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BEE launches national awareness programme on standards for ACs

Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), a statutory body under the Union Ministry of Power, has launched a national education programme on star labeling for air conditioners. BEE, with support from Emerson Climate Technologies and International Copper Association, will conduct a comprehensive education programme across India aimed at the sales channels and end users to explain and promote the value of using energy efficient appliances of higher star ratings.

In 2010, BEE has set a target of training 5,000 salesmen at multiple showrooms across India. These trained salesmen are expected to... Read more..

Date : Apr 8
Source: Financial Express

Punj Lloyd to set up multi crore solar-based EPC Water Treatment Plant in Biihar

Punj Lloyd Group, the global engineering, procurement and construction conglomerate will set up an Rs 232 crore solar-based EPC Water Treatment Plant for removal of arsenic and flouride across multiple districts in Bihar in Bihar. 

Punj Lloyd on Tuesday announced winning India's largest solar-based EPC contract of combined value of Rs 232 crore from the Public Health Engineering Department of the Government of Bihar.

The solar water treatment plants, designed and constructed by Punj Lloyd, will resolve the severe groundwater contamination, resulting in many types of diseases... Read more..

Date : Apr 8
Source: Smash Hits.com

CIG: Tokyo launches Asia’s first carbon trading scheme

Japans hopes of a national emissions trading scheme may still be entangled in political disagreement and confusion, but this has not prevented Tokyo from winning the race to launch Asia’s first carbon trading program, CIG sources report.

Tokyo recently kicked off its long awaited emissions trading scheme, which requires 1400 of the city’s most energy and carbon intensive organizations to adhere to legally binding emission targets similar to those in place in the European cap-and-trade scheme.

The schemes first phase, which CIG understands runs to the end of 2014 will require... Read more..

Date : Apr 8
Source: PRLog

India's Solar Rickshaws Disappoint

The solar-powered rickshaws, launched amid much fanfare last year, are gathering dust. The rickshaw pullers, who were allotted these rickshaws, have given them back to the Municipal Corporation.

The rickshaw-pullers had complained that the rickshaws were heavy compared to the usual rickshaws. Also, it was not possible to use them after 40 kilometres, as the battery emptied by then and it took almost a day to charge it again.

“The rickshaw-pullers were facing several problems. They were also against the MC’s decision to charge a rent of Rs 500 per month,” a senior official of... Read more..

Date : Apr 8
Source: EV World

Is observing Earth Hour more than a mere tokenism?

Climate change is a reality that cannot be denied. And there is an increasing urgency across the world towards lowering the climatic impact of human actions through increasing citizen awareness, governmental policy actions and development of newer technology, in addition to others. In order for all of these to succeed, it’s critical to quickly move from “it’s someone else’s problem” to “it’s my problem” and the biggest change agent in this is an individual’s action taken at home and work, and also buying decisions.

Here is where initiatives like The Earth Hour play a very... Read more..

Date : Apr 8
Source: Economic Times

Regional cooperation vital to fight climate change

Saarc should get dynamic to fight from the front the impacts of climate change affecting millions of South Asians, experts said at a discussion yesterday.

"Six hundred million people in South Asia earn only $1 a day each. Climate change makes them even more vulnerable. So, it is imperative to form a special Saarc committee for their development," said State Minister for Environment and Forest Dr Hasan Mahmud as the chief guest.

The observations came ahead of the 16th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Summit scheduled to be held in Bhutan on April 28-29... Read more..

Date : Apr 8
Source: The Daily Star

U.S. climate scientist Hansen wins $100,000 prize

OSLO - U.S. climate scientist James Hansen won a $100,000 environmental prize on Wednesday for decades of work trying to alert politicians to what he called an unsolved emergency of global warming.

 

Hansen, born in 1941, will visit Oslo in June to collect... Read more..

Date : Apr 8
Source: Khaleej Times

IPL goes green, hires Indian firm to calculate Carbon Footprint

The DLF-Indian Premier League (DLF-IPL) 2010 has gone eco-friendly by hiring an Indian firm, Eliminate Carbon Emissions (P) Ltd (no2co2) to calculate its carbon footprint this year.

DLF-IPL plans to implement some of the findings during the DLF-IPL 2011 and subsequently work to neutralize its entire footprint.

In a move that is bound to cheer environmentally conscious individuals, DLF-IPL took the consultation of UNEP - the United Nations Environment Programme - to help calculate its carbon footprint in a bid to reduce it, a release issued here today stated.

DLF-IPL... Read more..

Date : Apr 8
Source: New Kerala

Climate change, terrorism pose serious threats to India

The Union Minister of State for Defence, Mr Pallam Raju, has identified climate change and its environmental impact, and the threat of terrorism as the real dangers confronting India.

Economics plays a large role in stabilising regions and environment, he said at the award lecture programme organised by the AVRA Laboratories and Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), where he had been invited as the Chief Guest.

He also stated that that the country was not able to use the strength of the many scientific institutes to its advantage. “The scientific community tends to... Read more..

Date : Apr 7
Source: Hindu Business Line

IDEACarbon, ICRA ink deal for carbon credit biz

Rating agency ICRA has got into an alliance with the UK-based IDEAcarbon to provide carbon trading services and ratings to Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) as India Inc warms up to the realities of climate change and commercial potential of carbon credits.

The alliance would provide reliable and independent analysis of carbon assets to carbon market participants, P.K Choudhury, group CEO, ICRA, said on Tuesday.

From coconut shells and cashew kernels to ice creams, ketchups, tea and soaps clean development mechanism (CDM) has spawned the development of the Indian carbon... Read more..

Date : Apr 7
Source: Hindustan Times

Parliament going green, solar power to light up Houses

The Parliament House complex is going green. With the emphasis on energy conservation and pollution-free environment gaining momentum,

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has greenlighted the project to reduce the dependence on conventional sources of energy, and replacing them with renewable sources, including solar lighting, solar water heating system and biogas.

The ministry of new and renewable energy, headed by Farooq Abdullah, is working on the project, expected to cost Rs 2.53 crore, which is likely to become operational by February next. Once completed, it will result in a... Read more..

Date : Apr 6
Source: Economic Times

IPCC Report on Climate Change - Physical Impact (PDF)

The Northeast is seeing more frequent "extreme precipitation events" in line with global warming predictions, a study shows, including storms like the recent fierce rains whose floodwaters swallowed neighborhoods and businesses across New England.

The study does not link last week's devastating floods to its research but examined 60 years' worth of National Weather Service rainfall records in nine Northeastern states and found that storms that produce an inch or more of rain in a day - a threshold the recent storm far surpassed - are coming more frequently.

"It's almost like... Read more..

Date : Apr 6
Source: Associated Press

Joint India-Bangladesh panel for Sunderbans

India and Bangladesh have planned a first of its kind joint initiative for conservation of the Sunderbans' ecosystem, according to the Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh.

The India-Bangladesh Sunderbans is expected to be formed by September this year, he added. The decision was announced after he met the Dr Hasan Mahmud, Minister for Environment, Government of Bangladesh.

Mr. Ramesh said that the International cooperation is the key in climate change issues. The theme for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit to be... Read more..

Date : Apr 5
Source: Top News India

'Climate change killing 150,000 a year in low-income economies

Climate change has begun to affect human health, leading to a rise in cases related to stomach ailments and vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue.

This has been indicated in a report in the recent bulletin of the World Health Organization.

The apex global health body reckons that about 150,000 deaths occur annually in low-income countries due to the adverse effects of climate change, chiefly malnutrition due to climate change-driven crop failures, stomach diseases and malaria.

The report says that the rise in atmospheric temperature and sea levels, coupled with... Read more..

Date : Apr 5
Source: Rediff

Could Melting Glaciers Force Indo-Pak Water Cooperation

India and Pakistan are sparring over water-sharing in the Indus River basin. But some environmental experts say the ominous forces of climate change in the Himalayas might force the two countries to play nice – eventually.

Himalayan glaciers are slowly melting and experts say the Indus River, a lifeline for farmers in Punjab and a hydropower source for Kashmir, will be the most affected in coming decades. There could be floods first but over the long haul water flows could drop dramatically – by much more than the amounts being fought over now.

“The river is a common resource... Read more..

Date : Apr 5
Source: Wall Street Journal

World's tallest tower saves 3,200 KW daily

Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower, saves up to 3,200 KW of energy every day by tapping solar power to heat the 140,000 litres of water required by its occupants.

This translates into an annual saving of 690 MW, said Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Managing Director of Emaar Properties that constructed the tower.

"Energy efficient measures, especially through use of renewable sources, are not an option but an imperative for sustainable growth. By leveraging solar power, Burj Khalifa is setting an example as well as creating a referral mark on how urban developments can... Read more..

Date : Apr 5
Source: Economic Times

Arctic thaw frees overlooked greenhouse gas - study

Thawing permafrost can release nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, a contributor to climate change that has been largely overlooked in the Arctic, a study showed on Sunday.

The report in the journal Nature Geoscience indicated that emissions of the gas surged under certain conditions from melting permafrost that underlies about 25 percent of land in the Northern Hemisphere.

Emissions of the gas measured from thawing wetlands in Zackenberg in eastern Greenland leapt 20 times to levels found in tropical forests, which are among the main natural sources of the heat-... Read more..

Date : Apr 5
Source: Reuters India

India, US firm up climate plan

India and United States have agreed to set up climate research centres to find technological solutions for low carbon growth.

The contours of the project, which will have a centres each in US and India, is likely to be finalised during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to US in mid-April. “PM (Singh) would discuss how the two countries can bilaterally benefit from research in climate science,” a government official said 

India has been opposing the US move to make Copenhagen climate accord part of United Nations official negotiating process. “The accord can be used as... Read more..

Date : Apr 5
Source: Hindustan Times

Pledges to take world towards 2.C path

The targets and intended reductions for greenhouse gas emissions that have been submitted by countries to the Copenhagen Accord take the world a long way towards a path that offers a reasonable chance of avoiding a rise in global average temperature of more than 2?C, but should go further, according to an analysis launched today by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at London School of Economics and Political Science, with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The study by Nicholas Stern, Christopher Taylor and UNEP concludes... Read more..

Date : Apr 5
Source: New Nation

Climate issues may induce social conflicts in S Asia

Political and social conflict might be aggravated due to climate induced conflicts in absence of taking regional and extra-regional approach to address climate impacts in South Asia. It was told here on Monday at the concluding briefing of a two- day international roundtable on 'Security Implication of Climate Change in South Asia".

Water issue, cross border migration, loss of livelihood of people and food security would be the major areas of conflict in South Asia, which need to be addressed by unified approaches, they said.

The roundtable discussed the dimension of climate... Read more..

Date : Apr 4
Source: New Nation

IPCC processes to be revamped

New Delhi: Days after the United Nations (UN) asked the InterAcademy Council (IAC) to streamline the procedures of the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) for preparing assessment reports, experts suggest that there is an urgent need to tighten the entire process.

“There is need to tighten the procedures adopted by the IPCC for preparing the fourth assessment report on climate change. We are forming a high power committee of scientists that would look at all the aspects and the procedures that were adopted by the IPCC. The scientists in the committee will have to... Read more..

Date : Apr 4
Source: Daily News and Analysis

Punjab to set up 1000 mw solar power plants

To tap optimum potential of solar energy, the Punjab government has decided to set up solar power plants in collaboration with the US-based SunPower Corporation and Enterprise Business Solutions (EBS) for generating nearly 1000 MW power over the next two years.

A decision to this effect, was taken at a high level meeting with the joint delegation by the Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal here at his residence late last evening.

The chief minister directed the secretary science and technology Viswajeet Khanna to prepare a comprehensive plan for establishing a network of... Read more..

Date : Apr 4
Source: Daily News and Analysis

Venture deals in clean tech companies bounce back

Worldwide investment in clean technology rebounded in the first quarter, and several companies in the sector are expected to launch initial public offerings later this year, the Cleantech Group and Deloitte said on Wednesday.

Venture capital investment in clean technology companies hit $1.9 billion during the first three months of 2010 -- representing a 29 percent increase from the last quarter of 2009 and a 83 percent jump from the same period a year ago.

A record 180 deals were signed in the quarter.

"The bounce back in venture... Read more..

Date : Apr 3
Source: Reuters

Plastic electronics can slash cost of solar panels

A new technique developed by engineers for producing power-conducting plastics could slash the cost of making solar panels, say researchers.

With mounting concerns about global warming and energy demand, plastics could represent a low-cost alternative to indium tin oxide (ITO), an expensive conducting material currently used in solar panels, according to the researchers.

Conductive polymers (plastics) have been around for a long time, but processing them to make something useful degraded their ability to conduct electricity, said Yueh-Lin Loo, associate professor of chemical... Read more..

Date : Apr 3
Source: Webindia 123

China takes lead in clean-power investment

China overtook the United States for the first time last year in the race to invest in wind, solar and other sources of clean energy, according to a comprehensive new report that raises questions about American competitiveness in a booming global market.

U.S. clean energy investments hit $18.6 billion last year, a report from the Pew Charitable Trusts said, a little more than half the Chinese total of $34.6 billion. Five years ago, China's investments in clean energy totaled just $2.5 billion.

The United States also slipped behind 10 other countries, including Canada and... Read more..

Date : Apr 3
Source: FOX43.com
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