Setting minimum standards of energy efficiency for buildings will be key to meeting India's commitment on addressing climate change issues, according to Mr Jamshyd N Godrej, Chairman, CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre (CII-GBC).
Addressing the inaugural of the four-day international conference and exhibition on green buildings organised by CII-GBC, he said the building sector accounts for nearly half the green house gas emissions that are responsible for the threat of global warming.
Setting standards for establishment of energy efficient buildings will help address the issue. This will be crucial to enabling the Government meet its target of bringing down the carbon emission intensity by 20 per cent in the next 10 years, a commitment made in the Copenhagen Climate Conference.
The Centre, State Governments and local bodies should work together to implement minimum efficiency standards as spelt out in the ECBC. The green building initiative that has attracted the attention of the private sector including industry and real estate developers had helped develop quality buildings that are efficient in terms of energy, water use and minimal waste generation. But to make a real difference the Government needs to set standards that have to be met by all.
Mr Godrej welcomed the Government initiative in encouraging efficiency in energy intensive industries and measures to support renewable energy. The Perform-Achieve-Trade mechanism under the national mission for enhanced energy efficiency which envisages a market-based mechanism to enhance average energy efficiency in industry and provision of feed-in tariffs for solar energy and wind power are progressive measures that will make a positive impact on reducing green house gas emissions.
Mr Tony Arnel, Chairman, World Green Building Council, said development of energy efficient green buildings, which minimise the impact on environment and natural resources, are now a part of the global debate leading up to the Cancun Climate Change Summit to be held in December. Green buildings can do more than address environmental concerns and can have a positive social and economic benefit if the industry and the governments can work together.
Two pacts signed
The Indian Green Building Council has entered into two agreements to carry forward the green building initiative. One is with the Green Building Council of Australia for a research collaboration for carbon offsets in building sector. A second MoU was with the US Green Building Council relating to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) to upgrade the existing LEED India system.
The conference which is in its eighth edition this year has attracted over 1,500 delegates and about 200 exhibitors who are showcasing technology, products and services relating to green buildings. The CII-GBC, a division of the Confederation of Indian Industry, offers advisory services in green buildings, energy efficiency and environment conservation.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
MoEF acts tough, many projects hit
The Ministry of Forests & Environment (MoEF) seems to have woken up to the environment issues in the country and has started taking a pro-active approach by taking tough stand on granting clearances for several projects which will have adverse impact on the environment if permitted.
The MoEF has not even spared the Power Finance Corporation (PFC), which is nodal agency for development of ultra-mega-power plants (UMPP) in the country, as the PFC is not being given clearance for coal-block allocation for its 4,000-MW Bedabahal UMPP in Orissa.
The Bedabahal UMPP is the second project after Sarguja UMPP to face delays due to clearances from the Ministry.
By Arvind Sen
Recently, the Ministry stood firm on its stand that mining companies will not be granted access in "no go" areas in the country.
However, the government decided to exempt some projects that already have received coal block allocation in the "no go" areas. The Dulanga coal block allotted to NTPC is located in this region.
Earlier, a coal block allotted to Adani Power, which was proposing to develop the 3,300-MW Tiroda power project, was cancelled. The Ministry refused allocation as the mine was close to the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve.
The latest in the line of casualty are several projects of Vedanta Resources and are feared to get delayed due to environmental clearance issues.
Recently, the Madras High Court directed Sterlite Industries India, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources, to stop operations at its 400,000-ton-per-year copper-smelting facility at Tuticorin, as its operations were adversely impacting workers at the site and were posing an environmental threat.
Sterlite Industries allegedly operated the smelter without implementing the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and holding a public hearing.
Earlier, Sterlite Energy was forced to shut its 600-MW independent thermal power plant at Jharsuguda in Orissa after residents complained about air pollution caused by the power project.
The power plant, which was commissioned on August 21, 2010, faced technical complications leading to fly-ash emissions. The project, which has been connected to the state grid, is at the same site as SEL's 1,215-MW captive power project.
Recently, the power project has resumed operations after corrective measures were taken to eliminate fly-ash emissions.
However, dark clouds of uncertainty are still hovering over Vedanta Resources. The National Environment Appellate Authority (NEAA) rejected the approval granted to the US$ 1.7 billion bauxite mining project proposed by Sterlite Industries and has directed the MoEF to reassess the proposal.
According to NEAA officials, the EIA study, which is a critical document for approval from the Ministry, was not made available during the public hearing.
Further, the authority expressed concern about the nature of the EIA, which did not analyse and take into consideration the adverse implications of the mining project on human life.
According to Jairam Ramesh, the Minister of Environment and Forests, Sterlite Industries, besides endangering the life of the Dongria Kondh tribal community in the region, had further flouted several laws, including the Forest Conservation Act, the Forest Rights Act and the Environment Protection Act.
To make matters worse for Sterlite, the Ministry of Forests & Environment has also issued a notice to the company for illegal capacity augmentation of its alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Orissa to six million tonnes per year, from one million tonne per year.
The MoEF has not even spared the Power Finance Corporation (PFC), which is nodal agency for development of ultra-mega-power plants (UMPP) in the country, as the PFC is not being given clearance for coal-block allocation for its 4,000-MW Bedabahal UMPP in Orissa.
The Bedabahal UMPP is the second project after Sarguja UMPP to face delays due to clearances from the Ministry.
By Arvind Sen
Recently, the Ministry stood firm on its stand that mining companies will not be granted access in "no go" areas in the country.
However, the government decided to exempt some projects that already have received coal block allocation in the "no go" areas. The Dulanga coal block allotted to NTPC is located in this region.
Earlier, a coal block allotted to Adani Power, which was proposing to develop the 3,300-MW Tiroda power project, was cancelled. The Ministry refused allocation as the mine was close to the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve.
The latest in the line of casualty are several projects of Vedanta Resources and are feared to get delayed due to environmental clearance issues.
Recently, the Madras High Court directed Sterlite Industries India, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources, to stop operations at its 400,000-ton-per-year copper-smelting facility at Tuticorin, as its operations were adversely impacting workers at the site and were posing an environmental threat.
Sterlite Industries allegedly operated the smelter without implementing the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and holding a public hearing.
Earlier, Sterlite Energy was forced to shut its 600-MW independent thermal power plant at Jharsuguda in Orissa after residents complained about air pollution caused by the power project.
The power plant, which was commissioned on August 21, 2010, faced technical complications leading to fly-ash emissions. The project, which has been connected to the state grid, is at the same site as SEL's 1,215-MW captive power project.
Recently, the power project has resumed operations after corrective measures were taken to eliminate fly-ash emissions.
However, dark clouds of uncertainty are still hovering over Vedanta Resources. The National Environment Appellate Authority (NEAA) rejected the approval granted to the US$ 1.7 billion bauxite mining project proposed by Sterlite Industries and has directed the MoEF to reassess the proposal.
According to NEAA officials, the EIA study, which is a critical document for approval from the Ministry, was not made available during the public hearing.
Further, the authority expressed concern about the nature of the EIA, which did not analyse and take into consideration the adverse implications of the mining project on human life.
According to Jairam Ramesh, the Minister of Environment and Forests, Sterlite Industries, besides endangering the life of the Dongria Kondh tribal community in the region, had further flouted several laws, including the Forest Conservation Act, the Forest Rights Act and the Environment Protection Act.
To make matters worse for Sterlite, the Ministry of Forests & Environment has also issued a notice to the company for illegal capacity augmentation of its alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Orissa to six million tonnes per year, from one million tonne per year.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Energy majors to enter LED manufacturing
The entry of big-ticket players in LED manufacturing, led by public sector energy majors ONGC Ltd and NTPC Ltd, promises to help the technology breach the price barrier by rapid scaling-up of production.
LED or light-emitting diode technology is widely seen as the future of lighting technology. But high pricing is a key deterrent. An LED lamp is a solid state lighting device that utilises light emitting diodes as a source of illumination instead of electrical filaments or gas.
ONGC's Energy Centre is pursuing the LED project as an energy conservation project and is in the process of finalising a joint venture partner for assembling and packaging of LED luminaries in India. NTPC Ltd, which had tied-up with the Bangalore-based Society for Integrated Circuit Technology and Applied Research for making the lamps, is also on the lookout for a suitable partner.
Other entrants who have already commenced work include Sujana Energy Ltd, a subsidiary of Hyderabad-based Sujana Group, which is partnering Japanese firm Nichia Corporation for LED lighting and display; De Core Nanosemiconductors Ltd is investing Rs 900 crore in a plant in Gujarat for LED luminaries.
“There is no doubt that the entry of large players offers the potential to scale-up, which is the only way to bring down costs. So, therefore, NTPC and ONGC's entry is important for the technology as a whole… LED lamps offer the best hope for the rural electrification efforts, especially in case of off-grid connections,” the Director-General of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Dr Ajay Mathur, told Business Line.
NTPC, which had appointed IIT-Kharagpur as its consultant to identify a foreign technical collaborator for manufacturing LED lamps, is looking at various options. “The move to get into LED manufacture is aimed at strengthening the ongoing demand-side management efforts, especially in the households segment. While the initial responses were not very good, we hope to zero in on a suitable partner,” an NTPC official said.
The ONGC Energy Centre, through a joint venture, plans to set up an assembly plant in India to manufacture LED luminaries. In the second phase, it plans to establish an LED packaging plant. As the final leg in its three-stage LED plan, the Energy Centre is hoping that the research work would lead into possible high technology products, including setting up a semiconductor chip plant that could have significant contribution to exports.
Sujana Energy Ltd, through its partnership with Japanese company Nichia Corporation, plans to jointly explore opportunities in the field of LED lighting and display. Nichia is the largest supplier of white LEDs in the world.
“The demand for LEDs is almost limitless worldwide. Although competition is extremely high in the Indian market, I believe that this collaboration between Sujana and Nichia will be a breakthrough for expanding LED lighting and display,” said Mr Makoto Takenaka, MD of Nichia Chemical Pte Ltd, said while launching the venture.
LEDs, besides being small, hardy, highly energy-efficient and long-lasting, do not have the mercury content issue associated with CFLs.
While LED lamps, till recently, were limited only to single-bulb use in applications such as instrument panels and electronics, subsequent improvements in technology have widened their application. Several cities in the country have begun replacing their incandescent traffic lights with LED arrays because electricity costs can be reduced by almost 80 per cent.
courtsey...business line india
LED or light-emitting diode technology is widely seen as the future of lighting technology. But high pricing is a key deterrent. An LED lamp is a solid state lighting device that utilises light emitting diodes as a source of illumination instead of electrical filaments or gas.
ONGC's Energy Centre is pursuing the LED project as an energy conservation project and is in the process of finalising a joint venture partner for assembling and packaging of LED luminaries in India. NTPC Ltd, which had tied-up with the Bangalore-based Society for Integrated Circuit Technology and Applied Research for making the lamps, is also on the lookout for a suitable partner.
Other entrants who have already commenced work include Sujana Energy Ltd, a subsidiary of Hyderabad-based Sujana Group, which is partnering Japanese firm Nichia Corporation for LED lighting and display; De Core Nanosemiconductors Ltd is investing Rs 900 crore in a plant in Gujarat for LED luminaries.
“There is no doubt that the entry of large players offers the potential to scale-up, which is the only way to bring down costs. So, therefore, NTPC and ONGC's entry is important for the technology as a whole… LED lamps offer the best hope for the rural electrification efforts, especially in case of off-grid connections,” the Director-General of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Dr Ajay Mathur, told Business Line.
NTPC, which had appointed IIT-Kharagpur as its consultant to identify a foreign technical collaborator for manufacturing LED lamps, is looking at various options. “The move to get into LED manufacture is aimed at strengthening the ongoing demand-side management efforts, especially in the households segment. While the initial responses were not very good, we hope to zero in on a suitable partner,” an NTPC official said.
The ONGC Energy Centre, through a joint venture, plans to set up an assembly plant in India to manufacture LED luminaries. In the second phase, it plans to establish an LED packaging plant. As the final leg in its three-stage LED plan, the Energy Centre is hoping that the research work would lead into possible high technology products, including setting up a semiconductor chip plant that could have significant contribution to exports.
Sujana Energy Ltd, through its partnership with Japanese company Nichia Corporation, plans to jointly explore opportunities in the field of LED lighting and display. Nichia is the largest supplier of white LEDs in the world.
“The demand for LEDs is almost limitless worldwide. Although competition is extremely high in the Indian market, I believe that this collaboration between Sujana and Nichia will be a breakthrough for expanding LED lighting and display,” said Mr Makoto Takenaka, MD of Nichia Chemical Pte Ltd, said while launching the venture.
LEDs, besides being small, hardy, highly energy-efficient and long-lasting, do not have the mercury content issue associated with CFLs.
While LED lamps, till recently, were limited only to single-bulb use in applications such as instrument panels and electronics, subsequent improvements in technology have widened their application. Several cities in the country have begun replacing their incandescent traffic lights with LED arrays because electricity costs can be reduced by almost 80 per cent.
courtsey...business line india
GE Tops Climate Innovation Index, Berkshire Hathaway Ranks Last
General Electric has edged out Ford and Intel to take the top spot in Maplecroft’s Climate Innovation Index U.S. 100, while Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway comes in last, reports Bloomberg.
Ranked on their efforts to manage carbon emissions and global warming as well as their profit on climate opportunities, GE topped the list of the 100 largest public companies in the U.S. for the second year in a row.
Maplecroft rated these companies on 100 categories including their reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, use of new technologies, and their strategies for climate- related opportunities and disclosure of environmental policies. The company used publicly disclosed information such as company sustainability reports, followed up by at least two e-mails, according to Bloomberg.
While GE was cited for offering products ranging from water heaters that cut energy use to fuel-efficient aircraft engines, and for setting a price on carbon emissions in some of its contracts, Berkshire was ranked last for its lack of disclosure on climate-change policies, reports Bloomberg.
GE and Ford also led a larger ranking of more than 330 companies with market capitalizations of more than $1 billion, according to the article. Alcoa was ranked third on that list.
Ranked on their efforts to manage carbon emissions and global warming as well as their profit on climate opportunities, GE topped the list of the 100 largest public companies in the U.S. for the second year in a row.
Maplecroft rated these companies on 100 categories including their reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, use of new technologies, and their strategies for climate- related opportunities and disclosure of environmental policies. The company used publicly disclosed information such as company sustainability reports, followed up by at least two e-mails, according to Bloomberg.
While GE was cited for offering products ranging from water heaters that cut energy use to fuel-efficient aircraft engines, and for setting a price on carbon emissions in some of its contracts, Berkshire was ranked last for its lack of disclosure on climate-change policies, reports Bloomberg.
GE and Ford also led a larger ranking of more than 330 companies with market capitalizations of more than $1 billion, according to the article. Alcoa was ranked third on that list.
Intel Sees ‘Green’ in Home Energy Market
As part of its efforts to take a big bite out of the smart grid pie, Intel has unveiled a reference design for a home energy management device at the West Coast Green Conference.
Intel’s Atom processor-based home energy management proof-of-concept reference design would act as a hub for controlling networked appliances and thermostats and to gather information from smart meters, reports CNET.
Intel is one of many companies developing products aimed at helping consumers understand their energy use and reducing their energy use. Others include Microsoft, Google and Apple, all of which have made moves into the smart-home energy management sector.
The energy management system can do a number of tasks ranging from tallying the amount of electricity that the networked appliances use, enabling consumers to program their thermostats via a touch screen to working with utilities’ demand-response programs to lower electricity use of appliances during peak times, reports CNET.
The reference design can also access the Internet and display video from security cameras.
The Intel Home Dashboard also allows users to compare their personal home energy use against their neighbors’ energy use, and measure energy levels generated by solar panels attached to the home, reports CRN.
It also features an automated “goodbye” function that switches the entire house to user-configured off mode when no one is home to eliminate “vampire” energy consumption from devices in standby mode, said CRN.
CRN says the overall concept of providing a hub for consumers to have control over the distribution of energy-based resources is gaining ground in the semiconductor industry. About 49 chip companies, including Intel, have urged President Obama, in a letter, to make energy consumption information available to every U.S. consumer.
courtsey environmental leader
Intel’s Atom processor-based home energy management proof-of-concept reference design would act as a hub for controlling networked appliances and thermostats and to gather information from smart meters, reports CNET.
Intel is one of many companies developing products aimed at helping consumers understand their energy use and reducing their energy use. Others include Microsoft, Google and Apple, all of which have made moves into the smart-home energy management sector.
The energy management system can do a number of tasks ranging from tallying the amount of electricity that the networked appliances use, enabling consumers to program their thermostats via a touch screen to working with utilities’ demand-response programs to lower electricity use of appliances during peak times, reports CNET.
The reference design can also access the Internet and display video from security cameras.
The Intel Home Dashboard also allows users to compare their personal home energy use against their neighbors’ energy use, and measure energy levels generated by solar panels attached to the home, reports CRN.
It also features an automated “goodbye” function that switches the entire house to user-configured off mode when no one is home to eliminate “vampire” energy consumption from devices in standby mode, said CRN.
CRN says the overall concept of providing a hub for consumers to have control over the distribution of energy-based resources is gaining ground in the semiconductor industry. About 49 chip companies, including Intel, have urged President Obama, in a letter, to make energy consumption information available to every U.S. consumer.
courtsey environmental leader
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Youth forum calls for actions on climate change
With an aim to familiarize the youth with the benefits of earth observation and impart knowledge and skills on geospatial data for climate change actions, a six-day youth forum started in the capital Friday.
Some 40 participants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan gathered to discuss climate change and call for actions at "Empowering Youth with Earth Observation for Climate Actions" organized by the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Nepali Youth for Climate Action and the GIS Society of Nepal and supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Andreas Schild, Director General of ICIMOD, said the youth members selected from over 750 applicants, are "not just participants but representatives of youth from different region."
"We need youths to know what´s happening and also talk about it," he said of climate change, especially referring it to the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region that stretches 3,500 kilometers across eight countries.
The Himalayas are considered as the "third pole" and is a major source of water for an estimated 210 million people. Also, the changing climate and rising temperatures are becoming a major threat for glacial outburst in the region.
Anil Chitrakar, a social entrepreneur, urged everyone to act and contribute from every little way as their contributions could make significant impact in combating climate change.
"A small something is better than nothing," he said addressing the participants and elaborated, "It´s not the earth we´re trying to save but us and we don´t have an alternative to move [somewhere else]."
During the first day of the youth forum, the participants also discussed and presented their concerns and calls for climate change. Most of the comments resonated along call for awareness in local, national and international level using the data and technology available.
But the resolutions and appeal to act for climate change shouldn´t end with the six-day forum but should be a beginning for future actions, said Jason Kessler from NASA.
"Take back what you´ve learned and share it because that´s what is going to make the greatest difference," he said to the participants.
The youth forum is a part of the international symposium on "Benefiting from Earth Observation: Bridging the Data Gap for Adaptation to Climate Change in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region" starting October 4-6, which will be attended by an international panel including Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Government of India, Charles F. Bolden Jr, NASA Administrator, Michael Yates, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator of USAID, and professor Jose Achache, Director, Group on Earth Observation (GEO) Secretariat, Switzerland
greenpeace
Some 40 participants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan gathered to discuss climate change and call for actions at "Empowering Youth with Earth Observation for Climate Actions" organized by the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Nepali Youth for Climate Action and the GIS Society of Nepal and supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Andreas Schild, Director General of ICIMOD, said the youth members selected from over 750 applicants, are "not just participants but representatives of youth from different region."
"We need youths to know what´s happening and also talk about it," he said of climate change, especially referring it to the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region that stretches 3,500 kilometers across eight countries.
The Himalayas are considered as the "third pole" and is a major source of water for an estimated 210 million people. Also, the changing climate and rising temperatures are becoming a major threat for glacial outburst in the region.
Anil Chitrakar, a social entrepreneur, urged everyone to act and contribute from every little way as their contributions could make significant impact in combating climate change.
"A small something is better than nothing," he said addressing the participants and elaborated, "It´s not the earth we´re trying to save but us and we don´t have an alternative to move [somewhere else]."
During the first day of the youth forum, the participants also discussed and presented their concerns and calls for climate change. Most of the comments resonated along call for awareness in local, national and international level using the data and technology available.
But the resolutions and appeal to act for climate change shouldn´t end with the six-day forum but should be a beginning for future actions, said Jason Kessler from NASA.
"Take back what you´ve learned and share it because that´s what is going to make the greatest difference," he said to the participants.
The youth forum is a part of the international symposium on "Benefiting from Earth Observation: Bridging the Data Gap for Adaptation to Climate Change in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region" starting October 4-6, which will be attended by an international panel including Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Government of India, Charles F. Bolden Jr, NASA Administrator, Michael Yates, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator of USAID, and professor Jose Achache, Director, Group on Earth Observation (GEO) Secretariat, Switzerland
greenpeace
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Global warming? You can blame America for that, says bin Laden
Osama bin Laden blamed the United States and other industrialised countries for causing global warming in an extraordinary message issued yesterday.
In a departure from his usual religious rants, the Al Qaeda leader lectured on the dangers of climate change, claiming the only solution was to 'bring the wheels of the American economy' to a halt.
Rather than vows to inflict death and destruction on the U.S. and its allies, the man behind the September 11 atrocity in New York discussed the environmental future of the planet and monetary policy.
'This is a message to the whole world about those who are causing climate change, whether deliberately or not, and what we should do about that,' he declared.
He blamed Western industrialised nations for hunger, causing flooding and the destruction of fertile ground across the globe.
And he warned solutions must be 'drastic' rather than 'partial'.
Although bin Laden has briefly referred to climate change and global warming in past messages, this fresh audiotape was his first dedicated to the topic.
The speech, which included almost no religious rhetoric, has been interpreted as an attempt by the terror leader to broaden the appeal of his message beyond Islamic militants.
'Talk about climate change is not an ideological luxury but a reality,' he said in the tape released to the Al Jazeera television network, adding: 'All of the industrialised countries, especially the big ones, bear responsibility.'
Bin Laden referred to the fact that while wealthy nations had agreed to the Kyoto Protocol that binds them to emissions targets, former U.S. President George Bush later rejected such limitations in deference to big business.
He called for a boycott of American products and the end of the U.S. dollar as a world currency.
'We should stop dealings with the dollar and get rid of it as soon as possible,' he said in the brief recording.
'I know that this has great consequences and grave ramifications, but it is the only means to liberate humanity from slavery and dependence on America.
'It is necessary for us to avoid doing business in the dollar, and to finish with it in the fastest possible time.'
The terrorist even used a quotation from American liberal political activist Noam Chomsky to support his cause.
He said: 'Noam Chomsky was correct when he compared the U.S. policies to those of the Mafia.
'They are the true terrorists and therefore we should refrain from dealing in the U.S. dollar and should try to get rid of this currency as early as possible.'
Under threat: Polar bears perch on melting chunks of ice off Alaska in 2007. Scientists say climate change could destroy their natural habitat completely
He argued that such steps would also hamper Washington's war efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Saudi-born bin Laden is still thought to be hiding in the mountainous areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The new message, the authenticity of which could not immediately be confirmed, comes after a bin Laden tape last week endorsed a failed attempt to blow up an American airliner on Christmas Day.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1247033/Now-Osama-bin-Laden-gets-worried-global-warming.html#ixzz11BkDPCKx
In a departure from his usual religious rants, the Al Qaeda leader lectured on the dangers of climate change, claiming the only solution was to 'bring the wheels of the American economy' to a halt.
Rather than vows to inflict death and destruction on the U.S. and its allies, the man behind the September 11 atrocity in New York discussed the environmental future of the planet and monetary policy.
'This is a message to the whole world about those who are causing climate change, whether deliberately or not, and what we should do about that,' he declared.
He blamed Western industrialised nations for hunger, causing flooding and the destruction of fertile ground across the globe.
And he warned solutions must be 'drastic' rather than 'partial'.
Although bin Laden has briefly referred to climate change and global warming in past messages, this fresh audiotape was his first dedicated to the topic.
The speech, which included almost no religious rhetoric, has been interpreted as an attempt by the terror leader to broaden the appeal of his message beyond Islamic militants.
'Talk about climate change is not an ideological luxury but a reality,' he said in the tape released to the Al Jazeera television network, adding: 'All of the industrialised countries, especially the big ones, bear responsibility.'
Bin Laden referred to the fact that while wealthy nations had agreed to the Kyoto Protocol that binds them to emissions targets, former U.S. President George Bush later rejected such limitations in deference to big business.
He called for a boycott of American products and the end of the U.S. dollar as a world currency.
'We should stop dealings with the dollar and get rid of it as soon as possible,' he said in the brief recording.
'I know that this has great consequences and grave ramifications, but it is the only means to liberate humanity from slavery and dependence on America.
'It is necessary for us to avoid doing business in the dollar, and to finish with it in the fastest possible time.'
The terrorist even used a quotation from American liberal political activist Noam Chomsky to support his cause.
He said: 'Noam Chomsky was correct when he compared the U.S. policies to those of the Mafia.
'They are the true terrorists and therefore we should refrain from dealing in the U.S. dollar and should try to get rid of this currency as early as possible.'
Under threat: Polar bears perch on melting chunks of ice off Alaska in 2007. Scientists say climate change could destroy their natural habitat completely
He argued that such steps would also hamper Washington's war efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Saudi-born bin Laden is still thought to be hiding in the mountainous areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The new message, the authenticity of which could not immediately be confirmed, comes after a bin Laden tape last week endorsed a failed attempt to blow up an American airliner on Christmas Day.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1247033/Now-Osama-bin-Laden-gets-worried-global-warming.html#ixzz11BkDPCKx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)