture. But is even a hostile Washington still so important to Europe that the U.S. president’s outbursts are worth putting up with?
Rym Momtaz, ed.
- Europeans Are Quiet Quitting the United StatesCommentary
European leaders have now not only lost faith in Donald Trump’s U.S. presidency, but also in America’s hegemony as a whole. But short-term challenges make an immediate divorce unwise.
Rym Momtaz
