wildsingapore news: Jan 10, 2008

Zoo in Vietnam admits to auctioning tiger bodies

Reuters 10 Jan 08;

HANOI (Reuters) - The Hanoi Zoo admitted selling dead tigers at auctions to Vietnamese animal traffickers, the latest in a spate of violations of international conservation laws meant to protect endangered Indochina tigers, newspapers reported.

Vietnamese papers said on Thursday that the money, about $8,000 each for two tigers, was deposited into the zoo's bank account. Some carried photos of the official receipt, but zoo officials declined to comment when contacted about the reports.

Tiger bones and other wild animal body parts, smuggled from neighboring countries and around Vietnam, are used to make traditional medicines in Southeast Asia.

The tigers were reported to have died of diseases in the zoo, but they should have been cremated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, signed by Vietnam in 1994.

The zoo's admission comes after officials said they seized two live tigers from a car driving through the capital, Hanoi, on Monday and arrested two suspected animal traffickers.

They led police to a house where frozen pieces of four tiger bodies were stored along with stoves used for cooking glue from animal bones. Police said suspected trafficker Nguyen Quoc Truong told them he legally purchased two of the dead tigers from the Hanoi Zoo.

A zoo official was quoted by newspapers as saying the tiger bodies were sold to Truong without the approval of the Hanoi forestry management agency.

Last September, police found two frozen tigers in a fridge and two soup kettles filled with animal bones in an outdoor kitchen in Hanoi. The animal parts were cooked to make traditional medicines sold for about $800 per 100 grams.

Also last year, eight men were jailed for up to 11- years for poisoning a tiger in a zoo and selling it for $15,000 in southern Tien Giang province.

(Reporting by Grant McCool; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Australia to end plastic bags in supermarkets

Michael Perry, Reuters 9 Jan 08;

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia has followed China in announcing it plans to end plastic bag use in supermarkets, with its new environment minister saying on Thursday he wants a phase-out to start by the end of 2008.

"There are some 4 billion of these plastic bags floating around the place, getting into landfill, ending up affecting our wildlife, and showing up on our beaches while we are on holidays," Environment Minister Peter Garrett said on Thursday.

"I think most Australians would like to see them rid. We think it's absolutely critical that we get cracking on it," Garrett, once president of the Australian Conservation Foundation, told local media.

"We'd like to see a phase-out implemented by 2008," he said.

China launched a crackdown on plastic bags on Tuesday, banning production of ultra-thin bags and forbidding their use in supermarkets and shops from June 1, 2008.

"We should encourage people to return to carrying cloth bags, using baskets for their vegetables," China's State Council said in a notice on the government Web site (www.gov.cn).

Chinese people use up to 3 billion plastic bags a day and the country has to refine 5 million tonnes (37 million barrels) of crude oil every year to make plastics used for packaging, according to a report on the Web site of China Trade News (www.chinatradenews.com.cn).

Many countries such as Ireland and South Africa have experimented with heavy taxes, outright bans or eliminating the thinnest plastic bags, while some towns and cities have taken unilateral action to outlaw plastic bags.

"We've certainly had a system in place that's been voluntary up to now, where you've got people coming into the supermarkets and they have the opportunity to take up those canvas bags," said Garrett, whose centre-left Labor party came to power in November.

Garrett said he would meet with the leaders of Australia's six states and two territories in April to discuss the phasing out of plastic bags.

But it is unclear how Australia will rid itself of plastic bags, whether like China it will issue an outright ban or like Ireland impose a levy. Garrett said he was not personally in favor of a levy as it punished shoppers.

"It has always been the policy of Labor to look at a total ban in 2008 and that is what minister Garrett is doing and we totally support that," said Clean Up Australia chairman Ian Kiernan. "But we are not in favor of a levy."

"We know that with the Irish example there was a dramatic reduction in the acceptance of plastic bags with the levy but that started to creep back and it has not proved to be effective in the long term," Kiernan said.

(Editing by Jerry Norton)

U.S.: Smarter power usage could save $120 billion

Bernie Woodall, Reuters 10 Jan 08;

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Technology to help Americans reduce electricity use when the grid is stressed could help utilities save $120 billion on spending for new power plants and transmission lines, government officials and researchers said on Wednesday after a study in the Pacific Northwest.

A year-long "smart grid" study showed consumers saved 10 percent on power bills and cut power use 15 percent during key peak hours, the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory announced.

The small-scale GridWise Demonstration Project involved 112 homeowners on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. Ron Ambrosio of IBM, which participated in the study, said nationwide use of the method could save $120 billion in power plants and transmission lines that won't have to be built.

"This research is vital because decreasing power consumption during the busiest times on the power grid improves efficiency and reliability and reduces the need to build additional infrastructure," said Washington Democratic Senator Patty Murray.

The 112 homeowners were given new electric meters to receive signals from the local utility when power prices are high, and thermostats and computer software that curtail power use at these times. They could set preferences by computer and remotely change preferences while away from home.

A companion study called the Grid Friendly appliance project fitted 150 homes in Oregon and Washington with "smart" dryers and water heaters equipped with circuit boards to detect when the power grid is stressed. When that happens, the appliances curtail power use for a minute or two.

"Grid friendly" circuit boards could be put in refrigerators, and other big appliances -- Ambrosio said they will be routinely installed in major household appliances by 2020 or so. If every big household appliance in the country were so fitted, the U.S. could cut electricity use by 20 percent, claims the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

In five years, the type of smart system used in the GridWise study will be available in 10 to 15 percent of U.S. homes, Ambrosio predicted, and in 10 to 15 years in half the country.

Rob Pratt, Pacific Northwest program manager, said the Pacific Northwest study was different from past studies because it offered near real-time responses to stresses on the power grid based on preset presences by consumers.

"We were able to engage electric customers in the moment-by-moment operation of the power grid," said Pratt.

When the study began in 2006, Pratt said that once the cost of installing such systems at homes dips to $200, it will become almost universal. Ambrosio estimated that the cost is now $500, and falling.

Power prices are highest during peak demand periods. If congestion on power lines of regional grids occurs or a key power plant fails during peak demand, prices can spike.

Utilities have long had demand-response programs that cut power use by big industrial and commercial users, but the real-time response based on consumer choice is the future of power use in America, Pratt said.

Smart grid techniques are a "shock absorber" to the power grid and power plants, giving utilities a chance to "catch a breath" during emergencies, said Pratt.

Most of the technology needed for the smart grid is on hand now, but it will take a decade or so before its use is widespread enough to notice major savings, said Pratt and Ambrosio.

(Editing by David Gregorio)

Britain approves new nuclear reactors to green fury

Channel NewsAsia 10 Jan 08;

The government was peddling a "lie" that nuclear power would help meet targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions, calling for greater energy efficiency and cleaner use of fossil fuels.

LONDON: The British government approved on Thursday a new generation of nuclear power stations, infuriating environmentalists who are considering a legal challenge.

The new stations are expected to be built with private sector help to ensure the future security of supplies and a balanced energy "mix" amid mounting global concern over long term oil and gas supplies.

"The government believes that nuclear power stations should have a role to play in this country's future energy mix alongside other low carbon sources," Business Secretary John Hutton told parliament, in a widely-expected statement.

"Set against the challenges of climate change and security of supply, the evidence in support of new nuclear power stations is compelling. We should positively embrace the opportunity of delivering this important part of our energy policy."

The pro-nuclear lobby has been pressing ministers for an early decision as most of the 19 reactors at Britain's 10 existing nuclear power stations, which produce about 20 percent of the country's electricity, will close by 2023.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has endorsed his predecessor Tony Blair's support for kick-starting Britain's nuclear energy programme, against a backdrop of soaring oil prices, which last week hit 100 dollars a barrel.

Companies such as E.On, EDF, Centrica and RWE have all expressed an interest in involvement, with pledges that new plants could be up and running by 2018.

But opponents, with strong concerns over waste and safety, question whether atomic energy can help cut carbon emissions and want greater clarity on costs, plus assurances consumers will not have to pay for eventual decommissioning.

Greenpeace last year won a legal challenge after complaining the government's consultation process was flawed. The group said it was studying closely the re-ordered consultation and had not ruled out fresh action.

Executive director John Sauven said the government was peddling a "lie" that nuclear power would help meet targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions, calling for greater energy efficiency and cleaner use of fossil fuels.

"Ministers' own research found that even 10 new reactors would only cut the UK's carbon emissions by about four percent some time after 2025, and the so-called energy gap will open before new nuclear power stations can be built," Sauven said.

Friends of the Earth, Britain's third party – the Liberal Democrats – and the Green Party agreed, calling for a bolder policy with more reliance on sustainable or renewable energy, like wave and wind power.

One of the Green Party's principal speakers, Caroline Lucas, said Brown was guilty of "the most staggering failure of political vision".

"The reason that Germany has 300 times as much solar power and 10 times as much wind power than the UK is simply because German politicians, led by the Greens, have had the political will to lead the way," she added.

According to government figures, only five percent of Britain's electricity came from renewable sources in 2006.

Lobby group the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) said a new nuclear build sent "the wrong message" internationally, given opposition to other countries building reactors because of fears they could create atomic weapons.

And Scotland's parliament, which controls planning but not energy policy, could provide another stumbling block as First Minister Alex Salmond has said there is "no chance" new plants would be built there.

But minister Hutton insisted the British government is taking the right decision.

"Giving the go ahead today that new nuclear power should play a role in providing the UK with clean, secure and affordable energy, is in our country's vital long term interest," he said.- AFP/so

UK starts new push for nuclear power
Reuters 10 Jan 08;

By Pete Harrison

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain gave the go-ahead to a new generation of nuclear power stations on Thursday, setting no limits on nuclear expansion and adding momentum to atomic energy's worldwide renaissance.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government argues Britain must build new nuclear plants to help meet its climate change goals and to avoid overdependence on imported energy amid dwindling North Sea oil and gas supplies.

Nuclear power stations provide about 18 percent of Britain's electricity now, but many are nearing the end of their lives.

Energy Secretary John Hutton said the evidence in support of new nuclear stations was compelling.

"I therefore invite energy companies to bring forward plans to build and operate new nuclear power stations," he told parliament.

He said he would not set "some sort of artificial cap" on the proportion of Britain's electricity derived from nuclear power.

Environmental group Greenpeace, which succeeded in blocking an earlier pro-nuclear decision, said the public had been misled during recent consultations and its lawyers were already considering a fresh challenge.

"This is bad news for Britain's energy security and bad news for our efforts to beat climate change," Greenpeace Executive Director John Sauven said, adding that there were safety problems with the government's plans to store highly radioactive waste underground.

The opposition Liberal Democrats said the public consultation on nuclear power had been a "sham," but the Conservative Party lent its support.

"It is our duty to set aside political scrapping so as to make sure we do what's right for our country," said Conservative business spokesman Alan Duncan.

RENAISSANCE

The government called nuclear energy an unattractive option in 2003, but since then surging prices for oil and gas have helped make it more competitive and the focus on cutting carbon emissions to fight climate change has intensified.

Already, countries such as France and Finland are building new nuclear plants and, in the United States, companies have begun filing license applications, reinforcing the view atomic energy is part of the solution to the world's energy problems.

However, there is opposition to nuclear among some countries, including Germany which remains an anti-nuclear stronghold with no prospect of new reactors being built.

For critics, the toxic waste from nuclear power generation, which will remain for thousands of years, is one of the powerful reasons to say atomic energy is not worth the risk.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone called the government decision "the mistake of a generation."

Nuclear operators say they could have new plants running in Britain by 2017, but analysts point to tough global competition for components and experienced nuclear workers.

"The UK will need to work hard to remain an attractive option," said Tony Ward of Ernst & Young, adding that more than 30 reactors were under construction around the world, and over 90 were in the pipeline.

Hutton said he expected several new plants to be running by the mid-2020s and French nuclear engineering firm Areva said it aimed to built at least four reactors in the UK, possibly six.

The government green light was accompanied by publication of an Energy Bill to be fast-tracked through parliament with the Climate Change Bill and the Planning Bill.

Hutton said the government would give more support to wind, wave and tidal energy.

The trio of bills form the backbone of the government's new energy and climate policy for the next decades.

The British public is divided on nuclear, with 44 percent saying companies should have the option of investing in new nuclear power and 37 percent disagreeing.

The last of Britain's existing nuclear plants is scheduled to be closed by 2035. Analysts say renewable sources of energy would not be sufficient to replace them.

H5N1 found in three dead swans in England

Channel NewsAsia 10 Jan 08;

LONDON : Three swans found dead on a nature reserve in south-west England have tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu, Britain's environment ministry said.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said avian influenza was confirmed in the wild mute swans near Chesil Beach, Dorset "following positive test results for the highly pathogenic strain of H5N1."

"While this is obviously unwelcome news, we have always said that Britain is at a constant low level of risk of introduction of Avian Influenza," said acting chief veterinary officer Fred Landeg.

"Our message to all bird keepers, particularly those in the area, is that they must be vigilant, report any signs of disease immediately, and practice the highest levels of biosecurity."

Media reports said urgent tests were under way to determine whether the virus - which can pass to humans - has infected other birds and ducks at a bird sanctuary, in Abbotsbury, Dorset.

John Houston, in charge of Abbotsbury Swannery, told BBC News 24 television: "We are working closely with Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) to ensure that this outbreak is contained and that the swans affected is low.

"We are also working with the Health Protection Agency to make sure that the public and staff are protected."

The swannery, which was originally set up in the 11th century by monks who regarded swan meat as a delicacy, is a popular visitor attraction, but closed on October 28. It is due to reopen on March 15, Houston said.

About 800 swans, as well as other birds, inhabit the wetlands, which are close to the south Dorset shore, to feed and breed. - AFP/de

CDC says dengue cases likely to increase this year

Channel NewsAsia 10 Jan 08;

"Global warming could be giving Aedes mosquitoes better conditions for their reproduction and activities... therefore you see an increase in the number of dengue cases over a period of time."

SINGAPORE: The number of dengue cases in Singapore is likely to increase this year, but the Communicable Diseases Centre (CDC) said the figures will not reach epidemic levels.

A total of 8,829 people came down with dengue infections last year – more than double of 3,000 cases in 2006.

But these numbers are still less than the record number of some 14,000 cases in 2005.

The CDC said such figures suggest a cyclical pattern of a dengue epidemic in Singapore every five to six years. It also suggests that dengue cases will climb this year.

Associate Professor Leo Sin Yee, director of CDC, said: "Global warming could be giving Aedes mosquitoes better conditions for their reproduction and activities... therefore you see an increase in the number of dengue cases over a period of time."
- CNA/so

AVA officers find 130 cats, allegedly underfed, to be healthy

Channel NewsAsia 10 Jan 08;

SINGAPORE : The 130 cats which had allegedly been underfed by a caretaker at Pasir Ris Farmway are in fact healthy.

This was confirmed by animal welfare officers from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) who inspected the animals on Thursday.

The inspectors visited the farm after it received complaints from neighbouring residents and the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

A caller to the MediaCorp News hotline had alleged on Wednesday that the animals had supposedly been underfed.

Another cat lover, who only wants to be known as Madam Yap, has since volunteered to take over the 130 cats.

But that offer has been rejected by the original caretaker of the cats. - CNA /ls

RELATED LINKS

Dispute over welfare of 130 cats to involve authorities
Channel NewsAsia 9 Jan 08;

Vancouver Company Convicted of Queen Conch Smuggling

Environment News Service 9 Jan 08;

Over 54,000 pounds, or 27 tons, of Queen conch meat was unlawfully exported to the United States by this operation.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Canada, January 9, 2008 (ENS) - An 18 month long investigation into trafficking of meat from the endangered Caribbean Queen conch into Florida has resulted in a British Columbia company being fined a Canadian record high wildlife fine of over $78,000.

On Friday, Pacific Marine Union Corporation entered a guilty plea in Vancouver Provincial Court to two counts under the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act and was fined a total of $78,566.94.

The Environmental Damages Fund will receive $10,000 of that amount. The fund, administered by Environment Canada, provides the courts with a way to direct fine monies to restore and protect the environment.

The charges were a result of Operation Shell Game, an 18 month investigation into the unlawful import and export of Queen conch. The investigation involved Canadian wildlife officers in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia as well as special agents from both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office for Law Enforcement in New York and Florida.

Investigators determined that in January of 2005, Pacific Marine Union unlawfully exported two shipments of Queen conch to Caribbean Conch, Inc. of Hialeah, Florida.

Then, between July 2005 and March 2006, Pacific Marine Union Corporation unlawfully imported five shipments of Queen conch meat from Haiti - declared as either "clams" or "whelk." The meat was then repackaged and relabelled as "whelk meat," a non-endangered species, and exported to Caribbean Conch, Inc., in Florida.

Over 54,000 pounds, or 27 tons, of Queen conch meat was unlawfully exported to the United States by this operation.

Environment Canada wildlife officer Patrick Porter told the "Vancouver Sun" that the conch, which can sell for about $40 per kilogram, would have been worth close to $1 million after resale. The meat is a delicacy featured on many restaurant menus.

The Queen conch lives in sand, seagrass bed, and coral reef habitats in warm, shallow water throughout the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.

Queen conch abundance is declining throughout the species' range as a result of overfishing and poaching.

Endangered species of animals and plants, such as Queen conch, are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES. The Queen conch and their meat and shells are therefore protected under the laws of both countries.

Environment Canada is the lead agency responsible for implementing CITES on behalf of the government of Canada. CITES sets controls, through a permit system, on the international trade and movement of animal and plant species that are endangered, or have been, or may be, threatened due to excessive commercial exploitation.

China comes down hard on pangolin smugglers

Straits Times 10 Jan 08;

BEIJING - TWO men in China's southeastern city of Xiamen have been given suspended death sentences for smuggling pangolins and other exotic animals into the country, state media reported on Thursday.

Pangolins, nocturnal scaly anteaters which spend most of their days curled up in a ball asleep, are in great demand in China where their meat is considered a delicacy and their scales believed to hold medicinal properties.

From October 2005 to April 2006, a gang smuggled 17 containers of pangolin meat and scales worth 23.4 million yuan (S$4.6 million) into China, Xinhua news agency said.

Two gang leaders were sentenced to death, suspended for two years. Three others were jailed for life.

In China, a suspended death sentence is usually commuted to life imprisonment on good behaviour.

In summer 2006, customs officials became suspicious of a container which was found to hold 2,849 frozen pangolins and 2,600 large geckos originating from Malaysia together worth 6 million yuan.

China has stepped up efforts in recent years to stamp out a domestic wildlife trade and educate people about the environmental perils of stripping forests of their native flora and fauna.

But the appetite for exotica remains and partly as a result of the crackdown, the trade has intensified beyond China's borders. -- REUTERS

Drought driving deadly snakes into Australian cities: official

Yahoo News 10 Jan 08;

Australia's harsh drought is driving venomous snakes into urban areas in search of moisture, resulting in an increasing number of attacks on people, officials said Thursday.

Acting Victoria state Premier Rob Hulls issued the warning after a woman and her dog were bitten in the garden of their Melbourne suburban home. The woman was rushed to hospital where she is in stable condition, but the dog died.

"There will be an influx of snakes and it's very important that people stay away from them," he said, blaming the drought and high temperatures for driving the reptiles from their natural habitat.

"They'll be found in places where they wouldn't normally be seen."

Hull said that in Victoria state alone, 197 people had been admitted to hospital for treatment for snake bites over the past year -- 20 more than in the previous 12 months.

Similar warnings were issued last January after several people were killed by snakes in the early part of the southern hemisphere summer.

Australia is known to have some of the world's deadliest snakes, with Victoria home to at least four particularly venomous species -- the tiger, common brown, copperhead and red-bellied black snake.

Global warming could make Australia's outback tougher: study

Yahoo News 10 Jan 08;

Life in Australia's rugged outback could get even tougher when the effects of global warming bite, with extreme weather and outbreaks of exotic diseases in unexpected places, a new study suggests.

The world's driest inhabited continent is predicted to be among the regions worst hit by climate change and is already grappling with a long-running drought thought by some researchers to be linked to global warming.

As well as droughts, the study, says the outback can expect to face floods and cyclones as temperatures rise.

Altered weather patterns may affect the distribution of mosquitoes and other animal vectors for human disease, bringing outbreaks of exotic diseases to unexpected places.

There could also be variations in daily mortality and hospitalisation rates, said the study by the University of Adelaide in partnership with Charles Sturt University, published in the Australian Journal of Rural Health.

Australia's Aborigines could be among those worst affected since most of them live in remote areas and often have only limited access to health care.

"Studying the effects of climate change in Australian rural and remote regions is extremely important because of the unequal access to health care systems by those who live there," study author Peng Bi wrote.

"Australian society, especially rural regions, is becoming more vulnerable to natural disasters, at least in terms of economic costs, and these disasters are primarily climate-related."

The study points out remote Australia's importance to the country in terms of agriculture and biodiversity.

"Such responses might include changes in physical structure of resource management systems like reservoirs, changes in the operation of these systems, a range of socio-economic actions such as pricing and marketing mechanisms, community education and health promotion campaigns."

Shoppers: It's BYO bag in China

Christopher Bodeen, Associated Press Yahoo News 10 Jan 08;

Declaring war on the "white pollution" choking its cities, farms and waterways, China is banning free plastic shopping bags and calling for a return to the cloth bags of old — steps largely welcomed by merchants and shoppers on Wednesday.

The measure eliminates the flimsiest bags and forces stores to charge for others, making China the latest nation to target plastic bags in a bid to cut waste and conserve resources.

Beijing residents appeared to take the ban in stride, reflecting rising environmental consciousness and concern over skyrocketing oil prices.

"If we can reduce waste and save resources, then it's good both for us and the whole world," said college student Xu Lixian, who was buying tangerines out of cardboard boxes at a sidewalk stall.

The ban takes effect June 1, barely two months before Beijing hosts the Summer Olympic Games, ahead of which it has been demolishing run-down neighborhoods and working to clear smog. The games have added impetus to a number of policies and projects, likely boosting odds for the bag ban's implementation.

Under the new rules, businesses will be prohibited from manufacturing, selling or using bags less than 0.025 millimeters (0.00098 inches) thick, according to the order issued by the State Council, China's Cabinet. The council's orders constitute the highest level of administrative regulation and follow-through is carefully monitored.

More durable plastic bags still will be permitted for sale by markets and shops.

The regulation, dated Dec. 31 and posted on a government Web site Tuesday, called for "a return to cloth bags and shopping baskets to reduce the use of plastic bags."

It also urged waste collectors to step up recycling efforts to reduce the amount of bags burned or buried. Finance authorities were told to consider tax measures to discourage plastic bag production and sale.

Internationally, legislation to discourage plastic bag use has been passed in parts of South Africa, Ireland and Taiwan, where authorities either tax shoppers who use them or impose fees on companies that distribute them. Bangladesh already bans them, as do at least 30 remote Alaskan villages.

Last year, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to ban petroleum-based plastic bags in large grocery stores. In France, supermarket chains have begun shying away from giving away plastic bags and German stores must pay a recycling fee if they wish to offer them. Ireland's surcharge on bags imposed in 2003 has been credited with sharply reducing demand.

The elderly proprietor of a combined clothing shop and grocery shop, who gave only his surname, Wang, said the Chinese measure could reduce sales initially but would be beneficial in the long run.

"It's a bother, but these bags really do create a lot of pollution, so it should be a good thing," said Wang. He said the measure would make little difference to his costs since he spends just 10 yuan ($1.35) a month on bags.

Xu, the college student, said the move showed China was serious about joining global efforts to stem environmental deterioration.

"I think this really shows that China is being a responsible country," said the 21-year-old.

Employees at larger supermarkets and convenience stores said they were unclear on the measure and did not know what their employers' response would be.

The regulation comes as Beijing steps up efforts to fight pollution that has accompanied China's breakneck economic growth. Factories and plants that churn out low-cost products for the world's consumers have severely fouled the country's air and water.

The order continues a years-old campaign against plastic waste, or "white pollution," that initially targeted the plastic foam lunch boxes whose decaying shells were once ubiquitous in China.

Shopkeepers started handing out cheap, flimsy plastic bags to customers about 15 years ago, roughly the same time that China shifted from being a net oil exporter to being a net importer. In recent years, large Western or Japanese-style supermarkets have begun to supplant traditional markets, eliminating the need for shoppers to bring their own bags.

"Our country consumes a huge amount of plastic shopping bags each year," the State Council said in a statement.

"While plastic shopping bags provide convenience to consumers, this has caused a serious waste of energy and resources and environmental pollution because of excessive usage, inadequate recycling and other reasons," the statement said.

Plastic shopping bags are given out with even the smallest items, although the statement gave no estimates as to the specific number of bags consumed in China or the potential savings in terms of the petroleum used to produce them.

Jennifer Turner, director of the China Environment Forum at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, said China's solid waste is at "a crisis level."

"Their landfills are reaching capacity and will be full in 13 years," she said, adding that a ban like this could be a significant way to educate the public about China's environmental issues.

In the United States, which has less than one-quarter of China's 1.3 billion people, the Sierra Club's Sierra magazine estimates almost 100 billion plastic bags are thrown out each year. The Sierra Club estimated that if every one of New York City's 8 million people used one less grocery bag per year, it would reduce waste by about 218,000 pounds.

In New York on Wednesday, the City Council approved a bill requiring large stores to provide bins for recycling plastic bags. The stores must also use bags that read: "Please return this bag to a participating store for recycling." Mayor Michael Bloomberg supports the measure and is expected to sign it.

China's move won praise from environmental organizations including Greenpeace, which issued a statement welcoming the ban.

"The State Council's announcement to ban free plastic bags is a perfect case to combine the two of the major forces in environment protection: public participation and government policy guidance," Greenpeace said.

Christopher Flavin, president of Worldwatch Institute, an independent research organization in Washington, said "China is ahead of the U.S. with this policy."

"They have had problems enforcing programs in the past, but this is easy to enforce because it has to be implemented on the retail level," Flavin said. "It won't be 100 percent on the first day, but in general, if you come back a year from now you will find this will be enforced and in place."

RELATED ARTICLES

New Bans on Plastic Bags May Help Protect Marine Life
Alana Herro, WorldWatch Institute 9 Jan 08;

China Launches Surprise Crackdown on Plastic Bags
Guo Shipeng and Emma Graham-Harrison, PlanetArk 9 Jan 08;

Best of our wild blogs: 10 Jan 08

Cleaning up (part of) Chek Jawa
more action on massive mess, on the ashira blog

Operation Baby Mynah
Bird rescue on the urban forest blog

Bird eye colour
in bulbuls on the bird ecology blog

NUS job opening: Campus Sustainability Officer
more details on the rmbr news blog and eco-tax mailing list

Don't be a slave to fashion
Green Tip #4 on the AsiaIsGreen blog

Why only kopitiam critics?

Today Online 10 Jan 08;
All Singaporeans have the right to speak up
It's the 'what' that matters
Policymakers alone may not have all the answers

Letter from JONATHAN LIM WEN ZHI
Letter from TAN MENG LEE
Letter from JASON CHIAM

I REFER to the article, "Why Ngiam the critic is tolerated" (Jan 8) by Mr Loh Chee Kong.

While political consciousness and greater liberty to express criticism has grown rapidly in recent years, the odds are still tilted against those who wish to make political statements, which might be interpreted as being critical of the Government.

Hence, the flow of such criticism is often top-down as opposed to bottom-up.

Political space should involve all levels of society, but on hearing the word "politics" here, one assumes that it only encompasses the Government, politicians, policymakers, etc, while the common man is supposed to be non-partisan.

Prominent figures like Mr Ngiam Tong Dow, Professor Tommy Koh and Dr Lee Wei Ling have made critical statements against the Government, but their views have been tolerated for reasons that they are people with prominent standing in their respective fields.

This should not translate into the thinking that those who aren't at the pinnacles of their fields shouldn't speak up.

Under the Constitution, "every citizen of Singapore has the right to freedom of speech and expression".

But this should be done without "rocking the boat" or endangering the social fabric.

As to how much the boat is being rocked and where the "OB" markers are, it is the Government that interprets and determines the rules.

As Mr Loh mentioned in his article, the mainstream media should give all sides a fair airing.

However, it is often perceived as a mouthpiece of the Government, as opposed to a tool for checks and balances, which is the practice in the West.

This top-down approach has also turned off the "elites" who aren't members of the Government from speaking up because they feel it would be an exercise in futility.

Singaporeans may also be deterred having seen some opposition politicians taken to task for irresponsible actions and speeches.

The result is that citizens continue to express their political opinions in the kopitiams and marketplace instead of political forums.

The article, "Why Ngiam the critic is tolerated", reflects the general sentiment that our Government only listens depending on "who" is making the point, "how" it is being said and "when" it is being said, rather than "what" is being said.

Is it any wonder then why Singaporeans clam up?

For anyone taking up political office, it is important to listen carefully to "what" is being said regardless of the "who", "how" and "when" to sieve out any precious gems that might enable office holders to fine-tune, revamp or reverse laws and policies to serve the majority as well as the minority without the risk of discrimination or disadvantage.

As Shakespeare said: "Virtue is bold, and goodness never fearful." Even where the issues raised are political or get politicised, there is no need to smear or be smeared.

I refer to your article, "Why Ngiam the critic is tolerated".

I agree that if you are a player in the establishment, your views would tend to be more readily accepted, as seen in the cases of Mr Ngiam Tong Dow and Mr Philip Yeo.

However, policymakers should realise that they do not have all the answers, and that sometimes the ability to reconcile different views may be the best option.

It is understandably difficult to find solutions to every problem, but sometimes consultation with people from all walks of life works wonders.

Globalisation good? McDonald's way of life for a more confident you

break barriers ... with a burger
Maneesh Kuruvilla, Today Online 10 Jan 08;

WE MAY not understand it, care about it or want to be a part of it, but we cannot escape its clutches. And while it has become prominent over the past decade, Theodore Levitt first coined the term "globalisation" in 1983 in an article for the Harvard Business Review entitled The Globalisation of Markets.

Yet, as fascinating as all this is, the true significance of globalisation is often lost on anyone without a PhD in economics. Globalisation means different things to different people.

To a call centre employee in south India, it means helping a client in Surrey navigate through the buttons on his Hi Definition TV remote. To a teenager in China, it is the opportunity of receiving an American education. To a housewife in Singapore, it means buying the freshest cuts of Australian beef at the local supermarket. And to a 10-year-old in Austria, it's about ordering the latest computer-programing magazine online.

To truly understand, experience and appreciate globalisation first hand, all one has to do is visit a place where the language, culture and people are foreign.

Let's take a trip to Italy — the land of pasta, Paolo Maldini and the Pope. Even to the most seasoned traveller, a maiden voyage to Italy can be a challenge.

Deciding on what to order at a cafe may not be easy despite the multilingual menus displayed outside for clueless tourists. Ordering pasta usually involves selecting the type of sauce and the meat to go with it. And this has to be communicated to the waiter in English, Italian and possibly, hand gestures.

How much simpler is it then to walk inside the all-too-familiar McDonald's. McDonald's is one of the classic examples of globalisation at work where the words "Big Mac" transcend all language barriers. It doesn't matter whether the staff member taking your order is Italian and doesn't speak fluent English.

The implications are greater than they appear. In a globalised world, you're never too far away from home (or a McDonald's). By accepting the "McDonald's way of life", we become part of a global culture, which doesn't require us to adapt to or adopt the culture of that particular place. Instead, familiarity breeds confidence and we gain new experiences within the confines of our comfort zones.

There are symbols of this borderless world that help us fit in immediately with new surroundings. By wearing a Gap T-shirt, Levi's jeans, Nike sneakers and arming ourselves with an iPod, we are almost instantly granted "one-of-us" status and scrutinised less, as these products are all recognised as "global brands". They are names that are trusted and loved worldwide. By using them, we represent some of those qualities.

The clothes we wear and the gadgets we use go beyond functional purposes. In a truly global world, these are the visible "passports" of the 21st century, passports of the global citizen. Making friends in new places may depend more on the songs in your mp3 playlist than your nationality.

Call it brand power, Western influence or whatever you wish. None of it would have been possible if the world had not shrunk. Improved relations among nations, defunct trade barriers and state-of-the art transport systems have literally made the world smaller. Add to that the information-technology revolution that provides us everything at our fingertips. We're part of a global culture in which our surroundings are always familiar because they're the same almost wherever we are.

It is for this reason globalisation is said to dissolve not only physical but also cultural, social and economic boundaries. It gives us a point of reference from which we can make calculated decisions.

After all, if it's good enough for the rest of the world it must be good enough for you and me. Remove globalisation and we'll find the world a diverse and complicated place to live in with a myriad of variables.

The writer is an 18-year-old Singaporean currently doing his National Service

Singapore: world's busiest port yet has 32% of world's corals

Possible to go green while doing business
DPM Jaya cites S'pore as example: It has world's busiest port yet waters here home to 32% of world's corals
Goh Chin Lian, Straits Times 10 Jan 08;

A BUSY port and a diverse coral reef can co-exist in harmony.

Similarly, it is possible to reduce pollution in a strait that is being used by ships from many countries.

Such balancing of environmental and economic interests is sustainable, said Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar yesterday at a maritime conference opening here.

He gave several examples which showed that in the rising tide of calls to protect the environment, economic interests need not be swept aside.

Take Singapore. It is the world's busiest transhipment port. Yet, its waters is home to 256 species - about 32 per cent - of the world's corals, and likely more than in Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

It is no different on the international front, Professor Jayakumar said.

Many countries whose ships use the Malacca and Singapore Straits for trade agreed last year to help fund efforts to protect the marine environment. They include Japan, South Korea, Australia, Greece and the United States.

The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) - the focus of the conference - is another example.

The treaty, billed a Constitution for the seas, grants coastal states sovereign rights to protect their marine environment.

But it gives ships from other nations navigational rights.

These navigational rights translate into economic interests: World shipping handles 90 per cent of global trade, and half of the world's oil shipments pass through the Malacca and Singapore Straits.

These interests are hurt when ships cannot freely travel on these waterways.

In the same vein, Prof Jayakumar sees a similar need to strike a balance between environmental and economic interests in the climate change negotiations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Many port cities, for instance, require ships that approach their ports to use less polluting fuel.

'Bearing in mind that ships carry more than 90 per cent of the world's merchandise, a balance should be found in greenhouse gas emission reduction by ships, the need to maintain freedom of navigation and growth of world trade and economic development,' he said.

Ultimately, environmental concerns cannot be seen in isolation from economic interests.

Even global warming has its economic implications.

The melting of icecaps, for example, may open up new routes to the resource-rich Arctic and Antarctic regions. Already, some states are scrambling for a stake there.

The need for laws to govern this rush of claims is also one reason the United States is looking to sign Unclos. Prof Jayakumar is hoping the US will be the 156th signatory.

Speaking before the minister, US Ambassador to Singapore Patricia Herbold said her country's Senate was expected to vote on ratifying the convention in the next few months.

Dr Sam Bateman, senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, acknowledged the constant tug-of-war between safeguarding environmental interests and navigational rights.

However, the decision by many countries to share the burden of protecting the environment of the Singapore and Malacca Straits is 'a great leap forward', he said, because they were not obliged to do so based on their right to use the Straits.

The two-day conference at Orchard Hotel, co-organised by the school and the University of Virginia School of Law, will cover such issues as passage rights and protecting the marine environment.

UN maritime law faces challenges from climate change, terrorism
Loh Chee Kong, Today Online 10 Jan 08;

IT was meant to replace a loose 17th century concept where nations held the rights over three nautical miles of coastal waters — the distance cannon balls could fly in those days.

But the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS), which established guidelines for businesses and the management of marine natural resources, is now confronted with new issues including the melting polar ice caps, maritime pollution and terrorism.

To tackle these challenges, Deputy Prime Minister S Jayakumar yesterday called on the "new generation of scholars and practitioners" to leverage on the existing UNCLOS framework, which was spearheaded by Singapore's ambassador-at-large Professor Tommy Koh.

Speaking at the 32nd Oceans Conference held here, Prof Jayakumar said: "The world has seen enormous changes in the 25 years since UNCLOS was adopted … The navigational freedoms and passage rights guaranteed by UNCLOS have underpinned this unprecedented period of global economic growth and prosperity."

The freedom for ships to navigate has resulted in a thriving energy trade, where two thirds of the world's liquefied natural gas and half the world's oil shipments pass through the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.

But the rise of terrorism, post 9/11, means that countries "must continue to exercise vigilance and strengthen cooperation", said Prof Jayakumar.

He added that climate change has also caused the ice caps to melt, which in turn threw up a deja vu scenario — it was the scramble for resources in the deep seabed which had led to the convening of UNCLOS — with countries now eyeing previously inaccessible natural and mineral resources in the Arctic and Antarctic.

Citing how Singapore has preserved its corals, Prof Jayakumar said that the Republic's experience showed it "is possible to maintain our maritime biodiversity while at the same time becoming the world's busiest transhipment port".

Stressing that all the diverse interests — trade liberalisation, maritime security and marine environment — must be constantly balanced, Prof Jayakumar said: "These competing interests are not necessarily at odds, nor should they be viewed as a zero sum game."

Next target of carbon emission cuts: Shipping

Michael Richardson, Straits Times 10 Jan 08;

OFTEN steaming in international waters far from land, the world's fleet of ocean-going ships has largely evaded scrutiny as a source of harmful air pollution and global warming emissions.

ut this lack of regulation is about to change as the fleet, which carries 90 per cent of trade by volume, expands rapidly and pressure increases to impose tighter fuel and other standards on the trillion-dollar shipping industry.

Calls are growing louder to include the shipping industry in any new international deal to cut greenhouse emissions. This is currently not covered by the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012.

The clean-up proposals are being closely watched by major Asian ports like Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong because they will add substantially to business costs and could give other maritime centres a competitive advantage unless the new controls are adopted and enforced by all trading nations.

A report last month by four environmental groups in the United States found that only six countries emitted more carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, than the world's fleet of 60,000 ocean-going and other marine vessels.

It said the fleet released between 600 and 900 million tonnes of CO2 each year, an amount equivalent to emissions from at least 130 million cars - about the number on US roads.

However, shipping industry officials say it is difficult to measure CO2 pollution from the global fleet and that some estimates are exaggerated. A figure that is frequently cited by the industry is a report to the British government by former World Bank chief economist Nicholas Stern. It concluded that CO2 emissions from ships contributed just 2 per cent to the global total in 2000, compared with 15 per cent from the transportation sector as a whole. Critics insist that the level is substantially higher and fails to take into account the rapid expansion of seaborne trade, which has surged by 50 per cent in the last 15 years.

Ships are also a source of non-CO2 pollution. The International Council on Clean Transportation, made up of transport and air quality officials from a wide range of states, reported last year that sea-going ships produced more sulphur dioxide than all the world's cars, trucks and buses combined. The council's study showed that the sulphur content of marine bunker fuel is far greater than highway diesel fuel. Bunker is significantly cheaper than road fuel.

Environmental groups say that ships account for between 8 and 10 per cent of sulphur emissions from all types of fossil fuel and also contribute nearly 30 per cent of global releases of nitrogen oxides. These emissions harm human health, cause acid rain and deplete the ozone layer.

Critics say that another pollutant from ships - black carbon, or soot - can warm the atmosphere many times more than the same amount of CO2.

In November, reacting to public concern about pollution from ships, the European Commission, executive arm of the European Union, called on the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the United Nations agency responsible for regulating shipping and marine pollution, to do more to help combat climate change.

The IMO set up a scientific group in July to study the issue. The group included experts from major shipping and trading nations, among them China, Japan and Singapore, as well as non-governmental organisations. Their report is due to be presented at an IMO meeting in London next month.

Any proposals to tighten fuel standards, reduce funnel exhaust gases and use only shore-based electric power when in port would be included as amendments to global marine pollution laws under the IMO's MARPOL Convention. They could be adopted as early as October and come into force 16 months later.

Some shipowners and government officials have cautioned the industry to take a conservative approach to pollution cuts because of the potential costs involved.

But Mr Tony Mason, secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping, warned last month that if governments and industry could not come up with improved standards by the end of this year, 'we shall see a serious disenchantment with the IMO process and a proliferation of local regulations, led in all probability by the EU and the US'.

National and regional regulation has already begun in America and Europe.

For example, the US House of Representatives approved legislation in March to empower the US Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency to develop and enforce emission limits on thousands of domestic and foreign-flagged ships that enter US waters each year.

If the IMO fails to come up with credible and enforceable global standards, sea-based transportation will be saddled with a patchwork quilt of regulation. This will slow shipping and maritime trade and increase its cost.

The writer is visiting senior research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. This is a personal comment.

Money Got Enough

A funny skit with a serious message for the Third Age
Arthur Lee, Business Times 10 Jan 08;

BANKS are generally seen as eager to encourage spending, especially with credit cards. But in a reversal of emphasis, the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) is staging a skit called Money Got Enough.

The 10-minute, lighthearted sketch aims to drive home the message of living within your means to visitors to the Silver Industry Conference and Exhibition at Suntec Convention Centre this weekend.

Jointly co-organised by the Council for the Third Age (C3A) and MoneySENSE, actresses Irene Ang from Fly Entertainment and Patricia Mok from MediaCorp engage in witty dialogue on the importance of planning for retirement and managing savings prudently.

A recording of the skit will be distributed to various community centres and grassroots organisations for screening to constituents.

The message may have come at an appropriate time. An AC Nielsen report commissioned by OCBC Bank in the last quarter of 2007 on the aspirations of Singaporeans over the next 10 years found they ranked retirement No 10.

ABS director Ong-Ang Ai Boon said: 'Through this entertaining and funny skit, we hope the key messages of managing personal finances prudently and planning for retirement needs will be driven home.'

Council for the Third Age CEO Henry Quake said: 'The council believes sound financial planning - before and after retirement - goes a long way towards ensuring security and peace of mind in retirement years.'

Human settlements main culprits for decline in coral reefs: study

Yahoo News 9 Jan 08;

The world's coral reefs are in alarming decline, but what -- or who -- is most to blame?

A groundbreaking study published Wednesday singles out human settlement, especially coastal development and agriculture, as the main culprit, even more so than warming sea waters and acidification linked to global warming.

The study focuses on the Caribbean, where declining reefs are endangering species of wildlife as well as tourism and fishing that are vital for the local economy, says lead author, Camilo Mora, of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada.

"The continuing degradation of coral reefs may be soon beyond repair if threats are not identified and rapidly controlled," he said.

Teasing apart the complicated web of factors driving reef destruction -- overfishing, runoff of pesticides and pollution, hurricanes, climate change -- is crucial for devising the best conservation strategies.

There might not be enough time for second or third chances, Mora said.

But a welter of contradictory evidence, most of it gathered from single sites, has made it nearly impossible to figure out what causes what.

Which is why Mora and University of Miami marine biologist Robert Ginsburg decided to compare several large-scale databases that had never been systematically cross-referenced.

Focusing on corals, fishes and macroalgae, or seaweed, in 322 sites across 13 countries in the Caribbean, the study matched environmental and ecological data against patterns of human population density, coastal development and agricultural land use.

Also included were data on hurricanes, biodiversity, fish populations and coral disease.

Sifting through all these statistics showed clearly that the number of people is the main driver of the mortality of corals, along with declining fish biomass and increases in algae.

But different kinds of human activity resulted in different impacts, the study revealed.

Higher population density in coastal areas produces more sewage and depletes fish stocks, both of which are directly responsible for coral mortality.

But chemical discharges from agricultural land drives an increase in macroalgae, which is indirectly linked to coral loss.

Warmer sea surfaces are also contributing to coral decline, but not hurricanes, said the study, published in the journal Nature.

"The human expansion in coastal areas inevitably poses severe risks to the maintenance of complex ecosystems such as coral reefs," Mora said.

Within a reef, predators prey on plant-eating fish, herbivores graze on seaweed, which in turn interacts with living coral. "A threat in any one group may escalate to the entire ecosystem," Mora explained.

"The array of human stressors ... are significantly affecting all major groups of coral reef organisms."

The study also concluded that while Marine Protected Areas help restore fish populations, they do nothing to protect coral.

A fifth of the world's marine reefs have already been destroyed and half are threatened because of human impact, whether directly or as a consequence of rising temperatures driven by climate change, according to the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

Coral reefs support some of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world, including many species that depend on reefs for shelter, reproduction and foraging.

Coral reefs also provide livelihoods for 100 million people and form the basis for industries such as tourism and fishing, worth 30 billion dollars (25 billion euros) a year, says the IUCN.

RELATED ARTICLE

New approach needed to save coral reefs
Michael Kahn, Reuters 8 Jan 08;

Killing Earth’s largest organism

Julian Cribb, Science Alert 10 Jan 08;

Five times in the history of life on Earth, the corals have died out. Each time they have taken tens of millions of years to evolve anew from simpler creatures.

Leading Australian marine scientist Dr J.E.N. “Charlie” Veron argues we are at the brink of a sixth mass extinction – and that the killers of the largest living organism on the planet, the Great Barrier Reef, will be none other than ourselves.

In “A Reef in Time”, published by Harvard University Press, Dr Veron traces the story of the GBR from beginning to what he sees as its probable demise towards the end of the present century.

Charlie Veron is no Hanrahan, crying “We’ll all be rooned”. As former Chief Scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science and author of one of the world’s best known reference books on coral species, his is a voice that speaks with calm authority about a subject he has known intimately as a diver and professionally as a scientist for all his working life.

But it is a voice with a tinge of despair, doubting that even humans with our well-honed instincts for self-preservation, can draw back from the planetary chaos we have already unleashed: “It cannot rationally be doubted that we are now at the start of an event that has the potential to become the Earth’s sixth mass extinction. This time there are no bolides (asteroids), no supervolcanoes, and no significant sea level changes...it is a case of humans changing the environment.”

As diver and researcher Charlie sees the Reef as Nature’s pinnacle of achievement in the ocean realm, a place of endless beauty that has endured when other places on Earth have changed beyond recognition. It is the only living organism large enough to be viewed from outer space. What a tragedy if it were reduced to a crumbling, weed-infested heap of limestone rubble within the lifespan of our children, never to return while humans still exist.

The processes that may bring this about are already at work beneath the ocean’s impassive countenance. Invisible eddies of heated water bring sudden death to vast tracts of corals when they linger over them for a few days. And, molecule by molecule, the carbon dioxide we produce each time we start out cars, turn on our lights or produce our goods dissolves into the upper oceans, turning them ever so slightly acid – and acidity is death both to corals and the calcareous algae that ‘glue’ the reef together.

Attempting to reconstruct what many scientists now fear will be the likely fate of the GBR and, indeed, all the earth’s corals (along with the 500 million people they support), Veron reaches back in time to understand the processes that obliterated corals in the ancient past.

At points 434 million, 350 million, 251 million, 205 million and 65 million years before the present, some cataclysm either totally or partially obliterated all the corals on earth, along with a great many other species. For ten million years or more following each event the fossil record is devoid of corals – and of the vast limestone formations, even entire mountain ranges, which they produced. After events like the “Great Dying” at the end of the Permian era (251my ago), it appears corals, along with 96 per cent of all marine life, were totally obliterated and had to begin evolving again from scratch.

The causes of these mass extinctions are unclear, though asteroids, supervolcanoes, tectonic and climate change figure large among the theories. One of the unifying factors may have been the mobilisation of vast amounts of the Earth’s stored carbon into the atmosphere, and thence into the oceans, turning them acid and shutting down the life which depends on alkaline water to form its shells and skeletons. It is possible that the initial great die-off was followed by vast blooms of bacteria, feasting on the carcases, and this in turn stripped all the oxygen from the water (as it does today in highly polluted waters), killing fish and other creatures which had survived the initial acidity.

“The prospect of ocean acidification is frightening,” Veron states. “It is serious because of commitment – a word that will soon be used with increasing frequency in the scientific literature.” Commitment, essentially, means that a process is unstoppable. If the oceans turn acid – as they are already doing - the only known process to reverse this is the slow weathering and dissolution of limestone mountain ranges into the sea over millions and millions of years. The public, aware of the role of CO2 in climate change, is far less conscious of its function in acidifying the oceans and of the vast spans of time required for recovery, suggested by the gaps in the fossil coral record.

Unlike coral bleaching, which is visible within days, acidification is a creeping death. “The long-term outlook is that reefs will be committed to a path of destruction long before any effects are visible,” he says. If global atmospheric CO2 levels reach 650-700 parts per million, as they are forecast to do by the latter part of this century, traces of human-produced CO2 will still be present in 30,000 years time, contributing to acidification. This indicates the immense lags in the system even were we to cease burning fossil fuels forthwith.

“Ultimately, and here we are looking at centuries rather than millennia, the ocean’s pH will drop to a point where a host of other chemical changes, including a lack of oxygen, may kick in. We have set the stage for the sixth great mass extinction, and another few decades like our last century will see the Earth committed to a trajectory from which there will be no escape. A continued business-as-usual scenario of CO2 production will ultimately result in destruction of marine life on a colossal scale.”

The need for action to quell CO2 is urgent but Veron – along with other scientists – is frustrated that the media, in its quest for “balance” by including both scientific and non-scientific claims in stories, helps to keep the public and governments in a perpetual state of indecision. “Such public uncertainty, in combination with pressure from groups with vested interests, has prolonged government inaction in democratic countries (notably the USA and Australia) and this delay is already having far-reaching consequences. The GBR will be among the first in a long line of dominoes to fall....”

“A Reef in Time” is an alarming, but not alarmist, book. Passionate yet objective, Veron presents the science behind his argument lucidly: much of this will be new to lay audiences unacquainted with the more recent thinking about climate science. He acknowledges doubt and uncertainty where they exist. Like many, he sees an urgent global effort to eliminate CO2 emissions as fast as possible, using all the scientific and technological firepower at our disposal, as the only possible option.

In the end, however, A Reef in Time is a threnody to the passing of one of the Earth’s most wondrous organisms.

Julian Cribb is an adjunct professor of science communication at the University of Technology Sydney and editor of www.sciencealert.com.au.

Details:

A Reef in Time
J.E.N.Veron
Harvard University Press 2008
ISBN-13:978-0-674-12679-7

Climate Change Fueling Malaria in Kenya, Experts Say

Eliza Barclay, National Geographic News 9 Jan 08;

Esther Njoki lay on a slender cot in the women's ward of Tumutumu Hospital, lucid for the first time in days after being ambushed by fever and delirium. The emaciated 80-year-old had survived a bout of malaria, but her doctor said it nearly killed her.

Malaria has long been endemic to Kenya's humid coast and swampy lowland regions, but it has only rarely reached Njoki's village on the slopes of Mount Kenya

In recent decades, however, scientists have noted an increase in epidemics in the region, as well as in sporadic cases like Njoki's.

Many medical and environmental experts attribute the spike in malaria to climate change, in the form of warmer temperatures and variations in rainfall patterns. (See a map of global warming's effects.)

"We are now finding malaria in places that we did not expect to find it, particularly the highland regions that used to be too cool for malaria," said Dorothy Memusi, deputy director of the Malaria Division in Kenya's Ministry of Health.

Parasites, Mosquitoes Affected by Climate

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by parasites in the blood system. Symptoms include fever, severe joint pain, and in extreme cases, anemia—a deficiency in red blood cells—because the parasites use red blood cells to reproduce.

Changes in temperature can affect the development and survival of malaria parasites and the mosquitoes that carry them, according to a joint 2004 study by the State University of New York, Buffalo, and the Kenya Medical Research Institute.

Rainfall also influences the availability of mosquito habitats and the size of mosquito populations, the research found.

Shem Wandiga is a professor of chemistry at University of Nairobi who has studied the relationship between climate and malaria.

He said malaria epidemics first appeared in Kenya's highlands in the 1920s, but during the last 20 years, the frequency of outbreaks in the region has been more pronounced.

"The best climate conditions for malaria are a long rainy season that is warm and wet, followed by a dry season that is not too hot, followed by a hot and wet short rainy season," Wandiga said.

"Two to three months after that pattern, you see the onset of a malaria epidemic."

The recent outbreaks are particularly worrying because people have not built up immunity to the malaria parasite, according to K. M. Bhatt, an infectious and tropical disease specialist at the University of Nairobi.

"Epidemics are now more deadly, particularly for humans who do not have immunity and are taken by surprise when they're bitten," she said.

"[Patients] can get cerebral complications and lung and kidney failures if they do not get immediate treatment."

Wandiga noted that immunity to malaria develops over generations of people living with the disease.

"The second curse for highlanders who get malaria is their inability to access good medical facilities that would diagnose disease early enough and treat it," Wandiga added.

Other Causes?

While environmental and public health experts express alarm over the effects of climate change on malaria's spread, others are still skeptical of the role of climate in the epidemics in the East African highlands.

Bob Snow is a professor at the University of Oxford based at the Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Program. He said that rising malaria rates are more likely the result of increased drug resistance in malaria parasites and the infrequent use of pesticides in mosquito breeding grounds.

Part of the Kenyan government's strategy to control malaria includes a renewed pesticide spraying program, the distribution of more than 3.4 million mosquito nets, and the use of combined-drug therapies called ACTs, he pointed out.

"Since 2000 there has been a precipitous decline in hospitalization from malaria [that is] coincidental with expanding [mosquito] net coverage and adoption of ACTs," Snow said.

Wandiga countered that the Kenyan highlands have not experienced an epidemic in the last three years because weather conditions have not been conducive to mosquito propagation.

But he said he remains concerned that the region will continue to see health effects from climate change.

"We expect the frequency of diseases to increase and hence the need for early warning and early detection systems," he added.

"We need to improve health delivery services to communities to cope with these sudden increases."

China poised to be world leader in renewable energy, expert predicts

Yahoo News 10 Jan 08;

China is poised to become a global leader in renewable energy in the next few years, the head of environmental research group Worldwatch said Wednesday.

"I think China will be number one in less than three years in every renewable energy market in the world," Worldwatch president Chris Flavin told reporters at the launch of the annual "State of the World" report.

In its 25th "State of the World" report, Worldwatch hails a wave of innovation that is helping to create a sustainable global economy.

"I am becoming increasingly confident in the case of China in particular that there is going to be an ability to make the transition to being at the forefront of innovation", despite contradictory forces at play in the world's most populous nation, Flavin said after the report was presented.

"On the one hand, China is close to passing the US as the world's biggest producer of carbon dioxide, and at the same time it is becoming an innovator" in the field of renewable energy.

China is both the leading manufacturer of many new-energy products, including the low-energy lightbulbs that US consumers will be using in future, and has shown "leadership in renewable energy resulting from government policies," said Flavin.

"A major new renewable energy law came into force (in China) at the beginning of 2006. Here we sit two years later and the results of that are already becoming clear," he said.

"Although there are some great success stories in Europe in terms of renewable energy, I don't think anyone can compare with China in terms of the speed with which new markets have been created and in the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of new laws."

The 25th "State of the World" report warns that the planet is faced with "substantial environmental challenges" but says the environmental rot can be reversed and a sustainable economy created by redoubling the "extraordinary pace and scale of environmental innovation" of recent years.

Singapore: Time to rethink some taxes

Heng Cheng Suang, Ivan Png, Teo Hock Hai, Straits Times 10 Jan 08;

THIS is the time of the year when the Minister of Finance prepares the Budget for the next financial year. We ask the minister to consider five suggestions for Budget 2008/2009.

1. Benefits registration
2. Estate duty
3. Taxation of petrol and diesel cars
4. ARF, COE, excise duty
5. Tax expenditure budgeting

1. Benefits registration

IN RECENT years, the Government has offered a number of benefit schemes, including the Progress Package, and most recently, GST offsets. Under these schemes, citizens must register to obtain the benefits.

However, for unknown reasons, a considerable number of people did not register. At almost the end of last year, 87,000 Singaporeans, or 3.8 per cent of the 2.3 million who qualified for goods and services tax offsets, had not registered. With the minimum credit being $100, the unclaimed funds totalled $8.7 million or more.

Were these 87,000 people deliberately making a gift to the Treasury? Or had they overlooked or not heard about the registration and thus failed to collect their money?

Registration for benefits is an opt-in process. In any opt-in process, some people will fail to participate simply because of inertia, forgetfulness, or poor information. Which is why, of course, organ donations are legally stipulated to be an opt-out process.

To avoid any appearance of conflict in the structuring of the benefit process, we suggest that all unclaimed benefits be assigned to charity. Indeed, this 'default' would simplify the process for those Singaporeans who want to donate their benefits to charity. They simply need not register.

2. Estate duty

AT PRESENT, the estate duty system provides a $9 million exemption for housing and only $600,000 exemption for all other assets, including CPF balances. Many people have observed that the imbalance in the exemptions distorts investment choices towards real estate.

Indeed, in the 2006 Budget debate, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acknowledged: 'This biases investment choices and results in very narrow coverage.' He said that the Government would revise estate duty by the next year.

However, last year, to much public disappointment, then Second Minister of Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam postponed any action. He said that he would consider the rebalancing together with the decision on whether to have estate duty at all.

The imbalanced exemptions remain. Indeed, with the current real estate inflation, any distortion in favour of real estate investments is a policy error. The Government should not delay any further in correcting this mistake.

3. Taxation of petrol and diesel cars

AT PRESENT, the Government applies a strange mix of policies towards petrol vis-a-vis diesel cars. Its road tax on most diesel cars is six times higher than that on petrol cars.

Meanwhile, it levies a 44 cents-per-litre excise duty on petrol but no duty on diesel.

Very few Singaporeans own diesel-powered cars. In comparison, diesel cars are very common throughout Europe. Last October, one of us drove 300km in a diesel-powered car, using barely two-thirds of the tank of fuel. Against the backdrop of excessive greenhouse gas emissions, why does the Government's policy conflict with fuel-economy?

To better understand the appropriate policy towards petrol vis-a-vis diesel cars, we need to be clear about the public policy issues. One is congestion, which is the same whether the car is powered by petrol or diesel. The other is emissions - diesel-powered cars generally emit more particulate matter, but are more fuel-efficient.

Both congestion and emissions are directly related to usage. Congestion is addressed, in part, by electronic road pricing. To the extent that ERP does not do the job, an excise duty on fuel - petrol as well as diesel - could help.

Emissions definitely should be addressed through excise duty. Accordingly, the appropriate policy would be to levy excise duties on both petrol and diesel, with a higher (not lower) rate on diesel to reflect the higher emissions.

As for the road tax, it is a tax on car ownership rather than a charge for road usage. It would be more accurate to call it a car tax. The proper role for a car tax is to correct any other distortion not addressed by excise duty or ERP.

In this respect, the Government is doing the right thing. Euro IV diesel cars pollute less than older models. Accordingly, they are subject to a lower tax than older diesel cars.

Another factor is the impact of car size on wear and tear of the road surface and congestion. This would indicate a higher rate of car tax on larger vehicles.

4. ARF, COE, excise duty

WE HAVE mentioned the road tax and excise duty on fuel. Private car owners are subject to several other taxes - registration and additional registration fees, excise duties on car purchase, and certificate of entitlement (COE) charges.

Again, we need to be clear about the public policy issues. As already mentioned, the policy issues are congestion, emissions, and wear and tear of the roads. We have suggested earlier how these should be addressed.

There seems to be no policy reason for the panoply of taxes on car owners. If the principle is a tax on car ownership, then that should be made explicit and all these should be consolidated into a single tax.

If the principle is a tax on luxury consumption, then that should be made explicit and extended to all other luxuries, such as private swimming pools, jewellery and shark's fin.

5. Tax expenditure budgeting

EVERY year, the Ministry of Finance announces new tax incentives - for research and development, creative work, wealth management, commodities trading, logistics and so on.

In general, we much prefer a simple tax system with low rates over a more complicated one with higher rates but many exemptions. Tax incentives are intended to stimulate investment and employment. However, the only sure stimulus is to employment for accountants and lawyers.

We suggest that the Government keep track of the total impact of tax incentives by reporting 'tax expenditures' along with its other expenditures. Tax expenditures are the value of taxes forgone from incentives. With such transparency, the Government and Parliament would be much better able to scrutinise the cost-effectiveness of tax incentives as compared with grants and other policy instruments.

The United States and other OECD countries have adopted accounting for tax expenditures. Is this not a best practice that we should follow?

The authors are faculty members of the Dept of Information Systems at the National University of Singapore. The opinions expressed here are personal.

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)