Rio+20

UN Foundation Head Tim Wirth on Sustainable Energy for All - As the president of the UN Foundation, former U.S. Senator Tim Wirth’s job is to connect people, ideas, and resources to help the United Nations solve global problems. (Willie Shubert, National Geographic)

Rio+20: Making this Moment Count - Economic security and political instability are immediate problems that capture attention and require urgent action. (Kathy Calvin, Diplomatic Courier)

The Energy Future We Want- Think about your life without electricity and other modern energy services: no light to read this by, no appliances, no refrigeration. No computers to link you to the outside world or transport to get you there. For nearly one of every five people in the world, that is everyday reality. (Charles Holliday and Kandeh Yumkella, All Africa)

Plethora of happenings vie for attention as media zeroes in on Rio - With an estimated 50,000 people taking part in the UN Conference on Sustainable Development — delegates, observers, campaigners, media folk and peddlers of every kind — hype is everything. (Frank McDonald, Irish Times)

In Rio, Secretary-General Praises Establishment of Global Green Growth Institute, Says Will Help Support Global Push for Low-Carbon Economy – These are Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the signing of an agreement on the establishment of the Global Green Growth Institute. (Press Release, UN News)

Agreement Reached in Rio+20 Negotiations - The delegations from the UN member states have agreed on a draft outcome document for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20. (Press Release, Government of Norway)

Engaging the world in a conversation about sustainability - It was not too long ago when large meetings of world leaders were simply stories on the evening news. (Cailee Olson, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide)

Rio+20: Development banks to invest $175 billion in sustainable transport - The eight largest multilateral development banks (MDBs) announced today at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) that they will invest $175 billion in sustainable transportation systems over the coming decade. (UN News Centre)

Rio+20: Ban announces more than 100 commitments on sustainable energy - Speaking at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced that more than one hundred commitments and actions have been already mobilized in support of the UN’s global sustainable energy initiative. (UN News Centre)

Clinton speaking at Rio+20 environment summit as talks conclude in Brazil - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has arrived in Brazil where she’ll join leaders from 192 other nations at a big United Nations environmental conference. (The Washington Post)

Remarks of Michelle Bachelet at Rio+20 high level panel on sustainable energy for all - It is my pleasure to facilitate this session on how Sustainable Energy is Enabling Future Generations. (Michelle Bachelet, UN Women)

Equator Prize Winners Honored at Rio+20 for Community-Led Environment and Poverty Solutions - he Equator Initiative celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Equator Prize last night with a gala event at the Vivo Rio concert hall, as part of the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development. (Brazil Business Today)

Sustainable development at Rio +20 actively supported by EBRD - The Rio +20 summit has been hailed by the EBRD and other multilateral development banks as a “unique opportunity” to launch a renewed strategy for sustainable development which aims for inclusive green growth. (Green Economy)

Renewable energy

UN chief unveils clean energy pledges, investments - U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday that more than 50 governments have launched new energy strategies, while private investors have pledged more than $50 billion to help carry out his goal to double the share of global renewable energy and the rate of energy efficiency improvement by 2030. (Valerie Volcovici, Reuters)

The Russian renewable energy market-a green giant which remained untapped - The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is a member of the World Bank Group, focused on private sector development. Our mission is to attract private sector investment to sectors which we believe are crucial to mitigating climate change, creating jobs and alleviating poverty. (Stanislava Gaydazhieva, New Europe Online)

Salazar approves first-ever commercial solar energy project on American Indian trust lands - As part of the Obama Administration's all of the above approach to American energy, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today approved a 350-megawatt solar energy project on tribal trust land of the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians (Tribe) in Clark County, Nevada.  (Power Engineering)

Energy access

OFID commits US$ 1 billion to address Energy Poverty Alleviation - OFID Director-General, Mr. Suleiman J. Al-Herbish made this announcement to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during a meeting of the UN Secretary –General’s High Level Group on Sustainable Energy for All. (Mauro Hoyer, Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development)

World Bank to Boost Access to Electricity and Clean Fuels, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency - The World Bank Group announced today that it will boost efforts to expand energy access, while also increasing support for renewable energy and energy efficiency in developing countries, responding to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative. (Robert  Bisset, The World Bank)

UN aims at universal access to clean energy by 2030 - UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Thursday outlined plans at the Rio+20 summit to provide universal access to energy by 2030, with tens of billions of dollars in funding from business and investors. (Phys Org)

Sustainable energy policy

Director-General Yumkella says Sustainable Energy for All initiative to benefit over a billion people worldwide - Kandeh K. Yumkella, the Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and head of UN-Energy, said today that more than a billion people in the developing world will benefit from the Sustainable Energy for All initiative which is gaining momentum, with pledges of billions of dollars coming from governments, multilateral development banks, international and civil society organizations. (Mikhail Evstafyev, UNIDO)

Global Energy Assessment identifies pathways to a sustainable energy future - This new global energy study outlines a range of 41 alternative sustainable energy pathways that offer viable, cost effective choices for policy makers to achieve necessary human health and environmental sustainability goals by 2050. (IIASA)

U.S. Grants for Clean Energy Will Create Jobs in Africa - The U.S. will provide $20 million in grants for clean-energy projects in Africa, an industry that will create new jobs in the region, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said. (Alex Morales and Reed Landberg, Bloomberg)

Utilities and the Challenges of Sustainable Investing - Sustainable investing is an increasingly mainstream activity. But utilities are only beginning to adjust their business approaches to get in on the popularity of using those sustainability metrics to evaluate company performance and outlooks. (Jared Anderson and Peter Gardett, AOL Energy)

Energy efficiency

ClimateWorks Supports UN Sustainable Energy for All Initiative With U.S. $15 Million Commitment - The ClimateWorks Foundation announced today its commitment of up to U.S. $15 million over the next three years to help India, China, Brazil and Mexico double both their rate of improvement in energy efficiency and the share of renewable energy in their energy portfolios by 2030. (MarketWatch)

IKEA to Use Rooftop Solar Power Plants in China - Once complete, the solar project is expected to provide 10% to 15% of the power requirements of IKEA’s buildings in China, and 100% of the power required by its distribution centers. This is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 6,000 tons per year. (Nicholas Brown, CleanTechnica)

Workshop on green buildings - Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) will conduct a media briefing workshop Build them 'green': Deconstructing the building sector in India, 2012,'' at the Magnolia, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi from June 28-29. (Dipannita Das, Times of India)

Rio+20

U.S. Support for the Sustainable Energy for All Global Action Agenda - The UN Secretary General’s Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative represents an important opportunity for the international community to address issues critical to the future of sustainable development, energy access, and economic growth. (Press Release, U.S. Department of State)

Rio+20: UN Conference on Sustainable Development kicks off with call to action - More than 100 Heads of State and government today gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the start of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), which seeks to shape new policies to promote global prosperity, reduce poverty and advance social equity and environmental protection. (UN News Centre)

Rio+20: Progress on Earth issues 'too slow' - UN chief - The UN sustainable development summit in Rio de Janeiro has formally opened with a warning from UN head Ban Ki-moon that progress on the issue is too slow. (Richard Black, BBC)

Rio+20: at downtown gathering, citizens voice concerns at People’s Summit - Thousands of citizens and members of civil society organizations from around the world have been gathering in downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to voice their concerns on the issues being discussed at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). (UN News Centre)

Rio Earth Summit - Then and now - Looking back, it is clear that the excitement and energy of that moment two decades ago, and the ambitious goals we set, have not yet put us on a path to a sustainable planet. (William K. Reilly, The Hill)

Rio+20: protecting the environment is not enough - Rio+20 is a landmark for the future. As more than 190 countries gather in Rio, we are witnessing a historic moment. The recent global crisis has shown that old-fashioned views about development are misleading. It is now time to rethink the very foundations of how we consider development, wellbeing and wealth. (Antonio Patriota, The Guardian)

UN Global Compact Boosts Voluntary Commitments at Rio+20 to Date - The UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) Secretariat has reported on the latest submissions of voluntary commitments, which it is compiling in an online compendium on the Rio+20 website. (IISD)

Energy access

Universal access to energy: Getting the framework right - Improving access to affordable and sustainable energy services is absolutely central to broader development efforts to reduce poverty, and improve education, health, gender equality and environmental sustainability. (Veerle Vandeweerd, UNDP)

IRENA to Pitch Morocco as Africa’s Renewable Energy Pilot at Rio+20 - Renewing Africa’s Energy Future is the theme of an International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) side-event scheduled to take place today at the Rio +20 conference underway in Brazil. (Tafline Laylin, Green Prophet)

Energy needs demand 'massive transformation' - A massive transformation in society and technology is needed over the next two decades if the world is going to meet its energy needs sustainably – and it is up to governments to shape the agenda, starting at Rio+20, writes think-tank. (Måns Nilsson and Charlie Heaps, Public Service Europe)

AfDB Boosts Access to Low Cost Sustainable Energy in Zambia - The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a USD 35-million senior loan and a USD 3 million standby facility to Itezhi-Tezhi Power Corporation (ITPC) and a concessional loan of USD 18 million to the government as Zambia Electricity Supply Company (ZESCO)'s share of the equity to develop the Itezhi-Tezhi hydropower plant project that will provide reliable, low-cost power and sustainable energy to the country. (All Africa)

Sustainable energy policy

Give Solar Panels a Break - When I helped Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger create the Million Solar Roofs Initiative in California a few years ago, we designed it to stimulate mass production of solar panels to bring down cost. (Terry Tamminen, The Huffington Post)

Southern Africa: Angola Reaffirms Commitment to Sustainable Development- Angola will reaffirm its commitment to sustainable growth in different fields during the "Rio+20" Summit of Heads of State and Government on sustainable development, set from 20 to 22 June in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, said the Angolan minister of Environment. (All Africa)

Energy efficiency

Focus on energy as Rio+20 prepares to kick off - The United Nations’ Rio+20 conference starts today in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, twenty years after the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development held in the same city. (Adam Lane, Utilities-me.com)

Racold Thermo to focus on energy efficiency, renewable solutions for water heaters in India - Racold Thermo, one of the country's largest manufacturers and seller of water heaters, is going to focus on high efficiency and renewable solutions to ensure that 80% of its business comes from such products by 2020. (Writankar Mukherjee, Financial Times)

Renewable energy

Power Finance of India Says Lending Rising on Renewables Growth - Power Finance Corp. (POWF), India’s largest state lender to electricity utilities, said a renewable-energy boom will support growth in loans as the country seeks to double clean-power capacity by 2017. (Sally Bakewell, Bloomberg Businessweek)

Are we wildly underestimating solar and wind power? - Right now, renewable energy sources like solar and wind still provide just a small fraction of the world’s electricity. But they’re growing fast. Very fast. Three new pieces of evidence suggest that many policymakers may be drastically underestimating just how quickly wind and solar are expanding. (Brad Plumer, Washington Post)

Cheap Coal Is Dead. Long Live Renewables. (Part 1) - “Sustainable Energy for All” is the main theme for this week’s Rio+20 United Nations gathering in Brazil. The challenge of making energy both accessible and sustainable has grown more complicated in the past year or so, and also more exciting. (Carl Pope, Bloomberg)

Infographic: G20 Renewable Energy from 2002 to 2020 - The NRDC predicts that the G20 will produce less than 4 percent from renewables by 2015 and 6 percent by 2020, up from only 2.6 percent currently and 0.86 percent in 2002. (Amanda Northrop, Circle of Blue)

Surat civic body to install solar panel on science center - Following the mantra of Going Green, Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has called for tenders to install 100 KW solar panel atop its Science center building located at city light area of the city. (Himanshu Bhatt, The Times of India)

Rio+20

Rio+20: WWF and African Development Bank rally leaders to invest in Africa’s Natural Capital - The African Development Bank (AfDB) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) released a joint report on the state of environment in Africa, and are calling world leaders to invest in Africa’s natural capital. (WWF Global)

Rio+20 Needs An Ideas Overhaul To Address Global Challenges - For advocates of all things “green”, the Rio+20 Summit is supposed to charter a new path forward for the world to address its biggest challenges: reduce greenhouse gas emissions, eradicate poverty, end hunger, limit environmental destruction and increase access to clean water. (Matthew Stepp, The Energy Collective)

Zambia: Sata to Address Rio UN Conference - President Michael Sata will today address the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development which opened yesterday. (AllAfrica)

Ericsson Participates in Rio+Social - To continue raising awareness about the role that technology can play in addressing sustainability challenges, Ericsson (ERIC) participates in Rio+Social which takes place today in Rio de Janeiro, alongside UN's Rio+20 summit (June 13-22). (Yahoo! News)

Ban at Rio+20: 'Time is not on our side' - "Time is not on our side" to make economic growth and social progress truly serve humanity, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the Brazil U.N. Earth summit. (UPI.com)

Press Release:Sustainable Energy for All Initiative Releases Major New Commitments to Action by Governments, Private Sector and Civil Society ahead of Rio+20 Conference - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Sustainable Energy for All initiative today released further commitments to action from a wide range of stakeholders in support of the Secretary-General's vision of achieving sustainable energy for all by 2030. (Sustainable Energy for All website)

Energy access

Can increased energy access levels go hand-in-hand with lowering our climate emissions? - Rio +20 is occurring as we enter a phase of planetary emergency - we've recently surpassed 400 ppm in the Arctic, biodiversity loss is occurring at an exponential pace and global warming is magnifying global abnormal weather conditions. (Charles Arthur, The Energy Collective)

The World’s Poor Deserve Greener Energy, Too - With oil costing close to $100 a barrel, and most imported Asian coal about $120 a ton, fossil energy costs are crippling emerging economies in Asia and Africa. (Carl Pope, Bloomberg)

Energizing Women: Revolutionizing Women’s Lives Through Sustainable Energy Access event held - In Belgium, Partners for Euro‐African Green Energy (PANGEA) and ENERGIA organized the event “Energizing Women: Revolutionizing Women’s Lives Through Sustainable Energy Access”, as part of EU Sustainable Energy Week on Tuesday. (Meghan Sapp, Biofuels Digest)

Sustainable energy policy

UN Launches a Public-service Film as Rio+20 Opens, Sharing the Hopes of Chinese People for a Sustainable Future - As world leaders gather in Brazil to hold discussions on sustainable development at Rio+20, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), together with the UN Department of Public Information launched today a public-service film entitled '2032: The Future We Want'. (Environmental Expert)

Actor Mark Ruffalo Pushes New York Solar Jobs Bill - Mark Ruffalo is throwing his celebrity behind legislation in New York that would lower the cap on emissions (mostly from coal-fired power plants) and help provide hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives for solar energy. (Michael d’Estries, MNN)

Africa: 11th Agoa Forum Ends in Washington - Senior U.S. and African government officials, private sector business executives, African civil society representatives and women entrepreneurs from across sub-Saharan Africa have concluded the 11th African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) forum in Washington, ending meetings that covered a wide range of issues intended to help reach their common goal of enhancing U.S.-Africa trade to promote shared economic growth. (AllAfrica)

Energy efficiency

Aggressive Energy Efficiency Goals Are Transforming the Building Industry, According to Pike Research - Despite significant growth and much publicity, the green construction and technology market still accounts for only a small percentage of the commercial building stock worldwide. (MarketWatch)

Green buildings gain momentum in India - An R&D center gives back more power than it takes; a residential complex and a hospital have cut power and water consumption by 40-60 per cent. Green buildings are gaining momentum and could account for 20 per cent of all construction by 2030. (Hari Pulakkat, Times of India)
EBay Plans Data Center That Will Run on Alternative Energy Fuel Cells - EBay plans to build a data center to handle its billions of dollars in retail transactions that will draw its power from alternative energy fuel cells rather than the national power grid, which is heavily dependent on coal plants. (James Glanz, The New York Times)

Cutting energy use by adopting automation - From carmakers to textile plants, China's factories are introducing automation and advanced energy-saving devices into their production lines as rising wages bite profits. (UtilityProducts.com)

Nicor Gas Energy Efficiency Program Teams Up With Chicago Fire Soccer Club to Tackle Energy Waste - As soccer season heats up, the Nicor Gas Energy Efficiency Program and the Chicago Fire Soccer Club have teamed up to encourage fans to "Take the Pledge" to save energy at home. (Annette Martinez, MarketWatch)

Renewable energy

Skeptical about renewable energy predictions? - In 2000, IEA projected that there would be 30 gigawatts of wind energy worldwide by 2010, but the estimate was off by a factor of 7. (Michael Noble, REVE)

Asia Report: U.K.-Korea Unite Behind Offshore Wind, Tidal Prospects - Two nations with vast plans for offshore wind development are forging an alliance that may help each become a dominant presence in their respective regional markets. (Renewable Energy World)

Rio+20

Rio Environment Meeting Focuses On 'Energy For All' - Diplomats and activists from around the world are meeting in Rio de Janeiro this week to talk about how the planet's growing population can live better lives without damaging the environment. (Richard Harris, NPR)

Ban Ki-moon: the momentum for change at Rio+20 is irreversible - There may be disagreement between nations going into the Rio Earth summit, but much has been achieved already. (Ban Ki-moon, The Guardian)

Zayed Future Energy Prize will hold panel discussion at Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro - With the ever increasing importance of implementing a synergetic approach to the adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures, the Zayed Future Energy Prize tomorrow will hold a panel discussion to discuss ways to expedite solutions at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. (Emirates News Agency)

Rio+20: sustainable energy for all - Working with the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), Accenture is shaping the role of the private sector in achieving Sustainable Energy for All. (Accenture, The Guardian)

UAE- Masdar to present solar energy atlas at Rio +20 - A solar power atlas for the world's hot and sunny regions will be presented by Masdar at the Rio + 20, the United Nations conference on sustainable development starting in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday. (Menafn.com via Khaleej Times)

Rio+20 Earth summit moves to boost UN environment program - Brazilian draft deal sets out new sustainable development goals, but EU delegates and others demand concrete timelines. (Jonathan Watts, The Guardian)

Rio Summit Must Make a Difference for Clean Energy - World leaders have debated the merits of sustainable development and a green economy at Rio + 20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro. (Mike Nemeth, Ezine Articles)

Energy access

Pressure builds on Rio+20 to target energy access for all - UN leaders, business chiefs, NGO activists and celebrities have joined forces in Rio de Janeiro in a concerted endeavor to assist 1.4 billion people around the world with no access to electricity and 2.7 billion with unsafe cooking stoves. (Bill Gunyon, Yahoo! News)

U.N. sees natural gas a key to forests, helping poor - Natural gas, including non-traditional shale gas, should play a major role in cutting greenhouse gases, protecting forests and improving the health and living standards of the world's poor, the co-head of a U.N. sustainable energy program said on Monday. (Jeb Blount, Chicago Tribune)

Rio+20: The benefits of energy access in Ghana (video) - Kassim Gawusu, Executive Director of Greener Impact International, talks about the importance of engaging youth in sustainable development and the organizations plan to take what they learn in Rio back to Ghana and share it at a youth conference. (RTCC)

Energy access key to Rio+20 summit - Practical Action Chief Executive Simon Trace has urged global leaders to maximize the opportunity presented by the Rio+20 Summit next week in a pre-conference video blog. (Practical Action)

The cost of being connected: A phone for every woman needs an affordable charging solution - James Wolfensohn’s New York Times op-ed highlighted the role that mobile phones can have on fighting the inequalities women in the developing world face. But a phone is not enough: phone charging remains a significant barrier in unlocking the potential of mobile for development. (Mary Roach, mWomen)

Renewable energy

India committed to increase share of Renewable Energy: Farooq - Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy, Dr. Farooq Abdullah has said that India is committed to increasing the share of renewable power in the electricity mix to 15 per cent by the year 2020. (State Times)

Masdar PV supplies modules to solar park in Northern India - The emerging solar market in India represents an important sales area for Masdar PV, the innovative producer of large-area thin-film photovoltaic products. (Save-More-Energy.com)

Solar power consumers growing globally - On Tuesday, Applied Materials, Inc, the market leader in solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing equipment, released its fourth annual solar energy survey to measure consumers' understanding and awareness of this renewable energy source. The results are quite heartening. (Saswati Mukherjee, Times of India)

Small Island states with ambitious energy ambitions ahead of Rio+20 – In a recent blog post at the World Bank blog, it is written about the ambitious energy agenda that small island states are setting for Rio+20. (Lxrichter, Think Geoenergy)

Renewable energy in the EU: which countries are set to reach their targets? - Energy obtained from renewable sources is estimated to have contributed to 12.4% of the European Union's (EU) overall energy consumption in 2010, up from 11.7% in 2009, according to latest figures published this week. (Ami Sedghi, The Guardian)

Sustainable energy policy

Energy bill must vow to 'decarbonise' sector or face losing investment - The government must set a clear "twilight" on gas-fired power generation in its forthcoming energy bill, or face a dearth of much-needed investment into the power sector, according to a top Tory MP. (Fiona Harvey, The Guardian)

Cameron backs UK low carbon tech export drive at G20 - David Cameron is at the G20 Summit in Mexico promoting British companies, some of which manufacture low carbon technology, and saw the launch of a Green Growth Action Alliance. (David Thorpe, Energy & Environmental Management)

Energy efficiency

China creates model for sustainable living - At first glance, Tianjin Eco-City looks much like any other upscale Chinese urban development, with its rows of identical apartment blocks, wide roads and manicured verges. (Claire Cozens, Mother Nature Network)

Mobilizing Information and Communications Technology in Rio - One of the centerpieces of this month’s Rio+20 summit is an important initiative called Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All). (Steve Seidel, The Energy Collective)