JUNEAU, Alaska: Conservationists swoon at the possibility of it all. Here in Alaska, where melting arctic ice and eroding coastlines have made global warming an urgent threat, this little city has cut its electricity use by more than 30 percent in a matter of weeks, instantly establishing itself as a role model for how to go green, and fast.

The PSEB is planning to extend cash rewards to the panchayats of those villages that have achieved full conversion to compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). At the same time, the board is likely to give a little relaxation in time to over 10 lakh farmers, who have been told to switch over to CFLs by April 15. The board was likely to extend the deadline by June 30. Though the reward amount is yet to be decided, the board is contemplating giving Rs 1 lakh each to the panchayats achieving full conversion to CFLs, sources said.

The European Commission has launched a fund to mobilize private sector investments in energy-efficient and renewable energy projects. The Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund

Keen to claim credit for arresting carbon emissions into the atmosphere, the Delhi Government's Power Department has taken the lead in promoting energy conservation by preparing a road map that will direct the power distribution companies to procure power generated from renewable sources. Regulatory commission

Kathewadi village in Baramati taluka, hometown of Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar in Pune district, will soon become the only village in Pune to switch over to compact flourescent lamps (CFL). In two months time, the entire village will do away with the sodium vapour lamps and tubelights and switch over to the energy conserving CFL.

The public sector power distribution companies in Rajasthan have formulated a plan to popularise the use of energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) for both domestic and commercial purposes and generate public awareness to save electricity through environment-friendly methods.

A major environmental initiative has been announced to make Croke Park a carbon-free stadium. The Dublin-based stadium currently emits 4,500 tonnes of CO2 a year The new joint project between the Gaelic Athletics Association (GAA) and the Electricity Supply Board (ESB), entitled Cul Green, aims to dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of Ireland's most popular sporting venue over the next six years. Croke Park has an annual output of 4,500 tonnes of carbon emissions and Cul Green aims to cut this by more than two-thirds.

In the Commentary 'Dangerous assumptions' (Nature 452, 531

I largely agree with the overall conclusion of Pielke et al. in their Commentary 'Dangerous assumptions' (Nature 452, 531

This just in from Climate Counts, the nonprofit group that scores consumer products companies on their green track records: consumer companies are getting greener, but they are still a pretty carbon-intensive lot. On Wednesday, the group was to release its second annual ranking of 56 consumer companies on how they measure greenhouse gas emissions, their plans to reduce them and how fully they disclose those activities. Its intention is to persuade consumers to use the scores in deciding which brands to buy.

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