Scientists Mystified by Jellyfish Attacks on Fish Farm

Spiegel Online 26 Nov 07;

What truly impels "blooms" of jellyfish, and what patterns they follow through the sea, is still largely a riddle. "Compared to fish, they're a neglected research topic," said marine biologist Ulrich Sommer, who added that jellyfish belonged to one of the "future research priorities" of his field.

A mass of poisonous jellyfish devastated stocks of organic farmed salmon off the coast of Northern Ireland -- not once, but twice. Is it a sign of global warming, overfishing or just the natural motion of tides?

Marine biologists are struggling to explain a series of bizarre jellyfish attacks which destroyed the entire fish stocks of a salmon farm in Northern Ireland.

The farm, which is operated by Northern Salmon Co. Ltd., suffered a massive and unexpected jellyfish attack last week before being revisited by the same poisonous, ghostly tide over the weekend. The owners of Northern Salmon say they had no defense against the attacks, and what caused the unusual swarm is still a matter of debate.

The first attack was like a Biblical plague: Billions of purplish pelagia noctiluca, or mauve stingers, drifted over cages of salmon in Glenarm Bay and stung to death about 120,000 fish. Estimated damage to the organic farm -- which sells salmon to high-end caterers in Britain -- was over £1 million ($2 million, €1.4 million). The jellyfish wiped out the company's mature harvest a month before Christmas.

The UK's chief fisheries officer at the Department of Agriculture, Mark McCoughan, told the Belfast Telegraph last Thursday that Northern Salmon would now have "no cash flow" until autumn 2008, when young fish at another site, Red Bay, were big enough for the market. By Saturday, though, the Red Bay stock had been killed off by jellyfish too.

John Russell, the head of Northern Salmon, who had taken up his job at the farm only three days before the first attack, told the Associated Press that he hadn't experienced anything like it in 30 years. "It was unprecedented -- absolutely amazing," he said. "The sea was red with these jellyfish and there was nothing we could do."

A Question of Scale

Even marine biologists who believe the swarms were a natural occurrence were surprised by their scale. Until now, experts had thought of the waters off Ireland and Britain as too cold to make a home for these particular jellyfish.

Mauve stingers typically bother swimmers in the Mediterranean. The summer of 2007 saw swarms of them off Spain and southern France, and in 2006 they plagued swimmers in Italy. However the poison doesn't kill humans; it just leaves painful burns on the skin.

During the first attack in Northern Ireland last week, a floating bank of mauve stingers carpeted the Glenarm cages, stung the salmon, and kept Northern Salmon employees from reaching the fish. Three boats tried to push their way through a mass of jellyfish 10 miles square and 35 feet deep (16 kilometers by 11 meters), workers said.

"One of the difficulties with the Glenarm site is the strength of the tide," McCoughan told the Belfast Telegraph. "The tide pulled in the jellyfish and the water cannot move through the cages. The fish (were) stung and asphyxiated because they have no water moving through the cages to bring oxygen." He added that the attack was "an unusual natural phenomenon which is unprecedented in Northern Ireland."

What may seem surprising is the choice of prey: Why would jellyfish go after salmon? They're known to kill and ingest herring larvae, but not grown fish. Did they just want a nice fat organic lunch?

Of course not, says German aquaculture expert Uwe Waller. "It was a massive fluke," he told SPIEGEL. "Jellyfish movements are determined by ocean currents. What happened there is absolutely natural."

Still Largely a Riddle

Jellyfish aren't strong enough to swim against a tide, and anything that disturbs their tentacles will get stung. Within a hundred-thousandth of a second, stiletto-shaped thorns shoot from tiny stinger capsules with a tremendous force that can pierce even the plates of a crustacean.

The stingers are like harpoons, connected to the jellyfish by fine threads which transport poison to the victim's muscles and blood. The jellyfish then draws its prey gradually up to its mouth opening. "The mechanism is brilliantly sophisticated," says Waller. "You have to take your hat off to a creature like this."

But what truly impels "blooms" of jellyfish, and what patterns they follow through the sea, is still largely a riddle. "Compared to fish, they're a neglected research topic," said marine biologist Ulrich Sommer, who added that jellyfish belonged to one of the "future research priorities" of his field.

Many scientists regard an unprecedented swarm of Mediterranean jellyfish in Northern Irish waters as a sign of global warming. The frequency of mauve stingers in the North Sea has, in fact, risen over the last 10 years. There are other factors, though. Jellyfish swarms large enough to rip fishing nets which were found off Namibia last year were attributed to overfishing.

Biologist Chad Widmer from the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California told National Public Radio at the time that the key to understanding jellyfish blooms was knowing where and how their "polyps," or early life-cycle forms, develop. Adult jellyfish produce polyps sexually, but the polyps then anchor themselves to a hard surface and wait for the right conditions to make asexual copies of themselves.

"Environmental clues, like changes in water temperature or salinity, turn on jellyfish production mode," said Widmer. "The thing that really makes it impossible for those of us studying jelly-bloom ecology is that nobody knows where the polyps live in nature. That's the holy grail of jellyfish ecology."

With reporting by Frank Thadeusz

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China says Three Gorges mega-dam threats controlled

Chris Buckley, Reuters 27 Nov 07;

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese officials in charge of the huge Three Gorges Dam said on Tuesday they had spent billions of yuan to guard against deadly landslides around the reservoir and would seek to minimize threats as waters reached their peak.

The dam, the world's largest hydro-electric feat, seeks to tame the Yangtze River, while moving up to 1.4 million people, many of them poor hill farmers from Hubei in central China and neighboring Chongqing municipality.

Scientists studying the Three Gorges area have said that rising waters have strained already brittle shores, triggering landslides, which may worsen when waters reach a maximum height of 175 meters (574 feet) above sea level in the next year or two.

But the officials told a news conference that 12 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) had been allocated over past years to "geological repairs," and they were confident that such efforts were working.

"I would describe it as effective control. Of course effective control doesn't mean that in the future there won't be any landslides or threats that arise," said Wang Xiaofeng, director of the Three Gorges project construction committee office.

"The Chinese government is closely monitoring and is intensifying repair work, and I think we can avoid losses as far as is possible."

Li Yong'an, the general manager of the China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corp, said the dam had not triggered any "major" landslides along the mainstream of the Yangtze, a phrasing that pointedly left unanswered any effects on tributaries flowing into the reservoir.

Li also refused to say how many places around the dam face serious land instability or how many people may have to move because of the threat.

"There are no specific figures," he told Reuters, referring the questions to other departments.

Last week, a bus was crushed under a landslide at Badong County in Hubei, near a tributary to the dam, killing 31 people. A worker on a nearby railway construction site was also killed and two were missing.

Landslides across the dam area in the summer killed at least 13 people, according to local news reports and the dam environmental agency. Some villagers have already been told to move to avoid possible landslides.

Since the 2,309-metre-long dam was finished in 2003, the water level has risen in stages, reaching 156 meters last year.

Tuesday's statements were the latest in a government offensive to defend the project against claims that pollution and geological threats are piling up as the waters rise and strain brittle slopes around the 660-km (410-mile) reservoir.

Officials appeared to give credence to some fears in September when they warned of a possible "environmental catastrophe" from pollution and landslides -- a departure from years of bright official praise for the dam.

But Wang, who attended that meeting, said the warning was nothing new and environmental threats were under control.

A senior engineer on the dam blasted recent foreign reports on problems with the project as "distorted" and exaggerated. Engineer Pan Jiazheng said environmental problems, such as algae outbreaks along tributaries, were nothing major or unexpected.

"Don't describe a kitten as a tiger," Pan said.

(Editing by Nick Macfie)

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Singapore ranked 9th most costly Asian city for expatriates

Grace Ng, Straits Times 27 Nov 07;

SINGAPORE has risen 10 places in a new global survey of the most expensive places for expatriates to live.

The Republic is closing the gap on higher-priced Hong Kong, which stayed at No. 79 in the survey, conducted by human resources firm ECA International.

Despite the jump, Singapore, at No. 122, is still significantly cheaper for expats than Hong Kong and other key global centres, such as London at No. 10 and New York at No. 48.

Singapore's rise up the table from No. 132 was the result of rising expat costs such as higher rents, coupled with a stronger Singapore dollar.

In contrast, the Hong Kong dollar, which is pegged to the US dollar, is weakening - offsetting a rise in expat costs.

Singapore is the ninth most expensive Asian city, the survey found. Seoul is the most expensive, at No. 7 in the world. Tokyo dropped from 10th to 13th place, partly due to a decline in the yen.

Top spot went to the African city of Luanda in Angola. Places like this, which are off the beaten track, are more expensive because some expat consumer items are hard to get, and those who want them have to pay top dollar.

The survey compares a basket of 128 consumer goods and services such as groceries, drinks and tobacco, clothing and electrical goods that are commonly purchased by expatriates in more than 300 locations worldwide.

Multinational firms use the survey's results to help determine how much to pay their staff working overseas.

Living costs for expats are affected by factors such as inflation, availability of goods and exchange rates.

Singapore has seen higher inflation, partly due to a 2 percentage point hike in the goods and services tax to 7 per cent.

Mr Sebastien Barnard, 32, at the British Chamber of Commerce, said living expenses, especially food, have risen. 'A year ago, lunch for two adults and two children cost about $70, including drinks. But now it's over $95.'

But the surge in property rents is still the biggest bugbear of expats here.

Mr Mark Brider, 43, head of international personal banking for the Royal Bank of Scotland in Singapore, said: 'There is a growing number of international people living in Singapore, so the demand drives up rental. My landlord just told me my rent will be raised 80 per cent in March next year.'

Nonetheless, he added, Singapore's cost of living is still 'competitive' and 'has still not reached the level of Hong Kong'.

The rising Singapore dollar has also pushed up expat living costs, said Mr Lee Quane, general manager of ECA International Hong Kong.

He said Singapore's rising cost of living is 'bad news' for global companies, which have to adjust their expat employees' pay and allowances to help them maintain their spending power here.

Additional reporting by Kua Zhen Yang

Expat cost of living in S'pore gaining on HK's
S'pore and Chinese cities move up the ranks due to strong currencies, inflation
Anna Teo, Business Times 27 Nov 07;


(SINGAPORE) The Republic is catching up with Asia's leading cities in one area it probably does not wish to make strides in - expatriate cost of living.

While some of the region's most pricey cities became relatively less expensive in the past year, Singapore, along with Beijing and Shanghai, have climbed the rungs in the latest cost of living survey by ECA International.

Singapore is listed as the ninth most expensive city in Asia - behind Seoul, Tokyo, Yokohama and Kobe, as well as Hong Kong, Taipei, Beijing and Shanghai. Worldwide, Singapore ranks 122nd, but that is 10 spots higher than in the 2006 survey.

In comparison, the Japanese cities and Taipei have all dropped in the global rankings in the past year, primarily due to a weaker currency, while Hong Kong stayed put at its 79th spot. This means that the gap is closing between the two 'traditionally competitive' locations, Singapore and Hong Kong, says ECA.

Conducted every March and September, the cost of living survey by the Hong Kong-based HR consultancy tracks a basket of 128 consumer goods and services commonly consumed by expatriates in more than 300 locations worldwide.

Multinational firms use the findings as a guide in determining expatriate remuneration packages and allowances. But the survey excludes significant items such as housing, utilities, car purchases and school fees because, ECA says, expatriate packages usually include separate compensation for these.

Apart from the two-percentage-point hike in the Goods and Services Tax in July and overall rising inflation, the appreciating Singapore dollar is also driving up costs in Singapore 'in a significant manner', says Lee Quane, general manager of ECA.

'While this is good news when sending international assignees from Singapore, those companies who need to send employees into Singapore will now have to apply higher cost of living indices to salaries to guarantee their personnel's spending power when in Singapore.'

Seoul, Asia's most expensive city, has climbed one rung in the global rankings to seventh in the latest findings. Tokyo, on the other hand, has dropped out of the top 10 for the first time, moving from 10th to 13th.

A strengthening yuan against the US dollar, along with soaring oil, food and grain prices, have added to living costs in the Chinese cities, including 'second-tier' ones. According to ECA, living costs for foreigners in Chongqing, for instance, have risen by 12 per cent, or twice as much as in Beijing.

Luanda in Angola emerged as the world's most expensive city for expatriates. Two other African cities - Kinshasa and Libreville - also feature in the top 10. European cities, led by Oslo and Moscow, make up most of the top spots.

Singapore less attractive to expats: Survey
Island slowly edging its way up the list of costliest cities
Today Online 27 Nov 07;

Singapore may be gradually losing its competitive edge to regional rivals like Hong Kong as the rising cost of living deters expatriates from coming here.

This is according to a survey by human resource body ECA International, which compared the costs of 128 consumer goods and services purchased by expatriates in more than 300 cities. They include groceries, drinks and tobacco, clothing, motoring expenses and restaurant meals. Accommodation, car purchase and children's school fees are not included because they are usually provided as part of expat packages.

According to the survey, Singapore is the ninth most expensive city in Asia this year, up a notch from last year — 122nd worldwide, up 10 rungs. Hong Kong's ranking has remained unchanged as the fifth most expensive location in the region and 79th worldwide.

In a head-to-head comparison, Hong Kong is 12 per cent more expensive than Singapore, Shanghai 5 per cent more expensive, while Kuala Lumpur is 30 per cent cheaper, ECA told Today.

The most expensive city in Asia for expats is Seoul, followed by Tokyo and Yokohama. Worldwide, the most expensive city is Luanda, the capital city of Angola, followed by Oslo and Moscow.

The consumer price index (CPI) in Singapore jumped 3.6 per cent last month from that of a year earlier, the fastest pace in more than 16 years, the Department of Statistics said last week. Contributing to the rise was the 2-percentage-point increase in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in July and the surge in oil prices.

"The recent rise in GST and overall rising inflation resulting in higher CPI have all contributed to pushing up living costs in Singapore. This, together with no change in Hong Kong's position, means that the gap is closing between the two traditionally competitive locations," said ECA, the world's largest membership organisation for human resource professionals.

The strengthening of the Singapore dollar to a 10-year high against the United States currency this month has also made the cost of living dearer for expatriates.

"Companies that need to send employees into Singapore will now have to apply higher cost of living indices to salaries to guarantee their personnel's spending power," said Mr Lee Quane, general manager of ECA International in Hong Kong.

Mr Quane's observation highlights the dilemma faced by the Singapore Government. The threat of an inflationary spiral has prompted calls for the Monetary Authority of Singapore to let the local dollar strengthen further but there are concerns among the business community that a stronger local currency will hurt export competitiveness and diminish the island's attractiveness as a business hub.

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Best of our wild blogs: 27 Nov 07

Our shores: living classrooms
with encounters on Changi on the wildfilms blog

Mucking about at Berlayar Creek
the other side of Labrador on the ashira blog and discovery blog

Exploring Tuas
A marvellous shore opposite industrial installations on the manta blog

Herons at Jurong East
on the budak blog

Life in a rotting log
Fascinating finds on the budak blog

Daily Green Actions: 26 Nov 07
owl hunting at lights out on the leafmonkey blog

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Not feasible to store granite under soil, turf

Reply from BCA, Straits Times Forum 27 Nov 07;

I REFER to the suggestion by Dr Geh Min of the Nature Society to grow greenery on the granite stockpile ('Proposal to green grey granite stockpile'; ST, Nov 16).

We would like to clarify that the stockpile area is smaller than what Dr Geh had described, and that the Lim Chu Kang site is not earmarked for agriculture. It is zoned 'Reserve' in Master Plan 2003 - the specific use has not been determined for the next 15 to 20 years.

As to the suggestion to grow greenery on the granite stockpile, we would like to explain that storing granite under soil and turf on a long-term basis will result in contamination of the granite aggregates with dirt, fungi and algae. As building safety is of paramount importance, we cannot afford to compromise the quality of the granite aggregates, which must meet stringent technical standards before they can be used for construction.

Extensive efforts and resources would be needed to clean the granite aggregates when they are required for use subsequently. Not only will the cleaning process take too long in the event the granite aggregates are needed immediately due to supply disruption, but the usable quantity after processing would also likely be reduced significantly. Therefore, it is not feasible to store granite under soil and turf.

We will continue to maintain an open line of communication with the farmers for any further feedback and put in measures (as is currently being done) to mitigate any concerns. With everyone's cooperation and understanding, we believe that it is possible for both the stockpile and the farms to co-exist at Lim Chu Kang. We thank Dr Geh for her suggestion.

William Tan
Director
Business Development Division Building and Construction Authority

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Leave the beautiful Mandai rainforest alone

Letter from George Pasqual, Straits Times Forum 27 Nov 07;

I READ with dismay the planned conversion of 30ha of the Mandai rainforest into a nature-themed park for tourists ('Mandai to get new nature attraction on 30-hectare site'; ST, Nov 21).

We are just a tiny island with not much forest left after our much-lauded efforts in transforming it into a world-class city within a garden, recognised for its steady economy, reliable infrastructure and governance.

ourist arrivals have increased tremendously and it is forecast that the population in Singapore could reach 5.5 million.

Do we need another tourist attraction at the expense of plundering our small rainforest and upsetting the ecosystem and biodiversity of the area?

Where there is much human activity, Nature cannot stay its course and degradation of the once-pristine landscape will follow, to the point of no return.

There are many 'back to nature' tourist resorts in neighbouring countries which are a hop, skip and jump away and with more expansive jungle or forest landscapes and panoramic scenes which will easily eclipse our 30ha offering.

We already have many world-class tourist attractions and with the integrated resorts and the Formula One race coming on stream, do we need to sacrifice a portion of our island's rainforest heritage just to attract a couple of million more tourists?

We do not need more hotels and chalets to denude whatever remaining greenery we have on this fast-urbanising island.

The Mandai road is flanked by a waterway and thick rainforest of sheer tropical splendour, which merge naturally into the theme parks of the zoo and Night Safari. The surrounds of the zoo and Night Safari are a fitting introductory welcome to visitors to these two attractions.

Please don't spoil the ambience of the Mandai area.

RELATED ARTICLES

Mandai at risk?
Straits Times 25 Nov 07

If not properly done, plans to turn Mandai into nature retreat could backfire
Letter from Marianne Maes, Today Online 22 Nov 07

Do we need another nature-themed attraction?
NO: Nature Society thinks it will cause greater damage to nature reserve
YES: A nature escape will add to Singapore's attraction as a tourist destination, say travel agents
Lim Wei Chean, Straits Times 22 Nov 07

Nature Society expresses concerns about plans for Mandai
Lim Wei Chean, Straits Times 21 Nov 07;

Mandai to be turned into Asia's top nature spot
Channel NewsAsia 20 Nov 07

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Time to allow diesel cars on the road

Letter from Steve Tan Peng Hoe, Straits Times Forum 27 Nov 07

MANY months ago, I wrote to this Forum with several suggestions for the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to consider.

One of my suggestions was to allow diesel cars on the road, given that diesel was easier to refine, and the latest-generation diesel engines emit less pollutants.

All these months, car manufacturer after car manufacturer have rolled out turbo-diesel variants of their new cars. All have proclaimed that this was a viable solution to balancing car ownership with environmental concerns.

Surely, there must be a basis for all the car manufacturers to make such a claim?

Could the LTA, therefore, review again the possibility of allowing diesel cars on the road without punitive taxes?

Given that Asean has just ratified a constitution that has a keen focus on environmental concerns, Singapore as the country holding the chairmanship should lead in this area where there is all to gain and little to lose.

Diesel cars allowed on roads but tax higher
Reply by NEA and LTA, Straits Times Forum 7 Dec 07;

WE THANK Mr Steve Tan Peng Hoe for his letter, 'Time to allow diesel cars on the road' (ST, Nov 27).

We would like to clarify that diesel-driven cars are allowed on Singapore roads. However, they are taxed more because they emit significantly more pollutants which will damage the environment and human health to a greater extent than petrol-driven vehicles.

We recognise that significant advances have been made in diesel-engine technology that have helped to improve emissions from diesel vehicles considerably. Therefore, in recognition of the cleaner Euro IV diesel engines, the special tax for Euro IV diesel passenger cars was reduced from six to four times their road tax with effect from Jan 1 last year.

The Government will continue to review the tax structure for diesel passenger cars as more stringent emission standards are implemented.

Tan Quee Hong
Acting Director
Pollution Control Department
National Environment Agency

Suhana Kharudin (Ms)
Manager
Media Relations
Land Transport Authority

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Overall food index up 4.3% over that in 2006

Reply from Department of Statistics, Straits Times Forum 27 Nov 07;

MR RICHARD Seah's letter on the inflation rate of food prices ('5% inflation next year? Food already up 10- 20%'; ST, Nov 20) gives us the opportunity to explain how the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is constructed and how food prices are measured.

The CPI measures the change in price over time of a fixed basket of goods and services that are consumed by households.

In Singapore, the CPI basket comprises seven main groups, namely, Food, Housing, Clothing & Footwear, Transport & Communication, Education & Stationery, Health Care, and Recreation & Others.

The relative importance of these groups in the CPI basket is based on a detailed analysis of the consumption patterns of some 5,400 households covered in the Household Expenditure Survey (HES). The HES is conducted on a regular basis to take into account changes in consumption patterns over time. This basic methodology is in line with international convention.

Food has the highest weight in our CPI basket, at 23 per cent. This means that, on average, a household spends 23 cents out of every dollar on food. Cooked food carries a heavier weight of 13 per cent, compared to 10 per cent for non-cooked food, given the 'Singaporean habit of eating out', as noted by Mr Seah.

It is important to note that the increase in the overall food price index in the CPI represents the average of price movements across various food items and outlets. So while prices of some food items have increased by as much as 10 to 20 per cent at some outlets, there are also items or outlets where prices increased by much less or not at all.

For example, while the price of fresh chicken was 14 per cent higher in October 2007, compared to October 2006, the price of fresh pork went up by just 0.8 per cent during the same period. Likewise, while prices at some hawker stalls had increased substantially, average hawker food prices were up by 2.8 per cent in October 2007, compared to October 2006. Taking into consideration the price movements of all these various items, the overall food index increased by 4.3 per cent in October 2007, compared to a year earlier.

Foo-Wu Wen Chee (Mrs)
Deputy Director
(Consumer Price Index)
Department of Statistics

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Whatever Happened to Biodiesel?

Michael Schirber, LiveScience, Yahoo News 26 Nov 07;

Biodiesel made from vegetable oil seems to have good green credentials. Several musicians fill their tour buses with it, and environmental entrepreneurs brew it themselves from recycled kitchen grease.

However, expectations that this renewable fuel will deliver significant reductions in greenhouse gases may be too high.

"The general belief is that biodiesel offers a huge benefit from a global warming standpoint," said Russell Heinen, vice president of SRI Consulting, which last month released a biofuel report for the chemical industry. "We found that it's not necessarily that great."

Biodiesel and other biofuels such as ethanol release carbon dioxide when burned, but part of this is offset by the carbon dioxide absorbed by the biofuel crop. However, Eric Johnson, the report's author and editor of the journal Environmental Impact Assessment Review, found the environmental benefits of biofuels depend on what crops are planted and how the land might be used otherwise.

Surprisingly, European farmers currently growing rapeseed for biodiesel could reduce their carbon footprint by more than half if they planted trees and let regular diesel be burned instead. This is partly because commonly used fertilizers emit nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that has nearly 300 times more warming effect than carbon dioxide, which tends to get all the attention.

Fry fuel

Using vegetable oil or animal fats for fuel is hardly a new idea: The first diesel car more than a century ago ran on peanut oil.

Current diesel engines can be modified slightly to run on straight vegetable oil, but it's more common to chemically modify the oil to make biodiesel. Pure biodiesel can gel up in cold temperatures, so it is often blended with ordinary petroleum-based diesel.

Biodiesel is politically attractive as a way to lessen dependence on oil, while also supporting local farmers.

Government incentives and rising petroleum prices have helped the biodiesel industry grow by more than a factor of 20 in the past decade. The European Union has the largest biodiesel production worldwide with nearly 1.5 billion gallons last year, mostly from rapeseed oil. The United States comes in second in the groupings, with about 250 million gallons last year, mostly from soybean oil.

Plant forests instead

The United States, the European Union and other countries have mandated that biofuels make up certain fractions of their fuel consumption in the coming years, as part of programs to combat global warming and increase energy independence.

To determine the environmental impact of these policies, Johnson analyzed various biofuel scenarios. Generally, he found that emissions of nitrous oxide and CO2 from farming practices negated much of the carbon dioxide soaked up by the plants.

This was especially true for rapeseed, but environmental benefits could be reaped from other crops.

"Soy biodiesel and palm-oil biodiesel are generally better than petrodiesel on greenhouse gas emissions," Johnson told LiveScience. "It is mainly a function of crop yield and fertilizer amount."

Carbon footprint reductions of as much as 40 percent were possible from soy-derived biodiesel. However, in most cases that Johnson looked at, planting trees on the farmland and using regular diesel made a larger dent in carbon dioxide levels than producing and using biodiesel.

The results do not agree with other studies.

"The overwhelming evidence is that most biofuels offer a greenhouse gas savings," said Greg Archer, director of the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, a UK group that promotes eco-friendly cars and fuels.

The amount of savings depends on how the biofuel is produced. Smart practices—such as limiting fertilizer amount, heating with biomass instead of coal and generating electricity from waste heat—can make practically any biofuel less polluting than petroleum, Archer said.

Mcfueling

One way to be sure to reduce the carbon footprint is to reuse vegetable oil or animal fat to make biodiesel. Johnson estimated that waste-derived biodiesel releases 60 percent less greenhouse gas in its lifetime than normal diesel.

Recycling kitchen grease into biodiesel has become popular in small pockets around the country, where "the cars can smell like French fries when they drive down the street," Heinen said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that restaurants generate some 3 billion gallons of waste cooking oil each year.

"The biggest problem is how dispersed it is at all the McDonald's and the like," Heinen said. "You need a concentrated supply to have an economy of scale."

One solution might be to locate a biodiesel factory next to a meat-packing plant or a potato chip manufacturer.

"Then at least you would have all the fat you need right next door," Heinen said.

Editor's Note: This article is part of an occasional LiveScience series about ideas to ease humanity's impact on the environment.

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'Alternative' nuclear energy forum opens in Bratislava

Yahoo News 27 Nov 07;

Around 100 politicians, industrialists, producers and experts met in Bratislava Monday for the first European Energy Forum dedicated to reviving nuclear power as an "alternative" energy source.

The meeting comes against a backdrop of declining carbon energy resources and the battle against global warming.

"Nuclear energy is a promising alternative solution, its current revival sends a positive message to the world," Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said as he opened two days of debate under the aegis of the European Commission.

"The decision to close or not to build a new nuclear plant is political decision. It is to be respected, but a majority of European countries have taken another option," emphasised Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek.

Slovakia, like the Czech Republic, France, Finland, Lithuania and Bulgaria are some of the 15 EU countries (out of 27) which produce nuclear energy.

The Bratislava forum opens a debate "without taboos and without preconceived ideologies" on nuclear production, according to Christian Taillebois, chief executive of Framatome, a joint subsidiary between Areva and Siemens.

He told AFP his hope is that nuclear will be fully integrated into EU energy policy, complementing renewable energy.

For its advocates, nuclear power holds no worries: "Nuclear energy is currently the first and foremost form of energy production with zero CO2 emissions," the brochure accompanying the forum states.

Contrary voices on the first day of the conference were rare. A handful of opponents, primarily from the Green Party and Greenpeace, held placards outside Bratislava town hall saying "No To Nuclear" -- watched over by heavy security.

Their objections centre on the issues of nuclear security, and waste.

Nuclear energy currently provides around a third of the EU's electricity consumption, according to figures provided by the Bratislava forum.

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Japan Says Whaling Will Not Halt Despite Australia

PlanetArk 27 Nov 07;

"Humpback whales are very popular in Australia. I have heard that to catch and kill a humpback whale is a very emotional thing. We have discussed this within the government, but for the moment we are continuing as planned."

TOKYO - Japan will not end what it calls its research whaling programme, but it also expects to maintain strong ties with Australia, one of the most vocal critics of the hunt, the top government spokesman said on Monday.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura was speaking after Australia's Labor party swept to power in national elections on Saturday, ending 11 years of conservative rule under John Howard, an ally of Tokyo.

While in opposition, Labor called for legal action against Japanese whaling in Australia's Antarctic Whale Sanctuary, which is not recognised by other nations.

"Whales are a problem," Machimura told reporters. "We conduct research whaling and we can't just stop this all of a sudden."

Japan's whaling fleet set out for the Antarctic Ocean just over a week ago despite renewed outcries from several countries, sparked by its plan to target humpback whales, a perennial favourite among whale-watchers.

Japan, which says whaling is a cherished cultural tradition, abandoned commercial whaling in accordance with an international moratorium in 1986, but began what it calls a scientific research whaling programme the following year.

Machimura acknowledged the angry response from Australia.

"Humpback whales are very popular in Australia. I have heard that to catch and kill a humpback whale is a very emotional thing," he said. "We have discussed this within the government, but for the moment we are continuing as planned." Machimura said Japan congratulated the new Australian government under Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, a former diplomat fluent in Mandarin, and expected close ties to continue.

"Japan has maintained very good relations with Australia for a long time. We are strategic partners," Machimura said.

"We had good ties with former Prime Minister (John) Howard, and we think we can maintain this with the new Rudd administration. There is no room for doubt on this," he added.

Japan signed a landmark defence pact with Howard in March, setting out areas of cooperation including counter-terrorism and maritime security.

Leaders of Japan, the United States and Australia also held their first trilateral summit in Australia in September. (Reporting by Isabel Reynolds; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

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Ewok eco-friendly sphere for high living

Telegraph 26 Nov 07;

"The objective of this project is to be able to move into the rainforest and have an experience of it - with as little impact as possible. I want to celebrate the beauty and energy that is already there, without changing anything."

Looking more like the homes used by the Ewok characters in the Star Wars film Return of the Jedi these tree houses enable families to live in the forest without having to worry about their carbon footprint.

The 11ft-wide eco-friendly Free Spirit Spheres, which can sleep four people, are suspended in the trees and accessible by a rope bridge.

The £74,000 hand-crafted wooden spheres are constructed using boat building techniques and are coated in fibreglass, making them waterproof and robust.

They have a fully equipped kitchen, including a microwave, fridge and sink. The rest of the interior, including loft beds and bronze doors can be custom ordered.

Tom Chudleigh, the designer, said: "Uses for these durable Spheres are limited only by one's imagination. Healing, meditation, photography, canopy research, leisure and game watching are just some of the things you could do.

"Wood spheres are made of two laminations of wood strips over laminated wood frames. The outside is then finished and covered with clear fibreglass. The result is a beautiful and tough skin.

"The structural integrity of a sphere and the ability to move and absorb shock loads combine to produce a robust accommodation package."

The spheres are attached to the trees by a web of supporting ropes in at least three places.
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Mr Chudleigh, from Vancouver, Canada, and a carpenter by trade, added: "The objective of this project is to be able to move into the rainforest and have an experience of it - with as little impact as possible.

"I want to celebrate the beauty and energy that is already there, without changing anything."

He is now in the process of designing a sphere which will hold a washroom, a shower and a sauna. He added: "It will produce only clean water and compost - with luck it could serve a whole colony of spheres on a remote setting."

The spheres take three people no more than three days to put up and can be ordered from www.freespiritspheres.com.

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Forest protection: Giving power to local communities helps curb deforestation

Forest protection: Local and global
Frederick Sagisolo, BBC News 26 Nov 07;

After logging: New values appear, like wanting to have more than your neighbour and putting a price on everything, instead of valuing what we already have.

Local communities living in the world's dwindling tropical forests bear the brunt of the insatiable demand for cheap timber, argues Frederick Sagisolo. In the Green Room, he recounts his experience of illegal logging, and explains why community forest management is the way forward.

For the Knasaimos people, we do not see nature as something to be destroyed.

The forests here provide for our needs. For building houses we take rattan, bamboo and other woods, for lighting fires we take damar, and for food we process sago taken from the forest in the traditional method.

The forests give us wood for fishing boats, gaharu trees for trade, and many fruits which we can sell.

The relationship between our people and their nature is important, and it's become our pride and part of our traditional wisdom. That's why we manage the land in a simple way.

The way we manage our land, however, has been disturbed by outsiders coming here to log trees.

It started in 1999 with meranti wood being taken, and once that was finished in 2002 they started to cut merbau trees.

This created problems for our community. Before, there was a sense of working together, a feeling of togetherness.

Then, when some people are attracted to the wood company they refuse to work on the sago any more. They think that because the company promises money, they don't want to do the traditional work in the forest any more.

New values appear, like wanting to have more than your neighbour and putting a price on everything, instead of valuing what we already have.

Rich wood

The merbau logging was carried out by one company, supported by foreign investors.

We never invited this company here and it did not have proper permission to log.

I am the head of the tribal council, but the company never talked to me. Instead it did an illegal deal with one individual from our community, and this created many problems for us.

But the company was backed by a local military officer, so what could we do?

Soon after it first arrived the company was cutting our trees in four areas, destroying the land with heavy equipment. Yet when people here see the military person involved, then cannot sit down together and discuss things. Impossible.

I was really worried by this company. Our land is not that large, and with the logging after a few years we would have had no trees left, only grass.

This would mean disaster for us. It is our mission to treat the land as something entrusted to us for our grandchildren and so we must not destroy it.

Self-determination

If we are left alone we manage the forest well as it is part of our life.

But companies from outside only think about money and leave us with tears. While the company was here there was no improvement for local people - just problems.



We know our rights, but got no help from the local government. They just came here with a map we had never seen before - some kind of imaginary map.

Under this some of our sacred places would be destroyed. We asked "why did you do this?" and the company said it was allowed because of the map.

We know that this map was illegal and it is clear that money talked. We asked the government to stop this company, but nothing happened.

Then finally, in 2005, Papua was the target for a big action by the government against illegal logging. The military officer left, and the company operations stopped.

We felt we were once more in control of our lands and set about healing the wounds created by the company.

Community awareness

In early 2007 I was contacted by people from two environment groups, Telapak and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).

These groups had come to Seremuk in 2003 and filmed our way of life and the problems we were having with the logging company.

These people explained to me that they were organising a meeting in Belgium to tell European Union officials about the bad impacts of illegal logging and wanted me to speak. I agreed, believing this could benefit our community.

I came across so many interesting stories on the trip.

I found out how timber stolen from Seremuk and other "remote" areas eventually goes to places like Europe and is worth a lot of money. It seemed strange to me that the people who live in the forests are still poor, while the timber taken from them is worth so much when it is sold in Europe.

On the trip, I saw how in Europe NGOs work together with their governments, while in Indonesia they are seen as the enemy of the government.

This made us realise how the Knasaimos people have to develop strong institutions to press the government to have a more open mind, and allow us to manage our land free of interference.

Now, in Seremuk, I'm working to use the lessons of the trip to help improve the situation for the Knasaimos.

At a recent big gathering of our people it was agreed that no member of our community would sell trees to outsiders.

Instead we plan to develop a system where we, the Knasaimos, as the guardians of this land, manage it ourselves and gain benefits to help the lives of our people through better education and health.

We have suffered from illegal logging and now we want to build a co-operative to carry out small-scale community logging.

This is our vision as to how we can live together with nature and improve the lives of our people.

Frederick Sagisolo is traditional chief of the Knasaimos people living in the western region of Papua, Indonesia

The Green Room is a series of opinion articles on environmental topics running weekly on the BBC News website

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