Rio+20

Global Compact Calls on Companies to Commit to the Future We Want - The UN Global Compact, in partnership with the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD), announced today a worldwide call for commitments to actions and partnerships that advance progress along the six core themes of the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum, to be held on 15-18 June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro. (UN News Centre)

Rio Operations Center: Readiness is All - When C40 City Rio de Janeiro took stock of risks and challenges — from extreme weather, to traffic congestion, to upcoming mega-events such as Rio+20, it decided to create the Operations Center in the service of Cariocas (the citizens of Rio de Janeiro). (National Geographic)

UN’s Ban Ki-moon urges firms to go green in run-up to Rio - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged companies to step up their commitment to sustainability in the run-up to the Rio+20 Earth summit in Brazil next month. (Green Business)

UN’s Action Agenda on Sustainable Energy for All will drive critical progress on energy, says WBCSD - The UN’s launch of its Global Action Agenda will implement the Sustainable Energy for All initiative and marks an important step toward putting ideas into action, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) said last week. (Toby Price, Renewable Energy Magazine)

Energy efficiency

Balance Of Power: Clean Energy And Desert Wildlife - This guest post was written by Johanna Wald, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council in San Francisco. (Todd Woody, Forbes)

Clean Energy Development in Egypt - Egypt was once an exporter of oil and gas, but now it is struggling to meet its own energy needs. (All Africa)

University gets Rs 25 lakh to save 30% energy annually - The Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA) recently provided financial assistance to seven government buildings in the state, including Rs 25 lakh to the University of Pune (UoP), to replace the old and inefficient equipment with energy saving equipment expected to save 25% to 30% energy annually. (Neha Madaan, The Times of India)

Energy access

EU green power needs market access to thrive-draft - Free access to emerging renewable energy markets such as Brazil, China and India will be a major factor in helping the European Union maintain its lead in green energy, according to draft documents seen by Reuters. (Barbara Lewis, Reuters)

Sustainable energy policy

Tim Yeo calls for urgent action over windfarms - Senior Conservative tells UK Energy Summit said energy policy has been 'neglected' to the detriment of consumers (Terry Macalister, The Guardian)

China seeks to expand green energy ties - China and the European Union will expand collaboration in the alternative energy sector to achieve shared objectives in terms of energy conservation and emissions reduction, officials said. (Lan Lan, China Daily)

Tanzania: EU to Review Renewable Energy Policy - A controversial European Union renewable energy directive which targets 10 per cent use of renewable energy sources in transport sector by 2020 may be reviewed after an ongoing impact assessment on the indirect land use change aspect. (Finnigan Wa Simbeye, All Africa)

Renewable energy

Nigeria: IPMAN Suggests Use of Renewable Sources for Power Generation - Mr Olumide Ogunmade, Chairman of Western Zone of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), on Wednesday advised Federal Government to explore alternative sources of power generation. (All Africa)

Uganda: Makerere Students Showcase Innovative Projects - Final-year students of Mechanical Engineering at Makerere University's College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology recently showcased their products at a cluster workshop. (Moses Talemwa, All Africa)