Sustainability Outlook Headlines

India bailed out China from US-EU ambush at Copenhagen: Ramesh

India bailed out China from isolation during the Copenhagen climate talks and saved it from getting ambushed by the US and EU which wanted it to sign an agreement on verification of emission levels much against its wishes, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said on Sunday.

"Chinese leaders continue to harp on Copenhagen spirit because we were critical to China during the climate negotiations. At the Copenhagen talks Chinese in their heart of hearts know we saved them from isolation," Ramesh, who is on a visit here, said addressing the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China.

... Read more..

NZ minister defends China's climate change image

The New Zealand government is defending China, over criticism of its environmental record at last year's climate change conference in Copenhagen.

Climate change negotiations minister Tim Groser has met with the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at an international conference in China, to put forward New Zealand's views on the issue.

Mr Groser says China wanted to set the record straight that it is serious about climate change.

He says there was a great deal of very negative criticism about China which completely overlooked what China is doing.

Mr Groser says China is... Read more..

President roots for wind and solar energy in Maharashtra

President Pratibha Patil on Saturday said that Maharashtra should become an ideal state to fulfil all the dreams of its people.

The president was addressing the golden jubilee celebration programme at New Delhi which was held to mark the completion of the golden jubilee year of formation of the state of Maharashtra.

The programme was organised by Maharashtra Rajya Suvarna Jayanti Celebrations Committee at Mavalankar Auditorium in New Delhi. Eminent personalities including Sachin Tendulkar, Nana Patekar, scientist Raghunath Mashelkar, composer and lyricist Yashwant Deo,... Read more..

Solar energy offers ‘enormous coal savings'

India should hike its solar power and solar thermal (steam-based power production) generation targets in the short term to achieve grid parity in terms of MW and KWhr cost with coal-based power plants in the long run, according to Mr Anil Srivastava, Global CEO, Areva Renewables.

Areva has non-disclosure agreements with nine developers that are participating in the National Solar Mission plan.

The cost of electricity generation from solar thermal and solar PV (photovoltaic) systems is Rs 13.45 and Rs 18.44 a unit, while the unit cost from thermal projects, including coal and... Read more..

India not optimistic about reaching agreement in Cancun

India today said it was not very optimistic about reaching a legally-binding agreement on emissions at the Cancun meeting, but maintained that there are chances that leading countries could work out "building block" agreements on subjects like forest and technology.

"Whether it is one agreement (at Cancun conference on climate change) or a series of sub- agreements remains to be seen. But I am not very optimistic of one overarching legally binding agreement," Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, who is here to attend a climate change conference hosted by China, said.

"What I... Read more..

India Supreme Court settles dispute on energy prices

India's Supreme Court on Friday settled a dispute between two billionaire brothers that had been as closely watched as a Bollywood melodrama, with an outcome that has potentially broad implications for this country's struggling energy industry.

The ruling makes clear that the Indian government, not private parties, has the right to set prices for natural resources. While that could bring some certainty to energy customers, business lawyers say it could create wariness among foreign investors interested in India's abundant natural gas reserves.

But first, the Bollywood. Friday... Read more..

TERI BCSD, Johnson organize first India Energy

TERI-BCSD India, the Regional Network member of WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development), and its member company Johnson Controls India Pvt. Ltd., on Friday held the first India Energy Efficiency Forum.

The forum brought together leaders of government, business and nongovernmental organizations to discuss and identify barriers to energy efficient practices and to highlight opportunities for energy efficiency in India.

The presentations debated energy policy and legislation, and action on potential energy savings and carbon dioxide reductions, with special... Read more..

Colorado Climate 2010 & Beyond

Nolan Doesken, the State Climatologist for Colorado has just announced a free seminar for the public about our changing climate. This workshop is titled - Making Sense of Colorado's Climate
and will be held on May 14 on the campus of Colorado State University

On May 14th there will be an all-day class focused on the basics of global climate, Colorado climate and fundamental concepts and issues about climate variability, extremes and change. This class is geared for general audiences who want to have a better understanding of climate and how it works.

According to... Read more..

The International Solar Technology Industry is Set to Meet at the Intersolar Europe Conference

On June 7, two days before the start of the world's largest exhibition for solar technology, Intersolar Europe, will see the opening of the Intersolar Europe Conference. For five days, until June 11, the international solar technology industry will meet at the International Congress Center, Munich (ICM) of the New Munich Trade Fair Centre. The event focuses on the fields of "photovoltaics", "solar thermal technology" and "solar thermal power plants". More than 140 speakers and over 2,000 participants from around the world are expected to attend more than 30 conference sessions.

From... Read more..

We must act to counter greenhouse gases warming the Earth's atmosphere

Science clearly shows that urgent action is needed to reduce human-produced greenhouse gases that are heating Earth's atmosphere.

Record high temperatures are melting glaciers and polar ice, thawing permafrost, warming oceans and increasing extreme weather.

Carbon dioxide being absorbed by oceans is causing ocean acidification that will severely harm ocean ecosystems and the entire marine food web. Warming oceans and acidification will cause the death of coral reefs that sustain the majority of ocean life.

Columnist Thomas Sowell's clever collage of distortions... Read more..

US carbon emissions saw record fall in 2009

US emissions of the main greenhouse gas from fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas fell a record seven per cent in 2009 due to the recession and more efficient use of fuels, the Energy Information Administration said.

Carbon dioxide emissions from energy sources, which make up about 80 per cent of the country's output of gases blamed for warming the planet, fell more than 400 million tonnes last year, the EIA said.

"While emissions have declined in three out of the last four years, 2009 was exceptional," the EIA, the statistics arm of the Energy Department, said in... Read more..

India toughens stand in runup to Mexico

India has made one of the strongest and most elaborate formal submissions in recent times for the climate change negotiations, hardening its stance ahead of a hectic six months of talks leading to the key meeting in Mexico in November.

Taking a position strongly contrasting with that of the US, India has pointed out that the Copenhagen Accord is not to be treated as the basis of a negotiating text unless it is agreed and adopted by all the parties and that it should be used to facilitate the formal UN talks on Kyoto Protocol and a long-term agreement.

While the US in its... Read more..