Sustainability Outlook Headlines

India and a Carbon Deal

There is an emerging consensus among governments that aggressive climate change mitigation would be desirable, though they remain bitterly divided about how the associated burden should be shared. The Government of India has made a commitment not to allow the country's per capita emissions to rise above per capita emissions in the advanced countries (ACs). Developing Countries (DCs), more generally, have... Read more..

Indians very pessimistic about tackling climate change: report

Optimism that climate change can be managed has fallen more sharply in India than in any other major economy of the world, according to an annual index published Monday.

The Climate Change Monitor's measure of optimism that climate change can be managed fell by six percent globally since 2007.

But the decline in India was a steep 15 percent - only 30 percent of Indians are optimistic this year compared to 45 percent in 2007, said the index, which is compiled by a partnership comprising HSBC Bank, the Climate Group, WWF, Earthwatch Institute and Smithsonian Tropical Research... Read more..

Bio-Based Adhesives Could Be Used For Economically Viable Biofuels

An adhesive used in products like laminate countertops may also help cement a place for economically viable biofuels, determines a new study by researchers.

The study is being carried out by Susan Sun, a Kansas State University researcher, and her team.

Her research group is studying adhesives made from by-products of soybean, corn, sorghum and biomass fuels.

"There are two important forces driving this research. We're trying to develop these bio-based adhesives to replace environmentally hazardous materials," Sun said. "Also, we need high-value products to sustain... Read more..

Tata Power, SN Power to invest Rs 15,000 cr in hydel projects

Tata Power Company and Norwegian firm SN Power plan to invest Rs 15,000 crore over the next five to eight years to develop hydro-power projects in India and Nepal.

Tata Power and Norwegian renewable energy company SN Power have signed an exclusive 50:50 partnership agreement to develop hydropower projects in India and Nepal.

Briefing reporters, Tata Power Executive Director S Ramakrishnan said the partners aim to have 2,000 MW of hydropower projects under construction or in operation by 2015 and 4,000 MW by 2020.

Tata Power and SN Power have already begun pursuing... Read more..

Solar power plant in Ladakh villages

Markha Valley (J-K), (ANI): A solar power plant starts supplying electricity to the villagers of Markha valley in Jammu and Kashmir. A small solar power plant of 1KW capacity empowered the villagers of Markha valley, one of the remotest villages of Leh district.  Funded by Niyamdu Dro, a France based NGO, the plant is a part of a global project for the sustainable development, environment protection and equitable tourism in the area.

The Markha valley is in the Hemis National Park.  Volunteers of Youth Association for Conservation and Development (YAFCAD) of Hemis National Park... Read more..

Mass-market U.N. carbon scheme finds favor in India

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A new type of U.N. scheme is spreading clean energy technology to millions of people in India, promising to cut carbon emissions and help investors earn valuable carbon credits.

Two leading carbon offset project developers in India say the scheme offers the promise of improving livelihoods and greatly expanding the reach and potential investment returns of the U.N.'s existing Clean Development Mechanism.

The CDM allows investors to build clean-energy projects, such as wind farms and solar power stations, in developing countries and earn carbon offsets in... Read more..

IIMA students to project BRTS' carbon credits

Under the guidance of Amit Garg and PR Shukla, faculties of IIMA, three PGP-2 students - Jyoti Prakash Mishra, Abhishek Mundra and Pankaj Kumar Das - are conducting a project on the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in the city. The objective is to assess the reduction, if any, in the amount of carbon emission or carbon footprint after the introduction of the BRTS.The amount of carbon emission reduction achieved through various projects in a country are accrued to earn the country's carbon credits, which can be sold to other countries with high carbon emission to cover their shortfall in... Read more..

Norway willing to do more to fund UN climate deal

Norway is willing to give extra cash to launch a UN climate deal in December on top of hundreds of millions of dollars already promised to slow deforestation, environment minister Erik Solheim said on Friday.

He also said in an interview with Reuters that greenhouse gas emissions by Norway, the world's fifth biggest oil exporter, seem to have peaked in 2007 and would fall as part of a goal of cutting emissions by 30 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels.

"We have not decided on any amount but clearly we will do our part," Solheim told Reuters when asked if Oslo would give new... Read more..

Forest Carbon Core to Climate Change Deal

As the Copenhagen talks progress, negotiators must not miss the opportunity to ensure that forests become a vital part of the post-2012 climate change framework. Efforts to mitigate dangerous climate change revolve around the overarching goal of holding the average increase in global temperatures to well below 2°C. With deforestation accounting for approximately 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, it is clear that any solution to the climate change problem must include a solution to deforestation. Yet, forests – valued for providing a range of environmental services – have thus... Read more..

India recognising the effects of Climate change: US

India which has started recognising the effects of climate change is working in this regard, but has not moved as far as China, US Energy Secretary Steven Chu has said.

"India is starting to move. They're not as far along in China. But it is remarkable," Chu told the CNN in an interview. A Noble prizewinner in physics in 1997, Chu is soon heading to India to hold a series of talks with his Indian counterparts on a wide range of issues.

Chu, who believes that a shift from fossil fuel is necessary to combat global warming, said in his discussions with representatives from India... Read more..

UNFCCC To Meet World’s Carbon Buyers And Sellers

Dr. Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN agency in charge of the Kyoto Protocol, has just confirmed that a representative from their Accreditation and Project Assessment unit will be meeting with carbon buyers and sellers in China, in a last chance for the industry to meet before the Copenhagen climate negotiations determine a successor to the current treaty expiring in 2012. Ms. Maria Laura Vinuela will be joining them at the World Carbon Conference in Beijing together with China’s NDRC Energy Research Institute, the European Commission, and likely representatives from the Indian... Read more..

Europe puts figure on green aid to push climate change deal

Europe is to breathe life into the faltering search for a new global deal on climate change by pledging billions of pounds in financial support for poor countries, the Guardian can reveal.

European heads of state will formally recommend this week that rich countries should hand over around €100bn (£90bn) a year to nations such as India and Vietnam by 2020 to help them cope with the impact of global warming. The pledge is expected to come at the end of a two-day summit of European leaders on Thursday and Friday, and before negotiations on a new climate treaty in Copenhagen in... Read more..