A very, very sick joke - by Richard... Friday, January 08, 2010

A very, very sick joke - by Richard... Friday, January 08, 2010

That is what The Times is telling us. But it adds: "The nine farms announced will generate enough electricity to power more than half of Britain’s homes, but only when the wind blows."


And just when you need it most, it doesn't. We're peaking at 59GW and wind was supplying a pathetic 3.5 percent of installed capacity, delivering a mere 147MW just after midnight, or 0.3 percent of our total power requirement. Coal, on the other hand, was bashing out 48.3 percent while gas came in second place with 33.2 percent.

Wind? This is a very, very sick joke.

CLIMATE CHANGE – NEW THREAD

Print ready

Looks like climate from here - by Richard...

The death toll from Britain’s biggest freeze for decades reached 22 today, reports The Times - and this is before we see what is slated to be the coldest night so far.

That, however, only takes into account the immediate, observable deaths associated with accidents and other incidents. But, as the BBC admits, cold is a silent killer.

Last year's low temperatures saw the highest number of "excess deaths" - the number of those who perished over and above what is normal for the time of year - for nearly a decade.

These amounted to 40,000 in England and Wales and represented a rise of nearly 50 percent over the previous year. In the South East, where people were perhaps least prepared for a cold snap, deaths nearly doubled.

Given that this year we are experiencing much harsher conditions, one can expect a similar toll, representing a major medical emergency. Although estimates vary, the heat wave in France in the summer of 2003 produced about 15,000 deaths. By that measure, cold is a much more potent killer.

To that, we must add the economic cost, currently estimated as around £700 million. That does not include losses arising from the sudden interruption of gas supplies from Norway arising from a breakdown in the pipeline system.

And, for all Monbiot's prattling, this is not "freak" weather – it is part of a pattern that has been with us for three years, the inevitable result of an established cooling cycle, where we have seen each of the last three winters more severe than the rest.

I checked our own blog and we have written over 150 posts on "snow" worldwide, building up a picture of deteriorating conditions. Then, last March we were pointing out that all the signs were there, pointing to an established cooling cycle.

Now, when you get a "freak" event, that is indeed "weather". This is precisely what the French heat wave was. But we are seeing fundamental changes in the weather cycle which reflect a consistent pattern over three years. That is beginning to look more like "climate."

This is, of course, why the likes of Bastardi and Corbyn have been able to predict that we were in for a bad winter, when the Met Office could not. The fact is that the orthodoxy is blinded by Mann-made global warming and cannot see the snow for the tree-rings.

With many local authorities employing more climate change advisors than they have gritter trucks, we are now paying for that folly. Many are paying with their lives, unable to afford the fuel bills that the warmists have been keen to inflate in order to "save the planet" from the hypothetical risk of CO2 – to say nothing of filling their pockets.

But, if The Times is reporting 22 deaths here, immediate victims of the cold, in India, they are reporting a death toll of 195. Fortunately for that multi-millionaire thief Pachauri – tucked up in his luxury mansion at 160 Golf Links – he will be warm and toasty while those he helps keeps in poverty perish from the cold. 

CLIMATE CHANGE – NEW THREAD

Print ready

Moonbat squeaks - by Richard... Thursday, January 07, 2010

The great man is upset by the Booker-North double act last weekend. Weather is not climate. All that cold, in the UK, in North America, in Asia, Russia ... don't mean nuffink.

So why do they use weather stations to measure climate? Just a thought.

CLIMATE CHANGE – NEW THREAD

Print ready

Global cooling in 2009 - by Richard...

A superb record of weather events last year.

CLIMATE CHANGE – NEW THREAD

Print ready

Prepared for the wrong eventuality - by Richard...

The Department for Transport defended its record, indicating that Britain experienced such weather so infrequently that investing in improved technology would be a waste of money. "Countries that regularly suffer severe weather put huge investment into buying expensive equipment but we do not believe people would want us to do this in Britain when it would be very rarely used," a spokesman said.

So reports The Times on the growing shortage of salt, which is hampering efforts to get Britain moving.

Of course, if they had spent a fraction on winter preparations of the billions they have spent on global warming, we would not be having these problems. But then it would take a grown-up newspaper to make that observation.

CLIMATE CHANGE – NEW THREAD

Print ready

Work in progress - by Richard...

The work on TERI Europe progresses, with the original list of activities now expanded to 31, and many more to come.

All being well, we will be publishing a major piece in The Sunday Telegraph this weekend, with the paper allocating real resources to the continuing investigation. Hence the pressure is on to build the dossier, collect more material and check out facts very thoroughly indeed. Blogging has had to take second place for once.

Meanwhile, enjoy the Met Office attempts to convince us that it reeely is getting warmer, honest Guv!

The mean UK temperature for December was 2.1 °C, making it the coldest for 14 years and colder than the long-term average for December of 4.2 °C. However, December was one of only two months in 2009 which had a below-average mean temperature. Therefore, climate change is taking place as the earth continues to warm up.

Yea, yea ... and I'm the tooth fairy.

PACHAURI THREAD

Print ready

An intelligence test - by Richard... Wednesday, January 06, 2010

The coming general election is going to be an intelligence test, writes Gerald Warner. 

If people realise that voting for the slightly less objectionable choice gets them nowhere, that by holding out for what they really want they can actually obtain it, then we may be able to liberate ourselves from the tree-hugging New/Blue Labour consensus. 

If we fail to rise to that challenge we shall forfeit the right to complain about five more years of PC oppression. That is the answer: Zero Tolerance of "Green" agendas.

Thus does the man lay down the challenge. This is not a peripheral issue, where one holds one's nose and votes, despite knowing that the Party you are voting for does not share all your values.

The "Green" agenda (along with the EU) are absolutely core issues. On neither is Cameron's Blue/Green Conservatives sound. Vote Blue and get Green – and you will only have yourself to blame. As they say in the States, the lesser of two evils is still evil.

CLIMATE CHANGE – NEW THREAD

Print ready

What more can I say? - by Richard...

Joe Bastardi on global warming. And still, as The Daily Express notes, the stupid, malign fools still want to claim the planet is heating up.

We had another dump of global warming here this morning, at least two inches on top of the last lot. Only limited traffic is running on the main roads but most side street are impassable. Public services such as refuse collection have ceased to function and there is an eerie silence in the streets.

Apart from the immediate loss of productivity – not that we produce very much in this country any more – we are seeing a spike in fuel prices, with coal prices rising sharply by around $5.00 a ton for cargoes delivered into Europe "on strong buying after the New Year holidays." 

South African FOB prices, they say, rose less steeply, by around $2.00 a ton, on renewed Indian buying interest but are expected to move rapidly higher during the next few weeks because demand exceeds available supply. Given our current reliance on imported coal – having wound down our own coal industry – this can only be bad news.

The warmists prattle on about the costs of global warming. Had they any brains at all, they would realise that the economic – and human – cost of the cold are far, far greater. But, such is their obsession (and their financial interest) that they are incapable of looking beyond their own noses.

These people are dangerous. We, the silent (and not so silent) majority need to show we are even more dangerous when roused.

CLIMATE CHANGE – NEW THREAD

Print ready

Pachauri: the smoking gun - by Richard...

Gradually, we are closing in on Dr R K Pachauri's little outpost of empire in 27 Albert Grove, Merton, as further evidence is obtained which reveals the undeclared scale of this operation.

The "smoking gun" is a 50-page study entitled: SI2 - Sustainable Investment in India, reporting on "Sustainable development of portfolio investment in India's publicly listed companies," which TERI Europe published in May 2007. 

This was the year that the organisation filed accounts with the Charity Commission claiming an income of a paltry £9,000 and an expenditure of a mere £5,000.

Although it was produced, we are told, with the "generous support" of the Global Opportunities Fund of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, we still do not know how much it cost to produce. 

Nevertheless, we have speculated that it cost a great deal more than the £5,000 declared as expenses that year, and the "generous support" given to carry out the project must have been considerably more than the £9,000 declared as income.

Now, however, we are in a very much better position to estimate the cost of the project as TERI Europe went on to update this report for the International Finance Corporation – an offshoot of the World Bank – which it published in May 2009 under the title "Sustainable Investment in India 2009".

This document, with one other produced by TERI Europe in April 2009 - called "Sustainable Investment in Brazil 2009" was part of a three-part project each very similar -two parts of which were completed by TERI Europe and the third by a Chinese organisation.

And here, there is information on costing, through the good offices of the IFC Advisory Services in Environmental and Social Sustainability, which has produced its Annual Report 2009, containing the details.

The projects were started on 21 July 2008 and the total cost, shared between TERI Europe and the Chinese outfit, Business for Social Responsibility Advisory Services, was $331,000. 

Assuming an equal split between the three parts of the project, that means TERI Europe must have been paid about $110,000 for each of the reports. Even with today' debauched sterling, that still amounts to nearly £70,000 a throw - £140,000 for the two.

Now, we cannot say that TERI Europe was paid the same amount for the "SI2 - Sustainable Investment in India" report, although the organisation does acknowledge the "generous support" from the FCO. Given the scale of the production, it surely cannot have been much less.

Thus, we have a situation where there is good evidence that TERI Europe was engaged in the production of a report for which it must have attracted funding in the order of £70,000 and incurred considerable expense, yet it shows an income of £9,000 and an expenditure of £5,000.

Even if there is a substantial discount on the SI2 report, it is simply not credible that TERI Europe could have operated that year with an income so low, or spent so little. On the face of it, we are very much closer to showing that this organisation has indeed been guilty of false accounting, and misleading the Charity Commission.

We have written to the FCO, formally asking for details of the amounts paid to TERI Europe for the project, and await their response with interest. We will keep you appraised, as the noose tightens.

PACHAURI THREAD

Print ready

Pachauri: TERI-Europe – the enigma (Part 4) - by Richard... Tuesday, January 05, 2010

As we left it with our last piece, we were looking Dr R K Pauchauri's London enterprise, by the name of TERI Europe. Headquartered at 27 Albert Grove, Merton (pictured), it is a registered charity which declared to the Charity Commissioner a total of £24,000 (exactly) income for the three trading years ending in 2008, with an expenditure of exactly £16,100.

Yet this is also an organisation which took a contribution of £30,417 from DEFRA in that period, which exceeds the total income for a period of three years, against a high level of operational activity and additional, "generous support" from the Global Opportunities Fund of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Exact information on income, however, remains frustratingly – if predictably – difficult to obtain and although we have written to TERI Europe director (and company secretary) Ritu Kumar, asking for further details of their accounts, we have yet to receive a reponse.

In this fourth piece on TERI-Europe, therefore, what we are doing is building a picture of the operations of TERI-Europe by which means we aim to show that the level of activity could not possibly be supported by the declared income and expenses and therefore, as an entirely reasonable assumption, that details of the accounts have been wrongfully (and illegally) concealed.

So far, I have positively identified 42 specific activities/projects, which are listed below in rough date order. There are many more, but such is the incoherence of the reporting, and the multiplicity of sources, with different players, networks and "partners" involved that it is increasingly difficult to assemble clear details of the many others.

However, what we have is clearly sufficient to prove the point - that TERI Europe operates at a level which could not even begin to be sustained by the meagre income declared to the Charity Commission. Thus, this is the list so far:

1. Global Commons Institute in London 

Creation on 24 of December 1999 of an organisation with the informal title, "The Global Commons Network" (GCN). Ritu Kumar involved.

2. Developing clean development mechanism projects for renewable energy technologies.

Project entitled "Solving the CDM Maze for Renewable Energy Technologies in India".

Commenced in 2000 and was sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of the British government. Implemented jointly by TERI-Europe, London; TERI, India; the Commonwealth Science Council (CSC), UK; AEA Technology, UK; Renewable Energy Systems Ltd, UK; and ABB Alstom Power, UK. Report in June 2003. HM Treasury report, also in 2003, culminating in a National Strategy Study (NSS) on Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) conducted by TERI India with a report in 2005.

3. European Union Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility: A Cross- Cultural Perspective.

Wednesday 21 November 2001, Federation House, Tansen Marg, New Delhi. Speaker: Ms. R. Kumar Consultant, Commonwealth Science Council, Director TERI-Europe.

4. Corporate Responsibility in South Asia

TERI-Europe with the New Academy of Business carried out a major exercise to document corporate responsibility practices in Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka with a view to developing training modules for companies and academic institutes on environmentally and socially responsible business practices.

As part of this programme, a poll conducted by TERI-Europe has revealed a compelling agenda for corporations in India to demonstrate their social responsibilities. The poll of over 1200 individuals in Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Tiruppur surveyed the perceptions and expectations of workers, company executives, and the general public towards business in India. This poll was the first of its kind to include workers in a survey of corporate responsibility, thereby giving a unique balance to the results.

The results of the poll were presented in a report Altered Images: understanding and encouraging corporate responsibility in India. Reported in 16 January 2002.

This project was supported by the UK Department for International Development's Asia Division.

5. EPTSD Dialogue Report: Promoting Sustainable Trade in Textiles and Clothing.

Published on 24-25 January 2002 by WWF. Contribution by Teri Europe.

6. IPIECA Stakeholder Dialogue: International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association, 22-24 April 2003, Durdent Court – UK, with final report, 5 June 2003.

The report summarizes the discussion that took place at the stakeholder dialogue sponsored by the International Petroleum Industry Environmental and Conservation Association (IPIECA), at Durdent Court outside London, United Kingdom, 22-24 April. The dialogue was convened to explore issues surrounding the social impact of the oil and gas industry in its areas of operation. 

The report presents a summary of the views exchanged during the dialogue and has been reviewed by all participants. Consistent with the application of Chatham House Rule during the course of the dialogue, no comments are attributed either to individuals or institutions. Rita Kumar, TERI, listed as an attendee.

7. Symposium: Challenges ahead on the road to Cancún.

16, 17 and 18 June 2003, World Trade Organization, Centre William Rappard, Geneva, Switzerland. Panellist: Ms. Ritu Kumar Environmental Economist, described as Consultant to the Commonwealth Science Council.

8. International Conference: Towards Sustainable Product Design.

27-28 October 2003, Nordic Sea Hotel, Stockholm, Sweden. Speaker: Ritu Kumar, Director, TERI (Europe), UK. Developing world perspective.

Organised by the Centre for Sustainable Design. Sponsored by the Nordic Council of Ministers, Swedish Business Development Agency (NUTEK), and the Swedish Ministry of Environment. Supported by: World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Switzerland Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), UK Sustainable Trade & Innovation Centre (STIC), Netherlands.

9. Book: Something to Believe In - Creating Trust and Hope in Organisations: Stories of Transparency, Accountability and Governance.

Based in part on an international action research project, conducted in partnership with United Nations Volunteers (UNV) (in Brazil, Ghana, India, Lebanon, Nigeria, the Philippines and South Africa), research with women workers conducted for the UK Department for International Development in factories and plantations of Nicaragua and another project involving collaboration with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) Europe and local partners in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.

Chapter on "Partnering trust: India's corporate social responsibility heritage," by Viraal B Balsari, TERI-Europe. Published by Greanleaf, December 2003.

10. International conference - Development cooperation and corporate social responsibility: exploring the role of development cooperation agencies. 

Held in Stockholm 22-23 March 2004. Workshop 3 refers: CSR standards and norms in developing countries. Chair: Nigel Twose, The World Bank Group. Rapporteur: Ritu Kumar, TERI-Europe. Organised by the Swedish foreign ministry, in collaboration with IIED, IBLF, Sida and the World Bank.

Report subsequently produced: "Exploring the role of development cooperation agencies in corporate responsibility" by Tom Fox and Dave Prescotti.

11. WTO Public Symposium: "Multilateralism at a Crossroads".

25 - 27 May 2004, Centre William Rappard, 154, Rue de Lausanne, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland. Speaker Ritu Kumar – described as Exec Director, STIC.

12. INSTEP in the UK

TERI-Europe hosted an event on INSTEP (Integrating New and Sustainable Technologies for Elimination of Poverty) in March 2005, in collaboration with the India Environment Trust, London. Dr R K Pachauri, Director-General, TERI and Dr Leena Srivastava, Executive Director, TERI presented TERI's INSTEP programme to an audience of NRIs and British persons with an interest in development and poverty reduction.

13. Symposium: Business Action for Development

24-25 May 2005, Buckinghamshire, UK. The International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF), the UN Global Compact (UNGC) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) convened this symposium focusing on the role of business in reducing poverty and meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in May 2005. TERI Europe included as participants.

14. Conference of the Parties, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Eleventh session, Montreal, 28 November to 9 December 2005. Participant: Ms. Ritu Kumar.

15. The Munich Climate Insurance Initiative (MCII).

Initiated by Munich Re in April 2005 at seminar on Climate Insurance resented by the Institute for Environmental Studies of the Free University Amsterdam. It is launched "in response to the growing realization that insurance solutions can play a role in adaptation to climate change." 

The initiative brings together insurers, experts on climate change and adaptation, NGOs, and policy researchers intent on finding solutions to the risks posed by climate change. MCII provides a forum and gathering point for insurance-related expertise on climate change impact issues. TERI Europe is a founder member.

Followed up by a seminar on 5 December 2005, in Montréal, Canada. Peter Höppe, Munich Re notes the increase in extreme weather events and economic losses. He says the Initiative will help address the consequences of disasters in poor countries.

Christoph Bals, Germanwatch, said the "pillars" of a climate insurance fund could be providing compensation for uninsurable slow onset climate change risk and supporting risk financing. Ritu Kumar, Teri-Europe, said risk management in India is reactivated. She called for the improvement of loss data collection for insurance companies and the increase in public disaster reinsurance capacity.

16. Site visit: Argent Energy biofuel plant in Motherwell, Scotland.

Dr Rajendra Pachauri accompanied by Dr. Ritu Kumar, September 2005.

17. Conference: "Investing in the Future: a European Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility and the Finance Sector", attended by Dr Ritu Kumar and 
Ms Rochelle Mortier. 1 & 2 December 2005, Riverbank Park Plaza, London.

18. Working Group on Climate Change and Development.

Group formed involving: ActionAid International, Christian Aid, Columban Faith and Justice, IDS (Institute of Development Studies), ITDG (Intermediate Technology Development Group), IIED (International Institute for Environment and Development), Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, nef (new economics foundation), Operation Noah, Oxfam, People & Planet, RSPB, Tearfund, TERI Europe, WWF, WaterAid and World Vision.

19. Report: SME Clusters and Responsible Competitiveness in Developing Countries. Produced by AccountAbility with UNIDO. Consultee: Ritu Kumar, TERI Europe. Published January 2006.

20. International Symposium: Climate Policy in the Coming Phases of the Kyoto Process: Targets, Instruments, and the Role of Cap and Trade Schemes.

20-21 February 2006, Brussels. Potsdam Institute Climate Impact Research (PIK). Ritu Kumar, Director TERI Europe, UK, speaker on "The role of India in international climate policy."

21. Project: Stimulating Investors engagement with Corporate Social Responsibility in India.

Implemented by TERI Europe. The project purpose was to encourage the Indian business community to adopt Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) into its corporate strategy. Amongst other activities, TERI held discussions with the National Stock Exchange, Mumbai on the possibility of developing a CSR index for India.

Duration: April 2006 – June 2007. Funded by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

22. Conference: "Kyoto and Beyond: a Global Strategy"

Commonwealth Club, London, 18 May 2006 - Organised by Save our World. Contribution made by Ritu Kumar (Director of TERI-Europe).

23. Conference: Environmental Requirements and Market Access for Developing Countries: How to Turn Challenges into Opportunities.

Geneva, 3-4 July 2006, Conference Room XXIII, E-building, Palais des Nations. Annual Session of UNCTAD's Consultative Task Force on Environmental Requirements and Market Access for Developing Countries. Wrap-up Workshop of the UK-DFID-funded UNCTAD Project "Building Capacity for Improved Policy Making and Negotiation on Key Trade and Environment Issues"

Working Group 1 (room XXIII, E-building): Key findings and lessons of UNCTAD activities in the electrical and electronic sector. Moderator: Ms. Ritu KUMAR, Director, TERI-Europe.

24. Asia Eco-Design Electronics (AEDE).

TERI Europe is a major partner in this project. Amongst other activities, on 5 December 2006 Ritu Kumar moderated a panel discussion at the Hotel Silken 11–19 Boulevard Charlemagne, Belaymont, Brussels, Belgium.

AEDE is funded by the European Union as part of the Asia-Pro Eco Programme. The overall goal is to assist the Asian electronics and electrical suppliers to meet the challenges of existing and forthcoming EC and Japanese product-related environmental legislation and emerging CSR developments.

Originally announced on 10 April 2006, this is a €500,000 plus project led by the Centre for Sustainable Design at University College for the Creative Arts (UCCA) in Farnham, Surrey. 

It has six partners: the Department of Environmental Technology and Management, Mechanical Engineering, Linköping University, Sweden; TERI-Europe, UK/India; the Electronic Component Industries Association (ELCINA), Indi; School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR), Renmin University of China (RUC), China; Electrical and Electronics Institute, Thailand; Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, India.

25. Conference: India's Sustainability Challenge.

Organised by the Institute of Public Policy Research in London on 14 December 2006. This event, part of IPPR's India Year and Defra's Sustainable Development Dialogues, was attended by the David Miliband, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Ritu Kumar, Director, The Energy and Resources Institute, London, was one of the speakers, alongside Elliot Morley MP.

26. Facilitating sustainable trade in the textile and clothing sector.

TERI-Europe completed a comprehensive review of environmental and social requirements faced by textile and clothing exporters, exporting to the EU. This information has been compiled in a CD Rom, which contains a database on environmental and social requirements for the textile and clothing sector and provides exporters with a ready tool to access information on technologies, retail sources, and trade links.

TERI's objective was to build capacity of SME clusters in the leather and textiles sectors to face the challenges and benefit from the opportunities created by trade liberalisation. The project team conducted needs assessments and reviewed existing policies before holding stakeholders' workshops. Two workshops were organised, one in Mumbai and one Chennai to present the findings of the survey. The team is now working on a paper to identify areas for improvement of trade opportunities for SMEs in those sectors.

The scheme included pilot demonstrations on management of supply chains, as well as adherence to environmental, social, and trade regulations, which were conducted in two factories each in Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka.

Sponsored jointly by the EU and the Commonwealth Science Council. Duration: September 2004 – Dec 2006.

27. Conference: "Green light for change" Climate change, the Stern Review and what they mean for the Commonwealth.

Thursday 15 February 2007, 6pm at the Royal Commonwealth Society, London. Jointly organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society and the Commonwealth Foundation. Speaker Ritu Kumar, Director (Europe) of The Energy and Resources Institute.

28. Sustainable Investment in India

Announced as a project on 26 April 2006, this culminated in a report "SI2 - Sustainable Investment in India, - Sustainable development of portfolio investment in India's publicly listed companies."

Authored by Dan Siddy and Ritu Kumar, it was published as a 50-page document, stacked with detail, under the TERI-Europe brand, in May 2007, with the "generous support" of the Global Opportunities Fund of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

29. Conference: RSA/TEHELKA two-day summit of political, business and civil society leaders share their knowledge and experience of how to engage with and understand India.

7-8 June 2007 at The RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce). The Challenge of India: Ritu Kumar speaker. Other speakers include J J Irani - Director, TATA Sons.

30. Report: Up in Smoke?

Foreword by R K Pachauri and participation by TERI Europe. Reported on 20 November 2007 with environmental and development groups saying India should go all out to invest in clean technology even if it means incurring an estimated cost of $2 trillion.

The study was conducted by the coalition that included International Institute for Environment and Development, Oxfam International, TERI Europe and the World Wildlife Fund, "aimed at assessing the impacts of climate change on global efforts to reduce poverty."

31. EU Parliament Report: Climate Change and India: Impacts, Policy Responses and a Framework for EU-India Cooperation

Completed in January 2008 by Dr Ritu Kumar 

32. Sustainable building design: strengthening capacities for planning and implementation

As part of the EU-funded Asia Urbs programme, TERI-Europe was engaged in a project aimed at improving urban environment through the introduction of sustainability measures in building design. 

The project was jointly implemented by RENUE (Renewable Energy for the Urban Environment) in the UK, ICAEN (Institut Catalana d'Energia) in Barcelona, Spain, TERI, Delhi, India, and the Haryana Energy Development Agency, India. 

The project aimed at exchanging advice and good practices between the EU (European Union) and India to assist the local authority in Gurgaon to formulate urban development strategies and develop sustainable building design plans.

33. Energy efficiency and building design

TERI-Europe assisted the London Borough of Merton in organizing a major seminar on energy efficiency and in incorporating renewable energy technologies in building design. The seminar was part of the activities of the EU funded Asia Urbs project on building design. Date not known.

34. TERI FES Forum on Climate Policy Dialogue Climate Change, Biodiversity and Food Security in Marine Environments 

The "TERI FES Forum on Climate Policy Dialogue" is a new format that invites policy makers and scholars from think tanks and academia in industrialized and developing countries to discuss key issues of global climate governance. Conference venues alternate between industrialized and developing countries. The launch of the Forum was held in Bonn 13-14 May 2008.

35. High-Level India-EU Dialogue – Solutions for Sustainability.

India Habitat Centre, New Delhi (TERI India office location) - 3-4 February 2009. Organiser and part of the supporting team: Ritu Kumar AGCC; Director of TERI-Europe.

36. Sustainable Investment in Brazil 2009.

Final Report April 2009. Prepared for International Finance Corporation (IFC)
A Member of the World Bank Group by TERI‐Europe. Written and edited by
Ritu Kumar and Dan Siddy.

37. Sustainable Investment in India 2009.

Final report May 2009 prepared for the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group Prepared by TERI-Europe. Written and edited by Ritu Kumar and Dan Siddy, an associate fellow at TERI-Europe.

38. High-Level India-EU Dialogue.

The High-Level India-EU Dialogue is an "independent initiative" to promote joint action by India and the European Union on climate and clean development, as a step towards an equitable and effective global framework. This is the third high-level event.

Final report, London, 7-8 July 2009. Organised by Action for a Global Climate Community. Supported by the UK Department for Energy and Climate Change and the Oak Foundation.

39. Conference: Global Energy Challenge – Time to Act.

The Energy Conference of Verbund, 16 - 18 September 2009, Schloss Fuschl/Hof near Salzburg. Speaker Ritu Kumar on "Global responsibility". Also speaking: Peter Höppe, Head of Geo risks Research of Munich Re Group, Germany on "How much does climate change cost?"

40. Conference: Climate Change: India Policies and Perceptions.

In recognition of the global nature of the challenge of climate change and the many synergies and areas of potential collaboration between the UK and India, the City of London co-hosted a conference with HSBC, the London School of Economics and TERI Europe on 30 September 2009. This event took place at the London School of Economics and the keynote speaker was R K Pachauri, Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change & Director General, TERI.

410. Insurance and climate change

A study investigating the exposure and potential of the Indian insurance industry to cover risks related to climate change is presently being undertaken in collaboration with the Insurance Regulation and Development Agency, India, and the Association of British Insurers. The project is funded by the DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

42. Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy.

The Centre regards its mission is to advance public and private action on climate change through rigorous, innovative research. Climate change is happening, it asserts, and it has been proved beyond reasonable doubt that human activities are the main cause. The consequences of climate change could be enormous if we carry on with "business as usual." But it is not yet clear how our economic, social and political systems can respond to the challenge.

Ritu Kumar: Director, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI-Europe), London – member of the Steering Committee.

Recognising that this list is very far from complete, and many details could be added to existing entries, with clarifications made, we will revisit this post from time to time, and gradually improve the dossier.

PACHAURI THREAD

Print ready

It's still global warming - by Richard...

Been at it all day ... meanwhile, forecasters are warning that the snow and arctic conditions are set to continue into the weekend, while southern England is braced to be the “crucible” of the severe weather later today. The renewed wave of bitter weather comes as experts predicted that Britain is facing the coldest winter in 100 years.

The prolonged cold snap has also led to fears that Britain could be confronted with a shortage of gas after the National Grid warned supplies to reduce use of the fuel. It was the second time ever that the move has been taken and came after a 30 percent rise on normal seasonal demand.

This is not surprising, after the hammering that the electricity generators have been giving the gas supply. However, you can see from the latest update that they have eased back on gas and coal is taking a greater load (see below).


Thus, from a near 50-30 percent split yesterday, coal consumption has upped, giving an approximate 40-40 split, with coal currently the predominant fuel source. The greenies will perhaps be a little disconcerted that this global warming is er ... very bad for global warming, as they toast their little toes to the output of coal-fired power stations.

Wind output has crept up to a staggering 0.9 percent of production (0.7 percent on the 24 hours), increasing the load-factor to about seven percent. One thing for sure, the wind farmers will not be getting rich out of this cold snap. Wait for the weeping and gnashing of teeth as they demand more subsidies.

Needless to say though, The Independent is also trying to hold the line.

CLIMATE CHANGE – NEW THREAD