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Sustainability Outlook Headlines
'Innovation in India is going faster than I anticipated'It's said that Wim Elfrink, Cisco's chief globalization officer, lives in the most expensive villa in Bangalore. We didn't meet him there. But we met him at an equally extraordinary place — what his company calls a 'personal virtual office'. When you swipe your badge as you enter the concept room, everything in the room changes to your pre-defined preferences. The window blinds change to the position you desire. The telephone number changes to your number. All digital screens in the room show what you want them to show, like may be your family pictures. Elfrink says soon even the lights... Read more.. Date : Jul 10 Source: Times of India
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Asia-Pacific nations agree on action to promote low-carbon economic growthGovernment officials and policymakers from Asia and the Pacific have concluded a United Nations-organized meeting by adopting a course of action for environmentally sustainable economic growth, ahead of a key ministerial conference to be held in September in Kazakhstan. At the two-day regional preparatory meeting in Muju, Republic of Korea, participants underlined that a number of countries in the Asia-Pacific region had responded to the global food, financial and fuel crises with “green” stimulus packages and strategies, which have helped to spur job creation and economic growth.... Read more.. Date : Jul 10 Source: UN News Centre
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CII, ICFI draw road map for states to fight climate changeIndia came up with a National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) in 2008 which lays out mitigation, adaptation measures and strategic knowledge management to mitigate as well as adapt to challenges posed by changing climate. Now, the responsibility is shifted to the states and the local governments to translate/adapt these national missions at the micro level, said a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) report, compiled in association with ICF International. NAPCC requires each state to prepare a state-level action plan on climate change (SAPCC). The states in the northern... Read more.. Date : Jul 10 Source: Financial Express
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Japan to Stop Purchasing Carbon Emission Credits Overseas, Yomiuri ReportsJapan’s government will stop purchasing greenhouse gas emission credits from other nations, the Daily Yomiuri newspaper said, without citing anyone. The government wants to stimulate local industries and expand employment by increasing domestic efforts to reduce emissions, the report said. The government has so far purchased 150 billion yen ($1.7 billion) in credits from overseas, the report said. Date : Jul 10 Source: Bloomberg
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Put Solar On It campaign challenges heads of stateClimate activists have launched a campaign calling on world leaders to take tangible clean energy action by putting up solar panels on the presidential digs. The advocates are enlisting the public’s help in the Put Solar On It movement by providing a way to send an online note to U.S. President Barack Obama, India’s President Pratibha Patil, China’s President Hu Jintao, Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron and Australia’s Julia’s Gillard. In their direct appeal to the national leaders, the Put Solar On It team asks: “Install... Read more.. Date : Jul 10 Source: Green Right Now
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The Future of Electric Vehicles: Technology, Infrastructure Developments and The Future OutlookReportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: The Future of Electric Vehicles: Technology, infrastructure developments and the future outlook http://www.reportlinker.com/p0207241/The-Future-of-Electric-Vehicles-Technology-infrastructure-developments-and-the-future-outlook.html?d=CPDAIN55 Interest in electric vehicles is on the rise. For a variety of reasons this interest is unlikely to... Read more.. Date : Jul 9 Source: TMCnet
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Cap and trade could benefit agriculture if it has role in shaping climate legislationClimate change legislation could offer economic benefits to farmers, if they have a role in shaping it. That’s the gist of a study by Informa Economics for the American Farmland Trust and the National Association of Wheat Growers. It was the focus for discussion recently at Ridgewater College in Willmar, when the Ag Carbon Market Working Group sponsored a forum on possible climate change legislation. The Washington, D.C., group is a consortium of farm commodity and biofuel industries promoting agriculture’s interest in climate legislation. “If we’re not at the table,... Read more.. Date : Jul 9 Source: West Central Tribune
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A renewable futureIndia is perceived as a developing country but it is developing at a pace that is not matched by many others. There is significant appreciation of our economic growth. Yet the fact remains that our growth is constrained by energy supply and availability. When the growth rate was lower in the early decades of independence, the energy problem was seen as benign, with only short-term inefficiencies and supply constraints. But the increasing appetite for energy that has developed in the recent past has been further complicated by rapidly diminishing conventional sources like oil and coal. To... Read more.. Date : Jul 9 Source: Financial Express
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Kashmir Youth Fight – to Save the EnvironmentUsing the bigger space for community participation given the better security situation, young people in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir have been busy organising festivals and creative campaigns to drum up awareness of environmental woes. Among their causes are the impacts of climate change that are already being felt by Kashmir’s 9 million people. Climate change concerns are key to this Himalayan region, which has an elevation of more than 1,600 metres and whose key water resources flow from glaciers. "Over the last three to four decades, Kashmir has witnessed huge... Read more.. Date : Jul 9 Source: Inter Press Service
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Regional meet on combating climate change heldA regional consultation on ‘Combating climate change in the North Eastern and lower Himalayan regions of India’ was organized recently by Centre for Legislative Research and Advocacy (CLRA) and Oxfam India, in collaboration with Gauhati University and the North East Members of Parliament’s Forum. The consultation brought together all the important stakeholders in a dialogue on the impact of climate change on public health, agriculture, displacement, water availability, and forest rights. The consultation also discussed the State’s responsibilities in this regard and the legitimate... Read more.. Date : Jul 9 Source: Assam Tribune
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Obama Science Czar Called for Carbon Tax to Redistribute Wealth from Global 'North' to 'South'ohn P. Holdren, who then-President-elect Barack Obama nominated as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in December 2008, called just five months before his nomination for a global climate-change agreement that would allow wealth to be redistributed from countries in the global "North" to countries in the "South." Date : Jul 9 Source: CNS News
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Wave of Investment Gives Smart-Grid Companies a Power SurgeUtilities across the country are gradually replacing old meters and communications equipment with ones that can quickly tell them the energy usage of a home or business and whether there's equipment failure in their power distribution network. This new type of network, typically called the smart grid, has been grabbing a lot of private and public investments lately. On Thursday, Silicon Valley's eMeter said it has raised $12.5 million to help it expand its business and compete in an increasingly crowded field. The private company develops distribution-network management software for... Read more.. Date : Jul 9 Source: Daily Finance
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Trade Groups Protest India Proposed E-Waste Rulespair of electronics industry trade groups are taking issue with India’s proposed e-waste management and handling rules. The Indian Printed Circuits Association and IPC have submitted comments in response to the Indian Government’s Ministry of Environment and Forests draft notification of E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2010. Specifically, the trade groups are concerned that a proposed reduction of the use of hazardous substances in the manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment will have a negative impact on the global and Indian electronics industry, and... Read more.. Date : Jul 8 Source: Circuits Assembly
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E-waste volume to increase in coming yearsIndia would be confronted with the threat of accumulation of E-waste in the coming years if necessary policy and regulations are not put in place to check its growth now, says a paper presented at the recently held 'Kerala Environment Congress-2010.' The total e-waste in different forms in the country would now come to around more than 1.46 lakh tonnes per year and this is expected to exceed eight lakh tonnes by 2012, Kurian Joseph, Assistant Professor, Environmental Engineering, Centre for Environmental Studies, Anna University, Chennai said. Stating that E-waste has given... Read more.. Date : Jul 8 Source: Economic Times
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'India must drop negative stance in global talks'India needs to change its 'just say no' stance on issues like climate change and Doha and adopt a more balanced approach during multilateral negotiations, an Indian-origin Cambridge academic says. In a book-length study titled 'New Powers: How to Become one and How to Manage Them', senior lecturer in the Department of Politics Amrita Narlikar says that both India and the West need to change their approach in negotiations on global issues. India, it suggests, will secure greater acceptance at the global high table by leading more balanced negotiations internationally and... Read more.. Date : Jul 8 Source: Economic Times
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Managing e waste; India poised for EPR?An Indian fungus that helps turn arid soil into farmland could help the UAE grow more of its own fruit and vegetables. The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri) will launch a pilot programme this autumn in partnership with the Higher Colleges of Technology to fertilise arid land with the fungus, called mycorrhiza. It attaches itself to the roots of plants, helping them absorb water and minerals much more efficiently. The New Delhi-based institute hopes to set up demonstration sites at many locations with a variety of soil conditions throughout the UAE. “We have huge... Read more.. Date : Jul 8 Source: Economic Times
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Analysis: Who benefits from 2-year moratorium on forest clearing?It didn’t take long for palm oil producers to respond to Norway’s recently signed US$1 billion grant, given in exchange for a two-year moratorium on any new clearing of Indonesia’s rainforest and peatlands. Association of Palm Oil Producers secretary-general Joko Supriyono urged the government to reassess the planned moratorium, citing that its members were struggling with forest concessions that contained unproductive land not suitable for productive growth. Indonesian Palm Oil Commission executive director Rosediana Suharto went further, noting that developing countries including... Read more.. Date : Jul 8 Source: Jakarta Post
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TERI meet to promote green buildingsWith an annual increase in the built-up area of residential and commercial buildings by 10 per cent, the projected annual increase in the energy demand is 5.4 billion kWh. The need of the hour is to design and construct ‘high performance buildings’ so that the use of electricity can be controlled. Aiming at this lofty target, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Ministry of Power, Government of India and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) will host a training programme and industry meet on ‘High performance commercial buildings in India’. Date : Jul 8 Source: Times of India
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Big push for 5-star devicesCall it the rise of the green conscience or a move to counter the ever-rising electricity bill, the Indian consumer is increasingly buying energy efficient home appliances. The five-star rated appliances sales in 2009-10 witnessed a 31-fold increase over the preceding year. These appliances are 30 per more energy efficient than appliances with a one-star rating. “We are surprised,” said Ajay Mathur, Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) Director-General. “Consumers are buying these appliances even when they have to pay a little extra.” The preference for energy... Read more.. Date : Jul 8 Source: Hindustan Times
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India’s tryst with GM Crop: The might of agri scienceOne hears a constant din about food and nutritional security in India, a multi-dimensional development challenge for a developing country like India. And, solutions have never been easy. One thing is for certain that increasing sustainable food production must be secured before one can think of tackling food security challenges. Indian agriculture faces constant challenges to its productivity by both biotic and abiotic challenges coupled with certain drought and high temperature conditions due to the climate change. Land area for agriculture will not increase and we need to... Read more.. Date : Jul 8 Source: Commodity Online
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Mumbai green Architect firm iDream to promote Green Model - Online PR NewsiDream, a leading Architectural and interiors firm based in India aspires to be environmentally conscious and utilize sustainable designs in all aspects of their practice. The organisation adheres by the Green Building Councils philosophy to promote spaces that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy spaces to live and work. iDream’s policy is to improve environmental quality through wise business decisions. These include conserving energy, reducing or eliminating waste, and recycling and properly disposing off remaining waste. Date : Jul 8
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Company aims to keep costs low and increase fuel economy over Toyota and HondaNissan Motor Co. plans to double the mileage (in comparison with gasoline engines) on its most recent mass-market hybrid vehicle, the gasoline-electric Infiniti M sedan (also known as the Nissan Fuga), expected to be released later this year. While Nissan is a little late in the game with mass-release hybrid vehicles (the previous Nissan Altima Hybrid saw sales largely limited to the handful of states that had adopted California's emissions restrictions), they aim to make up for it by offering a one-motor, two-clutch system that would both keep costs down and deliver better fuel... Read more.. Date : Jul 8 Source: DailyTech
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British climate researchers had high scientific standards, review findsClimate-change researchers at a British university failed to respond to critics in an open manner but hewed to high standards in their science and did not manipulate their data, according to findings released Wednesday of an independent review of hundreds of hacked e-mails. The e-mails were taken from the server of the University of East Anglia late last year and caused an international stir just before a global environment summit in Copenhagen. Skeptics of human-caused climate change alleged that the e-mails showed scientists deliberately trying to suppress certain data about... Read more.. Date : Jul 8 Source: Baltimore Sun
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EU Carbon Permits Fall to Six-Week Low as Power, Gas DeclineCarbon allowances in the European Union’s emissions trading system dropped to the lowest level in more than six weeks as natural gas and German power declined. Date : Jul 8 Source: Business Week
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UK inquiry into climate e-mail scandal vindicates researchers, but finds lack of openness
An independent report into the leak of hundreds of e-mails from one of the world's leading climate research centers on Wednesday largely vindicated the scientists involved, saying they acted honestly and that their research was reliable. But the panel of inquiry, led by former U.K. civil servant Muir Russell, did chide scientists at the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit for failing to share their data with critics. "We find that their rigor and honesty as scientists are not in doubt," Russell said. "But we do find that there has been a consistent... Read more.. Date : Jul 8 Source: Chicago Tribune
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