Sustainability Outlook Headlines

S&P warn climate change will hit corporate credit profiles

Lead credit rating agency Standard & Poors says projected climate impacts will likely hit the creditworthiness of companies and countries this century.

The energy and consumer products sectors are most exposed to future shocks, analysts say in a report focusing on the impact of natural disasters on businesses.

The effect of disasters on corporate credit quality could “increase considerably” if predictions by climate scientists are proved correct, says the report.

“If such extreme events were to occur, companies’ existing insurance and overall disaster risk... Read more..

Business eyes place at Paris climate summit top table

Leading businesses and cities are set to have a greater say in how a global climate change pact will work than ever before.

For years mayors and chief executives have been kept away from the heart of UN talks, officials nervous of further complicating negotiations involving nearly 200 countries.

But the organisers of this year’s Paris climate summit, where an historic UN deal to limit greenhouse gas emissions is due to be signed off in December, are opening the doors to non-state parties.

The French government says its Agenda of Solutions package will be the fourth... Read more..

Could green bonds offer a home for capital fleeing fossil fuels?

After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, it was “German Unity” bonds that met a multi-billion Deutschmark need for investment in East Germany.

Japan used bonds to finance – for better or worse – a fleet of nuclear power plants in the 1960s and 1970s.

Today, says Sean Kidney, governments face a comparable challenge: “We need to see a green infrastructure revolution.”

The Climate Bonds Initiative chief argues policymakers can mobilise finance through the bond markets without splashing taxpayers’ cash.

In 2014 banks and corporations issued US$36.6 billion of bonds... Read more..

The next frontier in connected energy: Syncing IoT, demand response

I have been immersed increasingly in the Internet of Things discussion and trying to understand how the trend relates to smart grids and demand response. Because demand response requires information connectivity to adjust electricity usage, it appears, on the surface at least, as though there is a natural convergence.

But appearances can be deceiving.

Here's where the literature comes in. Even those who have never read George Orwell’s dystopian classic "Animal Farm" likely have heard at least one sentence from the book: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal... Read more..

Rajasthan CM launches scheme to save energy

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje today launched 'LED Home Lighting scheme' which would save electricity upto 734 million units per year in the state.

She distributed bulbs to a select group of people at an official function and said the state government plans to sell about 2.5 crore LED bulbs to consumers either after one time payment or on an easy instalments.

If the scheme is fully implemented about 734 million units of electricity would be saved and three power companies in the state would be able to save Rs 230 crores, Raje said.

Rajasthan would be the first state in... Read more..

Alstom T&D India to lead Himachal Pradesh smart project

Alstom T&D India today said it has been picked to lead the smart grid pilot project by Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board.

"The smart grid project will be located at the Kala Amb Industrial area of Himachal Pradesh in northern India and will serve over 1,500 consumers," the company said in a statement, adding that this will be second of the 14 projects under Power Ministry's flagship 'Smart Grid pilot' programme.

The company will design, develop and implement an integrated set of smart grid applications, targeting power quality issues, managing peak demand and power... Read more..

Sustainability meets Louis Vuitton

Luxury and sustainability are not two words that often go together. Outside of wallet-draining eco-lodges in the Maldives, the green movement is often mocked as a bunch of hair-shirted hippies living without electricity.

But this concept is alien to Diana Verde Nieto, founder and chief executive of Positive Luxury, whose aim is to create a "globally recognized seal of approval for luxury brands." Since the organization started in 2011, it has accredited the sustainability efforts of 200 brands from across the worlds of beauty, fashion, jewelry, travel and hospitality, and fine food... Read more..

ExtraCarbon aims to create resources out of waste management

Given the size of our country and its population, waste management is a major issue in India. Currently, the country’s garbage generation stands at about 0.2 to 0.6 kgs of garbage per head, per day. While, Swacch Bharat Abhiyan is working towards garbage disposal, and NexusNovus is opening up the idea of waste management in the country, the solutions are far too few and fragmented.

Entering this fray in the recent years is ExtraCarbon. The present scenario of inadequate waste management, poorly controlled open dumps, and defragmented and unorganised industry practices prompted... Read more..

Toyota takes a green drive

Toyota Motor Corporation is betting big on alternative fuel options - such as hybrids, electric, hydrogen, CNG, LPG and biofuel - to meet the global energy crisis.

"We have the Mirai which is powered by fuel cell. Our Total Hybrid System is the most successful alternative drivetrain that we have developed. Besides, we have CNG, LPG and biogas. We are looking at all possible alternative fuels or else we won't be able to sell in different parts of the globe," said Masato Katsumata, chief engineer, product planning group, Toyota Motor Corporation.

Katsumata was in Mumbai... Read more..

Can India lead on green buildings, clean energy and corporate sustainability?

With a population rapidly approaching that of China crammed into just one third of the area, India suffers from resource scarcity on a level unlike any other nation. So while it nominally faces many of the same challenges as other BRIC nations – water scarcity, dirty energy supplies, human rights issues – India’s population density makes its situation exponentially more difficult.

A World Bank study in 2014 found that environmental degradation like air pollution, water pollution, deforestation and natural disasters cost India $80bn per year, or nearly 6% of its economic activity. Of... Read more..

Revised rules on waste management by July 15: Javadekar

The government will come out with revised rules on waste management by July 15, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar today said. 

The minister also recognised ragpickers' contribution in managing waste on the Labour day. 

The reason behind the revised rules is to make waste management more effective and scientific to change the face of the country in the next three-four years and thereby achieve Swachch Bharat (Clean India), he said. 

The revised rules pitch for segregation of waste at the source. Though it is an "ambitious" target, but "much difficult to achieve",... Read more..

Karnataka gets its cheapest solar power plant

The historic site of Shivanasamudra, which has Asia’s first hydroelectric station, is set to become a hub of solar power as Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd. (KPCL) is in the process of commissioning a 10 MW grid-connected solar power plant there. The new plant, which is in the final stages of completion, is expected to be commissioned by mid-May.

The highlight is that this solar plant is said to be the cheapest in the State as it is being set up at a cost of just about Rs. 7 crore a MW, as against the previous solar project’s cost that varied from Rs. 12.3 crore to Rs. 19 crore a MW... Read more..