Lights to go off for ‘Earth Hour’ tomorrow 27 March 2010 – 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm IST

Delhi Chief Mnister Sheila Dikshit and Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan at the launch of the campaign for Earth Hour 2010, in Delhi on on 27 March 2010, 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm IST.

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It’s time to plan for a candle light dinner on Saturday as Delhi will join other world cities in observing the ‘Earth Hour’ by turning off the lights for an hour on  27 March 2010 from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm IST.

With almost 50 million supporters across the globe and a network in over 100 countries, the annual ‘Earth Hour’ initiative, organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature, has emerged as one of the largest global campaigns to combat climate change.

Pledging its support to the initiative, the city government has already started a campaign asking people to observe the event by switching off all the lights and electrical appliances for an hour on Saturday.

“I appeal to all the residents to observe the Earth Hour tomorrow. We have already launched a campaign to make the event a great success,” Delhi Environment Secretary Dharmendra told.

He said the government had already asked shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, educational institutions and major markets to observe the event which is celebrated across major cities of the world on the last Saturday of March annually to pledge support for protecting the environment.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, herself a strong votary of eco-friendly measures, will participate in an event at the lawns of the India Gate and switch off the lights there at 8.30 pm IST.

“I can assure you that all the households can have romantic candle light dinners sitting at their homes on March 27,” Ms. Dikshit had said at a function organised by WWF here.

City Discoms BSES and NDPL have also pledged their support to the ‘Earth Hour’ initiative and appealed to their consumers to observe the event.

“On NDPL’s part we have undertaken a campaign for consumer sensitisation which includes putting up of posters, hoardings, banners at all customer touch points,” said an NDPL official.

Several hotels and malls have also announced their support to the initiative and plans to organise special events.

An official of the InterContinental Hotels Group said the hotel will encourage in-house guests to switch off lights in their rooms and join the ‘guestogether’ parties being hosted by them between 8.30 and 9.30 pm.

Hotel ‘Crowne Plaza Today’ in Gurgaon will turn off all the non-essential lights to mark the ‘Earth Hour’ and organise a candlelight dinner for their guests.

The WWF India said the event will also be celebrated in Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bangaluru, Chennai and Kolkata, apart from several other cities where people will be urged to turn off the lights in their homes and offices for a hour.

It said Delhi and Mumbai will be leading the country in making the campaign a success in India. Both the cities had observed the event last year and saved a total of 1,000 MW of power.

Started in Sydney in Australia in 2007, the ‘Earth Hour’ had become a global event in 2008 with participation of 35 countries. India joined the Earth Hour campaign last year.

Delhi alone had saved 700 MW of power by supporting the campaign.

In 2009, millions of people took part in the third ‘Earth Hour’. Over 4,000 cities in 88 countries officially switched off lights to pledge their support for saving the planet.

China leading in clean energy spending

Wind turbines of the Donghai Bridge Offshore Wind Farm in Shanghai, China. The Chinese government will spend billions of dollars on building nuclear and solar power plants, wind farms and on research into renewable energy technology

China has taken the lead in investments in clean energy, spending nearly double what the U.S. did in 2009, as it ramps up projects in both renewable and traditional energy, a report said Thursday.

China’s investment and financing for clean energy rose to $34.6 billion in 2009, out of $162 billion invested globally, according to the report by the nonprofit Pew Charitable Trusts. U.S. spending ranked second, at $18.6 billion, with European nations also recording strong growth.

“Countries are jockeying for leadership. They know that investing in clean energy can renew manufacturing bases, and create export opportunities, jobs and businesses,” Phyllis Cuttino, who directs the Pew Environment Group’s Global Warming Campaign, said in a statement.

The report comes as China is clinching a slew of energy and resource-related deals meant to help ensure access to the commodities needed to keep its fast-growing economy booming: On Wednesday, China’s offshore oil and gas company CNOOC agreed to buy 3.6 million tons of liquefied natural gas a year, for 20

years, from an Australian energy project operated by BG Group PLC.

Though a value for the deal was not released, Australian media reports estimated its worth at 80 billion Australian dollars ($73 billion) – the country’s biggest single company-to-company contract ever.

Just days before, CNOOC announced plans for a $3.1 billion joint-venture with Bridas Energy Holdings Ltd., a major Argentine energy firm.

On Tuesday, Royal Dutch Shell PLC said it plans to explore for natural gas with China National Petroleum Corp. in southwestern China’s Sichuan province. That followed news that Arrow Energy Ltd., an owner of gas assets in Australia, had accepted a joint takeover bid from Shell and PetroChina worth $3.15 billion.

Over the weekend, China signed 15 deals with Russia worth $1.6 billion.

Natural gas is cleaner than the coal that now fuels about three-quarters of China’s electricity generation. But Beijing also is throwing massive resources into nurturing renewable energy, both to counter environmental damage from fossil fuel emissions and to curb its soaring reliance on imports.

The U.S. still leads the world in installed renewable energy, with 52.2 gigawatts of wind, small hydroelectric, biomass and waste generating capacity, the Pew report said.

But China is quickly closing the gap, as a doubling in wind energy capacity alone boosted its own installed renewable energy capacity to 49.7 gigawatts in 2009. Germany trails with 30.9 gigawatts, the report said.

It said much of the impact from $184 billion in stimulus spending earmarked for clean energy by governments of the Group of 20 industrial nations is yet to come. Of that amount, China is due to spend nearly $47 billion on improved energy efficiency, clean vehicles, installation of solar power and improvements to its overtaxed electricity grid.

Spending on clean energy is forecast at $200 billion for 2010, up about 25 percent

U.S. spending on renewable energy fell 42 percent in 2009 from the year before, constrained by tight credit and the lack of a strong policy framework, the report said. But it is likely to rise faster this year, helped by the enactment in 2009 of production tax credits for wind energy and investment tax credits for solar power.

The report noted that the U.S. still dominates venture financing and technology innovation for clean energy, but in manufacturing it lags behind China, which has become a powerhouse in production of both solar cells and wind turbines.

With climate change legislation stalled in the U.S. Congress, the outlook for faster growth remains uncertain, the report noted.

In terms of clean energy investment relative to the size of its overall economy, China ranks third in the G-20 at 0.39 percent, well behind Spain, which leads at 0.74 percent. The U.S., at 0.13 percent, was 11th, the report said.

“There are reasons to be concerned about America’s competitive position in the clean energy marketplace. Relative to the size of its economy, the United States’ clean energy finance and investments lag behind many of its G-20 partners,” the report said.

2009 is fifth warmest year: WMO

A file photo of delegates looking at a giant balloon displaying the warming of the world's oceans, during the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen.

Noting that the decade 2000-2009 was warmest-ever recorded, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has said that 2009 was the fifth-warmest year since climate records began in 1850.

In a report on its 60th anniversary, the UN weather agency said the nineties were warmer than the eighties.

The report showed that the decade 2000-2009 was warmest ever recorded.

The World Meteorological Day was celebrated yesterday to commemorate the entry into force of the WMO Convention that led to creation of the Organisation in 1950.

“As we celebrate today the 60th anniversary of the World meteorological Organisation, I would like to pay tribute to the meteorological community worldwide working together continuously beyond all borders to save and protect people, their homes and their livelihoods,” said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarrud.

Quote of the Day

“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it”

~ Albert Einstein 1879-1955 (German born American Physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity. Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921)

 

Save the Yamuna Campaign

Once considered a pious river in Hindu Mythology today Yamuna is counted among the most polluted rivers in India. Delhi contributes around 3,296 MLD (million litres per day) of sewage by virtue of drains falling in Yamuna. Some 3.5 lakh people live in the 62,000 jhuggis (slums) on the Yamuna river bed and its embankments. Poor condition of trunk sewers, shortage of sewage treatment capacity and lack of sanitation facilities in unsewered areas of Delhi accounting for nearly 50% of population are responsible for continued pollution of Yamuna in Delhi. The problem is compounded by lack of minimum perennial fresh water flow in the river along the 22 km stretch between Wazirabad and Okhla.

The picture shows garbage floating on the Yamuna river.

Black Water of dirty Yamuna receives holy offerings.

Divers hunt for garbage in Yamuna river, Delhi.

Magur Fish, a regular catch from the dirty Yamuna river, Delhi.

Ducks swimming in the Yamuna river.

Settlers on the bank of Yamuna river.

A variety of birds flock to the filthy Yamuna river in Delhi.

Meditate to rejuvenate

Meditation leads to ultimate rejuvenation

“Happiness in life comes not by manipulating what you want to achieve but by paying attention to something seemingly totally unconnected with it,” said the great philosopher Swami Vivekananda.

For thousands of years, the wise of many of the world’s cultures have offered this as the key to happiness — meditation. It is said that meditation creates a state of metabolic restfulness far deeper than that of sleep. Scientific studies prove that meditation results in a better flow of blood to the brain, which helps relax the muscles and decreases the stress hormones. This rest leads to a quick rejuvenation of one’s mind and body, leaving them healed from the effects of fatigue, stress and tension.

So profound are the benefits of chanting that people from different walks of life have taken to chanting and meditation to get away from the stress of their high demanding jobs and lifestyles.
But is mental peace and happiness the only goal of meditating? Spiritual guru, Nandini Sen, sheds light on the benefits of meditation. “I feel meditation helps one just in being more in the present moment, because only in this moment can one do something. The basic idea is to relax in that very moment. All anger, anxiety and negative thoughts are carried forward until you don’t let go. Meditation simply gives the mind a holiday,” she says. The moment you include a goal to meditation, its purpose is lost.

“A goal is always set for the future,” says Nandini, “but meditation is about the present moment.” Meditation deals with forgetting everything for that moment and concentrating on knowing one’s inner self. This way, one tends to ignore the problem and concentrates on meditating, thus, dissolving the problem altogether.

Can meditation and chanting be considered the means of escapism from the materialistic lives people live? “Not unless one chants 24/7,” says model turned actress Aditi Govritkar. Juggling between her house, kids and work, she at times finds it difficult to take time off for meditation. “I try and chant at least 10 minutes daily to decrease my stress levels. This helps me feel more calm and at peace.” Event organiser, Sharmilla Khanna agrees. “Of course, one cannot escape from the real world with meditation. I do everything that I’m entitled and responsible to do. I don’t escape from anything, not even my problems. Instead, meditation has helped me face my problems with a clear mind, heart and soul.”

 

Quote of the Day

“A master can tell you what he expects of you. A teacher, though, awakens your own expectations.”

~ Patricia Neal

“A good teacher is like a candle – it consumes itself to light the way for others.”