Durban is all set to be the new venue for climate diplomacy, as leaders, negotiators and experts across continents gather in that South African city of to cobble up a consensus on the future course

Indian companies seem to be shying away from making their carbon emission details public, according to a survey by a UK-based non-profit body.

Firm says lack of clarity in the way the state charges industry to be blamed.

With the growing demand for water putting pressure on a limited resource, beverage majors are tracking their water footprints. Be it soft drink ones such as Coca-Cola, beer maker SABMiller or packaged water firm Bisleri, they are all measuring the water consumed for bottling every litre of their retailed drinks, trying to cap this and replenish the sources.

After a long legal battle, Lavasa Construction Ltd, the project proponents of Lavasa, has agreed to accept the five ‘preconditions’ specified by the MoEF, over which the clearance was stuck. The Board of Lavasa Construction Ltd had met recently and passed a resolution stating they were ready to accept all the riders imposed by the ministry. In the next court hearing, the company will reiterate its stand.

Vedanta Aluminum Ltd (VAL), an associate company of the globally diversified Vedanta Resources Plc, has already made a fresh proposal to obtain environmental clearance for the expansion of its aluminum refinery at Lanjigarh in Orissa. It has also withdrawn its case against the MoEF at the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The ministry under Ramesh had cancelled the environmental clearance to Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC). OMC is in agreement with Vedanta Group company Sterlite for mining bauxite at Niyamgiri hills.

Vedanta Aluminum Ltd (VAL) is open to make a fresh proposal to obtain environmental clearance for the expansion plans at its aluminum unit in Lanjigarh, Orissa. However, the company said it wanted the government to consider its application on par with other companies like Lavasa, Posco, SAIL and Jindal Power Ltd, who had recently got a green nod for their projects.

Lab tests show not all green bags self-destruct or get dissolved in soil.

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Putting the onus of re-cycling of electronic wastes (e-waste) on the producers, the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) has for the first time notified e-waste management rules.

The e-waste (management and handling) Rules, 2011 would recognise the producers