Sustainability Outlook Headlines

India’s Resistance to Climate Change Gives Way to Deal

Environmentalists were alarmed a week ago by an interview India’s new environment minister gave to The New York Times, as it seemed to deal a serious blow to U.S. efforts to secure an international agreement on combating global warming. Prakash Javadekar, the Indian official, declared his government’s first priority was to alleviate poverty and vastly improve his nation’s economy, which he said “would necessarily involve an increase in emissions through new coal-powered electricity and transportation.”

Javadekar argued that the U.S. and other industrialized countries had... Read more..

Date : Oct 6

Source: The Fiscal Times

India will be renewables superpower, says energy minister

India will be a “renewables superpower” according to its new energy minister, but its coal-fired electricity generation will also undergo “very rapid” expansion. However, Piyush Goyal dismissed criticism of the impact of India’s coal rush on climate change , as western governments giving “homilies and pontificating, having enjoyed themselves the fruits of ruining the environment over many years.”

The aggressive statements are significant in setting out both how prime minister Narendra Modi will fulfil his government’s ambitious goal to bring electricity to the 300m power-less... Read more..

Date : Oct 6

Source: The Guardian

EU climate chief: India won’t have to make carbon cuts for Paris deal

India may not be required to commit to slash its greenhouse gas emissions under a new climate change deal, according to the EU’s climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard. Major economies have six months to reveal how they will contribute to a proposed UN climate deal, set to be signed in Paris next December.

Despite being the world’s third largest carbon polluter, the Delhi government says it has no intention of making any emission cuts, citing the need to develop and provide 400 million people with electricity. Speaking to Bloomberg TV two days after a major UN climate summit... Read more..

Date : Oct 6

Source: RTCC

India agrees to US demand to discuss cut in climate-damaging HFCs

With India and US committing to ramp up their efforts to combat climate change through a number of measures, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday moved a step forward while accommodating US president Barack Obama’s demand to discuss the contentious issue of hydro-fluorocarbons (HFCs) and find ways to eventually phase-down this climate-damaging refrigerant.

India, which had been resisting discussion on the issue despite forming a joint task-force on the refrigerant, agreed to call its meeting soon to discuss “safety, cost and commercial access to new or alternative... Read more..

Date : Oct 6

Source: Eco-Business

Villages to get award for collecting plastic

In a bid to make rural areas free from plastics and strengthen Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Swachh Bharat" campaign, the city administration has started a new unique polythene collection drive. Under this scheme, the administration will felicitate the village which collects the largest volume of polythene over the next two weeks. The winner's name will also be proposed for the President's award.

According to officials, the eco-friendly initiative is aimed at making all the villages plastic-free. They added that the name of the winning village will be announced on October... Read more..

Date : Oct 6

Source: Times of India

‘Clean Home, Clean City’: Alappuzha municipality shows the way

With the Modi government’s Swachh Bharat Mission kicking up a dust, the Kerala CPM recently resolved to take up “comprehensive garbage management as a new mission”. It doesn’t have to look very far. The Alappuzha municipality ruled by the party has managed to put in place a successful solid waste management system within two years of its launch.

As part of its ‘Nirmala Bhavanam, Nirmala Gagaram (Clean Home, Clean City)’ programme, the municipality set up biogas plants, pipe compost units in households and aerobic composting units in public places. It also set up surveillance... Read more..

Date : Oct 6

Source: Indian Express

GMDC plans 50 MW wind power project for Rs 300 cr

State-run Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC) will set up a 50 Mega Watt (MW) wind power project in a bid to harness green energy potential, said, a senior GMDC official. The fresh addition will take the total capacity of wind power installation by GMDC in the state to 200 MW.

“GMDC will set up a 50 MW wind power project in the state to harness green energy potential,” said M Chattopadhyay, general manager (power), GMDC.

The total cost of the project, said Chattopadhyay, is estimated to be Rs 300 crore and the net generation from the project is... Read more..

Date : Oct 1

Source: Business Standard

Renewable Energy Ministry targets 100,000 MW capacity in next 5 years

T‎he Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has set a target of reaching 100,000 MW generation capacity for the sector in the next five years, said Upendra Tripathy, Secretary, MNRE, here today.

"This target would include both off grid and on grid generation for both wind and solar energy," said Tripathy adding that to meet the target an investment of $35 billion would be required annually. Currently, India gets ‎$6 billion investment in the renewable energy sector every year.

To attract investments, the Ministry will host a global investor meet in February 2015... Read more..

Date : Oct 1

Source: Business Line- The Hindu

24x7 power: World Bank offers Centre a plan

The World Bank has submitted a detailed action plan that could help the government meet its objective of supplying power 24x7 in the country, with focus on bringing down distribution losses, improving infrastructure and expanding solar power.

The proposal includes a state-wise turnaround plan for the key seven or eight states that together account for about 80% of the $20 billion (Rs 1.2 lakh crore) annual power distribution losses.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/popup... Read more..

Date : Oct 1

Source: Hindustan Times

Financing Innovation Key To India’s Renewable Energy Expansion, Says NRDC

Growth in India’s renewable energy sector has accelerated at a rapid pace over the last few years through the support of favourable policy initiatives. In order to sustain this growth momentum India needs to implement innovative financing initiatives and ensure strict adherence to existing policies.

A series of reports released recently by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) analyses the possible policy and financial initiatives that the Indian government and supporting institutions need to implement to boost the expansion of the country’s renewable energy... Read more..

Date : Oct 1

Source: Clean Technica

Can Narendra Modi bring the solar power revolution to India?

From the observation tower in the Thar desert and as far as the eye can see, the dark blue arrays of a million solar panels can be seen sitting silently on the red dust. The Charanka solar park in Gujarat is an “ultra-mega” power project – the Indian government’s phrase – and the biggest in Asia.

But unlike the hundreds of coal plants and their noxious smokestacks being built in the country, the only danger linked to the solar panels are the snakes and scorpions that slink and scuttle between the sparse shrubs, posing a minor hazard to those who dust off the panels after dusk... Read more..

Date : Oct 1

Source: The Guardian

India-U.S. Energy Cooperation: Moving to Green, Clean and Smart

The U.S. is the second largest energy consumer in the world, and India is soon to become the third. The U.S. already has a large consumption base; India has enormous growth ahead of it given the low per capita levels of energy consumption (an order of magnitude lower than the U.S.). This difference—high consumption today versus high consumption tomorrow—becomes secondary when we recognize the advantages of bilateral collaboration, in part based on commonalities. Of course, commercial concerns abound, but modern industries, especially high-tech ones, have shifted from the extremes of pure... Read more..

Date : Oct 1

Source: Brookings

In Kerala, CPM takes up waste disposal

At a seminar organised by the AKG Centre for Study and Research Saturday, the CPM announced it would take up “comprehensive garbage management as a new mission for a healthy environment, healthy life”.

With waste disposal at source as the theme, the seminar discussed models particularly the “clean house, clean city’’ project currently under way in wards of Alappuzha, held by the CPM. Under the scheme, biogas plants are installed in houses and institutions for processing biodegradable waste. “Party-affiliated organisations, their members, and representatives in various local... Read more..

Date : Oct 1

Source: Indian Express

Water meter calibration unit mooted

With water meter-related issues becoming a headache for both consumers and Kerala water authority (KWA) officials, the legal metrology department has proposed to set up a water meter calibration unit in Kakkanad to ensure the accuracy of water consumption.

Water meter manufacturers have to standardise the meters at the unit before they sell the product. Many consumers are paying more for consuming lower quantities of water while others are paying lower rates despite consuming more water due to defective meters.

"At the unit, we will pump water through meters to... Read more..

Date : Oct 1

Source: Times of India

This IT engineer is urging people to sell waste online

Did you know that you could use Facebook and Whatsapp to sell your household waste online? And also make some money off it?

Anurag AsatiAnurag Asati is an IT engineer who hails from Bhopal and knew at the onset that he wanted to create some impact in the world with the skills he had. It all started one day when Anurag was asked to get a kabadiwala home to collect some newspapers.

"I started working on this, but this simple task proved pretty cumbersome. In the process, I found out everything about the waste management cycle and how the process works. at the end... Read more..

Date : Oct 1

Source: Rediff

Panel for evaluating hydro PSU merger plan says it is unviable

A plan to merge all state-owned hydroelectric companies has been nipped in the bud with a joint study commissioned to evaluate its viability terming it not “in the best interest of efficient decision making”. The study undertaken by North Eastern Electric Power Corp. Ltd (Neepco), NHPC Ltd, THDC India Ltd and SJVN Ltd and submitted to the government cites reasons such as expanding geographical reach, human resource issues, and the prospect of addressing the concerns of state governments, to give the plan a resounding thumbs down.

A government official privy to the contents of... Read more..

Date : Oct 1

Source: Live Mint

Message to India from UN: empower city mayors to curb emissions

Delhi, the only Indian city to be a part of the Compact of Mayors, has chosen targets only on renewable energy, excluding emissions entirely (photo by Chinki Shukla)

Making cities sustainable was one of the eight action areas identified at the UN climate summit in New York last week. Cities across the world contribute about 70 per cent of the global greenhouse gas emissions even as urban areas continue to expand, particularly in the global south. So, creating action-oriented plans for cities to reduce emissions can directly help rein in rising global temperatures.
... Read more..

Date : Sep 30

Source: Down to Earth

Switzerland to help India cut down greenhouse emissions

As India strives for a low carbon inclusive growth — even as it facilitates speedy clearances for infrastructure projects — the government is looking at Switzerland to cut down its construction induced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. ‎

‎The ongoing Indo-Swiss Building Energy Efficiency Project (BEEP) aims to reduce the energy consumption in new commercial, public and residential buildings and "disseminate best practices" for their construction, Swiss government officials said here. BEEP contributes to strengthen the objectives of government on energy conservation.
... Read more..

Date : Sep 30

Source: Economic Times

Modi visit to give Indian green energy $1-bn push

The clean energy sector in India will be one of the first sectors that would benefit during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's US trip. The sector awaits investments worth about $1 billion from US companies.

To finance sourcing of components from the US for Indian renewable power project developers, IREDA (Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency) and the US Exim Bank would sign an agreement. The financing would span over 18 years.

Officials close to the development said the agreement would be signed during Modi's visit to the US. "This amount would be extended... Read more..

Date : Sep 30

Source: Business Standard

IIT-Madras may help civic body turn debris into bricks

Indian Institute of Technology-Madras may soon help the city corporation recycle construction debris into bricks and other useful things.

On Thursday, K N Satynarayana, professor of civil engineering at IIT-M gave a presentation on recycling and management of construction and demolition debris to corporation officials. A corporation official said they planned to scientifically dispose construction debris with technical support from IIT-M. "There are also plans to come up with guidelines to restrict indiscriminate dumping of debris on roadsides and water bodies. The dumping of... Read more..

Date : Sep 30

Source: Times of India

Beyond climate change treaties: 'a deal in Paris is not essential'

The United Nations Climate Summit in New York last week passed with many promises, but no firm pledges. Most notably, China’s vice-premier Zhang Gaoli promised his country would peak its carbon dioxide emissions “as soon as possible,” and President Obama said that next year he would publish a plan to cut US emissions after 2020. On the fringes, major corporations trading in agricultural commodities grown on former rainforest land joined with governments in signing a declaration promising to halve net deforestation by 2020 and end it by 2030.

The summit was never intended to... Read more..

Date : Sep 30

Source: The Guardian

Catastrophe and Optimism: South Asia at the UN Climate Summit

Nearly 20 years ago, Atiq Rahman, a Bangladeshi dignitary attending the 1995 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Berlin, said, “If climate change makes our country uninhabitable, we will march our wet feet into your living rooms.” Last week, some 400,000 people marched across New York City to ask the United Nations to take action preventing climate catastrophe. Twenty years after Rahman first sounded the alarm, can activists help stop disaster in South Asia?

The river of protestors on New York’s Avenue of the Americas was 3.5 kilometers long. Powerful figures joined... Read more..

Date : Sep 30

Source: The Dilpomat

Small steps at home giant leap for energy saving but new buildings keep guzzling

All the extra money that you spent on installing CFL lights in your homes, in buying new LED television sets, and on five-star rated air-conditioners and refrigerators instead of three-star ones, have proved to be worthwhile, having resulted in huge energy savings for India in the last decade. Between 2000 and 2011, a total of 791 million tonnes of oil equivalent energy was saved, thanks to measures like these, some of which were thrust by the government, and others a result of individual initiatives.

Because of these savings, about 10,836 MW of electricity generation was... Read more..

Date : Sep 30

Source: Financial Express

Green houses may soon get incentives

Green buildings in Delhi can soon expect incentives for incorporating eco-friendly design features.

On Tuesday, LG reviewed the implementation of incentives for green buildings, as proposed in the master plan of Delhi 2021. The MPD 2021 was amended and a gazette notification issued on September 23, 2013 to incorporate green building concepts in layout plans of plots sized 3000 sq m and above. Features included on-site effluent treatment, solid waste management, energy efficiency and optimal usage of water to make these building "zero-discharge".

LG also... Read more..

Date : Sep 30

Source: Times of India

Arid regions bear the brunt of climate change: Report

The arid regions of Rajasthan are the worst sufferer of climatic changes, according to Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), Jodhpur. Eleven districts in this zone have seen a rise in surface heating, reduction in rainfall, change in crop pattern and low milk productivity of livestock. The inference emerged after CAZRI analyzed climatic data of this region from 1913 to 2013. The latest data received from remote sensing says that rainfall is likely to decline gradually by 20% to 30% in the arid region.

The arid region comprises Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Pali, Jalore... Read more..

Date : Sep 30

Source: Times of India