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Sustainability Outlook Headlines
How climate change and pollution affect ocean chemistryThe study, led by a marine geochemist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), has also predicted what the future might hold for oceans. "What we do on land-agriculture, fossil fuel combustion and pollution-can have a profound impact on the chemistry of the sea. A whole range of these factors have been studied in isolation but have not been put in a single venue," said Scott C Doney, a senior scientist at WHOI. The study represents a meticulous compilation of the work of others as well as his own research in this area, which includes ocean acidification, climate change,... Read more.. Date : Jun 20 Source: Daily News and Analysis
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Sun and Sand Marry for Solar Power, A Indian Power StoryRajasthan Story of Solar power generation and state participation with MNRE scheme of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. Rajasthan is a dry and severe weather groomed state and is having some of the poorest regions of india in name of infrastructure and developements. Solar power generation industry might be the key to kick start breathing economy of the state. with this issue i tried to focus on how Rajasthan working towards that goal. Date : Jun 20 Source: Renewable Energy World
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Study finds wood power to be worse polluter than coalA new study has found that wood-burning power plants using trees and other “biomass” from New England forests release more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than coal over time. The six-month study, commissioned by Massachusetts state environmental officials, found biomass-fired electricity would result in a 3 percent increase in carbon emissions compared with coal-fired electricity by 2050. Coal is considered one of the chief culprits of greenhouse gas emissions. The report, conducted by the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, concludes that the net... Read more.. Date : Jun 20 Source: Nashua Telegraph
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Trees shift their range as climate warmsThe world’s warming climate is forcing trees and the plant life around them into new territories where the environment is more like the areas where they normally thrive, scientists report from a new global survey. Some forests and groups of vegetation have begun moving upward to higher elevations, or northward to higher latitudes to meet the climate change, while others in areas that are drying are shifting southward toward greater sources of moisture, the researchers say. In California, for example, a detailed forest census along the west side of the Sierra in the Tahoe... Read more.. Date : Jun 20 Source: Everett Herald
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India to launch 2 satellites to monitor enviromentIndia will soon launch two satellites, exclusively devoted to monitor environmental changes in the country. While one will be for carbon emissions, another will be to see forest cover. Both will be monitored every day with the help of satellites. The Minister of State for Environment and Forest Jairam Ramesh disclosed this during a public consultation on the Green India Mission (GIM) on Saturday. This was the only public consultation in the state on the UPA government’s 10-year long ambitious mission, which was attended by several environmentalists, volunteers of NGOs,... Read more.. Date : Jun 20 Source: Hindustan Times
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India's RIL Interested In Renewable EnergyIndia's Reliance Industries Ltd. is considering expanding its business to include coal and renewable energy based project. The shift in emphasis would be significant, as RIL is one of India's biggest producers of natural gas, The Business Standard reported Thursday. Industry sources, speaking off the record, stated that RIL intends not only to submit proposals for large power projects but seek to acquire power plants as well, citing RIL's expressed interest in bidding for a 4,000-megawatt Surguja in Chhattisgarh and a similar project in Bedabahal in Orissa. An RIL... Read more.. Date : Jun 19 Source: OfficialWire
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Two US energy companies to form solar power JV for IndiaUS-based American Capital Energy and MSM Energy will soon announce a solar energy joint-venture for engineering, procurement and construction of projects in India. America's leading solar company, American Capital Energy (ACE), and MSM Energy (MSME), a leader in information technology and solar energy development, are set to announce a solar energy joint-venture based in India, a company statement said. The new entity will immediately begin providing photovoltaic (PV) solar engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) to the Indian market, it said. "The time is... Read more.. Date : Jun 19 Source: Economic Times
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Environment worries to lift electric car sales: reportGlobal sales of electric cars are expected to reach 940,000 units this year compared with 732,000 units last year, with the number jumping to 3 million in 2015, J.D. Power analysts said in a report. The uptake of battery powered cars is seen as key to fighting climate change by cutting carbon emissions, as well as a way to wean economies off imported or difficult to reach oil, as highlighted by BP's Gulf of Mexico oil spill. More than 98 percent of sales are expected to be of hybrid electric cars, which are part petrol, part battery, rather than plug-in cars, which are wholly... Read more.. Date : Jun 19 Source: Reuters
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Major climate decisions may come from ozone treatyGovernments moved closer Friday to curbing the use of chemicals commonly used as coolants in refrigerators, air conditioners, hair spray and other household items in what some say would be among their biggest climate decisions ever. The obscure round of U.N. ozone treaty talks in Geneva, which few people are following, laid the groundwork this week for a possible decision in Uganda in November to halt the promotion of hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, which are manmade chemicals not found naturally in the environment, and are considered greenhouse gases. The U.S., Canada and... Read more.. Date : Jun 19 Source: Seattle Times
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Climate change will imperil food supply in AsiaClimate change will drastically reduce the flow of snow and ice meltwater in the Himalayas, threatening the food security of more than 60 million Asians, warn ecological researchers. The Indus and Brahmaputra basins are expected to be the most adversely affected, while in the Yellow River basin the availability of irrigation water will actually increase. More than one billion people depend on the meltwater supplied by the Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Yangtze and Yellow River. ‘The role of meltwater in the Indus basin is much more significant than that in other river... Read more.. Date : Jun 18 Source: India Talks
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Swapping Debt for Carbon?One of the profound indicators of environmental degradation is the rate at which forests are being lost around the world, particularly in tropical areas where biodiversity is also threatened. There are many causes of deforestation, including corruption, inequitable distribution of wealth and power, population growth and clearing for agriculture. According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), subsistence farming is responsible for 48 percent of deforestation. The degradation of forest ecosystems can also be traced to economic incentives that make the... Read more.. Date : Jun 18 Source: Triple Pundit
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Maldives is Walking the Talk: Phasing Out Ozone-depleting SubstancesThe Maldives has strongly renewed its commitment to carbon neutrality with a declaration by its President Mohamed Nasheed to phase-out HCFCs (hydro-chlorofluorcarbons), the substitutes for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), used in refrigeration, including air-conditioning units, refrigerators and various types of manufacturing processes. HCFCs not only destroy the stratospheric ozone layer which is essential to life on Earth, but they are also greenhouse gases. The Maldives has now committed to phase-out the consumption of HCFCs, which are mainly used in the air conditioning in its nearly 100... Read more.. Date : Jun 18 Source: UNDP
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Electric cars can't save climate: ExpertsThe hope that battery-operated cars can save the earth's climate by reducing carbon emission is just a "fantasy". According to experts, the technology used for electric car batteries is so backward that they will die within two years. The so-called energy efficient cars will be extremely expensive and cover far less distance on one battery charge than the manufacturers claim, they said. The research carried out by the Institution of Engineering and Technology suggests that claims about the performance of electric vehicles are "pure fantasy". Date : Jun 18 Source: Times of India
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UNDP lists eight-point action agenda to achieve MDGsThe United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Thursday rolled out an eight-pronged strategy it hopes can help poor nations advance sustainable development, considerably reduce poverty and essentially drive the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the next five years. One of the strategies strongly recommended by the body which unfortunately has long challenged Nigeria’s development is a pro-poor, job-rich inclusive growth with greater emphasis on the private sector. Nigeria which still suffers set back in three MDGs, including child mortality, improvement in maternal... Read more.. Date : Jun 18 Source: Business Online
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Maldives becomes home to world’s first carbon neutral stock exchangeOver the years, our planet has witnessed many catastrophic effects due to global warming and climate change. People across the world have left no stone unturned to improve the deteriorating condition of the environment. The Maldives too has contributed in its own little way by holding underwater government meetings, building massive wind farms and buying a new island. This time around, the beautiful island nation moves a step ahead and presents to the world, the first “carbon neutral” stock exchange ever. Date : Jun 18 Source: Green Diary
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‘Green’ Rashtrapati Bhawan to get ISO certificateThe Rashtrapati Bhawan, the official residence of the President of India, is set to become the first urban dwelling to receive an ISO certification (International Organisation for Standardisation) next month. Next week, independent auditors from the Bureau Veritas Certification (BVQI), global leaders in systems certification services, are scheduled to visit the sprawling estate to begin the first phase of the auditing process that will ultimately lead to certifying the 340-acre facility with an ISO 14001:2004 mark. Date : Jun 18 Source: Indian Express
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Carbon dioxide has played leading role in dictating global climate patternsCO2 levels explain why temperatures in tropical and arctic waters have risen and fallen together for the past 2.7 million years. Increasingly, the Earth's climate appears to be more connected than anyone would have imagined. El Niño, the weather pattern that originates in a patch of the equatorial Pacific, can spawn heat waves and droughts as far away as Africa. Date : Jun 18 Source: EurekAlert
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North-East’s climate change vulnerability to be mappedIn the first study of its kind, a group of scientists will map climate change vulnerability in all the north-eastern states of India. The study, to be completed by end-July, will focus on threats to agriculture, forestry, water and livelihood resulting from climate change in the fragile region. The study will be conducted jointly by scientists from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore, Jadavpur University, the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, and the North Eastern Hill University in Shillong. Date : Jun 18 Source: Livemint
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KSU professor named to climate change panelA professor from Kansas State University has been chosen to serve on an international panel on climate change. Chuck Rice is a distinguished professor of agronomy. He'll be one of two lead authors from the U.S. for a chapter on agriculture in a report by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The report is expected to be released in 2014. Rice calls the job a "tremendous honor and responsibility." He says policymakers worldwide must be equipped with the best and latest scientific information as they respond to climate issues. Date : Jun 17 Source: KTKA
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Future green cars to literally run with tree in gas tankFuture green cars would run by just putting a tree in the gas tank, at least that's what researchers mean as they look at forest biomass as raw materials for the development of green biofuels and chemicals. Date : Jun 17 Source: Newstrack India
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Foreign firms take shine to $70 bln India solar pushIndia's drive to ramp up solar capacity may trigger a stampede of firms from Asia, Europe and North America, chasing a share of the $3.5 billion of business up for grabs by 2013 and trampling over smaller domestic players. Date : Jun 17 Source: Daily News and Analysis
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Foreign firms eye India's solar power marketIndia's drive to ramp up solar capacity may trigger a stampede of firms from Asia, Europe and North America, chasing a share of the $3.5 billion of business up for grabs by 2013 and trampling over smaller domestic players. Date : Jun 17 Source: Economic Times
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Mukesh Ambani eyes energy source to power UMPPsMukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) may be one of the biggest producers of natural gas in the country, but its power foray is likely to be coal or renewable energy based. The company is planning to not only bid for ultra mega power projects (UMPP) but also go in for acquisition of the power plants, said industry sources. Date : Jun 17 Source: Business Standard
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Obama Commits to National Mission for Clean Energy FuturePres. Obama addressed the nation last night from the Oval Office, on the tragedy unfolding across the Gulf of Mexico, and issued an impassioned call for the entire nation to rally to the cause of breaking its “addiction to fossil fuels”. The president’s vision goes beyond the question of “energy independence”, which tends to favor expanded offshore drilling, to a push for a comprehensive transition to clean, renewable sources of energy and the phasing out of carbon-based fuels Date : Jun 17 Source: Casavaria
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China, India Opposed To Closing $5 Billion Loophole in Kyoto TreatyThe climate regulation body of the United Nations will soon consider a proposal aimed at closing a multi-billion dollar loophole in the Kyoto Protocol. The loophole has provided the incentive to companies, especially in China and India, to manufacture a “super greenhouse gas” so they can be paid handsomely to destroy it. The companies in question are in the business of making the propellant and coolant gas HCFC-22 (chlorodifluoromethane). It turns out that a byproduct of the manufacturing process is the waste gas HFC-23 (trifluoromethane), which is a lethal global warming agent, almost 12,... Read more.. Date : Jun 17 Source: SolveClimate
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