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Sustainability Outlook Headlines
China announces planned emissions cutsChina announced Thursday that it will cut its economy's carbon intensity by up to 45 percent by 2020, the state news agency Xinhua said, and that Premier Wen Jiabao will participate in international climate negotiations in Copenhagen next month. The move by the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter to set a near-term target of a 40 to 45 percent reduction, coming a day after President Obama set U.S. climate goals for the talks, suggests a possible breakthrough in Demark next month in the long-stalled climate negotiations. But the State Council's announcement that China will cut its... Read more.. Date : Nov 26 Source: Washington Post
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India, US Agree on Climate ChangePresident Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have launched what the White House is calling a green partnership, affirming the countries' commitment to combating climate change and ensuring energy security and clean energy. India and the United States have agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding to increase cooperation on energy security, clean energy, and climate change. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on a state visit to Washington, said both countries will work together to make the environment cleaner. "We welcome the president's commitment to a major... Read more.. Date : Nov 26 Source: Voice of America
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Indian energy giant eyes 'opportunities' in IranOil & Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC), India's biggest energy producer will hold a meeting with National Iranian Oil Co. to discuss "specific opportunities" in Iran. "In import-dependent countries like ours, we have to see where are the future sources of energy supplies," R.S. Sharma, Chairman and Managing Director of ONGC told Bloomberg on Wednesday. "Iran, they have the second-largest crude oil and gas reserves and they are not very well exploited," he stated. India is the world's second-... Read more.. Date : Nov 26 Source: Presstv
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Climate change: India satisfied with joint statementIndia on Wednesday expressed satisfaction with the joint Indo-U.S. statement, particularly the portion on climate change, which “represents an increased degree of congruence” in the way the two countries approach the challenge. According to an official spokesperson, the Prime Minister’s visit to the U.S. also laid the foundation for a significant and focussed collaborative effort both on clean energy and climate change. On the Copenhagen process, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Bali Action Plan... Read more.. Date : Nov 26 Source: Hindu
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The World's Looming 'Water Gap'There's good and bad news from a sweeping new report on the world's water scarcity out today from McKinsey & Co., commissioned by such water-dependent companies as Coca-Cola, Nestle, SAB Miller and Syngenta, along with the World Bank/International Finance Corp. The bad: Global demand for water already exceeds supply -- about 1.1 billion people don't have access to clean water -- and the so-called water gap is increasing at an accelerating rate. The good: Cost-effective, sustainable... Read more.. Date : Nov 25 Source: GreenBiz
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India signs climate change MoU with 5 countriesIndia has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on climate change with Governments of Italy, Canada, Denmark, Norway and China regarding cooperation on climate change including clean development mechanism projects. No MoUs on climate change have been signed so far with United States of America, Sweden and European Union, said Environment and Forests (independent charge) Minister Jairam Ramesh in Lok Sabha on Wednesday. While the MoUs signed with Italy, Canada, Denmark and Norway are intended to stimulate development and bilateral cooperation in the field of clean... Read more.. Date : Nov 25 Source: New Kerala
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India electric car pioneer plans biggest plug-in car plant
CHETAN Maini, the engineer who pioneered India’s first electric car, had his eureka moment two decades ago when he drove a vehicle fuelled by solar power across the blazing Australian outback. Now Maini, the man behind Reva Electric Car is building in southern India what he says will be the world's biggest factory making battery-powered city commuter cars. “It’s the first attempt at mass production of a green car,” said Maini, who studied hybrid electric technology at California's Stanford University and developed the no-clutch, no-gears... Read more.. Date : Nov 25
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Finnish companies on the lookout for Indian tie-upsFinland is planning to have a larger presence in India, with a delegation of more than 120 members arriving here, seeking to forge tie-ups in areas such as renewable energy, clean technologies and healthcare systems.
Businesses from both countries have converged at the ongoing India-Finland Technology Partnership Forum to be held through the week. The shopping list of collaborations comes from the interest of both countries,” said Jorma Routti, a member of the Finnish delegation and executive chairman of venture capitalist Creative Industries Management. “The... Read more.. Date : Nov 25 Source: The Gaea Times
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India, US sign clean energy dealThe United States and India signed a deal here Tuesday aimed at promoting the development of technology that will produce cleaner forms of energy. The memorandum of understanding was signed by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and India's external affairs minister S M Krishna, during a high-profile visit to Washington by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The deal will "enhance cooperation on energy security, energy efficiency, clean energy and climate change," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters. "Both countries will... Read more.. Date : Nov 25 Source: Channel NewsAsia
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'Solar India' to kick off tradeable certificatesThe Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission or the National Solar Mission (NSM), launched under the brand 'Solar India' on Monday, is a major flag waving opportunity for India at the forthcoming Copenhagen Climate Summit and for seeking larger funds under the UNFCCC framework for the country. Late by 10 days, the NSM does not talk money apart from mentioning that funding for the ambitious targets would be from budgetary support and multilateral mechanism under the UN system. Encouragingly, however, beyond the apparent political dividend that the government may seek to derive ahead of... Read more.. Date : Nov 25 Source: Daily News and Analysis
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Norway opens world's first osmotic power plantNorway opened the world's first osmotic power plant, which produces emissions-free electricity by mixing fresh water and sea water through a special membrane. State-owned utility Statkraft's prototype plant, which for now will produce a tiny 2-4 kilowatts of power or enough to run a coffee machine, will enable Statkraft to test and develop the technology needed to drive down production costs. The plant is driven by osmosis that naturally draws fresh water across a membrane and towards the seawater side. This creates higher pressure on the sea water side,... Read more.. Date : Nov 24 Source: Daily News and Analysis
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Smaller glaciers more vulnerable to climate change: StudySmaller Himalayan glaciers are proving much more vulnerable to climate change than the area's larger glaciers, says a new report contradicting the recent environment ministry backed study which claimed that glacier melting can't be linked to global warming. A joint team from WWF-India, a well-known conservation organisation and Birla Institute of Technology analysed the three year data available from the on-going research to monitor two central Himalayan glaciers since 2006, Gangotri and Kafni having length of 30km and 4.2km respectively. The study titled, 'Witnessing Change... Read more.. Date : Nov 24 Source: Daily News and Analysis
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Tiny "carbon neutral" club struggles with costsNorway, Costa Rica and the Maldives are struggling with high costs and technological hurdles to stay in the world's most exclusive club for fighting climate change -- seeking to cut net greenhouse gas emissions to zero. The United Nations is praising their "carbon neutrality" targets before a UN summit on Dec. 7-18 in Copenhagen meant to agree a new pact to combat global warming. But the model is hard to imitate with its demand for a drastic shift to clean energy. "What they're trying to do is fundamentally change the direction of their economic growth," Yvo de Boer, head of... Read more.. Date : Nov 24 Source: Daily News and Analysis
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Titan Energy launches operations at first solar farmIndia-based Titan Energy Worldwide (OTCBB:TEWI) is now feeding energy to India's electric grid from a 1-megawatt solar photovoltaic farm in Jamuria, West Bengal—one of the largest solar projects in the country.The news came today from Atlanta, Ga.-based solar cell manufacturer Suniva, which signed a $480 million deal last year to supply crystalline solar cells to Titan through 2013. The Indian... Read more.. Date : Nov 24 Source: Cleantech Group
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Lighter levies to ensure hybrid cars soon to be cheaperHybrid and eco-friendly cars such as Honda Civic, the soon to be launched Toyota Prius, Nissan Altima and GM Taheo could become cheaper as the government looks at trimming duties on such vehicles. Union minister for heavy industries and public enterprises Vilasrao Deshmukh said on Monday that his department plans to cut import duties on hybrid vehicles “There is scope for changes in the duty structure and my department will recommend to the finance ministry to alter the high import duties levied on import of such... Read more.. Date : Nov 24 Source: Economic Times
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GreenBeat: Where will the VC money flow on the Smart Grid?Venture capitalists and investment bankers are fascinated by the potential of making money from Smart Grid investments and initial public offerings in the coming year, judging from the latest panel at VentureBeat’s GreenBeat 09 event today. In spite of a difficult IPO market and the recession’s drag on the industry, Smart Grid companies are starting to get attention from both VCs and acquisitive technology giants, according to the speakers on the Follow the Money panel, moderated by VentureBeat’s lead writer for GreenBeat, Camille Ricketts (pictured at podium). Peter Wagner,... Read more.. Date : Nov 24 Source: Venturebeat.com
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India’s solar mission to start with 1,300 MWIndia's solar mission will set up, in its first phase, 1,100 MW of solar power through the electricity grid and 200 MW off the grid, with the objective of making solar power as cheap as power from coal by the end of the mission, Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah said here Monday. In a statement to parliament tabled in the Lok Sabha, Abdullah called last week's approval of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission by the government "a historic and transformational initiative" and added: "I am proud to have the privilege of being assigned the task of overseeing... Read more.. Date : Nov 24 Source: Zee News
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India, US set to sign green deal: Manmohan SinghIndia and the US are all set to sign a memorandum of understanding on energy security, clean energy and climate change, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced Monday while seeking cooperation of American companies in these areas. “This will provide a framework for pursuing bilateral cooperation in specific areas,” he said addressing the US India Business Council (USIBC) made up of top US companies investing in India. Noting that these are areas where American companies are leaders in the field, the prime minister said: “We should explore possible areas of cooperation.” ... Read more..Date : Nov 23 Source: Thaindian.com
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India Power Generator Issues LOI for 7 Million Tons of Woodchips Valued at $576 Million per Year to Green Energy ResourcesGreen Energy Resources has received a Letter of Intent from an Indian power company to supply in excess of 7 million tons of woodchips valued at over $576 million dollars over a 12-month period. India wants a five-year supply contract ($2.8 billion dollars over 5 years). The order poses daunting challenges for Green Energy Resources to meet a supply that would require approximately 15 shipments monthly or a shipment of about 40,000 tons every other day. The foremost obstacle is freight .The location of ships at a locked in rate to handle the capacity for the buyers. The second... Read more.. Date : Nov 23 Source: Stockhouse
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China, India push for 'patent free' green techAs world leaders prepare for climate talks in Copenhagen next month, developing nations have tabled a controversial proposal which would effectively end patent protection for clean technologies. China and India have floated the idea of making new green technology subject to 'compulsory licensing', which critics say amounts to waiving intellectual property rights. The idea of adapting or liberalising patent rules for crucial new inventions which can help reduce carbon emissions is not new, but the EU and US are unhappy with compulsory licensing, fearing it would dramatically... Read more.. Date : Nov 23 Source: EurActiv.com
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India ties solar plans to global climate supportIndia issued solar power targets on Monday, with plans to boost ouptut from near zero to 20 gigawatts (GW) by 2022, but tied chances of the plan's success to availability of international finance and technology. The announcement was made days before U.N. negotiations in Copenhagen for a global deal on climate change, deadlocked over levels of carbon emissions cuts to be taken by rich countries. Talks are also stuck on financial and technological support to be given by rich countries to developing nations. "India is making a very strong... Read more.. Date : Nov 23 Source: Reuters
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India linking climate change commitments to energy securityWith Indian negotiators working overtime with their American counterparts to have an agreement on arrangements for fuel reprocessing, ready for signing by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday, India is linking the issue of climate change commitments to the case for greater American cooperation on the supply of nuclear power. Implicit in the offering of this new rationale for the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal is the expectation that by linking the issue of climate change, a subject that is of increasing concern to American policy makers, India was in fact... Read more.. Date : Nov 23 Source: Hindu
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Funds for clean tech expectedThere's a wide gap between developed and developing nations over sharing the costs of new low-carbon technology, but US officials say a new agreement on clean energy with India is in the works. It is likely to be a multimillion dollar clean technology investment fund to develop and deploy low-carbon technologies in India. When President Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meet on Tuesday to talk about climate change, they will focus on co-operation on green technologies. "The meeting should deliver on technology transfer," one source said. India, for its part, will use... Read more.. Date : Nov 23 Source: Daily News and Analysis
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Pancheshwor hydel project finalisedNepal’s unrelenting power woes may soon be coming to an end, with Nepal and India reaching an agreement on Pancheshwor hydro power project Sunday afternoon.Nepal and India, at the secretarial level, held talks and signed the agreement to set up Pancheshwor Development Authority by next January that would be instrumental in implementing the much-awaited hydro project. The talks also decided to appoint the PDA’s chief executive officer on an open competition basis, said energy secretary Shanker Koirala, who led the Nepali delegation in the talks. This also means that a long... Read more.. Date : Nov 23 Source: Himalayan Times
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Australian government to present final carbon trading plansAfter months of political haggling the Australian government will unveil its revised carbon trading laws this week, with a vote expected by year's final day of parliament on Thursday. If the emissions trading scheme (ETS) is rejected by a hostile Senate for a second time, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd would have a trigger for a snap election on climate change. Rudd's Labor government has a commanding lead in opinion polls over the Liberal Party. Elections are due in late 2010. Climate Change Minister Penny Wong said on Sunday that an ammended ETS would be presented to... Read more.. Date : Nov 22 Source: Reuters India
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