Analysts expect at least a political agreement to be reached when the two weeks of talks wind up, with countries promising to start deliberations on a new regime of binding cuts in the gases blamed for global warming and environmental devastation.

Anything less would qualify the United Nations negotiations in the South African city of Durban as a disaster, they say. The European Union plan envisages a new deal reached by 2015, and put into effect by 2020, imposing binding cuts on the world’s biggest emitters of the heat-trapping gases.

In Durban the two issues for the negotiators from nearly 200 countries are finding a way of updating the Kyoto Protocol, the only global pact that enforces carbon cuts, and raising funding needed to help poor countries tackle climate change.

Key to any greenhouse gas deal will be China, the United States, India and Brazil – the world’s largest emitters which are not bound by the cuts regime in the Kyoto Protocol. “We are seeing convergence and that’s what we need to achieve the outcome that we want to have,” Brazil’s chief negotiator, Luiz Alberto Figueiredo, told a news briefing on Thursday.

Three U.N. reports released in the last month show time is running out to achieve change. They show a warming planet will amplify droughts and floods, increase crop failures and raise sea levels to the point where several island states are threatened with extinction.

South African President Jacob Zuma has said Durban will be a failure if a Green Climate Fund, designed to help poor nations tackle global warming and nudge them towards a new global effort to fight climate change, is not put into force.

A group of 48 of the least developed countries has said it backs the European plan for a firm timetable, joining African nations and 43 small island states. Japan has said it shares “common ground” with Europe while Canada and several other developed countries have shown their support. The EU, Japan and others have said that any deal that does not include all major players would not nearly be enough to head off a global problem.

The United States has said it will make its emissions cuts binding under an international agreement only if China and other developing countries that are big polluters back their commitments with equal legal force.

If the discussions hold to form, envoys will extend discussions and release their decisions on Saturday. “These negotiations are running around in circles. If we don’t act now, some of us will die,” said Karl Hood, Grenada’s minister of foreign affairs and chairman of the 43-member Alliance of Small Island States.
Agencies

Climate change presents major long-term risks to the global economy and to the assets in which we invest. At the same time, well designed and effectively implemented long-term climate change and clean energy policy (“investment-grade policies”) will not only present significant opportunities for investors in areas such as cleaner and renewable energy, energy efficiency and decarbonisation, but will also yield substantial economic benefits including creating new jobs and businesses, stimulating technological innovation, and providing a robust foundation for economic recovery and sustainable long-term economic growth.

In the Cancun Agreements in 2010, governments agreed to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions so as to hold the increase in global average temperature below 2 degrees Celsius. To achieve this goal, massive investment in low-carbon energy will be required. For example, in its 2010 World Energy Outlook, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has forecast that USUS $13.5 trillion (or some USUS $500 billion per year) in clean energy investment and spending, in addition to the commitments that have already been made by governments, will be needed between 2010 and 2035.

With data from the IEA indicating that global energy-related emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2010 were the highest on record, it is clear that the need for action is urgent. However, current levels of investment in low-carbon technologies fall far short of what is needed. Private investment will only flow at the scale and pace necessary if it is supported by clear, credible and long-term policy frameworks that incentivise investments in low-carbon technologies rather than continuing to favour carbon-intensive energy sources. Therefore, as we approach the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Seventeenth Conference of the Parties (COP-17) in Durban, South Africa, in November-December 2011, we wish to reiterate the calls we have made in previous Investor Statements about the importance of both domestic and international climate change policy in catalysing the required levels of investment needed to transition to a low-carbon economy, and to outline the elements of “investment-grade climate and energy policy” necessary to attract large scale investment in solutions to climate change.

Yes, there’s money in a clean energy transition. And there are jobs in a clean energy transition. And a clean energy transition would save the world tremendously in averted disaster and destruction. The technology is ready and urgent action is needed.

All of this is painstakingly clear to CleanTechnica readers, I think, so there is nothing new there. But it’s nice to hear that investors with US $20 trillion in assets are telling our world leaders that!
Clean Technica

The Minister highlighted that India has taken policy initiatives for the development of renewable energy and the implementation of energy efficient improvement programmes. He said the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), which is under implementation aims at adding 20,000 Mw solar capacity by 2022. He added that the SERCs are mandating a minimum RPO to the distribution utilities of their respective states.

He also added that the government has given due emphasis to energy efficiency, 37 ESCOs have been accredited by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). He said a National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency is under implementation while a “Perform-Achieve-Trade” (PAT) Scheme for energy intensive sectors has been launched recently. Reaffirming that it is common responsibility to work for the poorest of the poor, Shinde said that the policy initiatives taken by the Government of India and the Prime Minister’s National Action Plan on Climate Change would guide low carbon growth in India during the next decade.

The study was conducted by the market research firm Market Xcel Data Matrix Pvt. Ltd. The study also reveals the penetration of consumer durable products and brand association with consumer durables. Dr Sandeep Garg, energy economist, BEE said, “In India the awareness of EE labels has risen substantially from 0.5 per cent in 2008 to 15 per cent in 2011. EE labels are now sought out by consumers and play a crucial role while purchasing consumer durables. The survey helps in raising public awareness on EE labels and its impact on consumer buying decisions.”

Vishal Oberoi, CEO of Market Xcel said, “The need-of-the-hour is to improve efficiency of consumer durables and for this energy labels are recognized as a clear and trusted source of information. There is a significant rise in the importance of Energy Efficiency (EE) labels in India, and our study reinforces this point highlighting consumers’ awareness, attitude and reasons for considering EE labels during purchases.”

Some major findings of the survey are a) the penetration of ceiling fans, tubular florescent lamps (TFL) and color televisions is close to 100 per cent compared to 11 per cent penetration in air conditioners and 6 per cent in case of laptops. b) On an overall basis, the awareness of EE labels is 51 per cent; with more awareness in Western (65 per cent) and Northern (62 per cent) India. c) 65 per cent of the aware respondents considered EE labels while making their last purchase, reason being it ‘saves electricity bill’ and ‘energy conservation’. d) 4 out of 5 respondents are willing to consider EE labels during their purchase owing to the money savings factor, followed by the intention to save energy. e)  The most associated product with energy efficiency labels is Refrigerator. Washing machines, Color TV and Air conditioners are other associated products. f) BEE is considered majorly as governing (44 per cent) and advertising (40 per cent) body behind Energy labeled products. g)TV emerged as the primary source of information for EE labels.

The 1238 respondents represented both male and female in the age group of 15-49. The 12 cities which were part of the survey are Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Lucknow and Patna.

“We hope to establish an independent regulator — the National Environment Appraisal and Monitoring Authority soon. This authority could lead to a complete change in the process of granting environmental clearances. Staffed by dedicated professionals, it will work on a full-time basis to evolve better and more objective standards of scrutiny,” Singh said. The move to establish this authority appears to have come in the wake of stalling of several industrial and mining projects after the Environment Ministry, till recently led by Jairam Ramesh, had refused to clear the project.

The Prime Minister also expressed the hope that in future there would not be much litigation in projects due to environmental issues.”I must also mention that but for the enduring wisdom of our judiciary, we would not have the bulk of what we proudly call ‘environmental jurisprudence’,” Singh said. He maintained that in the 1990s, due to rapid industrialisation brought about by economic liberalisation there was a threat of depletion of natural resources. But the judiciary had ensured there was no compromise on this issue.

“Over all, a major challenge ahead is to put in place a legal and regulatory framework which is effective in protecting the environment but without bringing back the hated licence permit raj of the pre-1991 period,” Singh said.

Singh also hailed the new “comprehensive law” which established a specialised Tribunal for settlement of a “broad spectrum of environmental cases of civil nature”.

“We have joined a handful of forward looking countries to have such a dedicated mechanism. This tribunal has started functioning and I expect it will help to reduce the workload of our courts,” he said. The Prime Minister insisted that the Disaster Management Act, 2005 had enabled the setting up of institutional mechanisms for disaster preparedness and mitigation.

Singh claimed that in the last four years, the government has formulated a national agenda for environmental protection to meet the challenges of disaster management and climate change.
“Our mission for sustainable habitat will develop standards for green buildings which we intend to make integral to our municipal laws,” he said.

The UPA-II government has a target for greening 10 million hectares of forest land to increase incomes of the poor through a national Green India Mission. “Action for generating over 20,000 Mw of solar energy by the year 2020 is underway,” he said.

Through sustainable agriculture and water conservation, the government aims to increase productivity of dry land agriculture and increase efficiency of water use. “All these steps will cumulatively lead us to a low carbon growth path,” Singh said.
Agencies

Puri insisted that climate change needed to stay in the realm of the General Assembly and the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC). “We don’t have a problem discussing climate change,” the envoy said. “As far as action, it has to be done in the UNFCCC.”

“Some countries are trying to do a mandate creep,” he said, describing a trend to get more issues under the belt of the Security Council. Countries like Brazil and South Africa also emphasised that the UNFCCC should remain central to addressing the issue of climate change.

India, however, differed its position from China and Russia, which were fundamentally against the Council dealing with climate change. Mark Lyall Grant, UK’s envoy to the UN, also noted that New Delhi has not opposed the Council’s statement on the climate change in the same way as Beijing and Moscow. “India played a positive role,” he said.

After several revisions, the Security Council issued a statement on climate change, last night. Observers noted that its language was weakened to reach a compromise.
Agencies

This long term test run is expected to reduce CO2-emissions and deliver research results. Since bio-kerosene has similar properties to those of conventional kerosene, it can be used for all aircraft types without any need for modifications to the aircraft or its engines. During the six months test run period, the use of bio-fuel will reduce CO2 emissions by up to 1,500 tonnes.

Christoph Franz, chairman and CEO of the Lufthansa Group, said, “Lufthansa is the first airline worldwide to use bio-fuel in scheduled daily flight operations. We are thus continuing to steadily implement our proven and successful strategy for sustainability.” As air transport is the only mode of transport that will remain dependent upon liquid fuels for the foreseeable future, the aviation industry and the research community must develop and test alternatives. “Fossil raw materials are finite,” Franz cautioned. He added that next to reducing CO2 emissions the main aim of this long-term operational trial was to examine the effects of bio-fuel on the maintenance and lifespan of aircraft engines.

The biosynthetic kerosene is derived from pure biomass (biomass to liquids – BtL) and consists mainly of jatropha and camelina. In the procurement of bio-fuel, Lufthansa ensures that it originates from a sustainable supply and production process. Suppliers must provide proof of the sustainability of their processes and meet the criteria stipulated by the European Parliament and the Council in the Renewable Energy Directive. The fuel used by Lufthansa is produced by Neste Oil, a Finnish oil company. Neste has extensive experience in the production of bio-fuels and has been a successful partner of Lufthansa for many years.

Lufthansa puts the total costs of conducting the bio-fuel project at about 6.6 million euros. The German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology has awarded 2.5 million euros in funding for this project, which is part of a larger project known as FAIR (Future Aircraft Research) set up to examine other issues besides the compatibility of biofuels, including new propulsion and aircraft concepts and other fuels such as liquefied natural gas (LNG).

In a substantive yet incomplete exercise, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today dropped seven ministers, inducted V Kishore Chandra Deo and seven other new faces, and elevated three others including Jairam Ramesh from whom Environment and Forests has been taken away.

In the much-talked about revamping of his ministry, Singh did not touch the ‘big four’ — Finance, Home, Defence and External Affairs — but shifted M Veerappa Moily from Law to Corporate Affairs and brought Salman Khursheed in his place.

Trinamool Congress leader Dinesh Trivedi has been elevated to the Cabinet rank and given the Railways portfolio left vacant by Mamata Banerjee after she became West Bengal Chief Minister.

Beni Prasad Verma becomes a Cabinet Minister for Steel, a portfolio he earlier held as Minister of State with Independent charge.

The other new faces in the Council of Ministers are Jayanthi Natarajan who gets Environment and Forests, Dibrugarh MP Paban Singh Ghatowar (DONER), Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhyaya (Health and Family Welfare), Alwar MP Jitendra Singh (Home), Milind Deora (Communication and IT) and Rajiv Shukla (Parliamentary Affairs).

Ministers who have been dropped from the Cabinet are M S Gill (Statistics and Programme Implementation), B K Handique (DONER), Kantilal Bhuria (Tribal Affairs), Murli Deora (Corporate Affairs) and Dayanidhi Maran (Textiles). While Maran had resigned last week in the wake of his being named in the 2G scam, Deora had offered his resignation citing old age and had reportedly sought a berth for his son Milind.

The new ministers would be sworn in at a function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan this evening after which the strength of the Council will go up by one to 68. While there were eight additions, seven have been axed.
Agencies

“In 2009, the combined permanent and additional saving through sequestration was equivalent to a saving of around 18 billion kg of CO2 or removing about 8 million cars from the road,” ISAAA chairman Clive James said quoting Brookes and Barfoot, 2011 (a UK-based PG Economics company).

The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) is a not-for-profit international organization. Given that agriculture is a significant contributor (14%) of greenhouse gases (GHG) and therefore part of the problem in climate change, it is appropriate that biotech crops can be part of the solution, James said.

James, who is disciple of Nobel laureate and father of Mexican food revolution architect Norman Borlaug, rolled out these statistics at an international conference on GM crops at Hyderabad last week to highlight advantages of crop biotechnology. Besides James, ICRISAT Director General William W Dar had also underlined adoption of the newer Bt plant technology by India in a big way.

The ISAAA chief said a record 15.4 million farmers in 29 countries, including India, had planted GM crops in 148 million hectares in 2010. By 2015, which also happens to be millennium development goals year, area under GM crops is expected to reach 1 billion hectare in 40 countries, he added.

Deep cuts in CO2 emissions worldwide are prescribed as the only way to prevent a future global warming catastrophe. One of the few successes of the Copenhagen Summit on climate change in 2009 was initiative known as REDD (Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) which aimed to reduce deforestation, whereas agriculture is a cause of deforestation emitting about 14% of global GHG.

The global research alliance on agriculture greenhouse gases was established in December 2009 with America pledge of $150 billion to investigate and develop potential opportunities, which could reward farmers in poor countries for locking up carbon in their crops and soils under the aegis of clean development mechanism discussed in Copenhagen.

The ISAAA chief said biotech crops require fewer pesticide sprays which results in savings of tractor/fossil fuel and thus less CO2 emissions, he said. Besides, herbicide tolerant biotech crops encourage zero to no-till which in turn significantly reduces the loss of soil carbon and CO2 emission, he added.
Agencies

The list shows that 6 of the top ten most energy efficient supercomputers in the world are built on IBM high-performance computing technology. The list includes supercomputers from China to Germany and the United States that are being used for a variety of applications such as astronomy, climate prediction and life sciences. IBM also holds over half of the top 100 positions on this list.

Energy efficiency, including performance per watt for the most computationally demanding workloads, has long been a core design principle in developing IBM systems. Energy efficient supercomputers can allow IBM clients to realize critical cost savings by lowering power consumption, reducing expenses associated with cooling and scaling to larger systems while maintaining an acceptable power consumption bill.

For example, for every US $1 spent on electricity with the largest petascale system on the Green500 list, clients would spend less than US $0.40 cents on a system based on IBM Blue Gene/Q and would be 2.5 times more energy efficient. IBM Blue Gene/Q is scheduled to be deployed in 2012 by two of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) national laboratories.

Columbia University and the University of Edinburgh contributed to Blue Gene/Q’s processor chip design. Both institutions plan to use the system to advance quantum chromodynamics (QCD), which is a part of the study of particle physics. 

IBM supercomputer also topped the Graph500 list, announced last week. Backed by a steering committee of over 30 international HPC experts from academia, industry, and national laboratories, the Graph 500 is a set of large-scale benchmarks for data intensive applications – an important metric as information increases exponentially.
Agencies