Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Krishna to represent India at UN climate change summit

New York, Sep 21 (IANS) External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna will represent Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the UN summit on Climate Change being hosted by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Tuesday.
The UN summit is part of Ban’s campaign to bring about a fair and ratifiable green house gas reduction agreement at this year’s Climate Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Krishna who arrived here Sunday evening to participate in the 64th session of the UN General Assembly will lead the Indian delegation at the General Debate and will deliver a speech Sep 26.
On the... Read more..

Opinion - Poor hardest hit by climate change

For many years I have witnessed the suffering of people living in abject poverty in developing countries - from India and El Salvador to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burma. Despite their enormous dignity and fortitude, and despite the good work done by aid agencies to help those in need, their lives remain adversely affected by factors beyond their control, and one of these is climate change.

Most leading climate scientists are convinced that the climate is warming rapidly. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported in 2007 that 11 out of the... Read more..

FACTBOX-Steps by developing nations to fight climate change

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var RTR_ArticleBlurb = " Sept 17 (Reuters) - Major developing nations have announced steps over the past year to curb their growing greenhouse emissions as the world tries to negotiate a broader, and tougher, U.N. pact to slow the pace of climate change. Rich nations have...";

China and India warned to co-operate over CO2 emissions

Todd Stern, the US's climate change envoy, has warned countries such as China and India that they run greater risk of protectionist measures in the US Congress if they do not co-operate on international steps to hold down carbon emissions.Speaking to the FT, he added that the US would still have a solid bargaining position even if, as is widely expected, the Obama administration fails to push its own emissions legislation through Congress before December's intergovernmental conference at Copenhagen.

No Leader On Climate Change As Nations Prepare For Major Summit

UNITED NATIONS -- Economists point to powerhouse countries like India to illustrate the hurdles facing some 100 world leaders due to gather in New York this Tuesday for the highest level summit meetin... UNITED NATIONS -- Economists point to ...

WB says climate change to hit India agri output

WASHINGTON (Commodity Online) : World Bank's World Development Report 2010 said India’s agriculture output is likely to dip by up to 9 per cent in the next 30 years due to change in climatic conditions. "Extrapolating from past year-to-year variations in climate and agricultural outcomes, yields of major crops in India are projected to decline by 4.5-9 per cent within the next three decades, even allowing for short-term adaptations," said the report. Trade commodities or equities from across the globe... Read more..

India mulls law to cap emissions

India for the first time hinted that it would unilaterally and voluntarily try to curb carbon emissions that cause global warming, ahead of its participation in an important round of global negotiations in Copenhagen to hammer out a climate change deal.Limits will be imposed on the amount of carbon spewed out by five key activities that account for most of the country’s harmful emissions.Union minister of state for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh said on Friday that this move could be backed by domestic legislation, which will also set emission targets for the year 2030. Bold steps:... Read more..

India ready to target emissions as pressure mounts on US

INDIA wrong-footed the US and other rich nations yesterday by agreeing for the first time to set numerical targets for curbing its greenhouse gas emissions.

The move added to pressure on the Obama administration to deliver on its own climate change pledges even as senior Democrats warned that US legislation might face severe delays.
Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said legislation was being drafted in New Delhi to limit India's carbon footprint and in the process repair his country's reputation for intransigence on climate change before a UN... Read more..

FACTBOX - Climate change costs, offers to pay

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var RTR_ArticleBlurb = " Reuters - Global climate talks are deadlocked on how to share the financial costs of fighting climate change, as world leaders meet at a U.N. summit in New York on Sept. 22. G20 leaders also meet in Pittsburgh on Sept. 24-25, partly to...";

Benefits of sustainable tourism

Australia is well placed to pull in the tourist dollar with its natural landscapes and wonders, but as the world becomes increasingly environmentally conscious, holiday makers are looking at the green option, giving rise to sustainable tourism. Keith Bellows the editor and chief of National Geographic Traveller is a strong believer in sustainable tourism.Bellows conducts speeches in support of the Qantas Sustainable Tourism Initiative and he says the company is recognising how Australian tourism operators can be trained to be more conscious about what sustainable tourism can do for... Read more..

S'pore well placed to be carbon trading centre in South Asia

It can kick-start creation of regional carbon credit registries and formulate yardsticks
By CATHERINE WONG MEI LING

CARBON markets are here to stay and are likely to grow post-Kyoto 2012. In the run- up to December's United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, pundits expect the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to continue to play a big role in the transition to the new low-carbon economy.

Time's running out: If the region does not act soon, it could find its islands consumed by the sea, its forests depleted, and a growing displaced and jobless... Read more..