Sustainability Outlook Headlines

India launching satellite to study tropical climate

India will launch on Oct 12 a dedicated satellite to study climatic and atmospheric changes in the tropical regions in collaboration with the French space agency, a top space agency official said Saturday.

“All going well, we will launch the satellite - Megha-Tropiques — Oct 12 to an orbit of 870 km with an inclination of 20 degrees to the equatorial region to study the life cycle of convective systems and their role in the energy and moisture budget of the atmosphere in tropical regions,” state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K. Radhakrishnan told... Read more..

Most airlines to get 60-70 pct of CO2 needs for free-Pt Carbon

Most airlines will need to buy 30-40 percent of their carbon permit needs from the wholesale market when the aviation sector joins the EU emissions trading scheme next year, according to an official at German national carrier Lufthansa (LHAG.DE).

Surging passenger numbers and a large increase in airfreight since 2004 will leave many operators needing to buy far more than 15 per cent of their historical emissions, according to Stefan Mast, head of ETS implementation at Lufthansa Group.

This is despite having a free allocation of 85 per cent of historical emissions.... Read more..

Indian Government Releases New Guidelines For Solar Development

Officials in India have introduced new guidelines for the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JN-NSM) governing the selection of grid-connected solar photovoltaic power projects. Industry organization SEMI India calls the revised guidelines a positive step that will enhance the selection of 350 MW of solar PV projects under the JN-NSM.

The new guidelines fall into the "Phase 1, Batch II" category and are applicable to solar PV projects that will be selected during 2011-2012.

"The newly announced guidelines will pave the way for the country's leading independent power... Read more..

Google discloses carbon footprint for the first time

Google's carbon footprint is on a par with the United Nations, the internet giant revealed on Thursday as it published its energy usage for the first time.

Google says that it emits 1.5m tonnes of carbon annually but claims that its data centres consume 50% less energy than the industry average. The emissions are slightly higher than the country of Laos in south-east Asia and equivalent to the UN's operational footprint.

The company said that many of its "cloud-based" services for businesses, such as its popular Gmail system, can be up to 80 times less polluting... Read more..

U.N. Chief Ban urges world to redouble efforts on climate talks

The world needs to redouble efforts to fight climate change ahead of global talks in Durban, with time running out to save millions of lives in countries to be hit hardest, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday.

Ban, winding up a visit to Australia and small Pacific nations including several likely to be swamped by rising sea levels, said critics of climate change science were wrong.

"The facts are clear. Global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. Millions of people are suffering today from climate impacts. Climate change is very real," Ban said... Read more..

Coal India’s 191 Mines Lack Environmental Approval, Auditor Says

 Coal India Ltd. (COAL), the world’s largest producer of the commodity, is operating 191 old mines without environment approval, the country’s national auditor said.

The mines without approval are part of 239 mines that existed before 1994, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India said in a statement today. State-owned Coal India operated 470 mines as of March 31, according to the auditor.

Coal India Chairman Nirmal Chandra Jha could not be immediately reached for comment.

The company is currently fighting a court battle with the Jharkhand State Pollution Control... Read more..

Samsung SDI sees $70 billion global solar cell market by 2020

 South Korea's Samsung SDI Co Ltd said it expects the global solar cell market to be worth $70 billion by 2020, more than double last year's $30 billion, with falling prices and government support expected to drive demand globally.

Choi Chang-sik, executive vice-president of the company's solar energy division, told Reuters in an interview that a growing aversion to nuclear power after the radiation crisis in Japan and rising oil prices would lift demand for solar energy.

But the solar cell market, weighed down by excess supply amid aggressive expansion by Chinese cell... Read more..

Lafarge Invention Awards launched to reward innovative projects for sustainable construction

Lafarge, the world leader in building materials, has announced the launch of the Lafarge Invention Awards 2011, a competition to reward innovative projects in India related to building materials and contributing to sustainable construction. The competition will target entrepreneurs or new companies, engineering consultants, architects, researchers and academics in India, who will have from September 1st until November 30, 2011 to submit their entries, via a secure website www.lafarge-inventionawards.com.

Innovation is a... Read more..

NGOs to help keep city rivers clean

Around 500 volunteers are expected to help keep the river clean this Ganesh immersion. They will team up with NGOs on September 6 and 11 to dispose of 'nirmalaya' (offerings made to God) and immerse idols in tanks located at 14 ghats. The initiative has been taken by eCoexist, a social enterprise along with the SWaCH Cooperative.

Manisha Desai, manager (outreach) of SWaCH, said, "Waste-pickers will recover dry waste such as paper, plastic and thermocole, which enters the recycling stream. The remaining bio- degradable material is further segregated and transported for... Read more..

Pune hosts summer school on sustainable habitats

 The three-week-long ‘Summer School on sustainable habitats’ will be held in four cities in India, including Pune, from September 5-23. The Summer School is being jointly organised by German International Cooperation (GIZ) and German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

The issue of sanitation, low-cost housing and energy efficiency will be discussed at the event under the topic of urban sustainability concepts and national urban policy framework.

The event will be held at the Institute of Environment Education and Research at Bharati Vidyapeeth University in Pune.

Indian... Read more..

Reliance Power to Buy First Solar Panels for U.S.-Backed Project

 Indian billionaire Anil Ambani- controlled Reliance Power Ltd. (RPWR) will buy solar panels from First Solar Inc. (FSLR), the world’s second-biggest maker of the equipment by sales, for a 100-megawatt project backed by U.S. funding.

The U.S. Export-Import Bank approved an $84.3 million direct loan on Aug. 25 to Reliance Power’s Dahanu Solar Power Pvt. unit to purchase First Solar panels for the first 40 megawatts of the project, the Washington-based agency said in an e-mail to Bloomberg News in response to questions.

Reliance Power plans to eventually expand the project in... Read more..

Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture

 The Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR) initiated a project titled “Impact, Adaptation and Vulnerability of Indian Agriculture to Climate Change” in 2004 to study the impact of climate change and global warming on agriculture crops, horticulture, forests, livestock, fishery etc. 

The Government has prepared the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture under National Action Plan on Climate Change. The Mission identifies 10 key dimensions for promoting sustainable agriculture practices which will be realized by implementing a Programme of Actions that covers both... Read more..