Guodian Corporation of China is palnning to invest in clean electricity in the northern Chinese province of Hebei

Guodian Corporation of China is palnning to invest in clean electricity in the northern Chinese province of Hebei. It will invest about 110 billion yuan in the next five years through 2015. This was disclosed by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

Bruce Karas is the VP of environment and sustainability at Coca-Cola Refreshments at the 2011 Green Initiatives Conference

Bruce Karas is the VP of environment and sustainability at Coca-Cola Refreshments. In this video he is talking about the company’s environmental goals and various initiatives at the 2011 Green Initiatives Conference. He talks about water efficiency, reducing water footprint, recycling etc. 

NYSE Euronext has joined hands with Bloomberg New Energy Finance and have together launched three clean energy stock indices

NYSE Euronext has joined hands with Bloomberg New Energy Finance. They have together launched three clean energy stock indices. These are regionally focused. One is for the American region, the other is for Europe, Middle East and Africa region and the last one is for Asia and Oceania. 

LG Electronics of USA has plans to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by the year 2020

LG Electronics of USA has plans to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by the year 2020. 2007 is the baseline year. The company plans to reduce its energy consumption. It will implement a couple of energy management systems and technologies. This might also help the company to increase efficiency of data centers, computers and HVAC equipment. 

Starbucks is keen to adopt a technology from Tim Hortons and Scotia Recycling which will help the company to recycle cups into takeout trays

Starbucks is keen to adopt a technology which will help the company to recycle cups into takeout trays. This technology was developed by Tim Hortons which is a Canadian Chain. Scotia Recycling is Tim Hortons on this project. The cups are lined by polyethylene and Starbucks want to recycle them by 2015. 

LDK Solar Co. is trying to raise about money repay bank loans

LDK Solar Co. is trying to raise about 500 million immediately to repay bank loans. It will sell three year bonds to raise the money. In addition to it the company plans to sell 3 billion yuan of medium term notes.  

Honda Motor Co. plans hybrid version of Accord and Toyota plans for the plug in model of Prius

Honda Motor Co. is a Japanese car maker. It is the third largest car company in Japan. It is planning to launch the hybrid version of Accord sedan. Toyota which is the largest car maker in Asia. Prius is the best selling model from the company and it is launching a plugin version of the car. 

Abu Dhabi government owns Masdar. It is a renewable energy firm. The company is studying the feasibility of two wind power projects in the states former Soviet Union

Abu Dhabi government owns Masdar. It is a renewable energy firm. The company is studying the feasibility of two wind power projects in the states former Soviet Union. 

Subaru cars are made by Fuji Heavy Industries plans for hybrid cars

Subaru cars are made by Fuji Heavy Industries. The company is projecting increase in sales in U.S. next year. The sales might be more than 300000 units that the company sold this year. It is also planning for a hybrid car. 

MiaSole Inc. is based out of Santa Clara, California hires John Carrington ( ex First Solar) as CEO

MiaSole Inc. is based out of Santa Clara, California. It manufacturers thin film solar panels. The company has hired John Carrington as chief executive officer ( CEO). John Carrington was earlier with First Solar. He said that his first priority would be to increase the efficiency of solar panels to 15%. Right now the company manufactures solar panels with 13% efficiency. 

Su wei is leading the negotiations for China, says developed nations must agree for an extension of Kyoto protocol

Developed countries have been trying to changes the rules of the Kyoto Protocol. This has resulted in a gridlock between the nations. China says that there is an increasing chance that the talks will fail and there won’t be any agreement. Su wei is leading the negotiations for China. 

World Meteorological Organization (WMO) : World heading towards hottest year when La Nina phenomenon has occurred

This could be the 10^th hottest year in the recorded history. This would also be the hottest year when La Nina phenomenon has occurred. This was revealed according to the data released by World Meteorological Organization (WMO). La Nina phenomenon brings cool waters to the surface of the Pacific Ocean and has wide ranging climatic effects around the globe. The global average temperature around the world in the month of October was 0.41 of a degree Celsius (0.74 of a degree Fahrenheit) above the average of 14 degrees from 1961 to 1990.

The U.S. unit SolarWorld AG has filed complaint with Obama administration against the Chinese solar companies

The U.S. unit SolarWorld AG has filed complaint with Obama administration against the Chinese solar companies. Now a trade group China CCCME consisting of Chinese solar companies has asked the company to withdraw the complaint. There is a fear that this can escalate into a trade war with U.S. if U.S. decides to penalize Chinese companies.

Anglo American is a building energy efficient houses for its employees in the City of eMalahleni in south Africa

Anglo American is a building energy efficient houses for its employees in the City of eMalahleni in south Africa.  There is a shortage of houses in the City. The company is using gypsum to add with cement and make bricks. These bricks make energy efficient houses. Gypsum is a byproduct of the operations of the company.

U.K.’s University of Leeds and France’s Euromed Management School have together analyzed the CSR reports of various companies

U.K.’s University of Leeds and France’s Euromed Management School have together analyzed the CSR reports of various companies. They have found that the reports contain data which are inaccurate and unsubstantiated. They have analyzed about 4000 CSR reports. These reports, rankings and other data have been published over the last ten years. 

ABB has improved the hydrodynamic efficiency of its Azipod propulsion unit

ABB has a marine power and automation division. The company has made changes in the Azipod frame design which has increased its efficiency by 2%. Azipod is the propulsion unit from the company. 

Royston Jones is the president and global CTO of Altair ProductDesign wrote in Industry Week about how BMW and Audi is using lightweight materials

Royston Jones is the president and global CTO of Altair ProductDesign. Altair ProductDesign is an  engineering and design consultancy firm. He wrote in Industry Week that automakers have been working to reduce the weight of parts. Lightweight materials are being used to reduce weight of heavier materials. Steel parts are being replaced with glass fiber polymer by companies like BMW and Audi. 

The United Nations Climate Change Conference will start today in Durban in the backdrop of European Debt Crisis

The United Nations Climate Change Conference will start today in Durban. This is the last important discussion among al the nations to discuss meant to extend the Kyoto Protocol. There is a very bleak chance that the talks would be successful. The European Debt crisis is also making it difficult for nations to commit to cut in emissions as it might affect growth of the nations. 

Robert Boller is the VP Sustainability of Kendall Jackson Wines. In this video he talks about the checking on eco-certifications to figure out the truthfulness and veracity of the statements.

Robert Boller is the VP Sustainability of Kendall Jackson Wines. In this video he talks about the checking on eco-certifications to figure out the truthfulness and veracity of the statements.

Climate Savers Computing Initiative is an IT consortium. It has released a white paper “Power Management for Networking Devices”

Climate Savers Computing Initiative is an IT consortium. It has released a white paper “Power Management for Networking Devices” on optimizing the energy performance of network systems. It says that measuring, analyzing, monitoring and taking timely actions an help to reduce energy consumption.

Human Rights and Climate Change Lost in translation? By Rajendra Shende, Chairman, TERRE Policy Center, Former Head of UNEP

By Rajendra Shende, Chairman, TERRE Policy Center, Former Head of UNEP

We are witnessing yet another global gathering on Climate Change.  This time it is in Durban, in South Africa. After much hyped global jamboree in Copenhagen, in 2009, there was relatively low-ebb gathering in Cancun in Mexico in 2010. And now the climate crowd comes southwards. Are we expecting a change? Yes, climate change will continue, may be even at rapid pace and may even have run-away reaction with possibility of the ‘mega-catastrophes’.  Thats what the latest release from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC) stated. But change in climate of the negotiations is certainly not expected. Not even in near future.

I met one of the USA Senators couple of months back. I have never seen a politician who is so sure about the negative outcome.  In general politicians, while talking, spread optimism and sprinkle hopes among the audience. This Senator told me, “ Nothing is going to happen on the climate negotiations for next 4-5 years. Our only hope was Barak Obama but that was 4 years back! He now will not move an inch from his present climate-inertia till the election in 2012 and then another 4 years till ( hopefully)  the budget-deficit issue and unemployment are settled. He is unlikely to  even utter a words  ‘Climate Change’ which he used so often in his first Presidential campaign” he declared so decidedly. Well, climate does change!

Interestingly, the climate change  issue has become now neo-political issue. It will soon be the issue to be studied by political scientists rather than environmental or atmospheric scientists.

12000 strong delegates from more than 190 countries that have gathered in Durban will hear repeatedly that China and India are now contributing to Climate Change like never before.  Indeed, China has become the largest emitter of green house gases , overtaking USA. This is not surprising considering the enormous population of China coupled with its amazing economic development. Use of fossil fuels and hence the emission of carbon dioxide- a major Green House Gas- are now intricately linked to the economic development of any  country.  India too is not lagging behind.  It is now 4^th largest emitter of green house gases in the world!

When the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC)  was signed in 1992, the situation was totally different.  Both India and China were no-where near top of the list of polluters.  The common but differentiated responsibility principle which became backbone of the multilateral environmental negotiations in 1990’s, required that developed countries-who were the largest emitters-take action first, and the developing countries would follow the suit some time in future. This paved the way for legally binding targets for the developed countries without any similar targets for the developing countries. It was also agreed in 1992 that the funding would be made available by the developed countries for the reducing the  emission of the green house gases ( called ‘mitigation” ) in   the developing countries.

19 years down the lane, the game board now looks different, it has now quite changed. Developed countries are demanding that developing countries like India and China should take responsibility and legally binding targets like that taken by the developed countries as their emissions are also significant, nay disturbingly high.

But things have not changed for the negotiators from India and China! They openly and vehemently insist that promise is promise. They are reminding of the promise and demanding the response to the question: what happened to the promises given by the developed countries in Copenhagen and in Cancun? There the  developed countries assured that from 2010 to 2012, USD 30 billion would be made available to the developing countries and then enhancing that amount to USD 100 billion every year for the climate friendly technologies and also for the adaptation measures in the developing countries.  These promises are not forth coming .

These political statements, apart from present financial crisis,   stand to  overshadow Durban meeting. But caught in between these arguments are small island countries like Maldives. IPCC report says that sea level rise due to climate change would be anywhere between 18 to 60 cms by the end of this century. That would threaten the life of the people in about 40 small island countries. The population there need to be shifted, people  need the shelter elsewhere. Number of people from these countries has already started shifting ( many term this as environmental migration or climate change refigees) to the bigger and safer countries. People from Tuvalu have started migrating to Australia and New Zealand. “ Our survival is not guaranteed, what ever the decisions that countries will take in Durban”, said Dessina Williams, President of the Alliance of the Small Island States in Durban.

This raises the question of human rights and challenges for the United Nations as an organization under which the “Universal Declaration of Human rights” has been adopted. The article 3 of this declaration says that:

“Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.”

Due to inaction on the climate change for last 20 years, the life, liberty and security of the people in small island countries has now come under serious threat. How the negotiations in Durban would address this human right issue is something is totally forgotten. Human issue  rights and Climate Change has been lost in the crowd of 12000 delegates and political statements of the leaders! But it has not vanished, it would surface soon. 

By Rajendra Shende, Chairman, TERRE Policy Center, Former Head of UNEP

Elevators and escalator manufacturer Kone has Environmental Health and Safety Software from KMI

Kone manufacturer’s elevators and escalator. The organization has installed and implemented the Environmental Health and Safety Software from KMI. The offices and facilities of Kone which are globally spread now can use the various functionality of the software which are KMI’s Incident Management, Audit & Inspection, Compliance Management, Corrective Action and Reporting & Dashboards. 

UPS is buying 100 electric vehicles for California

UPS is buying 100 electric vehicles. These are delivery trucks and will be used in the California market. UPS has now just about 28 electric vehicles and adding  another 100 would substantially increase its number. 

Simpósio discute o comércio ilícito de substâncias químicas

Brasília (24/10/2011) - Começa amanhã e vai até quinta-feira (27/10) o simpósio "Combate ao Comércio Ilícito de Substâncias Químicas Controladas pelo Protocolo de Montreal e outros Acordos Ambientais Multilaterais". O evento será realizado no Hotel Grand Bittar, em Brasília, e transmitido ao vivo pelo link http://produtoraauge.com.br/aovivo/ nos três días… Read more >>> http://bit.ly/sgCwmT

Research by IDC manager Jay Holman said that the action taken by U.S. based companies against China is likely to succeed

Chinese solar power are preparing to take action against U.S. Research by IDC manager Jay Holman said that the action taken by U.S. based companies against China is likely to succeed. This will result in an increase in price of the solar modules. This might make it hard for the developers to complete solar projects. 

Pulitzer Prize winner Daniel Yergin is the chairman of IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates released his new book “The Quest: Energy, Security and the Remaking of the Modern World”

Daniel Yergin is the chairman of IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates. He won the Pulitzer Prize in the year 1993 for his book: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power. He has released his new book “The Quest: Energy, Security and the Remaking of the Modern World”. He tries to talk about how oil production would plateau and he also talks about how technology innovation will affect the energy markets.

Sainsbury's is a UK based grocery retail chain has unveiled its new sustainability program known as "20 by 20 Sustainability Plan".

Sainsbury's is a UK based grocery retail chain. The company has unveiled its new sustainability program The plan is aggressive and is known as "20 by 20 Sustainability Plan". The organization says that it plans’ “to transform the marketplace for greener, fairer and healthier products. We want to help shift our customers’ everyday behavior in favor of sustainability but still provide the value and quality that they have come to expect."

Areva SA has won a contract for supplying wind turbines a wind power project in Germany

Areva SA has won a contract for a wind power project. The project will be in Germany. The contract is valued to be at 1.2 billion euros ($1.6 billion). The company will supply 120 wind turbines.

Chugoku Electric Power Co., Electric Power Development Co. and the Japanese government together will be developing a coal power plant which will be less polluting

Chugoku Electric Power Co., Electric Power Development Co. and the Japanese government together will be developing a coal power plant which will be less polluting. It will use less polluting generating technologies. The Coal power plant may use fuel cell technology. The prototype plant with a capacity of 170-megawatt will be developed. 

California has approved the cap and trade program for the carbon emissions creating the second largest carbon trading system

California has approved the cap and trade program for the carbon emissions. The will probably create the largest carbon trading ecosystem after the European Union. California's Air Resources Board has approved the new set of rules. The market is estimated to be around $10 billion by the year 2016.

Coromandel Wind Energy has a wind power project in the Northern state of Rajasthan and signs contract with Suzlon

Coromandel Wind Energy has a wind power project in the Northern state of Rajasthan. For the project the firm has signed a contract with Suzlon Energy Ltd. The contract is valued at 4.7 billion rupees. The wind power project has a capacity of 75.6 megawatt.

Clean Energy Fuels is building a network of natural gas filling stations

Clean Energy Fuels  is building a network of natural gas filling stations. The network would be very much needed when vehicles powered by natural gas become popular. Natural gas has much less emission compared to other fossil fuels. However environmentalists are against extensive use of natural gas. 

Brazilian firm Bioenergy Geradora de Energia Ltda. is looking for signing agreements to sell power from 16 wind farms in the state of Maranhao

Bioenergy Geradora de Energia Ltda. is a Brazilian firm. It develops renewable energy. The company has plans for an IPO. The value of the IPO is $910 million. The money raised will be utilized in the wind farm in the northeast of the country. The company is looking forward to sign agreements to sell power from the 16 wind farms. These wind famrs are located in the State of Maranhao. 

European Union (EU) has says that until other regions and nations show commitment it won’t extend the Kyoto protocol. Japan, Russia and Canada are not willing to extend it.

The European Union (EU) has says that until other regions and nations show commitment it won’t extend the Kyoto protocol. Japan, Russia and Canada are not willing to extend it. EU which consists of 27 nations emits about 11 % of the global emissions. Every region is acting tough and the talks may fail.

Spanish wind energy producer Fersa Energias Renovables SA finds it difficult to meet the sales and capacity targets

Fersa Energias Renovables SA is a Spanish organization. It develops wind energy. The share prices have lost 46% of the value. The organization may also find it difficult to meet the capacity and sales targets. The European debt crisis is drying up as the debt crisis is taking its toll. The company has 59% of its installed capacity in Western European markets like Spain and Italy. It has a target of 561 megawatts of installed capacity for the year 2014. 

Keeping Track of Our Changing Environment ( GEO-5)

The environmental changes that have swept the planet over the last twenty years are spotlighted in a new compilation of statistical data by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), released today in a report entitled "Keeping Track of our Changing Environment: From Rio to Rio+20". The report is produced as part of UNEP's "Global Environmental Outlook-5" (GEO -5) series, the UN's most authoritative assessment of the state, trends and outlook of the global environment. The full GEO-5 report will be launched next May, one month ahead of the Rio+20 Conference taking place in Brazil.

See Pages 25 and 26 related to ozone layer and the Montreal Protocol… Read more http://www.unep.org/GEO/pdfs/Keeping_Track.pdf

Ms Smith was found not guilty by Edinburgh Sheriff Court, she protested at Cairn energy office dressed as polar bear along with other Greenpeace activists.

50 Greenpeace activists had stormed the office of Cairn Energy. Natasha Smith was among them. She is aged 24 years. She had dressed up as polar bear during her protests. Sheriff Roderick MacLeod from the Edinburgh Sheriff Court found that she had not acted illegally. The prosecutors could not prove that she is guilty. 

Latest research from researchers from St Andrews and Durham gives insights on how Grey Seals guards and bring up their young ones from

Latest research gives insights on how Grey Seals guards and bring up their young ones. According to the research they have different personality. This research was conducted by researchers from St Andrews and Durham. It found that the upbringing styles where different for different ones and they were often unpredictable.  

The European Commission has asked nations to take urgent action to save wildlife in European rivers after study of the European Red List

The European Commission has asked nations to take urgent action to save wildlife in European rivers. Pollution, is threatening their lifestyle. Also overfishing is resulting a loss of habitat. This was found after a recent study of the European Red List which included about 6000 species. 

Plantlife is a Conservation group, which has released a report which says that woodland management is more important

Plantlife is a Conservation group. It has released a report which says that just planting trees is not enough. More focus should be on woodland management. Trees planted struggle to survive because of various reasons. 

UK's climate secretary Chris Huhne said that UN’s climate summit officials should work towards a global treaty

UK is favor of new climate deal. UK's climate secretary has said that in the UN’s climate summit officials should work towards a global treaty. This treaty should be in place by the year 2015. This was mentioned by Chris Huhne. 

BBC poll: people are not in favor of nuclear power but are leaning toward renewable energy

BBC has conducted a poll to check the support for nuclear power. It found that people are not in favor of nuclear power with just 22% saying that it was safe and that more nuclear reactors should be build for electricity. The support of nuclear power was more in the year 2005.  People are becoming in favor of renewable energy. 

The Australian government is planning to setup the largest marine reserve in Coral Sea : environment Minister Tony Burke

The Australian government is planning to setup a marine reserve. This will be set up in Coral Sea. This will be the largest marine reserve in the sea. The area would about one-and-a-half times the size of France. This was disclosed by the environment Minister Tony Burke. The area would be protected and fishing and explorations would be prohibited in the area. 

Professor Mohamed El Naschie has said to the high court that an article in the journal Nature is untrue and misleading

Professor Mohamed El Naschie has said to the high court that an article in the journal Nature is untrue and misleading. The article did not confirm to what is known as freedom of speech. The article was published in 2008. The lawyer representing Nature said that the article was true and represented public interest. The scientist has filed a case against the journal. 

Nasa has launched Curiosity from Florida on Atlas 5 rocket for Mars

Nasa has launched new rover for Mars. This has been named as Curiosity. It has been launched on an Atlas 5 rocket. The flight was launched from Florida. IT will take eight and a half months to reach Mars. It will search for life on Martian soil and surface. 

Dr. Lucy Kings work has shown that bees can be used to keep off elephants

Bees can be used to keep off elephants from human settlements. A British scientists have found that bees can be effectively used as fence for fields of African farmers. Dr. Lucy Kings work has shown that nature can be effectively used to the benefits of mankind. Elephants are afraid of bees and do not attack the fields. Due to her work she has won the prestigious environmental award. Achim Steiner, executive director of the UN Environment Programme (Unep) has praised her work. 

Newmont is a US based mining company. It is facing problem with the Conga mine. This is a large open cast gold mine located in the high Andes

Newmont is a US based mining company. It is facing problem with the Conga mine.  This is a large open cast  gold mine located in the high Andes. Thousands of people in the Cajamarca region are protesting against the mines. They say it will cause pollution and destroy water supplies. The company has promised that it will replace the threatened water supplies with modern reservoirs. 

Car2go is a subsidiary of Daimler started first electric car sharing program in San Diego, U.S. It also operates in Austin ( Texas ), Vancouver ( British Columbia ), Hamburg ( Germany ) and Ulm ( Germany ).

Car2go  is a subsidiary of Daimler. It has launched the first electric car sharing program in North America. It is trying to build a network. Initially is will have 300 Smart ForTwo vehicles in San Diego. The cars wil be available to 24 hours a day and members can use it without reservation and for as long as they want. It also operates similar networks in Austin ( Texas ),  Vancouver ( British Columbia ),  Hamburg ( Germany ) and Ulm ( Germany ).

Ecotality will be installing Blink Pedestal chargers in every Walmart store. Two Blink Pedestal chargers will be installed in every store. Except in Oregon which will have only one Blink DC Fast Charger.

Ecotality will be installing Blink Pedestal chargers in every Walmart store. Two Blink Pedestal chargers will be installed in every store. Except in Oregon which will have only one Blink DC Fast Charger. 

Dominion Power is the Virginia Utility. The company has invested $1 million in Power Assure data center power management software company

Dominion Power is the Virginia Utility. The company has invested $1 million in Power Assure . Power Assure  is a data center power management software company. The two companies have partnered to integrate data centers into smart grids. 

Under LEED Automation U.S. Green Building Council has launched an online App Lab

U.S. Green Building Council has launched an online App Lab. This is a part of the LEED Automation Program. This is a catalog which consists of computer applications developed by the third-parties. This application is integrated with LEED data. It can be used with Internet browsers, tablets, smartphones.

Jim Weinbauer is the vice president of sustainability at AECOM. He was speaking at the 2011 Green Initiatives Conference.

Jim Weinbauer is the vice president of sustainability at AECOM. He was speaking at the 2011 Green Initiatives Conference. He talks about a value based approach to sustainability business opportunity.

Department of Energy’s (DOE) 2011 Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan

The Department of Energy (DOE) has managed to reduce its Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions. It has reduced it by 13% when compared to the year 2008. In the year the emissions were 4.6 million mTCO2e. It was reduced to 4 mT in the year 2010. The organization hs a target to reduce the emissions by 28% by the year 2011. It has put in a Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan.

The EPA will be delaying the greenhouse gas limiting rule for oil refineries

The EPA will be delaying the greenhouse gas limiting rule for oil refineries. As a part of the court settlement it was supposed to finalize the rule by mid –December. However now it will ask the states and environmental groups to extend the timelines. It  has earlier postponed the rules for power stations. 

Oxford Instruments has launched XRF analyzer for screening heavy metals in soils and hazardous substance and waste electronic compliance screening

Oxford Instruments is a technology firm. It has launched X-MET7000 which is a hand held device. It is a XRF analyzer for materials analysis and screening. The product has been designed for scrap sorting, screening heavy metals in soils and hazardous substance and waste electronic compliance screening.