Realibility Engineering and Asset Management

Realibility Engineering and Asset Management The Strategic Process Workload Seems excessive for available resources KPIs Actual against planned performance not always recorded Standards/Procedures Lubrication not being performed properly The Work System Planning Apparent failure of entire process Utilisation of Manpower Staff seem to be overworked and/or not used properly Reliability Critical machinery is failing Reporting Too much expected on job completion Work Completion Excessive backlog of PM and defects repair The Feedback System Root Cause Analysis Not being performed Work Order feedback   Rarely completed by fitters Job Completion reports Not being reviewed The Continuous Improvement Process New Technologies Condition monitoring probe request rejected New techniques Training for maintenance staff not pursued Innovation No development of maintenance practices Corrective action No improvements being made to maintenance strategy The Environmental Process Production Pressure Plant is being sweated Shortage of Resources Appears to be insufficient for current workload The Strategic Process Maintenance Strategy Derek is busy at organising this but to the detriment of his focus on everyday items at the plant. Workload there seems to be an excessive amount in relation to the available resources. Mick states that the fitters are struggling to complete PMs and fix machine defects. Harry mentions later that the situation is worse and that they are way behind on PMs and defects. Plant patrols, which are part of the strategy, are not being performed due to time shortages. There is a possibility that the initial allocation of resources was adequate when the plant was in a healthier state but since the state of machinery has deteriorated, the maintenance staff are now overworked due to the high number of breakdowns. I believe that a collapse of the planning process is at the root of the ever increasing workload. KPIs Derek is aghast when he learns from Harry that Dougie wants to be consulted on new requirements for reporting. Derek reminds Harry and Mick that the maintenance strategy has always had a requirement for feeding back actual against planned performance. The fitters received a letter detailing job completion report requirements but instead of motivating, it seems to have riled them up. Standards/Procedures When quizzed about the cause of the compressor bearings seizure, Harry informs him that it was likely due to improper lubrication. There is either a failure of Standards or Procedures here i.e. either the lubricating standard was not correct or the lubrication procedure was not followed. The Work System Planning There has been a complete collapse in the planning process. Charlie has been instructed to concentrate on shutdown planning with no ownership being taken of the corrective maintenance activities. The planning function also includes reviewing job completion reports with the Maintenance Manager, this has also being neglected due to the focus on shutdown planning. Utilisation of Manpower There are certainly concerns with the utilisation of resources. Mick states this in no uncertain terms to Derek. There is a significant backlog of works to be completed and Mick and Harry believe that too much time is being spent on reporting and planning thus reducing tool time. Reliability Plant reliability is suffering extreme adverse effects. A failure of a critical piece of equipment has resulted in a minimum of five days downtime for the entire manufacturing operation. Reporting Reporting on equipment condition is not consistent. A fault report was filled out by Mick for the compressor in advance of its failure. However job completion reports are not being completed by all fitters. Work Completion It is clear from the scenario, that non-completion of maintenance tasks is a serious concern. Lubrication of the compressor bearings was not performed (either at all or to the right degree). Harry states also that the team are behind with their PM routines and have a serious backlog on defects. The Feedback System Root Cause Analysis Not only is root cause analysis not being performed at ACME, the maintenance supervisors are not even aware of the meaning of the concept. Harry and Mick are keen to learn about it, which instigates the Dictaphone recorded conversation. Work Order /Job Completion reports Only some of the fitters are filling in job completion reports despite it being part of the maintenance strategy. Derek is quite stunned when he learns this from Mick. To make matters worse one of the few fitters, Eddie Condon, that completes the reports is fed up as he feels that his efforts are being ignored. Plant Patrol fault reporting This is not being performed by the fitters. Because of the backlog in PM workload and fixing defects, Mick states they would have to do overtime to carry out what he refers to as detective work. Fault reporting A report on the compressor fault was completed by Mick and submitted to the planning office. However it went unnoticed by Charlie due to prioritisation of shutdown planning. Disconnect with Maintenance Strategy From the above points it is clear that there is no action being taken with the feedback that is performed at ACME. Derek states that he is too busy organising the maintenance strategy but yet he has failed to notice the breakdown in this process. The Continuous Improvement Process New Technologies Mick has been asking Derek for months to purchase the hand held condition monitoring probe. He believes that its advanced technology could provide great assistance in solving the plants equipment issues. Derek dismisses the probe as fancy stuff and requests instead that the department get back to basics. New techniques Harry reminds Derek that he was promised he could attend a training course on compressors. Harry believes that, had this advanced training been attended, ACME may not have had the compressor breakdown. However Derek reneged on his promise stating that he could not lose Harry for three weeks. Innovation There seems to be an utter lack of innovation in how maintenance is practiced at ACME. Derek appears to be disconnected from his subordinates and perhaps this is why they are stuck in a rut when it comes to changing how they do things. Corrective Action Because the feedback and feed forward loops have been severed, there are no corrections to the maintenance strategy taking place. Derek appears to be asleep at the wheel and is not aware of the challenges facing his troops. In Dereks defence, Jim Gordon has insisted that ACME embark on a time consuming World Class Maintenance Program this could be significant factor in distracting Derek from introducing the required corrective actions to the maintenance strategy. The Environmental Process Production Pressure It is clear in the scenario that production pressure has been ratcheted up. Derek has been castigated by Jim Gordon, the managing director of ACME. The plant is not running, due to equipment failure, and will not be operating for at least five more days. Such is the managing directors anger with the situation that Derek believes that his life would be in danger if a suitable weapon were present. When Derek, Mick and Harry are discussing the root cause of the compressor bearings failure, it comes up that operations have been hammering the plant due to a big order from Korea. Derek confirms that the plant has been running fifteen percent above nameplate capacity. He also feels that it may have been a factor in the compressor breakdown. His concerns were mentioned in a management strategy meeting but he was told to find a way to work around operation requirements. Shortage of Resources Harry states to Derek that the maintenance department is probably understaffed. Mick feels that they are not using the fitters in the best way. As stated earlier, ACME either does not have enough maintenance staff or how they are using them has caused the current situation of excessive work backlog to develop. There could well be a combination of shortage of resources and not optimum utilisation of the resources they have. The Strategic Process Workload Reason for high priority There are mentions throughout the scenario of the mismatch between the work that requires completion and the resources available to action it. Specific adverse effect A build up in the backlog of PMs and correction of defects. Responsible person Derek Piper. As maintenance manager, he must own the strategy and ensure that it is fit for purpose. The Work System Planning Reason for high priority I believe poor or non-existent planning is at the root of the work systems issues and it has created knock-on effects in manpower utilisation, work completion and ultimately poor machine reliability. Specific adverse effect Compressor failed because the planner was not focussed on operations and completely missed the fault report prior to its failure. Responsible person Derek Piper. Although it is Charlies role, Derek has instructed him to shift his focus to shutdown activities. The Feedback System Plant Patrol Fault Reporting Reason for high priority It is imperative that potential equipment failures are reported to the planning office. Specific adverse effect Impending failures were not recorded for processing by the planner. Responsible person Harry Warner and Mick Brice. They only informed the maintenance manager that the fitters were not performing this activity after the compressor had failed. The Continuous Improvement Process Corrective Action Reason for high priority Corrective actions are required to align the maintenance strategy with the changing availability/reliability requirements of the plant. Specific adverse effect The maintenance strategy has stagnated and is not fit for purpose in the operating environment that ACME has moved to. Responsible person Derek Piper. He could plead some defence here based on the directive from Jim Gordon to pursue the World Class Maintenance Program which is consuming his time. But ultimately he must be held accountable as maintenance manager. The Environmental Process Production Pressure Reason for high priority ACME is running the plant twenty four seven and fifteen per cent above nameplate capacity. Specific adverse effect Operations are not releasing the equipment for necessary maintenance. Responsible person Jim Gordon. For the managing director to not listen to the concerns of the maintenance manager regarding the sweating of the plant is inexcusable. Of particular note is Jims instruction to Derek to simply stop moaning. The Strategic Process Workload Recommended change The strategy needs to be reviewed by the maintenance manager in terms of dealing with current and medium term workload. An assessment on this workload will help decide the required resources to complete it. ACME may have to consider hiring temporary or sub-contracted maintenance resources to clear the backlog. There is also a minimum of five days immediately available for opportunity maintenance due to the compressor failure bringing the plant down, ACME should endeavour to capitalise on this and add a silver lining to the cloud that hangs over operations. Estimated cost High. Especially if ACME hires additional maintenance staff to clear the backlog. Feasibility Medium. There will be some difficulty in planning terms to coordinate self-delivered and outsourced resources. The Work System Planning Recommended change Hire a specialist temporary resource to support Charlie in the planning department. This will allow corrective and shutdown work to be planned concurrently. As part of this change, the weekly job completion reports review meetings will have to be immediately reinstated. In the longer term, a review will have to be undertaken on the level of planning detail for minor works as Harry states that it is excessive. Estimated cost Medium. If the shutdown is less than two weeks duration, recruitment costs should not exceed  £10k. Feasibility Medium. The maintenance manager will need to make a case to senior management that justifies this course of action and associated cost. If this option proves to be a success, it can be built into the strategy for future shutdowns. The Feedback System Plant Patrol Fault Reporting Recommended change Plant patrol fault reporting must resume. ACME may have to wait until the maintenance backlog is cleared before re-implementation. One option would be to resume it at a reduced frequency e.g. if its currently a daily activity, move it to a weekly activity in the medium term. Estimated cost Low. No additional expense should be incurred. Feasibility High. The Continuous Improvement Process Corrective Action Recommended change The maintenance manager has to be receptive to both feedback and feed forward information. He must use these inputs to align the strategy with the needs of the company. Estimated cost Low. It is part of the maintenance managers job. Feasibility High. The Environmental Process Production Pressure Recommended change All stakeholders including the managing director, operations manager and the Chairman need to work with the maintenance manager in creating a medium to long term maintenance strategy. This will help facilitate achieving the required production targets. Estimated cost High. Equipment investment and additional maintenance staff recruitment is highly likely in order to increase and maintain the nameplate capacity of the plant. Feasibility Medium. If Jim Gordon is serious about keeping the plant running at all costs, then the investment funds should be made available. The compressor failure and resultant plant downtime seems like an accident that was waiting to happen. When we analyse the circumstances surrounding the event, its clear that the maintenance system had failed. Through all of this, Derek Piper was lost at sea and to clash metaphors had his head buried in the sand. As a consequence, the planning process collapsed, feedback was not acted on and the maintenance strategy became unfit for purpose. He can claim that external pressure from the managing director, with the demand of increased plant output and reduced windows for PM activities, caused the system to fail. Although there may be some validity in this claim, I believe that every manager has two high level challenges: the first is to lead subordinates, the second being to manage the expectations of superiors. Times will come when a manager has to push back and stand up to unreasonable demands of company bosses. If a manager does not display this inner strength and backbone, he will likely be trampled on at some stage. Its clear at ACME that Jim Gordon had subdued Derek Piper and I believe Derek would not have had the strength to resist when the decision was made to sweat the plant and run it above nameplate capacity. If I was to apply a percentage weighting of blame for the situation that ACME finds itself in, it would be 65/25/10 for the maintenance manager, managing director and maintenance supervisors respectively. Its interesting that the question states if you were appointed maintenance manager as I believe the only option that will rescue the situation is the replacement of Derek Piper in his role. A rebuilding process is required in the ACME maintenance department. This should start from the top down with a new manager. Derek is in the unenviable position that football mangers often find themselves in, he has lost the confidence of both senior management and the dressing room the dressing room equivalent being the shop floor fitters. He now very much remains an isolated figure at ACME. A carefully chosen new appointee to the role of maintenance manager would bring a fresh impetus. The candidate should come from outside the company as such a person would not carry any baggage from the current ACME situation. In the Recommendations section of this paper, I have deliberately avoided mentioning Derek Piper by name and referred to the role of maintenance manager instead. This is because I do no t see him as part of the solution. He may be required to get the compressor repaired and the plant back running but once this is achieved, his removal and succession should be planned. If I was appointed maintenance manager, I would look to introducing a new style of leadership to the maintenance department. My approach would be to lead from the front, engage with the fitters and regularly visit their turf to get a feel for their daily challenges. A strong focus would have to be applied to resuming the effectiveness and efficiency of the planning function. Feedback and feed forward lines would have to be reconnected and the maintenance strategy would require improvement action when necessary. Strength of character and assertiveness would be required to deal with Jim Gordon in order to explain to him both the limits of production equipment and the necessity for appropriate maintenance. As maintenance manager, I would also have to ready myself for battle in securing investment for new equipment and possible recruitment of additional maintenance staff. Immediate consideration needs to be given to introducing redundancy for critical equipment. If there was a spare compressor to switch over to, the plant would have kept running. If the expense of a standby compressor is not approved, contingency needs to be made can we roll in a temporary machine and connect it in the event of a breakdown? The challenge here is to convince ACME senior management of the benefits of investment and consequences of not spending i.e. a repeat of the last major equipment failure. I know its very easy to state these high level objectives and will be much harder to drive them through to implementation but the job can only be tackled with the confident belief in success. ACME seems to be in a good place regarding sales orders, all that is needed now is a companywide belief in the importance of a sustainable maintenance system.

Carbon Trading

Carbon Trading: Future Money Making Venture for India Sarika Gupta Assistant Professor, P. M. B. Gujrati Commerce Collage, Indore Abstract Carbon Trading are generated by enterprises in the developing world that shift to cleaner technologies and thereby consumption, consequently reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. For each tone of carbon dioxide (the major GHG) emission avoided, the entity can get a carbon emission certificate which they can sell either immediately or through a futures market, just like any other commodity.The certificates are sold to entities in rich countries, like power utilities, which have targets to achieve and find it cheaper to buy ‘offsetting' certificates rather than do a clean-up in their own backyard. This trade is carried out under a mandated international convention on climate change to help rich countries reduce their emissions. Carbon dioxide, the most important greenhouse gas produced by combustion of fuels, has become a cause of global pa nic as its concentration in the Earth's atmosphere has been rising alarmingly.This devil, however, is now turning into a product that helps people, countries, consultants, traders, corporations and even farmers earn billions of rupees. This was an unimaginable trading opportunity not more than a decade ago. Introduction Carbon Trading are a part of international emission trading norms. They give incentives to companies or countries which emit less carbon. The total annual emissions are capped and the market allocates a monetary value to any shortfall through trading. Businesses can exchange, buy or sell Carbon Credit in international markets at the prevailing market price.India and China are likely to emerge as the biggest sellers and Europe is going to be the biggest buyers of Carbon Credit. India is one of the countries that have ‘credits' for emitting less carbon. India and China have surplus credit to offer to countries that have a deficit. India has generated some 30 mill ion Carbon Credits and has roughly another 140 million to push into the world market. Waste disposal units, plantation companies, chemical plants and municipal corporations can sell the Carbon Credits and make money.Carbon, like any other commodity, has begun to be traded on India’s Multi Commodity Exchange for last 3-4 years. MCX has become first exchange in Asia to trade Carbon Credits. Carbon Trading certify the removal of greenhouse gas from the air or the prevention of greenhouse gas emissions. Each carbon credit is associated with a single tone of carbon dioxide. There are many different kinds of Carbon Trading. How does Carbon Credit save the planet? As nations have progressed we have been emitting carbon, or gases which result in warming of the globe.Some decades ago a debate started on how to reduce the emission of harmful gases that contributes to the greenhouse effect that causes global warming. So, countries came together and signed an agreement named the Kyoto Pr otocol. The Kyoto Protocol has created a mechanism under which countries that have been emitting more carbon and other gases (greenhouse gases include ozone, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and even water vapor) have voluntarily decided that they will bring down the level of carbon they are emitting to the levels of early 1990s.Developed countries, mostly European, had said that they will bring down the level in the period from 2008 to 2012. In 2008, these developed countries have decided on different norms to bring down the level of emission fixed for their companies and factories. A company has two ways to reduce emissions. (a) One, it can reduce the GHG (greenhouse gases) by adopting new technology or improving upon the existing technology to attain the new norms for emission of gases. (b) Or it can tie up with developing nations and help them set up new technology that is eco-friendly, thereby helping developing country or its companies ‘earn' credits.India, China a nd some other Asian countries have the advantage because they are developing countries. Any company, factories or farm owner in India can get linked to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and know the ‘standard' level of carbon emission allowed for its outfit or activity. The extent to which I am emitting less carbon (as per standard fixed by UNFCCC) I get credited in a developing country. This is called carbon credit. These credits are bought over by the companies of developed countries mostly Europeans because the United States has not signed the Kyoto Protocol.How does it work in real life? Assume that British Petroleum is running a plant in the United Kingdom. Say, that it is emitting more gases than the accepted norms of the UNFCCC. It can tie up with its own subsidiary in, say, India or China under the Clean Development Mechanism. It can buy the ‘carbon credit' by making Indian or Chinese plant more eco-savvy with the help of technology transfer. It can tie up with any other company like Indian Oil, or anybody else, in the open market. In December 2008, an audit will be done of their efforts to reduce gases and their actual level of emission.China and India are ensuring that new technologies for energy savings are adopted so that they become entitled for more Carbon Trading. They are selling their credits to their counterparts in Europe. This is how a market for carbon credit is created. Every year European companies are required to meet certain norms, beginning 2008. By 2012, they will achieve the required standard of carbon emission. So, in the coming five years there will be a lot of carbon credit deals. Where do Carbon Trading fit in the planet saving action plan? 1. Recognize that everything we do has associated greenhouse gas emissions 2.Reduce your emissions. 3. Offset with fully certified Carbon Trading today (because the planet can't wait) Certification: the difference between carbon offsets and Carbon Trading There are many retailers offering uncertified carbon offsets. Purchasers should avoid carbon offsets that don't come with a certification as they provide no guarantees that you are getting what you are paying for. All certifications are not equal There are many different kinds of certification available globally. Before you buy, make sure that the certification comes from a trusted third party source.For larger orders Carbon Planet can source any kind of certified carbon credit you seek. However, we do recommend our standard premium stock of NGACs. Find out more about our procurement policies we enforce when sourcing Carbon Trading for you to buy. Carbon Planet currently offers 2 different kinds of certified Carbon Credit as standard stock: 1. Forestry Sequestration NGACs from Forests NSW 2. Carbon Saving NGACs from Showerhead and Light bulb replacement. Forestry Sequestration NGACs The New South Wales Greenhouse Abatement Certificate (NGAC) certification process is comprehensive.It incl udes Kyoto Protocol measures, but goes beyond these. In summary the NGAC certification process ensures the following: * That each NGAC represents one tone of carbon dioxide stored for at least 100 years. * That the trees have been planted since 1990. * That the trees weren't planted on old growth forest cleared land (the land must have been clear prior to 1990). * That should the tree from which your carbon credit came come to any harm within 100 years of your purchase e. g. fire, disease, logging; that carbon credit will be replaced immediately from another source. From NSW Government â€Å"When can a forest manager create NGACs† NSW Greenhouse Gas Abatement Scheme Fact Sheet Published: October 2004). Forests NSW's carbon pool is audited annually to ensure that every carbon credit issued corresponds to one tonne of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere for 100 years. Carbon Saving NGACs Carbon Planet's current stock of Carbon Saving NGACs is generated from shower head a nd light bulb replacement. This is called Demand Side Abatement. The NGAC certification ensures, with a high level of confidence, that at least one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent has been saved per carbon credit.Thus by purchasing a monthly subscription of NGAC Carbon Trading, you can continuously erase your CO2 footprints. Procedure of trading in carbon: (i) What is Clean Development Mechanism? Under the CDM you can cut the deal for carbon credit. Under the UNFCCC, charter any company from the developed world can tie up with a company in the developing country that is a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol. These companies in developing countries must adopt newer technologies, emitting lesser gases, and save energy.Only a portion of the total earnings of Carbon Trading of the company can be transferred to the company of the developed countries under CDM. There is a fixed quota on buying of credit by companies in Europe. (ii) How does MCX trade Carbon Credits? This entire process was not understood well by many. Those who knew about the possibility of earning profits, adopted new technologies, saved credits and sold it to improve their bottom line. Many companies did not apply to get credit even though they had new technologies. Some companies used management consultancies to make their plan greener to emit less (Green House Gas) GHG.These management consultancies then scouted for buyers to sell Carbon Trading. It was a bilateral deal. However, the price to sell Carbon Trading at was not available on a public platform. The price range people were getting used to was about Euro 15 or maybe less per tone of carbon. Today, one tone of carbon credit fetches around Euro 22. It is traded on the European Climate Exchange. Therefore, you emit one tone less and you get Euro 22. â€Å"Emit less and increase/add to your profit† MCX is the futures exchange of India. People here are getting price signals for the carbon for the delivery in next five years.The exchange is only for Indians and Indian companies. Every year, in the month of December, the contract expires and at that time people who have bought or sold carbon get or take delivery. They can fulfill the deal prior to December too, but most people wait until December because that is the time to meet the norms in Europe. The MCX decides to trade Carbon Credit because they are into futures trading. Let people decide, if they want to hold on to their accumulated Carbon Credit or sell them now. If the buyer thinks that the current price is low for him, he can wait before selling his credits.The Indian government has not fixed any norms nor has it made it compulsory to reduce carbon emissions to a certain level. So, people who are ready to buy from Indians are actually financial investors. They think that if the Europeans are unable to meet their target of reducing the emission levels by 2009 or 2010 or 2012, then the demand for the carbon will increase and then they can make more money. So the investors are willing to buy now to sell later. There was a huge requirement of Carbon Trading in Europe before 2012. There are parameters set and detailed audit is done before you get the entitlement to sell the credit.In India, already 300 to 400 companies have Carbon Trading after meeting UNFCCC norms. Only those Indian companies that meet the UNFCCC norms and take up new technologies will be entitled to sell Carbon Trading. Till MCX came along, these companies were not getting best-suited price. Some were getting Euro 15 and some were getting Euro 18 through bilateral agreements. When the contract expires in December, it is expected that prices will be firm up then. On MCX we already have power, energy and metal companies who are trading. These companies are high-energy consuming companies. They need better technology to emit less carbon.These Carbon Trading are with the large manufacturing companies who are adopting UNFCCC norms. Retail investors can come in the market and buy the contract if they think the market of carbon is going to firm up. Like any other asset they can buy these too. It is kept in the form of an electronic certificate. The registry and the ownership travel from the original owner to the next buyer. In the short-term, large investors are likely to come and later banks are also expected to get into the market too. This business is a function of money, and someone will have to hold on to these big transactions to sell at the appropriate time.Price Determination Like in the case of any other asset, its price is determined by a function of demand and supply. Now, norms are known and on that basis European companies will meet the target between December 2008 and 2012. People are wondering how much credit will be available in market at that time. As December gets closer, it is possible that some government might tinker with these norms a little if the targets could not be met. If these norms are changed, prices can go through a correcti on. But, as of now, there is a very transparent mechanism in which the norms for the next five years have been fixed.Governments have become signatories to the Kyoto Protocol and they have set the norms to reduce the level of carbon emission. Already companies are on the way to meet their targets. It is a safe market because it is a matter of having more information on the extent of demand and supply of carbon credit market. Analyzing Indian Scenario India being a developing country has no emission targets to be followed. However, she can enter into CDM projects. As mentioned earlier, industries like cement, steel, power, textile, fertilizer etc. emit green houses gases as an outcome of burning fossil fuels. Companies investing in Windmill,Bio-gas, Bio-diesel, and Co-generation are the ones that will generate Carbon Credit for selling to developed nations. Polluting industries, which are trying to reduce emissions and in turn earn Carbon Credit and make money include steel, power ge neration, cement, fertilizers, waste disposal units, plantation companies, sugar companies, chemical plants and municipal corporations. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) A must mention project is The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC): It has become the first rail project in the world to earn Carbon Credit because of using regenerative braking system in its rolling stock.DMRC has earned the Carbon Credit by using regenerative braking system in its trains that reduces 30% electricity consumption. Whenever a train applies regenerative braking system, the released kinetic energy starts a machine known as converter-inverter that acts as an electricity generator, which supplies electrical energy back to the Over Head Electricity (OHE) lines. This regenerated electrical energy that is supplied back to the OHE that is used by other accelerating trains in the same service line. DMRC can now claim 400,000 CERs for a 10-year crediting period beginning December 2007 when the project was reg istered by the UNFCCC.This translates to Rs 1. 2 crore per year for 10 years. India has the highest number of CDM projects registered and supplies the second highest number of Certified Emission Reduction units. Hence, India is already a strong supplier of Carbon Credit and can improve it. BENEFITS FOR INDIA By, switching to Clean Development Mechanism Projects, India has a lot to gain from Carbon Trading: a) It will gain in terms of advanced technological improvements and related foreign investments. b) It will contribute to the underlying theme of green house gas reduction by adopting alternative sources of energy. ) Indian companies can make profits by selling the CERs to the developed countries to meet their emission targets. TRADING OF CERS: †¢ As a welcome scenario, India now has two Commodity exchanges trading in Carbon Credit. This means that Indian Companies can now get a better trading platform and price for CERs generated. †¢ Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), Indi a’s largest commodity exchange, has launched futures trading in Carbon Credit. The initiative makes it Asia's first-ever commodity exchange and among the select few along with the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCE) and the European Climate Exchange to offer trades in Carbon Credit.The Indian exchange also expects its tie-up with CCX which will enable Indian firms to get better prices for their Carbon Trading and better integrate the Indian market with the global markets to foster best practices in emissions trading. †¢ On 11th April 2008, National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) also has started futures contract in Carbon Trading for delivery in December 2008. †¢ MCX is the futures exchange. People here are getting price signals for the carbon for the delivery in next five years. The exchange is only for Indians and Indian companies.Every year, in the month of December, the contract expires and at that time people who have bought or sold carbon will have to g ive or take delivery. They can fulfill the deal prior to December too, but most people will wait until December because that is the time to meet the norms in Europe. If the Indian buyer thinks that the current price is low he will wait before selling his credits. The Indian government has not fixed any norms nor has it made it compulsory to reduce carbon emissions to a certain level. So, people who are coming to buy from Indians are actually financial investors.They are thinking that if the Europeans are unable to meet their target of reducing the emission levels by 2009, 2010 or 2012, then the demand for the carbon will increase and then they may make more money. So investors are willing to buy now to sell later. There is a huge requirement of Carbon Trading in Europe before 2012. Only those Indian companies that meet the UNFCCC norms and take up new technologies will be entitled to sell Carbon Trading. There are parameters set and detailed audit is done before you get the entitlem ent to sell the credit. Financing support in India: †¢ Carbon Trading projects requires huge capital investment.Realizing the importance of Carbon Trading in India, The World Bank has entered into an agreement with Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC), wherein IDFC will handle carbon finance operations in the country for various carbon finance facilities. †¢ The agreement initially earmarks a $10-million aid in World Bank-managed carbon finance to IDFC-financed projects that meet all the required eligibility and due diligence standards. †¢ IDBI has set up a dedicated Carbon Credit desk, which provides all the services in the area of Clean Development Mechanism/Carbon Credit (CDM). In order to achieve this objective, IDBI has entered into formal arrangements with multi-lateral agencies and buyers of Carbon Trading like IFC, Washington, KfW, Germany and Sumitomo Corporation, Japan and reputed domestic technical experts like MITCON. †¢ HDFC Bank has sig ned an agreement with Cantor CO2E India Pvt. Ltd and MITCON Consultancy Services Limited (MITCON) for providing carbon credit services. As part of the agreement, HDFC Bank will work with the two companies on awareness building, identifying and registering Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and facilitating the buy or sell of Carbon Credit in the global market.International moves to promote energy self-sufficiency and cut carbon emissions will create a unique opportunity for innovative start-ups to emerge as key infrastructure players over the next few years. The transition to a low-carbon economy will spark a period of historic flux within the business community, characterized by fast-emerging companies and heightened mergers and acquisition activity across the clean tech sector.The global trade in Carbon Credits has taken off fairly well with the turnover going up from $11 billion in 2005 to $118 billion in 2008. Carbon markets investments planned have exceeded all expectations. But the resistance to the idea seems to be gathering steam with many in the developed countries pointing out procedural deficiencies and arguing that Carbon Credits will confer unfair advantages on companies in developing countries like China and India, the major sellers of carbon credit.But despite growing opposition, the concept of Carbon Credits continues to soar steadily, boosting the number of emission-reducing projects in the pipeline from 490 in end-2005 to 4,782 in November 2009, and pushing up the total Carbon Credit supply from 704 million CERs to 2,820 million CERs during the period. One reason the concept of Carbon Credits has gained popularity is its ability to create a political alliance of forces on opposing sides like Left-wing environmentalists and free market proponents.While the former believe that the polluters have no significant incentives for self-regulation and have to be curbed through government intervention, the latter believe that such command and control in tervention would wreak havoc and that the market would eventually offer an optimal solution. Carbon trading regulations helped break the impasse by providing a clear target that the environmentalists could embrace, while at the same time favoring the market mechanism over governmental regulation as advocated by the Right.An added advantage of the Carbon Credits is that it optimizes investments in emission-reduction projects by encouraging projects in countries where the cost of reducing emissions is the least, which generally goes in favor of developing countries. Countries like India have favored carbon trade, as it offers a win-win situation for both entrepreneurs and the broader society. While innovative companies that help reduce emissions are provided with Carbon Credits, which they can encase to boost viability or earn profits, the gains to society accrue in the form of a smaller destabilizing impact on the environment.Opportunities for carbon-efficient companies in India IFC and Standard ; Poor’s have launched the world’s first carbon-efficient index for emerging markets that aims to mobilize more than $1 billion for carbon-efficient companies over the next three years. The innovative S;P/IFC Carbon Efficient Index will encourage carbon-based competition among emerging-market companies, give carbon-efficient companies access to long-term investors, and should help reduce carbon emissions in developing countries. The index was developed by S;P using carbon data provided by environmental data provider Trucost.IFC provided financial support to the S;P/Trucost consortium to accelerate the carbon research on emerging-market companies, and it provided technical support to help validate and refine the methodology. The rollout of smart grid and renewable energy technologies will also usher in transformative alliances between automakers, utilities, battery makers, communications providers and renewable energy firms as they each seek to play a role in the development of integrated low-carbon infrastructure projects.Companies that identify their roles and capitalise on these new alliances earliest will establish sizable leads in nascent clean technology markets. New forms of public-private partnerships will be necessary in creating a ubiquitous, national smart grid, but these new models of collaboration must be closely managed to ensure technologies are rolled out quickly and effectively. Underpinning these clean technology transformations is increased support from the investment community Referances * Mathews, John A. 2008) â€Å"How Carbon Credits could drive the emergence of renewable energies†http://ideas. repec. org/a/eee/enepol/v36y2008i10p3633-3639. html * www. rediff. com/money/2008/feb/05inter. * www. carbontrading. com/c/ * ions Trading; Joint Implementation; Clean Development Mechanindex. php%3Fa†¦ – Cached – Similar * Carbon Tredits India. Emissism (CDM) †¦ India has generated approxim ately 30 Million Carbon Credits and approximately www. globaladvisors * Carbon Credits; by Garg A . in Chartered Secretary November , 2009. * National solid waste of India . News letter, February 2007.

The Controversy Surrounding Gender Inequality - 2040 Words

Introduction The controversy surrounding gender inequality has been ever present. However, the definition and understanding of gender inequality appear to have changed over time as it became increasingly recognised that is a serious social problem that affects a significant proportion our society. According to Hirby (2016) gender inequality, is sometimes called sex discrimination, which means receiving unequal treatment based solely on gender. Women are believed to be greatest victims of gender inequality in the workplace. Despite decades of reform, statistics suggest that for every dollar a man earns a woman in a similar job earns just 77 cents (Hirby, 2016). This suggests that there are still improvements to be made. Rationale Previously, gender inequality was like a taboo subject. Due to campaigns by women groups and activists, many governments are beginning acknowledge it as a significant problem, and several pieces of legislations have been passed in different countries to address this inequality. For example, in the UK, the Equality Act 2010 is the current legislation against sex discrimination The consensus is that a better understanding of gender inequality and the factors that have given rise to such practices may be a way forward in attempting to eliminate if from the workplace. Controversy and the Significance The big question is it Unequal treatment rather than Just Different. 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10 Fascinating Facts About Ladybugs

Who doesnt love a ladybug? Also known as ladybirds or lady beetles, the little red bugs are so beloved because they are beneficial predators, cheerfully chomping on garden pests such as aphids. But ladybugs arent really bugs at all. They belong to the order Coleoptera, which includes all of the beetles. Europeans have called these dome-backed beetles by the name ladybirds, or ladybird beetles, for over 500 years. In America, the name ladybug is preferred; scientists usually use the common name lady beetle for accuracy. 1. Not All Ladybugs Are Black and Red Although ladybugs (called Coccinellidae) are most often red or yellow with black dots, nearly every color of the rainbow is found in some species of ladybug, often in contrasting pairs. The most common are red and black or yellow and black, but some are as plain as black and white, others as exotic as dark blue and orange. Some species of ladybug are spotted, others have stripes, and still others sport a checked pattern. There are 4,300 different species of ladybugs, 400 of which live in North America. Color patterns are connected to their living quarters: generalists that live pretty much anywhere have fairly simple patterns of two strikingly different colors that they wear year round. Others that live in specific habitats have more complex coloration, and some can change color throughout the year. Specialist ladybugs use a camouflage coloration to match the vegetation when theyre in hibernation and develop the characteristic bright colors to warn off predators during their mating season. 2. The Name Lady Refers to the Virgin Mary According to legend,  European crops during the Middle Ages were plagued by pests. Farmers began praying to the Blessed Lady, the Virgin Mary. Soon, the farmers started seeing beneficial ladybugs in their fields, and the crops were miraculously saved from the pests. The farmers began calling the red and black beetles our ladys birds or lady beetles. In Germany, these insects go by the name Marienkafer, which means Mary beetles. The seven-spotted lady beetle is believed to be the first one named for the Virgin Mary; the red color is said to represent her cloak, and the black spots her seven sorrows. 3. Ladybug Defenses Include Bleeding Knees and Warning Colors Startle an adult ladybug and a  foul-smelling hemolymph will seep from its leg joints, leaving yellow stains on the surface below. Potential predators may be deterred by the vile-smelling mix of alkaloids  and equally repulsed by the sight of a seemingly sickly beetle. Ladybug larvae can also ooze alkaloids from their abdomens. Like many other insects, ladybugs use aposematic coloration to signal their toxicity to would-be predators. Insect-eating birds and other animals learn to avoid meals that come in red and black and are more likely to steer clear of a ladybug lunch. 4. Ladybugs Live for About a Year   David Bithell/Getty Images   The ladybug lifecycle begins when a batch of bright-yellow eggs are laid on branches near food sources. They hatch as larvae in four to 10 days and then spend about three weeks feeding up—the earliest arrivals may eat some of the eggs that have not yet hatched. Once theyre well-fed, theyll begin to build a pupa, and after seven to 10 days they emerge as adults. The insects typically live for about a year. 5. Ladybug Larvae Resemble Tiny Alligators  © Jackie Bale/Getty Images If youre unfamiliar with ladybug larvae, you would probably never guess that these odd creatures are young ladybugs. Like alligators in miniature, they have long, pointed abdomens, spiny bodies, and legs that protrude from their sides. The larvae feed and grow for about a month, and during this stage they often consume hundreds of aphids. 6. Ladybugs Eat a Tremendous Number of Insects Bill Draker/Getty Images   Almost all ladybugs feed on soft-bodied insects and serve as beneficial predators of plant pests. Gardeners welcome ladybugs with open arms, knowing they will munch on the most prolific plant pests. Ladybugs love to eat scale insects, whiteflies, mites, and aphids. As larvae, they eat pests by the hundreds. A hungry adult ladybug can devour 50 aphids per day, and scientists estimate that the insect consumes as many as 5,000 aphids over its lifetime. 7. Farmers Use Ladybugs to Control Other Insects Because ladybugs have long been known to eat the gardeners pestilent aphids and other insects, there have been many attempts to use ladybugs to control these pests. The first attempt—and one of the most successful—was in the late 1880s, when an Australian ladybug (Rodolia cardinalis) was imported into California to control the cottony cushion scale. The experiment was expensive, but in 1890, the orange crop in California tripled. Not all such experiments work. After the California orange success, over 40 different ladybug species were introduced to North America, but only four species were successfully established. The best successes have helped farmers control scale insects and mealybugs. Systematic aphid control is rarely successful because aphids reproduce much more rapidly than ladybugs do. 8. There Are Ladybug Pests You may have personally experienced the effects of one of the biological control experiments that had unintended consequences. The Asian or harlequin ladybug (Harmonia axyridis) was introduced to the United States in the 1980s and is now the most common ladybug in many parts of North America. While it did depress the aphid population in some crop systems, it also caused declines in native species of other aphid-eaters. The North American ladybug is not endangered yet, but its overall numbers have decreased, and some scientists believe that is the result of harlequin competition. Some other negative effects are also associated with harlequins. In late summer, the ladybug gets ready for its winter dormancy period by dining on fruit, specifically ripe grapes. Because they blend in with the fruit, the ladybug gets harvested with the crop, and if the winemakers dont get rid of the ladybugs, the nasty taste of the knee bleed will taint the vintage. H. axyridis also like to over-winter in houses, and some houses are invaded in each year by hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of ladybugs. Their knee-bleeding ways can stain furniture, and they occasionally bite people. 9. Sometimes Masses of Ladybugs Wash Up on Shores Near large bodies of water all over the world, massive numbers of Coccinellidae, dead and alive, occasionally or regularly appear on the shorelines. The largest washup to date happened in the early 1940s when an estimated 4.5 billion individuals were spread over 21 kilometers of shoreline in Libya. Only a small number of them were still alive. Why this occurs is still not understood by the scientific community. Hypotheses fall into three categories: ladybugs travel by floating (they can survive afloat for a day or more); the insects aggregate along shorelines because of a reluctance to cross large bodies of water; low-flying ladybugs are forced ashore or into the water by windstorms or other weather events. 10. Ladybugs Practice Cannibalism If food is scarce, ladybugs will do what they must to survive, even if it means eating each other. A hungry ladybug will make a meal of any soft-bodied sibling it encounters. Newly emerged adults or recently molted larvae are soft enough for the average ladybug to chew. Eggs or pupae also provide protein to a ladybug that has run out of aphids. In fact, scientists believe that ladybugs will deliberately lay infertile eggs as a ready source of food for their young hatchlings. When times are tough, a ladybug may lay an increased number of infertile eggs to give her babies a better chance of surviving.