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Read as ICFJ staff travel abroad, meeting with journalists and developing new programs to help build better media around the globe.
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icfj |
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4/2/2009 4:10 PM |
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ICFJ Staff travel the world promoting quality journalism. Read their travel logs here. |
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New gas finds hailed |
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Rob Taylor, Director, Environmental and Science Programs
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By icfj icfj on
10/1/2009 5:26 PM
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Wirth steered the discussion to newly discovered natural gas supplies that are flooding natural gas markets in many countries. Jhirad hailed the capacity of gas to offer a transitional fuel that can run economies, and transportation systems, while researchers develop carbon capture and sequestration systems for coal-fired power plants. Gas emits less greenhouse gases per unit of heat, he noted. Ambassador Shankar noted the capacity of India to develop nuclear fueled power generation. "It's a very positive alternative," she said.
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Pachauri looks for bilateral deals |
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Rob Taylor, Director, Environmental and Science Programs
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By icfj icfj on
10/1/2009 5:09 PM
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In concluding remarks, Pachauri talked about hopes for a bilateral agreement between the U.S. and India, perhaps on biofuel development or scientific research.
He said that the Copenhagen talks are doing more than attempt to negotiate an international, global agreement. He said they also are creating an environment that facilitates partnerships between countries to find long term solutions.
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Indian Ambassador stresses development needs |
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Rob Taylor, Director, Environmental and Science Programs
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By icfj icfj on
10/1/2009 4:52 PM
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Indian Ambassador to the United States, Meera Shankar, said that development is the key national priority for India. She repeated that India is committed to not exceed the per capita emissions of the developed countries. And she noted that India has undertaken extensive national actions to develop in a sustainable way.
India has made quite a lot of progress, she noted, in developing renewable energy. She talked of using agricultural waste for production of biofuels. She looked for enormous improvements in energy efficiency, but said solar energy currently is too expensive for wide application.
She looked for the U.S. and India to work together in a positive way to make some of these opportunities turn into results.
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cellphone-based power |
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Rob Taylor, Director, Environmental and Science Programs
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By icfj icfj on
10/1/2009 4:47 PM
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David Jhirad, special adviser of the Rockefeller Foundation, called for building rural clean energy production around serving energy needs of cellular phone towers that have spread across India and other countries of the developing world. The cell-towers would be the "anchor" clients, he said of new, clean energy production facilities.
Jhirad also noted that shale gas is being found in various countries that also provides broad opportunities as an energy source.
I am hopeful that we have an unprcedented opportunity, he said.
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Don't wait for Copenhagen |
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By icfj on
10/1/2009 4:32 PM
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Nitin Desai, distinguished fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute and a former under secretary general of the United Nations, said that "UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change) is not the only game in town." Getting any agreement reached at Copenhagen to be operational will take at least four years. Therefore, other alternative programs should be pursued. As examples, he cited India's commitment to legislating on matters like fuel efficiency standards, mandating building energy efficiency, ensuring that 20% of all power generated in India is from renewables before 2030 and getting 10% to 15% carbon sequestering. Initiatives like these will make a big contribution to combating climate change. Rather than waiting for Copenhagen, a lot can be achieved by working in parallel on such programs.
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More...
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Setting the Priorities |
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Rob Taylor, Director, Environmental and Science Programs
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By icfj icfj on
10/1/2009 4:27 PM
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Tim Wirth, president of the United Nations Foundation, asked panelists to look ahead to the Copenhagen talks and what is needed to make them successful.
Nitin Desai, a TERI distinguished fellow, said the UNFCC talks are "not the only game in town." He suggested it is important to recognize the importance of things that can be done unilaterally or through bilateral cooperation.
He noted that Minister Ramesh promised mitigation "outcomes," not just goals, which he called significant.
Coal and oil costs will go up in coming decades, Desai said. Our job is to position countries to meet energy needs with low carbon emissions in that period. He talked about progress coming through bilateral deals that are expanded.
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Where does the funding come from |
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Rob Taylor, Director, Environmental and Science Programs
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By icfj icfj on
10/1/2009 4:11 PM
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Gomez said that producing a much-improved cookstove is not a simple matter. Stoves may need to be different for different fuels, he noted. Funding for R&D will not come from governments, he said, but must come from foundations.
A questioner from the floor said that in developing solar projects in the U.S., he faces problems getting bank credit to finance deals. Narang said credit is available for good projects in India. Beinecke said the prerequisite for credit would be clear policy signals on what tax credits will be available over a longer term period.
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Joyce Barnathan, ICFJ's president, has over 20 years' experience as an editor and reporter for BusinessWeek, Newsweek and other publications. She currently serves as the Chair of the Global Forum for Media Development, is a trustee of the Arthur F. Burns Fellowships Program, and is on the advisory board of McGraw-Hill's Architectural Record. See all of Joyce's blog entries here.
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 Patrick Butler is the Vice President of Programs for the International Center for Journalists. His areas of expertise are: journalism training worldwide, global journalism ethics, best practices of journalism, challenges in international reporting, and globalizing local news. See all of Patrick's blog entries here.
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 Rob Taylor is the Director of ICFJ's Environmental Programs. He worked as a newspaper reporter for three decades, about half of that period covering environmental issues. He wrote for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer for 10 years, The Wall Street Journal's Washington Bureau for nine years, and the Philadelphia Bulletin for seven years and free-lanced in eastern and southern Africa in 1977 and 1978. Taylor was a John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford University in 1996 and 1997.
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 Mario Scher
haufer is the Director of Program and Proposal Budgets. He acts as the liaison between ICFJ's program and financial departments, he is responsible for developing budgets for proposals, and keeping oversight on expense reports and budgets for ongoing ICFJ programs.
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