Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Green tag sought for Western Ghats

The entire Western Ghats must be considered as ecologically sensitive, especially to ensure the sustainability of the rivers of the Indian Peninsula, the Madhav Gadgil Committee report has said. Peninsular rivers such as the Krishna, Godavari and Cauvery that drain the Deccan Plateau and flow eastwards originate in the Western Ghats.

"Hundreds of shorter perennial monsoon fed west flowing rivers like Sharavati, Netravathi, Periyar and the Bharathapuzha travel through steeper and more undulating topography before emptying into the Arabian Sea. A rough estimate reveals that 245... Read more..

India proposes re-introduction of differentiation between developed and developing countries

India has attempted to re-introduce differentiation between developed and developing countries, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, in the discussions on emission reduction under the Durban Platform. The agreement arrived at Durban to embark on a new global regime, including all countries had been silent on the issue of differentiating between developed and developing countries.

In its submission on increasing ambition level under the Durban Platform to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, submitted on Tuesday, India has sought to... Read more..

Tata Motors eyes 100 kmpl with Megapixel after cheapest car Nano

At a time when fuel conservation is becoming imperative across the world, Tata Motors is aiming to make a car, Tata Megapixel that can deliver up to 100 kilometres from a litre of fuel by using a unique combination of technology.

The company, which surprised the world with 'Rs one lakh car' Nano, today unveiled the concept vehicle which is a four -seater global range extended electric vehicle (REEV) meant for city driving. The new innovation from the house of Tatas is likely to be commercially launched in around three years from now.

"Realistically such products take at least... Read more..

India-Iran to enhance cooperation in renewable energy

India and Iran have agreed to enhance cooperation in the field of renewable energy. In a meeting with President of Iran Mr. Mehmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran, Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Dr. Farooq Abdullah called for an enhancement in bilateral ties and economic cooperation with Iran especially in the field of renewable energy. President Ahmadinejad agreed that the two countries should use their full potential to enhance cooperation and bilateral ties.

Earlier in the day, Dr. Abdullah had a bilateral meeting with the Iranian Energy Minister, Mr. Majid Namjou. Mr... Read more..

N-protest: PM's NGO remark criticised

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh came in for sharp criticism on Monday when a group of leading individuals, among them a former navy chief and a historian, wrote a terse letter to him, calling his recent views on anti-nuclear protests "inappropriate" and misleading.

The letter was

sent collectively by VR Krishna Iyer, a former Supreme Court judge, A Gopalakrishnan, former Atomic Energy Regulatory Board chief, EAS. Sarma, former power secretary, Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat, former navy chief,  Pushpa Mitra Bhargava, who served at the National Knowledge Commission and Romila... Read more..

E-trash recycle: Chips are up

Take a good look at your shelves and the hidden corners of your cupboards. You are bound to find at least one gadget that you had hoarded simply because it had lived up to its worth or because you had replaced it with a newer model. A survey by Nokia reveals that only about three per cent of people recycle their mobile phones. A big reason why old gadgets and electrical appliances gather dust is because of consumer indifference to environment-friendly disposal methods or recycling programmes run by agencies and non-government organisations (NGOs).

All this is going to change soon.... Read more..

Sun to power a concert this weekend

The city will have a concert of a different kind this Saturday, wherein a mobile solar-powered sound system would be used.

The concert is part of a UN-endorsed project, ‘Rock The Sun’. It is a collaboration between Cedric Carles a, Swiss designer, and Vialka, a French music duo. A press release said that the concert—at Jaaga on March 10—would use the solar-powered sound system and demonstrate that an entire concert can be held without using conventional energy.

The 3S Solar Sound System will be available in India for use by other organisations for similar cultural events.... Read more..

First Solar admits to unsuitability of its products to hot climates

American company First Solar, major supplier of cadmium telluride-based thin-film photo-voltaic modules to India, has admitted that its products are not suitable for hot climates. Reliance Power is a major customer of First Solar.

“We believe our PV modules are potentially subject to increased failure rates in hot climates,” Mr Mark Widmar, the company's CFO, told analysts last week.

Last September, First Solar won an order from Reliance Power to supply 100 MW worth of thin-film modules.

The deal was backed by a $84.3 million (Rs 375 crore), 16.5-year loan by the US... Read more..

India, other developing nations block exclusion of Rio Principles' references from UNEP decisions

India and other developing countries successfully resisted a move by the United States to exclude references of the Rio Principles from the decisions of the United Nations Environment Programme taken at the Nairobi meet. The decisions of the three-day ministerial, the last big stop of all before the Rio+ 20 summit, will feed into the UN sponsored meet to be held in Brazil in June this year.

The United States attempted to repeat its success in the climate change negotiations. At the December negotiations in South Africa, the US successfully ensured that the principle of common but... Read more..

Madhya Pradesh Policy will bring shine back to India's Solar Market

The Madhya Pradesh Government is set to promote solar energy generation as part of its efforts to overcome the power crisis in the State.
 
While talking to prospective investors in the solar energy sector, Minister for New and Renewable Energy Ajay Vishnoi recently said, “The Government will leave no stone unturned to promote the generation and use of solar energy.” Vishnoi told investors that the State Government is doing its best to frame the Solar Energy Policy by March-end.
 
The Minister also assured them of another round of meetings, if necessary, to further... Read more..

Indian CEOs concern over proposed carbon tax by Australia

Worried over the impact of a proposed carbon tax on mining activities by Australia on imports, India today expressed hope that an acceptable solution would be found to resolve the issue.

According to media reports, the Australian government plans to impose a 30% tax on big mining companies. It will go into effect in July 2012, and will apply to mining giants such as Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton.

"It is a matter of concern for every industry in the mining sector. We are hoping that the Australian government will find acceptable solution to the issue - mining resources rent tax... Read more..

CDM carbon submissions climb again as phase III looms

The number of submissions for clean development mechanism (CDM) carbon emitting projects fell short of an expected record last month but still soared to its second highest level ever. Acording to data compiled by Danish research centre UNEP Risoe, developers submitted 250 new CDM projects for approval during the month.

Recent months have seen a scramble for project registration, caused by impending restrictions on the types of CER that can be sold within the EU's carbon emissions trading system (ETS), by far the biggest market for carbon offset credits.

In 2011, the number of... Read more..