Sustainability Outlook Headlines

State orders survey in 9 cities on e-waste

Three years after the ministry of environment and forests' (MoEF) guidelines on tackling e-waste came into force, the state government has for the first time appointed NGOs to conduct survey and launch awareness in vulnerable cities, including Nagpur.

E-waste includes large and small household appliances, toys, leisure and sports equipment, electrical and electronic tools, medical devices, mobiles, monitoring and control instruments, automatic dispensers, IT and telecommunication equipment and consumer electronics.

On November 8, the state environment ministry appointed nine... Read more..

India Solar Projects Delayed Under State Plan, Ministry Says

 Two of India’s first solar projects under a state program offering favorable tariffs to build 20,000 megawatts of capacity suffered delays, a ministry official said, adding developers may lose contracts if deadlines are missed.

“Two of the projects are behind schedule,” said Tarun Kapoor, who is responsible for overseeing the program as joint secretary at the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Entegra Ltd. (EIL), whose majority shareholder is MW Corp Pvt., hasn’t yet begun building a 10-megawatt solar-thermal plant in Rajasthan, Kapoor said in an interview in New Delhi... Read more..

States to be ranked on eco-index

 The Planning Commission has finalised an environment performance-linked mechanism for devolution of financial assistance to States during the 12th Plan period, K. Kasturirangan, eminent scientist and Planning Commission member, said here on Thursday.

Delivering the inaugural address on the opening day of the 81st annual session of the National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI), he said States would be ranked on an environmental performance index covering parameters such as air and water purity, forest cover, and sustainable livelihood. This ranking, he said, would be taken into... Read more..

Developing economies see no escape from coal

 Concrete towers rise over the African bush, as the continent's largest coal-fired power station takes shape in a multi-billion-dollar testament to developing nations' love affair with coal.

South Africa, like China and India, has large domestic coal supplies that provide a cheap source of energy to meet an ever-growing demand.

But this has also placed the three nations among the world's leading producers of carbon dioxide emissions, which are a key driver of climate change.

The countries are among the world's top five producers of coal, which generates 90 percent of... Read more..

Mitsubishi Motors unveils electric van Minicab-MiEV, to supply to Suzuki

Mitsubishi Motors Corp , the world's first automaker to mass-produce purely electric cars, launched a battery-run light commercial van on Thursday as it aims to keep the lead in expanding the use of niche zero-emissions vehicles.

The Japanese automaker has sold about 17,000 electric vehicles (EVs) globally so far, including those supplied under PSA Peugeot Citroen's brands, since the launch of the tiny i-MiEV in mid-2009.

Mitsubishi Motors said it also plans to supply the new electric Minicab-MiEV van to Suzuki Motor Corp from February 2012 in a move that it said would help... Read more..

Maruti Suzuki brings down CO2 emission by 15pct

 Maruti Suzuki India released its sustainability report 2010-11. The report states that the company has significantly brought down CO2 emission per vehicle in car manufacturing.

At the Gurgaon Plant, CO2 per vehicle in 2010-11 came down by 15% compared to the previous year while in Manesar facility, CO2 emission reduced by 13% during the year.

The report, besides capturing the company’s economic performance, gives a detailed view of its social and environmental performance during the year.

The report is prepared as per the international Global Reporting Initiative... Read more..

UN conference hope for Sunderbans

 Less than a week to go for the crucial United Nations climate change conference in Durban, South Africa, it is still uncertain whether world leaders will be able to successfully negotiate further commitments on emission cuts even as the Kyoto Protocol commitment period ends in 2012. But if negotiations succeed, it will pave the way for an incentive mechanism to preserve forests. And the Sunderbans, one of the biggest mangrove forests in this part of the globe, could benefit majorly.

"Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is a set of steps designed to... Read more..

Bangalore cabling course to focus on efficient use of energy

 About 30% of the 180 GW electricity produced in the country is lost during transmission and steps should be taken to prevent this waste by using appropriate cables.

“Engineering courses do not equip students with adequate knowledge about cables and their right usage. We need to change that,” said BS Sathyanarayanan, principal of the RV College of Engineering on Tuesday.

His comment came after opening a lab that focuses exclusively on the world of cables.

The college is the second in India to set up a dedicated space for research and work on cabling. It will introduce... Read more..

Renewable energy ministry seeks 10-fold increase in fund outlay

 The renewable energy ministry has sought a 10-fold increase in fund outlay for the next five years. The ministry estimates requirement of Rs 40,000 crore to ramp up its capacity to 30,000 mw by 2017. 

An outlay of Rs 4,000 crore was earmarked for development of renewable energy in the 11plan period of 2007-12. India's present renewable energy capacity is over 20,000 mw of which wind farms alone generate 14,000 mw while the rest is shared between biomass, small hydro and urban-industrial waste. Solar energy capacity currently stands at 35 mw. 

"The progress in the renewable... Read more..

Japan Lures Toshiba to Help Curb Carbon

Japan is planning a series of bilateral technology-transfer agreements to offset its greenhouse gases, another step away from the international treaty signed in 1997 to limit emissions worldwide.

The government is developing a “bilateral offset mechanism” to cut carbon dioxide output by establishing energy management systems, forest protection and high efficiency coal- fired power projects in developing countries with Japanese companies such as Toshiba Corp. (6502) and Marubeni Corp.

The measures are meant to show negotiators at United Nations talks beginning next week in... Read more..

BBMP’s urge to splurge may cost the City dear

Bangalore is all set to splurge on imported garbage management technology when it has a simple, cheap, homegrown solution at hand. 

 
Impressed by solid waste management techniques which he recently saw in Israel, Deputy Mayor Harish has invited a private firm that handles waste management in Tel Aviv, to provide a solution to the City’s garbage problem.

“We have invited them after seeing the efficient manner of waste disposal in Tel Aviv,”  Harish told reporters on Monday. A 13-member BBMP team has just returned from Israel, where they attended a conference on solid... Read more..

South China Sea crucial to India's energy, security interests:Ranjan Mathai

China's objections to India's exploration bids in South China Sea notwithstanding, New Delhi has made it clear that the entire Indian Ocean region stretching from East African coast to South China Sea remains crucial to its foreign trade, energy and national security.

Noting that India and China with overlapping areas of interests are bound to "cooperate and compete" simultaneously, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said the rapid strides in economic and military capabilities of China and the manner in which China exercises its power is being followed carefully.

He said... Read more..