Sustainability Outlook Headlines

City's street lights to have a global touch

The state government has roped in International Finance Corporation (IFC), a private lending arm of the World Bank, to provide technical knowhow to the urban local bodies in Bhubaneswar on improving street lighting and in Berhampur for solid waste disposal system.

"IFC is likely to sign MoUs with the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and Berhampur Municipal Corporation on July 28," said an official of the housing and urban development department. "Taking strong notes of the poor street light facility and solid waste management system in the two cities, the government... Read more..

Date : Jul 24

Source: Times of India

New partnership to make sustainability reports more useful to investors

Deloitte and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) start work on new XBRL taxonomy.

Rotterdam/Amsterdam, 23 June 2011 - A new format for providing sustainability data will help investors, auditors and analysts use information in sustainability reports more quickly and easily, thanks to a new ambitious program announced today by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Deloitte.

A kick-off meeting on Friday 24 June marks the start of an important work stream in the development of widespread and automated transmission of sustainability data. An agreement outlining the project... Read more..

Date : Jul 23

Source: Global Reporting Initiative

India can emerge as largest portfolio for U.S. Exim Bank

India will emerg as the largest portfolio for U.S. Export Import Bank soon and the bank is committed to supporting Indian companies to make the U.S. the gateway to do business with the world, said bank Chairman and President Fred Hochberg here on Friday.

In the last decade Indo-U.S. relations have emerged as the key driver to the stability of Southeast Asia. Giving strength to a positive diplomatic relationship is its business with bilateral trade between the two countries rising by 30 per cent in 2010 from the previous year to $36.50 billion. India is U.S.'s 12th largest... Read more..

Date : Jul 23

Source: The Hindu

Evolve uniform policy to clear projects: CJI to MoEF

Chief Justice of India S H Kapadia on Friday asked to the Ministry of Environment and Forests to simplify its notifications and suggested that it evolve a common procedure for evaluating and clearing industrial projects.

Kapadia was speaking at the opening of an international seminar on ‘Global Environment and Disaster Management: Law and Society’. Stressing that development and ecology were not opposed to each other, Kapadia said sustainable development was the answer to the importance of human life.

“We are growing at the rate of 50,000 per day. The... Read more..

Date : Jul 23

Source: Indian Express

Himachal asks Delhi to bear costs of Renuka project

Overlooking environmental concerns, the Himachal Pradesh government has asked Union government to bear entire cost of constructing Renuka Dam project, which has been planned to meet the water needs of Delhi.

At an Upper Yamuna Board in Delhi meeting on Wednesday, irrigation and public health minister Ravinder Ravi said though the project was being constructed in Himachal, the cost needed to be borne by the Centre as water was intended to meet the needs of Delhi. However, the state has legitimate rights on the income from the 40MW Renuka Dam Hydel Project, Ravi said... Read more..

Date : Jul 23

Source: Times of India

India prevents UNSC from hijacking climate talks

India blocked an attempt to snatch the climate change discussions away from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to the UN Security Council (UNSC). But, it also played a bridging role, supporting the small island states to voice their concerns about climate vulnerability at the UNSC meeting held on July 20.

Germany, which has taken over the presidency of the UNSC, sought a discussion on climate change and security. It also attempted to get a Presidential statement passed, suggesting that the UNSC could play a more pro-active role in climate change... Read more..

Date : Jul 23

Source: Times of India

Ghana turns to India to fight mountains of waste

Ghana is turning to India to procure equipment worth $10 million to tackle mounting waste and poor sanitary conditions in its capital Accra and other urban areas.

Local Government and Rural Development Minister Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo said the government would procure Indian waste management equipment for distribution among civic agencies to counter the problem that is threatening public health in the African nation.

From September last year to last month, the west African country of 24 million people recorded over 400 deaths following the outbreak of... Read more..

Date : Jul 22

Source: Economic Times

No equipment, so GPCB outsources air monitoring

The Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) has outsourced the ambient air quality monitoring in Vapi, considered the second most critically-polluted cluster in India, to a private company. A GPCB report has revealed that the monitoring done in the past one decade has failed to monitor many crucial air pollution indicators for lack of equipment.

“Benzene, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), Polichronated Biphynls (PCB)s, vinyl chloride are not being monitored by GPCB as no measuring facility is available,” the report published on the... Read more..

Date : Jul 22

Source: Indian Express

India Signs Loan Agreement with ADB Worth US$ 315 Million for Karnataka State Highway Improvement Project

Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) today signed a $315 million loan agreement for the Karnataka State Highway Improvement Project. This is the first loan assistance from ADB in the state of Karnataka designed to upgrade roads.

The signatories of the loan were Shri Venu Rajamony, Joint Secretary (Multilateral Institutions), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Government of India, and Shri Prodyut Dutt, Officer-in-Charge, ADB's India Resident Mission. The project agreement was signed by Shri Subhash Chandra Khuntia,... Read more..

Date : Jul 22

Source: Press Information Bureau

AP plans thrust to boost wind power generation

The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, directed Nedcap (New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of AP Ltd) to prepare a comprehensive action plan to boost non-conventional energy resources, focusing special attention on wind power generation.

It plans to set up farms and tap solar power units.

It hopes to achieve this by encouraging entrepreneurs with fresh incentives and better tariffs.

Reviewing the progress of renewable energy sources, the Chief Minister wanted the State to target 10,000 MW of wind power... Read more..

Date : Jul 22

Source: The Hindu Business Line

Essar Steel first beneficiary of IDBI Bank's energy drive

Essar Steel has become the first beneficiary under the ICEEP initiative of the state-run IDBI Bank for encouraging energy-efficient systems.

IDBI Bank, which is implementing the project called India Chiller Energy Efficiency Project (ICEEP), in association with World Bank and Ministry of Environment and Forests, today released over Rs 34 lakh in grant as incentives to Essar Steel.

The financial incentive was granted for Essar Steel's sub-project for replacement of three CFC centrifugal chillers (300TR each) with three energy-efficient non-CFC chillers (350TR each) at its... Read more..

Date : Jul 22

Source: CNBC

In climate-change debate, business interests and green activism often converge

China plans carbon-trading pilot scheme

The myth of energy security

'Diesel used for telecom towers causing Rs 2.6Kcr loss to govt'

In May, the UN International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) made media waves with a new report on renewable energy. As in the past, the IPCC first issued a short summary; only later would it reveal all of the data. So it was left up to the IPCC's spin-doctors to present the take-home message for journalists. The first line of the IPCC's press release declared, "Close to 80% of the world's... Read more..

Date : Jul 22

Source: Economic Times

Cabinet nod to international pact on air pollution from ships

The government on Thursday gave its nod for accepting international regulations for the prevention of air pollution emanating from ships, as proposed under a 1997 protocol of the International Maritime Organisation.

“The Cabinet on Thursday gave its approval for accession to the 1997 Protocol adding Annex VI (Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution) to the Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973/78 (MARPOL 73/78) of the International Maritime Organisation,” an official statement said.

The regulations, also known as MARPOL Annex VI... Read more..

Date : Jul 22

Source: The Hindu

Plans afoot to divide India into green zones

India is set to get a new environment protection framework wherein national institutions will frame and monitor zonal disaster management plans to be implemented by the state governments. The new framework is aimed at reducing burden of district magistrates in environmental

regulation and has an effective system to prevent ecological degradation.

Environment secretary T Chatterjee said the ministry was working out the new policy framework which could be evolved with the help of the state governments.

This is the first major announcement... Read more..

Date : Jul 22

Source: Hindustan Times

Investment group unveils $13m takeover bid for Indian Energy

Investment group Infrastructure India (IIP) has unveiled plans for an agreed takeover of wind-power producer Indian Energy.

JSW Energy Delays Power-Project Expansion on High Coal Costs

JSW Energy Ltd., the Indian power producer controlled by the billionaire Jindal family, delayed expansion of an electricity project because of high coal costs.

The company will shelve a planned 3,200-megawatt expansion at a plant in Ratnagiri in the western state of Maharashtra as it waits for coal-pricing “clarity” from Indonesia and Australia, Chief Executive Officer Lalit Kumar Gupta said in an interview in Mumbai yesterday.

JSW Energy, which imports all the coal it needs to fire its 1,730 megawatts of generation capacity, faced a doubling of raw-... Read more..

Date : Jul 22

Source: BusinessWeek

Security Council won't take stand on climate change

The United Nations Security Council failed to reach agreement on a non-binding statement Wednesday asserting that climate change should be recognised as an international peace and security issue.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon had called the meeting "essential" to raise political awareness and fast-track adaptation and mitigation measures.

"Competition between communities and countries for scarce resources - especially water - is increasing, exacerbating old security dilemmas and creating new ones...These are all threats to human security, as well as to... Read more..

Date : Jul 21

Source: YAHOO!

Invest in Auto and Solar Energy sectors : Jayalalithaa woos US

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today invited US investor to make investment in the Automobile and Solar Energy sectors suggesting that the US Government can join hands with the state in promoting human resources and skill development.

Interacting with the visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the first serving US Secretary of State to meet a Chief Minister of Indian state, Ms Jayalalithaa discussed various social, political and economic issues of common interest.

Ms Clinton, who met Ms Jayalalithaa at the historic Fort St... Read more..

Date : Jul 21

Source: New Kerala

Clinton takes 'clean cookstove' drive to India

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pushed one of her simplest but potentially most transformative diplomatic priorities in India on Wednesday: clean cooking stoves.

Clinton, who last year launched a USD 50 million US drive to bring clean cooking stoves to developing countries to cut deaths from smoke inhalation and fight climate change, visited an Indian demonstration site to watch some of the stoves in action.

Clinton watched several Indian women working different models of cookstoves, ranging from a traditional fire to the new model stoves which burn both hotter... Read more..

Date : Jul 21

Source: MoneyControl.com

Himachal in political spat with Delhi over dam project

Construction of a hydroelectric project in Himachal Pradesh to provide drinking water to Delhi has led to another political spat between the hill state and the central government. Himachal Pradesh has said it will not bear the project expenditure.

"The central government should meet the entire expenditure on account of 40MW Renuka hydel project (in Sirmaur district)," a government statement quoting Irrigation and Public Health Minister Ravinder Singh Ravi said here Thursday.

Ravi met Union Minister for Water Resources Pawan Kumar Bansal in New Delhi... Read more..

Date : Jul 21

Source: Webindia 123

U.N. Deadlock on Addressing Climate Shift

The persistent inability of the United Nations to forge international consensus on climate change issues was on display Wednesday, as Security Council members disagreed over whether they should address possible instability provoked by problems like rising sea levels or competition over water resources.

Western powers like the United States argued that the potential effects of climate change, including the mass migrations of populations, made it a crucial issue in terms of global peace and security. Russia and China, backed by much of the developing world, rejected... Read more..

Date : Jul 21

Source: New York Times

Euro 32 Mn worth European Union support to Indian projects

The European Union(EU) has approved two projects worth Euros 32 million (Rs 208 cr) relating to water research and technology for India.

The proposal was part of the Euro seven bn approval under the EU's Seventh Framework Programme for Research.

The initiative was expected to create around 174,000 jobs in the short term and nearly 4,50,000 jobs and nearly Euros 80 bn in GDP growth over 15 years.

The projects relating to India would be co-funded by the Departments of Science, Technology and Biotechnology, with both sides... Read more..

Date : Jul 21

Source: New Kerala

How govt plans to make Mumbai greener

The state has roped in developers to increase the city’s green cover and reduce pollution level. It has decided to give priority to projects which are environment friendly.

“We cannot stop development or reject the housing projects. But we can take several corrective measures that can increase the city’s green cover,” said an official on condition of anonymity.

The new policy of the state environment department will benefit those developers who choose to go green.The developers will have to approach any world-recognised green building issuing agency... Read more..

Date : Jul 21

Source: Daily News and Analysis

India eyeing SWF, energy deals but RBI objects

India is considering setting up a sovereign wealth fund with more than $10 billion in assets to buy energy assets abroad to feed growing domestic demand, senior government officials told Reuters on Wednesday.

But the sources said the plan to create the country's first sovereign wealth fund (SWF) was still at an early stage amid concerns from the central bank about setting aside part of the country's foreign exchange reserves for the scheme.

"There is a group which is examining this but no decision has been taken," Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy... Read more..

Date : Jul 21

Source: The Daily Star