Sustainability Outlook Headlines

U.N. climate panel selects new authors

The U.N. science body on climate change, accused of ignoring its critics and allowing glaring errors in its work, announced Wednesday that a broader range of experts will write its next report on global warming.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change included more women and scientists from developing countries, but also selected authors with a wider range of backgrounds than previously — partly in response to recent criticism that earlier groups refused to address dissenting views.
"We didn't want old club members who repeat themselves from one assessment to the next,"... Read more..

MIT Researchers See Natural Gas as the Choice for Lower Carbon Emissions

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are encouraging U.S. policymakers to consider the nation's growing supply of natural gas as a short-term substitute for aging coal-fired power plants.

In the results of a two-year study, released today, the researchers said electric utilities and other sectors of the American economy will use more gas through 2050. Under a scenario that envisions a federal policy aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions to 50 percent below 2005 levels by 2050, researchers found a substantial role for natural gas.

"Because national... Read more..

G20 summit drops clean-energy pledge

The leaders of the world's 20 most powerful developed and developing states (G20) on Sunday dropped a pledge to invest in climate-friendly energy generation from their final summit statement.

Climate change topped the world agenda last year, but was eclipsed after the relative failure of a massive summit in Copenhagen in December. The G20's decision further tones down international pledges to invest in the fight against global warming.

Earlier drafts of the statement for the summit, which brought together the leaders of key states such as China, India and the United States,... Read more..

'Carbon storage' faces leak dilemma: Study

Dreams of braking global warming by storing carbon emissions from power plants could be undermined by the risk of leakage, according to a study published on Sunday.

Rich countries have earmarked tens of billions of dollars of investment in carbon capture and storage (CCS), a technology that is still only at an experimental stage.

Under CCS, carbon dioxide (CO2) would be snared at source from plants that are big burners of oil, gas and coal.

Instead of being released into the atmosphere, where it would contribute to global warming, the gas would be buried in the deep... Read more..

Tussle over forests shows India's growth dilemma

India's maverick environment minister is resisting pressure from some cabinet colleagues to clear forests for mining and roads in a tussle that underlines the country's struggle for sustainable growth. Jairam Ramesh wants to protect and expand India's remaining forest land as part of a strategy to fight climate change, but that could mean giving up mining about a quarter of the country's mineral reserves, needed to power Asia's third-largest economy.

Climategate: CEI to sue NASA Goddard for Climate Change fraud

Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) had their attorneys file three Notices of Intent to File Suit against NASA.  Chris Horner, representing CEI, said NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies failed to comply with the Freedom of Information Act for the past three years.  Some Goddard employees were mentioned in the CRU hacked account now known as Climategate.  In it, thousands of documents revealed a clear attempt by scientists to manipulate scientific data to make it look like the planet has been getting warmer. 

There were also discussions of blocking peer reviewed papers... Read more..

India Inc makes a splash with water saving initiatives

When UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon held a press briefing at the opening of the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2010 on Thursday in New York, he had Ajit Gulabchand, CMD, Hindustan Construction Company along with Accenture’s group chief executive Mark Foster and Unilever CEO Paul Polman for company.

Gulabchand was given the task of introducing the just-launched Framework for Responsible Engagement in Water Policy at the two-day event on behalf of the CEO Water Mandate, a public-private initiative launched by the UN to help companies formulate, execute and disclose water... Read more..

900 societies decomposing waste

The Pune Municipal Corporation's plans to have a decentralised solid waste management system in place is gaining ground with more than 900 big housing societies in the city composting waste on their own premises. Besides, many biogas plants are coming up in different parts of the city.

The civic body has been working with citizens through some NGOs for starting vermi-composting pits or restartong those which are non-functional. The efforts gained momentum ever since the PMC stopped open dumping at Urali Devachi and Phursungi landfill sites on May 31. The city generates 1200-1300... Read more..

Tussle over forests shows India's growth dilemma

India's maverick environment minister is resisting pressure from some cabinet colleagues to clear forests for mining and roads in a tussle that underlines the country's struggle for sustainable growth.

Jairam Ramesh wants to protect and expand India's remaining forest land as part of a strategy to fight climate change, but that could mean giving up mining about a quarter of the country's mineral reserves, needed to power Asia's third-largest economy.

He has scrapped or delayed clearance for some 100 mining projects, including those backed by India-focused miner Vedanta... Read more..

Biomass a green fuel, but experts warn of 'limited potential'

In the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, environmentally-friendly fuel is literally strewn all over the roads in the form of pine needles. The state has a mild climate, ideally suited for pine trees. The trees shed their needles once a year, carpeting the ground with the perfect material for making briquettes of fuel.

The use of biomass such as the pine needles in India is one way of generating green energy. The method reduces the use of fossil-based fuels such as coal and lowers greenhouse gas emissions.

Valuable waste

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit... Read more..

State to regain power surplus state status in two years

State to regain power surplus state status in two years Bhubaneswar: Optimistic of Odisha regaining its power surplus status by 2012, the state government on Thursday said that it would get about 1400 MW from thermal power plants being set up by independent power producers (IPPs).

Scientific Expertise Lacking Among 'Doubters' of Climate Change, Says New Analysis

In a quantitative assessment -- the first of its kind to address this issue -- the team analyzed the number of research papers published by more than 900 climate researchers and the number of times their work was cited by other scientists. "These are standard academic metrics used when universities are making hiring or tenure decisions," said William Anderegg, lead author of a paper published in the online Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week.