Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Pachauri-led UN climate panel to face inquiry on report

Indian scientist R K Pachauri-led UN panel on climate change will face an independent international review after a series of allegations of errors in its report on global warming hit its credibility.

Environment and Climate ministers, who held a closed door meeting in Bali last night, have insisted that an independent review should be carried out following reports of mistakes in IPCC's last report, and a row surrounding Pachauri's robust response to his critics, reports said.

If Pachauri's management is found to be at fault, his position could become untenable, The Daily... Read more..

Azure plans 2 solar plants in Karnataka

Solar energy producer Azure Power plans to start a solar plant each in Kolar and Bagalkot and add 12 MW to the grid in 18 months.

Mr Inderpreet S. Wadhwa, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Delhi-based Azure Power India P Ltd, said he was awaiting the signing of the power purchase agreement in April with one of the State utility companies and NTPC's nodal body, NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd, for the first, 2-MW Kolar project.

Ten acres have been identified in Kolar, 80 km from Bangalore, and over 50 acres in Bagalkot, 500 km north for a 10 MW plant, Mr Wadhwa told... Read more..

Wal-Mart to cut greehouse gas emission

Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Thursday it will cut 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from its global supply chain by the end of 2015 -- an effort the retailer said is equivalent to taking more than 3.8 million cars off the road for a year.

CEO Mike Duke made the announcement during a presentation that was broadcast over the Internet. Wal-Mart, which collaborated with Environmental Defense Fund on the effort, said the move will help it cut energy use, which in turn will mean lower costs and an ability to offer low prices.

As part of a broad environment push, Wal... Read more..

India's Core Industries Grow 9.4% In January

India's index for the six core industries for January 2010 grew 9.4% from 2.2% in January 2009. The industries reported a growth of 5.4% for the period of April 09 to January 10 as compared to 3% in the year ago period.

Production of crude oil grew 9.7% in January 2010 compared to a growth rate of (-)8.1% in January 2009. Petroleum refinery production registered a growth of 3.8% in the month under review compared to growth of (-)1.3% in the year ago month.

Electricity generation during January 2010 reported a growth of 5.6% on year from 1.8% while growth in production of... Read more..

World Bank green bonds issuance passes $1 bln

Swedish institutional investors subscribed for "green" bonds issued by the World Bank on Monday, taking total such financing to over $1 billion, lead manager SEB bank said on Monday.

Investors buy these bonds at a fixed or floating interest rate and the World Bank in turn lends the capital to low-carbon projects in developing nations at much lower rates than they could ordinarily obtain due to political and exchange rate risks.

The latest issuance, worth 500 million Swedish crowns ($69.25 million), drew investors including WWF-Sweden, the Church of Sweden, European private... Read more..

Nirupama Rao: Tough To Compromise India's Development for Climate

Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao on Monday said that for India, climate change is not merely an environmental issue, but is linked with the growth prospects and developmental aspirations
people of the country, hence, its impact on the pace of our development is a clear and continuing concern.

Addressing at the 3rd MEA-IISS Seminar on "Perspectives on Foreign Policy for a 21st Century India", Ms. Nirupama Rao said: "Climate change is one of the most important global challenges facing us. For India, it is not merely an environmental issue, but is intrinsically linked with... Read more..

Petition against IPL matches under floodlight

Contending that holding Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches in March/April under floodlight would result in power shortage and prove detrimental to the environment, a public interest petition has been filed in the Supreme Court for a direction to hold the matches only during daytime.

Petitioners Howrah Ganatantrik Nagarik Samity, Subhas Datta and Subhash Chandra Basu submitted that the matches were to be played in various cities between March 12 and April 25 and they would commence at 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Thus the major portion of the matches would be played... Read more..

Major economies climate forum to meet in months

Representatives from the world's biggest economies will meet again in the coming months to go over ways to tackle climate change, the top U.S. climate negotiator said on Tuesday.

Todd Stern, President Barack Obama's lead negotiator at international climate change talks, said the U.S.-sponsored Major Economies Forum would gather again in the aftermath of the December U.N. summit in Copenhagen, which concluded an "accord" on global warming but not a binding treaty.

"We do plan to do an MEF meeting," Stern told reporters after speaking at a... Read more..

NRI readies power plant in a box

The world of energy and entrepreneurship is crackling with electric anticipation this week after an India-born scientist-CEO provided a sneak peek over the weekend at a clean and efficient model of power generation-in-a-box that could eliminate the traditional grid and challenge monopolies.

Supporters are claiming K.R.Sridhar’s ''Bloom box,'' scheduled for a big-splash unveiling in Silivon Valley on Wednesday, could be the Holy Grail of the world’s energy quest; and even skeptics agree that it is a unique ''power-plant-in-a-box.'' What acres of power grid can generate, Sridhar’s... Read more..

Coal regulator in place next month: Jaiswal

Minister of State for Coal (Independent Charge) Sriprakash Jaiswal today said a coal regulator will be in place by March 15 and urged Coal India Ltd (CIL) to make it India's 'Number One' public-sector unit.

''The coal ministry is seeking the Cabinet's nod for the regulator. A go-ahead in this regard will end the CIL's power to decide coal prices,'' Mr Jaiswal said, after laying the foundation stone for CIL's new office complex on 15-acre land at Rajarhat, about 10 kms west off its headquarters at BBD Bag.

Mr Jaiswal said the country's growth depended heavily on the solid fuel... Read more..

After Saran, top climate negotiator to quit too

Two days after Mr Shyam Saran announced his resignation as the Prime Minister’s special envoy on climate change, one of the country’s top climate change negotiators, retired diplomat Chandrashekhar Dasgupta, said he was dissociating himself from all future climate change negotiations.

Mr Dasgupta, a former ambassador to China and the European Union and a key member of the Indian team at last December’s Copenhagen summit, is considered to be close to Mr Saran.

Mr Dasgupta indicated that he was driven to take this step following serious differences with minister of state for... Read more..

U.S. Senate weighs final push to move climate bill

A last-ditch attempt at passing a climate change bill begins in the U.S. Senate this week with lawmakers mindful that time is running short and that approaches to the legislation still vary widely, according to sources.

"We will present senators with a number of options when they get back from recess," said one Senate aide knowledgeable of the compromise legislation that is being developed. The goal is to reduce U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that scientists say threaten Earth.

The options will be presented to three senators -- Democrat John Kerry... Read more..