Peter Fairley

Sour Gas: While asphixiation by CO2 is a theoretical risk of carbon sequestion, sulfurous emissions pose a known hazard to neighbors of many oil and gas wells

Steel Pearl: Shell’s Pearl gas-to-liquids synthetic fuels plant will more than replace the revenue lost to Japan’s cultured pearl trade, whichs upended Qatar’s 2000-year pearl hunting and export industry

SOLON Energy GmgH, Berlin

Recycling Nut: Nils Noack led the renovation of Deutsche Bank’s Frankfurt headquarters, refurbishing the twin 155-meter towers instead of tearing them down and earning the first LEED Platinum rating for a reno’d skyscraper

SOLON Energy GmbH, Berlin

Freiburg Green: Light rail glides through the medieval heart of Germany’s most eco-friendly city

La Paz

Looking Down: An aerial view of the open-pit tar/oil sands mines and upgrading plants outside Fort McMurray, Alberta

Moving Coal: Delivering heating fuel in Erdos, Inner Mongolia

Smothered: A rising sun struggles to pierce the sooty air that hangs over Jinhua, a city of 1 million residents southwest of Shanghai

Scuds to Kilovolts: This 300kv substation outside Tripoli, once the site of a Scud missile factory, will help link the North African and European power grids

Hawking Mobility: Private minivans are La Paz’s primary form of public transit

Landlocked: In 2008 massive German wind turbines designed for offshore use such as this 5-megawatt beast in Brunsbuttel were still being tested onshore, while other North Sea powers such as the UK and Denmark were already operating offshore wind farms

Libyan Leapfrog: Beefed-up transmission is part of the preparations to compete globally as Libya emerges from decades of isolation

Sailing Towards Doha

Genghis is Gone: Sites in Inner Mongolia such as this mausoleum celebrate the region’s nomadic warrior roots, but Chinese officials have forced Khan’s descendents to settle down

Double Duty: The cowl within the Bundestag’s glass dome provides both natural ventilation and lighting to the assembly hall below

CO2 to the Rescue: West Texas oilwells still produce crude 60-70 years after spudding thanks to enhanced oil recovery, whereby compressed CO2 injected into the reservoirs flush out their thickest cuts

Power Hubs: Mercedes’ 200,000-euro, 740-horsepower electric sportscar is a completely impractical car, but the motors in its wheel hubs might yet revolutionize automotive design

SOLON Energy GmbH, Berlin

Coal Chemist: Du Minghua (right) promoted technical improvements to reduce water consumption from coal-based chemicals and fuel production

Electrifying? At the 2012 Paris auto show Renault was selling its new Zoe electric hatchback which, at 20,700 euros, was going cheap for a battery-powered car

Forbidden City: Beijing cyclist enjoys a moment away from the perpetual traffic and bottlenecks on the streets outside

Foul Air: An aerial view of the open-pit tar/oil sands mines and upgrading plants outside Fort McMurray, Alberta

Erdos, Inner Mongolia, China

Looming Less Large: The Cordillera Réal secures Bolivia’s water supply, but its glaciers are melting fast

Bone Dry: An unrequited rain monitor south of Lubbock, Texas, as the worst drought in a century tightened its grip