Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Pollution board to seek more time from Supreme Court for Ganga report

The apex court had recently asked the CPCB to check if 215 firms on Ganga's banks had effluent treatment plants. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) may seek more time from the supreme court to inspect over 200 industries running near River Ganga and discharging effluents into the water body.
 
The apex court recently asked the board to inspect 215 industries in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh to find out whether they have set up effluent treatment plants or not. The court also sought the report by October 27.
 
"The board will seek more time from court because... Read more..

UN meet signs off on biodiversity roadmap amid 2020 target concerns

Delegates meeting under the umbrella of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on Friday closed a two-week long meet held in South Korea after agreeing to a series of 33 decisions. These form a so-called “Pyeonchang roadmap,” named after the city in which the meetings were held, geared towards enhancing international efforts around biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.
 
The near 3000 delegates that made the trip to the mountains sought to tackle a wide range of issues. These included finance for biodiversity conservation, national biodiversity action plans,... Read more..

WB stresses continuous efforts to reform garment sector

Bangladesh must continue its efforts to reform the garment industry to boost higher exports, World Bank said yesterday.
 
“Progress in improving workplace compliance is on track but more needs to be done in order to fulfil the commitment of raising it to international standards,” WB said in a report, Bangladesh Development Update.
 
The government has made progress in improving worker rights and safety. In accordance with the EU Sustainability Compact and US Action Plan, the government fulfilled many of the commitments made.
 
“Safety compliance is... Read more..

CPCB releases India’s new air quality index and latest data on air quality of major cities

This new air quality index for India launched by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Clean India Mission' is expected to provide an understanding of complex pollution data and its implications for their health.
See this index, latest ambient air quality data of major cities of the country and more..

KSPCB Nod for Waste Management Unit

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has given conditional approval to Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for setting up of a municipal solid waste (MSW) plant at Lingadheeranhalli, Banashankari 6th Stage.
 
Speaking to Express, Senior Environment Officer-Waste Management (SEO) of the Pollution Control Board, Venkatesh Shekar, said, “The BBMP has to strictly adhere to 19 terms and conditions for setting up this unit. Issues like bringing only composting material to the site, setting up a concrete platform and a closed shed, etc., will have to be met.... Read more..

Global Clean Energy Investment Grows 11%

According to the Clean Energy Pipeline, global clean energy investment jumped 11% in the third quarter of 2014 over figures a year earlier, clearing $64 billion.
 
The third quarter figures represent a 3% decrease on Q2’14 numbers, but are still healthy growth over a year earlier. Specifically, project financing totalled $41.8 billion in Q3’14, reaching a seven-quarter high.
 
“Despite a marginal quarterly decrease in clean energy investment in 3Q14, it is increasingly likely that new investment levels in 2014 will surpass 2013,” said Douglas Lloyd, chief executive... Read more..

Innovative farmer among five award winners

Farmer Gabrial Stany Veigus of Perar, a retired forest official who turned a 37-acre land into a model farm with innovative practices, is among the five persons who will receive the Rachana awards, instituted by Rachana, the Catholic Chamber of Commerce and Industry for 2014.
 
Mr. Veigas planted 3,400 coconut saplings, mango, rambutan, cashew, grafted variety of jackfruit and breadfruit in the last 10 years and converted his land into a high-yielding agricultural plot, said a press release. It said Mr. Veigas has been recognised as Rachana Agriculturist of the Year for... Read more..

Man behind sugarcane ‘revolution’ in U’khand

 The journey of a thousand miles, they say, starts with a single step. Rahul Kumar should know. The 29-year-old took the first step, quit his job in a pesticide firm and returned to his roots with a desire to do something for his village. Today, Kumar's wish has come true. With the innovative farming practices that he ushered in at his village Liberhedi near Haridwar, life has transformed for almost 1,500 families involved in sugarcane cultivation here. Villagers term it as nothing short of a "revolution". "From almost 60 tons per hectare — which was much less than the national average of... Read more..

Climate talks told to ease rifts as heat busts record

Fresh UN climate talks opened in Bonn on Tuesday with a plea for nations to overcome rifts as scientists reported record global temperatures for a month of September.
 
In an appeal to negotiators at the six-day meeting, UN climate chief Christiana Figueres said renewed commitments made at a world summit on September 23 to curb climate change should prompt negotiators to "build bridges."
 
Their discussions must lay the foundations for the annual ministerial-level talks to be held in Lima in December, she said.
 
The Peru meeting, in turn, must pave the... Read more..

Collaborative innovation emerges as a central tenet of India Inc.’s sustainability lens at the 4th SBLF Annual Summit

Over 250 sustainability leaders driving Indian businesses converged in New Delhi on October 16th at the Annual Summit of the Sustainable Business Leadership Forum, the country’s leading industry event on Resource sustainability discourse. The theme for 2014 “Creating Shared Value through Collaborative Innovation” provided the requisite color to the resource sustainability initiatives being undertaken by India Inc.
 

The Summit featuring several key figures from the country’s policy and business circles deliberated on the challenge of infusing longevity and innovation in... Read more..

Indian companies decouple growth from carbon emissions: CDP report

Indian companies have already embarked on their journey towards a low carbon economy and a high number have demonstrated that it is possible to decouple business growth from carbon emissions, according to a new report released on Wednesday.
 
The India 200 Climate Change Report 2014 by CDP, an international non profit organisation, says that 24 per cent of the companies surveyed have reduced their absolute emissions while driving business growth and profitability. An additional 26 per cent have reduced their emissions intensity while driving business growth and profitability.... Read more..

Neeri develops more efficient biofuel reactor

Scientist at the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (Neeri) have developed a modified and simpler version of a biofuel reactor and installed it at the Go Vigyan Anusandhan Kendra (GVAK), Deolapar. The tailor-made equipment is on trial run and soon the process will be standardized as per the requirement of the Kendra and the food and vegetable waste generated there.
 
The project in-charge and head of the Solid and Hazardous Waste Division at Neeri A N Vaidya told TOI if the results matched the expectations, the reactor could be scaled up for bigger community... Read more..