Earth Sciences Forum launched

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, April 21: The Ministries of Science and Technology and HSBC India have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for creating an informed environment amongst various stakeholders on climate change in India and encouraging various representatives to work together to tackle climate change by sharing and communicating best practices in climate change adaptation and mitigation.

The forum will be known as the “Earth Sciences Forum”, and shall facilitate solutions in relation to climate change through participation from industry, NGOs, academia, government and concerned citizens.

Speaking about the launch, Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal said “Climate Change is an issue that impacts, not just a person, region or country, but the whole world. A solution to this problem will require the collective and active participation of all segments of society. Through the launch of the Earth Sciences Forum, we have created a platform where informed people from academia, industry and even the general public can put forth their views and help finds ways to mitigate the effects of climate change on all of us.”

Added Ms. Naina Lal Kidwai, Group General Manager and Country Head, HSBC India, “HSBC is at the forefront, among global companies, in the study of the impact of climate change and has been working towards doing its bit as a concerned global citizen. We are privileged that the Government of India and Sibal have given HSBC the opportunity to work with them on this important issue. We are extremely hopeful that the Earth Sciences Forum will result in, not just a constructive dialogue on climate change, but active participation from all stakeholders.”

The Earth Sciences Forum will consist of Climate Change Leadership Council; Climate Change Awareness Workshops for Industries (including SME); and Climate Change Outreach and Communication

Climate Change Leadership Council chaired by Kapil Sibal and co-chaired by Naina Lal Kidwai, with representatives from the industry, government, academia and NGOs. The Council shall meet at least twice a year to chart a climate action course and strive to arrive at a solution with the various stakeholders in relation to climate change.

With regard to Climate Change Awareness Workshops for Industrie, there will be periodic industry-specific learning workshops on climate change across the country to demonstrate profitable low carbon growth strategies.

These workshops will be conducted in cities where there is SME / industry concentration and will target carbon intensive industries such as Iron and Steel, Electricity, Automotive, Extractive industries (oil, mining), Real Estate, Information Technology, FMCG, among others.

The workshops will cover issues like:

• Sustainable use of natural resources, including water and environment conservation, and reduction of direct impact on environment or reduction of carbon footprint;

• Responsible financing of industries, which rely heavily on natural resources: energy, mining, steel, infrastructure, etc.;

• Investments/financing in green business models with a product prototype or proven product success: renewables, bio-diesels, techniques in sustainable resource utilisation, pollution reduction, etc.;

• Research and technology application to ensure reduction in carbon footprint.

The Forum will also disseminate the Climate Change Leadership Council proceedings, Industry Workshop proceedings, Research monographs, Industry specific low carbon strategies, Theme Papers, Country climate report etc. Additionally, the Earth Sciences Forum will also create communication to bring about awareness on climate change amongst general public, children and youth.

HSBC works in the community in India in the areas of financial inclusion, environment and sustainability. Our financial inclusion initiatives support education of children from underprivileged communities, life skills training for disadvantaged youth and financial literacy and entrepreneurship capacity building for rural women in marginalised communities.

HSBC’s environmental initiatives support water harvesting, habitat and biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods and climate change awareness.

HSBC has launched a number of climate change initiatives such as the global HSBC Climate Partnership, HSBC Climate Confidence Index, HSBC Global Environment Efficiency Programme, HSBC Global Climate Change Benchmark Index and HSBC Climate Change Fund.

HSBC Climate Partnership was launched in India in January 2008 and will support Earthwatch, WWF, The Climate Group and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, who will collaborate with research institutions, businesses and individuals to combat the impact of climate change on forests, freshwater, cities and people.

HSBC India also supports water harvesting and drought proofing projects as an essential measure to reduce climate stress on agriculture. HSBC India’s Young Rangers Programme, presently launched in Mumbai, helps children understand the need to protect the environment and take small steps to combat climate change in their schools and homes.

Globally, HSBC has won the 2007 Asian CSR Award for Environment Excellence, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Climate Protection Award 2007, and has been recognised as the Covalence Top Financial Company 2006, FT Sustainable Bank of the Year 2006, EPA Green Partner of the Year 2005 and 2006.

HSBC is ranked 4th in Accountability Ranking 2007, is a member of the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index 2007, Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes - World Index Market 2007 and FTSE4Good Environmental Leaders Europe 40 Index 2006. HSBC India has been recognised for its work in corporate sustainability and has received commendation at the Business World – SEDF FICCI CSR Award 2007 and nomination for the Economic Times Corporate Citizen Award 2007.

Al Gore to make a sequel to his Oscar-winning documentary

LONDON, April 21: Saying little has changed regarding global warming, Nobel Peace Prize-winner Al Gore has said he would make a sequel to his Oscar-winning documentary, 'An Inconvenient Truth'.

The former US Vice President said: "I will make a sequel to the 2006 documentary 'An Inconvenient Truth' and despite earths 'rising fever', I am hopeful for a happy ending".

However, he admitted that the situation had instead got worse since his documentary hit cinemas in 2006.

Gore said: "I have to say the situation has not improved since I made the movie in 2006. Sure, awareness has grown and more people are concerned since scientists said we had just 10 years to take action to halt rising sea levels," was quoted as saying by The Sun.

"But the situation has got worse. The entire North Polar ice cap is melting and could be gone in some areas in as little as five years," he said.

He warned that individual efforts such as changing to low energy lightbulks are important, it is more significant for world leaders to change laws to stop pollution pouring into the atmosphere and affecting the climate.

Recent polls had found that while people rate climate change as a serious problem, some ranked it lower than clearing up dog mess, he was quoted as saying.

Gore said the incoming US President - whether it is either of the Democratic candidates, Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, or the Republican John McCain - would be a force for change on environmental issues.

He also claimed no one could be worse than US President George W Bush in actively working against the cause.

The US has failed to live up to the Kyoto Protocol to reduce carbon emissions, he said.

World’s most energy efficient building to come up in Faridabad

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, March 28: ITT India, a 100 percent subsidiary of ITT Corporation, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Selecto Systems Private Limited to help make GreenSpaces, an IT / ITES SEZ being set up in Faridabad, the most energy efficient commercial building in the world.

For the GreenSpaces project, ITT Corporation will provide world-class fluid technology solutions.

Speaking on the occasion Kamal Meattle, CEO, GreenSpaces, remarked “to create a truly green building of world standards, we plan to work with the world leader in fluid technology as applied to water and wastewater treatment, sewage treatment and recycling of water.”

“ITT’s fluid handling solutions proven world over will significantly contribute to our plans to make GreenSpaces the world’s most energy efficient commercial building and achieve the coveted status of a Platinum Leed certified building. The IT / ITES SEZ in Faridabad is the first of the GreenSpaces projects,” he added.

ITT Corporation, a USD 9 billion global multi-industry corporation, has businesses in Fluid Technology, Motion & Flow Control and Defense. The Fluid Technology Group with sales of over USD 3 billion is the largest pump company in the world and a leader in the water and wastewater market.

The Fluid Transport brands are Goulds, Bell & Gosset, Lowara, Flygt, AC Pumps, Pumpsmart etc. whereas the Fluid Treatment brands are Sanitaire, Wedeco and Leopold.

“ITT’s Fluid Technology Group plans to achieve a leadership position in the US $ 3 billion market for transport and treatment business in India. The tie-up with GreenSpaces will give us an opportunity to showcase some of our global solutions in India,” said William Taylor, ITT’s President for China and India.

“ITT’s leading brands are very popular globally and in India. With the launch of our first-ever pump engineering, assembly and testing facility in India at Vadodara in May 2008, we are in a position to grow aggressively in different customer segments including oil & gas building services, municipal, thermal and nuclear power, pipeline, steel, paper, utility and aquaculture”, said Sam Yamdagni, President and Managing Director, ITT India.

The SEZ will have a built up area of 160,000 square meters with International quality plug and play offices with flexible interiors on large floor plates. It will offer world class telecom infrastructure with optical fiber backbone enabling reliable and fast data communication linkages and uninterrupted clean power supply backed by a captive power plant.

India can lead the world in climate change solution: Al Gore

NEW DELHI, March 15: Nobel Peace Laureate Al Gore has said that India, as an advanced developing country, can lead the world in renewable energy technologies as part of a solution to the climate change crisis.

"India has proven its capability in sectors like Information Technology and can be a leader in the world in developing new renewable technologies to combat climate change," he told reporters in New Delhi.

Gore was speaking at the launch of the India chapter of 'The Climate Project', a US-based non-profit organisation that supports the former vice-president's efforts in promoting climate change activism globally.

Asked about the differences between developed and developing countries on greenhouse gas emission cuts, Gore said fast developing nations like India has a right to aspire for higher standard of living and set whatever goals they think is appropriate.

Using 21st century-efficient technologies is the relevant issue today, not the comparison in emissions by countries, he said.

"India itself is vulnerable to effects of climate change and can be a part of the solution," he said.

Gore said there is need for a change in the US policy on climate and whoever comes to the White House after the November presidential polls will have to take necessary steps.

"My country is the largest source of pollution and most responsible for creating the problem. We need a change in policy in the US," said the environmental activist who has won an Oscar for his documentary on global warming, "An Inconvenient Truth".

Asked whether economic recession fears and paucity of time before the December 2009 climate meet will push aside climate change issues from the agenda of the new US President, Gore said they were working on building a "groundswell of public opinion" to ensure that the US take a position of leadership on climate change in the Copenhagen conference.

The 2009 climate meet aims at concluding a comprehensive new global climate treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol by 2013.

Pachauri, the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), that shared the 2007 Peace Nobel with Gore, said "unprecedented understanding and knowledge across the globe" is needed to tackle the "daunting challenge" of climate change.

Corporate sector, political leaders, civil society and research community will have to come together for a solution, he said adding, creating public awareness is important.

The Climate Project (TCP) India, a joint initiative of The Energy Research Institute (TERI) and Jindal South West Foundation, will hold training and workshops to create awareness about climate change at grassroots level.

A 100-strong first batch under TCP-India has already started training and will fan out across India to spread the message of fight against global warming.

DMRC becomes world's first rail project on UN's green list

NEW DELHI: Riding high on its achievements, the Delhi Metro has added another feather in its cap when it became the first railway project in the world to be registered by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

This feat would help financially by earning carbon credits, which is measured in terms of reduction of carbon dioxide by adequate measures.

"This is the first time in the world that the UNFCCC has registered a project based on regenerating braking technology (RBT)," DMRC Chief Public Relation Officer Anuj Dayal said.

The registration under the UNFCCC's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) will enable Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to claim carbon credits, Dayal said, adding DMRC will earn lacs of rupees annually by converting energy into financial terms.

Under the RBT system, whenever a train applies brake, the 30 per cent of the energy released by it is conserved and is used by the train coming behind.

The total amount of energy thus conserved can be converted into financial terms - Certified Emission Reduction (CER).

Dayal said, "DMRC can now claim 400,000 CERs for a 10-year crediting period. This translates to Rs 1.2 crore per year for 10 years."

"It took over a year for DMRC to get itself registered as it had to go through several procedure. The entire project was carried out with the support of Japan Carbon Finance Ltd which provided USD 95,000," he said, adding Germany-based technical service provider TUV NORD validated the project on behalf of the UNFCCC.

TUV NORD submitted its reports in September 2007 after checking and verifying the DMRC's claim of energy consumption.

UN climate panel chief supports India's nuclear power quest

NEW DELHI: Supporting India's quest for nuclear power, United Nations climate panel's chief scientist R K Pachauri has said that country should pursue it to contain emission and meet energy needs.

"Nuclear power in my mind will have a place in overall scheme of things. Firstly, it is a clean energy as it does not emit any green house gases. Secondly, to certain extent, it would offset the pressure on fossil fuel," Pachauri, chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said.

In next one decade, you will not get a major chunk of energy from Nuclear power. Only six to seven percent of energy need will be met.

But you are laying the foundation of a much larger share of nuclear energy.

"I am not saying that nuclear is without any problems. Ensuring the safeguards of handling nuclear energy, the government must pursue with it as we have very serious shortage of national resources in this country like coal and hydrocarbons," he said.

"Therefore, nuclear power provides an opportunity to enhance energy sources and cut pollution levels. The government also understands this," Pachauri said.

On the issue of reducing emission to control climate change, Pachauri said that though India should not shy away from its responsibility of cutting emission, the onus lay on the developed countries to start the process.

"This is an issue, based on common but differentiated responsibility. India cannot be expected to commit to reduce emissions. It has to be first done by the developed nations," the Nobel laureate said. IPCC led by Pachauri last year won the Nobel Peace Prize for sounding the alarm over global warming and spreading awareness on how to counteract it.

Pachauri, said that the last two years' award selection clearly reflected the fact that poverty and climate change can lead towards disruption of peace.

It is a very clear signal that world must understand these are a serious impediments for world peace, he said.

In 2006, Nobel Peace Prize went to Muhammad Yunus for poverty alleviation in Bangladesh.

"Continuation of poverty is very serious threat to peace. The countries with largest amount of threat to security are in the poorest regions of the world like Afghanistan, Darfur and others. It is essentially the persistence of poverty which threatens peace," Pachauri said.

This is where Muhammad Yunus has done a remarkable job by setting up Grameen Banks for poverty alleviation in one of the poorest countries in the world, he said.

"Yunus has created the conditions for removing poverty among women, and those who are generally outside the system which would help in their uplifment. He has extended that system to include those who were earlier excluded," he said.

Similarly, climate change would have worst possible impact on the poor, Pachauri said, adding it would also provide basis for conflict in situations like water scarcity.

"It would also affect agriculture, particularly farmers depending on rain fed agriculture. If their livelihood is affected, they would be forced to migrate. This would put strain on limited resources, leading to conflicts," he added.

CO2 cuts vital for survival of civilization: Gore

OSLO, Dec 9: Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore said Sunday that reducing CO2 emissions is essential to the ``survival of our civilization'' _ and reiterated he had ``no plans'' to run for U.S. president.

Gore, speaking at a joint news conference with the chief U.N. climate scientist, said cutting emissions was ``in our self-interest.''

``It is a question of the survival of our civilization,'' Gore told reporters in Oslo.

The former U.S. vice president and the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shared the coveted award for their efforts to draw the world's attention to the dangers of global warming.

Asked whether he had made any final decision on whether to enter the U.S. presidential race, Gore said: ``I have no plans to be a candidate.''

He added that he didn't expect re-enter politics in the future, ``but I see no reason to rule it out entirely.''

Gore also said he had not decided which candidate to endorse in next year's presidential election, or whether to endorse anyone at all.

Gore and IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri -- who are to formally receive the Nobel Peace Price on Monday -- met with Norwegian leaders Sunday.

Law students asked to specialize in environmental, cyber laws

JAMMU, NOV 22: Underscoring the need for law students to focus on environment and cyber crimes, the Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today said these were the two main issues concerning the world at present.

Specialization in certain branches of law like environment and cyber crimes had become increasingly important at present, he said addressing a function after inaugurating the Law School building in Jammu University here today.

Protection and preservation of environment was a pressing issue the world over, he said, adding that problems like global warming, depletion of ozone layer, pollution, water resource management and natural disasters were confronting the world today.

He said both central and state governments as well as Parliament and state legislatures were supportive of stringent environmental legislations.

The Chief Minister also alluded to the growing menace of cyber crimes throughout the world and highlighted the need to curb these effectively.

He said the area required special attention of legal fraternity and asked the law students to focus on this subject.

Cyber crimes are a reality now and the situation calls for specialisation in cyber laws by law students to tackle the menace, he said.

'India's renewable energy capacity to grow eight-fold'

NEW DELHI, Nov 22: India's renewable energy capacity will grow eight-fold to touch 80,000 MW by 2032 and will account for 10 percent of the country's total electricity generation capacity, Renewable Energy Minister Vilas Muttemwar said Thursday.

'We are working for facilitating the implementation of a broad spectrum programme covering the entire range of new and renewable sources,' the minister said in a paper submitted at a seminar on renewable energy organised by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry here.

'India has one of the largest programmes in renewable energy in the world,' the minister said, adding the government has identified alternate fuels, namely hydrogen, synthetic fuels and bio-fuels, as thrust areas.

In wind power alone, the government proposes a capacity addition of 10,500 MW during the 11th plan period (2007-08 to 2011-12).

K.P. Sukumaran, advisor in the ministry, told the seminar that the growth in wind power generation in the country in recent years was a reflection of the investors' growing confidence in this clean energy source.

He said that generation capacity in wind power was currently being added at the rate of 1,700 MW every year compared to just 200 MW a year four years ago. 'This reflects the dramatic turnaround in investors' confidence in the wind power.'

He said this had also put to rest the debate on whether wind power generation was viable or not. 'Instead, the debate has moved on to how capacity addition in wind power can be accelerated,' he maintained.

Speaking earlier, Rakesh Bakshi, managing director, Vestas RRB India Ltd, a key player in wind power, said the share of renewable power in the energy mix must be raised to 20-25 percent if the country's long-term energy security is to be ensured.

It will help fight the growing threat of greenhouse gas emissions, he said, adding that wind energy, which is clean and environment-friendly, is not just an option but a need of the hour.

He appreciated the support being provided by the government to developers of wind power projects. However, he added that wind power was still at a disadvantage vis-a-vis hydrocarbon fuels.

'The government should impose environment protection cess on fossil fuel-generated power in order to level the playing field for renewable power project developers,' said Bakshi.

Wind power is emerging as a key factor in India's quest for energy security as fossil fuel-based power generation has failed to keep pace with growing electricity requirement of a surging economy.

Wind power accounts for 7,230 MW of the country's 10,175 MW of renewable electricity generation capacity. The share of wind power in the country's total generation capacity stands at 7.5 percent.