Sustainability Outlook Headlines

IIMA cycle rally for greener Ahmedabad

After taking up initiatives to make its campus greener and highlighting Ahmedabad city at the Copenhagen climate change summit, the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad will now participate in an environmental awareness cycle rally in the city,organised by Prakriti club of IIMA and Sepia and supported by Bakeri Builders. Many students and faculty members of the institute will drive cycles on the streets of the city in the awareness rally.

Other than the professors and students of IIMA, the rally, which will be held on February 7, will also feature scientists from ISRO,... Read more..

NTPC to add 6,000 Mw each year in 12th Plan

India's largest power generator NTPC, which will launch a follow-on issue from February 3 to 5, plans to commission power projects of 4,000 MW capacity every year in 2010-11 and 2011-12. The state-run power utility will further increase the generation capacity added annually to 6,000 Mw during the 12th Five-Year Plan period. Overall, NTPC aims to increase generation capacity to 75,000 Mw by 2017, up from the 30,644 Mw at present.

NTPC's $2 b FPO to open on February 3
NTPC Chairman and Managing Director R S Sharma told Business Standard that NTPC's power... Read more..

Forest CO2 market in the balance: report

The global market for carbon offsets from planting trees and preserving forests, worth nearly $150 million to date, could stall without a U.S. climate bill or a successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol, a report said on Thursday.

"At the end of 2009, the market for forest carbon stands in an uncertain position on the verge of potentially enormous growth," the State of the Forest Carbon Markets 2009 report said.

"Amidst this scene of opportunity and risk, investors are still eyeing forest carbon, though many are waiting on more definite regulatory signals before taking a financial... Read more..

Iceland seeks cooperation with India in clean energy, IT, oil exploration

Visiting Iceland President Olafur Ragnar Grímsson on Thursday sought India's cooperation in the field of clean energy, geothermal energy, information technology and oil exploration.

Grímsson and his wife, Dorrit Moussaieff, are currently on an official visit to India.

They arrived in the national capital on Thursday, where President Pratibha Devisingh Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh received them at the Raj Bhawan.

Addressing the media, Grímsson said: "I am hoping to strengthen cooperation with India, especially in the area of clean energy, geothermal,... Read more..

Dabur ties up with Belgium firm to reduce carbon emission

FMCG major Dabur Tuesday said it has tied up with a Belgium firm for technical collaboration to reduce carbon emissions in its plants and has invested Rs5 crore for the purpose.

The company said it is rolling out a host of initiatives at its various manufacturing facilities spread across India and Nepal to reduce carbon emissions and become more energy efficient.

While the technology would be first installed in its Pant Nagar plant in Uttarakhand, the company expects to apply the technique in near future to its various units like Newai (Rajasthan), Baddi (Himachal Pradesh),... Read more..

Phillips Carbon starts co-generation power plant at Mundra

Phillips Carbon Black Ltd, a part of the RPG group, today said it has commenced commercial operation of 16 MW Co-generation power plant at Mundra.

The commercial operation became effective December 24, 2009, a company statement said.

Phillips Carbon Black sells CB to almost all tyre companies in the country.

The company's present installed capacity is 270,000 MTPA.

The company is not only the largest exporter of Carbon Black from India but also one of the largest in Asia in its field.

EU incoming trade commissioner say no to carbon tariffs

The incoming trade commissioner of the European Union (EU) Karel De Gucht rejected on Tuesday the idea of imposing carbon tariffs on imports mainly from developing countries, warning the measure could trigger a trade war.

"I don't see that as the right approach-- its one that will lead to lots of practical problems," De Gucht said in a confirmation hearing at the European Parliament.

"The big risk is that it will also lead to an escalating trade war on a global level," the would-be trade commissioner said

Although preservation of the environment and climate should be... Read more..

Oceans losing ability to absorb greenhouse gas

Like a dirty filter, the Earth's oceans are growing less efficient at absorbing vast amounts of carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas produced by fossil-fuel burning, reports a study co-authored by Francois Primeau, UC Irvine Earth system science associate professor.

The oceans largely kept up when carbon dioxide emissions began soaring in the 1950s, but the absorption rate has slowed since the 1980s and dropped off even more noticeably since 2000, according to the recent study in the journal Nature.

Here, Primeau answers questions about the research, which suggests the... Read more..

Manmohan moots creation of 'Solar Valleys' to combat climate change

In a bid to accelerate India’s efforts to meet its emission reduction targets and combat climate change, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called for the creation of “solar valleys” across the country and asked private investors to view the National Solar Mission as a business opportunity.

"If the ambitious rollout of the mission is to become a reality, we will have to create many solar valleys, on the lines of silicon valleys, which are spurring our information technology (IT) industry across the four corners of the country," Singh said.

He added... Read more..

India to have five nuclear energy parks by 2032

India would set up five energy parks by 2032 to raise the generation of nuclear energy.

"The selected sites for the energy parks are Haripur in West Bengal, Mithi Virdi in Gujarat, Jaitapur in Maharashtra, Kovvada in Andhra Pradesh and Kudamkulam in Tamil Nadu," chairman of Atomic Energy Commission and secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, Srikumar Banerjee said today.

The country plans to have 35,000 MW of installed capacity by 2020 and 60,000 MW by 2032, Banerjee said at the 60th foundation day of Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics here.

Out of this, 40,000 MW to 45... Read more..

India’s NTPC Unit to Buy Solar Power at Rate Set by Regulator

NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam, the power trading arm of India’s biggest power generator, will buy solar power at a rate set by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah said in New Delhi today.

India plans to add 20,000 megawatts of solar power capacity in three phases by 2022, the minister said.

Climate change: Experts want new, practical ideas

The stage is set to find young minds that can come up with ideas to wage a war against global warming.

The Hindustan Times-Brightest Young Climate Leader (BYCL) summit has already received over 130 entries and more are pouring in from across the country.

The deadline for accepting applications has been extended to January 15, 2010.

The British Council, whose initiatives such as the 'International Climate Champions' and festivals of climate change films and documentaries have become pioneering landmark events in international climate change awareness drives, is now a... Read more..