Think India Foundation

Foreign aid cash spent tackling climate change

Nearly £1.5 billion has been spent tackling man-made climate change by Government department responsible for fighting poverty abroad, it can be revealed.

Dfid is one of only two departments not affected by the Government's austerity drive Photo: PA

The Department for International Development (Dfid) has spent the total on projects which they say will either reduce carbon emissions abroad or attempt to deal with the effects of predicted changes in the earth's climate.

In the past four years Dfid has spent £900 million on climate change projects with nearly two thirds of that being spent in the past financial year under the Coalition. A further £533 million has already been committed up to 2013. Read more

Source : telegraph.co.uk

Artificial Glaciers Water Crops in Indian Highlands

Villagers discover that it is easier to store water in ice than in a reservoir, and less is lost to evaporation.

Ran Bhadur (right) and Mohan Bhadur (left) shovel sand and rock to dam a stone embankment holding water that will eventually freeze and serve as an artificial glacier in the village of Stakmo in India's northern Ladakh region. Photograph by Mary Knox Merrill, Christian Science Monitor/Getty Images

This story is part of a National Geographic News series on global water issues.

A remote Indian village is responding to global warming-induced water shortages by creating large masses of ice, or "artificial glaciers," to get through the dry spring months. (See a map of the region.)

Located on the western edge of the Tibetan plateau, the village of Skara in the Ladakh region of India is not a common tourist destination. Read more

Source : news.nationalgeographic.com

Changing climates of governance

Understanding real-world complexity and anticipating change are the key to global and local governance in the 21st century

The issue of global governance has acquired increasing salience in recent years. With the process of globalisation and the increasing interconnectedness of economies, issues that transcend national and regional boundaries have become progressively more important. These include non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, in particular, nuclear weapons; cyber-security and the security of space-based assets; international terrorism, whether state-sponsored or perpetrated by non-state actors; international drug trafficking; and maritime security.

Such cross-cutting issues can be economic and social. For example, climate change and energy security have a global dimension, where competitive action by states may result in adverse consequences for all stakeholders. There are public health challenges, such as Aids, avian flu pandemics, the eradication of polio or other epidemic diseases which have a global dimension. They share a common feature in that no state, however powerful, can tackle these challenges on its own. They require a common global platform, coordinated strategies and agreed preventive actions to safeguard both domestic and global interests. Domestic actions influence and, in turn, are influenced by global responses. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

UN: Soil erosion increasing global warming threat

Global warming will get worse as agricultural methods accelerate the rate of soil erosion, which depletes the amount of carbon the soil is able to store, a United Nations' Environment Programme report said today.

Soil contains huge quantities of carbon in the form of organic matter which provides nutrients for plant growth and improves soil fertility and water movement.

The top metre of soil alone stores around 2,200 billion tonnes of carbon, which is three times the level currently held in the atmosphere, said the UNEP Year Book 2012. Read more

Source : buenosairesherald.com

Improper urban planning in Northeast

Kohima : Airing concern over the improper urban planning in the north eastern states, the need to adopt a comprehensive strategy and road map for securing a holistic development and reformation of urban areas has been stressed here today at the regional workshop on “Urban Governance, Management and Municipal Finance” for the north eastern states.

Chief Secretary Lalthara told the workshop that the vulnerability of earthquake is very high in North East. Lalthara said most of towns/cities in North East are in congestion coupled with water, sanitation and drainage problem, adding that it is very difficult to rectify now as proper urban planning was not taken into account. Read more

Source : morungexpress.com

Imphal NGO bags international green award

IMPHAL: An Imphal-based NGO, Centre for Research on Environmental Development (Cred), has bagged the prestigious Green Globe Foundation Award 2012 in New Delhi for 'Outstanding Contribution by a NGO'. Cred works at the grassroots level on critical issues like environmental degradation, generating mass awareness on pollution-related issues, mobilizing local communities in sustained high-pitched campaigns and engaging in legal activism through public interest litigation, thus forming the backbone of the green movement in India.

"We are so grateful to the foundation for having recognized our unrelenting efforts to join the global green movement to save our planet," said Cred secretary T Leikhendra Singh. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

'India should adopt sustainable ways of farming'

New Delhi: A top climate scientist today asked India to adopt sustainable ways of farming which is under pressure due to water crisis caused by global warming. 

UN Secretary General's Special Advisor Jeffrey D Sach also underlined the need for adopting green technology to deal with the issue of climate change in various sectors including agriculture. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

CNRI for informants’ cadre to tackle black money

Pune: A novel initiative to deal with the scourge of black money has been suggested by the Confederation of NGOs in Rural India (CNRI), urging the Government to create a cadre of social workers who would work as informants to intimate the authorities about those in possession of unaccounted or black money.

"Government should announce that a cadre of social workers (informants) will be created all over the country and they will intimate the Government after 31/03/2012, if anybody is in possession of unaccounted or black money. Such informants will be treated as social workers and will be paid 10 per cent of the amount disclosed by the defaulters", Mohan Dharia, former Commerce Minister and Chairman of CNRI , has petitioned to Union Finance Minister in a note submitted for pre-budget consideration for 2012-13. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

Sheila Dikshit inaugurates Delhi's first renewal energy assisted pump system

New Delhi (ANI): Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit today dedicated the first renewal energy assisted pump (REAP) system in Mayur Vihar. 

The REAP system is an easy to install submersible pump connected to a water tank with an especially designed motor power by a solar panel. It is a green power solution capable of meeting water storage and pumping needs of users in both rural and urban India. Read more

Source : newstrackindia.com

Cutting dirty diesel pollution can reduce global warming while it improves human health

My colleague, Dan Lashof, just posted a great summary of the study, published in Science this week, that explained how cutting soot and smog pollution could help reduce the impacts of global warming in the short-term, while improving human health and buying time for critically important reductions in carbon pollution to take effect over the long term.  The study included a list of 14 key strategies like cleaner diesel engines, improved cookstoves, and capturing methane releases from coal, oil and gas production.

Here’s the key take-away: 

“[T]argeted measures to curb methane, black carbon, and carbon dioxide emissions would yield huge public health and environmental benefits.  Pollution reductions from this strategy would prevent 700,000 to 4.7 million premature deaths each year, increase crop yields, and greatly reduce the risk of extreme climate disruption that lies beyond global warming of 2 degrees Celsius.” Read more

Source : switchboard.nrdc.org

CEPT to develop guidelines for Indian cities to adapt to climate change

AHMEDABAD: Imagine sudden floods at Sabarmati River arising out of climate change and a loss of Rs 1,200 crore for Gujarat's Sabarmati Riverfront project!

A prior understanding of the effects of climate change and including features to adapt to these effects of climate change in the project could avoid such loses. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Inherent competitive advantage Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities possess

Unless Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities as well as the Tier 1 cities give priority to infrastructure for walking, cycling and BRTS, the inherent competitive advantage these non-metropolitan cities have to develop will be lost leading to greater migration to tier I cities, causing them also to suffer due to inadequateness of the infrastructure. 

The nation is in the process of rapid urbanization. This does not mean and need not mean new urban centres developing. Currently there are 48 cities which are one-million-plus, which will become 58 by 2021.These include 15 cities that are two-million-plus which will become 20 by 2021. Read more

Source : moneylife.in

Green jobs to grow 60% in 2012: Experts

Mumbai : With global warming becoming a major concern world over, hiring of green professionals is likely to grow by up to 60% this year, say experts.

"Companies are today taking steps to become environment-friendly and are hiring green professionals, who can help them reduce energy consumption. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

Global carbon emissions reach record high of 10 billion tonnes

Global carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels have increased by 49 per cent in the last two decades, according to the latest figures by an international team of researchers. 

Emissions from burning fossil fuels increases by nearly 50% in two decades

The new analysis by the Global Carbon Project shows fossil fuel emissions increased by 5.9 per cent in 2010 and by 49 per cent since 1990 – the reference year for the Kyoto protocol. Read more

Source : clickgreen.org.uk

Climate change will hit Indian cereals, benefit legumes

[NEW DELHI] Indian farmers could be producing less rice and wheat and more legumes as a result of global warming, a senior crop scientist has said.

India could produce fewer cereals but more legumes due to climate change. David Dickson

Climate change would have a negative impact on cereal crops such as wheat and rice, Bandi Venkateswarulu, director of Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad, told a South Asia media workshop on climate change in Delhi this month (17 November). Read more

Source : scidev.net

Greening our housing sector

One of the most important areas that global debates have focused on in the recent past is that of environmental sustainability. There are no two opinions that development in any form should be environmentally sustainable. In the particular context of construction, the volume in the country is humongous. In fact, over 50 per cent of the total budget in any of our Five Year Plans actually goes into construction of various components of infrastructure. Further, given the fact that we need around 24 million housing units, the impact is going to be huge and significant.

So far, the practice has been that we have been using materials and methods which are high on energy consumption, inappropriate and transported over long distances, increasing their embodied energy. Further, use of such materials has also been depleting natural resources, many of which cannot be easily replaced. While these leave large carbon footprints, they contribute immensely to excessive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, depletion of the ozone layer and global warming. The need therefore, is to develop clean development mechanisms. Read more

Source : expressindia.com

Wetlands at a loss in India

Wetlands consist of marshes, swamps, bogs and similar areas. The functions of wetlands are filtering out of sediments and nutrients from the surface water and support all life forms through extensive food webs and bio-diversity.

Wetlands contribute to a number of important processes including movement of water into streams and rivers, decay of organic matter, release of sulphur, nitrogen and carbon into the atmosphere and the growth and development of different types of organisms. The direct benefits that human beings derive from wetlands include production of fish, timber and fresh water. Read more

Source : asianage.com

Get schooled on going green

NEW DELHI : How can we save the environment from pollution and global warming? Who is more aware of the environment? And who has been doing what to promote a clean and green environment?

Answering these questions were school children from Delhi, Indore, Hyderabad and Bhubaneswar at the ‘Green-I Contest' organised by Carrier India, CII and Indian Green Building Council here this week. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Berkeley lab studying effects of pollution on "cool roofs"

Scientists at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are conducting a study to determine how pollution impacts the cooling effect of white roofs.

Temperatures in cities and other urban areas often register as higher than those of surrounding rural areas. This is because cities tend to suffer from the "urban heat island effect," when roofs and pavements absorb and retain the heat of the sun, raising the surrounding area's temperature. Read more

 

 

Source : ecoseed.org

Cities and climate change

Rapid urbanisation has enabled cities to become engines of economic growth and helped reduce urban poverty levels. But the same process has made them highly vulnerable to the severe effects of climate change. Although cities use only two per cent of the land mass, they are responsible for 75 per cent of human-induced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions released into the atmosphere, making them the biggest contributors to global warming. To bring world attention to this disquieting fact, UN Habitat has chosen the theme of Cities and Climate Change for this year's World Habitat Day. The larger objective is to drive home the point that unless growth is intelligently planned for and energy use patterns are rethought radically, cities run a big environmental risk, which would make them susceptible to climate-change-induced disasters such as sea level increase and frequent flooding. Urban sprawl, combined with unsustainable transportation planning and energy guzzling building practices, has been the main source for the GHG emission. Urban waste now accounts for only 3 per cent of total emissions, but given the accelerated expansion of urban populations, increasing waste volumes could become a big concern in the conceivable future. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

World economy to bear the brunt of climate change

The risks posed by climate change are global and quiet difficult to reverse quickly. The warming of the planet will be gradual, but the frequency and severity of extreme weather events such as intense storms, heat waves, droughts and floods could be abrupt and the consequences will be dramatically felt. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), eighteen heat-waves were reported in India between 1980 and 1998. A heat-wave in 1988 caused 1300 deaths, while another one in 2003 caused more than 3033 deaths.

Heat-waves in South-East Asia cause high mortality among the elderly population of rural areas and outdoor workers of urban areas. Examples are the reported cases of heat-stroke among metal workers as well as the outdoor worker like rickshaw-pullers in Bangladesh and India. Read more

Source : thefinancialexpress-bd.com

Climate change influences disease pattern

Heaving seas, scorching summers, dying forests and watery end to the coastal areas are some of the penalties people around the globe have to pay, scientists believe, for failing to do something about global warming fueling climate change in the last one decade. Climate change will have wide-ranging and mostly damaging impacts on health, warns Dr. Paul Epstein, an epidemiologist in the Harvard School of Public Health and one of the lead authors of the upcoming WHO study entitled "Human health and climate change."

According to Epstein, climate change could have an impact on health in three major ways: (a) creating conditions conducive to outbreaks of infectious diseases (b) increasing the potential for transmission for vector-borne diseases (c) hindering the future control of disease. There are indications, he notes, that this disturbing change has already begun. Read more

Source : thedailystar.net

World Atlas ice loss claim exaggerated - scientists

LONDON : The Times Atlas of the World exaggerated the rate of Greenland's ice loss in its thirteenth edition last week, scientists said on Monday.

A member of a team of Cambridge scientists trying to find out why Arctic sea ice is melting so fast, walks on some drift ice 800 km from the North Pole September 3, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Stuart McDILL/Files

The atlas, published by HarperCollins, showed that Greenland lost 15 percent of its ice cover over the past 12 years,based on information from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Colorado in the United States. Read more

Source : in.reuters.com

Experts mull on high speed rail transport

LUCKNOW: The Indian Railways in its vision statement for the year 2020 has envisaged construction of four dedicated high speed rail corridors connecting major cities. Six corridors have been shortlisted for pre-feasibility studies. Urban transport and high speed directorate of Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) on Saturday organised the first international seminar on high speed rail technologies.

The delegates and speakers from other countries, which include M/s Siemens from Germany, Bombardiar, Kawasaki and Nippon from Japan, Pandrol of the United Kingdom and Alstom participated in the seminar. Speakers from Germany gave a presentation on Valero high speed trains, which are running at 350 kmph. Kawasaki Japan shared the technical details of their world famous Shinkansen (Japanese bullet) train running at over 300 kmph. Shinkansen trains have been running in Japan for the last 47 years. Alstom, Bombardier and Nippon signals also gave technical presentations on high speed trains and signalling system, specific to India. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com 

Some future scenarios for renewable energy

Renewable energy is expected to be the fastest growing component of global energy demand over the next several decades. According to the International Energy Agency's (IEA) reference scenario, global demand for renewable energy is expected to grow at a compound average annual growth rate of 7.3% between 2007 and 2030 [17, p. 74].1 This compares to a compound average annual growth rate over the same period for world primary energy demand of 1.5%. In the IEA's 450 energy scenario, a scenario in which government policies currently being discussed to address issues of climate change and energy security are actually implemented with the effect of limiting carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere at 450ppm, the demand for renewable energy is expected to grow by 10.4% per year between 2007 and 2030 [17, p. 212]. Over this same period, world primary energy demand is expected to grow by 0.8% per year. At a growth rate of 10.4% per year, the renewable energy sector will double in approximately 7 years. Read more

Source : power-eng.com

Evaporated water helps in global cooling

Washington: A new study has found that evaporated water helps cool the earth as a whole and not just a local area, showing that water evaporated from trees and lakes could have a cooling effect on the entire atmosphere.

The research, carried out by Carnegie’s Global Ecology department, explains that evaporative cooling is the process by which a local area is cooled by the energy used in the evaporation process, energy that would have otherwise heated the area’s surface. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

A solution for coping with the floods

The government knew the floods would be back. It had at least eight months to prepare for it. But its focus lay elsewhere — cutting deals, juggling power, privatising public assets. No greater callousness could have been exhibited than that towards the fate of the abandoned four million flood victims who never received aid or rehabilitation. This year, many of last year’s victims endure repetition of the same ordeal.

And yet, coping with flood victims is not an impossible task. People have been dealing with floods successfully for millennia. They simply took a cue from one of nature’s greatest endowments: the ability to float on water. Read more

Source : tribune.com.pk

Global warming could lead to global warring

Peel back the TV images of just about any war today and near the heart of the violence you’ll find climate change plays a part.

Not the leading role — but certainly a growing one.

It was climate change that created the drought in Somalia, which in turn helped spark the current crisis

That’s what journalist Christian Parenti, 41, argues in his new book Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence. Read more

Source : thestar.com

Trapping greenhouse gases

Schematic diagram of carbon capture and storage

Increasing global population, ongoing urbanisation, and humanity's growing dependence on science and technology are leading to a sharp increase in the demand for energy. Fossil fuels, being the core source, account for 75 - 80% of today's global energy use and three quarters of humanity's total carbon dioxide emissions. The consequences of the emissions-- a global temperature rise and natural calamities leading to catastrophes. Millions of dollars are spent on research to surmount this change, either through efficiency improvement, fuel switch or the use of renewable energy. But with oil, coal and gas to remain the primary sources of energy for decades to come, besides renewable energy sources, a technology is to be thought of that strikes the balance between economic development and environmental sustainability. One such technology is Carbon dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS). What's striking about CCS technology is that it isolates CO2 from the atmosphere by providing long term storage options that are economically feasible and environmentally acceptable. Read more

Source : thedailystar.net

Modi calls for eco balance

PATNA: Green buildings are the need of the hour. Today, when natural resources are depleting at an uncontrollable rate and the process of global warming is causing serious imbalance in the environment, we need to think deeply about checking the imbalance, said deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi here on Friday.

He was speaking at the two-day 'eastern zone conference-2011' organized by the Indian Institute of Architects, Bihar and Jharkhand, on the theme 'Green architecture'. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Centre picks up Surat for study on effects of climate change

Surat : An independent agency appointed by the Union government will conduct a study on climate change and its effects.

Surat in Gujarat and Haridwar in Uttarakhand are the only two cities from India that have been selected for the study. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

World's Top-Emitters No More Aware of Climate Change in 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Residents in the top five greenhouse gas-emitting countries are no more aware of global warming or climate change than they were a few years ago. Majorities in all five countries Gallup surveyed in 2010 -- except India -- continue to say they know at least something about the issue.

Over the past several years, international leaders have unsuccessfully tried to hash out a climate deal before the Kyoto protocol expires in 2012. Meetings later this year are not expected to result in a new deal. Japan, Russia, and the U.S. recently confirmed they would not join a new Kyoto agreement and China and India contend that developed nations should act first. Read more

Source : gallup.com

''Extensive use of fossil fuel causes global warming''

Kapurthala : The extensive use of fossil fuel, besides resulting into emission of carbon dioxide, has become a major cause of global warming.These views were expressed by former member of National Security Advisory Board S K Sharma in a state level function of 'Rajiv Gandhi Akshy Urja Divas' held at Science city here today.

In his speech, he said that the extensive use of fossil fuel has "catastrophic" implications in India and as well as in the whole world.He said the studies showed that agriculture production in the country would be affected and there would be drought in some areas of the country in the coming years because of global warming. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Environmental regulator cannot create its own norms

The need for a trade-off between environment and development is not new. What is new is how we are defining and seeking to resolve it.

The equilibrium is certainly precarious, and requires procedural safeguards like transparency and due process. However, predictability is important for investment decisions, and merely establishing an environmental authority to decide cases will be dysfunctional in the absence of hard political decisions defining our perspective sustainable development. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

‘Government to focus on urbanization & global warming in 12th Five year Plan’

Mokokchung (Meyilong) : Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner, Nagaland, Alemtemshi Jamir disclosed that the 12th Five year Plan for Nagaland is focusing on ‘urbanization’ of rural areas and on addressing ‘global warming’ or ‘climate change’ for the all round development of Nagaland.

Speaking as the chief guest at a formal programme on August 13, at Meyilong village after inaugurating the monolith of village foundation and the village community hall, the Additional CS & Development Commissioner harped on the urbanization process of rural areas amidst the challenges of global warming and climate change. Read more

Source : morungexpress.com

Daily necessities, habits and luxuries

Ever wondered, what happens when Mr. Zukerberg withdraws his facebook? What happens when the telecom service providers withdraw the internet and mobile services?

When the artificial satellites choke up functioning? Aircrafts stand still? Cross border uranium transfers freeze? Or even the food joint of Mc Donald’s lock up their shutters?

What an absurd question! Read more

 

 

 

Source : oyetimes.com

Govt studies forecast less water, lesser yield

New Delhi : With India expected to be warmer than estimated earlier, a new set of government-sponsored studies have predicted lesser availability of water and decline in agriculture production on account of climate change. The studies were done under the aegis of the Indian Network for Climate Change Assessment (INCCA) to provide a holistic picture with an aim to push the government to form mitigation and adaptation policies.

Climate change impact on agriculture is the highlight of the studies to be published in Current Science on Monday with recorded fall in per acre production of wheat and rice. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

Auto recycling facility setup at GARC Chennai

With rapidly increasing vehicle population there is concurrently need for modern facilities for recycling and recovering materials from vehicles, which reach the end of their useful life.

After de-licensing of the Automobile industry in 1991, India’s vehicle population has been increasing exponentially. With rapidly increasing vehicle population there is concurrently need for modern facilities for recycling and recovering materials from vehicles, which reach the end of their useful life. Read more

Source : indiainfoline.com

India to set up independent environmental body

India's government will set up a new environmental regulator to review investment projects, the prime minister said, freeing politicians from making unpopular decisions to protect ecology at the cost of development.

NEW DELHI — India's government will set up a new environmental regulator to review investment projects, the prime minister said, freeing politicians from making unpopular decisions to protect ecology at the cost of development.

India has been embroiled in fierce debate over how to protect the environment while also lifting hundreds of millions of people from poverty through investment and infrastructure. Read more

Source : seattletimes.nwsource.com

Filters in KSRTC buses to check pollution

MYSORE: In an attempt to put a check on its contribution to global warming, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), Mysore division, has decided to fix Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) to all the buses plying in the city to reduce carbon emission.

The KSRTC has taken up the firstofitskind project in the country with the help of World Bank. Read more

Source : expressbuzz.com

 

Manireda sets 10,000 solar water heater target

Imphal : Manipur renewable Energy Development Agency (Manireda) has set a target for providing 10,000 solar water heaters in its endeavour to join the global community in the conservation of energy.

Workshop of solar thermal power system underway

Upon installation of the solar energy-powered water heaters the Agency aims to save 75 megawatt power in a five year period, said Manireda Director L Manglem while presenting the welcome address of a day-long workshop on 'solar thermal system' at Hotel Classic today. Read more

Source : e-pao.net

Mass awareness must on climate change

Bhopal : Noted environmentalist Dr. R.K. Pachauri has held extensive and meaningful talks over the burning issue of climate-change in the country with senior administrative officers at Mantralaya here today. On the occasion, he keenly watched the presentation of the State Government's action plan to this act and termed it as a laudable effort undertaken before it is too late. Those present during the deliberations included incharge Chief Secretary O.P. Rawat, Principal Secretary Housing and Environment Iqbal Singh Bains and the Principal Secretaries, Secretaries and other senior officers of all the departments. 

Environmentalist Sr. Pachauri while talking to the higher officers threw light on the latest updates about unprecedented increase in global warming. He was of the view that the temperature increasing by the day on the earth, in the sea and air is posing some very serious challenges. In this connection, he refferred to the contents of fourth assessmented survey conducted on the international level saying that apprehensions have been express about melting of Himalayan glaciers by the year 2025-35. According to the survey report, 17 centimeter rise has been registered in the sea level, which the experts have termed as very serious. Read more

Source : centralchronicle.com

Violent energy crisis looms: report

OTTAWA - Critical energy and water shortages combined with climate change could provoke wars within the next 15 years, warns a newly-released analysis by the Department of National Defence.

"Global reserves of crude oil could become problematic by 2025," wrote Maj. John Sheahan in a draft version of the report, Army 2040: First Look. "This implies that (barring the discovery of significant new reserves, and barring the adequate adoption of substitute fossil fuels or alternative fuel and energy sources) critical energy shortages will develop in the time frame of (and perhaps prior to) 2025." Read more

Source : timestranscript.canadaeast.com

Jagannath temple to be lit up by solar power

PURI: Lighting system in Sri Jagannath temple here would be converted into solar power soon, official sources said. 

Ministry of non-conventional energy has sanctioned Rs 50 lakh for installation of solar power system in the 12th century shrine, executive engineer of central electricity supply utility (CESU), Puri, R C Swain said. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

The next big power push

DURING THE first oil shock in the 1970s, soaring crude oil prices compelled the world to look at alternative energy sources to meet the demand and paved the way for commercial development of non-conventional energy technologies. During the past four decades, some of these technologies have matured and begun making significant contribution to the total energy consumption in some countries, such as Germany, Spain, etc. A steep rise in fossil fuel prices since 2008 has once again reminded the world that crude oil and gas reserves are limited. There are indications that the global oil production will peak in the near future and slide sharply thereafter. Besides, new fields are likely to be in offshore deep waters and with the Deepwater Horizon disaster, it is not going to be easy to drill deep wells for production of oil. The situation on coal is no different. Its international prices have been increasing too.

It is well accepted that the current global energy consumption and supply trends are economically, socially, environmentally and ecologically unsustainable. In this context, securing supply of reliable and affordable energy and developing technologies to transform this efficiently into electrical energy has become an urgent need. Read more

Source : tehelka.com

India aims for global leadership in renewable energy

The 10th edition of two day Green Power Conference cum Exposition on Renewable Energy organized by CII in Bangalore under the aegis of the ministry of new and renewable energy government of India and Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd called for increasing the proportion of green power in our overall energy requirement.

The conference called upon the industry, which is the major consumer of the energy, to mark up some percentage of their total energy consumption to come from green power. This will not only decrease the over dependence on fossil fuels for energy needs, but also reduces carbon emissions. Read more

Source : steelguru.com

C40 Shows How Cities Can Lead on Climate Change Solutions

When it comes to changing the way we use energy, cities are at the center of the action.

On June 2nd, I had the pleasure of speaking at the C40 Summit in São Paulo, Brazil. The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group consists of iconic cities from around the world committed to addressing climate change. Chaired by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the group has recently joined forces with the Clinton Climate Initiative’s Cities Program. Together, this partnership can have meaningful role in the fight against climate change.

Transmilenio buses ready to meet peak traffic demand, Bogotá, Colombia.

Photo credit: EMBARQ

Cities are already responsible for more than 80% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. By 2030, the world will have almost 5 billion city residents – about 60 percent of the world’s population. These cities will need to learn quickly how to build housing and transportation systems, ensure food and energy supplies and deal with waste – all while cutting back greenhouse gas emissions. Read more

Source : wri.org

Tropical diseases spread due to global warming, insanitation: Docs

KANPUR : Experts discussed the impact of global warming on tropical and epidemic diseases like malaria, cholera, dengue, kala-azar, chikungunya etc, at a meet held at Indian Medical Association (IMA), Kanpur, on Tuesday.

The doctors of Heritage School of Tropical Medicines, Kolkata, also took part in the programme. Read more

Source: articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

 

Asia's new growth model

MILAN: Led by Asia, the share of the global economy held by emerging markets has risen steadily over recent decades. For the countries of Asia – especially its rising giants, China and India – sustainable growth is no longer part of a global challenge. Instead, it has become a national growth-strategy issue. This marks a sea change in the global structure of incentives with respect to achieving sustainability.

Over the next few decades, almost all of the world’s growth in energy consumption, urbanization, automobile usage, airline travel, and carbon emissions will come from emerging economies. By mid-century, the number of people living in what will be (by then) high-income economies will rise to 4.5 billion, from one billion today. Global GDP, which currently stands at about $60 trillion, will at least triple in the next 30 years. Read More

Source: thedailynewsegypt.com

Everything you've heard about fossil fuels may be wrong

The future of energy is not what you think it is

 

Are we living at the beginning of the Age of Fossil Fuels, not its final decades? The very thought goes against everything that politicians and the educated public have been taught to believe in the past generation. According to the conventional wisdom, the U.S. and other industrial nations must undertake a rapid and expensive transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy for three reasons: The imminent depletion of fossil fuels, national security and the danger of global warming. Read More

Source: salon.com