wildsingapore news: Jan 14, 2008

EU rethinks biofuels guidelines: "Did not forsee the problems"

Roger Harrabin, BBC News 14 Jan 08;

Europe's environment chief has admitted that the EU did not foresee the problems raised by its policy to get 10% of Europe's road fuels from plants.

Recent reports have warned of rising food prices and rainforest destruction from increased biofuel production.

The EU has promised new guidelines to ensure that its target is not damaging.

EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said it would be better to miss the target than achieve it by harming the poor or damaging the environment.

Clampdown promised

A couple of years ago biofuels looked like the perfect get-out-of-jail free card for car manufacturers under pressure to cut carbon emissions.

Instead of just revolutionising car design they could reduce transport pollution overall if drivers used more fuel from plants which would have soaked up CO2 while they were growing.

The EU leapt at the idea - and set their biofuels targets.

Since then reports have warned that some biofuels barely cut emissions at all - and others can lead to rainforest destruction, drive up food prices, or prompt rich firms to drive poor people off their land to convert it to fuel crops.

"We have seen that the environmental problems caused by biofuels and also the social problems are bigger than we thought they were. So we have to move very carefully," Mr Dimas told the BBC.

"We have to have criteria for sustainability, including social and environmental issues, because there are some benefits from biofuels."

He said the EU would introduce a certification scheme for biofuels and promised a clampdown on biodiesel from palm oil which is leading to forest destruction in Indonesia.

Some analysts doubt that "sustainable" palm oil exists because any palm oil used for fuel simply swells the demand for the product oil on the global market which is mainly governed by food firms.

US expansion

Mr Dimas said it was vital for the EU's rules to prevent the loss of biodiversity which he described as the other great problem for the planet, along with climate change.

On Monday, the Royal Society, the UK's academy of science, is publishing a major review of biofuels. It is expected to call on the EU to make sure its guidelines guarantee that all biofuels in Europe genuinely save carbon emissions.

In the US the government has just passed a new energy bill mandating a major increase in fuel from corn, which is deemed by some analysts to be useless in combating rising carbon dioxide emissions.

The bill also foresees a huge expansion in fuel from woody plants but the technology for this is not yet proven.

Philippines bans building to preserve tourist spot

Yahoo News 14 Jan 08;

The Philippine government Monday imposed a six-month building ban on the resort island of Boracay, famed for its powder white sand and crystal clear waters.

The tiny island in the central Philippines draws more than half a million tourists each year, or more than one-sixth of last year's record arrivals in the country, according to official data.

However, the 10.32 square-kilometre (3.98 square-mile) island has drawn bad publicity in recent years due to sewerage contamination of the sea and the dumping of garbage in an open pit near the beach.

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Joselito Atienza said all construction permits would be withheld until the end of June.

"Rapid growth threatens the viability of Boracay as a tourist destination," Atienza said in a statement.

Aside from the nagging problems of the lack of clean drinking water, overcrowding and waste disposal, the problem of flooding now also haunts Boracay."

He said uncontrolled development was to blame.

"Even the forests in Boracay have been depleted and several residential and tourism facilities have been constructed on mountain slopes. These activities will eventually compromise public safety," Atienza said.

Over the next few months, the department will consult with experts and Boracay stakeholders to craft a master environmental plan that would guide future building activity, he said.

Asia biodiesel plants idle as costs soar

Naveen Thukral, NDTVProfit.com 14 Jan 08;

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - For many of southeast Asia's struggling biofuel makers, the global debate over using crops for food or as transport fuel is irrelevant -- a surge in palm oil prices has brought the industry to a standstill.

Even oil prices at $100 a barrel aren't helping companies who have invested tens of millions of dollars into plants that convert Indonesian or Malaysian palm oil into near zero-pollution diesel -- at a cost some 30 percent higher than regular diesel.

Over a dozen biodiesel plant projects have been delayed, while many of those already built are operating at a fraction of their capacity, according to a survey conducted ahead of the Reuters Global Agriculture and Biofuels Summit on Jan. 14 and 15.

Economics aren't the only factor: demand from Europe has been hurt by accusations that farmers are clearing large swathes of tropical forests to make way for plantations; governments have dragged their heels on policies that would require large-scale biodiesel use in domestic fuel.

The halcyon days of 2005, when vegetable oil-based green fuels were cheaper than crude petroleum and Europe made big plans to use biofuel, are now a distant memory.

"The prospects of the biodiesel industry are very slim, unless feedstock prices come down and we see mandates and subsidies in place," said Singapore-based biofuels analyst Chris de Lavigne at consultancy Frost and Sullivan.

Malaysia, the world's second-largest palm oil producer, took the lead three years ago, licencing more than 90 companies to set up biodiesel projects with a capacity of nearly 10 million tonnes, or some 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) in oil terms.

Today, the country has just 7 plants running, most of them below capacity, with 2008 output likely to be less than 100,000 tonnes, according to a Reuters survey of biodiesel projects in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

The survey showed 14 projects with a combined capacity of more than 2 million tonnes have either been shelved or delayed.

At least 1 million tonnes in biodiesel capacities sit idle -- an estimated $250 million in investment, based on estimates that each 100,000 tonnes of capacity costs about $25 million to build.

In Singapore, Australia-based Natural Fuel's 600,000 tonne plant is running at just 10 percent of the capacity as surging raw material prices have turned margins negative, a market source close to the company told Reuters.

"I don't see any point in going ahead with biodiesel. We lose money," said an official of a Malaysian plantation company which has shelved plans to build a biodiesel plant.

PRICES SURGE

Palm oil, which soared by more than 50 percent last year, has extended gains to new records in recent weeks thanks to a cocktail of booming demand from the food sector in Asia, lower output in Malaysia due to flooding and surging global crude and vegetable oil markets.

Crude palm oil, the main ingredient for biodiesel, now costs just over $1,000 a tonne, while petroleum-based diesel fuel trades at about $780 a tonne in Singapore.

That grim reality made Finnish refiner Neste Oil's announcement in November that it would build the world's largest biodiesel unit in Singapore all the more surprising, especially as it plans to use mainly palm oil for feedstock.

"The bottom line is that biodiesel is much more expensive than diesel, and I don't see much activity at the regulatory level," said Peter Cockcroft, a regional energy expert.

While some consumer nations like South Korea have pushed through small mandates that require domestic fuel to contain a certain percentage of bio-material, major producers have proven surprisingly reluctant to stimulate local demand.

Malaysia, which heavily subsidises domestic retail fuel thanks to hefty oil and gas export revenues, has indefinitely put off plans to introduce palm-blended diesel in the domestic market as the country would rather make more money selling palm oil to the food industry.

On top of this, palm oil, which was once considered an answer to the world's growing appetite for alternative fuels, faces questions about sustainability.

In Europe, policy makers and environmentalists consider the rapid expansion in Southeast Asia's palm estates responsible for the destruction of tropical forests and wildlife. Malaysia's palm oil sales to Europe from January to November were down a fifth from a year ago.

Nevertheless, many investors are sticking with it in hope that prices and policy will turn in their favour.

"We believe that you don't build a commodity business according to the cycle, you go in for long-term strategy," said Nathan Mahalingam, managing director of Australia-listed Mission Biofuels, which is building a second plant in Malaysia.

But he said: "It is a ridiculous price situation to be in and times are going to be challenging."

Best of our wild blogs: 14 Nov 07

Labrador Project Revived!
in response to impacts to this treasured shore on the labrador blog

Some background to efforts for Labrador
on the toddycats blog

Celebration Guestbook: Speak for the reefs
leave a comment to share your hopes for the shores on the singapore celebrates the reefs blog

International Coastal Cleanup Singapore 2008 dates
now out, mark your calender on the News from ICCS blog

Reintroducing a rare freshwater crab back to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve on the johora singaporensis blog

The Great Imperial
a fabulous butterfly on the butterflies of singapore blog

What is the soul of a movement?
thoughts on the it's getting hot in here blog

Ubin Sensory Trail part 2
more about this special trail on the wonderful creations blog

Tree Climbing at Kent Ridge
on the nature scouter blog

BESG weblog logs 200,000 visitors
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Daily Green Actions
a compilation of favourites on the leafmonkey blog

Singapore celebs pledge to reduce plastic use

Tessa Wong, Straits Times 14 Jan 08;

PLASTIC is not fantastic, and a new youth-for-youth online campaign called [minus]plas- tic hopes to spread that message with the help of local celebrities.

Television presenter Eunice Olsen, ex-Singapore Idol contestant Paul Twohill and 98.7 FM DJ Rosalyn Lee pledged to reduce their plastic usage at the campaign's launch on Saturday at Atrium@Orchard.

Twohill and Lee have taken it one step further, by embarking on a week-long series of challenges to cut down on plastic use, such as by having dinner at home to avoid using plastic takeaway containers.

Since Thursday, they have started blogging about their experience on the campaign's website, www.minusplastic.youth.sg.

[minus]plastic is the brainchild of three final-year communications students from Nanyang Technological University, and is backed by environmental organisation ECO Singapore.

The students were inspired by the National Environment Agency's (NEA) Bring Your Own Bag campaign last year for their 'green' final-year project.

'There is a 'disposable' culture among Singaporeans, and we wanted to target youth as it's easier to change habits when you're young,' said project member Chitra Kumar.

The group hopes to collect 10,000 online pledges from young people by the end of next month.

It also plans to submit a proposal to the NEA to speak to hawkers and food manufacturers to reduce plastic use.

To make an online pledge, log on to www.minusplastic.youth.sg

RELATED ARTICLE

Singapore youths launch campaign to reduce plastic usage
Channel NewsAsia 12 Jan 08;

Prices of CNY goodies to go up

Rising cost of fuel, raw materials to blame for 10-20% rise, say shops
Lin Xinyi, Straits Times 14 Jan 08;

BE PREPARED to spend 10 per cent to 20 per cent more on foodstuffs this Chinese New Year.

Suppliers, manufacturers and retailers have told The Straits Times that the costs of basic ingredients for festive goodies such as pineapple tarts, love letters and kueh bangkit have gone up.

Those in the trade cite the same reasons for the price hike: Increases in raw material costs and in operational costs from higher fuel prices.

They say that the increased costs come from the general upswing of prices last year, but the shortage of supplies and price increases now gripping Malaysia have not crossed the Causeway.

While some retailers say they will pass on some of the costs, others have chosen to absorb them to keep their regular customers.

However, the higher prices may not dampen demand in this market, estimated to be worth $10 million a year.

At Poh Guan Cake House, for example, business has been 'comparable' to last year despite the boxes of goodies costing $1 more each. Owner Chan Kim Ho said: 'I am not worried that demand will be affected. In fact, we are swamped with orders.'

Glory Food Products managing director Andrew Chin said: 'The prices have gone up for everything - oil, sugar, butter. And flour - that is the worst.'

Mr Png Geo Lian, chairman of the Association of Chinese Wheat Flour Merchants of Singapore, said flour prices jumped thrice last year. A 25kg bag which cost $20.40 in August now costs $30.90.

The 50 per cent increase is the result of a worldwide shortage of wheat caused by severe droughts and crop delays in Australia, the United States and Canada.

Mr Chin, saying that Glory products will cost 10 per cent more, said: 'I have no choice but to cover my costs.'

Even Ban Hock Trading, which has kept prices on its line of goodies steady for 15 years, can no longer do so.

Accounts executive Melissa Lau said prices will be 10 per cent to 20 per cent higher.

'The increases have been too tremendous. In 1994, cooking oil cost 28 cents per litre. It is $1.20 now,' she said.

At Bengawan Solo, 80 per cent of the products will cost 6 per cent to 8 per cent more, said director of business development Henry Liew.

He said: 'We feel we have to adjust our prices, but even so, it won't cover our cost increases.'

Poh Guan Cake House's Mr Chan said many customers were regulars, 'so I won't want to raise prices too much'.

Both NTUC FairPrice and Cold Storage supermarkets have kept the prices of festive goodies sold under their house brands steady, but have raised those under other brands by between 10 per cent and 25 per cent.

Price increases have also hit Mandarin oranges and Chinese sausages.

Mr Tan Chin Hian, managing director of Ban Choon Marketing, a leading fruit importer here, said the oranges will cost about 10 per cent more as a result of higher freight charges and the appreciation of the Chinese yuan.

An 8kg carton of Mandarin oranges will cost $14, up $1.

Marketing manager Angela Goh of manufacturer Golden Bridge said a kilogram of Chinese sausages will cost $2 this year, 10 per cent more.

Among retailers who have chosen to absorb the price hikes is Upper Cross Street shop owner Choong Tzien Tao, who said: 'Since it is not very drastic, I would maintain the same price rather than risk losing my customers.'

High price to pay for cost controls in Malaysia

Carolyn Hong, Straits Times 14 Jan 08;

KUALA LUMPUR - MANY Malaysians like to buy in bulk, but the scenes in supermarkets recently were nothing less than surreal.

Anxious customers were seen pushing trolleys filled with nothing else but bottles of cooking oil.

Single-minded shoppers were seen swiping bottles of oil shamelessly even as supermarket staff struggled to replenish the shelves.

Everyone was stocking up on enough cooking oil to last any regular household at least a year.

If the scenes, played out in Kuala Lumpur and several other parts of the country, seemed crazy, they were also familiar.

It was classic panic buying, sparked by rumours of an impending price increase and fuelled by media reports showing bare supermarket shelves.

Malaysia's complicated system of government-imposed price controls has been blamed. It helps to ensure that poorer people can afford essential items, but leads to huge distortions in the market when prices are kept down artificially.

The cooking oil saga came to an abrupt end practically overnight. Nobody is worrying about cooking oil any more or giving a second glance at well-stocked shelves.

The Malaysian government flooded the retail market with 70,000 tonnes of cooking oil, far more than actual demand.

But almost as soon as that 'shortage' vanished, it looked like a flour crisis was looming next.

Restaurant owners began complaining that they could not get stocks at old prices, and some warned that Malaysians might have to do without their favourite roti canai - the fried flat bread Singaporeans know as roti prata.

The government reacted swiftly, telling the country's largest flour miller to up production by 15 per cent.

Such shortages and panic buying are not uncommon in Malaysia. They happen with some regularity, but especially of late as global commodity prices soar.

Some time last year, it was sugar that ran out, and two years ago, it was a shortage of diesel that had vehicles snaking around petrol stations. Once, even onions ran out.

The problem lies in Malaysia's complex system of price controls on essential items, ranging from food to fuel. Cooking oil, flour, sugar, rice, chicken and a host of other items are subject to a fixed ceiling price.

During festive seasons, the list extends to items such as certain types of fish, meat and seafood.

It has resulted in a serious predicament for the government because Malaysians are worrying more about inflation.

Price controls have kept the cost of some goods in Malaysia significantly lower than in neighbouring countries. Cooking oil, for example, costs twice as much outside Malaysia.

Malaysian prices for cooking oil and flour, to name just two items, have not been revised in 10 years, when commodity prices were less than half of what they are today.

To add to the complexity, prices of certain items such as flour and cooking oil are controlled only to a certain extent. Small packets meant for household use are subject to maximum prices, whereas bigger quantities for commercial use are sold at market price.

The recent rush for cooking oil was partly the result of industry users buying up items meant for household use.

The rise in demand for cooking oil in small packets rose by 46 per cent in the past few months, almost matched by the 56 per cent decrease in demand for 17kg packs.

Mr Thong Kok Mun, secretary of the Flour Millers Association, told The Straits Times that the same could be happening with flour supplies.

The ceiling price for a small pack of flour is RM1.35 (60 Singapore cents) a kilogram, whereas the industry pays RM2.30 to RM2.90 a kilogram.

The situation is made worse by suspected smuggling to neighbouring countries and hoarding by retailers who are banking on a price increase.

Associate Professor Asan Ali Golam Hassan of the economics faculty at Universiti Utara Malaysia noted in a column in the Utusan Malaysia newspaper that mere speculation of a price increase could cause a shortage.

'Traders will take the opportunity to hoard in hopes of getting a bigger profit. It will also spark panic among users, causing panic buying,' he said.

This is a perennial problem that is not likely to end as the government will find it hard to dismantle price controls without risking a serious political backlash.

Mr Ibrahim Suffian, who runs the Merdeka Centre, an independent polling organisation, told The Straits Times that his polls have shown that the cost of living is the No.1 concern of most Malaysians.

'The public's radar to prices has been very much heightened especially after fuel prices went up in 2006,' he said.

To the governing Barisan Nasional coalition, this will be a serious concern for the coming general election. Inflation will hit the lower-income groups hardest, and they form the backbone of its support.

The government has already indicated that it will not allow prices to rise, taking piecemeal action to check against smuggling and hoarding.

'It will be very costly politically to allow prices to rise, especially with the prediction of an early election,' said Mr Ibrahim.

Singapore: Three more CNG stations to open by end of 2008

Channel News Asia 13 Jan 08;

SINGAPORE: Soaring petrol prices have prompted drivers to look for cheaper fuel alternatives.

One alternative is to go for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) cars. A company selling CNG cars sold 80 of them at a road show on Sunday. It usually sells about 100 cars a week.

To cater to more CNG cars – which are cleaner, greener and cheaper than normal cars – three more CNG stations are due to open by the end of the year.

Bi-fuel petrol-CNG cars are a major draw for motorists. It costs more than S$3,000 to retrofit the car before it can use CNG, but S$10 of CNG can allow one to travel up to 220 kilometres.

New cars fitted with CNG technology benefit from the Green Tax Rebate, which is 40 percent off the car's open market value (OMV).

Valerie Tan, managing director of Pinnacle International, said: "For example, you have bought a car with an OMV of S$30,000, so you have a straight rebate from the government – 40 percent off S$30,000, which is S$12,000 off."

But many motorists still want to know how the CNG fuel would affect the cars' performance.

Melvin Toh, potential petrol-CNG car owner, said: "Before I tested, I thought, 'Would there be any difference in acceleration? Would the ride be smooth? Would there be any loading?'. But after I test drove the car, honestly, I couldn't feel any difference."

"I tested two cars. I found the drive quite smooth, even when you change from petrol to CNG and back again. The car didn't have any jerky movement," said Patrick Wong, another potential petrol-CNG car owner.

But owning a petrol-CNG car in Singapore is not all smooth driving. Besides the fact that the gas tank takes up a large amount of space in the boot of the car, those who own bi-fuel cars and live in the eastern parts of Singapore find it harder to refuel.

At present, there is only one refuelling station on Jurong Island.

Three more stations are due to open this year – one in Mandai by mid-February, another in Jalan Buroh in Jurong by end-February and the third in Serangoon North Avenue 5 by year's end.

There are currently no plans to build a refuelling station in the east because most of the gas pipelines are situated in the west of Singapore.

CNG is listed as a hazardous material, so strict controls are in place and transportation is only allowed on certain roads.

- CNA/so

Six schools participate in Nee Soon South community projects

Channel News Asia 14 Jan 08;

Projects include: collecting old newspapers and recyclable materials, starting an Eco Club where residents will help the students conduct research on nature.

SINGAPORE : Six schools in the Nee Soon South constituency have joined hands with grassroots organisations in the area to participate in community projects.

Under a Memorandum of Cooperation signed on Sunday, each school adopts a Residents' Committee (RC) and a Neighbourhood Committee (NC).

Among the projects, Anderson Primary School is partnering Nee Soon South Zone B RC and Greenview NC to donate food hampers to needy families.

Naval Base Secondary School and Nee Soon South Zone D RC and Thomson NC will jointly hold an art exhibition.

Orchid Park Secondary School will collect old newspapers and recyclable materials, together with volunteers from Nee Soon South Zone F RC and Lentor NC.

And Springleaf NC will work with Yishun Junior College to jointly start an Eco Club where residents will help the students conduct research on nature.

The community-school initiatives was announced by Ms Lee Bee Wah, MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, at a bursary awards presentation at Nee Soon South Community Club.

Ms Lee said nearly $300,000 will be given out in scholarships and bursaries to students in Nee Soon South this year.

She also announced that a football interest group will be formed in Nee Soon South.

Members can take part in a soccer clinic and be trained by Super Reds players.

The Super Reds are footballers from South Korea who have made Yishun Stadium their home training ground as they prepare to compete in the S.League.

Ms Lee added that there are plans to develop a Youth Challenge Shield Project.

This will engage and expose students through activities such as public speaking and sports. - CNA/de

Hong Kah North residents to compete in biannual 'Litter-Free Block' competition

Channel News Asia 13 Jan 08;

SINGAPORE: Hong Kah North residents will get even more serious about anti-littering this year with an inter-block competition, to pick the cleanest blocks.

This was announced on Sunday at a recycling exercise which is part of South West Community Development Council’s (CDC) annual event called "Trash for Groceries".

Amidst a carnival atmosphere, residents brought in items for recycling and exchanged them for groceries.

In a move to make sure the message sticks, residents in each of the eight RCs will be encouraged to nominate three of its cleanest blocks, twice this year, in May and October, under the pilot 'Litter-Free Block' competition.

Judges made up of residents and CDC officials, will then declare the winners in June and November and residents in the winning blocks will take home bread and eggs.

Those with innovative anti-littering ideas can also compete in the 'Most Constructive Idea Award'.

Organisers hope these programmes will help the National Environment Agency's aim to lower the rate of littering in Singapore, which reached an all-time high in 2007.

NEA said there were 19,252 litterbugs caught between January and November in 2007, which is more than triple the 6,002 culprits caught in the same period in 2006.

Dr Amy Khor, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources said: “The NEA will continue with the intensive education efforts to create awareness among residents about keeping the environment clean and litter-free, as well as its stepped-up enforcement efforts to act as a deterrent among recalcitrant litterbugs." -CNA/vm

Farmstay Singapore: Lim Chu Kang gets the three-star treatment

Cara van Miriah, New Paper 14 Jan 08;

YOU don't have to travel to Australia for a farmstay vacation.

By September, you will be able book one of the 20 farm villas at Lim Chu Kang's new agri-tainment site off Neo Tiew Road.

This Singapore farm hotel will come with room service, housekeeping and spa-on-demand services.

Visitors will also be able to wine, dine, and shop at the agri-tainment farm.

It will have retail outlets, a restaurant with about 7,000 sq ft of outdoor space and a 6,000 sq ft beer garden.

The 547,883 sq ft attraction - about the size of six football fields - is the largest agri-tainment farm in Lim Chu Kang.

It is being developed by HLH Agri R & D, a subsidiary of mainboard-listed PDC Corp.

HLH is among the largest commercial corn producers in Asia.

In December 2006, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) awarded HLH one of the first three agri-tainment land parcels in Lim Chu Kang at $880,000 on a 20-year lease.

Giving The New Paper on Sunday a preview, Dato Johnson Ong, deputy chairman of HLH Group, said: 'Each air-conditioned villa will have a balcony, which overlooks the two-hectare tropical fruit plantation. The toilets will have a sky view as they are partially sheltered.'

Besides the lifestyle offerings, a research and development centre for corn and other agricultural products will be built and used as an educational showcase for visitors.

Beverage company Super Coffeemix has sealed a deal with PDC to showcase coffee production methods at the research centre.

There will be no admission fee to the yet-to-be-named agri-tainment farm, which aims to draw 300,000 to 500,000 visitors annually.

Dato Ong said the entire development is estimated to cost $10 million.

About half of the construction work has been completed.

The firm said it expects to hire about 200 people to work at the farm.

The new development will further inject buzz to Lim Chu Kang.

There are more than 10 farms there now.

Farms under the Kranji Countryside Association include Neo Tiew Road's Bollywood Veggies, run by former Netball Singapore president Ivy Singh-Lim.

Visitors can dine at its bistro, Poison Ivy, go on farm tours and shop for fresh vegetables.

There is also the Petals and Leaves Bistro at Nyee Phoe Flower Garden.

The New Paper on Sunday understands that landscape company Nyee Phoe Group will be launching four kampung-style chalets in Neo Tiew Crescent this year.

And Yoli Technologies, which won the bid for two other plots of land - with a total land area of almost 296,000 sq ft - in Lim Chu Kang in 2006, will develop them for agri-tainment purposes.

Said Mr Teo Jing Kok, SLA's deputy director of land sales: 'The entrepreneurs who tendered for the sites were willing to try out something new and different to make Singapore a more exciting place to live, work and play in.'They are taking bold initiatives to help turn Lim Chu Kang into a rustic recreational hinterland.'

This is HLH's first foray into the lifestyle and hospitality business, although Dato Ong earlier ran a fish farm in Sungei Tengah Road for three years.

He recalled: 'Then, I couldn't offer even food and drinks for visitors at the fish farm because the land was solely meant for agriculture use.

LIVING ON A FARM

'At Lim Chu Kang, I wanted more than just a dining experience. So we decided to build the villas where people can also enjoy the experience of living on a farm without travelling out of Singapore.'

HLH's villas also come with a private car porch each.

Guests who arrive by car can check-in at a drive-through point at the main entrance before driving to the villa and parking there.

Said Dato Ong: 'It will be a three-star hotel - without the swimming pool and tennis courts.'

The rates, however, will not be cheap. Each night will be priced from at least $150, excluding taxes. But Dato Ong is confident the villas will enjoy a 'good pick-up rate'.

He explained: 'I think the concept of living on a local farm will appeal to Singaporeans and tourists.

'There will be much to do and see at Lim Chu Kang.'

GO NATURAL

AERO-GREEN
260 Neo Tiew Crescent
Tel: 67924298
www.aerogreentech.com.sg

BOLLYWOOD VEGGIES
100 Neo Tiew Road.
Tel: 68985001
www.bollywoodveggies.com

FIRE FLIES HEALTH FARM
62, Lot 75 Lim Chu Kang Lane 2.
Tel: 67937875
www.fireflies.sg

HAUSMANN AQUARIUM
291 Lot 113, Neo Tiew Crescent.
Tel: 67921318
www.hausmann-aqua.com

HAY DAIRIES
3 Lim Chu Kang Lane 4
Tel: 67920931
www.haydairies.com.sg

JURONG FROG FARM
56 Lim Chu Kang Lane 6.
Tel: 67917229
www.jurongfrogfarm.com.sg

KHAISENG FISH FARM
181 Neo Tiew Road.
Tel: 67937789
www.khaiseng.com.sg

KIN YAN AGROTECH
No. 220 Neo Tiew Crescent
Tel: 67948368
www.kinyan.biz

MAX KOI FARM
251 Neo Tiew Crescent.
Tel: 6862-6363.
www.maxkoifarm.com

NYEE PHOE
240 Neo Tiew Crescent
Tel: 67936500
www.nyeephoe.com
www.gardenasia.com

THOW KWANG INDUSTRY
85 Lorong Tawas
Tel: 62655808
www.tkpotteryjungle.com

SPRING ORCHARD
1 Lim Chu Kang Lane 4
Tel: 63101884
www.springorchard.com.sg

SUNGEI BULOH WETLAND RESERVE
301 Neo Tiew Crescent
Tel: 67941401
www.sbwr.org.sg

Making world's cheapest car was very lonely

Straits Times 14 Jan 08;

Friends who doubted billionaire's dream to make $3,700 car kept him at arm's length
LIKE a marathon runner, Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata, 70, had to press on for the long haul in making the Nano, the car that costs 100,000 Indian rupees ($3,700).
14 January 2008

LIKE a marathon runner, Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata, 70, had to press on for the long haul in making the Nano, the car that costs 100,000 Indian rupees ($3,700).

In an interview with the Times of India last week, Mr Tata spoke about the lonely four-year journey that has resulted in the most eagerly-awaited launch in the history of India's car industry.

He said: 'Right now, I am in a very lonely phase. It's attracting a lot of attention, positive and negative. Everybody is taking potshots at this (car).'

'There was a fair amount of ridicule when the project started. People said that it can't be done.

'As one went along and it became clear that something was happening and that we were going forward, suddenly, sadly, everybody is against the small car (saying) it's going to pollute, it is going to congest, it is going to impair safety,' said Mr Tata.

'But we decided to make a car that will not compromise. We designed a car that would meet all international norms on safety.

'We have a very fuel-efficient engine. It is also going to pollute less.'

Nano meets the environmental criteria that many of the other small cars or micro cars in Europe do not, something Mr Tata is 'quite pleased' about.

FOLLOWING EXAMPLE

Now, there are people following his idea. Renault, for example, wants to make a car for under US$3,000 ($4,300).

Mr Tata said Renault chief executive officer Carlos Ghosn was the only person in the automotive industry who, from day one, did not scoff at the idea of an uber-cheap car.

The idea first came about because Mr Tata felt it was dangerous for families to zip around on scooters.

'There were three, four family members on a scooter with a kid standing in the front, the guy driving and his wife sitting side saddle holding a little kid.

When you are driving a car, you say to yourself to be careful, you know they may slip and fall.

'Add to that slippery roads and night time riding and you have a reasonably dangerous form of transport. That does not mean scooters should not exist - it's an evolution of bicycles and it's the path to prosperity. But, scooters as family transport seemed dangerous,' said Mr Tata.

So he set about thinking if a four-wheel vehicle could be made from scooter parts. Later, it was found that using scooter parts was a real limitation.

'So we changed tack. We decided to look at everything from scratch.

'That led us to configure a small car which would be a full-fledged car. We started again in an evolutionary way.

'It started with a concept of being a four-wheeled rural car. Do we have roll up plastic curtains instead of windows?

'Do we have openings like autorickshaws have instead of doors, but have a safety bar?

'We had many such early concepts and we finally decided that the market did not want a half car.

'If we wanted to build a people's car it should be a car and not something that people would say, 'That is a scooter with four wheels or an autorickshaw on four wheels'.

'And so we decided to do a car and really pare the cost.'

Costs were cut by packaging the car tightly and using less steel.

'We just made the car smaller outside, yet big inside.'

Now that the Tata Nano is a reality, the next step is to try different fuels, possibly make an electric or hybrid version of the car.

He hopes Nano will become a platform for a new set of personal transport needs.

'One thing we have established is that we have created an affordable personal transport that will take four or five people under all weather conditions, running on regular fuel and not on some exotic stuff,' said MrTata.

CONGESTION

But will the car choke already congested roads?

'We produce about 7 million two-wheelers a year. Today we must have 60-70 million two-and three-wheelers in the country.

'Last year, we produced about 1.4million cars and at some point we will exceed two million.

'Well, nobody says anything about that. It is only this car that is being targeted.'

Mr Tata said critics wrongly assume that the small car will not replace a bigger car.

' We will cannibalise some of the existing low-end cars and two-wheelers, and even some of our own cars.

'The Indica (Tata's earlier hatchback car) too is going to feel the effects. So it will not be that it will be on top of everything.'

Mr Tata added that it is the top major cities that are congested, but in second- and third-tier cities, affordable family transport is needed.

'Is it their lot not to have a vehicle? The huge potential lies when India gets connected in the rural areas,' said MrTata.

Other buyers of Nano could also come from the US or Europe where people want to have a fun extra car.

Those who need utilitarian transport and who are not looking for a lot of creature comforts, or those who already own small cars, would also be potential buyers.

Mr Tata's not concerned if other car makers also start making cheap micro cars.

' If (other manufacturers) produce other small cars, there will be three or four brands for people to choose from. I don't believe Tata Motors can fulfil the entire demand.'

RETIRING?

Seeing as Nano is probably the biggest thing Mr Tata has ever done, there was been talk that he may be considering retiring.

But he denied this.

'No, no. All I said was that in everybody's life, there are certain moments of satisfaction; you feel that after that has been achieved, it is a nice time to step away - to change gears.

'In an ideal world, an occasion like this would be a good time to step away. I didn't say that this was what I could do.

'(But) you don't want ever to have a situation when somebody sort of whispers, when is he going to leave?'

Recently, Mr Tata met retired Formula One racer Michael Schumacher several times.

'I asked him, are you sorry you retired? He said, 'No. I am very pleased... I retired at the peak of my career. How much more could I have done? I may have gone down. I am now test driver for Ferrari. I am enjoying what I am doing, I am enjoying my new life, I am really enjoying myself.'

Commented Mr Tata: 'I think there is a lot to be said for that. You don't want to fade away by hanging in there too long. You would love to go on the back of something that is exciting or a great achievement. It is so selfish also,' said Mr Tata with a smile.

He said he needed more time to find a successor, although he does have several people in mind.

'A bunch of entrepreneurs could establish an assembly operation and Tata Motors would train their people, would oversee their quality assurance and they would become satellite assembly operations for us.

'So we would create entrepreneurs across the country that would produce the car. We would produce the mass items and ship it to them as kits. That is my idea of dispersing wealth.

'It would be satisfying if the small car created 10-15 satellite groups of young engineers who could get together and do a business.

'They would never be able to get normally into assembly of cars.

'I think it will be a very satisfying thing for me to see them succeed.'

After buildings, cars to go green?

Sheralyn Tay, Today Online 14 Jan 08;

ALREADY, the commitment has been made — all new and retrofitted public buildings will be Green Mark-certified. But can the green drive take on wheels?

More incentive could come with three more compressed natural gas (CNG) stations expected on mainland Singapore this year, adding to the one on Jurong Island, said Singapore Environment Council executive director Howard Shaw.

While cost is one factor, Mr Shaw noted that partial replacement is more applicable. But CNG cars, he said, are a cheaper and cleaner alternative.

Now, there are nine green vehicles adopted across four public agencies here, including two biofuel (petrol-CNG) cars used by the National Environment Agency (NEA). A spokesperson said the NEA was continually encouraging public agencies to be stewards of environmental sustainability. According to the Land Transport Authority (LTA), since November, there are 1,393 green vehicles plying our roads.

Meanwhile, the Building and Construction Authority, which uses rental cars, told Today it was "open to exploring the option of adopting environmentally-friendly cars when our contract with the car rental company is up a few months later".

The LTA also said it would review and replace their existing fleet with hybrid cars when Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) expire. The LTA recently replaced 17 twin-cabin pick-ups with Euro IV engines.

Other agencies said their small fleets did not make the adoption of green cars as applicable. But Dr Chan Siew Hua, a fuel cell researcher at the Nanyang Technological University and A*Star, said public agencies can "definitely do much more to adopt green wheels; Government officers need to take the lead to go green so that people can follow their examples".

He said there are a few viable options: Cars can be fitted to run on biofuels, CNG, or both CNG and petrol. Hybrid cars, which run on petrol and electricity, while fuel- efficient, also rival conventional cars in performance.

Plants, animals better than robots in helping the old in an interactive environment

Paradise for the elderly, by the elderly
Letter from Tan Chek Wee, Today Online 14 Jan 08;

I REFER to the article, "Does Paro the seal have a place in Singapore" (Jan 11).

I couldn't agree more with Dr Ting Choon Meng's comment in the report: "It's a very sad thing if you come to a stage where the elderly are so lonely that we have to invent a machine and treat it as a living thing and use it as a companion to replace children and friends".

I am involved in the care of the elderly in a nursing home and I feel that the Ministry of Health (MOH) should seriously study "The Eden Alternative" (www.edenalt.org) that aims to integrate plants, animals and children into the care of the frail elderly to alleviate loneliness, boredom and depression.

Founded in 1991 by Dr William Thomas, a Harvard-educated physician and board-certified geriatrician, The Eden Alternative has been applied in many nursing home facilities in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia.

Studies have shown that it is a powerful tool for improving the quality of life and care for those living in nursing homes.

Also, in homes that have adopted "Eden" as an organisation philosophy, there is often improved staff satisfaction and retention and significant decreases in the overuse of medications and restraints.

Gone are the days of "old age homes" like one that I had visited when I was a medical student — it was in Bishan and was then known as Peck San Teng.

The zinc-roof wooden structure was sited in the midst of a Chinese cemetery where some bed-bound residents lied on wooden planks with their buttocks over holes so that their excrement would fall into metallic potties below.

And I hope that gone, too, are the present nursing homes where residents just sit around — bored, lonely and feeling useless — because the management wants to maintain a "clinically-sterile" environment to meet the approval of the MOH's audit team.

Entertainment in the nursing home's regimented schedule of bathing, diaper change, meals and exercises, include watching television, once-in-a-while karaoke entertainment by volunteers and once-in-a-while pet therapy that could leave some residents feeling even sadder if they are reminded of pets they once had.

Let's make nursing facilities truly like homes with gardens, butterflies and live-in pets, et cetera. And let the residents be involved in the care of such an environment.

It would truly add quality to the twilight years of the elderly.

TV show too negative on feeding of stray cats

Siau Li Chao (Ms), Straits Times Forum 14 Jan 08;

ON JAN 8, a report on cats was telecast on Channel NewsAsia. The programme showcased only negative aspects of stray cats. This is unfair to stray cats and responsible feeders of stray cats. Since it was a news programme, arrangements should have been made to contact a decent stray cat feeder and discussion how the interview should be carried out.

The fact is that the stray cat feeder Channel NewsAsia interviewed, who reacted very negatively, did not feed correctly and tarnished the image of stray cat feeders as a whole. A number of passers-by and a student who were interviewed also made negative comments on feeding.

Channel NewsAsia should have contacted some stray cat feeders who feed the right way, so the correct way to feed stray cats could be highlighted, and thus, the show could be fair.

Feeding stray cats is legal, but littering is not. Feeders should clear up after feeding, and sterilisation is the most humane and effective way to control the stray cat population. Singaporeans should portray more love for animals.

As India's Mahatma Gandhi said: 'A country's people's attitude to animals would reveal how high a moral standard the people have and how graceful the people are.'

Animals are also living things and have the right to live a good life as human beings. Hence, they should be treated fairly as well.

Philippines Looks for Value as Tuna Catch Falls

Raju Gopalakrishnan, PlanetArk 14 Jan 08;

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines - For decades, the fishermen of the southern Philippines have been going to sea for a few days, catching one or two tuna fish and living off the sales for a month.

As the catch rose to match surging demand, the Philippines became the world's fourth-largest tuna producer. Six of the country's eight tuna canneries are now at General Santos City, on the southern tip of the archipelago, and the government built a US$56 million fishport at its natural harbour. Purse seiner boats, which use huge nets that scoop up fish by the score, were increasingly used.

Last year, for the first time, the catch dwindled.

"It's only now that the tuna do not bite, not like in previous years," said Carlos Puno, captain of a boat that came back from a 32-day trip with only 48 fish, one-sixth the capacity of its hold.

Speaking as workers hauled away the fish, each weighing at least 50 kg (110 lb), a despondent Puno said he was fishing in waters about 600 miles (1,000 km) to the southeast, near the island of Papua.

Being away for so long also means that the catch is not as fresh as it could be, despite the huge slabs of ice on board, and consequently will fetch lower prices.

"I have lost money this time," Puno said, referring to fuel and other costs of keeping his boat and crew at sea. "I had some good trips last year, but this was bad. I had to come back because provisions were running out."

As late as 10 years ago, fishermen rarely needed to venture more than two or three days out to fill their hold.

No one in General Santos, knwon as the Philippines' tuna capital, disputes that fish are harder to find, but estimates of how much the catch has dwindled, and the causes, are varied.

GLOBAL WARMING?

Domingo Teng, who owns one of the biggest fishing fleets in General Santos, estimates the 2007 catch was about 5 percent less than the 400,000 tonnes in 2006, possibly due to global warming.

"The habitation of tuna is in water of 27-29 degrees Centigrade," he said.

"When the weather gets warmer, they go deeper and are more difficult to catch. That is one of the reasons we suspect has contributed to the lower catch because the water is getting warmer and warmer."

But John Heitz, a former US Peace Corps volunteer who classifies fish at the port, said the drop in the catch could be as high as 50 percent and squarely blamed over-fishing.

"People are selling their boats because they cannot find fish," he said, speaking after a day that began at dawn, poking a "classifier's stick" into each tuna, drawing out a sliver of meat and inspecting it for colour.

The highest-grade fish, especially the big-eye tuna, have pale pink flesh, and are treated carefully. With time of the essence, they are immediately packed and flown to Japan or the United States to be used as sashimi, but these are rare.

Most of the catch, largely yellow-fin or skipjack tuna, is used in cooking, processing into frozen products or in the canneries.

The catch at the other wharf, home of the purse seiners, is almost all destined for the canneries and includes many smaller tuna which have not grown fully.

The government is trying to get the purse seiners to enlarge their nets so the younger fish can escape, but this is a lengthy, costly business.

"Purse seining is where the overfishing takes place," Heitz said. "The traditional Philippine single-line fishing is more sustainable, and hopefully, with more awareness among consumers, this will become lucrative."

Governments are trying to control tuna fishing in the equatorial waters of the Pacific, but a meeting of the West and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission on the island of Guam last month ended without any decisions.

The United States and the European Union have regulated the fishing of blue-fin tuna, which is highly endangered, in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

Yellow-fin and big-eye tuna fetch lower prices but they are also heading toward depletion, environmentalists have warned.

With the pressures on the catch, the Philippines is looking at other ways to develop its tuna industry.

There are proposals to increase unloading, refrigeration and processing facilities at General Santos, and lure away the "super seiners" that can carry up to 5,000 tonnes of fish in their hold, from Thailand, where they mostly go.

"We are four days closer than Thailand to the Pacific," said Teng, the fishing fleet owner. "This is one industry that the Philippines can excel in, not because of our extra ability but because of our proximity to the fishing grounds." (Reporting by Raju Gopalakrishnan; editing by Roger Crabb)

Canada Oil Sands Projects Flunk Green Test - Groups

Jeffrey Jones, PlanetArk 14 Jan 08;

CALGARY, Alberta - Canadian oil sands mining projects, seen as a key source of North American energy supply for decades to come, have been given poor environmental marks in a report released on Thursday, with even the best performer barely garnering a passing grade.

Environmental groups Pembina Institute and World Wildlife Fund surveyed 10 Alberta oil sands ventures, including seven yet to start producing, for attention to land, air emissions, water, climate change and overall environmental management.

Authors of the study called on the government to set more stringent limits on water use, emissions and impacts on wildlife and public health.

Only Royal Dutch Shell Plc's Muskeg River mine got a passing mark, and even that was just 56 percent, according to the report, entitled "Under-Mining the Environment."

"What this study has shown is that there's more talk than there is action in terms of meaningful commitments to addressing the issues," said Dan Woynillowicz, senior policy analyst at the Pembina Institute.

All projects scored well in some areas and poorly in others. If each adopted the best features of their rivals, the industry could make meaningful improvements, the study said.

For instance, if all mines had the greenhouse gas emissions intensity proposed by Canadian Natural Resources Ltd for its Horizon project, due to start up later this year, Alberta could cut its emissions by 3 percent a year, it said.

If all companies had similar water use to Petro-Canada's proposed Fort Hills project, the oil sands industry could reduce its consumption by almost 60 percent, said the report, which took a year to complete.

Canadian Natural got an overall 31 percent mark and Petro-Canada scored 37 percent. The average was 33 percent.

Canada's oil sands are the target of more than US$100 billion of investment as the world's oil industry aims to cash in on the need to feed growing demand for secure oil supplies, especially in the United States.

Mined oil sands from Shell, Syncrude Canada Ltd. and Suncor Energy Inc, are processed into about 800,000 barrels of refinery-ready light crude a day, which is roughly 30 percent of the country's overall oil output.

Output is expected to triple by the middle of the next decade, an increase in the energy-intensive business that is alarming to environmentalists and residents of towns near the northern oil sands hub of Fort McMurray, Alberta.

The oil industry said it was not surprised by the findings, pointing out that some of the equipment being used is older and less efficient and that it is being upgraded every few years.

"It points out areas that I think people are already working on, certainly that industry and government are already working on, said Pierre Alvarez, president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.

"Everybody acknowledges there's work to do but I think they also acknowledge that performance has improved and there's the expectation it will continue to improve."

Pembina and the WWF also criticized the Alberta government, saying they found it provides the public with only limited summary information about developers' environmental performance and much of that is out of date.

"The government has not been in any way driving environmental performance. The government's been as focused on growth as the industry has -- it's been 'How fast can we go?' not 'How well can we do it?'" Woynillowicz said.

He said the study is partly aimed at investors, who will eventually have to deal with liabilities among firms that do not live up to coming regulations for things like greenhouse gas emissions, which will carry major costs.

California leaders voice EPA frustrations

Noaki Schwartz, Associated Press Yahoo News 10 Jan 08;

A panel of outraged state and environmental leaders met Thursday to examine why the federal government won't let California and 16 other states regulate emissions from cars, trucks and SUVs.

The denial was the first time the Environmental Protection Agency had refused California a waiver under the Clean Air Act since Congress gave the state the right to such waivers in 1967. In response, California sued the federal government.

"I think it is fair to say that in the intervening ... years, no administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency has issued a decision which more flagrantly violated the clear language and intent of the Clean Air Act, or more fundamentally threatened the American people," Carl Pope, the executive director of the Sierra Club, told the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works at a field briefing.

EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson last month rejected the state's arguments that it faced unique threats from climate change. The federal government has a national plan to raise fuel economy standards that would be more effective than a patchwork of state regulations, Johnson said then.

The EPA's denial angered members of Congress, including Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Henry Waxman, California Democrats who lead the committees that oversee the EPA.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, also a California Democrat, called on the agency's inspector general to investigate allegations that Johnson acted against recommendations from his technical and legal staff in denying the waiver.

The EPA said it would turn over all documents about its decision, but Boxer's committee was unable to get the paperwork in time for Thursday's hearing.

"Where's the work? Where's the beef behind this decision?" Boxer asked as she waved an empty cardboard box with the label "EPA Documents."

Before her was an empty chair reserved for Johnson, who did not attend. EPA spokesman Jonathan Shradar said Johnson had a busy schedule and was preparing to address the waiver issue before a full hearing of Boxer's committee in Washington on Jan. 24.

On either side of that chair sat Pope; Edmund G. Brown Jr., California's attorney general; Mary Nichols, the state Air Resources Board chairwoman; and Fran Pavley, Natural Resources Defense Council senior climate adviser.

California officials have argued that their aggressive law would require the auto industry to cut emissions by a third in new vehicles by 2016, while boosting efficiency to about 36.8 miles per gallon.

An analysis released by state air regulators showed their 2004 tailpipe regulation would be faster and tougher than the federal fuel economy rules.

Twelve other states — Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington — have adopted California's emissions standards, and others have said they plan to do so. Those states, along with Arizona, Delaware and Illinois, said Wednesday that they plan to intervene in support of California.

The EPA's Dec. 19 decision was a victory for automakers, which argued that they would be forced to reduce their selection of vehicles and raise prices in states that adopted California's standards.

Brown railed against the EPA and the Bush administration, calling the refusal a "backroom deal" with automakers.

"Sooner or later we're going to uncover real corruption," he said.

___

Associated Press writer Erica Werner in Washington contributed to this report.

With nuclear rebirth come new worries

George Jahn, Associated Press Yahoo News 13 Jan 08;

Global warming and rocketing oil prices are making nuclear power fashionable, drawing a once demonized industry out of the shadows of the Chernobyl disaster as a potential shining knight of clean energy.

Britain is the latest to recommit itself to the energy source, with its government announcing support Thursday for the construction of new nuclear power plants. Nuclear power plants produce around 20 percent of Britain's electricity, but all but one are due to close by 2023.

However, some countries hopping on the nuclear bandwagon have abysmal industrial safety records and corrupt ways that give many pause for thought.

China has 11 nuclear plants and plans to bring more than 30 others online by 2020. And a Massachusetts Institute of Technology report projects that it may need to add as many as 200 reactors by 2050.

Of the more than 100 nuclear reactors now being built, planned or on order, about half are in China, India and other developing nations. Argentina, Brazil and South Africa plan to expand existing programs; and Vietnam, Thailand, Egypt and Turkey are among the countries considering building their first reactors.

The concerns are hardly limited to developing countries. Japan's nuclear power industry has yet to recover from revelations five years ago of dozens of cases of false reporting on the inspections of nuclear reactor cracks.

The Swedish operators of a German reactor came under fire last summer for delays in informing the public about a fire at the plant. And a potentially disastrous partial breakdown of a Bulgarian nuclear plant's emergency shutdown mechanism in 2006 went unreported for two months until whistle-blowers made it public.

Nuclear transparency will be an even greater problem for countries such as China that have tight government controls on information. Those who mistrust the current nuclear revival are still haunted by the 1986 meltdown of the Chernobyl reactor and the Soviet Union's attempts to hide the full extent of the catastrophe. Further back in the collective memory is the partial meltdown at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania in 1979.

The revival, the International Atomic Energy Agency projects, means that nuclear energy could nearly double within two decades to 691 gigawatts — 13.3 percent of all electricity generated.

"We are facing a nuclear renaissance," Anne Lauvergeon, CEO of the French nuclear energy firm Areva, told an energy conference. "Nuclear's not the devil any more. The devil is coal."

Philippe Jamet, director of nuclear installation safety at the International Atomic Energy Agency, describes the industry's record as "second to none." Still, he says that countries new to or still learning about nuclear power "have to move down the learning curve, and they will learn from (their) mistakes."

The Vienna-based IAEA, a U.N. body, was set up in 1957 in large part to limit such trial and error, providing quality controls and expertise to countries with nuclear programs and overseeing pacts binding them to high safety standards.

But the agency is already stretched with monitoring Iran and North Korea over their suspected nuclear arms programs, and IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei says his organization cannot be the main guarantor of safety. The primary responsibility, he says, rests with the operators of a nuclear facility and their government.

Developing nations insist they are ready for the challenge. But worries persist that bad habits of the past could reflect on nuclear operational safety.

In China, for instance, thousands die annually in the world's most dangerous coal mines and thousands more in fires, explosions and other accidents often blamed on insufficient safety equipment and workers ignoring safety rules.

Chinese state media on Saturday reported that nearly 3,800 people died in mine accidents last year. While that is about 20 percent less than in 2006, it still leaves China's mines the world's deadliest.

A Finnish study published in 2005 said India's annual industrial fatality rate is 11.4 people per 100,000 workers and the accident rate 8,700 per 100,000 workers. Overall, Asian nations excluding China and India have an average industrial accident fatality rate of 21.5 per 100,000 and an accident rate of over 16,000 per 100,000 workers, says the report, by the Tampere University of Technology in Finland. The study lists a fatality rate of 5.2 people per 100,000 for the United states and 3 per 100,000 for France.

Countries with nuclear power are obligated to report all incidents to the IAEA. But the study said most Asian governments vastly underreport industrial accidents to the U.N.'s International Labor Organization — fewer than 1 percent in China's case.

Separately, China and India shared 70th place in the 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index, published by the Transparency International think tank that ranked 163 nations, with the least corrupt first and the most last. Vietnam occupied the 111th spot, and Indonesia — which, like Hanoi, wants to build a nuclear reactor — came in 130th.

"Are there special concerns about the developing world? The answer is definitely yes," said Carl Thayer, a Southeast Asia expert with the Australian Defence Force Academy.

Corrupt officials in licensing and supervisory agencies in the region could undermine the best of IAEA guidelines and oversight, Thayer said.

"There could be a dropping of standards, and that affects all aspects of the nuclear industry, from buying the material, to processing applications to building and running the plant."

Issues of national pride may also come up.

A Vienna-based diplomat whose portfolio includes nuclear issues told the AP that in the 1990s the Canadian government offered India troubleshooting information for its reactors, but the Indians "did not want to know about it." The diplomat, who demanded anonymity in exchange for discussing confidential information, said: "It reflected the attitude that national pride is more important than safety."

The AP's efforts to obtain Indian official comment were unsuccessful.

Permanent storage of radioactive waste — which can remain toxic for tens of thousands of years — is another major problem, as is shutting nuclear plants that are no longer safe.

In China, permanent dump sites are not expected to be operational before 2040, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Energy. So for now, China — like India — stores the waste in temporary sites, usually close to reactors, where it is more vulnerable to theft and poses a greater environmental danger.

Nuclear proponents say new generations of reactors now on the drawing board come with better fail-safe mechanisms and fewer moving parts. But even some of these supporters are skeptical about creating the foolproof reactor.

Hans-Holger Rogner, head of the IAEA's planning and economic studies section, says he is "suspicious when people say the next (reactor) generation will be safer than the one we have."

___

Associated Press writers Elaine Kurtenbach in Beijing, Muneeza Naqvi in New Delhi and Ben Stocking in Hanoi, Vietnam, contributed to this report.

Greenpeace says Japanese whalers left hunting grounds

Yahoo News 13 Jan 08;

A Greenpeace protest vessel has chased a fleet of Japanese whalers out of their Southern Ocean hunting grounds, the environmental group said Sunday.

Greenpeace said its ship Esperanza pursued the lead Japanese boat, the Nisshin Maru, for 24 hours and over hundreds of kilometres before it left the area in which it is taking part in the slaughter of 1,000 whales.

"We came here to stop the fleet from whaling and we have done that. Now they are out of the hunting grounds they should stay out," Greenpeace Japan campaigner Sakyo Noda said in a statement.

Greenpeace said it expected the Japanese boats to refuel, via the tanker the Oriental Bluebird, before returning to the hunt.

Greenpeace and other environmental activists are tracking the Japanese fleet hunting in the waters off Antarctica to prevent the whales being slaughtered.

Tokyo says the kill is for scientific research, exploiting a loophole in a 1986 moratorium on whaling, but makes no secret of the fact that the meat ends up on Japanese supermarket shelves.

Australia's Labor government, which opposes the hunt, has urged the activists to exercise restraint while on the high seas and said it will use the Customs ship Oceanic Viking to gather evidence for a potential international court case against Tokyo.

But the conservative opposition has described the Oceanic Viking as a "ghost ship" which has yet to reach the Japanese fleet.

"It's almost a month since Labor promised that Oceanic Viking would be out on the high seas -- weeks and weeks later the ship has still not caught up with the Japanese fleet," opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt said.

"If you make a bold promise to the world and don't keep it, it sends a message to the Japanese that we are only kidding, we weren't serious and we were just playing a domestic game."

A spokeswoman for the government said the ship was on course but refused to give details on its operation.

"We're on track to collect photographic and video evidence of Japan's actions -- that's the mission of the Viking and we are on track to do so," a spokeswoman for Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus said.

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