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Tag Archives: energy

US-India Collaboration & Obama’s Climate Crusade

26 Monday Jan 2015

Posted by vositha in Climate Change, Environment, Features, UNFCCC

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Tags

climate change, energy, India, india-US Climate Deal, Modi, Nuclear, Obama, Paris Climate Summit, South Asia, USA

(C) Creative Commons

(C) Creative Commons

Following a successful visit to China in November that resulted in the US-China joint statement on climate change, President Obama is India. On Sunday, he achieved further success through bilateral cooperation between India and the US countries that focused on addressing climate change and energy issues. Both countries concluded negotiations on a five-year MoU on energy security, clean energy and climate change and an agreement to this effect expected as early as possible at a mutually agreed date.

India Not Pressurised by the US-China Agreement

Prime Minister of India negated the assumption that US- China statement on climate change pressurised India to collaborate with the US. While refuting the assumption he also added that his country’s decision to collaborate with US as a rightful duty to the future generations, bringing the focus back to the famous and India’s (probably) favourite element of climate negotiations for India – equity. In this case inter-generational equity.

He also pointed that the need for a global deal on climate change as the reason to move onto a collaboration with US. The PM of India at a news conference on Sunday said, “When we think about the future generations and what kind of a world we are going to give them, then there is pressure”. “Global warming is a huge pressure,” he added.

For a Global Deal on Climate Change

A key element of collaboration between the two countries is bilateral climate change cooperation. This includes not only US and India working together, but also working with other countries on climate change. This in turn would give hope that the expectation is to cooperate closely this year to achieve a successful and ambitious agreement in Paris.

Speaking on the Paris climate talks, the President of the US highlighted the need for India’s voice to be raised in a positive manner if a global deal is to be achieved in 2015. During the Conference to be held in Paris 196 countries will meet and negotiate on a course to address climate change. If urgent and ambitious actions are not made the global average temperature will be on track to levels that will be threatening for human survival on the planet. Given these reasons, the negotiations in Paris will play a decisive moment for all, especially for the most vulnerable states and communities of the world.

Collaborating on Climate and Clean Energy Goals

India and USA also pledged to enhance cooperation on the energy sector. While welcoming India’s intention to increase the share of renewable energy in electricity generation consistent with its intended goal to increase India’s solar capacity to 100 GW by 2022, USA intends to support India’s goal by enhancing cooperation in clean energy and climate change. The two countries already has a U.S.-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE) umbrella program, and highlighted its willingness to expand policy dialogues and technical work on clean energy and low greenhouse gas emissions technologies. US-India deal also provides for the expansion of Partnership to Advance Clean Energy Research (PACE-R) a $125 million program jointly funded by the U.S. and Indian governments and private sector. The renewal includes extending funding for three existing research tracks of solar energy, building energy efficiency, and advanced biofuels for five years and launching a new track on smart grid and grid storage technology. Further, this includes accelerating Clean Energy Finance.

The US will also work on demonstrating clean energy initiatives on the ground including additional pilot programs and other collaborative projects, as well as developing an innovative renewable energy storage project and hosting a smart grid workshop. However this collaboration is not restricted to energy, but also includes fields of science, technology, innovation and agriculture.

Developing India, Polluting India

A developing country, India is also world’s 3rd largest emitter of green house gases. Although the need for cutting down emissions remains vital, the need for economic growth and reduction or poverty also plays a key role in India’s economy. In order to address the issues of development, while putting the country on a low carbon emitting trajectory, India needs to move for a rapid expansion of renewable energy. In this venture, the country needs investment and technology, and improving energy efficiency. It is to fill this gap that further US will provide financial support for India’s solar program.

“We very much support India’s ambitious goal for solar energy and stand ready to speed this advancement with additional financing,” said President Obama at a news conference in Hyderabad.

For developing countries, a fact that remains important in the shift to a low carbon trajectory is the price of renewable energy. This would be the reason as to why one of the requests from the Indian PM to Obama has been to ensure that renewable energy more accessible and affordable.

PM Modi has shown interest in the expansion of renewable energy as a way to mitigate country’s large-scale emissions. This shift could be seen as a sign that India is becoming positive towards achieving a global climate deal in Paris, end of 2015.The Prime Minister is reported stating that his nation along with all others has an obligation to act on reducing the fossil-fuel emissions blamed for damaging the climate.

US-India Nuclear Deal

The two countries also succeeded in forming a pact on nuclear energy allowing American companies to supply India with civilian nuclear technology. The nuclear deal which was held up for six years amid concerns over the liability for any nuclear accident has been finalised by setting up a large insurance pool allowing the deal to move forward without further need for legislation.

In the words of PM Modi, this marks a “new journey” of co-operation, with stronger defence and trade ties between US and India. The question is whether shifting to clean energy could be interpreted as a shift to nuclear energy, which is without carbon emissions yet equally dangerous as an energy source due to threats that it poses. If the assumption that cutting down emissions and shifting to renewable energy equals introducing nuclear energy as the solution, and other countries take heed and adopt the trend, it will not be a solution to the threats posed by climate change but another situation that needs to be dealt with caution.

For a Food & Energy Secure Sri Lanka

23 Friday Jan 2015

Posted by vositha in Climate Change, Sustainable Development

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Agirculture, climate change, energy, energy security, food serutiy, Maithripala Sirisena, Sri Lanka

Food security and energy security are two important indicators of a country’s development. With president Maitripala Sirisena, Sri Lanka is expected to move towards policy changes on these two issues of impoartnce. An indication of what may come in the coming few years could be seen though President’s election manifesto which highlights the need to focus on food security and energy in Sri Lanka. The two themes being taken as being priorities can be noticed by the two appointments made for food security and energy among the cabinet ministers appointed on 12th January.

Food Security & Agriculture

Food security is one of the key aspects highlighted in the manifesto. One of the key concerns in addressing development, and also impacted by the adverse effects of climate change which would impact the yield of harvest and water supply food security is also impacted by the economic level of a country. President’s manifesto address this issue by focusing on the development of agriculture, focusing on healthy practices in the development of agriculture, and the use of indigenous knowledge.

Food security and agriculture are important in addressing climate change as well, given that the impacts of climate will have impacts on the agricultural sector and it is vital to make use of climate adaptive seeds. Further the manifesto addresses market mechanisms that threaten food security with anomalies and impacts on agriculture and transport of products. According to World Food Program data (2013) out of a total population of 1.2 million in the north, nearly 44% are food insecure. The assessment further indicated that the food security situation is fragile in poor areas due to a lack of livelihood and employment opportunities and consecutive natural disasters. The situation has resulted in people using negative coping mechanisms to meet household food needs highlighting the greater need to address the issue on an urgent level.

Land use and water resources are also focused with plans to maximising the use of available water resources and prevention of land grabbing in the name of development.

Energy security and low carbon development

On energy, there is focus on the transport sector. On the immediate level the energy consumption gives way to addressing corruption which impacted bad oil acquisition from countries. The manifesto also presents a sense of development of Sri Lanka as a sovereign state without the dependency on developed and oil producing countries. Subsidies are to be provided to the public transportation sector which would cut the costs of public transport at an initial level. The emission cuts are introduced following this step through a shift from fossil fuel to renewable energy. The steps of energy security moves from getting rid of dependency on foreign fuel purchases that are corruption based and overly priced which oppress the poor as well as reducing the price of electricity which will cut the use of fossil fuels for energy creation, to a better environmentally healthy solution which is based on renewable energy. Upon achieving this infrastructure is to be put in place for a renewable energy based developed, a cut on fossil fuel subsidies and shift from fossil to renewable energy is envisioned.

This pathway seems to address both the corruption in the increase of prices in transport and many sectors that are based on fossil fuel for the energy production, while envisaging a phase out of fossil fuel to renewable energy which will focus on mitigation of emissions of fossil fuels. If implemented with efficiency the projected plan would have a positive impact on addressing climate change, and development on a low carbon based strategy.

The first steps are based on the 100 day plan of the President. It would be interesting to see the changes that will be made to implement concrete steps to address the needs mentioned, and the aspirations of what is expected to be achieved through the manifesto for a food and energy secure Sri Lanka.

Note : The article could be found on Daily Nation on http://dailynation.lk/food-secure-energy-secure-sri-lanka/

Switch off!

20 Sunday Mar 2011

Posted by vositha in Random Moments of Life, Relationships

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

bright, consumption, energy, environment, feelings, insomnia, lights

Emotions for me have become like the lights I switch on. They are bright while they are on, and then quite useless when switched off. But the good thing with these lights, well they have switches, to be switched on when needed, and of course switched off when not needed. Bad thing with me? I just switch off and of course never switch on.

What am I ranting tonight? Simply that I have switched off. Wasting energy is never a good thing, does not help the environmental cause. So since the lights in my room always shine, thanks to my insomnia, I myself have decided that it is time I switched off. Sometimes “leaving the light on” for too long, does no one good, definitely no me! It becomes an over consumption of energy and pollutes the ambiance.

Hence, Vositha has switched off!

Good night to y’all!

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