CNS: energy

Showing posts with label energy. Show all posts

"Most people are completely, blissfully ignorant about the situation, and those of us who believe in sustainable development are not able to do anything", this is how Dr SP Udayakumar describes the current situation relating to nuclear power and its uses throughout the world. Dr Udayakumar is a writer and anti-nuclear activist from Tamil Nadu, India. He is the convener of the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), which has been at the forefront of the anti-nuclear struggle in Kudankulam. He also co-founded the South Asian Community Center for Education and Research (SACCER).

This Podcast features #SDGtalks keynote speaker: Dr SP Udayakumar, who shares his insights on "a nuclear-free world is an imperative for sustainable development". The Sustainable Development e-Talks (#SDGtalks) is a special series, co-hosted
by CNS and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore from World Health Day (7 April 2020) to World Environment Day (5 June 2020).

Be welcome to listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, aCast, Podtail, BluBrry, and other podcast streaming platforms.

#SDGtalks featured Dr SP Udayakumar: “Nuclear-free world is an imperative for sustainable development"

On 5th June (3pm India time), the Sustainable Development e-Talks (#SDGtalks) series, co-hosted by CNS and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore, featured keynote speaker, Dr SP Udayakumar, who shared his insights on "A nuclear-free world is an imperative for sustainable development".

watch the recording (YouTube, Facebook) | listen to podcast

This Podcast features Dr Sandeep Pandey who was a speaker for the Sustainable Development e-Talks (#SDGtalks) - a special series, co-hosted by CNS and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore from World Health Day (7 April 2020) to World Environment Day (5 June 2020). He spoke on "Energy democracy is key for sustainable development."

Be welcome to listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, aCast, Podtail, BluBrry, and other podcast streaming platforms.

#SDGtalks featured Dr Sandeep Pandey: Energy democracy is key for SDGs

On Friday, 8th May (3pm India time), the Sustainable Development e-Talks (#SDGtalks) series, co-hosted by CNS and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore, featured Dr Sandeep Pandey, who shared his insights on "Energy democracy is key for SDGs."

watch the recording (YouTube, Instagram TV, Facebook)

listen to podcast

[Podcast] Sustainable societies are not possible without a nuclear-free world

SDGs should not be the icing on business-as-usual 'cake'

Shobha Shukla, CNS (Citizen News Service)

The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is convening the 4th session of the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD 2017) from 29 to 31 March 2017, in Bangkok, Thailand. The APFSD is expected to define a regional roadmap to support member States' implementation of the 2030 Agenda over the next 15 years.

A holistic approach is needed to tackle India’s asthma burden

Urvashi Prasad, CNS Correspondent, India

It is estimated that India has around 30 million people living with asthma. Approximately 25% of the Indian population is suffering from allergy and 5% are living with asthma. As highlighted by Dr Jeremiah Chakaya Muhwa, Member, Board of Directors, International Union Against TB and Lung Disease (The Union) during a recent webinar organised by CNS and The Union, asthma is often not taken seriously. He went on to add that the condition is frequently either not diagnosed or not treated even when diagnosed, resulting in several social, economic, psychological and physical problems.

CNS image library (not of Kakrapar)

Ramon Magsaysay Awardee and former faculty of IIT-BHU and IIT-Kanpur Dr Sandeep Pandey demanded an independent inquiry into Kakrapar nuclear plant leak in Gujarat. According to the news, "a rupture in the coolant system of one of the nuclear reactors at Kakrapar, Gujarat, on Friday morning forced the authorities to indefinitely shut down the plant."

Call to link sustainability with post-2015 development goals

Bobby Ramakant, CNS Special Correspondent

Ashish Kothari, Kalpavriksh

One of the drawbacks of millennium development goals (MDGs) which countries aspired to meet by 2015 was that sustainability was missing. There was no sustainability indicator in place to assess development in MDG framework. With intense rounds of post-2015 Strategic Development Goals (SDGs) going on around the world, one positive sign is that sustainability is getting increasing attention in development discourses.

Bobby Ramakant - CNS
[Online poster image gallery] [हिन्दी] Over a hundred poster exhibits made on "Lessons From Japan" theme by Lucknow youth had sent a strong message on Hiroshima Day, 6th August 2013 in favour of low carbon and no-nuclear energy. Using nuclear energy for power generation is a very dangerous and expensive option with serious risk of irreparable and/or long term damage to environment and human life, argued the activists. This Lessons From Japan poster exhibition was organized at Daffodils Convent Inter College campus in Lucknow by Vote For Health campaign, CNS, Asha Parivar and National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM).

Bobby Ramakant - CNS
[Images] Leave aside safe nuclear waste disposal, we are not even able to take care of domestic waste on our roads, said retired Justice Rajinder Sachchar while speaking at a book launch held in New Delhi on 12th July 2013. A Hindi language book, ‘Towards A Nuclear-free World’, penned by Magsaysay Awardee, scientist and noted social activist Dr Sandeep Pandey and published by Vani Prakashan, was also released by two women activists from Kudankulam anti-nuclear struggle, Ms Immaculate and Ms Maryaselvi at this Delhi meet.

Surabhi Agarwal

(First published in The Hindustan Times on 5th June 2013): Despite acute power shortage in rural areas, varying levels of poverty and impoverishment, why is, government's heavily subsidized programme to encourage people in rural areas to install biogas and manure plants for renewable energy production, not an outstanding success? Engineer Surabhi Agarwal, MTech from IIT Kanpur, studied biogas plants installed in the past decade or more in four villages of Bharawan block in Hardoi district in 2013 to find the status of these plants, record experiences and challenges if any. She presented her study findings in a meeting held in Giri Institute of Development Studies in Lucknow.

[Below CNS article dated May 2012 is reproduced to mark Hiroshima Day, 6th August]

Indo-US Nuclear Deal was the first attempt by the Indian government to open up its nuclear establishment to the outside world. It was only after approval of International Atomic Energy Agency that India was officially allowed to do business with the Nuclear Suppliers Group countries in nuclear materials and technology. But the agreement to set up a nuclear power plant in Kudankulam with Russia predates Indo-US Nuclear Deal and hence was done outside the internationally accepted non-proliferation regime in an undemocratic manner. Essentially Russia, secretly and without any fuss, did what the US took one and a half years and much trouble to convince its Congress to do.

We have been fighting against the Koodankulam Nuclear power Project (KKNPP) since the late 1980s. This Russian project was shelved right after the Soviet Union's collapse and taken up again in 1997. The Indian government and Russians have constructed two huge reactors of 1000 MW each without any consent of or consultation with the local people. We have just obtained the outdated Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report after 23 years of long and hard struggle. The Indian nuclear authorities have not shared any basic information about the project with the public. They do not give complete and truthful answers for our questions on the 'daily routine emissions' from these reactors, the amount and management of nuclear waste, fresh water needs, impact of the coolant water on our sea and seafood, decommissioning costs and effects, Russian liability and so forth.