Sustainability Outlook Headlines

In Rwanda, India to seek just deal on phasing out of HFCs

With India deciding to ratify the Paris Agreement on October 2, the focus is now shifted to the country's move on curbing the use of climate-damaging refrigerants hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under Montreal Protocol at the time when nearly 200 countries are gearing up to meet in Kigali, Rwanda next month to discuss amendment to this 1987 global deal. 

The countries are expected to set a 'freezing year' in the... Read more..

Lowering the heat makes new materials possible while saving energy

A new technology developed by Penn State researchers, called Cold Sintering Process (CSP), has opened a window on the ability to combine incompatible materials, such as ceramics and plastics, into new, useful compound materials, and to lower the energy cost of many types of manufacturing.

Ceramics is the oldest known human-made material, dating back tens of thousands of years. Throughout that time most all... Read more..

As Palm Oil Abuses Widen, WWF Releases Global Scorecard

Palm oil continues to leave behind a long record of environmental destruction and human rights abuses. The list includes widely-documented deforestation practices, along with the endemic air pollution across Southeast Asia that led to accusations of companies in Indonesia hiring mercenaries to take smog inspectors hostage.

To that end, a recent WWF scorecard that evaluates companies’ performance offers some... Read more..

One Mega Event

Sustainability Outlook is pleased to announce its partnership with One Mega Event.

Launched in 2015, the annual international Smart Cities India expo has grown to become a must-attend event in this genre worldwide. 

To make future editions even more meaningful, the 2017 expo has been grouped into industry... Read more..

50 crore set aside for Aurangabad smart city project

Municipal commissioner Om Prakash Bakoria on Monday said the civic body has already set aside Rs 50 crore for the smart city project and is not expected to face any financial difficulties while executing the scheme.

The civic body has earmarked the fund in its annual budget for the fiscal 2016-17. While elaborating about the scheme in a special meeting with Aurangabad MP Chandrakant Khaire on Monday, Bakoria... Read more..

Paris climate goals will cost emerging Asia $300 billion a year: ADB

Developing Asia will have to fork out $300 billion per year until 2050 if governments intend to uphold their 2015 Paris climate summit goals, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) warned in a new report on Tuesday.

But as the ADB pointed out, no pain, no gain.

"This is a substantial sum but the economic returns... Read more..

Sukhbir Singh Badal to inaugurate largest solar power plant in Punjab

Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal will inaugurate the largest power plant at a single location in the state in Mansa on September 29.

Stating this Chandigarh on Monday, Punjab New and Renewable Energy Minister Bikram Singh Majithia said the 31.5 MW solar power plant, set up with an investment of Rs 200 crore at Mirpur Kalan village is one of the state’s biggest investments.

... Read more..

Bengal’s solar dome to light up a million homes

What took off as a pilot project to illuminate around 10 dingy shanties in a Kolkata slum would now light up at least 10 million homes across the country with no pollution.

It is a simple device that traps sunlight and just concentrates it inside a dark room. Unlike photovoltaic cells, which need to convert light energy to electrical energy, the new device known as a Micro Solar Dome doesn’t need any such... Read more..

Smart City Mission to get Belgian support

In a major fillip to the Smart City Mission of the Kochi Corporation, a trade delegation from Belgium has offered technological and developmental assistance for the project.

The Belgian trade organisation led by the country’s Ambassador to India Jan Luykx made an announcement in this regard at a meeting of Brussels Invest and Export, Kochi Corporation and Cochin Smart Mission Limited  on Monday. The meet was... Read more..

Environment status report 2016: Corporators urge action

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) general body Monday approved the Environment Status Report (ESR) for 2016 with corporators urging the civic administration to work towards increasing the green cover through tree plantations and also check the menace of stray dogs.

Of the 152-strength of the general body, hardly 20 corporators spoke on the ESR which was later approved unanimously.

... Read more..

Madhya Pradesh government approves domestic rooftop solar power policy

Now you can produce your own electricity through solar panels on rooftops to power your home. And if you manage to make more than you need at any time of the day, you can barter it to the the power grid in exchange for doscounts in your conventional electrcity bill.

The Shivraj Singh Chouhan government on Friday approved the Madhya Pradesh Renewable Energy Policy 2016, with the slogan 'Har Chhat Par... Read more..

UAE, India can grow investment synergies

The UAE and India can tap new areas for trade and investment as both nations explore the full potential of available opportunities, said Dr Jaydeep Mukherjee, faculty coordinator, International Trade Conclave.

The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), a trade institute in India, has been working to foster international trade relations through various initiatives. One step in this direction was by organising... Read more..