While lower oil prices signal a short term gain for consumers and businesses, it also means lower spending on renewable energy by businesses and a drop in income for countries that are increasing their share of renewable energy. Crude prices which soared this summer, have sizzled down to US$40 a barrel and are expected to tumble further.  Sinking oil prices also reduce the political will to push ahead with costly renewable energy projects and reduce the urgency to prioritize energy policy debates and incentives on topics ranging from auto efficiency to offshore drilling. Before renewable energy takes a backseat, and the world clamors after black gold again, 2point6billion takes a look at the various forms of renewable energy.

Renewable energy has a three fold role in emerging Asia - it helps nations develop while protecting the economy, it brings electricity to rural areas where natural resources used for renewable energy are abundant and fossil fuels can be difficult and expensive to procure and it provides a livelihood by creating rural businesses.

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In a stunning boost to discovering, protecting and conserving our environment, the World Wildlife Fund have discovered over 1,000 new species in the last decade in South East Asia’s Greater Mekong River region which spans flows 4500 kilometers through Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma and South China’s Yunnan province. The WWF said amongst the 1068 new species discovered, there were 519 plants, 279 fish, 88 frogs, 88 spiders, 46 lizards and 22 snakes. Scientists said they had found only a few in each species, many of which were already considered extinct or endangered. (more…)

Backed by funding from more developed industrialized nations, Asian nations have vowed to reduce greenhouse gasses during the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held during the first two weeks in December and attended by 10,000 delegates from 192 countries in Poznan, western Poland. Major Asian nations came to the environment conclave determined to combat pollution while maintaining current levels of growth. The western developed nations and Asian developing nations who represent half of humanity and a large and rapidly growing share of the greenhouse gas pollution which leads to global warming have been debating growth versus pollution control measures for sometime now. The following are ideals the major Asian nations want in the pact that will replace the Kyoto Protocol from 2013.

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After forming a free trade regional clique last week, Asian nations united  in Dhaka, Bangladesh  for a cleaner greener future.  The group decided to jointly fight climate change, reduce greenhouse gases and help each other during a natural calamity. The group also stood together against developed nations urging them to spend 0.5-1 percent of their GDP to help the developing world face the challenge posed by climate change and make good their unfulfilled commitments towards cutting back on greenhouse emissions. The move seeks to pressure these nations to part with funds committed under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The region — which includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives — is prone to incessant monsoon rains, drought, heat waves, frost freezes, desertification and salinization, all of which experts attribute to climate change.

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As heavy downpours continue to flood South Asia, the waters have killed 147 people, swamped villages and caused landslides. Most of the deaths were due to house collapses triggered by incessant rains in India, Bangladesh and the Philippines. As more rain is forecast in the next 48 hours, officials have already begun evacuating people to higher and safer places.

Every year the presence or absence of the monsoon rains leave a trail of death and destruction across South Asia, a region where much of the economy, largely agricultural depends on the downpours. As the monsoon unleashes her madness, this year, economists debate downpours and droughts in a region crippled by inflation and food scarcity. The pattern of chronic flooding and chronic droughts adds to the challenges Asian economies are already suffering from.

According to the International Herald Tribune in 2006 Asia had less fresh water - 3,920 cubic meters, or 138,000 cubic feet, per person - than any other continent outside of Antarctica, according to a report by the United Nations. When the capacity of lakes, rivers and groundwater are added up, Asia has marginally less water per person than Europe or Africa, one-quarter that of the North America, nearly one-tenth that of South America and 20 times less than Australia and the Pacific islands. (more…)

Japan’s Bank for International Cooperation, the government’s main overseas lender, told Bloomberg it will increase yen loans and investment in clean-energy technology to help cut greenhouse emissions in China and India, Asia’s two economic powerhouses. japan is believed to be the regions greenest country.

Japan, together with the World Bank, the U.S. and the U.K. plans to raise a US$5.5 billion fund to help poor nations develop clean technology. Finding ways to convince developing countries to agree to emissions targets is likely to be a focus of the Group of Eight industrialized nations summit in Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido next week.

“We have to focus on major developing countries, and as a financier we are going to put more and more money into private- sector investment in these countries, not only by lending but also by equity financing,” Takashi Hongo, director-general of environment finance at JBIC, said in Tokyo. Hongo declined to say how much money the bank has set aside for the projects.

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Shanghai vaulted into the ranks of the world’s leading centres of commerce, becoming one of eight Asian cities among the top 25, while Mumbai, improved its tally by 3 notches, emerging as the 7th most preferred destination for investment in 2008, a study by MasterCard said.

Tokyo retained its spot as Asia’s top commercial centre — and number three globally — while Singapore overtook Hong Kong which ranks sixth globally to move into fourth spot overall, the MasterCard Worldwide Centres of Commerce Index said.

“Asia’s dominance among the top 25 cities globally demonstrates the growing importance of Asian cities to a progressively urbanised global economy,” MasterCard said in a press release.

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Asia is becoming a hot bed for nuclear energy. With�fuel prices soaring�through the roof , US, French, Russian and Canadian�companies are exploring nuclear energy in Asia as an alternate energy source.

General Electric, Daewoo and Toshiba are among companies looking to win big contracts in Southeast Asia. A report by the world nuclear association last year said that through to 2010 projected new power generating capacity in Asia is approximately 38 GWe per year, and from 2010 to 2020 it is 56 GWe/yr, up to one third of this replacing retired plant. This is about 36 percent of the world’s new capacity (current world capacity is about 3500 GWe, of which 368 GWe is nuclear). Much of this growth will be in China, Japan, India and Korea. The nuclear share of this to 2020 is expected to be at least 39 GWe and maybe more if environmental constraints limit fossil fuel expansion.

There are currently 109 nuclear power reactors operating in six countries of the region, 18 units under construction and firm plans in place to build about another 40 units.

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The National geographic recently ran a quantitative consumer study of 14,000 consumers in 14 countries asking them about such behavior as energy use and conservation, transportation choices, food sources, the relative use of green products versus traditional products, attitudes towards the environment and sustainability, and knowledge of environmental issues.

This survey resulted in the “Greendex” a scientifically derived sustainable consumption index of actual consumer behavior and material lifestyles across 14 countries. While India and Brazil topped the list due to their relatively lower environmental impact from housing, low meat consumption and above-average performance on transportation and food, China came in fourth.

In India, 40 percent of the respondants prefer to repair things rather than replace them. 33 percent live close to places they need to go to on a daily basis, 47 percent are willing to pay more now for energy-saving appliances than pay more for them in the future, 84 percent eat locally grown products, 72 percent never eat beef and 76 percent never eat pork, while 17% always bicycle.

Almost on par with India, Bicycle friendly China lags behind due to its massive use of coal for home heating. The survey says that one-third of the Chinese population repairs broken goods, and a majority of them use public transportation. Even as the Chinese cycle less, and their demand for luxury cars rises, they express and above-average preference for avoiding enviromentally un-friendly products.

Asia has been rocked by 10 natural disasters since the tsunami killed millions in thirteen Indian Ocean countries four years ago. Massive populations, poverty and a lack of warning have recently resulted in the death of millions.

Still reeling from the earthquake that shook Sichuan in South west China, killing atleast 10,000 people yesterday, Reuters helps 2point6billion list the natural disasters that shook Asia in the last few years.

* May 3/4 2008 - Cyclone Nargis and storm surge tore through Myanmar’s Irrawaddy delta killing at least 15,000 people and left 30,000 missing, officials said, warning the toll could rise in low-lying, remote villages.

* November 15, 2007 - Cyclone Sidr hit Bangladesh killing around 3,500 people.

* June-July, 2007 - INDIAN SUBCONTINENT - Monsoon storms kill around 1,750 people in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, and Pakistan. India is hardest hit with at least 750 people killed.

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