Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Environmental conference to be held in capital tomorrow

The Environment Ministry and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) will jointly organise a day-long conference here on green issues tomorrow.

"The event is mainly to take stock, highlight the activities and achievements, and to further strengthen collaboration of ICIMOD in India," an Environment Ministry statement said here.

The event provides an opportunity to bring together the potential partners in India so as to intensify participation in addressing issues of mutual interest at local and regional level, it said.

''Challenges in... Read more..

Date : Sep 29

Source: MSN India

Solar-Panel Makers Said to Plan China Trade Complaint

Solar manufacturers including the U.S. unit of SolarWorld AG (SWV) are preparing a trade complaint against imports from China, as they seek help from President Barack Obama to counter subsidies to their competitors, according to people familiar with the matter.

The case, which would be filed at the Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington, would be one of the largest targeting China, with political implications as both nations race to develop clean- energy technologies.

The companies argue that China’s subsidies to solar... Read more..

Date : Sep 29

Source: Bloomberg

Green fee to be levied on vehicles entering Shimla

Green fee would now be levied on vehicles entering Shimla, bearing registration numbers other than HP ones. This was agreed in principal by the municipal corporation on Tuesday at a special meeting convened to augment the income of the corporation.

It was decided upon by the house that a survey would be carried out to find how much income is generated from tourist inflow and their vehicles, besides a detailed scheme about green fee and how much it would be levied based upon the category of vehicles would be tabled in the next session of the house. The income generated from... Read more..

Date : Sep 28

Source: Times of India

Energy Efficiency Labels impact Purchasing Decision of Consumer Durables, finds a New Survey by Market Xcel

A recent study conducted by Market Xcel Data Matrix Pvt. Ltd., one of the leading market research firms, reveals that Energy Efficiency Labels play a major role in the purchasing decision of consumer durables. The study throws light on the awareness, understanding and attitude of the respondents towards Energy Efficiency (EE) labels on consumer durables. Furthermore, the study reveals the penetration of consumer durable products and brand association with consumer durables.

Speaking on the revelations of the survey, Mr. Vishal Oberoi, CEO of Market Xcel said, “Domestic energy... Read more..

Date : Sep 28

Source: Business Wire

Fasten your seat belts, says Brussels

Undeterred by the rising chorus of protest over inclusion of the international aviation sector in the European Union’s emissions trading scheme (ETS) from January 1 next year, the European Commission today announced it was going to weather the turbulence and go ahead with its proposed legislation.

Speaking to reporters here, Jos Delbeke, director-general of the EC’s Climate Action directorate, announced the benchmark values to be used to allocate free greenhouse gas emission allowances to airlines. Individual airlines can, thus, now assess the proposed legislation’s financial... Read more..

Date : Sep 28

Source: Business Standard

M and B Switchgears IPO opens On Sept 28

M and B Switchgears Limited, engaged in manufacturing of power transformers, distribution transformers ,furnace transformers and special purpose transformers, proposes to enter the capital markets on 28th September 2011 with a public issue of 50,00,000 Equity shares of Rs 10 each through 100% book building process. The Price Band has been fixed at Rs 180 to Rs 186 per equity share and the Issue closes on 5th October 2011. The Issue will constitute 25% of the post-issue paid-up equity share capital of the Company. The Equity shares are proposed to be listed on the BSE and NSE. D&A... Read more..

Date : Sep 28

Source: Business Standard

India's first CSP plant completed by Abengoa near New Delhi

Abengoa says it has finished work on India’s first concentrating solar power (CSP) plant.

India plans 15MW per turbine limit to spur local production

India’s government plans to allow wind turbine manufacturers to install no more than 15MW of any one model without setting up a production base in the country.

At Clinton and UN Forums, Investors Push for Sustainability Ratings, Mandatory Integrated Reporting

Investors have launched two major drives to improve the quality of information on companies and funds, pushing a rating system for social and environmental impacts, and asking countries to mandate sustainability reporting in annual reports.
At the Clinton Global Initiative yesterday, B Lab announced that 15 investors are declaring an investment preference for funds and companies rated by its Global Impact Investing Ratings System (GIIRS).

B Lab also launched GIIRS Ratings & Analytics, a set of tools to help investors analyze aggregated, verified and comparable data on the... Read more..

Date : Sep 28

Source: Environmental Leader

Kerala to launch year-long ''Waste-Free Kerala'' campaign

The Kerala Government will launch a year-long Waste-Free Kerala campaign from October 2, aiming for unpolluted environment, public hygiene and cleanliness.

Briefing mediapersons, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy yesterday said an all-party meeting would be convened to discuss effective waste disposal methods and suggestions would be approved by the Cabinet.

Stating that the Government was also planning to make necessary laws for effective waste management for a clean-Kerala, he said the campaign is aimed at creating awareness among people about cleanliness.

The Cabinet... Read more..

Date : Sep 28

Source: Webindia 123

India-US education collaboration programme to begin from October

The Obama-Singh higher education collaboration announced two years earlier will be rolled out next month.

Human resource development minister Kapil Sibal and US secretary of state Hillary Clinton will meet in Washington on 13 October to discuss the bilateral programme.

“It will give shape to the initiative announced jointly by Indian Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) and US President (Barack Obama),” said an HRD ministry spokesperson.

The collaboration was announced during Singh’s visit to the US in November 2009.

India has already made public the modalities... Read more..

Date : Sep 28

Source: Livemint.com

Half of Multinationals to Choose Suppliers Based on CO2 Emissions

A full half of multinational companies plan to select suppliers based on carbon performance, according to a study by Carbon Trust Advisory.

The research says that 29% of suppliers are likely to lose their places on green supply chains if they do not have adequate performance records on carbon. The research also finds that 58% of multinationals will in the future pay a premium for low carbon suppliers to reduce their overall corporate carbon footprints.

In the U.K., 56% of multinationals said that in the future they expect to drop suppliers based upon low carbon performance,... Read more..

Date : Sep 28

Source: Environmental Leader

India back again to woo Iran

Driven by energy, India is going all out to win Iran as the relationship between the two countries were muddied after New Delhi voted thrice against Tehran at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the UN security council. A reset that can irk Washington but signals New Delhi’s changing foreign policy imperative, Indian diplomacy is working hard to protect its oil and gas interests in Iran — one of the largest producer of gas and second-largest supplier of crude oil to India after China.

Worried over losing two gas-rich blocks... Read more..

Date : Sep 27

Source: Hindustan Times

GM India to pursue e-car plan on own

General Motors India, on Thursday, said it will independently pursue development of a small electric car and has decided to completely severe its ties with Reva.

GM India said it will stop its plan to develop a small test fleet of 15 electric ‘Spark’ altogether, which was being developed alongwith with Bangalore-based firm.

GM India President & Managing Director Karl Slym told reporters here that GM India will independently pursue development of small electric car.

“General Motors has the capability to develop electric cars. We will look at internally utilising... Read more..

Date : Sep 27

Source: Deccan Herald

AECOM Introduces STATS℠ - New Tool for Tracking Supply Chain Management Sustainability Performance

AECOM has developed a new tool to assess the sustainability performance of a company’s supply chain. The Supplier Tracking and Assessment tool for Sustainability℠ (STATS℠) collects, analyzes, and reports data on supplier economic, social, and environmental performance. Using STATs, companies can rank their suppliers and encourage suppliers to adopt more sustainable practices and standards. AECOM is a global provider of professional technical and management support with a leading environmental health and safety management and sustainability practice.

AECOM’s STATS tool... Read more..

Date : Sep 27

Source: AECOM

Kanpur second most polluted city, Lucknow fifth: WHO

Kanpur is the second most polluted city in India, according to World Health Organization's (WHO) urban air pollution database released on Monday.

Ludhiana ranks as the most polluted city with 251 micrograms per cubic metre of PM10 with Kanpur following at 209 micograms per cubic metre.

Delhi ranks third with 198 while Lucknow and Indore round off the top five list with 186 and 174 micrograms per cubic metree of PM10 respectively. Out of the 32 cities in the country considered by the report, Amritsar is the least polluted with 41 micrograms per cubic metre of PM10.

The... Read more..

Date : Sep 27

Source: Indian Express

EU too wants developing countries to set date for emission cut targets

The gloves are off in the run up to the climate change meeting in Durban at the end of the year. The Europeans will not agree to a second phase of Kyoto Protocol unless emerging economies, such as India, give a date by which they will take on legally binding targets to cut emissions under an international deal. This is the third successive shift in the goalposts since Copenhagen which demand emerging economies to act even as the rich countries back off or dither from existing commitments.

The new European position was revealed for the first time when the European Union president,... Read more..

Date : Sep 27

Source: Times of India

Hitachi launches range of 'recycle' ATMs

Japanese electronics major Hitachi on Monday launched its range of "recycle" automated teller machines (ATMs) in the country, and is targeting to sell 1,000 of the gadgets in the next two years to 10 banks.

The machines, which enable better liquidity management for banks, perform both cash acceptance and dispensing function, and also manage cash by themselves.

As the machine dispenses cash which is deposited at the ATM, the cost of replenishment is low, Hitachi India General Manager Yasuo Sasabe told reporters here.

The machines, which cost twice as much as the... Read more..

Date : Sep 27

Source: Zee News

EIA Energy Outlook 2011: Renewables to remain the fastest growing source of energy

On September 19th, 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its annual report on energy consumption and production. The report predicts that renewable energy will remain the fastest growing source of energy over the next 25 years, but will not replace fossil fuels as the dominant form of energy production.

The EIA's "International Energy Outlook 2011" also states that energy growth will vary greatly between developed and developing nations. The report estimates that China and India together will consume 31% of the world's energy in 2035... Read more..

Date : Sep 27

Source: Solar server

Power cos warm up to renewable energy

Fossil fuel-based power generators like NTPC, Reliance Power and Lanco Power, and energy majors such as Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum and GAIL, are warming up to renewable power in a big way as India moves to control its fast-expanding carbon footprint as part of the global effort to fight climate change.

This trend is expected to strengthen in coming years as the cost of generation of conventional power goes up due to the increase in fuel costs. Besides, the government is incentivising renewable power, according to industry experts. “The India... Read more..

Date : Sep 27

Source: Financial Express

Goldman Sachs invests Rs 1,000 cr to acquire majority stake in Sumant Sinha's renewable energy startup 'ReNew Wind Power'

MUMBAI: Goldman Sachs has invested Rs 1,000 crore to acquire majority stake in a renewable energy startup, betting on the bright outlook for the rapidly growing sector and the skills of former investment banker Sumant Sinha, who set up the company after leaving Suzlon last year.

Goldman's investment in ReNew Wind Power, founded by the son of BJP leader and former finance minister Yashwant Sinha, is said to be the biggest equity deal in the renewable energy sector. The company has no operational capacity but will set up 85 mw in Gujarat and Maharashtra by March, and aims to add 200-... Read more..

Date : Sep 27

Source: Economic Times

Abengoa Completes Solar-Thermal Power Plant in India, First of Its Kind

Abengoa SA (ABG), the biggest Spanish developer of solar-thermal power plants, completed a project in India with a 3-megawatt capacity, the Seville, Spain-based company said in a filing today. The plant can supply electricity to about 1,000 households using a parabolic cylinder design, is the first of its kind in India, Abengoa said

Date : Sep 26

Source: Bloomberg

A joint report by UNEP, CSIRO (Australia), TERI, IGES (Japan) and Chinese Academy of Sciences highlights the need and urgency of transition for Asia-Pacific to a ‘Green Economy’

A new ‘green’ industrial revolution is needed in theAsia-Pacific region that catalyzes dramatic improvements in resource efficiency if the countries and communities there are to prosper in the 21st century.A new report launched by UNEP estimates that per capita resource consumption of ‘materials’ in the region, such as construction minerals and fuels, needs to be around 80 per cent less than today if sustainable development is to be achieved.
The report, jointly prepared by the UN Environment Program (UNEP),The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), CSIRO (Australia), IGES (Japan)... Read more..

Date : Sep 26

Source: TERI

LG To Pour About $7 Billion In "Green New Business"

LG, South Korea's second largest business conglomerate, said on Sunday it will invest 8 trillion won ($6.83 billion) in "Green New Business" sectors such as electric vehicle parts, LED lighting and sewage treatment industries by 2015.

The business group also said it was aiming to generate 10 trillion won in revenues and create 10,000 new jobs through these investments.

LG will invest 2 trillion won in the electric vehicle battery area by 2013, 1 trillion won in the photovoltaic, LED and water treatment sectors and 490 billion won in the polysilicon business by 2014.

In... Read more..

Date : Sep 26

Source: Reuters

India to host meet against putting green fretters on developing countries

It's no more just climate change. Another front has opened in the global UN negotiations where green concerns are being propped up as impediments to growth of emerging economies such as India – the Rio+20 talks. India will host a ministerial round on the talks from October 3-4 hoping to block the attempt.

The Rio+20 talks are meant to review the work done two decades after the famed Rio summit or the UN meet on environment and development at Rio de Janeiro in 1992. But the Rio+20 conference is turning into another global ground to put green fretters on developing economies. A... Read more..

Date : Sep 26

Source: Times of India