Rio +20

Time Is Nigh for Global Action, Manifesto Warns - An era has dawned in which humanity’s impact on the earth could prove to be as great as ice ages or meteoric collisions, scientists, government officials and business leaders warned this week at a big environmental conference in London. (David Jolly, New York Times)

BRICS Summit-Delhi Declaration - Five emerging economic powerhouses - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - are meeting in Delhi for the BRICS summit to discuss a range of issues, including increased financial integration of the member countries, energy security and the ongoing crisis in Syria. (International Business Times)

Nigeria: Government Engages Private Sector in Preparations for Rio+20
- Federal Government has held a preparatory workshop for the private sector as part of efforts to ensure the sector's active participation in the global sustainable development forum schedule for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June. (Alex Abutu, All Africa)

Energy Access

Pay As You Go Solar: A Rural Power Solution - While many countries are trying to wean themselves off expensive and dirty fossil fuel energy, much of the world is still waiting on any type of electricity. (AOL
Energy)

Energy efficiency

Ford Focus Electric will use 'build-to-order' sales model - Ford  is on track for the full US launch of its Ford Focus Electric next month, after successfully delivering the first wave of vehicles to commercial partners, such as Google, Florida Power and Light and Microsoft, late last year. (James Murray, The Guardian)

UK greenhouse gas emissions down 7% in 2011 - Last year's mild winter helped UK greenhouse gas emissions fall 7% in 2011, as people used less gas to heat their homes, provisional figures published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change reveal. (Adam Vaughan, The
Guardian)

Sustainable energy policy

AfDB Co-Organizes First Africa Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation - The first Africa Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) will take place from between 1 and 3 April 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya, at the Intercontinental Hotel. (All Africa)

Renewable energy

Nigeria: Enugu to Support Inventor of Wind Turbine for Power Generation - Enugu State Government has promised to support ingenuity of an indigene who has developed a wind turbine that generates 24 kilowatts of electricity at 10 metres per second wind speed. (All
Africa)

Gulf has good reason to back renewable energy - Has renewable energy already lost the battle with fossil fuels? No, clean energy technologies are here to stay. (Yasser Al Saleh, The National)

China seeks UK co-op on clean energy - UK's expertise in clean energy production can help China achieve its ambitious emission reduction targets, said Chinese business leaders who came to the UK looking for cooperation opportunities on Tuesday. (Cecily Liu, China Daily)

Rio+20

Looking to Rio+20, world must act on sustainable development, says UN forum - The international community must "reset the global development agenda" and strengthen its commitment to sustainable development, a United Nations-backed conference in Istanbul heard today. (UN News Centre)

Energy Access

Nokero's Inventor Creates a Solar Light Bulb for Health-Clinics and Schools Lacking Electricity - Nokero International, the leader in solar lighting, announced today the release of a bright and powerful solar light bulb for schools and medical-clinics. (Press Release, San Francisco Chronicle)

Echelon Enables Micro Grids in India and South Africa - Echelon Corporation today announced two micro grid deployments in India and South Africa that integrate distributed generation to compensate for disruptions in utility-supplied power. (Press Release, MarketWatch)

South Africa: Tshwane Moves to Eradicate Electrification Backlog - The City of Tshwane will spend R323 million to eradicate the backlog of homes without electricity in informal settlements. (Nthambeleni Gabara, All Africa)

Sustainable Energy Policy

Volcker rule could raise energy prices, study says - The proposed Volcker rule crackdown on trading and investing by banks could cause gasoline, electricity and natural gas prices to rise, according to a new report. (Reuters)

No decision on carbon reporting? Tories fail every environment test - Defra secretary Caroline Spelman's non-announcement on businesses fails to follow obligations of the Climate Change Act (Mary Creagh, The Guardian)

When the World Tackled an Environmental Threat, and Won (Video) - In 1974, Dr. Sherwood Rowland, a young research scientist, warned the world that chlorofluorocarbons, man-made chemicals found in aerosol sprays and refrigerators were damaging the earth's ozone layer. (Jim Witkin, New York Times)

Energy Efficiency

Kosovo counting on the U.S. for energy leadership - The U.S. government and the World Bank can aid Kosovo with funding and technical support that will permit them to develop a holistic approach to energy diversity and security. (Daniel M. Kammen, San Francisco Chronicle)

Zipcar Launches Its Pilot Large-Scale Electric Vehicle Program In Chicago - Zipcar has launched its first large-scale electric vehicle program in Chicago. (Trefis Team, Forbes)

Renewable Energy

Zimbabwe: Call to Adopt Solar Energy - ZIMBABWE can successfully adopt solar energy as a cheaper alternative to electricity, Scientific and Industrial Research and Development Centre Chief Executive Dr. Robson Mafoti has said. (All Africa)

GSMA and Bharti Infratel Partner to Expand Green Energy Initiatives for Telecom Towers - The GSMA and Bharti Infratel Limited today announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop and promote green technologies for telecom tower infrastructure in India. (Press Release, MarketWatch)