Cross-Posted from Worldwatch Institute, Eye on Earth, www.worldwatch.org
In India, the carbon market is starting to take root. The country is now home to a large share of carbon-offset projects, many of which are certified under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol. Yet forests remain poorly represented in these efforts.
This may not be the case for long, however, if one of India’s climate-focused entrepreneurs has his way. M. Satyanarayanan is hoping to utilize a new and innovative business model to create a veritable forest of wealth.
Dr. Satya, as his friends call him, is the founder and Honorary Advisor of Veda Climate Change Solutions Limited (VCCSL), a company that is developing a network of tree planting operations to promote livelihood creation across six rural districts. These are areas with largely tribal populations, low literacy, minimal employment opportunities, and few natural resources.
“The majority of CDM projects that have been approved so far [in India] are in sectors such as biomass-based cogeneration, energy efficiency, industrial processes, fuel switching, renewable energy, and a few in the field of municipal solid waste,” said Dr. Satya. “The number of projects in sectors relating to rural people, including farmers, is negligible, though they are the most vulnerable to climate change.”
Working in the states of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, VCCSL has teamed up with Rayagada-based manufacturer JK Paper Mills on an innovative pilot project. The mill provides farmers with saplings at a subsidized rate and trains them to grow and maintain the trees, helping to regenerate the local landscape. Meanwhile, the trees capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, mitigating climate change while generating a new income stream for residents.
Once a project template is in place and the method for certifying “carbon credits” is validated, Dr. Satya hopes to replicate the model at a larger scale. He envisions implementing similar projects across India, East Asia, Africa, and South America, as well as diversifying the range of industries that the company works with.
“This model could include not only paper mills, but also construction, furniture, and biofuels, as well as the creation of ‘green’ fuel for other local economic activities,” said Dr. Satya, who also serves as Resident Commissioner for the State of Orissa and has worked for many years with the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests.
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This youth charter on Climate/ Climate Change is the outcome of the first Hyderabad Youth Summit on Climate Change held in the Deloitte Campus in Gachibowli, Hyderbad on June 20, 21st ’09. The summit was organized by the Indian Youth Climate Network (IYCN) with the support of WWF-India, Deloitte and APEC.
Since the charter is quite extensive, I have mentioned only the sailent points. For details on any of these, the charter can be downloaded from here.
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Climate change is undeniable and immediate action has to be taken with relevant actors involved.
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Hyderabad is a growing metropolis. Sustainable development has to be defined and adopted in Hyderabad.
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Urban planning has to be under public purview and public forums on issues of urban development need to be identified and encouraged.
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Dedicated transport lines and creation of sustainable mass rapid transit systems.
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Creation of platforms for architects, builders and scientists to begin adopting green solutions in buildings. Ex: CGBI
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Business ethics need to be rethought and reframed with environment as a priority.
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Renewable energy needs to be encouraged and green jobs should be introduced in industry.
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Student education and awareness through methods of footprint calculators, science experiments and field trips.
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Religions and different faiths need to be respected and environment should be expressed as an offshoot of religion.
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Communication and outreach of policies under public purview and also effective usage of RTI and other forums.
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Traditional/ eco friendly ways of living need to be documented and encouraged via market mechanisms and incentive based approaches.
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The level of damage due to Industrial pollution and industrial usage of water should be compensated under the principle of Polluter pays.
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Youth needs to be given a recognized platform to discuss social, political and environmental issues.
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Campaigns need to base on sound science and the urgency of climate change needs to be considered in every aspect of urban development.
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Community based solutions on energy, transportation, waste and water should be encouraged with more emphasis on youth.
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Climate change affects all actors in society and all of them need to be included to create a groundswell of massive response to this problem.
Finally, ACT NOW!! YOU ARE THE SOLUTION! 
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Cross-posted from thoughtPosition
The 2-day Hyderabad Summit on Climate Change (HySocc’09) on 20th & 21st June by IYCN was a unique affair: one that created impact, invoked inspiration and involved diverse actors from the society: students, IT professionals, Green analysts, activists and most importantly individuals and organizations which ‘did something about it’. It involved in-depth analysis of issues such as Urban Planning, Water, Waste and Energy & Transportation, from the perspective of the youth. One could sense the energy and the urgency of the messages, as the speakers talked of their experiences. It was a heady mixture: speakers from the AP Forest Dept., Sukuki Exnora, Prayas Pune, WWF-India, MV Foundation and even a farmer!! All of them had well-researched ideas, tried-out plans and personal experiences on the Environment to share.
The opinions of the youth present, made the discussions extremely interactive, and the Group Discussions were a treat in terms of the quality of ideas and suggestions. We ended up drafting a Youth Charter on Climate Change, which not only highlighted personal steps for action, but also our recommendations to the Government and Corporatations. The entire spirit was: there are precious environmental resources which we’re squandering thoughtlessly at present, simply because they are abundant now; but if we continue this way, it’s clear that we’ll start finding ourselves in dangerous territory few years down the line, and it’ll become very difficult to undo the damage. We can make tremendous difference by being conscious of these issues, and by taking simple, but crucial steps.
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Cross-Posted from Worldwatch Institute, Eye on Earth, www.worldwatch.org.
Written by Ben Block
Advocates of the International Renewable Energy Agency, the first multi-government body to focus exclusively on the global development of renewable energy sources, worry that competition among member countries to host the agency may detract from its core mission.
The agency, known commonly as IRENA, has quickly gained recognition since its launch in January, with the endorsement of more than 100 countries. The United States, United Kingdom, and Australia have yet to officially sign on but are expected to announce their support at a summit next week in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
The meeting will decide where IRENA will be headquartered and who will serve as its first director-general - issues that have already sparked controversy.
Competing host countries are facing accusations of attracting votes with political favors such as military support or investments in non-renewable energy sources. These concerns are prompting clean energy advocates to mobilize their supporters to demand that international politics not interfere with IRENA’s agenda.
“The reason we want IRENA is because the existing organizations are too much involved in the interests of the fossil fuel or nuclear sector…. We need an independent authority,” said Stefan Gsänger, secretary general of the World Wind Energy Association. “If there is a chance from the beginning that IRENA is bound to these interests, [the agency] might be at the end useless or even detrimental.”
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