
-
Voeller extends Germany role until Euro 2028
-
Villa's Emiliano Martinez winds up PSG with cap
-
Hostage families fear outcome of intense Israeli strikes on Gaza
-
China seeks to 'tariff-proof' economy as trade war with US deepens
-
Some US consumers in 'survival mode' as Trump tariffs arrive
-
Japan to sell more rice reserves as prices soar
-
US takes aim at Zuckerberg's social media kingdom
-
US Pentagon chief says will not let China 'threaten' Panama Canal
-
Vietnam, Spain pledge to upgrade ties after tariff shock
-
'Some innings': Arya's 39-ball ton thrusts him into IPL spotlight
-
India central bank cuts interest rates as Trump tariffs kick in
-
Taiwan exporters count the cost of Trump's 'ridiculous' tariffs
-
Injury-time goal gives Brazil first win over US women since 2014
-
Japan badminton ace Shida blasts 'stalker' Chinese fans
-
Ekitike has Frankfurt dreaming of Europa League repeat
-
Trump's new tariffs take effect, with 104% on Chinese goods
-
Shai scores 42, Doncic ejected as Thunder down Lakers
-
Nepal royalists seek return of king
-
Man Utd reliant on Europa League with season on life support
-
Kim Jong Un's sister says North Korea denuclearisation is a 'daydream'
-
Trump tariffs leave Italy's luxury furniture makers sitting uncomfortably
-
EU plan to end Russian fertiliser imports unsettles farmers
-
Equities resume selloff as Trump cranks up trade war
-
Inside Europe's last 'open-outcry' trading floor
-
Trumps presses on with 104% tariffs on China
-
AI tool aims to help conserve Japan's cherry trees
-
The Metals Company courts Trump for deep-sea mining contract
-
Indonesia president says ready to temporarily shelter Gazans
-
Musk brands Trump aide 'dumber than a sack of bricks' in tariff spat
-
Author of explosive Meta memoir to star at US Senate hearing
-
UK to host Europe's first Universal theme park
-
New Mexico Governor Signs Bill Allowing for Psilocybin Use
-
AT&T to Provide Fiber Connectivity for Jericho Energy Ventures' Inaugural AI Modular Data Center Site
-
DEA’s Marijuana Double Standard: Attorney Aarathi Haig Flouts Ethics Laws While Blocking MMJ's Cannabis Research
-
comforte Wins Nera Digital as an Investor in the Cybersecurity Market
-
'It's beautiful': Arteta hails Rice free-kick magic as Arsenal stun Real
-
Argentine Congress backs inquiry into Milei crypto scandal
-
US will not let China disrupt Panama Canal: Pentagon chief
-
Judge orders White House to restore AP access
-
Shaken Real Madrid insist Arsenal comeback possible
-
Bayern 'fully believe' despite Inter setback, says Kompany
-
Inter 'showed what we were made of' against Bayern, says Martinez
-
US stocks fall again as global rally fizzles
-
Milan's England defender Walker has surgery on broken elbow
-
Judge orders White House to lift restrictions on AP access
-
Free-kick hero Rice revels in Arsenal's 'special' win over Real
-
'Totally new': Scheffler readies for Masters defense
-
Stuffy nose and steak knife join Scheffler's list of Masters tests
-
Late Frattesi strike gives Inter edge over Bayern in Champions League
-
Arsenal stun Real Madrid as Rice delivers free-kick masterclass

India under fresh scrutiny as UN panel calls for shunning coal
The mounds of jet-black coal shimmering under the afternoon sun at the Dadri power plant are a raw illustration of India's coal dependence -- a habit that despite increasing pressure, the country is finding hard to kick.
Coal is vital for providing electricity to India's 1.4 billion citizens, making up 70 percent of the country's energy needs.
That reliance is in the spotlight after a warning by UN experts this week that to ensure a "liveable future", countries must move to greener energy sources much faster to reduce emissions.
Coal-based plants like the sprawling Dadri facility are attempting to make themselves cleaner, but their efforts are mostly in their infancy, and pale in comparison to their overall emission rate.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set ambitious goals for renewable energy development, aiming to increase non-fossil energy capacity to over double the current coal capacity by 2030.
But Harjeet Singh of the Fossil Fuel Non-proliferation Treaty Initiative said that while the cost of renewable energy has come down by up to 90 percent in the last decade, India still requires hundreds of billions of dollars upfront to make the transition.
"That kind of international support in terms of investments or concessional loans or grants is not coming through," he said.
Experts say coal will remain the dominant fuel in India for a long time to come, with its energy needs over the next 20 years set to rise faster than any other country in the world.
- Crossroads -
The UN report, released Monday, said current policies are leading the planet towards catastrophic temperature rises and that the world was at a "crossroads".
If the world's current oil, gas and coal infrastructure operate for their designed lifetime -- without technology to capture and store carbon -- capping global warming at the target of 1.5 degrees Celsius will be impossible, it said.
India, which with China reportedly led opposition to a commitment to "phase out" coal at the COP26 summit last year, currently has about 211 gigawatts of operational coal capacity, according to the Central Electricity Authority, with another 55GW under various phases of construction.
None of India's power stations yet has the technology the UN report mentions as a mitigation option.
"Carbon-trapping technology is being used on an experimental basis at one of our plants," said B. Srinivasa Rao, chief general manager of the Dadri plant. "If it is successful it will be done at all the plants."
With six coal-fired units supplying megacity Delhi and elsewhere, the plant -- run by India's biggest power producer, the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) -- is spread across some 3,000 acres (1,200 hectares) in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
It has taken some steps to reduce emissions, including burning pellets made from agricultural waste along with coal.
Like several other NTPC units, it has installed a solar thermal power plant with and output of 5 megawatts -- though the plant as a whole generates 2500 MW.
Rao said the plant has also achieved 100 percent recycling of fly ash, a main byproduct of burning coal, and implemented a zero liquid discharge system.
But locals living in the vicinity complained about coal dust spilling from trucks and affecting their health.
"It burns our eyes and hurts our lungs," said Rinku Rana, who runs a confectionery shop close by.
"But if the plant closes down we will be robbed of our livelihoods. So in a way it's a necessary evil that we have to live with," 29-year-old Rana said, wiping off a thick layer of ash-grey dust that had settled on biscuit and sweet packets at his shop.
- Climate equity -
Singh, the environmental campaigner, said India cannot continue to rely on fossil fuels, especially in view of severe air pollution.
At the same time, it needs cheap fuel to power its economy and help millions out of poverty.
Levies on coal are an important source of employment and government revenue, especially for states like Jharkhand and Odisha, among the poorest in the country.
Modi has said India will cut its emissions to net-zero only by 2070 -- missing a key goal of the COP26 summit for countries to commit to doing so by 2050.
The government argues that although the country is the world's third-largest emitter in total, its per capita emissions are far lower than the American average.
Singh said New Delhi was "well within its right" to talk about equity and climate justice.
"The current climate crisis is not because of India's industrialisation. It's because of the Western industrialisation that has happened over the last 150 years," he told AFP.
"Rich countries need to reduce their emissions far more earlier than what they have planned right now... and at the same time provide support to developing countries to move away from fossil fuels."
P.Smith--AT