LOCAL NEWS
Stress On Hydel Project
Mr. Jagadish Chandra Pokhrel, vice president, National Planning Commission, gave more stress on hydropower generation in Nepal in the 64th meeting of UNESCO held in Thailand.
Though Nepal has potential to generate 42,000 MW electricity, very less electricity is being generated and used, said Mr. Pokhrel.
In the meeting he also informed that more than 0.2 million biogas plants have been installed in Nepal. In addition, six thousand solar panel has also been distributed to the remote areas.
Source: Rajdhani, May 1, 2008
Load-Shedding
By Dr. Badri
It is welcome news that the load-shedding will be reduced by a half. The experts have opined that it can be further reduced if we could promote modern energy efficiency technologies, such as with the use of CFL bulbs in massive scale.
This is also a challenge to all users to display civic sense by minimizing the use of electricity. The government has the onerous responsibility to encourage manufacturing of high quality CFL bulbs at affordable prices so that the conventional bulbs can be replaced as soon as possible. At the same time, attention should be paid to proper disposal of used CFL bulbs to safeguard human health and conserve environment.
Source: The Kathmandu Post, May 1, 2008
Electricity In Lapilang, Charikot
With the aid from Nepal Yantra Sala Energy, Lagankhel and labors’ contribution, 19 KW energy has been generated in Lapilang VDC.
A total investment of 3.2 million has benefitted 234 households of that VDC. The locals of the VDC cheered with joy as they have been waiting for this day long ago.
Source: Annapurna Post, May 1, 2008
Electricity By Raising Fund
The locals of Dimipokhari VDC of Ramechhap districts have been able to generate 5 KW electricity by themselves in their VDC by raising fund.
Four thousand rupees from each household was raised to generate electricity, said Mr. Ganesh Upadhaya, secretary, Users Group. He also said that though it has not been managed properly, 42 households of the VDC have been benefitted with the generation of electricity.
Source: Kantipur, May 4, 2008
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Australian Petition Urges Renewable Energy Investment
The environmental group Greenpeace will today present a petition of 30,000 signatures to the Australian treasurer urging the government to invest more in renewable energy.
Members of 80 international organizations signed the statement which says the government should abandon investments in carbon capture and storage.
Julien Vincent from Greenpeace says the technology is unproven and the treasurer must consider this in next week's budget.
"At a time when we need to be drastically reducing our use of on fossil fuels because they're the major driver of climate change," he said.
"It's simply irresponsible to be using taxpayers money to fuel the problem any further and so we want Wayne swan and the federal government to live up to their word on climate change and start putting our money where their mouths are and fund renewables instead of fossil fuels".
Source: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au
Extra Funding For Clean Coal
THE Rudd Government is believed to have earmarked $275 million for six new clean coal projects in its first budget next week, alongside similar funding for renewable technologies.
A clean coal council and a taskforce to develop storage options are expected to form part of its $500 million commitment to clean coal made during last year's election campaign.
These new funds for clean coal technology follow $350 million committed to technology development under the Howard government's Low Emissions Technology Development Fund. These projects attracted more than $2 billion in matching industry investment.
Development of clean coal technology as a possible solution to the threat of climate change has been backed by environmental leaders such as former US vice-president Al Gore and British climate policy adviser Nicholas Stern.
The Government is planning to spend $50 million to further develop the use of ammonia to capture carbon dioxide from the emissions of the Munmorah coal-fired power station in the Hunter Valley in NSW, and $50 million to develop gasification technology at the Centre for Low Emission Technology in Queensland.
The programs fall under the control of Resources and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson. He said last night he could not comment on budget speculation but backed the Government's commitment to help develop the technology, given that 83 per cent of Australia's electricity was generated from coal.
Source: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/ May 05, 2008
Audi To Offer Electric Cars In 5-10 Years: Report
By Nicola Leske
Audi, the luxury unit of Volkswagen, sees great opportunities in electric cars and will offer automobiles with no exhaust emissions within ten years, its top executive told a German weekly.
Rupert Stadler told Welt am Sonntag in an interview published on Sunday that he expects diesel and battery technology to dominate in the coming five to ten years.
"By then we will offer cars without exhaust emissions," Stadler said.
Asked if Audi was not lagging domestic rivals Mercedes and BMW in the development of lithium-ion batteries that are more powerful than batteries used now in hybrids, Stadler said Audi's research capacities were larger than those of its German competitors.
Developing fuel-saving technology tops the agenda of Germany's car industry in an effort to fulfill stricter emission regulations and conserve fuel.
Source: Reuters, http://www.enn.com/May 4, 2008
World Can Reach Climate Change Deal In 2009 - UN
By Andrew Hay
The world can reach a significant new climate change pact by the end of 2009 if current talks keep up their momentum, the head of the United Nations climate panel said on Sunday.
The United Nations began negotiations on a sweeping new pact in March after governments agreed last year to work out a treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol by the end of next year.
The United Nations hopes to go beyond Kyoto by getting all countries to agree to curbs on emissions of greenhouse gases that fuel global warming.
Getting the private sector on board with a well regulated carbon emissions trading system is key to long-term financing, according to delegates at the ADB seminar.
India's Pachauri said popular awareness of global warming had risen sharply over the last 12 months and put pressure on Washington and other governments for action.
He said he believed it would be very difficult for any country to remain outside a climate change pact.
Faced with threats, China is switching over to renewable energy sources which are expected to provide more than 30 percent of its power needs by 2050, according to the United Nations.
Source: http://uk.reuters.com/ May 4, 2008
Environmentalists Divided About Burying CO2
Greenpeace and more than 100 other environmental groups denounced projects for burying industrial greenhouse gases on Monday, exposing splits in the green movement about whether such schemes can slow global warming.
Many governments and some environmental organizations such as the WWF want companies to capture heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the exhausts of power plants and factories and then entomb them in porous rocks as one way to curb climate change.
Greenpeace and 112 green groups from 21 nations said governments should invest in wind, solar and other renewable energies rather than in capture technologies that would allow coal-fired power plants to stay in operation.
"Carbon capture and storage is not an ideal solution, but it buys us time," said Stephan Singer, head of the WWF's European Climate and Energy Program in Brussels. "We believe it is part of the solution -- an emergency exit."
The U.N. Climate Panel has said CCS could be one of the main ways for slowing climate change by 2100 -- contributing a bigger share of greenhouse gas cuts than energy efficiency, a shift to renewable energy or a push for nuclear power.
Source: Reuters, http://www.enn.com/ May 5, 2008
LOCAL NEWS
Rush On Himalayas As Peace Returns
By Krishna Regmi
The number of mountaineering expeditions is on the rise as the climbing season gets underway in the Nepal Himalayas.
Some 31 expeditions are already headed towards Mt Everest, the central attraction, this spring season. This is more than the number of teams that arrived during the whole of last year when 24 climbing parties took a shot at the tallest peak on earth.
Meanwhile, amid the euphoria on the tourism front, global warming is emerging as a threat to the very survival of the mountains. "Our Himalayas are suffering the most severe effect of global warming, with the glaciers melting at an accelerated rate and forming lakes," said Ang Tshering Sherpa, president of Nepal Mountaineering Association.
"Imja Tsochu, which expanded from a small pond in 1962 to a lake 1.7 kilometers long and 0.9 kilometer wide, is an example of the looming crisis in the mountains," he said.
This season, an international team of mountaineers is embarking on a landmark eco-expedition to Everest to highlight the rapid climate changes taking place in the Himalayas.
Source: http://ekantipur.com/ April 22, 2008
Look For Alternative To Hydropower: Experts
Experts today urged the government to look for alternative sources of energy apart from hydropower. They were also of the view that Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is concentrating only on supply side not on the demand side.
"Electricity is one of the major sources of energy in Nepal and NEA being a focal agency should concentrate on creating consumer awareness that can help reduce duration of load-shedding," he said, addressing the one-day inception workshop on ‘Capacity Building on Electricity Reforms in Nepal’, here today.
In the technical session, Regulatory Reforms in Electricity in Nepal was discussed with the active participation of stakeholders.
Source: http://thehimalayantimes.com/ April 23, 2008
Earth Day Observed
Marking the Earth Day, various organizations on Tuesday organized environment -related awareness programs in different places of Kathmandu Valley.
As part of a six-week-long campaign beginning Tuesday, spot cleaning at Tundikhel was organized with the participation of about 100 representatives from Earth Day and Environment Day Nepal Committee.
The committee comprises 26 organizations working in the field of environment. The six-week long campaign will last till the Environment Day on June 5.
Similarly, signature campaigns on inclusion of environment issues while drafting the new constitution was organized at Basantapur the same day. The signatures collected would be later submitted to the Constituent Assembly.
Celebrating the Day, training on effective and sustainable vehicle maintenance procedure called ‘de carbonization’ was provided to various representatives at Thapathali.
Among the 26 organizations include World Wildlife Fund, Clean Energy Nepal, Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Environment and Public Health Organization, among others.
Source: http://ekantipur.com/ April 23, 2008
Micro Hydro Project Renovation Starts
Renovation of Likindi River Micro Hydroelectricity Project — that as a capacity to produce 20 kilowatt (KW) and situated at Kotdurbar VDC, Ward No 7 of Tanahun district — has begun.
Flood has, in 2064 BS, damaged half of the project’s properties.
Prime Minister’s Relief Fund and Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction have provided Rs 3,00,000 and Rs 2,00,000, respectively, for the renovation of the project.
"Voluntary labour amounting to Rs 1,00,000 would be arranged," Rural Energy Programme, Tanahun stated.
The flood had damaged electrical equipments, powerhouse, penstock pipe and canal, social mobiliser at Damouli branch of the Project, Padamraj Khanal said. Nearly 1,315 locals benefited from the project.
Source: http://thehimalayantimes.com/ April 24
Change Lifestyle To Adapt To Climate Change: Experts
There is a need for radical change in attitudes towards their way of life among people to fight against the negative impacts of climate change, said experts on Saturday.
Speaking during a symposium on "Impacts of Climate Change and Our Role for Mitigation", Bhusan Tuladhar, director of Environment and Public Health Organization (ENPHO) said, people should decide to promote the environment friendly applications to reduce the impacts of climate change.
Giving examples on applying environment friendly application he said, "People could opt for vehicles run by electricity while traveling than on petrol or diesel run vehicles,".
People should recognize the real costs of energy which they are utilizing in their daily life, said Tuladhar. A small change in our life style can have a long-term impact, he added.
Similarly, Ghanshyam Malla, chief of environment department of Nepal Agriculture Research Council said, it is the individual decision to contribute for mitigating the negative impacts by climate change.
He also stated that the agriculture sector of the country is also facing increasing challenges due to climate change.
Source: The Kathmandu Post, April 27, 2008
Load Shedding To Be Reduced From Tuesday
With the increase of water levels in the rivers, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has decided to cut down load shedding.
Starting Tuesday, the NEA has fixed load shedding for 21 hours a week relieving people from power cut for 2 days.
The load shedding will be imposed for two and a half hour for 3 days, eight hours and six hours respectively for another two days.
Before this, the consumers had to suffer more than 40 hours of load shedding.The NEA has announced that the duration of power cut will be decreased gradually.
Source: http://ekantipur.com/ April 28
Western, Eastern Regions Face Fuel Crisis
The western and eastern regions have been facing shortage of petroleum products for one week.
The supply of petroleum products is erratic, as the prices have risen in the international market, according to the Nepal Oil Corporation Western Regional Office, Bhairahawa.
NOC regional office assistant manager Yog Raj Koirala said only six tankers of petroleum products were been imported from Belahiya border point daily, while 20 tankers of fuel used to be imported from the border daily earlier. Koirala said as the problem of petroleum products was a national problem; it should be solved at the central level.
Even the the eastern region is facing shortage of petroleum products. Stock in NOC depots of eastern regional office at Biratnagar would finish in six days, NOC regional office chief Pushkar Datta said.
Source: http://thehimalayantimes.com/ April 30
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Russia Says Has No Plans To Cap Carbon Emissions
Russia will not accept binding caps on its greenhouse gas emissions under a new climate regime, currently being negotiated to succeed the Kyoto Protocol after 2012, top officials said on Monday.
Kyoto puts a cap on the average, annual greenhouse gas emissions from 2008-12 for some 37 industrialized countries, including Russia.
Russia welcomed investment from other industrialized countries to help it clean up its energy and industry, saying in this way it could prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide.
A key way for Russia to profit from the planned 3 billion tons of emission reductions will be by trapping and processing natural gas, a by-product of oil production.
By 2012, Russia has called for 95 percent of its associated gas to be harnessed and sold, whereas more than 25 percent of it is currently flared, wasting 20 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year and releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Source: Reuters, http://www.enn.com/April 29, 2008
Higher Energy Costs From Climate Bills
People will be paying higher energy prices under a Senate bill to limit greenhouse gases, but how much will depend on how well the country can shift away from burning fossil fuels, an Energy Department analysis said Tuesday.
The Energy Information Administration said annual energy costs could increase on average of as little as $30 or as much as 10 times that much by 2020. The projected cost increases per household ranged from $76 a year more to as much as $723 a year more by 2030.
Source: http://article.wn.com/view/
Poor Children Main Victims Of Climate Change: U.N.
By Jeremy Lovell
Millions of the world's poorest children are among the most vulnerable and unwitting victims of climate change caused by the rich developed world, a United Nations report said on Tuesday, calling for urgent action.
The UNICEF report "Our Climate, Our Children, Our Responsibility" measured action on targets set in the Millennium Development Goals to halve child poverty by 2015. It found failure on counts from health to survival, education and sex equality.
The report said climate change could add 40,000-160,000 extra child deaths a year in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa through lower economic growth.
It also noted that if temperatures rose by two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels -- up to 200 million people globally would face hunger -- a figure rising to 550 million with a temperature rise of three degrees.
The UNICEF report said economic damage due to climate change would force parents to withdraw children from schools -- the only place that many of them are guaranteed at least one meal a day in many areas -- to fetch water and fuel instead.
Scientists predict that global average temperatures will rise by between 1.6 and 4.0 degrees Celsius this century due to carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels for power and transport, causing floods, famines, violent storms and droughts.
Source: Reuters, http://www.enn.com/ April 29, 2008
Climate Change Hitting Arctic Faster, Harder
Climate change is having a greater and faster impact on the Arctic than previously thought, according to a new study by the global conservation organization WWF.
According to last year’s reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, if the entire Greenland Ice Sheet were to melt, sea levels would rise 7.3 metres, making its status a global concern. While it is currently impossible to accurately predict how much of the ice sheet will be melting, and over which time, the new report shows there has been a far greater loss of ice mass in the past few years, much more than had been predicted by scientific models.
Likewise, the loss of summer arctic sea ice has increased dramatically, with record lows reached in 2005 and — way more dramatic — in 2007. In September 2007, the sea ice shrank to 39 per cent below its 1979-2000 mean, the lowest since satellite monitoring began in 1979 and also the lowest for the entire 20th century based on monitoring from ships and aircraft.
Source: http://www.enn.com/ WWF April 30, 2008
Rich World Must Back 80 Percent Carbon Cuts - Stern
Rich countries must commit to cutting carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050 and developing nations must agree that by 2020 they too will set their own targets, leading economist Nicholas Stern said on Wednesday.
He said the only way the world could defeat the climate crisis was by ensuring that global carbon emissions peaked within 15 years, were then halved from 1990 levels to 20 billion tonnes a year by 2050, and cut to 10 billion thereafter.
The global carbon market had to be expanded and improved, there had to be massive investment in research and development in low carbon technologies, and rich nations had to bear the brunt and help the poorer world leapfrog into a low carbon era.
Stern said the developing world, where emissions are booming as economies grow, should be given time to prepare to sign up to caps and cuts but that time should have a strict limit and by 2020 they too should be reducing emissions.
Source: http://africa.reuters.com/30 Apr 2008,
'Small Wind' Power Plants Are Blowing Strong
By Mark Clayton
Reporter Mark Clayton talks about wind turbines to generate power for homeowners. Improved generator technology, more financial incentives, rising electric rates, and energy-security concerns have opened the way for small-wind power to bloom in unlikely places.
"Small wind really seems to be taking off for residential, small business, and farm use," says Trudy Forsyth, leader of the distributed wind program at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. The installed capacity of "on grid" small-wind residential generators has almost tripled, from 1,300 kilowatts nationwide in 2006 to 3,000 kilowatts last year, says the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), a Washington-based trade organization. The number of residential installations rose from 400 to 1,200 units in the same period.
Supplying that tiny but red-hot market are dozens of new companies that have popped up since 2000. Though half-dozen companies dominate the market, AWEA tracks about 45 US manufacturers. With demand strong overseas, too, the US is the world leader in small-wind power, exporting more than half of what it sells.
Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/
LOCAL NEWS
Nepal Might Still Benefit From Bangkok Climate Change Talks
By Surya B. Prasai
Last week the UNFCCC’s first major follow-up summit took place in Bangkok, Thailand between 31 March to 4 April 2008, dubbed also as the Bangkok Climate Change talks.
The five day long meeting hosted by the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) at Bangkok’s beautiful cherry tree lined Rajdamnern Nok Avenue aimed to foster closer understanding between the industrialized and developing countries on global climate change. But from the looks of it, this did not materialize, with old rhetoric again being passed around the table. Principal signatories of the UNFCCC’s Bali Pact, including smaller countries, such as Nepal, Maldives and Fiji had focused on the long term cooperative action and further commitment desired of the Kyoto Protocol in light of the Bali Road Map. But it had to wait in the conference backburners, with most action focusing on the growing rift between the U.S, G-8 and the developing countries, which were actively led by India, China and Brazil.
For smaller Asia-Pacific countries such as Nepal, the meeting was an additional eye awakener that helped launch, at least a more clear vision on its role in halting ecological degradation threatened by global climate change. For Nepal, both Bali and the recent Bangkok Summits were good knowledge building experiences and oriented them to some of the familiar arguments going around globally. Nepal´s ‘environmentalists’ even commented on how happy they felt that many of the delegates mentioned their country by name at least from the humanitarian standpoint of how a civil conflict had taken excruciating toll on the Nepali environment. Many industrialized countries have already promised to help Nepal in its environmental recuperation in the post-conflict recovery and rehabilitation effort. Most notably, USAID’s Regional Office for the Environment in Kathmandu stands as a strong encouragement to Nepali and SAARC environmentalists to broach further bilateral understanding in overcoming environmental strains, launch careful planning and curtail socio-economic fall back effects.
Cow Dung Cakes: An Alternative Fuel For The Poor
The use of dried cow dung cakes as a cooking fuel is increasing in Dang. The soaring price of kerosene and LPG gas and heavy deforestation forced the poor community of Dang to use cow dung cakes as an alternative fuel for cooking.
A local resident Rambachan Chaudhari said that he is using cow dung cakes as a cooking fuel for the family of 17. He also said that use of cow dung as a fuel has created a problem for the farmers who use cow dung as fertilizers. In both way poor has to suffer, said Mr. Chaudhari.
The locals said that the government should find the new alternate way for them so that they won't have to suffer from problem of cooking fuel in the future.
Source: Rajdhani, April 15, 2008
Load-Shedding Hours May Go Up Again
People, who were relieved from load shedding for the last few days, will again be facing difficulties in the coming days, according to Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).
For the last couple of days, hours of power cut was shortened as far as possible as almost all government and non-government offices, industrial entities and other institutions were closed for constituent assembly (CA) polls, said an NEA officer.
However, power outages will resume probably from Tuesday. Before CA polls, the NEA had been enforcing 42 hours a week load-shedding schedule. Earlier, it was 48 hours a week.
Meanwhile, the melting of snow in the mountains with the rise in temperature and rainfall in the recent days are expected to be helpful in shortening load shedding hours. "It can be confirmed only after checking the water level on the rivers once work at NEA starts Tuesday," he said. "If the increased water level is stable, then load shedding hours may be less than 42 a week."
Source: http://www.ekantipur.com/, April 15, 2008
Electricity In Bhujung
The efforts and contribution of the locals made it possible to generate 80 KW electricity in Bujung. A total of four hundred families have been benefitted with the generation of electricity.
With the aid from ACAP and locals contribution this micro-hydro project was successfully completed with an investment of 11.934632 million. The access of electricity in the village has also benefitted small scale industries like grinding mills and bread industry.
"We can now see the news around the world, said Naumati Gurung, a local resident of Bhujung."
Source: Kantipur, April 16, 2008
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
EU Can Hit Biofuels Goal Without Conflicts: Germany
By Ilona Wissenbach
The European Union can achieve its 2020 target to get 10 percent of all transport fuel from biofuel without adding to soaring food prices and harming rainforests, Germany's environment minister said on Saturday.
EU leaders agreed last year to get a tenth of all transport fuel from biofuels by 2020 to help fight climate change.
Now ministers are having to think how to reach that goal and still avoid unwanted trade-offs, including stealing agricultural land for food production and harming tropical rainforests.
The FAO and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said last year biofuels were "one of the main drivers" for forecast food price hikes of 20-50 percent by 2016. But Gabriel said grain demand for animal feed was more relevant to the higher food prices.
The EU's executive Commission proposed in January certain biofuel standards -- or sustainability criteria -- which ministers are now considering. These standards included, for example, a condition that biofuels cut emissions by at least a third and consider impacts on food prices.|
Source: Reuters, April 12, 2008 http://www.enn.com/
Government Asks Oil Producers To Rethink Policy
India on Sunday asked oil producers to rethink their policy which was imposing "crippling burden" on developing countries and sought a thorough review and overhaul of financial oversight and regulatory mechanisms.
"Given the growing complexity of ingenious financial engineering and reengineering, hindsight tells us that it would have been wiser for regulators to have erred on the side of caution," Finance Minister P Chidambaram told the 77th Meeting of Development Committee of the World Bank and IMF.
"The prices of crude oil that have shot up to the region of $110 a barrel do not reflect either the cost of producing the oil or the risks inherent in the market and in fact, not even the inter-play of demand and supply.
"These food prices which hit the poor hardest are expected to remain firm in the medium term unless we make serious interventions. The demand for biofuels will probably increase, and energy and fertilizer prices could be expected to remain high in the medium term."
He also asked developed countries to cut off subsidies on food crops for bio-fuel production.
Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/13 Apr, 2008
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Accelerating Rapidly
Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the burning of fossil fuels stood at a record 8.38 gigatons of carbon (GtC) in 2006, 20 percent above the level in 2000.
Emissions grew 3.1 percent a year between 2000 and 2006, more than twice the rate of growth during the 1990s. Carbon dioxide emissions have been growing steadily for 200 years, since fossil fuel burning began on a large scale at the start of the Industrial Revolution. But the growth in emissions is now accelerating despite unambiguous evidence that carbon dioxide is warming the planet and disrupting ecosystems around the globe.
With CO2 emissions currently exceeding the worst-case scenario, we can expect that temperature and sea level rise will likely do the same.
Increasing evidence shows that even a warming of less than 2 degrees would constitute dangerous climate change, suggesting the world must move rapidly to reverse the long trend of growing CO2 emissions.
Source: http://www.enn.com/
Solving Climate Change Saves Billions
Amidst increasingly dire news about the economy and climate change, Architecture 2030 released a seminal study at the Eileen Rockefeller Growald Symposium on Collaborative Philanthropy today, showing how a small investment of only $21.6 billion in the Building Sector would produce 216,000 permanent jobs and save 86.7 Million Metric Tons (MMT) of CO2 in a single year. This same amount invested each year for five years would net over one million permanent jobs and save 433.5 MMT.
The study is a comparative analysis of three approaches to addressing climate change: building energy efficiency,"˜clean’ coal (coal with carbon capture and sequestration) and nuclear power. According to the study, "The economic feasibility of any proposed actions regarding climate change is a particularly important consideration in this time of looming recession. Therefore, the study is an investigation not only of the most effective actions that can be taken in addressing climate change, but also of the implications of these actions on the US economy."
The study concludes that, of the energy and climate change solutions proposed today, the one that costs the least and offers the greatest benefits to both the planet and the economy, is energy efficiency in buildings.
The study concludes that there is a clear, simple, realistic and achievable solution to addressing climate change with significant economic benefits: building energy efficiency.
Source: http://www.enn.com/ April 10, 2008
Bangladesh Introduces Improved Stove To Save Fuel
By Serajul Islam Quadir
Bangladesh has introduced an improved cooking stove that will consume 50 percent less of the biomass used for cooking in rural areas, a senior official said on Sunday.
"About 95 percent of Bangladesh, with 145 million people, uses traditional fuels like cow dung, agricultural wastage and wood totalling 60 million tonnes most inefficiently, worth 100 billion taka ($1.46 billion)," said Erich Otto Gomm, programme coordinator in Bangladesh of German Technical Cooperation (GTZ).
The SED launched a countrywide programme to popularise the improved cooking stoves developed by the state-run Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and later modified by the GTZ.
Khaleq said so far 35,000 stoves have been sold and installed across the country and now up to 10,000 were being built every month.
"Our aim is to build 1 million stoves over the next three years," he said, and hoped to have one in every rural Bangladeshi home by the end of 2018.
Currently, only 6 percent of the population has access to natural gas, primarily in urban areas, he told reporters.
Source: Reuters, April 14, 2008, http://www.planetark.org/
LOCAL NEWS
Biofuel Or Food?
By Raju Lamichhane
Food shortage is one of the most serious problems facing the world today. At this juncture, the world has to decide whether to convert food into fuel or feed those famine struck people all around the world.
Biofuel, no doubt is an excellent alternative to the fossils fuels, but still food is the basic need of people. It seems countries like the USA are preoccupied with keeping their oil storage intact by developing biofuel at the expense of mass starvation.
Along with the oil price hike, the world has witnessed shortage of food and subsequent hike in food prices, and decrease, on the other hand, in the productive land due to urban usurpation and imminent loss in food production in the countries like Nepal. The productive plain has been used for housing on the one hand, and hills smell only dust on the other. It makes us realize that time has approached to take a decision whether to choose biofuel for rich people or food for hungry people. So, Chidambaram, Indian Finance Minister, was right to term the attempt to produce biofuel as "outrageous". (Biofuel from food burden on poor: Chidambaram, Mar27)
Source: The Kathmandu Post, March 28, 2008
Kulekhani II 16 MW Turbine Operational
A turbine with the capacity of generating 16 MW electricity here at Kulekhani II Hydro Electric Project has resumed operation since Friday.
The turbine was badly damaged one year ago. A technical team comprising 10 Japanese and 15 Nepalis had been working on the turbine for the past four months. Now on the project generates 32 MW electricity regularly while it had been generating only 16 MW for over a year. Sources said it the about 350 million rupees was spent for the maintenance of the turbine.
Source: The Kathmandu Post, March 29, 2008
Increasing Air Pollution Of Kathmandu
The study carried out in the past showed the increasing air pollution levels in the Kathmandu Valley, however the report published by Environment and Public Health Organization (ENPHO) reported the decline trend. It says that the pollution level of Kathmandu Valley has been improving since 2003 and in the year 2007, it has decreased to some extent.
The study carried out by the World Bank showed more than 18,800 people in the valley are caught with asthma due to degrading air quality. Vehicle emission contributes 42% of the total emission. Use of more electric and clean fuel run vehicles, banning of tire burning are some examples that can lessen the air pollution levels in the valley.
Source: Annapurna Post, March 30, 2008
Electricity In Rukum
Maikot VDC of Rukum district have access to electricity for the first time. With the aid from community program CSP, 15 KW electricity has been generated in the village. The program has benefitted five hundred households.
Bambahadur Khadka, program coordinator of CSP said that a total of 3.6 million from CSP and locals was collected and spent in the generation of electricity. The students who were bound to study in kerosene light are now very happy to have electricity in their house. They have never expected that they will have electricity in their village, said Birman Bika, a local resident of the Rukum.
Source: Annapurna Post, April 1, 2008
Alternative Energy Boom
The use of briquette is increasing in the Ilam district. The locals who always worry about running out of gas and kerosene are now heavily relying on briquette for cooking their meal. The technology is environment friendly and it is suitable for the family of 3 or 4, said the locals.
Tara Khatiwada, a local resident has been producing such briquettes at his home and more than 15 locals of the village have also been employed for making the briquette.
Source: Kantipur, April 1, 2008
Attraction Towards Gobar Gas
The multi use of gobar gas has attracted the group of farmers in Parbat. The construction of gobar gas has decreased the felling off of trees that is used for cooking and it has also improved the health of the people, said the farmers. Besides, it also saves time.
More than 350 gobar gas plants have been constructed in different VDCs of the district and more than 2000 farmers has been benefitted.
Source: Rajdhani, April 2, 2008
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
U.S. To Propose CO2 Rules This Spring
By Chris Baltimore
The Bush administration, which has resisted regulating carbon dioxide emissions, this spring, will propose rules that could affect everything from vehicles to power plants and oil refineries, the top U.S. environmental official told Congress on Thursday.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson said the agency will issue proposed rules "later this spring" on "the specific effects of climate change and potential regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from stationary and mobile sources."
The United States is the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitter. The Bush administration has opposed mandatory emissions limits, citing inaction by other major emitters like China and India.
U.S. utilities generally favor a legislative fix to carbon dioxide emissions rather than a regulatory one, which could be challenged and delayed by lawsuits.
Source: Reuters, March 28, 2008, http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/33695
Environment Ministry Warns Air Pollution Levels Excessively High In Israel
By Zafrir Rinat, Haaretz
The Environment Ministry warned that air pollution levels were particularly high on Tuesday for the second time in a week. The ministry announced that those suffering from respiratory difficulties should take health precautions until the evening when winds were expected to disperse the pollution.
The cause of the pollution was said to be large quantities of dust which had blown inform Egypt. During periods when air pollution levels are high, tiny particles can enter the respiratory tract, causing damage. Those particularly at risk are the children and the elderly as well as pregnant women and sufferers of heart disease.
The ministry warns these groups to avoid exertion until pollution has subsided. Around 120 individuals received medical attention for breathing difficulties caused by elevated pollution levels last week.
Source: http://www.enn.com
China Tackles Pollution
China plans to spend 27-billion-yuan (about R32-billion) in 2008 on reducing pollution and saving energy, state media said Tuesday, a rise of 14,9 percent from a year ago.
In addition, the central government will earmark 14,8-billion yuan for environmentally friendly construction projects, the China Daily said, citing a statement by the finance ministry.
China has set a target for the period 2006 to 2010 of reducing energy consumption per unit of GDP by 20 percent, and cutting sulphur dioxide emissions and chemical oxygen demand by 10 percent each from the levels in 2005. The statement said the government is considering launching tax policies to reduce energy consumption and pollution.
The country may also seek to regulate pollution via the market by making waste-discharge and emission rights treatable, it added.
The drive has encountered stubborn resistance in the booming industrial sector and local officials who consider economic growth and job creation a more important priority than environmental protection.
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/
Solar Thermal Electricity: Catching The Eye Of Utility Companies
The American Southwest has some of the greatest solar resources on the globe, it yet remains largely untapped. This trend may be changing as solar technology matures, market forces shift and concern for climate change mounts.
One of the most common arguments against large-scale use of renewable energy is that it cannot produce a steady, reliable stream of energy, day and night. Ausra Inc. does not agree. They believe that solar thermal technology has the potential to supply over 90% of grid power, while finding solutions to environmental issues.
The ability to utilize solar thermal technology after the sun sets is made possible by a storage system that is up to 93% efficient, according to Ausra’s executive vice president John O’Donnell.
Due to cost, infrastructure and technology hurdles, it will be a while until we see solar energy generating large-scale base load capacity, thus replacing nuclear and coal power plants. Some of the factors that will push this along are a strong national high voltage transmission system, solar technology advances, high fossil fuel costs, a longer-term extension of the commercial solar tax credit, and a carbon tax.
Source: http://www.enn.com, March 28, 2008
Gore Launches Climate Change Awareness Campaign
After earning an Oscar and Nobel Prize, Al Gore knows that when he speaks, people listen. Now his voice is even louder. The Gore-led Alliance for Climate Protection, an all-out marketing blitz, launched on Monday with plans to "ignite" Americans into taking action on global climate change.
Known as the "we" campaign, the effort has launched its first national television ad, titled "Anthem." The Alliance’s ads will air on a gamut of U.S. broadcast programs, from American Idol to the local morning news, and additional ads will also run in publications like People and The New Yorker. The media campaign is the beginning of a three year, $300-million effort to lobby the United States, and later the rest of the world, to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
After months of recruitment, 1 million people have joined the "we" Web site, Hardwick said. Visitors who sign on to the site’s pledge receive e-mails about personal actions they can take to address climate change, and the Alliance also sends news about national mobilization campaigns.
Source: http://www.enn.com/, April 2, 2008
Beijing Pollution Risky For Endurance Athletes
By Nick Mulvenney
Endurance events at the Beijing Olympics could pose a health risk if they are staged on heavily polluted days, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday, although it was prepared to reschedule such events.
Hein Verbruggen, chairman of the IOC coordination commission, said there was a small chance of athletes suffering some damage to their health if they took part in events lasting longer than an hour, such as the marathon and cycling road races.
Beijing is one of the most polluted cities in the world and, despite a 120 billion yuan ($17.12 billion) clean-up over the last decade, air quality remains a concern for many athletes coming to the Olympics, already a lightning rod for rights protests worldwide.
IOC press commission chief Kevan Gosper said Beijing's investment had already delivered better air quality and he was confident that contingency plans would be effective.
Source: Reuters, April 2, 2008, http://www.enn.com/
LOCAL NEWS
NEA’s Rs 1.5b Power Bonds Sold Out
The 1.5 million units of power bond with a face value of Rs 1,000 each that NEA issued on February 14, have been sold out.
The state electricity distribution monopoly issued power bonds for the first time in the country to mobilize Rs 1.5 billion from the market to finance civil work for its 30 MW Chamelia, 14 MW Kulekhani III and partially the Middle Marsyangdi project.
"The response was very encouraging. The trial has been successful," said Shrestha. "This is the first phase of our long-term goal to mobilize more local money through issuance of more power bonds."
The bond, which offers interest of 7.75 percent per annum, will mature in 5 years. Of the total units, NEA had set aside 150,000 units for public issuance and the remaining for individuals and institutions.
NEA had appointed Nepal Merchant Banking and Finance as a trustee of the bond. It has secured investments made in the bond by pledging Rs 5 billion worth of shares of Chilime Hydropower Company Limited as collateral to the trustee bank. NEA is also setting aside a reserve cash fund of over Rs 380 million every year to enable repayment.
Source: http://www.ekantipur.com/
SC Clears Path For Upper Karnali Project
Refusing to issue a stay order in the Upper Karnali Hydropower Project case, the Supreme Court on Thursday permitted the government to go ahead with the implementation of the understanding reached with Hyderabad-based GMR Energy Limited on the 300-MW power project.
A division bench of Chief Justice Kedar Prasad Giri and Justice Ram Kumar Prasad Shah refused to issue a stay order, and said the constitutional and legal questions raised by the petitioners will be settled by the court while delivering a final verdict on the case.
Gorakha Bahadur BC of Kalikot and Ram Singh Rawal of Surkhet had jointly challenged the understanding reached between the government and the GMR Energy Limited to generate 300-MW hydropower from the Karnali River.
The counsels of the petitioners claimed that the signing of the agreement between the government and the GMR limited was unconstitutional. They also claimed that it was treaty related to sharing of a natural resource, and that the government violated the constitution by not seeking a parliamentary approval for it. The constitution says any treaty related to sharing of natural resources must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the parliament.
The government however claimed that the MoU was not related to sharing of natural resources and it did not need a parliamentary approval.
Attorney-General Yagya Murti Banjade defended the government’s act of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a joint venture company — Hyderabad-based GMR Limited — for the commissioning of the Upper Karnali Hydropower Project. The GMR Limited is commissioning the 300-MW project together with the Nepal Electricity Authority, according to Banjade.
Source: http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/ March 14
NOC Cuts Diesel Rate For Bulk Customers
Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has scaled down the price of diesel for industrial consumers and other bulk customers taking the product directly from its depots to Rs 62.27 a liter.
The decision was taken in a bid to narrow down the gap between the retail rate (Rs 56.25 per liter) and the rate at which the product is supplied to the bulk customers, NOC has said. This would, however, widen the loss of the corporation. The announcement has come following a series of protests from hoteliers and entrepreneurs.
Even the general public who are willing to buy less quantity of diesel can do so at the petrol pump jointly run by the NOC and the Petroleum Dealers’ Association (PDA) at Teku, said Narad Bhandari of the PDA.
Source: http://www.ekantipur.com/ March 15
Pvt Sector Hydel Projects More Cost Effective
By Bikash Sangraula
Nepal’s private sector recently announced its biggest hydropower initiative till date - the 100 MW Kaligandaki Gorge project, estimated to cost Rs 10 billion. In stark contrast stands the under-construction 70 MW Middle Marsyangdi, whose cost is now estimated to cross Rs 26 billion.
According to Winrock International’s cost comparison of Nepal’s hydropower projects, public sector projects built under donor funding have been almost three times (US $4,000 per kilowatt on an average) costlier than projects built by local private sector (US $1,499 per kw on an average). In between lie projects built by international private sector (US $2,610 per kw on an average).
In projects built under grant money, there is restricted bidding, thus raising costs. Uttar Kumar Shrestha, deputy managing director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) said the country extending grant usually sets the condition that bidding for equipment, consultancy and contractor be done from the donor country only. The Middle Marsyangdi, which is being built under partial German financing, has German contractor and German consultant.
"The private sector does financial analysis while selecting projects, while the government does economic analysis, which considers economic needs of the country," he said. "For instance, the government has to undertake projects with the size that meets power needs of the country. Such projects may not necessarily be financially attractive."
Source: http://www.ekantipur.com/ March 17
NOC To Pay Rs 1.44b To IOC
The state-run Nepal Oil Corporation has decided to pay another Rs 1.44 billion (INR 90 million) to the Indian Oil Corporation.
"We will release the money by Wednesday," NOC supplies manager Mukunda Dhungana said. The government has, however, decided not to hike the price of petroleum products before the Constituent Assembly election.
The NOC had claimed that it has incurred a monthly loss of Rs. 777 million as per the prices forwarded by the IOC on March 1 -- Rs 2.91 in each litre of petrol, Rs 14.02 in diesel, Rs. 8.9 in kerosene and Rs 325 per LPG cylinder.
Source: http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/ March 18
Deteriorating Air Quality Of Kathmandu
By Shishir Bhattarai
Vehicle emission and the smoke from brick kiln is deteriorating Kathmandu's air quality. The number of vehicles is increasing and vehicle emission testing instrument is being misused. Vehicles that do not meet the standard are also receiving green stickers.
Effective implementation of trolley bus that came into use in 2032 BS with the aid from Chinese government is lagging. And very few electric vehicles are plying in the road. The only way to get rid from the pollution problem for now is the maintenance of the vehicles in time and raising awareness.
Source: Kantipur, March 19, 2008
LOCAL NEWS
Projects For 105 MW With Chinese Funds
China is positive about providing US $ 187 million for building the 61 MW Upper Trisuli and 44 MW Upper Trisuli 3'B' projects that will sell electricity in the Nepalese market.
The money is part of a US $ 200 million concessional credit committed to Nepal by China's state-owned Export-Import (EXIM) Bank in September 2006.
A Finance Ministry source said that the nine- member Chinese delegation that visited Nepal this week under the leadership of China's Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs. He Yafei assured Nepalese authorities that China's Commerce Ministry would be told "categorically" to provide US $ 125 million for building the upper Trisuli and US $ 62 million for the Upper Trisuli 3'B'.
Source: The Kathmandu post, March 7, 2008
India to Give 25 MW Only
Power Trading Corporation of India (PTC) has proposed to give 25 MW electricity to Nepal. Taking into account the problem of load shedding, Nepal government requested the PTC for 40 MW.
We could supply only 25 MW electricity as there is not enough transmission line, said Tantranath Thakur, president, PTC. Except the Nepalese government, Nepal Electricity Corporation (NOC) has also been requesting 20 MW to PTC.
Source: Annapurna Post, March 8, 2008
Maoist Priority On Railways, Cable Car And Trolley Bus
Maoist put forward an idea of cable car and railways to join Hilly and Himalayan regions. The party has planned to have five airports, nine hydro projects, four multipurpose irrigation projects and 10 industrial centers in different parts of the country in their vision for new Nepal.
They have also put forward the plan of operating trolley bus in the ring road of Kathmandu Valley and railways out of ring road. They said that cable car is suitable for Himalayan regions, road ways in the hilly areas while railways in the terai regions.
Source: Rajdhani, March 9, 2008
Illegal Operation of Brick Kilns
Normal lives of people are at stake due to illegal operation of brick kilns. The black smoke emitted from the kiln is creating different health problems like headache, eye strain, nausea etc, say the affected people. They also claim that 20-25% of people above 10 years are suffering from these diseases.
The harmful smoke emitted from the kiln not only risks the health of the people but it also has its adverse effect on the plants, say the locals. They say that the fruit trees have stopped to germinate and it no more produces fruits.
In addition, the heavy trucks that is used for loading and transporting the bricks has damaged the road infrastructure which results in more dust pollution and also villagers are afraid of their village getting drowned.
Source: Rajdhani, March 10, 2008
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Global Wind Power Capacity Reaches 100,000 Megawatts
"At its current growth rate, global installed wind power capacity will top 100,000 megawatts in March 2008", writes Jonathan G. Dorn in a recent Earth Policy Institute release, "Global Wind Power Capacity Reaches 100,000 Megawatts." "In 2007, wind power capacity increased by a record-breaking 20,000 megawatts, bringing the world total to 94,100 megawatts—enough to satisfy the residential electricity needs of 150 million people."
The cost of onshore wind power has decreased by more than 80 percent since the early 1980s to roughly 7¢ per kilowatt-hour at favorable wind sites. If the full cost of carbon emissions were incorporated into the price of natural gas and coal, onshore wind would become the cheapest electricity source.
With mounting concerns over global climate change and energy security, wind energy is rapidly taking center stage in the new energy economy. If the present 27-percent annual growth rate of installed wind power capacity is maintained, total capacity in 2020 will hit 2 million megawatts. With aggressive economic incentives, it could reach 3 million megawatts by that date—which would be 30 times as much as is available today.
Source: http://www.enn.com/ March 6, 2008
Low-Cost Reusable Material Could Capture Carbon Dioxide From Power Plants
Researchers have developed a new, low-cost material for capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants and other generators of the greenhouse gas. Produced with a simple one-step chemical process, the new material has a high capacity for absorbing carbon dioxide — and can be reused many times.
Combined with improved heat management techniques, the new material could provide a cost-effective way to capture large quantities of carbon dioxide from coal-burning facilities. Existing CO2 capture techniques involve the use of solid materials that lack sufficient stability for repeated use — or liquid adsorbents that are expensive and require significant amounts of energy.
Once removed from the stack gases, the CO2 might be sequestered in the deep ocean, in mined-out coal seams or in depleted petroleum reservoirs. If the CO2 capture and sequestration process can be made practical, America’s large resources of coal could be used with less impact on global climate change.
Source: http://www.enn.com/ March 7, 2008
Mass. Governor Announces Net Zero Energy Buildings Task Force
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced the establishment of a task force on net zero energy buildings Wednesday morning at the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association's (NESEA) Building Energy Conference and Trade Show at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston.
Governor Patrick called upon the conference participants to help him achieve his goal of net zero energy buildings. "Those of you in this room are the ones who can make this happen. You have what it takes to lead the energy revolution and my challenge to you is to help us get to zero. That is the least we can do!"
Net zero energy buildings are buildings that produce as much energy as they consume and represent the cutting edge of environmentally responsible construction. These buildings utilize state-of-the-art energy-efficient construction and renewable energy systems, such as solar and wind, to reduce the buildings' carbon emissions and impact on the environment.
Source: http://www.enn.com/ March 12, 2008
Cow Gas Power
By Nichola Groom
On a dairy farm in Riverdale, the agricultural heartland of state, utility PG&E Corp recently began producing natural gas derived from manure, in what it hopes will be a new way to power homes with renewable, if not entirely clean, energy.
The Vintage Dairy Biogas Project, the brainchild of dairyman David Albers, aims to provide the natural gas needed to power 1,200 homes a day.
Methane can be captured and treated to produce renewable gas, and California regulators have directed PG&E and other utilities to make renewable energy at least 20% of their electricity supplies by 2010. PG&E expects to reach 14% this year, thanks in small part at least to its partnership with BioEnergy Solutions.
Source: Reuters, http://thestar.com.my/
Warm Winter Curbs German CO2 Pollution In 2007
By Vera Eckert
A warm winter cut demand for heating oil and gas sending German carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2007 down by 2.7 percent to almost 857 million tons, the federal environment agency UBA said on Monday.
"The reasons for the lower CO2 emissions were lower demand for oil and gas due to the strong rise in prices for fossil fuels as well as above-average temperatures (which curbed heating demand)," said UBA president Andreas Troge.
The total for the six dropped by 2.4 percent year-on-year to 981.3 million tons of CO2 equivalents, said UBA. It said Germany had lowered their emissions by a fifth compared to levels in 1990, to a 20.4 percent drop.
This brings Germany close to meeting its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, which require a 21 percent cut by 2012. The UBA said Germany should press ahead with a package of measures to save energy and use cleaner fuels. Germany aims by 2020 to lower greenhouse gases emissions by 40 percent over 1990 levels.
Final 2007 figures for CO2 will be available in mid-2008 and final greenhouse gases numbers for 2007 in early 2009, UBA said.
Source: Reuters, March 10, 2008, http://www.enn.com/
Gebrselassie Misses Marathon Due To Pollution
Marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie said on Monday he would not compete in the Olympic marathon because of fears that Beijing's air pollution would damage his health.
International Olympic Committee chief Jacques Rogge said last year that events such as the marathon could be rescheduled if contingency measures did not have the desired effect.
Rogge told reporters last November in New York that a monitoring system would be set up in Beijing to gauge whether air pollution warranted delaying events.
Events that involve endurance, such as the marathon or cycling distance races, could be delayed for a few hours or until another day, Rogge said.
Source: Reuters, March 10, 2008, http://www.enn.com/
LOCAL NEWS
Develop Devghat Hydro: Locals
Enterpreneurs, business persons and locals have started discussion on initiatives for construction of the 400 MW Devghat Hydroelectricity Project here at the confluence of Trishuli and Kaligandaki rivers in the district.
To take necessary initiatives for the project, a five-member task force has been formed under the chairmanship of Mitraraj Dawadi, the chairman of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries, Narayangadh chapter.
Dawadi said the feasibility study of the project was completed in 1983." The project did not start then due to fear of inundation in Devghat areas," he added.
According to Dawadi, they have requested the government and investors to pour funds to develop the project. Hydropower expert Gyanendra Lal Pradhan said the government should undertake responsibility for building the project. "There will be no progress in hydropower sector in the country if we depend on foreign investment only," he claimed.
Engineer Hariprasad Pandit said the estimated cost of the project is about 40 billion rupees. "Resident of Chitwan concluded that locals can invest up to 30 percent of the total cost while the government has been requested to bear the rest," said Dawadi.
Source: The Kathmandu post, February 27, 2008
Increase Of Dust Particles In Air
The dust particles less than 10 microgram is increasing and this will have more adverse effect on health, said the expert during the interaction program organized on Wednesday, 27 February 2008.
"We were relaxed when there was improvement in the air quality but since last year, the air quality again started to degrade", said Bhusan Tuladhar, executive director, ENPHO.
According to the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, the annual mortality rate of COPD patient has been projected to be sixteen hundred. The survey carried out to the tourist also showed that the air pollution is one of the major problems in the country.
The air quality of the valley is six times more (120 microgram per meter cube) than WHO standard (20 microgram per meter cube).
Source: Kantipur, February 28, 2008
Sutlej Bags Arun III
The government has decided to award the 402-MW Arun III project to India’s Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN), as the Sutlej agreed to all the conditions set by the government.
The Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) today signed a MoU with a SJVN team led by its deputy general manager Sanjay Upal. The decision was taken after Sutlej agreed on the conditions set by the government, said Anup Kumar Upadhyay, joint secretary at MoWR, who inked the agreement on behalf of Nepal government.
As per the nine-point MoU, Sutlej will provide 21.9 per cent (88 MW) free energy and pay Rs 451.4 million for costs involved in project feasibility and detailed report to Nepal. The developer will also have to pay royalties and export duty to Nepal in accordance with existing government policy, as well as build transmission links and access road up to the project site.
The developer will have to handover the project to the government under build-own-operate and transfer system after 30 years. The total cost of the project has been estimated at $860 million. The project site is located in Shankhuwasabha.
Source: http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/ March 2
Power Cuts Down By 6 Hrs A Week
Following successful repair of one of the two turbines at the 32 MW Kulekhani II hydropower project, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has decided to bring load-shedding down to 41 hours a week per household from the exiting weekly 47 hours per household, effective from Friday.
"After complete shutdown of the project for 21 days, one turbine at Kulekhani II is back in operation, adding 16 megawatts to the national grid," said Bhuwan Kumar Chhettri, manager of Systems Operations Department at NEA.
"This has enabled us to reduce power cuts by six hours per week per household," he said. "It will come into effect from Friday."
From Friday, the existing power cuts from 12 pm to 4 am will be lifted completely, while power cuts from 4 am to 8 am will be reduced by an hour to 5 am to 8 am. Also, the power cuts from 9 am to 1 pm have been brought down by an hour to 9 am to 12 noon.
"However, the existing power cut schedule will remain unchanged in the Hetauda-Birgunj corridor," Chhettri said.
The current peak demand in the country is 680 to 700 MW. The country still faces a peak time power deficit of around 260 MW, according to Chhettri. The other turbine at Kulekhani II will need at least another month for repairs, Chhettri said.
Source: http://www.ekantipur.com/
Solar Cookers Handed Over To Tea Estate
The Korean Woman Environment Network (KWEN) handed over 10 sophisticated solar cookers to employees of the kanchanjangha Tea Estate, Nepal's 'first and biggest' tea company that has been cultivating organic tea without using chemical fertilizers and exporting it to different countries of Asia and Europe.
Use of the solar cookers was decided to be fit in this region after a test done by Lee Sangjo, representative of Korean Federation for Environment (KFE).
The cookers have been provided with the objective of encouraging the organic cultivation method of the tea estate as well as to protect the health of the estate employees and diminish environmental pollution, Sangjo of the KFE said.
Members of KWEN had proposed to provide the cookers after they saw women cooking food in firewood last year, said international marketing manager of the estate, Dilli Baskota. A total of 146 employees of the estate would benefit form the use of the cookers, Pramananda Kafle, an employee of the tea estate, said.
Source: The Himalayan Times, March 2, 2008
Control Trans-Boundary Pollution
Being a landlocked country situated between two industrialized countries India and China, the threat of trans-boundary pollution is immense in Nepal, experts said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a national stakeholder's workshop on air pollution, Meena Khanal, joint secretary at the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, said the impacts of climate change and air pollution are generally trans- boundary and global in nature.
"Pollutants are not limited within the boundary of the country and are likely to travel to other neighboring countries affecting quality of life of millions people," she said.
Khanal said the government along with concerned stakeholders should come forward to tackle the negative impacts of air pollution in the country.
Another expert, Mr Lynrararasan from United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) said, due to the high rate of urbanization in developing countries like Nepal, the problem of air pollution is increasing. Although nearly 15 percent of the total population already lives in urban areas of Nepal, the urbanization rate is very high compared to other South Asian countries, he said.
"The urbanization rate will increase in coming years, thus increasing more problems of air pollution" Lynrararasan said.
According to a report presented by Bidhya Banmali Pradhan of Integrated Center for Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the pollutants causing air pollution can be transported regionally over distances from 100 to a few 1000 kilometers, far enough to cross state, provincial, national, and even continental boundaries.
Similarly, a report by World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 0.5 million premature deaths occur throughout Asia every year due to outdoor air pollution.
Source: The Kathmandu Post, March 5, 2008
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
ADB And CDGK To Start Bus Rapid Transit System
By Irfan Aligi
A new concept in urban transport systems is in the offing as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has allocated US$ 223 million for the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), to be launched in collaboration with the City District Government Karachi (CDGK). The BRTS would facilitate the transportation of at least 20,000 passengers on a persons-per-hour-per-direction basis.
The BRTS will resemble a network of railway stations because instead of bus stops, there will be station-like compounds. Like railway tracks, no other transport will be allowed to ply on the track of buses under the BRTS.
The CDGK Mass Transit Cell director, General Malik Zaheer, told Daily Times that the BRTS is a CDGK project that came into being after the Pakistan government planning commission conducted a 3-month study on the possibilities of environment-friendly public transport systems for Karachi. The study yielded a solution based on 2 aspects: firstly, the use of CNG buses, which the government of Pakistan has opted to work on and secondly the design and development of the BRTS, which the ADB has picked to fund.
Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/ February 26, 2008
Pulp And Palm Oil The Villains In Sumatra's Global Climate Impact
Turning just one Sumatran province's forests and peat swamps into pulpwood and palm oil plantations is generating more annual greenhouse gas emissions than the Netherlands and rapidly driving the province's elephants into extinction, a new study by WWF and partners has found.
The study found that in central Sumatra's Riau Province 4.2 million hectares of tropical forests and peat swamp have been cleared in the last 25 years. Forest loss and degradation and peat decomposition and fires are behind average annual carbon emissions equivalent to 122 percent of the Netherlands total annual emissions, 58 percent of Australia's annual emissions, 39 per cent of annual UK emissions and 26 per cent of annual German emissions.
Riau was chosen for the study because it is home to vast peat lands estimated to hold Southeast Asia’s largest store of carbon, and contains some of the most critical habitat for Sumatran elephants and tigers. It also has Indonesia's highest deforestation rate, substantially driven by the operations of global paper giants Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) and Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (APRIL).
Source: http://www.enn.com/
Hydrogen Gas Fueled Vehicles A Step Closer
While liquid hydrogen is denser and takes up less space, it is very expensive and difficult to produce. It also reduces the environmental benefits of hydrogen vehicles. Widespread commercial acceptance of these vehicles will require finding the right material that can store hydrogen gas at high volumetric and gravimetric densities in reasonably sized light-weight fuel tanks.
Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, with the use of molecular dynamics simulations, have solved a decade old mystery that could one day lead to commercially practical designs of storage materials for use in hydrogen gas fueled vehicles.
Source: http://www.enn.com/
Northwest Airlines Receives Minnesota Governor's Award For Environmental Achievements
Northwest Airlines (NYSE: NWA) was honored today as the recipient of a 2007 Minnesota Governor's Award for Excellence in Waste and Pollution Prevention.
Northwest Airlines' application as "Conserving Resources - Doing Our Part," highlighted its fuel conservation and resource management, focusing on proactive fleet modernization, fuel conservation, and material recycling efforts.
The Minnesota Governor's Awards are given out annually to honor organizations, businesses and non-profit institutions for programs or projects that benefit the environment by reducing or eliminating waste and pollutants at the source. Applications are judged on benefits to the environment, economic efficiency, level of commitment and leadership, innovation and ability of the project to serve as a model for others.
In 2000, Northwest Airlines established a program of fuel conservation and resource management including a $6 billion fleet modernization effort. The re-fleeting program has resulted in a savings of more than 250 million gallons of jet fuel per year which is the equivalent of removing 500,000 cars from the road. The airline has reduced its own carbon emissions by 25 percent since 2000 through its transition to newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft, including the recent delivery of its 32nd A330 aircraft. Northwest now operates the world's largest A330 fleet, the youngest international fleet and youngest transatlantic fleet of any U.S. carrier.
Source: www.newsobserver.com
Oil Price Hits All-Time Record
It finally happened this week. The price of oil passed the all-time inflation-adjusted peak of $103.76 that was set in April 1980—and is now three times what it was just four years ago.
World crude oil production has actually fallen from 73.8 million barrels per day in 2005 to 73.2 million barrels per day in the first ten months of 2007, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. This makes 2005 the peak year for world oil production so far, though it is too early to know if this will turn out to be the all-time high.
Although the dreaded phrase "peak oil" is still used mainly by oil industry mavericks like Matthew Simmons and T. Boone Pickens, their views—if not their language—do appear to be spreading to the mainstream. Last week, oil analysts at Deutsche Bank concluded that steep decline rates of some of the world’s largest oil fields will limit future growth in oil production and could push oil prices to hit $150 as early as 2010.
It’s high time for governments around the world to wake up to the new oil era we have now entered. There are lots of ways to reduce dependence on oil, starting with more efficient cars. But it won’t happen without political leadership.
Source: http://www.enn.com/
LOCAL NEWS
Kulekhani-II Turbine Fixed
One of the turbines producing 16 MW electricity at Kulekhani Hydro Project-II that went dysfunctional for the last three weeks came into operation on Tuesday.
With its resumption, the project generates 76 MW energy. Earlier, Kulekhani-I was producing 60 MW only. Likewise, the project is going to fix the first unit of Kulekhani II. The project is expecting to complete repair work by March 8, according to Engineer Ramesh Tiwari of Kulekhani-II. After that Kulekhani-I and II will altogether produce 92 MW electricity.
Source: The Kathmandu Post, February 21, 2008
SC Moved Against Upper Karnali Project
A writ petition was filed today at the Supreme Court challenging the government's decision on the Upper Karnali hydro-electricity project claiming that the government signed the contract by violating the Interim Constitution of Nepal, 2007.
Gorakh Bahadur BC, permanent resident of Meyalgudi VDC-9, Kalikot District, and Ram Singh Rawal, permanent resident of Lalikoili VDC-8, Surkhet, jointly filed the petition on Monday.
The Prime minister's Office and Cabinet, Ministries of Water Resources, Science and Technology, Environment, and Finance and the parliamentary committee on Natural Resources and Finance, the Electricity Development Department, the Nepal Electricity Authority and the GMR Limited, Hyderabad, India, are the defendants in the case.
The petitioners have claimed that the government signed an agreement on the Upper Karnali project, but information regarding the project has not been made public.
"The government has been hiding information on the Environmental Impact Assessment of the project," they said.
Source: The Himalayan Times, February 21, 2008
100MW Kali Gandaki Hydro Project Unveiled
At a time when the country is reeling under an acute energy shortage, a group of Nepali developers under the initiation of Hydro Solutions on Thursday announced the launch of Kali Gandaki Gorge Hydropower Project (KGGHP) for domestic consumption.
The 100 MW power project to be built at the border of Mustang and Myagdi districts, is a domestic project led by Nepali developers and financers, said Gyanendra Lal Pradhan, chief strategist at the Hydro Solutions.
The project will be the first hydropower project being promoted by Nepali and for Nepali that can significantly reduce the burden of load shedding and energy crisis, he claimed.
Pradhan claimed that ‘financing is not problem’, as they have already received commitment of over two billion rupees from local banks, business houses and developers such as Butwal Power Company. He also revealed that the developers plan to distribute shares to locals in the area and public as well as labourers who wish to work in lieu of equity.
Although the total estimated cost for the project is yet to be finalised, Pradhan said current estimation stands at $1500 per KW. He further added that the detailed project cost and promoters would be finalised within next six months.
Source: http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/ February 22, 2008
NOC Move To Ease Fuel Supply
The Nepal Oil Corporation has made arrangements for the smooth supply and distribution of petroleum products. The month-long arrangement will come into effect from Monday.
The petroleum products would be made available to the essential services on a priority basis by issuing coupons.
The pumps will provide fuel not exceeding Rs 500 to motorcycles, Rs 800 to private cars, Rs 1,000 to taxis and vehicles belonging to educational institutions, Rs 2,000 to vehicles on hire and Rs 3,000 to vehicles plying on long distances.
Fuel will be provided to vehicles with even registration number on even date according to the Nepali calendar and to vehicles with odd registration number on odd days of the week, except the vehicles of the essential services.
Separate petrol pumps would be designated for filling the motorcycles, taxis, private cars and vehicles on hire. The information on the designated gas stations would be given in the media.
Source: http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/ February 23, 2008
Load Shedding Affects NARC Research, DNA Stock
Fluctuating power supply is adversely affecting the invaluable stock of DNA samples in the Nepal Agricultural Research Council.
Prolonged load shedding is likely causing much loss to some 500 DNA of indigenous breed of crops and vegetation and more than 10,000 samples of seeds at the Biotechnology Unit of the NARC. "Nepal can not afford the loss of these genes," Dr Bindeshwar Prasad Sah, senior scientist at the unit told this daily.
"The Botany Pathology Division has already lost 25 of trichoderma (fungal isolates), an organism that controls soil health. The NARC had a store of 30 isolates which were tested and isolated in a lab in the UK this year. The soil samples were collected from different parts of the country, which took a lot of time and money," he said.
Source: http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/ February 23, 2008
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
GM Exec Stands By Calling Global Warming A "Crock"
By Kevin Krolicki
General Motors Corp Vice Chairman Bob Lutz has defended remarks he made dismissing global warming as a "total crock of s---," saying his views had no bearing on GM's commitment to build environmentally friendly vehicles.
In a posting on his GM blog, Lutz said those "spewing virtual vitriol" at him for minimizing the threat of climate change were "missing the big picture."
GM, the largest U.S. automaker by sales and market share, has been trying to change its image after taking years of heat for relying too much on sales of large sport-utility vehicles like the Hummer and not moving faster on fuel-saving hybrid technology.
Lutz said GM was continuing development of the battery-powered, plug-in Chevy Volt and other alternatives to traditional internal combustion engines.
Automakers ended their opposition to higher fuel standards in 2007 when it became clear that proposed changes would become law with or without their support.
In December, President George W. Bush signed a law mandating a 40 percent increase in fleet wide fuel economy by 2020, the first substantial change in three decades.
Source: Reuters, February 23, 2008, http://www.enn.com/
50 Polluting Firms Blacklisted In South China
A booming province in southern China has blacklisted 50 companies for failing to meet environmental standards and warned them that they would be ordered to halt production or closed down by the local government if they do not take corrective steps.
After reviewing 164 key polluting companies, the Guangdong Environmental Protection Bureau has given "yellow or red warning cards" for failing to meet an environmental protection credit review, the provincial environmental watchdog said.
Serious polluters must improve pollutant treatment facilities within a required period and those not falling in line would be ordered to halt production or be closed, the bureau said.
As per tightened rules, the country's securities regulator would also be advised not to clear stock market initial public offerings or the refinancing applications of offending firms, it said.
Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/23 Feb, 2008
Greece Seen Facing Bleak Climate Future
By Karolos Grohmann
Greece will face droughts, higher temperatures and sea levels, and desertification that will damage agriculture and tourism because of climate change, EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said on Friday.
Dimas said the average annual temperature around the Mediterranean had increased by 1 degree Celsius compared with a 0.74 degree rise globally. He did not say to which period this rise was compared.
Greece's average rainfall in the past few years has fallen by about 30 percent since the mid 1970s. The month of January in 2007 was the driest in half a century while last June was the hottest June on record, scientists have said.
The European Union's executive adopted plans last month to cut greenhouse gas emissions, seeking to push the world into tough climate action.
"Greece must meet its Kyoto (environmental) protocol targets diligently," Dimas said, adding the country must boost alternative energy production, increase investment in energy-saving measures and include climate change measures in every policy."Climate change is a global problem in need of a global solution," Dimas said.
Source: Reuters, February 22, 2008, http://www.enn.com/
A Green Free Zone To Save Energy
By Emmanuelle Landais
Enpark, the acronym for Energy and Environment Park, is the latest free zones to lay its bricks on Dubai soil in hopes of attract renewable energy experts to the country by providing facilities for industries in the field.
Ali Bin Towaih, Director of the Energy and Environment Park (Enpark) is working towards a greener and healthier Dubai. He spoke to Gulf News about his concept of living close to work, reducing cars on the road and eating healthier food.
We are looking at a practical way of applying things and turning good habits into a lifestyle. Enpark will be a people's project. It will be a new free zone with water and energy conservation programmes. It will also be for industries to showcase their products and make a difference in people's lives.
Emissions and pollution, congestion and traffic jams are problems here so with our project we want to contribute to Dubai's property infrastructure in a holistic way.
Enpark will run on renewable energy, probably solar but it depends on which is most economically viable. People who work in Enpark will live in Enpark. It's a living and working solution. If people can walk to work it reduces cars on the roads.
Source: http://www.gulfnews.com/ February 24, 2008
Amazon Nuts Help Fuel First Biofuel Flight
By Nigel Hunt
Nuts picked from Amazon rainforests helped fuel the world's first commercial airline flight powered by renewable energy on Sunday.
British billionaire Branson said, however, it was unlikely the nut of the wild growing babassu palm would play a key role as airlines turn to renewable fuel sources to cut the industry's greenhouse gas emissions.
"We did not want to use biofuels such as corn oil which were competing with staple food sources," he said, adding he believed algae produced in places like sewage treatment farms were the most likely future source of renewable fuel for the airline industry.
Many scientists believe so-called second generation biofuels, which could be made from products such as municipal waste, will provide more substantial environmental benefits without competing with food crops for land.
The biofuels blend on the Virgin flight contained 20 percent neat biofuel and 80 percent conventional jet fuel. Branson said tests had shown it was possible to fly with a 40 percent blend.
Branson, whose Virgin Group business spans an airline, a rail service, drinks, hotels and leisure, has committed to spending all the profits from his airline and rail business to combat global warming by cutting carbon emissions.
Source: Reuters, February 24, 2008, http://www.enn.com/
Local News
Upper Tamakoshi Closer To Realization
The 309 MW Upper Tamakoshi hydropower project inched a significant step ahead Tuesday following an investment agreement between Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF).
EPF will provide Rs. 12 billion to NEA for construction of the project, out of which 10 billion will be in loan at 8.25 percent interest and 2 billion in debentures to be converted later into shares.
NEA Executive Director Arjun Kumar Karki and EPF Chief Administrator Sashi Bikram Rana signed the agreement at a function held at NEA's office in the capital.
The project to be constructed at Lamabagar VDC in Dolkha district is estimated to cost Rs 27.44 billion, exclusive of interests on loans.
NEA aims to complete the project by 2012/13. It is an attractive and low-risk project with its power generation cost standing at Rs. 1.70 per unit, and producing 1.74 billion units per annum.
Also, the project's location in central Nepal will ease the power generation imbalance as almost all power projects are now located in the Western part of the country.
According to NEA Executive Director Karki, NEA will be holding 51 percent shares in the project, while 20 percent will go to the depositors at EPF and locals at the project site will receive 10 percent. NEA staff and the general public will be offered the rest. He also said that the Upper Tamakoshi Hydro Power Limited (UTHPL) will be a separate entry."NEA will have to purchase electricity from UTHPL as a completely separate entry." He said, adding, "Therefore UTHPL will bear none of the financial burden of NEA, which is now making a loss."
After completion of the 20 MW Chilime Hydroelectricity project, this will be the biggest project to be completed through domestic investment and resources." Also, this is the first project to provide shares to locals at the project site in the district," claimed Karki, adding ," Similarly, depositors at EPF will become shareholders in the project," Detailed engineering design for the project has not been completed yet.
Source: The Kathmandu Post, January 30, 2008
Energy Consumption Is High In Household Use
According to Alternative Energy Promotion Center, household energy consumption is very high compare to other sector. About 89.21% of energy is being consumed for cooking, heating water, lighting houses etc. Only about 1.51% in business, 3.71% in transportation, 4.51% in industry and 0.81% in agriculture is being used by these sectors.
In the tenth fifth year plan, the plan of electricity facility to 8138 rural family, construction of 2837 biogas plants, improvement of 4000 water mills, installment of 72835 solar panel and improvement of 212852 cook stoves has been mentioned. The government subsidy on alternative energy played an important role in attracting more rural villages towards alternative energy, said Narayan Prasad Kafle, assistant director, AEPC.
Source: Rahdhani, 31 January 2008
Diesel Shortage: 70 Percent Vehicle 'Not Plying'
Transport entrepreneurs claimed today that more than 70 percent of the public vehicles were not plying on roads due to the "acute" shortage of diesel through out the nation.
General Secretary of the Federation of Nepali National Transport Entrepreneurs Krishna Adhikary said today that less than 30 per cent of the public vehicles were plying on the roads due to the shortage of diesel.
He claimed that the adulteration of fuel is rampant in the market." The price of Kerosene is equal to that of petrol and diesel," he claimed.
The practice of adulteration is common among petroleum dealers, he said, adding," There is no mechanism to check this illegal act," he said.
Adhikary also said that transport entrepreneurs would launch an agitation against the shortage and adulteration of fuel.
Convener of the Bagmati Zonal Committee of Federation of Nepali National Transport Entrepreneurs, Niratna Newa, said they would launch protest programmes after organizing a press conference tomorrow demanding that the agreements reached with Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula last year be implemented.
"None of the agreements reached with the Home Minister has been implemented yet," Newa said.
He said they were also planning to begin indefinite transport strike throughout the Bagmati zone.
General Secretary of the Nepal Petroleum Dealers' Association, Sharad Bhandary, said of the total quantity, only 25 percent of fuel being supplied in the market these days. The concerned government bodies should control the adulteration of fuel, he added.
Source: The Himalayan Times, January 31, 2008
Attraction Towards Improved Cook Stove
Locals of Jhapa (Puwamjhuwa VDC) are attracted towards improved cook stove after Patenagi Biodiversity Conservation Project enhanced the construction of improved cook stove in the VDC.
Due to use of less fuel wood and less emission of smoke, the use of improved cook stove is increasing in the village. More than 200 households has constructed improved cook stove and the trend is in the increasing order.
The program of improved cook stove basically aims to conserve environment and enhance biodiversity conservation, said Somnath Sunuwar, member of the project.
Source: Rajdhani, Feb 1, 2008
Use Of Tyre In Brick Kiln
Brick Kiln of Tanahu district are using tyre posing risk to environment and health. The labors working at the brick kiln say more than 50% of the brick kiln in Tanahu district use tyre at the cost of environment and health.
Dr. Ishwor Prasad Adhikari said that the labors of brick kiln can have adverse health problems like COPD, asthma, Tuberculosis, cancer etc. Brick kiln that are not registered are using tyre, said Bal krishna Ghimire, president, Business Entrepreneur. He further said that such industries should be recognized and take immediate action. He said that there are about 50 brick kilns which have not been registered yet. Though there is a policy relating to the environment but these policies have not been strictly followed, said Shiva Prasad Devkota, president, Small Industry Development Committee.
Source: Kantipur, February 2, 2008
Upper Karnali Hydel Decision Criticised
After the Upper Karnali hydropower project was given to an Indian company, border experts and lawyers at an interaction programme Wednesday expressed doubts about the Indian security force finding the pretext of giving security to the project to enter Nepal.
At the programme, advocate Bhimarjan Acharya said that this interim (temporary) government did not have the right to make contract of projects related to natural resources and of national importance.
He said the government, before making the contract, should have first asked the local people as they have more right to the use and utilization of the local resources.
He added that more than making such an agreement, this government should give priority to the upcoming constitution assembly (CA) elections.
The Upper Karnali hydropower project has the capacity of 300 MW.
Hydropower expert Ratna Sagar Shrestha said that Nepal would never be developed if the government continued selling natural resources to foreigners instead of building infrastructure for their development on its own efforts.
Gorakh Bahadur GC, local of Karnali said Karnali is not just a river but a symbol of the civilisation of the Khasas, the original people of Karnali. Selling such a resource without taking consent of the local people is a betrayal to the people and ignoring the civilisation of the region.
Source: The Rising Nepal, February 2, 2008, http://www.gorkhapatra.or
International News
Suggests $2 bln Carbon Capture Plan
By Randall Palmer and Allan Dowd
Canadian governments should spend C$2 billion ($2 billion) to encourage the capture and storage of carbon to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a government-commissioned panel recommends.
The panel report, released late on Thursday, flags carbon capture as a way of curbing emissions while continuing to make economic progress, but the panel said it needs government help to get the idea off the ground.
"Canada possesses the technology, geology, and expertise to be a world leader in the development and implementation of CCS (carbon capture and storage) technology," the report said.
Harper, elected in 2006, has said Canada will not be able to meet its obligations under the Kyoto protocol on climate change without taking steps he said would cause economic havoc. He has instead looked largely to technological innovations which have yet to get off the ground in a large-scale commercial way.
Source: Reuters, February 1, 2008 , http://www.enn.com/
Responding to Climate Change
Across the country most cities, regions, and states have recognized that they must begin to address the impacts of climate change. But the speed and seriousness of these climate impacts facing each region of the country remains deeply uncertain, complicating the ability of governments at all levels to respond to the challenge.
Robert Lempert, RAND senior scientist, will discuss how new planning approaches can enable cities, water utilities, transportation, and other agencies to more effectively incorporate successful responses to climate change into their activities and plans. These approaches can help increase policy makers' confidence in their ability to address climate change as well as their willingness to recognize its potential consequences.
Lempert, who has a Ph.D. in Physics from Harvard University, leads RAND projects addressing both effective strategies for adapting to climate change impacts and reducing emissions of climate-altering greenhouse gases. He was a contributor to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which, with former vice president Al Gore, won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
Source: http://www.enn.com/ January 31, 2008
Supermarkets to weigh up carbon labels
Shoppers may soon be able to tell what foods on the supermarket shelves are adding to global warming - in much the same way they can read the label to see if an item is high in fat or sugar.
Woolworths and the Australian Food and Grocery Council will examine the benefits of carbon labelling, which allows customers to see at a glance how much greenhouse gas was used to produce the product.
The study followed a call by the Victorian Employers Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) for the Federal Government to adopt a national labelling system to measure the entire carbon footprint of food and household products.
VECCI said labeling would encourage business to reduce carbon emissions and help consumers to make better decisions.
Only 8 per cent of Australia's largest companies believed climate change posed a present threat to their business, a Pricewaterhouse Coopers survey found, but there is an emerging market for "green" businesses.
Source: http://www.smh.com.au/ February 3, 2008
Rooting For A Climate Change...
By Raunak Roy
The world is going crazy over global warming and climate change. But no one wants to really do anything about it. The world's leaders would rather catch a plane with delegates from another 180 countries and zero down on exotic islands to just talk about it.
The latest example is the United Nations Climate Change Conference held from December 3-14 in Nusa Dua, Bali, which culminated in the adoption of a new roadmap, which charts the course for a new negotiating process to be concluded by 2009 that will ultimately lead to a post-2012 international agreement on climate change. This is rather ironic as the 10,000 people caused as much pollution as 20,000 cars in one year!
Among other environmental campaigns, Oneworld wants to raise awareness about carbon emissions from air travel. Called Virtual Bali and still available at www.oneclimate.net/virtualbali, it is an online place where residents can come together and throw questions at the representatives from different countries and organizations attending the main event.
SL opens new possibilities for bringing the world together, for uniting people from across the world on a common platform to voice their opinions. The Bali summit is just one example. We will see more in the future.
Source: The Times of India, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
Local News
Imhja Glacier Lake Is At Risk
Japanese explorer and mountain climber Ken Noguchi visited Nepal for thirty six times and warns Imjha glacial lake of Solukhumbu district will burst in no time.
To draw the attention of international committee, he requested the government, civil society and media to take this issue seriously. He said due to global warming, the mountainous regions are very vulnerable; moreover Imjha glacial lake is very vulnerable from the beginning.
According to the study carried out by UNDP and ICIMOD in 2001 AD, 20 glacial lakes including Imjha, Tso- Rolpa, Barun and Thulagi are potentially dangerous lakes.
Ken said if Imjha glacial lake burst then it would have its effects down the Lukla in an hour and there would be both social and economical losses.
He also informed that Japanese private company has the technology to drain excess water out of the lake.
Source: Kantipur, January 23, 2008
Irrigation By Using Solar Energy
Farmers of Shyanjha district (Jagatbhanjyang) are using solar energy to operate irrigation facility to water vegetable farm.
With the help from DDC, VDC, agricultural office and SIMI organization, the villagers have installed solar panel, which powers the facility to supply water to 35 households for irrigation.
The farmers were facing trouble due to scarcity of water during winter but now the problem has been solved by solar energy.
Source: Rajdhani, January 20, 2008
Ex-Workers Threaten To Shut Down Hydro
Former workers of Jhimruk Hydroelectricity Project (JHP) here have threatened to obstruct power generation if the management does not address their demands.
Organizing a press meet at the premises of the power station on Tuesday, the employees said they would break open the doors of the project's reservoir if the management did not pay heed to their demands by January 31.
Some 250 temporary workers who were recruited for construction of the project and for rural electrification were sent home six years ago after the construction works who were halted following attack by Maoist cadres.
The agitating employees claimed that the management had promised to call them back soon after the works of the project started. They have demanded their immediate reinstatement, and treatment for injured workers, among others.
Shobhakar Pant, distribution chief at the power station said that he would apprise of the matter to the center soon.
The project, which was constructed with the assistance of Norwegian government is being run by Butwal Power Company now.
Source: The Kathmandu Post, January 24, 2008
Burning Of Tyres Can Cause Harm
The protests against the price hike of petroleum products ended on January 23. The Environment Management Division (EMD) of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, however, was busy for the next two days collecting the waste generated during the protests.
The nearly 35 tonnes of waste, chiefly comprising burnt tree branches, fragments of bricks, were collected from Kalimati, Putalisadak, Maharajgunj, Naxal, Lazimpat, Thamel, Boudha, New Baneshwor and other areas where the protest programmes were organized.
The EMD staffers were helped by YCL members in their task. Rabin Man Shrestha, EMD chief said the weight of the burnt items alone weighed over 10 tonnes.
According to him, two vehicles full of waste were collected from the Kalimati area alone while another vehicle full was collected from the Bir Hospital area.
The local administration in the valley, during the royal regime, had banned the burning of tyres during protests, citing health and environmental reasons.
Dr. Manohar Gupta, chief of the General Practice and Emergency Medicine Department, Teaching Hospital, said the effects of burning tyre does not end with the fire dying, its impact remains for weeks. Also the small fragments get airborne or gets into water sources thus proving hazardous to health.
"The |
