Sustainability Outlook Headlines

It will be warmer by 2030, says climate change report

The Karnataka Climate Change Action Plan (KCCAP) — a comprehensive report on the impact of change on the climate of the State, prepared by Bangalore Climate Change Initiative-Karnataka (BCCI-K) states that failure to protect the environment will impact forest area to the extent of 38 per cent by 2030 and most areas in the State will experience rise in temperature from 1.8 to 2.2 degrees Celsius.

The report was submitted to the Government by the former Chairman of the Legislative Council, B.K. Chandrashekar, on Wednesday. Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner Meera... Read more..

IBPW Hosts Forum to Discuss Pollution in India

The Indian Business and Professional Women Association collaborated with the Clean Air Task Force to hold a discussion Apr. 20 on the impact of black carbon emissions in India.

At the event, CATF scientist Danielle Meitiv reported that pollution levels exceed World Health Organization standards in 137 Indian cities. She added that the rapid increase of temperatures in Northern India and the Himalayas are impacting the monsoon cycles and melting glaciers.

 Dr. Sarath Guttikunda, a Delhi-based scientist and founder of Urban Emissions, then spoke about the “Clean Air for Delhi... Read more..

Solar Solution: Solar assisted AC in India

Air conditioning in India has not been common due to the extreme demand that it puts on a notoriously unreliable electrical infrastructure. But when you think about when air-conditioners (AC) would be most used in tropical countries like India, it coincides with the time when the sun is blazing its heat in the peak afternoon. Dr Upendra Kamdar, founder of Suryashakti Systems came up with air conditioning unit that is powered in part by direct solar heat. Because units often have to fit into limited space, the systems are small because solar PV panels and batteries are not needed.

... Read more..

TERI organizes a brainstorming session Sustainable Agriculture Practices for Food and Nutritional Security

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) organized a Brainstorming Session on Sustainable Agriculture Practices for Food and Nutritional Security today commemorating the birth anniversary of the Late Dr. B P Pal, revered for his outstanding contributions in the field of agricultural and horticultural research. Issues related to Sustainable Agricultural Practices and Integration of New Technologies for augmenting food production formed the subject matter of discussions.

The workshop focused on an urgent need to increase the yield of crops through application of new technologies, to... Read more..

Power sector picks up in April as generation, renewable energy show encouraging growth

Order inflows in the power sector were poor in April 2011, but power generation registered an encouraging 7.6% growth year-on-year, and alternate energy sources did much better. Power stocks have by and large underperformed the market over the past three months

Power forms a vital part of infrastructure development. In India, recently, the sector has been riddled with poor order inflows. But the growth in power generation has been encouraging. Renewable forms of power generation also have shown strong growth over the past few months. There have been large orders for wind projects... Read more..

JSW's $422m bid to buy CIC Energy fails

 After eight months of hectic negotiations and due diligence, Indian power firm JSW Energy's plans to acquire Canadian coal miner CIC Energy Corp has failed. The $422 million proposed deal was called off on Tuesday after it failed to fructify within the required deadline of May 31.

The Canadian firm informed the Toronto stock exchange that a notice of termination will be sent to JSW. "CIC Energy believes shareholder interests will be better served by pursuing an alternative transaction," the company said.

While CIC Energy is willing to continue discussions with JSW Energy,... Read more..

India, Pak to talk energy trade in Oct

 India and Pakistan are set to discuss initiatives to open energy trade between the two countries. A group of experts from both sides is to meet around October to examine the feasibility, scope and modalities of such trade. According to decisions arrived at during the April 27 talks between the commerce secretaries of the two countries, two separate groups will examine trading in electricity and fuels and petrochemicals.

One group is to meet in October to examine the feasibility, scope and modalities for electricity trading. The group will be free to also look at suitable routes for... Read more..

By 2012, exclusive centres to collect old PCs and e-waste

Starting May 2012, all old computers and electronic equipment will have to be disposed off to authorized collection centres that would deal with electronic waste (e-waste).

Though the government had put up the e-waste (management and handling) rules in 2010, they have been notified recently. The problem of e-waste has turned serious, thanks to increased use of computers in the country.

In 2007, the country generated 330,000 tonnes of e-waste - equivalent of 110 million laptops, says an industry report. The volumes of e-waste generation is rising sharply every year. About 10%... Read more..

Diploma programmes in wind energy

Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore, will offer two new postgraduate diploma programmes in wind energy under an MoU with the Centre for Wind Energy Technology (C-WET ), the apex body for wind power development in India under the ministry of renewable energy, and Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association (IWTMA), the association of wind electric generator manufacturers in India.

The diploma in wind power development (PGDWPD) requires a BTech/BE qualification with a minimum of 60% marks in electrical/electrical and electronics/electronics /electronics & communication/... Read more..

Centre's ‘Solar City' scheme gives urban local bodies a chance to tackle power crisis

The Central Government has come out with a renewable energy scheme that provides urban local bodies with the capacity to address the power shortage in their areas.

The entire cost of implementing this project, called ‘Solar City,' would be borne by the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). The scheme is being implemented in the State through Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency (TEDA), S.E.S. Syed Ahamed, Deputy General Manager, TEDA Madurai Region, told The Hindu here on Sunday. The TEDA Madurai Region comprised 11 southern and central districts.

“The Central... Read more..

Corporation to embark on a cleaning drive

The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation is launching a campaign to clean up public places in the city, streamline solid waste management, and improve the functioning of centralised garbage treatment plant at Vilappilsala.

The standing committee on health and sanitation is meeting on Monday to discuss details of the scheme. The meeting will discuss methods to ease the pressure on the garbage plant that is at the centre of a row over environmental problems.

The garbage transported to Vilappilsala would be restricted to a maximum of 100 tonnes daily and strict measures would be taken... Read more..

Mumbai to host Green Day celebrations

India will be hosting the celebrations for this year’s World Environment Day (WED) on June 5. The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Forests: Nature at your service’.To mark this historic event, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), in collaboration with Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), has organised a 3-day long special exhibition from June 2 to June 4.

The themes included in the exhibition are urban biodiversity, air, water and noise pollution, green zones of Mumbai, extinct wildlife of Mumbai, citizens Initiatives,... Read more..