Greenhouse Gas Protocol: a New Ally for New Opportunities?

India’s commitment to sustainable economy topics has become a central focus of industrial and political thought. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) is an international accounting tool used by government and business leaders to detect, quantify and control greenhouse gas emissions. It results from the partnership between the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, which brings together the world’s businesses, governments and environmental institutions to work on sustainable issues. The GHG protocol has made its way in India since the Energy Resources Institute partnered with the above-mentioned organizations to launch two new tools, the Product Life Cycle and Corporate Value Chain, to meet new GHG Protocol standards.

The launch took place in Delhi on March 15, 2012. India’s booming industrial and economic growth and its involvement in climate change has made greenhouse gas emissions an essential concern. Value chain management is a new practice that businesses and organizations must address. The two new standards should help companies save money, reduce risks and gain sizeable competitive advantages. The Carbon Disclosure Project 2011 India Report estimates that 57 companies submitted reports and that 89% reported their GHG emissions using GHG protocol standards. More than being committed to world climate issues, the standards allow Indian companies to recognize and target new market opportunities in the field of low carbon products. The Corporate Value Chain standard shows potential opportunities enabling sustainable decisions about production and products. The Product Life Cycle standard enables companies to measure the greenhouse gas emissions of an individual product.

However, implementing the standard means that companies have to incorporate climate and environmental concerns in their developmental strategies. The GHG Protocol represents a big step towards clean and sustainable development, but could put some severe strains on businesses that are not properly prepared to meet expectations. Requirements should not be too drastic, if environmental protection is to become a fundamental principle.

Pulling for sustainability: The drive fuelling India’s auto-rickshaw sector

Rickshaws have been a landmark feature of Indian cities for longer than most can remember. However, this does not mean that they are a thing of the past. Rather, these means of transport have evolved with Indian society, going from human power to full engine power, thus gaining in solidity and reliability. Auto-rickshaws are now a fast-growing sector of Indian road transport, serving between 10% and 20% of daily engine-driven inner city commutes.

As the number of auto-rickshaws on Indian roads is sizeable, unsurprisingly, the EMBARQ network and the World Resources Institute have recently decided to publish a report on the fast growing, albeit poorly studied, sector of Indian road transport. The report called Sustainable Urban Transport in India: Role of the Auto-rickshaw Sector offers the most-comprehensive overview of the current issues of rickshaw transportation.

The report highlights potential evolutions of the sector and the necessary reforms. This mode of transportation is of key importance in Indian cities. As such, it should be a leading example for sustainable driving, the report argues. Pledging for a reform of the rickshaw permits system, safer vehicle design and dedicated lanes on roads, the report also suggests a move to less polluting four-stroke motors and a longer term effort to promote alternative eco-friendly fuels. For a mode of transportation too often forgotten in the debates on India’s modern transport, the survey offers a fresh view and optimistic outlook on the future of a key player on Indian roads