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Sustainability Outlook Headlines
Carbon tax inevitable for SA's polluters - Mining MXIn response to the carbon tax proposals, industry submitted 70 written submissions ... “From a per capita perspective, South Africa emits 10 tonnes against four tons in China and less in India,†says Dhawan. “So we do have a big responsibility ... Date : Dec 6
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Greens don’t buy river restoration plan in Pune - Daily News and AnalysisTerming the multi-crore-rupee Mutha and Mula river restoration project of the Pune Municipal Corporation, under the Jawaharlal Nehru national urban renewal mission (JNNURM) as blatant commercialisation of the rivers, civic and social activists opposed the ... Date : Dec 6
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Kudankulam crisis: Solar power is way cheaper, say experts - Daily News and AnalysisClaims of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) that nuclear power is cheaper than solar energy has been demolished by Indian solar energy entrepreneurs. “Entrepreneurs have come forward to set up solar power stations at a cost of Rs10 crore per Mw. Date : Dec 6
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Sweden, UK and Germany Top Climate ProtectorsSweden, the United Kingdom and Germany are the top countries to fight climate change, according to the 2012 Climate Change Performance Index, whose results were published at the United Nations climate change summit today. Sweden, the country with the lowest emission levels of 50,600 tonnes of CO2 emissions, according to the latest data from the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA), and good emission trends worldwide, was ranked 4th. Experts said they could not award any country with the top three rankings, as no nation was doing enough to prevent climate... Read more.. Date : Dec 6 Source: IPS
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Carbon tax inevitable for SA's polluters - Mining MXIn response to the carbon tax proposals, industry submitted 70 written submissions ... “From a per capita perspective, South Africa emits 10 tonnes against four tons in China and less in India,†says Dhawan. “So we do have a big responsibility ... Date : Dec 6
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India, Nepal sign trade pactCommerce Secretary Rahul Khullar said after the meeting that India wanted to enhance cooperation in hydel power generation, and increased investment in various infrastructure projects in Nepal. The two sides discussed a whole range of bilateral issues, he said. Opening of Vishakapatnam Port, simplifying procedures at the Kolkata port for Nepali traders, and speedy implementation of the Trade Treaty provisions, were some of the other issues which were prominently discussed by the sides, said Mr Khullar. Nepal has sought increased level of investment from Indian... Read more.. Date : Dec 6 Source: New Kerala
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The North Face Launches First Public Sustainability ReportThe North Face, the premier supplier of authentic, innovative and technologically advanced exploration apparel, footwear, equipment and accessories, today issued its first public sustainability report for 2010. For 45 years, The North Face has been empowering people to explore the outdoors. Because of this focus on the natural world, few issues affect The North Face as deeply as climate change. The North Face athletes, customers and employees return from expeditions with stories of receding glaciers, decimated forests, unprecedented drought, and a natural world that is changing... Read more.. Date : Dec 5 Source: 3BL Media
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ADB to provide $48 m loan for Reliance Power's solar photovoltaic plant in RajasthanThe Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide a long-term loan of upto $ 48 million to finance Reliance Power Limited's 40 MW solar photovoltaic power plant at Dahanu in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan. Date : Dec 5 Source: NetIndian News Network
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New reports identify impacts of climate change on world's highest mountainsFindings from the most comprehensive assessment to date on climate change, snow and glacier melt in Asia's mountainous Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region -- site of Mount Everest and many of the world's tallest peaks -- highlight the region's extreme vulnerability to climate change, as rising temperatures disturb the balance of snow, ice and water, threatening millions of mountain people and 1.3 billion people living downstream in Asia's major river basins. The findings, published in three reports by the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD... Read more.. Date : Dec 5 Source: PhysOrg
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Assam refuses to budge on Subansiri dam, says contruction to continueRefusing to bow down to the ongoing mass protest against the 2000 MW Lower Subansiri mega hydel project in Arunachal Pradesh, the Assam government on Saturday said construction of the dam will be carried out at any cost. Though 27 organizations, led by the All Assam Students Union (Aasu), continued their siege on the movement of vehicle carrying machinery for the project at Lakhimpur for the fourth day on Saturday, Assam power minister Pradyut Bordoloi said, "The project cannot be stopped under any circumstances." The minister said 45 per cent of the project, built by the... Read more.. Date : Dec 5 Source: Times of India
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Global carbon emissions up 50 percentGlobal carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels have gone up by 49 percent over the last two decades to reach a staggering 10 billion tonnes in 2010. Contributions to such emissions growth in 2010 were largest from China, the US, India, the Russian Federation and the European Union. The new analysis by the Global Carbon Project, undertaken by the University of East Anglia and others, shows fossil fuel emissions went up by 5.9 percent in 2010 and by 49 percent since 1990 - the reference year for the Kyoto protocol. Half of the emissions remained in the air,... Read more.. Date : Dec 5 Source: Zee News
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India emerges as chief opponent of a new global-warming treatyIndia is now the leading opponent of a new comprehensive global-warming treaty, it became clear at the weekend after the first week of negotiations at the UN Climate Conference in Durban, South Africa. The world's second most populous country has resolutely set its face against a fresh climate deal that at some stage would involve every country in the world cutting its carbon emissions in an effort to bring climate change under control. The Indians are refusing to approve anything that might put a brake on their economy, now expanding with growth in 2010 estimated at 10.4 per... Read more.. Date : Dec 5 Source: The Independent
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Climate change: India to kick off negotiationsIndia today kicks off its high-level political negotiations as Environment Minister, Jayanthi Natrajan, takes control of the talks with other nations at the high level United Nations talks at Durban, South Africa on climate change. India has criticised the Developed Nations, especially the United States of America, for not making firm commitments to cutting green house gas emissions. India, which is a leading member of the Developing Nations at the conference, has asked the United States and other Developed Nations to make firm commitments on cutting down on green house gases. All... Read more.. Date : Dec 5 Source: NDTV
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Soon, cars will have stars to show fuel efficiencyAt a time when fuel prices are burning a hole in the common man's pocket, preliminary estimates have found that in India, only 9% to 16% car models are energy efficient. A consultation paper recently released by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) to set fuel efficiency standards for car models pointed out that the average weight of cars sold every year in the country was increasing and there has been a three-fold rise in the number of cars over the last decade. "If the trend continues, in 2020, it would increase to over 5.5 million per year and the total stock in the... Read more.. Date : Dec 5 Source: The Times Of India
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Cut to the Chase - Solar energy viableThe recently-concluded bidding process for supplying solar power under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (Phase 1, Batch 2) has seen aggressive bids as low as Rs 7.5 per unit, bringing the long-anticipated ‘grid parity' — matching the cost of solar power to conventional power costs — much closer than even the most optimistic projections two years ago. The sharp drop in prices of photo-voltaic (PV) modules, by as much as 50 per cent in the last one year, and anticipation of a further drop in PV prices, has been the key driver for this unprecedented development. Date : Dec 5 Source: The Hindu Business Line
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Explosion in carbon emissionsCARBON dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels are growing at a record rate, with the latest data suggesting pollution from rich countries is accelerating despite nearly 15 years of pledges to make cuts. An analysis by international scientists working on the Global Carbon Project found emissions from developed countries increased by 3.4 per cent in 2010, reversing a two-year slump caused by the global financial crisis. Developing world emissions continued to surge, particularly from the expanding economies of China and India, up 10.4 and 9.4 per cent respectively. Date : Dec 5 Source: The Age
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Australia's ruling Labor clears uranium sales to IndiaAustralia's ruling Labor Party on Sunday endorsed plans to open up uranium sales to India, clearing the way for talks on a bilateral nuclear agreement and resolving an issue that has caused diplomatic tensions between the two nations. Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced the plan in November, but needed her party's national policy conference to overturn its ban on selling uranium to countries which are not signatories to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Gillard successfully pushed her uranium policy through the conference, despite an often heated debate and chants from... Read more.. Date : Dec 5 Source: Reuters India
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U.S. Inaction on Climate is "Criminal", Activists SayThe United States' delegation at the 17th annual Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN FCC) in Durban, South Africa has come under heavy fire from civil society leaders and activists around the globe for standing in the way of real solutions to climate change. Between 15,000 and 20,000 farmers, unionists, teachers, peasants, students, garbage pickers, transport workers and other indignant citizens gathered outside the U.N. consultation chambers in Durban on Saturday calling for "system change, not climate change". ... Read more.. Date : Dec 4 Source: Inter Press Service
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Only one-third of biomedical waste treatedHospital waste or biomedical waste (BMW) is one of the most hazardous components of environmental pollution and about 40 tonnes are being generated every day in the city. It's a worrying issue given the increasing number of people visiting healthcare centres and hospitals every day. In an attempt to bring a permanent solution for its safe disposal, the Indian Society of Hospital Waste Management brought together experts at its annual conference. The two-day event at M S Ramaiah Medical College on Saturday included about 200 delegates from the central and state governments, health... Read more.. Date : Dec 4 Source: Times of India
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Azure Power gets Rs 68 cr risk capital from DEGAzure Power India Pvt Ltd, one of the more successful solar photovoltaic players in the country, has roped in DEG of Germany as an investor in the company. DEG has provided Rs 68 crore or $13.6 million (€10 million) risk capital in the form of compulsory convertible debenture to Azure Power. The investment will be used for Azure's projects in India. DEG - Deutsche Investitions und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (the German investment and development company), on November 24 announced it in Germany. Azure Power plans to commission a total of 100 MW of solar... Read more.. Date : Dec 4 Source: The Hindu Business Line
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Indian companies drain, but don't tell, says CrisilMost Indian companies risk being left high and dry if they don't urgently draw up policies to cope with the shrinking availability and pollution of water. “Of the 500 publicly held companies in India, only 30 per cent companies reported that they had a company-level policy for prudent water usage and 22 per cent said they had policies to manage waste-water discharge,” a recent Crisil Research study said. In fact, industry, the largest user of water after agriculture, is far from playing a responsible role in conserving this scarce natural resource. Only a few companies, such... Read more.. Date : Dec 4 Source: The Hindu Business Line
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24-hour water supply soon to be a realityTwenty-four hours water supply will soon be a reality in the core city areas, if the Corporation implements the continuous, pressurised water supply scheme. As a first step towards the implementation of the project, the Corporation will send a proposal to the government seeking Rs. 595.24 crore under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission scheme. The subject the Corporation tabled at the Wednesday's Council meeting in this regard says that it will utilise the money to replace water supply pipelines and build water... Read more.. Date : Dec 4 Source: The Hindu
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Khosla-backed Sunborne Bids for Indian Solar Power ProjectSunborne Energy LLC, a solar-project developer backed by billionaire Vinod Khosla, is among companies bidding to build solar power plants in India’s Karnataka state, an official said. The southern state held an auction last month to award contracts for 80 megawatts of solar projects that will benefit from an assured buyer and preferential rates. It received bids for 154 megawatts from companies including Sunborne, Kiran Energy Solar Power Pvt., Tata Power Co. and Atria Power Corp., N.S. Prasanna Kumar, managing director of Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd., the state... Read more.. Date : Dec 3 Source: Businessweek
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Protesters to tell rich nations to meet targetsUP TO 20,000 activists are expected to march today to the climate change negotiations in Durban, South Africa,to put pressure on leaders of industrialised nations to meet their carbon emissions reduction commitments under the Kyoto protocol. The mass mobilisation will go ahead even though South African president Jacob Zuma said yesterday he believed the talks were going well and promoting an environment conducive to constructive engagement. Although there were differing views on the outcome of the talks, there was general agreement that they should decisively deal with a second... Read more.. Date : Dec 3 Source: Irish Times
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Hard to swallow but food security threat is very realIt's intrinsically scary: 7 billion people, growing to 9 billion. Can we feed them all? Already, obviously, we don't. But climate change could make global food insecurity much, much worse. This week, coinciding with the opening of the United Nations' climate talks in Durban, we've seen Oxfam warn that extreme weather threatens food security - from the drought in the Horn of Africa to heatwaves in Russia destroying crops, to heavy monsoonal rains pushing up rice prices in south-east Asia. On Monday, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warned that widespread... Read more.. Date : Dec 3 Source: Business Day
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