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Sustainability Outlook Headlines
India's final stand at CopenhagenAt Copenhagen, attempts to arrive at a fair deal on climate change were deadlocked with countries refusing to budge from their positions on sticky issues like emission cuts. Environment minister Jairam Ramesh, who is leading the Indian delegation, said the BASIC group -- comprising India, China, South Africa and Brazil -- 'is united and we would like to reiterate that we want an equitable and fair agreement to emerge out of the summit'. Here we reproduce Jairam Ramesh's speech -- what can be described as India's final stand at Copenhagen. Mr President, Excellencies,... Read more.. Date : Dec 17 Source: Rediff
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India to keep trying for good outcome at Copenhagen: Shyam SaranAmid fears of collapse of climate talks in Copenhagen, India today said it will keep trying for a "good" outcome, and is working with other countries in this direction. "We are working along with other countries to try and see whether we can get a good outcome. So, we will keep trying," prime minister's special envoy on climate change Shyam Saran told reporters outside Parliament. Prime minister Manmohan Singh will travel to Copenhagen tomorrow to participate in the summit meeting on Friday which will be attended by over 100 world leaders, including US president Barack Obama... Read more.. Date : Dec 16 Source: Daily News and Analysis
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India says Kyoto climate pact in "intensive care"The Kyoto Protocol which binds nearly 40 rich nations to limit carbon emissions is in "intensive care" and global negotiations to extend the pact have stalled, India's environment minister said on Wednesday. More than 190 countries are meeting in Copenhagen to agree the outlines of a new global deal to combat climate change, hoping to seal a full treaty next year to succeed the Kyoto Protocol. Developing countries want rich nations to be held to their Kyoto obligations, and sign up to a second round of tougher commitments from 2013. But Jairam Ramesh said many... Read more.. Date : Dec 16 Source: Reuters AlertNet
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PM goes to Copenhagen on Thursday to push for equitable outcomeAgainst the backdrop of deepening rifts between developed and developing countries, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh goes to Copenhagen on Thursday to renew India's pitch for "a balanced, equitable and ambitious outcome" at the UN climate summit. Manmohan Singh will be among a handful of visiting leaders who will Friday speak at the plenary, which will also be addressed by Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen and UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon, official sources said. The Danish prime minister will host a lunch for visiting heads of state and government Friday afternoon... Read more.. Date : Dec 16 Source: Hindustan Times
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India Backs Green Energy NetworksA proposal by New Delhi on climate innovation centers was met with a warm reception by participants at a climate conference in Denmark, Indian officials said. Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said his proposal to establish a network to share and develop green technology was met with a warm reception at the 12-day summit in Copenhagen, Denmark. "It is my understanding that the Delhi Declaration on technology development has been very substantially accepted and will form the basis of the Copenhagen agreement when it is finally released," he told the Press Trust of... Read more.. Date : Dec 16 Source: OfficialWire
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India’s Trash Pickers Keep Global Warming in CheckA report by an Indian-based environmental organization estimates that informal recycling in Delhi reduced carbon dioxide levels, roughly equivalent to taking 175,000 vehicles off the road. This article, written by The Advocacy Project Executive Director Iain Guest, originally appeared in the group's newsletter. As governments struggle to develop an international plan for combating climate change, a new report from a leading Indian environmental group has found that informal recycling makes a huge but unappreciated contribution towards the reduction of greenhouse gases. ... Read more..Date : Dec 16 Source: New America Media
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BASIC group for equitable accord on climate changeConsensus eluded negotiators on Wednesday to stitch an equitable and just accord on climate change in the last lap before the summit on Friday with no headway being made to iron out sticking points on carbon emission cuts, mitigation targets and long-term financing. “The BASIC group — comprising India, China, South Africa and Brazil — is united and we would like to reiterate that we want an equitable and fair agreement to emerge out of Copenhagen. But if for some reasons there are disappointments, BASIC will not be to blame,” the Environment Minister, Mr Jairam Ramesh, told... Read more.. Date : Dec 16 Source: Hindu Business Line
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New draft incorporates key demand of IndiaAs the talks for a global climate change deal was poised to go down the wire, India on Tuesday had something to cheer as the second draft for an agreement incorporates a key demand of New Delhi relating to emissions from deforestation and funding for mitigation projects. A member of the Indian delegation noted that Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) has been included in the section that deals with mitigation actions by developing countries as well as for funding for REDD plus. Besides, several activities in REDD plus that India was keen on --... Read more.. Date : Dec 16 Source: Hindustan Times
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'Clean coal' no substitute for clean energyPRIME Minister Kevin Rudd has touched down in Copenhagen to the news that so-called "clean coal" would not be considered as a substitute for clean energy measures. The summit has decided that the technology will not qualify for climate finance under any new deal. It was considering allowing carbon capture and storage - which as a heavy user and exporter of coal, Australia strongly supports - to be funded under the Clean Development Mechanism. This would have made clean coal storage (CCS) cheaper but would have taken away funding from clean energy projects. The... Read more.. Date : Dec 16 Source: Adelaide Now
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India's first commercial 2MW solar power plant inaugurated Amritsar: The country's first commercial 2MW Abdullah said this was the country's first such plant and Date : Dec 16 Source: Zee News
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Air India wins Prize for Energy EfficiencyNational carrier Air India today won first prize in the general category of the National Energy Conservation Awards, instituted by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency and Union Ministry of Power. The prize was received by Ms Harpreet A De Singh, General Manager- QMS and Training, Air India, from Union Minister of Power Mr Sushilkumar Shinde at an awards ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The conferment of the award had come as a befitting recognition of Air India’s efforts as the airline had competed in the General category, which included several industrial companies... Read more.. Date : Dec 15 Source: New Kerala
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India's carbon intensity decline is enviableSeveral articles — some of them misleading — have recently appeared in the media on a study by the World Bank, ‘Energy Intensive Sectors of the Indian Economy: Options for Low Carbon Development’. In an exclusive article for TOI, the report’s authors, Kwawu Mensan Gaba (Lead Energy Specialist), and Charles Joseph Cormier (Country Sector Coordinator, India) set the record straight and provide a definitive explanation of their findings: During the run-up to Copenhagen, where the international community is striving to come up with a comprehensive agreement to combat climate change,... Read more.. Date : Dec 15 Source: IndiaTimes
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CII sees need for joint efforts to tackle climate changeThe Confederation of Indian Industry has said that with the help of consistent policies and actions, developing countries such as India can look to grow rapidly, while also reducing carbon intensity at the same time. Calling for concerted efforts by both developed and developing countries at the ongoing climate summit at Copenhagen, the chamber said, “Developed countries must take deeper reduction commitments, both in medium and long term, such as 25 per cent reduction by 2020 and 80 per cent reduction by 2050 from the 1990-levels." It added that that within the framework of... Read more.. Date : Dec 15 Source: Hindu Business Line
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USD 350 mn plan to provide clean energy to developing nationsThe United States on Monday unveiled a USD 350-million multinational effort to help provide clean energy technology to developing countries, including India, to curb greenhouse gas emissions and reduce global warming. The Climate Renewable and Efficiency Deployment Initiative (Climate REDI) was unveiled at an event on the sidelines of the 12-day climate summit, attended by US Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh. Chu said the project is aimed at offering solar energy and Light Emitting Diodes (LED) lanterns to those without access to electricity... Read more.. Date : Dec 15 Source: Hindustan Times
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Mumbai firm eyes potential water treatment acquisitionsEngineering company Patel is looking for specialized water technologies, including water purification, desal, and wastewater treatment projects. Mumbai-based engineering, procurement and construction firm Patel Engineering is preparing to get into the water treatment business through a potential acquisition, according to a story today on livemint, a publication of HT Media. Through a global consultancy, Patel is in discussions with three undisclosed overseas companies, one of which would mark its fourth acquisition to date. Its previous acquisitions have been related to... Read more.. Date : Dec 15 Source: Cleantech Group
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African protest hits U.N. climate talks in last weekA protest by African nations accusing the rich of doing too little to cut greenhouse gas emissions slowed U.N. climate talks on Monday just four days before world leaders are due to forge a deal in Copenhagen. African nations agreed to allow talks to restart in a compromise after a five-hour standoff. They had accused the rich of trying to kill off the U.N.'s Kyoto Protocol, which obliges many industrialised nations to cut emissions until 2012. "We found a reasonable solution," said Andreas Carlgren, environment minister of Sweden whose country holds the European Union's... Read more.. Date : Dec 15 Source: YAHOO!
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Rural job plan a carbon-credit spinner?As the world continues to debate climate change in Copenhagen, the rural development ministry is looking to reap some green benefits at home. It is conducting studies to quantify the value of carbon credits generated through the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) activities so that funds can flow into the rural economy. The world's largest social security scheme — in terms of people covered and money spent to combat rural poverty — has created "green jobs" such as water harvesting, afforestation, soil conservation and land development. "About 70 per cent... Read more.. Date : Dec 15 Source: Hindustan Times
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India’s State-Owned Refiners Spend $5 Billion on Cleaner FuelsIndian Oil Corp., the nation’s second-biggest refiner, and its state-run rivals are spending 235 billion rupees ($5 billion) to produce cleaner fuels and meet stricter emissions guidelines. Indian Oil allocated 115 billion rupees to upgrade its plants, Director of Refineries Basavaraj Ningappa Bankapur said in an interview in New Delhi yesterday. Bharat Petroleum Corp. and Hindustan Petroleum Corp., the second and third-biggest state refiners, are spending 50 billion and 70 billion rupees respectively, company officials said yesterday. New emissions standards for gasoline and... Read more.. Date : Dec 15 Source: Bloomberg
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Power trading in India still at nascent stage: StudyA recent study of the power sector has opined that the power trading in India is still at nascent stage. According to a study conducted by Ambit research, the power traded, in volume terms, is just 8.1 percent of total power generation in the country (4.9 percent excluding UI). Of this, 52 percent is through bilateral trades, 39.2 percent through the UI mechanism and 8.8 percent is traded through the power exchanges. "We expect bilateral trades would continue to dominate the power trading market mainly on account of the ability to structure volume, pricing and duration... Read more.. Date : Dec 14 Source: Newstrack India
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India will act on climate change as per National Action PlanIndia would take 'voluntary and nationally-appropriate' action for adressing climate change impacts strictly in accordance with priorities and objectives laid down under its National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC), the Rajya Sabha was informed today. Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh said in a written reply that India's position on climate change negotiations was ''clear and consistent'' and fully anchored in the UNFCC and the Bali Action Plan. He said that while the actions of developed countries should include deep and ambitious targets for emission... Read more.. Date : Dec 14 Source: New Kerala
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BASIC, Africa ready with joint draft on climate change: RameshDisappointed with some of the stiff conditions in the climate change draft treaty, India in close co-ordination with China and several countries including from Africa, have prepared an integrated document emphasising on '''equitable access'' to atmospheric space for all. The integrated draft of a potential treaty prepared by the BASIC countries (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) has been merged with another text prepared by the Africa group within the G77, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said. "We have merged the Africa draft and the BASIC draft. We now have a common... Read more.. Date : Dec 14 Source: Deccan Herald
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Baring Asia to invest $50-60M in coastal projectsThe existing investors Sequoia Capital & Fidelity Investment Holdings will increase their stake in the company. In one of the largest growth capital deals, Baring Private Equity Asia is close to investing around $50-60 million in Coastal Projects, a Hyderabad based infrastructure company. The deal is expected to close in two to three weeks, VCCircle has learned. Coastal Projects is involved in a variety of infrastructure development activities such as construction of hydel power projects, mini dams, water supply schemes, laying of roads and so on. When contacted, Jimmy... Read more.. Date : Dec 14 Source: Reuters India
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No major differences with US on climate change: RameshAdmitting that India and other emerging economies' stand was considerably different from the 43 countries in the AOSIS, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said that India had no major differences with the United States. He noted that India was not having a major standoff with the United States but the real differences existed between the China and the developed world as well as the between European Union and the United States. "India is not in the firing line," Ramesh told journalists here yesterday. However, in the past few days US chief negotiator Todd Stern has told... Read more.. Date : Dec 14 Source: Zee News
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Panasonic plans to focus on solar productsElectronics maker Panasonic India Pvt. Ltd plans to focus on selling solar devices such as rechargeable batteries that are made by Sanyo Electric Co., in which its Japanese parent Panasonic Corp. plans to acquire a controlling stake for the equivalent of $4.6 billion. The Indian operations of Sanyo, the leading global supplier of rechargeable batteries for laptops, cameras and other gadgets, will likely be integrated with Panasonic India in April after the acquisition agreement is signed. “We are anticipating the deal to close by March. Soon after that the domestic operations... Read more.. Date : Dec 14 Source: Livemint.com
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Legally binding carbon emission cut not acceptable: CIILegally binding carbon emission norms that can affect the country's development is not acceptable and rich nations must commit to deeper reductions at the Copenhagen Climate Summit, industry body CII said today. "The outcome of the summit should be equitable and should reflect the needs of the developing nations such as India where significant number of people do not have access to energy," CII's Climate Change Council chairman Jamshyd N Godrej said. The chamber has maintained that the country is ready to take appropriate mitigation actions nationally as specified in the... Read more.. Date : Dec 13 Source: Mid Day.com
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