Sustainability Outlook Headlines

EU Emission Tax: India, US and others to decide on retaliatory measures

Intensifying the protest against European Union's imposition of carbon tax on airlines flying into their airspace, India, China and Russia may soon respond together with a retaliatory fee on European carriers, making it difficult for them to fly east. 

The move, which has the potential to dent the business of EU air carriers, is expected to be announced after 27 protesting countries, including the USA, Canada, UAE, Japan, Singapore and Thailand, meet in Moscow on February 21 and 22 to chalk out retaliatory measures to the carbon tax. According to the Indian government, the EU... Read more..

MP plans to ease pollution norms for textile units

Aiming to attract investments in textile sector, Madhya Pradesh government is contemplating to ease pollution control norms. 

Acting on the demands of textile industry, the government has sought opinion of the state Pollution Control Board ( MPPCB) on the idea of allowing textile mills to drain out untreated water. The state industrial advisory council, headed by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has reportedly supported the idea. 

Sources said the state government, which is looking forward to attract an investment to the tune of Rs 10,500 crore in textile sector... Read more..

AC prices to heat up further

 Air-conditioner prices are set to go up anywhere between 15 and 20 per cent this summer. According to industry sources, it is because of a combination of factors such as the dollar-rupee volatility and pressure on input cost. In the split AC category, the increase could be even more pronounced as there will be an additional cost of upgrading involved.

UPGRADES ADD TO BURDEN

Effective January 2012, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency has upgraded the energy standards of split air-conditioners to a higher level in line with the ‘Energy Conservation' programme. All the star-rated... Read more..

Chevrolet Creates Environmental Label for New Cars

 Chevrolet will begin placing environmental information about new cars on a window sticker this year, a first for the U.S. auto industry, which is looking to communicate a shift to greener operations and vehicles.

In addition to the standard window label, which contains the EPA-estimated miles per gallon (mpg) figures, Chevrolet’s new “Ecologic” labels will feature information about manufacturing, driving and recycling.

Chevrolet created the Ecologic label itself, but stated that all information on the labels will be audited by Two Tomorrows, an independent third-party... Read more..

Himachal Pradesh to be the 1st state to become carbon-neutral by 2020: Dhumal

 Himachal Pradesh would be the first state in the country to become carbon neutral by 2020 by undertaking "carbon smart growth", Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal claimed here today. 

"The carbon footprint per capita in Himachal Pradesh has been assessed at 1.4 tonne per capita in comparison to national average of 1.57 tonnes per capita," Dhumal said while speaking at 12th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit. 

The summit with the theme "Protecting the Global Commons: 20 years Post Rio" is organised by The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) headed by noted... Read more..

Green City award for Tenali

Tenali Municipality was presented a gold trophy in New Delhi on Wednesday for being the ‘Green City' of the country as part of 6 Plasticon Awards 2012.

Environmentalist Udai Singh Guatam received the award on behalf of municipality from the Plastic India Foundation for excellent garbage management that had became a big economic burden on the urban local bodies besides creating environmental problems.  

Tenali town, which is a pioneer in segregation of solid waste in Andhra Pradesh, set a popular example indicating that source segregation was the only solution to... Read more..

Partnering for greener gains

Recovering economies and uncertain market conditions have dimmed investors' interest in the green energy sector. A newly-launched $3 billion green energy public-private fund hopes to help turn the status-quo around. 

Migrating the global economy to a greener, more sustainable framework is no longer an ideal to ponder about, given the current volatile state of the environment, and the rapid industrialisation and urbanisation that have become the hallmark of life in the 21st century. Working towards, and actually achieving this low carbon infrastructure, is fast-emerging as the... Read more..

Corporates to strive for more efficient energy, water use

 India Inc on Wednesday pledged to play a more proactive role in sustainable energy use and efficient water management.

At an event on the occasion of the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit, to be opened by the Prime Minister on Thursday, corporate honchos from companies such as Vedanta, ONGC, Hindustan Unilever, Ingersoll Rand, Alstom, and Jain Irrigation, said they were taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint and the results had already started showing.

Addressing the World CEO Forum, TERI Director-General, Dr R.K. Pachauri, one of the organisers of the summit, said... Read more..

India Says 120MW of Solar Mission Plants Met Jan. Deadline

 About 120 megawatts of solar photovoltaic plants were completed by their January deadline, Tarun Kapoor, renewable ministry joint secretary, said by phone from New Delhi today.

Some 150 megawatts of projects awarded by auction in December 2010 under India’s Solar Mission had faced the deadline.

Kyoto Protocol should be sincerely followed: India

India today asked all countries to "adhere and sincerely follow" the Kyoto Protocol which recognises principles of common but differentiated responsibility in dealing with the challenge of climate change. 

Addressing the 9th World CEO Sustainability Summit organized by TERI here, he said "we have acknowledged the fact that countries across the world have different levels of development, have differing abilities in adopting mitigation and adaptation measures for climate change". 

At the Durban Climate Conference in December last year, the countries had decided that the... Read more..

Suzlon bags Rs 600 crore contract from CLP India

 Wind turbine-maker Suzlon today said it has bagged an over Rs 600 crore contract from CLP India, the Indian subsidiary of Hongkong-based power company CLP, for setting up a 100-MW project in Rajasthan. 

Suzlon Group has signed a contract for a 100-MW wind power project with CLP, India. The project, which would be set up in Rajasthan, comprises 48 wind turbines. It is scheduled to be commissioned by January, 2013, a company statement said. 

Suzlon will execute the contract under its end-to-end business model. The deal is valued at over Rs 600 crore (approximately USD 122... Read more..

Costs of Stricter CO2 Goal for EU Nations Drop, Study Shows

The costs of tightening the European Union’s carbon-reduction targets are smaller than previously estimated, an analysis by the EU regulatory arm showed.

The bill for moving to a 30 percent emissions-reduction target in 2020 from the current goal of cutting greenhouse gases by 20 percent would range from 10 euros ($13.10) per capita in the Czech Republic to 136 euros in Luxembourg, according to the EU document published today. Four out of 27 nations in the bloc -- Estonia, Latvia, Bulgaria and Romania -- would observe a profit from 7 euros to 54 euros per capita, it showed.... Read more..