Monday, August 4, 2014

Green Technology Initiatives in India and Other Emerging Markets

Green technology is an approach that can help us prevent further damage to our environment. Various companies and government organizations are working towards attaining social equitability, economic feasibility and sustainability through green technologies to reduce the damaging impacts of human encroachment on the environment.

The basic focus of any corporate organization is to incur minimum cost and maximize output. Innovative measures such as green buildings, green manufacturing, and energy efficiency measures have proved to be optimum energy and resource savers. This not only helps to cut down the overall input and production costs, but also fulfils social responsibility towards the society. In addition, there’s green manufacturing, whereby manufacturing firms create products that can be recycled or reused. This, in effect, reduces the environmental footprint of each product, making production environmentally sustainable and economically cheaper. Companies such as GE, Symantec, Boeing, and Wal-Mart have already put these measures into practice, and are further working towards achieving newer ideas of sustainability through green technology.

In India, The Energy and Resource Institute’s (TERI) “Lighting a Billion Lives Campaign” is one of the best examples of how introduction of green technologies, in this case solar lanterns, can not only improve people’s lives but also empower them to learn and progress. Provision of bio-gas plants, rain harvesting techniques, solar cookers, mud refrigerators and sustainable farming practices, has resulted in self-sufficiency and increased standard of living in the participating villages in India.

The transition from petrol and diesel to CNG-fuelled transport in New Delhi has not only reduced the level of air pollution in Delhi but has also inspired other cities in India to implement this initiative. The CO2 levels have significantly reduced in the capital city over the last 10 years indicating the positive effects of green technology. The management of Tirupati Temple in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh has developed reserve forests around the temple to act as carbon sinks. The roof of the building has rows of solar dishes that automatically move with the angle of the sun. This generates over 4,000 kgs of steam each day, making cooking faster and cheaper and saving approximately 500 ltr of diesel every day.

Numerous steps are being undertaken by other countries around the globe too. In China, the government has committed itself to producing 16 per cent of its primary energy from renewable sources by 2020. Thailand hosted a 16-day fair to promote green technology in 2012. Under the theme of “Going Green for the Future”, the Thai government aimed at highlighting country’s investment potential at sustainable development. All the lights during this fair were supported by electricity generated by solar cells. The city of Curitiba, capital of Parana state in Brazil, has successfully addressed the challenge of growing urban population in Brazil by integrating urban (particularly Bus Rapid Transit System) and industrial planning that enabled location of new industries and creation of jobs.

The GreenTech building in Malaysia is a one-of-its-kind example of green technology. Built in 2006, its goal is to make the country a green technology leader. According to its CEO Ahmad Hadri Haris, awareness is just one part of making green technology grow; the other part is skilled workers. Being the only country in the world with a dedicated Ministry for green technology, Malaysia with its awareness, training, market development and leaders, is a shining example for other emerging economies.

Chile is set to become the first South American country to introduce tax incentives for going green. The introduction of carbon tax would add incentives to wind, tidal and geothermal projects. The joint signing of ‘Declaration on Green Growth’ between Romania and Denmark last year is an instance of how countries are embracing the green idea for sustainable and clean economic growth and environmental protection.

Ruthless exploitation of our natural resources has resulted in environment depletion at lightning speed over the last few decades. Green technology is the ray of hope that can save human survival with minimum harmful effects to the environment. Sustainability and efficiency are the products of green technologies. Though it cannot be denied that there will be costs involved in developing green technologies, its results can be reaped for many decades to come.

For our market research report on environment, visit:
http://www.bccresearch.com/market-research/environment

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