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DOWN TO EARTH

Tiger census in Kerala from Feb
Kerala is gearing up for a tiger census in February, according to the Chief Wildlife Warden. This will be the first official count undertaken after controversies over Project Tiger have erupted. The tiger population of north India has been considerably decimated by poachers in what appears to be an organised and systematic manner. Only recently an instance of poaching was reported from Idukki in Kerala, where skins of three tigers and one leopard were also seized.

The Pioneer, New Delhi, Dec. 7, 2005

Collars to track Sunderbans tigers:
Royal Bengal tigers in the Sunderbans will soon have radio collars around their necks and their pug marks will be analysed on computer. The exercise is slated to be over before the next census, due in January. The last census had put the Sunderbans tiger tally at 280. The collars will help experts know about the exact surrounding of individual tigers as well as other information like what kind of food is available in their habitat. They will also aid in keeping tabs on the number of big cats roaming the reserve. A.K. Raha, the chief conservator of forest and director of the Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve, said four tigers would be initially selected from the core area, which is deep in the forests, and the sanctuary and buffer areas — between the reserve and human habitat — as these places have varied vegetation.

The Telegraph, Calcutta, Nov.8, 2005

UN environment scheme flawed:
CSE One of the items on the agenda of the Conference of Parties meet on climate change to be held in Montreal this month is the reform of the cumbersome mechanism by which Clean Development Mechanism Projects (CDMs) are approved. India might apprise the international community of what is wrong with the UN-approved scheme. CDM is a process by which industrialised nations pay developing countries for adopting cleaner energy technologies and in turn earn what are called carbon credits. However, a study done by Delhi’s Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found that the UN-approved process for clearing CDMs are severely flawed.

The Indian Express, New Delhi, Nov. 11,

Unsavoury emissions
The accusation that companies and consultants in India are making a mockery of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects under the Kyoto Protocol needs to be probed. The charge, made by the Delhi-based environmental organisation, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), has been denied by the companies concerned. The Protocol commits industrialised signatory nations to reducing emissions of six greenhouse gases to a set target by 2012. These targets have been passed on to companies, who also may opt to invest in a project in a developing country to reduce emission by a greater degree than would happen in the normal course: this is cheaper than doing so at home. The carbon ‘saved,’ if certified, can be claimed by the company’s country as its own reduction. India has the largest number (over 50) of CDM projects approved in the world since the Protocol took effect two years ago. But companies are not using environment-friendly technology, consultants preparing the project design documents are doing a sham job and the entire CDM design invites corruption, says CSE.

Source : The Financial Express

CSE charges firms with using `non-clean tech`
Gujarat Fluorochemicals Ltd and SRF Fluorochemicals were among companies charged today by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) with using non-clean processes and technologies. These companies, seeking to trade in clean technologies, denied the charges when contacted.

The companies named by the CSE, the Delhi-based environment watchdog, are into clean development mechanism (CDM) projects which enable them to earn certified carbon reduction (CER) units through the adoption of environment-friendly technology.

These companies in turn sell CER units to foreign entities which want to meet emission yardsticks set for countries under the Kyoto Protocol.

Busines standard, New Delhi, Nov. 11, 2005

Clean Development Mechanism by U.N. is corrupt, says CSE
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has questioned the role of the United Nations (U.N.) and reputed international consultants in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects. The CDM procedures designed by the U.N. had made it not only a cheap development mechanism but also a corrupt
development mechanism, the CSE alleged in a report released here on Tuesday.

The CDM was agreed upon so that the industrialised countries in the North — which produce excessive emissions — could pay developing countries to shift to cleaner energy sources. But CDM procedures have been designed in such a way that it has become an easy way for rich polluting nations to buy cheap credits for reduction of carbon emissions — with a little help from the U.N., the report alleged. The CSE says its research shows that companies involved in CDM projects are getting huge financial benefits without contributing to sustainable development.

The Hindu, New Delhi, Nov. 11, 2005

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