ICLEI South Asia news
Resilience needs integrated planning based on people's need
Bonn, Germany; 15.05.2012
The awareness of the risks our cities are facing is high and the urgent need for urban resilience and cities’ adaptation to climate change is widely recognized. 79% of cities are noticing changes in natural hazards, temperatures, precipitation and sea level rise affecting their communities, according to a study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. The study found that 68% of cities are engaging in adaptation planning, with 19% having done a risk assessment and another 19% planning to do one.
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Pilot Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions launched in Bonn
Bonn, Germany; 14.05.2012
C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, together with international partners, are launching a pilot version of the Global Protocol for Community-scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions (also called the “community protocol”). This landmark effort represents a significant step forward in harmonizing emissions measurement and reporting processes for cities of all sizes and geographies: the community protocol will be piloted in selected cities to establish a single minimum global standard for community-scale greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions measurement. For full story and Protocol
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Resilient Cities 2012
May 12-15, 2012 in Bonn, Germany
Resilient Cities 2012, the third global forum on urban resilience and adaptation is on now in Bonn, Germany. Take a look at http://resilient-cities.iclei.org/ for detailed updates on events as they occur. Updates on the first day are available at http://resilient-cities.iclei.org/bonn2012/blog. You can follow the event in real time on Twitter at @ICLEI_ResCities and #resilientcities.
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Stakeholders meet in Chennai for low carbon city initiative
1.05.12
A half-day session on “Integrating urban climate guidelines through clean technologies (RE&EE) at the state and city level to build sustainable low carbon cities”, a project jointly supported by the British High Commission and ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability was held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on 18 April at The Raintree Hotel in Alwarpet, Chennai. Project activities were initiated and monitored in Tiruchirappalli, Coimbatore and Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu. Read more
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Assessing ACCCRN
24.04.12
As part of the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) project, ICLEI South Asia, in collaboration with ARUP organised a two-day Evaluation Workshop at the Royal Plaza Hotel in New Delhi on 18 and 19 April to assess the effectiveness of the ACCCRN toolkit. The city corporations of Mysore, Bhubaneswar and Shimla and other stakeholder organisations were well represented and made for an in-depth analysis of the ACCCRN approach. Read more
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Gujarat to become India's largest solar power producer
Business Line, The Hindu
20.04.12
Commercially exploiting large tracts of wasteland, Gujarat is set to emerge as India's largest solar power destination. The Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, will dedicate 600 MW of solar power projects to the nation on Thursday. Currently, India's total solar power production is nearly 900 MW, two-thirds of which will be produced by Gujarat alone. On Thursday, Mr Modi will launch India's first Solar Power Park with generation capacity of 500 MW in 3,000 acres Charanka village, Randhanpur taluka, in Patan district. For full story
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Pondy residents to sell solar power
Deccan Chronicle
19.04.12
Puducherry residents will soon “sell power”. The ministry of new and renewable energy is planning with the state government to install solar panels on rooftops of houses in Puducherry and excess power generated would be fed to the common grid. Residents would get paid for excess production in summer and will be able to borrow power during the rains for a nominal charge. Emani Kumar, executive director of ICLEI-South Asia, said Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan responded quickly to the idea. For full story
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UN-Habitat and EC sign major agreement on lower-emission city growth; ICLEI as main implementing partner
12.04.12
UN-Habitat and the European Commission (EC) have signed an agreement to begin a new project that encourages cities to lower their emissions as they grow. ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, will serve as the main implementing partner. The project entitled ‘Promoting Low Emission Urban Development Strategies in Emerging Economy Countries’ (URBAN-LEDS) responds to the European Commission’s priority objective of climate change mitigation. This EUR 6.7 million project will run from 1 March 2012 to 31 August 2015. Read more
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Jodhpur discusses action plan on low carbon cities
08.04.12
Following the stakeholder consultation in Jaipur on 12 March, another meeting was held on “Integrating urban climate guidelines through clean technologies (RE&EE) at the state and city level to build sustainable low carbon cities” in Jodhpur on 2 April. The meeting was held to discuss an action plan that was drafted for Jodhpur using guidelines based on how to build low carbon cities in a low-cost, sustainable manner.
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Barisal in Bangladesh now part of ICLEI
30.03.12
Barisal city in Bangladesh recently became ICLEI’s newest member. Barisal is an old port town in southern Bangladesh, on the northern shore of the Bay of Bengal. About 140 km from the capital, Dhaka, it covers an area of 19.99 sq. km.
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Howrah to go solar
28.03.12
Howrah Municipal Corporation, under the mayor Mamta Jaiswal, has accepted ICLEI South Asia’s offer to prepare a master plan for the city as part of the Solar Cities Programme. Howrah, often referred to as Kolkata’s twin city is an industrial city in West Bengal. The two cities are connected by the Howrah Bridge, a bridge that spans the Hooghly River.
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Kolkata joins ICLEI
26.03.12
Kolkata Municipal Corporation is now officially an ICLEI member. Kolkata is the commercial, cultural and educational centre of eastern India and as of last year, was the third most populous metropolitan area in India. With approximately 4.5 million residents, Kolkata is consistently faced with challenges of a vast urban population, traffic, poverty and other related development issues.
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Howrah hosts second city and stakeholder meeting
13.03.12
The second city workshop and stakeholder meeting under the AsianCitiesAdapt project in India was held in Howrah, West Bengal on 21 February 2012 and was attended by representatives of the four participating cities, PIK and IIT Delhi, as well as esteemed local stakeholders. The event was presided over by the Honourable Mayor of Howrah, Ms Mamata Jaiswal. Read more>>
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Building low carbon cities in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu
12.03.12
The first state-level meet on “Integrating urban climate guidelines through clean technologies (RE&EE) at the state and city level to build sustainable low carbon cities”, a project jointly supported by the British High Commission and ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability is to be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on 12 March at The Fern -An Ecotel Hotel in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Read more>>
Bonn, Germany; 15.05.2012
The awareness of the risks our cities are facing is high and the urgent need for urban resilience and cities’ adaptation to climate change is widely recognized. 79% of cities are noticing changes in natural hazards, temperatures, precipitation and sea level rise affecting their communities, according to a study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. The study found that 68% of cities are engaging in adaptation planning, with 19% having done a risk assessment and another 19% planning to do one. _____________________________________________________
Pilot Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions launched in Bonn
Bonn, Germany; 14.05.2012
C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, together with international partners, are launching a pilot version of the Global Protocol for Community-scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions (also called the “community protocol”). This landmark effort represents a significant step forward in harmonizing emissions measurement and reporting processes for cities of all sizes and geographies: the community protocol will be piloted in selected cities to establish a single minimum global standard for community-scale greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions measurement. For full story and Protocol_____________________________________________________
Resilient Cities 2012
May 12-15, 2012 in Bonn, Germany
Resilient Cities 2012, the third global forum on urban resilience and adaptation is on now in Bonn, Germany. Take a look at http://resilient-cities.iclei.org/ for detailed updates on events as they occur. Updates on the first day are available at http://resilient-cities.iclei.org/bonn2012/blog. You can follow the event in real time on Twitter at @ICLEI_ResCities and #resilientcities._____________________________________________________
Stakeholders meet in Chennai for low carbon city initiative
1.05.12
A half-day session on “Integrating urban climate guidelines through clean technologies (RE&EE) at the state and city level to build sustainable low carbon cities”, a project jointly supported by the British High Commission and ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability was held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on 18 April at The Raintree Hotel in Alwarpet, Chennai. Project activities were initiated and monitored in Tiruchirappalli, Coimbatore and Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu. Read more_____________________________________________________
Assessing ACCCRN
24.04.12
As part of the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) project, ICLEI South Asia, in collaboration with ARUP organised a two-day Evaluation Workshop at the Royal Plaza Hotel in New Delhi on 18 and 19 April to assess the effectiveness of the ACCCRN toolkit. The city corporations of Mysore, Bhubaneswar and Shimla and other stakeholder organisations were well represented and made for an in-depth analysis of the ACCCRN approach. Read more_____________________________________________________
Gujarat to become India's largest solar power producer
Business Line, The Hindu
20.04.12
Commercially exploiting large tracts of wasteland, Gujarat is set to emerge as India's largest solar power destination. The Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, will dedicate 600 MW of solar power projects to the nation on Thursday. Currently, India's total solar power production is nearly 900 MW, two-thirds of which will be produced by Gujarat alone. On Thursday, Mr Modi will launch India's first Solar Power Park with generation capacity of 500 MW in 3,000 acres Charanka village, Randhanpur taluka, in Patan district. For full story_____________________________________________________
Pondy residents to sell solar power
Deccan Chronicle
19.04.12
Puducherry residents will soon “sell power”. The ministry of new and renewable energy is planning with the state government to install solar panels on rooftops of houses in Puducherry and excess power generated would be fed to the common grid. Residents would get paid for excess production in summer and will be able to borrow power during the rains for a nominal charge. Emani Kumar, executive director of ICLEI-South Asia, said Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan responded quickly to the idea. For full story_____________________________________________________
UN-Habitat and EC sign major agreement on lower-emission city growth; ICLEI as main implementing partner
12.04.12
UN-Habitat and the European Commission (EC) have signed an agreement to begin a new project that encourages cities to lower their emissions as they grow. ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, will serve as the main implementing partner. The project entitled ‘Promoting Low Emission Urban Development Strategies in Emerging Economy Countries’ (URBAN-LEDS) responds to the European Commission’s priority objective of climate change mitigation. This EUR 6.7 million project will run from 1 March 2012 to 31 August 2015. Read more_____________________________________________________
Jodhpur discusses action plan on low carbon cities
08.04.12
Following the stakeholder consultation in Jaipur on 12 March, another meeting was held on “Integrating urban climate guidelines through clean technologies (RE&EE) at the state and city level to build sustainable low carbon cities” in Jodhpur on 2 April. The meeting was held to discuss an action plan that was drafted for Jodhpur using guidelines based on how to build low carbon cities in a low-cost, sustainable manner. _____________________________________________________
Barisal in Bangladesh now part of ICLEI
30.03.12
Barisal city in Bangladesh recently became ICLEI’s newest member. Barisal is an old port town in southern Bangladesh, on the northern shore of the Bay of Bengal. About 140 km from the capital, Dhaka, it covers an area of 19.99 sq. km. _____________________________________________________
Howrah to go solar
28.03.12
Howrah Municipal Corporation, under the mayor Mamta Jaiswal, has accepted ICLEI South Asia’s offer to prepare a master plan for the city as part of the Solar Cities Programme. Howrah, often referred to as Kolkata’s twin city is an industrial city in West Bengal. The two cities are connected by the Howrah Bridge, a bridge that spans the Hooghly River. __________________________________________________________
Kolkata joins ICLEI
26.03.12
Kolkata Municipal Corporation is now officially an ICLEI member. Kolkata is the commercial, cultural and educational centre of eastern India and as of last year, was the third most populous metropolitan area in India. With approximately 4.5 million residents, Kolkata is consistently faced with challenges of a vast urban population, traffic, poverty and other related development issues.___________________________________________________
Howrah hosts second city and stakeholder meeting
13.03.12
The second city workshop and stakeholder meeting under the AsianCitiesAdapt project in India was held in Howrah, West Bengal on 21 February 2012 and was attended by representatives of the four participating cities, PIK and IIT Delhi, as well as esteemed local stakeholders. The event was presided over by the Honourable Mayor of Howrah, Ms Mamata Jaiswal. Read more>>__________________________________________________________
Building low carbon cities in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu
12.03.12
The first state-level meet on “Integrating urban climate guidelines through clean technologies (RE&EE) at the state and city level to build sustainable low carbon cities”, a project jointly supported by the British High Commission and ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability is to be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on 12 March at The Fern -An Ecotel Hotel in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Read more>> Other news
India to spend Rs. 2 lakh crore on climate
Times of India; 30.04.12
The fight against climate change will take a strategic jump in the 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-2017) with the government intending to plough in almost Rs 2 lakh crore through the various missions, the working group on climate of the 12th Five-Year Plan has said. The report seeks setting up of a dedicated structure of governance to oversee the different programmes under the 12th Plan with such large funds to be invested. The agriculture mission under the National Action Plan on Climate Change alone is to spend upwards of Rs 1 lakh crore over five years to make the primary sector more resilient to inevitable changes in climate change. Read more
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Bright days: How India is reinventing solar
By Niharika Mandhana
13.02.2012
Bloomberg (via Getty Images)
In 2009, when policymakers in New Delhi set a goal to produce 20,000 megawatts of solar energy by 2020, few gave India more than a slim chance. The world’s solar-savvy countries put together were generating that much solar power at the time, and India was contributing virtually nothing. But today, with acres of land in its arid, sun-drenched northwest carpeted with thousands of gleaming solar panels, analysts say India is poised to exceed its target. Read more>>
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Times of India; 30.04.12
The fight against climate change will take a strategic jump in the 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-2017) with the government intending to plough in almost Rs 2 lakh crore through the various missions, the working group on climate of the 12th Five-Year Plan has said. The report seeks setting up of a dedicated structure of governance to oversee the different programmes under the 12th Plan with such large funds to be invested. The agriculture mission under the National Action Plan on Climate Change alone is to spend upwards of Rs 1 lakh crore over five years to make the primary sector more resilient to inevitable changes in climate change. Read more
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Bright days: How India is reinventing solar
By Niharika Mandhana
13.02.2012
Bloomberg (via Getty Images)
In 2009, when policymakers in New Delhi set a goal to produce 20,000 megawatts of solar energy by 2020, few gave India more than a slim chance. The world’s solar-savvy countries put together were generating that much solar power at the time, and India was contributing virtually nothing. But today, with acres of land in its arid, sun-drenched northwest carpeted with thousands of gleaming solar panels, analysts say India is poised to exceed its target. Read more>>_________________________________________________________
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Key themes of the ICLEI World Congress 2012 include the Green Urban Economy and Local Governance and Leadership for Sustainable Development. ICLEI Members will send a strong message of local government action to the Rio+20 Conference. Visit 
Register to the carbonn Cities Climate Registry (cCCR) and start reporting. cCCR is a global response of local governments to measurable, reportable, verifiable climate action. 
Energy and Carbon Emissions Profiles of 54 South Asian Cities: The report contains a snapshot of the energy consumption and GHG emissions of the 54 cities in South Asia.To know more or to access the report, please contact Ravi Ranjan at 
