Commentary, action and research on climate and development in India
Bits of Science: If we can’t bring actual emissions down to within the IPCC projections range – than why don’t we bend the spectrum upwards. It’s easier.
Does that sound terribly fatalistic? We’re not saying it is happening, but we wouldn’t be surprised to find out, at the planned release of IPCC AR5 in 2013. After all, there will be geoengineering in it as well – another clear way to say hello to reality.
New IPCC report, raised emissions scenarios?
Tehelka: As Greenpeace completes 10 years in India, it chalks up its successes and faces some flak. Kunal Majumder looks at both sides of the story.
WHEN GREENPEACE India listed 33 successful campaigns to celebrate its first decade in the country, the Copenhagen meet on climate change held two years ago was missing from that list. That’s because Minister of State for Rural Development Agatha Sangma was refused permission by the Prime Minister’s Office to be present on one of Greenpeace’s six ships, Arctic Sunrise, for an alternative summit. Reason? There is no precedent for Indian ministers to attend events of ‘foreign’ NGOs.
Thus the government struck where it hurt the most. Since its inception in 2001, Greenpeace India has been struggling to get rid of the ‘foreigner’ tag — it prefers the word ‘international’. It doubled efforts to ‘Indianise’ itself — releasing press notes in Hindi, with a Hindi logo. So where does it stand now?
Changing the climate of apathy
NAGPUR: A recent notification by the ministry of environment and forests (MOEF) has left the industry, especially the coal sector, worried. Under the current order if an applicant is not able to get the clearance for using forest land, which has to be obtained from the state government within a year’s time, then the project’s environmental clearance (EC) will also stand cancelled.
Coal sector worried over recent MOEF guidelines
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB), which was facing a power crisis, is seeing light at the end of the tunnel as coal supply has resumed in the state. The first shipments of coal from Indonesia and from Talcher in Orissa have started arriving.
First coal shipments arrive in TN
HOUSTON: After an internal debate, the Obama administration announced Thursday that BP would be allowed to bid on new oil leases in the Gulf of Mexico.
Pune: Wind turbine manufacturer, Suzlon Energy (SEL), has concluded the sale of its 26.06% stake in Hansen Transmissions International NV to ZF Friedrichshafen AG and exited the company. The completion of the deal will see Suzlon raising R890 crore from this sale. Tulsi R Tanti, CMD, Suzlon Group, says the sale marked an important step towards deleveraging Suzlon’s balance sheet.
While the government is blaming coal shortage for the power cuts in the state, all does not seem to be well with the coal supply transportation process.
Coal shortage in Maharashtra? Powerhouses at fault for delaying rail wagons
Under pressure to meet the ongoing shortage in coal supply committed for the power sector, the coal ministry on Thursday agreed to set aside a portion of coal earmarked for spot sales for supply to long-term power consumers.
While the decision would be in effect for a month, it would help ease the current shortage temporarily. The government sells around four million tonnes (mt) of coal — 10 per cent of what it produces — every month through spot sales at e-auction. “Some part of this four mt will be sold to public sector undertakings (PSUs) in the power sector at notified prices to meet the shortages in fuel supply agreements (FSAs) signed with them. This is only a temporary relief measure and would end when the shortages subside,” a senior official from the coal ministry told Business Standard.
Coal ministry to allot a part of spot sales to power plants
The Megha-Tropiques satellite is designed to study clouds in the tropical regions of the world that play a major role in climate change, said Roddam Narasimha, Member, Space Commission, on Wednesday at Sriharikota.
Megha-Tropiques will study the global tropical weather: Narasimha
IMPHAL, Oct 12 – The draft report on the Manipur State Action Plan on Climate Change, covering sectors like ecosystem, bio-diversity and livelihood sustainability, water resources, agriculture, health, forest, energy, urban planning, resource and development, human resource development, etc., is likely to be published soon.
Action plan on climate change in Manipur