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Sustainability Outlook Headlines
IEA report signals energy technology revolution underway, but warns more must be done=A new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) finds early indications that an energy technology revolution is underway. Released on July 1, 2010 the report shows that global investment in renewable power generation has reached all-time highs but warns much more needs to be done to achieve long-term energy security, economic development, and ecological improvement. Presenting the new IEA study Energy Technology Perspectives (ETP) 2010 in Washington DC, Nobuo Tanaka, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) said “after sowing the seeds for such a... Read more.. Date : Jul 8 Source: PennEnergy
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Solar-powered Swiss plane gets its day in the sunAn experimental solar-powered plane whose Swiss makers hope someday to fly around the globe soared into uncharted territory Wednesday - the cold, dark night. Date : Jul 8 Source: The Sun News
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Fish Populations Under Threat By Carbon EmissionsHumanity’s rising CO2 emissions could have a significant impact on the world’s fish populations according to groundbreaking new research carried out in Australia. Baby fish may become easy meat for predators as the world’s oceans become more acidic due to CO2 fallout from human activity, an international team of researchers has discovered. In a series of experiments reported in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS), the team found that as carbon levels rise and ocean water acidifies, the behavior of baby fish changes dramatically – in... Read more.. Date : Jul 7 Source: Redorbit
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India may check use of foreign equipment in solar projectsIndia plans to use technology to police solar projects to ensure that they use Indian equipment, a move termed commendable by an expert who also warned that it could run afoul of the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. Date : Jul 7 Source: TMCnet
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'Climategate' report to be publishedAn independent report into leaked e-mails that appeared to question climate change data is due to be published Wednesday. Date : Jul 7 Source: CNN
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Jaipal vows more funds for urban renewal jobsThe Union minister for urban development, Mr S. Jaipal Reddy, said on Tuesday that the Central government would continue sanctioning grants for the development of infrastructure in Vijayawada city under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) phase II. Mr Jaipal Reddy said the Planning Commission has not yet decided on the grants to be allocated to the JNNURM in the 12th Five-Year Plan. The minister inaugurated development works taken up by the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation with the grants sanctioned by the Union government on Tuesday. ... Read more.. Date : Jul 7 Source: Deccan Chronicle
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In Hampi, no electricity to charge ‘green’ carsThe state government’s ambitious project to protect Hampi’s monuments from pollution has suffered a huge setback, with the grand plan of operating eco-friendly, battery-operated vehicles in the area falling flat on its face. Over the last few months, the Karnataka government had spent Rs 81 crore on acquiring 80 battery-operated cars from Reva (which later became Mahindra Reva). Thirteen of these vehicles — each of which can seat up to 12 passengers — are parked at the Hampi Development Authority’s (HDA) office at Kamalapur, near Hampi. “We operated them for a couple of days... Read more.. Date : Jul 7 Source: Banglore mirror
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Netas to be sent back to schoolIn a bid to control effluence, State Pollution Control Board chief plans to send the newly elected corporators to E-waste management classes If the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) chief has his way, the city corporators will be sent back to school soon. A S Sadashivaiah, chairman of SPCB plans to teach netas some green lessons. Sadashivaiah, who plans to send the newly elected corporators to E-waste management classes, said, "Roping in corporators is the best possible way to root out E-waste problems. Over 198 corporators will be part of the initiative, which will... Read more.. Date : Jul 7 Source: Mid day
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A Slowing Economy Could Cast a Shadow on Solar EnergyOn July 4, President Barack Obama unleashed a $2 billion torrent of solar subsidies that went to two companies. One, Abengoa Solar, will use $1.45 billion to build a massive solar power plant in Gila Bend, Ariz.. Another slug will help Abound Solar Manufacturing build high-tech panels at factories in Colorado and Indiana (in a shuttered Chrysler plant, no less). This is the latest good new for solar companies, which keep garnering the greatest percentage of clean-tech venture capital, private equity and public offering dollars. All may not be sunny, however. Signs of a second-half... Read more.. Date : Jul 7 Source: Daily Finance
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Jairam Ramesh finally finds a friend in HRD minister SibalThe Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), which, in the last few weeks, has not shared cordial ties with other ministries – namely coal, civil aviation and transport – has finally found a friend in the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). The two today signed an agreement to study and clean the Ganga. “Our collaboration with MHRD shows that MoEF has some friends in other ministries,” said Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh. The ministry signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a consortium of seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to prepare a comprehensive... Read more.. Date : Jul 7 Source: Business Standard
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India’s Tata Planning a ‘Nano’ Wind Turbine to Boost Distributed Power GenerationTata, one of the largest business groups in India is planning to launch innovative clean energy technologies in rural areas as it plans to grab the opportunity of India' rapidly expanding power sector. The Tata Power Company, a subsidiary of the Tata group, plans to test a 2 kW wind turbine which would generate enough electricity to meet the basic demands of an small rural home. With several thousand villages still not connected with the national grid this micro turbine could prove highly beneficial. The 2 kW turbine which can be mounted on rooftops would be enough to power... Read more.. Date : Jul 7 Source: Earth & Industry
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Doubts raised over green city claimUT might take pride in being one of the greenest cities in the country, but more thought could have gone into the choice of varieties planted by the forest department along the roads. This has been claimed by former head of the landscaping wing of Chandigarh and Punjab, HS Johal, in a letter sent to Union ministry for environment and forest Jairam Ramesh recently. Johal has claimed that UT has planted Acacia Catechu (Khair) along the roads, even though the tree remains leafless and naked for almost six months in a year. "Such trees are not of any use in this era of global warming as... Read more.. Date : Jul 7 Source: TOI
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Railways to set up two wind power plantsIn a bid to cut down on rising power costs and carbon emissions, Indian Railways is turning to wind power. The behemoth is setting up two wind mill power plants with a target of generating 21 MW wind power by next year. "We have finalised plans for setting up two wind mill power plants in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu at an estimated cost of Rs 140 crores. Both the plants will generate a total of 21 MW power," said a senior Railway Ministry official. The plants will be set up along the coastal belt of Tamil Nadu and in the desert area of Jaisalmer. Each plant would generate... Read more.. Date : Jul 7 Source: Zopag
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Top energy award for producer of solar panels for Indian villagesA company which produces affordable solar panels for India’s unelectrified villages has been given this year’s top Ashden Prize for Sustainable Energy, one of Britain’s most prestigious awards for innovative use of sustainable energy technologies. D.light Design, India, received the £40,000 overall Gold prize for “its passion and dedication to the cause of ridding the developing world of the health and pollution problems associated with the use of kerosene lighting”. Judges said they were impressed with the company’s “highly effective marketing strategy which has put solar... Read more.. Date : Jul 7 Source: Hindu
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A renewable futureIndia is perceived as a developing country but it is developing at a pace that is not matched by many others. There is significant appreciation of our economic growth. Yet the fact remains that our growth is constrained by energy supply and availability. When the growth rate was lower in the early decades of independence, the energy problem was seen as benign, with only short-term inefficiencies and supply constraints. But the increasing appetite for energy that has developed in the recent past has been further complicated by rapidly diminishing conventional sources like oil and coal. To... Read more.. Date : Jul 7 Source: Financial Express
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IOC plans Rs 700-cr power playState-run Indian Oil Corporation [ Get Quote ] plans to set up solar power panels and power plants at its over 18,100 retail outlets across the country at a cost of Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion). The company will also set up solar and wind power plants at various locations in the country with an investment of over Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion). "We want to be an aggressive participant in the Jawaharlal Nehru [ Images ] National Solar Mission. IOC has carved a new project division called Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development within the organization which would take up... Read more.. Date : Jul 7 Source: Rediff
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Imported garbage bins for ChennaiThe Chennai Corporation will import 2,600 high density polyethylene (HDPE) garbage bins at a cost of Rs 2.6 crore from countries like Germany, Turkey, Singapore and Italy. The consignment will reach the city by August-end and replace the bins maintained by Neel Metal Fanalca. The move also signifies the private agency’s systemic expulsion from the city’s conservancy map. “At least 1,475 bins are being shipped to Chennai port. As soon as they reach, they will be distributed in the Kodambakkam zone which is serviced by Neel Metal Fanalca,” an official said. The solid waste management... Read more.. Date : Jul 7 Source: Times of India
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Carbon Neutral Shipping Extended InternationallyUPS has expanded its carbon neutral shipping program to 35 countries and territories across Europe, Asia and the Americas. Millions more UPS customers now have the option of paying a small fee to calculate and offset the carbon emissions associated with their shipments. UPS became the first small package carrier in the United States to unveil such a product when the carbon neutral program was introduced in the U.S. last fall, building on UPS's legacy of sustainable business practices and satisfying the demand for eco-friendly products. The new offerings, including a contract version... Read more.. Date : Jul 7 Source: Marketwatch
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Cycling Carbon Through Terrestrial EcosystemsTwo recent international studies are poised to change the way scientists view the crucial relationship between Earth's climate and the carbon cycle. The two reports will be published online by the journal Science at the Science Express Web site at 6 p.m., US ET, Monday, 5 July. Science is published by AAAS, the... Read more.. Date : Jul 7 Source: Terra Daily
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Dutch review backs U.N. climate change reportA Dutch review of a United Nations climate report backs its finding of global warming's dangers but says the U.N. panel should be more transparent in its work. The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, an institute that advises the Dutch government, released its review Monday of a landmark 2007 report by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which was heavily criticized by climate skeptics because of a few factual errors. The agency found "no errors" that would undermine the report's main conclusions about the possible future impacts of climate change.... Read more.. Date : Jul 7 Source: USA Today
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Climate scandal a 'game changer'SENIOR climate scientists have conceded that their world has changed irrevocably - and for the better - in the wake of the so-called Climategate scandal. As Sir Muir Russell, chairman of the inquiry into the leak of the University of East Anglia emails, finalises his report for publication in Britain tomorrow, scientists the world over agree the affair was a ''game changer''. ''The release of the emails was a turning point,'' Mike Hulme, professor of climate change at the University of East Anglia, told The Guardian . ''The community has been brought up short by the row over... Read more.. Date : Jul 7 Source: Age
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India's Energy Reform Gaining GroundThe Indian government announced May 25 that it was ceasing to subsidize the price of petrol and was cutting its subsidies on diesel, kerosene and liquid petroleum gas (LPG). It intends to move to a system of full market pricing for diesel over coming months. Kerosene and LPG, which are used as popular cooking and heating oils--the latter especially by the poor--may remain subsidized for the foreseeable future. The decision caused widespread surprise. With headline inflation rates running at more than 10%--and food prices rising by an annual 17%--few expected the government to take... Read more.. Date : Jul 7 Source: Forbes
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Tata Power, Arrow Energy Plan Coal-Seam Gas in India By 2014Tata Power Ltd., India’s largest non- state generator, and Australia’s Arrow Energy Ltd. plan to produce coal-seam gas from an area in central India by 2014. Arrow, operator of the Satpura block in Madhya Pradesh state, plans to drill 15 core holes and two pilot wells in the first two years of its exploration plan to start initial production of methane gas trapped in coal seams from 2014, Tata Power said in an e-mailed statement today. India’s Cabinet approved the award of seven coal-seam gas blocks on June 24 to companies including the Arrow-Tata venture, Essar Oil Ltd., Oil... Read more.. Date : Jul 7 Source: BusinessWeek
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Climate e-mail inquiry prepares to reportAn inquiry into questions raised by the so-called ClimateGate affair will release its conclusions on Wednesday.The Independent Climate Change Email Review was commissioned by the UK's University of East Anglia following the hacking of emails from its servers. Climate sceptics allege that the emails undermine the integrity of researchers at the university's Climatic Research Unit and of climate science in general. Two previous reports found issues in the unit, but no deliberate deception. At the end of March, a report from the House of Commons Science and Technology... Read more.. Date : Jul 7 Source: BBC
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New Errors Found in UN Climate Change Report - KTVAAn inquiry into questions raised by the so-called ClimateGate affair will release its conclusions on Wednesday.The Independent Climate Change Email Review was commissioned by the UK's University of East Anglia following the hacking of emails from its servers. Climate sceptics allege that the emails undermine the integrity of researchers at the university's Climatic Research Unit and of climate science in general. Two previous reports found issues in the unit, but no deliberate deception. At the end of March, a report from the House of Commons Science and Technology... Read more.. Date : Jul 7
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