Page 5 - Sustainable Development

Sustainable development top priority of J-K admin, says L-G Sinha

Sustainable development and environment conservation is the top priority of the Jammu and Kashmir administration, which is making "honest efforts" to address the challenges of climate change, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said on Sunday. Sinha was speaking at the launch of the Green Jammu and Kashmir Drive 2023-24 at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) here. He informed that while four crore saplings were planted in the past three years, another 1.75 crore will be planted this year. "Sustainable development and environment conservation is our priority. Protection of natural resources is in the DNA of our society, culture. With the whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, we are making honest efforts to address the challenges of climate change," he said. The drive has become a major contributor to increasing the Union Territory's green cover, strengthening the ecology and building a healthier society, Sinha said. "In the past three years, we have been able to plant more th

PNB launches 'Project PNB PALAASH' for environmental sustainability

Punjab National Bank (PNB) on Monday announced the launch of its environmental initiative 'PNB Palaash', an eight-month period campaign to embrace sustainability. The campaign would lead to cost savings and operational efficiencies through measures such as energy and resource conservation, paper reduction, waste management and streamlined digital processes, PNB said in a statement. Acknowledging the need for integrating sustainability into every aspect of lives, PNB managing director Atul Kumar Goel said, "As a leading bank in the industry, undertaking environment-friendly initiatives not only aligns with our corporate social responsibility but also presents significant opportunities for business growth." The primary objective of this project is to actively contribute to conservation endeavours, foster the adoption of sustainable practices, and promote active employee engagement, he said. Under this initiative, it said, one lakh plus employees of PNB will plant minimum two saplings

L&T completes transition of $150-mn credit into sustainability-linked loan

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Monday said it has completed the "transition" of a USD 150-million term loan into a sustainability-linked loan with Bank of America. Such loans incentivise corporate houses' sustainability performance with lower interest rates. "The sustainability-linked loan (SLL) reiterates L&T's continued commitment to its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals," the infrastructure major said in a statement. The transaction for the sustainability-linked loan (SLL) was completed on June 30, 2023. R Shankar Raman, group CFO and whole-time director of L&T, said the company continues to focus on achieving water and carbon neutrality by 2035 and carbon neutrality by 2040. The company's long-term strategic plan also outlines the ESG road map towards this goal. "This transition to SLL with Bank of America is yet another step in that journey and underlines our intent on the ESG front," he said. India-based L&T is a USD 23-billion multinational engaged .

G20 to rise above differences, address global challenges: Jitendra Singh

India on Wednesday asked the G20 countries to rise above differences and address the challenges confronting the world such as climate change, cyber security and water scarcity using their collective expertise. In his inaugural address at the G20 Science Ministers meeting here, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh said India recognises the significance of global collaboration and knowledge-sharing in addressing the complex challenges of today's times, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has talked about this at every international forum. The minister called upon the G20 countries to leverage their collective wisdom, expertise and resources to foster a culture of innovation, promote sustainable development and ensure a prosperous future for all. The G20 countries should rise above differences and address the global challenges confronting the world in the spirit of one family, he said. This group has the potential to address major global challenges as it did

Price-sensitive Gen-Z prefers shopping recommendations made by friends

While Gen Z shoppers display a great deal of concern for climate change and sustainability, they are seldom willing to pay the additional cost that goes into making such products

Kigali Global Dialogue to discuss critical sustainable development issues

Emerging technologies offer potential solutions but also create new challenges and risk further entrenchment of global inequities which calls for action and collaboration

Our members undertook 55 green projects as per IGBC norms: Credai

Realtors' apex body CREDAI on Monday said its members have undertaken development of more than 55 green projects across the country as per the norms of Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) and sought loans at concessional interest rates to promote such projects. In April, Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) entered into a partnership with IGBC to facilitate its members to develop certified environmental-friendly housing projects. The association had pledged the development of 1,000 green-certified projects in the next two years and 4,000 projects by 2030. On the occasion of World Environment Day, CREDAI, in a statement, said, "its member developers have undertaken more than 55 green projects, totalling 32 million square feet with the IGBC, under CREDAI's 'Green Crusaders' Programme." These projects are part of CREDAI's commitment towards developing 4,000 green projects by 2030, it added. "CREDAI is aggressively striving towards increasing awarene

World Environment Day 2023: A global call to action for sustainable future

Established by the United Nations in 1972, World Environment Day serves as a global platform to engage people and governments in environmental initiatives that promote sustainable development

Rules to promote sustainability must for mitigating climate change: HP Guv

Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Sunday said stricter regulations to promote sustainable development and adoption of cleaner technologies are needed to mitigate the effects of climate change. Addressing the 'North Zone Environment Workshop' here, Shukla stressed the need for protected and balanced development for environment protection and asserted that India today emits fewer carbon emissions as compared to the Western countries. Today, the environment in Western countries is unbalanced and it is affecting the entire world. We need to preserve our green cover and adopt chemical-free agriculture while going back to coarse grains, a statement quoted Shukla as saying. He said due to rapid urbanisation, industrialisation, population growth and uncontrolled human activities in the northern region, the environmental balance is being affected in a big way and climate change has emerged as a matter of global concern which affects everyone. He said air pollution and water ..

Crucial to adopt sustainable lifestyles to achieve 2030 development: Teri

The global discourse need to "recognise, integrate and mainstream" the imperative of adopting sustainable lifestyles to achieve the 2030 development agenda, the director general of TERI said on Wednesday. Speaking at a sustainability conclave organised by Bharat Soka Gakkai, an organisation that promotes peace, culture, education and sustainability across the Indian society, Dr Vibha Dhawan said living with less and accepting the co-existence of everyone is key to achieving Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, also known as SDG30. "The imperative of adopting sustainable lifestyles to achieve most of the development targets had never been so critical in the past and global discourse needs to recognise, integrate and mainstream them for achieving the 2030 development agenda," the director general of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) said. Chairperson of Bharat Soka Gakkai, Vishesh Gupta said the basic definition of sustainability refers to "meeting the needs of the present

India committed to furthering sustainable development, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on the occasion of Earth Day on Saturday that India is committed to furthering sustainable development, in line with its culture of living in harmony with nature. "On Earth Day, I laud all those working to make our planet better. India is committed to furthering sustainable development in line with our culture of living in harmony with nature," Modi said in a tweet. Earth Day is observed globally to raise awareness about environmental issues.

G7 FMs vow to address global challenges through collective action

The Ministers are also committed to promoting free and fair trade, stating that it is key to resilient and sustainable development for all, particularly the most vulnerable

Mekong River Commission urges effective cooperation amid challenges

A top executive of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) has called for more effective cooperation and urgent action to ensure sustainable development of the mighty river

Notes on urban prosperity

Cities need a newer vision of urban prosperity - one that goes beyond GDP - and addresses the pillars of sustainable development

Centre sets 2030 as target to become global hub for green shipping

New policy launched to convert tugboats at major ports into green tugs

In US, the climate briefly turns on ESG

ESG is a framework that investors - $8 trillion by some reckoning - have adopted for making investment decisions

To save the planet, consumption patterns need to change: Bhupender Yadav

Unsustainable production and consumption need urgent attention, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said at a joint India-Denmark forum on Tuesday, adding that the two countries can set an example for the world in achieving climate goals. Speaking at the 'India Denmark: Partners for Green and Sustainable Progress Conference' here, the minister noted that the Indo-Danish Green Strategic Partnership is an appropriate forum to exchange ideas, best practices, knowledge, technology, and capacity building for promoting sustainable lifestyles, not only in Denmark and India, but in Europe and the whole world. Danish Crown Prince Frederik Andr Henrik Christian and Princess Mary Elizabeth were also present at the event. "Unsustainable production and consumption need urgent attention if we are to confront the global environmental and climate change-related challenges facing us today. We need to act fast before it is too late," Yadav said. He said India and Denmark have set very ambit

World needs new institutions to drive climate action, SDGs: Amitabh Kant

The world needs new institutions to drive climate action and sustainable development goals (SDGs) as organisations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank are not designed to address these challenges, India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said on Friday. Participating in a discussion on "India's G20 Presidency - Forging Actionable Agenda for Global South" at the Vivekananda International Foundation, Kant talked about the challenges as India holds the presidency of G20 -- an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union (EU). He said the challenges are "external" and referred to the Ukraine war and the prevailing situation in the West. "We have seen the war going on for one year, we don't know how it will shape up in the coming days. G20 is essentially a consensus building platform," he said. He said geopolitics in Europe is not improving as the Ukraine-Russia war has been going on for a year and is worsening. Kant said G20 is important a

Tata Steel signs MoU with CBRI for sustainable mining solutions on Tuesday

Tata Steel and Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), a constituent of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), signed an MoU to collaborate on research, academic growth, and sustainable solutions in mining. The MoU was signed by D B Sundara Ramam, vice president Raw Materials, Tata Steel, and Prof. R. Pradeep Kumar, director CBRI, here on Tuesday, a company press release said. Under the agreement, CBRI will provide scientific inputs to Tata Steel on slope stability analysis and control measures in mining areas and affordable and sustainable green housing technologies for the rehabilitation and resettlement of families in mining areas. The partnership will also include technical training and workshops on geotechnical understanding and other scientific areas related to mining, the release said. Speaking on the development, Sundara Ramam said, "The collaboration with CBRI is a significant step towards our commitment to sustainable mining practices. We are excite

G20 an opportunity to shape agenda for sustainable growth: Amitabh Kant

India has taken over the G-20 presidency at a crucial time when the world is facing several challenges, including the Russia-Ukraine war, economic slowdown and the climate crisis, G-20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said on Wednesday, adding it is an opportunity for the country to shape the agenda for an inclusive and sustainable development. Speaking at an event at Hindu College here, Kant noted this is the first time that India is getting an opportunity to shape the agenda for the world instead of responding to the agenda set by other countries. Noting the importance of the G-20 forum, he said, "G-20 countries account for 85 per cent of the global GDP and 78 per cent of global trade.... They account for two-third population of the world." India assumed the yearlong presidency of G-20 on December 1. More than 200 meetings will be held in India across 55 locations. Many of them will be hosted in Delhi. The G-20 comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, ...