World’s biggest coal company closes 37 mines as solar prices plummet
Coal India, the world’s biggest coal mining company and producer of 82 percent of the country’s coal, announced the closure of 37 mines that are financially “unviable.”
South Asia
Plans for 13.7 GW of coal power in India axed
“For the first time, solar is cheaper than coal in India and the implications this has for transforming global energy markets are profound.”
China, India on course to surpass Paris Agreement climate pledges
Slowing coal use in China and India has put the two most populous countries on a trajectory to beat their carbon emissions goals under the Paris Agreement, making up for rollbacks in U.S. climate action under the Trump administration
India to make every single car electric by 2030 in bid to tackle pollution
“We are going to introduce electric vehicles in a very big way,” coal and mines minister Piyush Goyal said at the Confederation of Indian Industry Annual Session 2017 in New Delhi.
New law gives Indian mothers 26 weeks of paid maternity leave
India passed a law to more than double its paid maternity leave, adding 14 weeks to the 12 already guaranteed by the government, reports the BBC.
20,000 schools to install rooftop solar in Pakistan
The government of Pakistan’s second largest province, Punjab, has affirmed its commitment to the installation of rooftop solar power systems on around 20,000 schools.
7,000 railway stations in India to go solar
The Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced that the 7,000 railway stations across the country will be fed with solar power as per the Indian Railways mission to implement 1,000 megawatts of solar power capacity.
India’s capital Delhi just banned all disposable plastics
“The National Capital Territory of Delhi shall take appropriate steps against storage, sale, and use of such plastic material at the above-mentioned places and it shall stand prohibited with effect from January 1, 2017,”
Pakistan adopts new law to tackle ‘honour killings’
New legislation mandates life imprisonment of “honour” killers – even if victim’s relatives forgive the murderers.
India’s Cochin International becomes world’s first fully solar-powered airport
Cochin International, in the state of Kerala, transformed a patch of land previously reserved for cargo handling into a 12-megawatt solar plant. This energy source – now featuring more than 46,000 solar panels – provides all the power the airport needs and even generates surplus for the state. Costing less than $10 million USD, the project likely recouped all development costs within the first five years of operation.