Best of our wild blogs: 16 Oct 08

Update on Tuas Power’s clean coal plant
on the AsiaIsGreen blog

Pulau Satumu Reef Survey
lots of photos of fish, recovering corals and more on the blue water volunteers blog

Blog Action Day 08: Poverty
and the environment on The Lazy Lizard's Tales blog

Tropical whales in Singapore?
on the wild shores of singapore blog

Raffles Lighthouse
Singapore's Southernmost point on the wild shores of singapore blog

Encounter with the Plain-pouched Hornbills of Perak
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Wildlife Conservation Diary
fascinating insights on the IUCN Conservation Congress by Richard Black of the BBC

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Whale stranded in Pahang died of plastic trash

Whale death blamed on trash
Associated Press Yahoo News 16 Oct 08;

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - A beached whale has died in eastern Malaysia after swallowing a plastic bag, a rope and a bottle cap, a marine researcher said Wednesday.

The 10-meter-long (33 feet) Bryde's whale got stranded at the Kuala Nenasi estuary in eastern Pahang state Monday and died a day later despite villagers' efforts to safe it, said Mohamad Lazim Mohamad Saif, a researcher with the Turtle and Marine Ecosystem Center, who was at the scene.

Mohamad Lazim said the preliminary findings of an autopsy showed the female had swallowed a black plastic bag, a rope and a bottle cap, which clogged its intestine.

"When they come to the beach, this means they want to die. Usually it's like that," Mohamad Lazim told The Associated Press. He said the sick whale may alternatively have ended up at the beach after getting separated from its pod and losing direction.

Marine boats managed to pull the 3.9-ton (3.5-metric-ton) whale back into the sea during high tide late Monday, but that by Tuesday it was back on the beach. Villagers sprinkled it with sea water and covered it with wet blankets and a mattress, Mohamad Lazim said.

The state's veterinarian department will continue to examine the whale, which will later be buried near the estuary's jetty, he said.

Another Bryde's whale stranded and died in eastern Sabah state in Malaysia in 2006. Bryde's whales are members of the baleen whale suborder and are found in tropical waters.

WHALE DIES
A 10m-long baby whale got stranded on a beach after it wandered into the waters near Kuala Sungai Nenasi, Pahang on Monday.
The New Paper 16 Oct 08;

A 10m-long baby whale got stranded on a beach after it wandered into the waters near Kuala Sungai Nenasi, Pahang on Monday.

Fisherman Saman Mohamad, 42, raised the alarm when he spotted the 3-tonne mammal.

At one point, up to 40 people were trying to push it back into the sea.

Others poured seawater on the whale's body to try to cool its skin, which was drying out under the sun, the New Straits Times reported.

Beached whale near Pekan dies
Despite the villagers' best efforts, the whale died yesterday afternoon.
Bernama 14 Oct 08;

The baby whale, believed to be of the fin whale species, that was stranded at the Kuala Sungai Nenasi beach near here, yesterday died despite efforts made to release it back to sea.
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Pahang Fisheries Department Director Mohamad Mat Saman said the 10-metre long baby whale, estimated to weigh three tons, was reported dead at about 2pm after being stranded on the beach.

He said that personnel from his department, together with the Fire and Rescue Department and the villagers, had made an effort to rescue the fish by pushing it back to see during the high tide when the water was one-and-a-half metre deep last night.

However, he said the fish was again reported beached this morning.

"As the whale was becoming increasingly weaker, we wrapped up the fish using wet cloth but the rescue effort was stopped when the fish died this afternoon," he said when contacted, here today.

The baby whale was believed to have been separated from its mother before entering the Pekan waters and was stranded on the beach about 10 kilometres from the Kuala Sungai Nenasi fish landing zone due to the low tide between 7am and 9am yesterday.

Mohamad said the whale would be buried near the beach after examination by officials from the Veterinary department.

Villagers find baby whale along beach
The Star 16 Oct 08;

PEKAN: Kampung Kuala Nenasi residents were surprised to find a baby whale alive measuring more than 10 metres in length and weighing about five metric tonne lying on a beach in the village here on Monday.

Believed to be separated from its parent, the mammal was found during low tide at 7am by fisherman Ab Rahim Sulong, 36.

Villagers attempted to keep the whale alive by splashing water on it.

Ab Rahim said about 40 villagers tried to push the whale into deeper waters but failed. Shortly before midnight, villagers with the help of a few marine boats pushed the whale to the sea and freed it during high tide.

However, on Tuesday morning the whale was found beached about 500m from the spot where it was found on Monday.

Despite attempts to cool and push it back into the sea, the whale died.

Live whale found beached in Pekan
The Star 13 Oct 08;

PEKAN: A three-tonne whale was found beached at the mouth of Sungai Nenasi on the South China Sea near Kampung Kuala Nenasi here.

A fisherman, Abd Rahim Sulong, 36, said he noticed the 10m-long whale when water shot out of its blowhole while he was on his way to fish in the sea at 7am on Monday.

“I saw water blow out to a height of two metres and went closer; I saw that it could not return to sea as the water level was only knee-deep.

“We have never had a live whale getting beached here,” Abd Rahim said when met here.

The incident was reported to the Malaysian Fisheries Development Board and the Fisheries Department which are trying to help it back to sea.

The whale is believed to have beached during low tide in the uninhabited area which is about 10km from the Kuala Nenasi fish landing zone.

Faizal Ibrahim, 29, said several failed efforts were made to help it back to sea.

“About 40 adults tried to push it back but it would not budge at all. All we could was to pour water over it to keep it cool and alive,” he said. -- Bernama

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More responses to electricity price hike in Singapore

Cut power use - scrap high energy bulbs
Reggie J, The New Paper 16 Oct 08;

SO, we have to put up with a huge increase in the electricity tariff, even if oil prices are actually at or below the levels they were a year ago.

And Singapore Power has just made a profit of more than $1 billion, according to figures on its website.

True, we have been told that the electricity pricing is based on forward fuel oil prices, but this is a time when householders have to tighten their belts.

There are any number of stories in this concrete jungle of families trying to make ends meet and cutting down on non-essentials. Many can't afford to pay utility bills and are on pre-pay meters.

Consumers are now being encouraged to fork out $160 to $280 for a gadget that may save them up to 20 per cent of their bills. But the very vulnerable don't have that kind of loose change.

How about the authorities distributing these gadgets to the needy for free?

There is an urgent need to reduce electricity bills, and the current subsidies and vouchers are not enough.

This is important not only for the poor, but for the environment as well.

And for both, it is time perhaps to phase out incandescent light bulbs.

They are being banned and replaced with compact fluorescent bulbs in many countries. These cost more but last longer and use far less electricity.

In Australia, restrictions on the import and sale of incandescent bulbs will begin to take effect next month.

High-energy light bulbs are to be banned in EU countries in 2010.

One UK power company, wanting to be seen as green, recently sent every customer a four-pack of energy-saving bulbs, delivered to the door, free.

Britain's biggest supermarket chain, Tesco, had a one-day special selling these bulbs for just 2 cents each (1 penny), limiting each customer to 12. There was not a bulb left in any of its 424 stores after three hours.

Perhaps the National Climate Change Committee can work with SP Services on some similar initiative.

It will show how serious they are about reducing greenhouse gases and how they care about those in need.

With the credit crunch biting from all sides, there has never been a better time to cut power use. Spread the word and see Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth.

# The writer is a former Singapore marketing professional

S'PORE POWER CHARGES NOW DEARER THAN IN U.S. OR FRANCE
Billing consumers isn't the only way
Letter from Bruno Serrien, Straits Times Forum 10 Oct 08;

THE recent hike in electricity tariff of 21 per cent has resulted in an increase of 48 per cent in 12 months. Singapore becomes the country with the highest electricity prices in the region and charges its consumers more than countries like the United States and France.

The increase is being justified based on the fact that the electricity price index is being linked to the oil price index. The last increase has been based on oil price futures bought at around US$150 (S$220) a barrel. Oil spot prices are now below US$90 a barrel (40 per cent).

Eighty per cent of Singapore's electricity is being produced from natural gas (and not oil) piped in from Malaysia and Indonesia. I assume long-term gas contracts have been negotiated at decent prices protecting the end consumer in Singapore. Why not link electricity pricing to oil futures and not to long-term gas contracts?

Energy production and distribution is a highly regulated environment operating as a monopoly. Regulators have to create a mechanism which gives citizens adequate protection against worldwide oil and gas speculation followed by irrational price hikes. They are not doing enough by simply passing the bill to the consumers.

A combination of economic downturn, high inflation and skyrocketing energy prices may prove too much to swallow for the lower income class.

Regulators, producers and distributors have a duty to protect the nation from one of its greatest challenges: Energy dependence. Therefore, we cannot continue to import and burn gas, oil and coal, or depend on others. A master plan to produce energy from sun, water, wind and nuclear power is crucial in safeguarding the nation's independent energy future.

The current subsidies will only have a short-lived effect and will have almost no effect on the reduction of our national energy bill.I am suggesting a combination of tax incentives, rebates and subsidies for households buying energy-saving appliances or making their houses more energy-friendly. It would encourage many of us to replace our energy-hungry washing machines and air-conditioners with other 'green, energy-friendly-certified' appliances.

Landed properties could be turned into energy-producing entities instead of energy consumers. HDB should set the example (even if the monetary side of the investment is not that attractive) to go for highly efficient energy housing.

A double impact could be achieved by implementing a consumer pricing, penalising high consumption, but rewarding low-consumption energy savers. Many of our neighbours have already implemented such schemes.

Why electricity price hike was needed
Straits Times Forum 15 Oct 08;

IN HIS letter last Friday, 'Billing consumers isn't the only way', Mr Bruno Serrien noted that the electricity tariff has increased by 48 per cent in the past 12 months. But this must be seen in the context of the rising fuel oil price, which has more than doubled during this period.

As Singapore imports all its fuel, we have pegged the tariff to the cost of the fuel, so electricity is priced properly and wasteful consumption is minimised. The increase in the tariff this quarter was necessary because of the 38 per cent spike in the forward fuel oil price from US$83 to US$115 per barrel between April and July this year.

Mr Serrien's claim that Singapore has the 'highest electricity price in the region and charges... more than countries like the US or France' is inaccurate and fails to account for differences in the availability of indigenous fuel and pricing policies across countries. For example, France generates 80 per cent of its electricity from nuclear energy, which is unaffected by the high oil price. On the other hand, Japan relies heavily on imported oil and gas, and charges a higher electricity price than Singapore. Within the US itself, there is a wide variation across the states and some have electricity prices which are comparable to or higher than the rate in Singapore.

Mr Serrien also suggested that Singapore should move towards energy independence. But as a small country, Singapore has limited alternatives to fossil fuels. Hydro, geothermal and wind power are not available here. Nuclear energy raises issues such as safety and disposal of nuclear waste which have to be managed. Solar power has some potential, but realistically this cannot replace more than a small proportion of our energy needs. Solar is also more expensive than electricity generated from natural gas, although the technology is still improving and costs are gradually coming down.

We agree with Mr Serrien that regulators should create mechanisms to protect consumers instead of simply 'passing the bill' to them. This is why the Energy Market Authority has focused on restructuring and liberalising the electricity market, to drive efficiency gains and ensure competitive pricing of electricity. The Government has also set up the Energy Efficiency Programme Office to design and implement energy efficiency programmes across different sectors. Going forward, we will continue to do our part to help households conserve energy and save on their electricity bills.

Jenny Teo (Ms)
Director, Corporate Communications
Energy Market Authority

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Singapore Maritime and Port Authority doing its best for a cleaner planet

Business Times 16 Oct 08;

And shipping firms pitch in to protect the environment, says VINCENT WEE

IF THE image of shipping has often suffered from a less than environment- friendly image, that of the bunker industry has been at least as bad, if not worse. But the fact remains that while global transportation contributes some 13 per cent of total carbon dioxide emissions, shipping accounts for just 3 per cent of the total emissions, noted DNV Petroleum Services managing director Tore Morten Wetterhus.

'On the other hand, shipping has hitherto been among the least environmentally regulated industries (and) it now faces pressure to demonstrate sustainable practices and is a key target for legislation,' he added.

As the regulatory body in charge of both a major shipping hub and bunker port, the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) makes committed efforts to protect the environment. Last year, bunker sales in the Port of Singapore hit 31.5 million tonnes, surpassing the previous year's figure by 11.2 per cent.

Despite the high volume of bunker and shipping traffic that passes through the port, Singapore has implemented various measures to encourage environment-friendly shipping. Among them is the extension of the port dues waiver for new double- hulled bunker tankers operating within its waters from April 1.

The port dues surcharge for older single-hulled bunker tankers will also be increased from next year.

Both measures are in support of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) regulations to phase out single-hulled tankers from international operations by 2015 or when a vessel is 25 years old, whichever is earlier.

Singapore is also a party to all the annexes of MARPOL, which is the IMO's convention for the prevention of pollution from ships. As a flag state and port state authority, Singapore carries out regular inspections to ensure that Singapore-flagged ships around the world and ships calling at our port comply with MARPOL regulations. MPA also regularly communicates with the shipping community to prevent any excessive emission of soot, ash or black smoke while their ships are in port.

MPA also tries to reduce pollution from port activities by conducting environmental impact assessment studies before activities such as dredging and reclamation are carried out, so that the potential impact arising from these works is identified and quantified.

All vessels transporting dangerous cargoes and calling at the port are also required to declare their arrival at least 24 hours before arrival. This helps to ensure an effective response should there be an incident involving spillage from the ships.

Other steps MPA has taken include starting and supporting tertiary research initiatives, such as on clean technologies and fuels to reduce atmospheric pollution.

But apart from this, the marine fuel industry can also play its part in the global response to climate change by engaging in research and development projects to reduce atmospheric pollution as well as tackle other environmental issues.

The ongoing 15th Singapore International Bunkering Conference brings together experts and industry players to discuss the challenges facing the marine and fuel industries, and how the industry has been responding to these challenges.

'In terms of ship operations, DNV Petroleum Services is among the key players advocating a paradigm shift in managing marine fuels with a holistic approach. This is in line with the need to consider more environmentally responsible practices and also the current high fuel prices,' said Mr Wetterhus.

'Shipping companies now have to look at all fuel-related aspects of ship operations - both onshore and offshore - to identify and leverage cost-saving opportunities. This could mean evaluating alternatives in voyage planning, maintenance and repairs, energy recovery among onboard fuel consumers, slow-steaming and many other areas to arrive at the most optimal fuel management decisions,' he noted.

Another measure MPA has taken to improve the environment of the port is the implementation of the SS 600 standard for bunkering. This will enhance the procedures and requirements for the delivery of bunkers by bunker tankers to vessels as well as the work of bunker surveyors.

Spring Singapore and MPA launched the new standard yesterday. Said Spring Singapore chief executive Png Cheong Boon: 'The successful development of SS 600 as a quality standard for the bunkering industry has enhanced our companies' capabilities and increased their competitiveness internationally.

'We are pleased that this standard will also be used as a benchmark for the development of an ISO standard for bunkering, as this is a strong recognition of Singapore's position as a top bunkering port and our companies' leadership in this industry.'

Mr Wetterhus concluded: 'Environmental protection is ultimately a collective effort, and the results of individual shipping companies should not be offset by less environmentally responsible elements from the same industry, or from other arenas. Buy-in, understanding and commitment are the key ingredients for success, particularly since the outcomes are future-oriented and we do not necessarily see results in the short and medium terms.'

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Singapore to remain no.1 bunkering port, helped by new guidelines

Channel NewsAsia 15 Oct 08;

SINGAPORE: Singapore is set to keep its position as the world’s top bunkering port, with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) forecasting a record full-year sales volume of 33 to 35 million tonnes this year.

According to Transport Minister Raymond Lim, a total of 26.4 million tonnes of bunkers were lifted between January and September 2008, an increase of 12 percent compared to the same period in 2007.

Mr Lim revealed this at the 15th Singapore International Bunkering Conference or SIBCON, which coincides with Maritime Week 2008, on Wednesday.

The minister also unveiled a set of new guidelines and procedures for ship bunkering to ensure safety and efficiency in Singapore waters.

The new standard, the Singapore Standard SS 600: 2008 – Code of Practice for Bunkering, or SS 600 in short, is the world's first national standard for bunker suppliers and surveyors.

Besides obtaining a licence from the MPA to conduct bunkering business in Singapore’s port, bunker suppliers, craft operators and surveyors will have to comply with SS 600 when carrying out their operations.

The standard will also serve as the technical basis for resolution, should there be any disputes.

The new standard, to be phased in by the second half of 2009, will benefit the industry as it rationalises requirements under two existing Singapore standards for bunkering and bunker surveying (CP 60 and 77) and streamlines the documentation processes. This makes it easier for bunker players to ensure compliance.

It will also ensure bunkers delivered comply fully with regulations under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) and offer customers greater assurance of fuel quality, with new requirements in place to reduce sample tampering and fraud.

"By offering greater assurance to our global customers when they call at our port to lift bunkers, SS 600 will foster further development of the bunkering industry here," said MPA's Chief Executive, Brigadier-General (NS) Tay Lim Heng.

He also described Singapore's bunkering industry as an important component of the maritime cluster, and an integral part of the country’s growth as a premier global hub port and an international maritime centre.

Call for efforts to make Singapore a maritime hub
Vincent Wee, Business Times 16 Oct 08;

REALISING that it's no longer enough to be just the world's busiest port, Singapore is gearing to be the regional hub for maritime research and development, finance, risk management and law.

'While the port is important, other countries are also developing their capabilities. Also new technology will allow some vessels to bypass Singapore,' said Jude Benny, managing partner of Joseph Tan Jude Benny.

There are many reasons why shipping and offshore companies establish a presence in Singapore, or take advantage of the Maritime and Port Authority's (MPA) various incentive schemes for alternative financing or raising capital.

Chief among these is the support received from the government. International shipowning and ship-operating companies and ship agencies, ship management, international freight forwarders and international logistics operators are given various tax breaks under the Approved International Shipping Enterprise Scheme and Approved Shipping and Logistics Scheme respectively.

'The shift to Asia, with 50 per cent of tonnage owned by Asia, presents a perfect opportunity to offer Singapore as a location for owners to operate from,' noted Mr Benny. 'To make it attractive to them we need to give them the related services, so that they need not have to go back to Europe in search of these,' he said.

These include an educated workforce, financial markets, infrastructure and other facilities. Singapore has all these factors and is also putting in serious efforts with the help of the government to develop them even further. The $80 million Maritime Cluster Fund is the broad umbrella under which all these incentives and development efforts fall. They seek to enhance maritime manpower development as well as to develop local training infrastructure and capabilities.

'All these make Singapore a suitable hub for operations. This, in turn, creates a melting pot of operators, ie a very attractive hive for ancillary service providers. So, both groups feed off each other,' said Mr Benny.

To achieve this, 'all the major service providers must be brought in', he added. For example, the top five or 10 players in ship finance, brokering, legal, insurance and various other ancillary services. 'I don't believe we can displace London - it has too much history and tradition, but we can be, geographically, the Asian self-contained alternative to London,' said Mr Benny.

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Jurong petrochemical US$2.4b investment hits funding snag

US$2.4 billion project hits funding snag
Jurong petrochem plant delayed as global credit crisis affects its financing schedule
Ronnie Lim, Business Times 16 Oct 08;

(SINGAPORE) No thanks to the global financial crisis, a planned US$2.4 billion petrochemical investment on Jurong Island has been delayed as it has not been able to close its project financing so far.

Jurong Aromatics Corporation (JAC) had earlier indicated that it would start construction of its US$2.4 billion aromatics complex by this year-end, once it completed financial closure in the third quarter.

But asked for an update by BT, JAC director Ewe Ee Foong said yesterday: 'JAC has already completed the first phase of its debt financing in Q3, with more than US$1 billion already raised. However, given the current economic and financial climate across the world, it is only realistic to expect some delays for the conclusion of the project financing.'

Mr Ewe, however, did not give an expected date for this.

Meanwhile, construction here of two other giant petrochemical complexes of Shell (US$3 billion) and ExxonMobil (US$5 billion-plus) remains on track however, although sources said there are apparently minor hitches to some other projects there.

But by and large, the announced mega oil/ chemicals projects here - including the $700 billion first phase of Jurong Rock Cavern for underground oil storage - have not been adversely hit by the global downturn so far, BT understands.

As for JAC, Mr Ewe only said that the consortium 'remains committed to building the Jurong Island facility', and that 'JAC is working closely with its partners to ensure that financing for the project is comprehensively structured to robustly withstand global economic and financial volatility.'

JAC is 60 per cent owned by Jurong Energy Corporation - a group led by Vijay Goradia and M Y Ling, both founding members of the Continental Chemical Group. The remainder 40 per cent is held by Swiss trader Glencore, South Korea's SK Energy and Kuwait's Ikarus Petroleum (each holding 10 per cent), and Jiangsu Sanfangxiang Industrial Group (China's largest polyester producer) and Singapore's EDB International (with 5 per cent each).

In July, JAC said that while 37 per cent of the project's US$2.4 billion will come from equity, it needed to secure US$1.55 billion of debt financing, of which it had obtained close to US$1 billion at that time.

JAC's latest financing hitch means that construction of the 1.5 million- tonne aromatics complex will now have been delayed by a year at least.

It had earlier already lined up feedstock/end-product deals like its US$10-billion plus one with BP, although industry sources, including potential customers, said that 'things had suddenly gone all quiet on the JAC front recently'.

But other mega projects on Jurong Island remain on track. Germany's Lanxess which is building a 400 million euro (S$828 million) synthetic rubber project - its largest investment ever - is planning to break ground in January.

The project has not been affected by the global credit crunch as it will be funded from 'existing cash flow', Lanxess chairman Axel Heitmann told BT in Cologne last month.

Shell's US$3 billion petrochemicals complex is also expected to reach construction peak - with 8,000 workers employed - 'soon, by year-end', a Shell spokesman said yesterday, adding that over 5,000 workers are now on site. 'Everything's on schedule,' he said, with the 800,000 ethylene cracker and other downstream plants there targeted to start up in late-2009/early 2010.

BT understands that it's the same at ExxonMobil's US$5 billion-plus Singapore Parallel Train project, or its second petrochemical complex, although one source hinted that there are some apparent delays, caused mainly by a shortage of engineers, at some related projects.

Tenders for both the construction and operatorship of the first S$700 million phase of the Jurong Rock Cavern are still being evaluated and should be awarded soon, by year-end, a JTC Corporation spokewoman told BT, maintaining that the underground oil storage project is still on stream.

Summing up the picture for energy projects here, Economic Development Board assistant managing director Aw Kah Peng told BT yesterday that in the light of the current global crisis, 'there is a lot of uncertainty and people are looking much harder at their projects. But we are not seeing any major projects here affected yet'.

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CNG car sales down due to tax concerns, petrol-price dip

Straits Times 16 Oct 08;

AFTER a brief lift-off, the interest in compressed natural gas (CNG) cars seems to be dissipating.

Registration of new CNG cars fell considerably in the third quarter, going by estimates based on data released by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

The high of 419 cars in July dipped to 320 in August and 283 last month. Sales had been climbing steadily from January, propelled by a 40-percentage-point cut in additional registration fee (ARF).

Lofty petrol prices also helped.

But petrol prices have since fallen far more than CNG prices. Along with questions of dependability and an impending tax, the gloss on these cars is fading.

Petrol rates have fallen 17 per cent from the year's highs, and CNG prices, by just 5 per cent, narrowing considerably the gap between the cost of the two fuels. CNG now goes at $1.64 per kg and 92-octane petrol, at $1.863 a litre.

The difference is 22 cents, down from as much as 80 cents nine months ago. But since a kilogram of gas is equivalent to about 1.3 litres of petrol, users still save on running costs.

Senior executive Stephen Neo, 44, who drives a gas-propelled Toyota Isis, said he saves 'about $200 a month even at today's petrol prices'.

His only gripe: the long queues at the two CNG stations here. The wait at the Mandai one is 10 to 15 minutes, and he has waited an hour at Jalan Buroh.

CNG retailer Smart Energy expects gas prices to fall further in the coming months. Its managing director Johnny Harjantho reckons this will happen when Jurong Island's liquefied natural gas terminal starts up in 2012 and brings in gas from the world over.

Singapore's supply of gas is now piped from Indonesia and Malaysia. Mr Harjantho also disclosed that piling has started for a new gas refuelling station in Serangoon North, which could open in January.

Another refuelling station is also expected to come up in Old Toh Tuck Road. Union Energy, a supplier of bottled cooking gas that operates taxi service Trans-Cab, has just secured a plot of land to build the sizeable station, expected to open in April.

New stations mean shorter queues, but other concerns - a possible reliability issue and a special tax exemption to expire at the end of next year - are putting the brakes on CNG car sales.

Semi-retired Mr W.M. Yap, 60, revealed that his CNG Chevrolet Optra has stalled thrice, but said he has 'accepted it'.

But he finds it hard to accept the looming additional tax on CNG cars, which he said would make them 'no longer commercially viable'.

Asked about the 40-point reduction in ARF that CNG car buyers enjoy, he said: 'I'm not sure if the lower ARF is a saving. Don't forget that you get back less when you scrap the car.'

Mr Neo Nam Heng, the managing director of Prime Taxis, said the uncertainty over the special tax has dampened the popularity of CNG taxis. The number of new CNG cabs has fallen month on month since July, say LTA figures.

Meanwhile, diesel passenger cars have appeared on the scene. There are now 10 such cars on the road, mainly Volkswagens, following a reduction on the special tax on them from July.

CHRISTOPHER TAN

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Illegal trade in endangered primates rampant in Indonesia: NGO

Yahoo News 16 Oct 08;

The illegal trade in endangered primates is increasing in Indonesia's East Java province as traders market the animals in public, a conservation expert said Wednesday.

Primates such as slow lorises and Javanese langurs can be bought on the street in Malang, according to Rosek Nursahid, director of the independent animal rights group ProFauna.

"Besides selling the endangered primates on busy public streets, the traders use abusive methods to domesticate the animals," he said.

"The fangs of the slow lorises are pulled ... (and) they are forced to be awake during the day, when actually they are nocturnal animals as they hunt their prey at night."

He said there were no reliable figures on population numbers in the wild but based on the loss of habitat due to rampant deforestation "their numbers are declining fast."

Buying and selling endangered species is prohibited under Indonesian law and carries sentences of up to five years in prison.

ProFauna has reported the Malang primates trade to local authorities but so far nothing has been done to stop it, Nursahid said.

Other than primates, ProFauna reported that about 10,000 wild hook-billed parrots were being smuggled out of Halmahera and Talaud Islands annually, destined mainly for the Philippines.

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Oslo Says Forest Plan to Help Indigenous Peoples

Alister Doyle, PlanetArk 16 Oct 08;

OSLO - Norway promised on Wednesday to promote indigenous peoples' rights as part of investments of almost US$500 million a year in tropical nations to slow deforestation and combat global warming.

But Environment Minister Erik Solheim rejected calls by some human rights groups for Oslo, the leading international donor on forests, to set stiff pre-conditions for governments to respect indigenous peoples' rights from the Amazon to the Congo basin.

Deforestation is blamed by the UN studies for causing about 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities. Trees soak up carbon when they grow and release it when they rot or are burned, often to clear farmland.

"We will do what we can to influence" governments to ensure the rights of indigenous peoples, Solheim told Reuters during an international conference about indigenous rights and deforestation.

"Dialogue is much more likely to succeed than a small nation on the outskirts of Europe ... running around the world setting conditions," he said of the Nordic country.

Some experts at the meeting urged Solheim, whose government in late 2007 pledged up to 3 billion Norwegian crowns (US$477.1 million) a year to slow deforestation, to attach more strings.

"We've not been recognising indigenous peoples' rights," said Andy White, of the Rights and Resources Initiative, a Washington-based non-profit organisation.

White said international plans for overseeing forests should include tougher reviews of human rights -- many indigenous peoples fear they could be evicted from forests because they have no formal land rights.


CONGO

"They've never been consulted," Adolphine Muley, of the Union for the Emancipation of Indigenous Women, said of pygmy people in Democratic Republic of Congo.

But Solheim said rich nations were not in a position to preach to developing nations, saying Norway had in the past discriminated against indigenous Sami reindeer herders in the Arctic.

He also said the global financial crunch should not divert attention from a drive to agree a new UN climate pact by the end of 2009. Solheim favours use of carbon markets to help slow deforestation.

The UN Climate Panel says that warming, stoked by human use of fossil fuels, will bring more floods, droughts and rising seas.

"There can be no excuse from the financial crisis not to solve the climate crisis. The climate crisis is bigger and deeper," he said. Norway has surplus cash partly because of high revenues as the world's number four oil exporter.

A report commissioned by the British government on Tuesday estimated that it would cost US$33 billion a year to halve deforestation by 2030.
(Editing by Richard Balmforth)

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Brazil Bets on Technology to Control Huge Amazon

Raymond Colitt, PlanetArk 16 Oct 08;

BRASILIA - When the pilot of a Colombian drug-smuggling plane landed at a clandestine air strip in the vast Amazon rain forest, his every move was being watched from high up in the sky.

Guided by a high-tech spy plane circling thousands of feet above the clouds, Brazilian police arrested the pilot minutes later and confiscated 300 kg (661 pounds) of cocaine. Police hope the bust, which took place several weeks ago, will soon allow it to lock up an entire international drug gang.

In the face of growing international pressure to better preserve the Amazon, Brazil is increasingly betting on intelligence and technology in its uphill battle to tackle illegal activities.

"We can't be everywhere, the region is huge. So we need intelligence to focus our resources," Marcelo de Carvalho Lopes, head of the Amazon Protection System, or Sipam, said in an interview this week.

At Sipam, which was launched in 2003 at a cost of US$1.4 billion, authorities battle deforestation, forest fires and drug trafficking by analyzing satellite images and aerial photography. Hundreds of climate sensors, satellite telephones and broadband Internet connections are now spread over the 5.2 million square kilometers (2 million sq miles) of forest, an area larger than the European Union.

"The state needed more presence there," said Lopes.

On the walls of one large conference room at Sipam's flying saucer-like headquarters in Brasilia, are the latest images of the areas worst affected by logging, taken with infrared cameras from Air Force planes.

The images will be used as evidence in court against hundreds of illegal loggers. Currently, only 8 percent of all fines for illegal logging are collected, according to the environment ministry. The high-resolution images also show paths where loggers plan to chop trees, giving authorities a chance to prevent deforestation before it happens.

"Sending people in by foot to take these pictures is costly, timely and dangerous -- these images are a potential breakthrough," said Wougran Soares Galvao, Sipam Operations Director.

By the end of the year, Brazil will have scanned 86 percent of the Amazon. With the high-resolution images it will gain an edge in law enforcement and conservation, analysts said.


TIGHT RESOURCES

Improved air traffic control and a law implemented in 2004 that permits the air force to shoot down suspect planes, have reduced drug trafficking by air, said Ricardo Augusto Silverio dos Santos of Brazil's secret service agency, Abin.

The problem is that drug gangs smuggling cocaine to sell in Brazil or en route to markets in Europe now enter from Colombia by boat instead of plane.

"They've switched their modus operandi," said Silveiro.

Sipam is now installing new surveillance equipment along major waterways and preparing counter-narcotics operations, said Silveiro.

But resources and coordination that enables fast action on the intelligence are still insufficient. Deforestation has fallen by more than half from a peak in 2004 but areas roughly the size of the US state of Connecticut are still chopped down every year.

"We don't have the men, vehicles, or even roads to get to where we need to be," said Lopes.

Private and foreign donations to Amazon conservation are increasing and should help enforcement. Norway last month gave Brazil an unprecedented vote of confidence by pledging a US$1 billion donation over 7 years.

Countries finding it difficult to justify such donations amid the financial crisis could still help, Lopes said.

Canada and Germany are among the only countries that have satellite images from radars that can penetrate clouds.

"If they really want to help the Amazon, they could make their satellite images available," said Lopes. (Editing by Stuart Grudgings and Philip Barbara)

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Southern Africa to auction more than 100 tonnes of ivory

Yahoo News 15 Oct 08;

More than 100 tonnes of ivory will go on auction in four southern African countries in two weeks, in the first sale of stockpiled elephant ivory in nearly a decade, wildlife groups said Wednesday.

The sales were approved in July by the UN-backed Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and auctions have now been scheduled in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, wildlife officials said.

China and Japan are expected to be among the biggest buyers, after CITES agreed over the last two years to allow them to take part in legal auctions.

Both countries had to first provide assurances that they would closely monitor their domestic markets, CITES said on its website.

Animal welfare groups say the two countries are among the world's biggest destinations for illegal ivory sales.

CITES said that all proceeds of the sale are to be used for elephant conservation products. The last sale in 1999 earned five million dollars, it added.

CITES banned international ivory sales in 1989, but agreed to the earlier auction after judging that southern Africa's herds were healthy and well-managed.

The ivory stocks up for auction come from elephants that have died from natural causes or from culling of herds, when animals are killed to prevent overpopulation.

Each of the four African countries will hold a single auction, staggered three days apart, beginning with nine tonnes of ivory on sale in Namibia on October 28, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) said in the statement.

Botswana will then auction 44 tonnes on October 31, followed by a four-tonne auction in Zimbabwe and a 51-tonne auction in South Africa, the group said.

David Mabunda, the head of South Africa's National Parks service said that nearly half of the ivory on auction in the country had been stockpiled since before 1994, when culling was still practiced.

The rest was obtained from elephants who died of natural causes or tusks that broke off, he told the Sapa news agency.

IFAW criticised the sale, warning that even legal auctions encourage poaching.

"Even though the ivory was not obtained through illegal poaching activities, these legal sales only encourage poachers to launder their illegal stocks," said Michael Wamithi, the head of IFAW's elephant programme.

"We have no doubt that flooding the market with over 100 tonnes of ivory will put this endangered species in even further jeopardy," he said in a statement.

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US court puts gray wolves back on endangered list

Yahoo News 14 Oct 08;

Gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains of the United States returned to the endangered species list Tuesday, thanks to a court victory by environmental groups over the US government.

"The northern Rocky Mountain gray wolf is returned to the list of endangered and threatened species, with each of its component populations having the same status under the Endangered Species Act," said federal judge Donald Molloy in a written ruling handed down in Missoula, Montana.

Twelve groups went to court in April to challenge the US government's decision two months earlier to delist the gray wolf in the mountainous states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

They disputed Washington's claim that reintroduction of the species had been a success, and suspected that delisting would open the door to the mass shooting of wolves, sanctioned by state authorities.

Wolves had all but disappeared in the mainland United States by 1974. In 1995, 66 gray wolves from Canada were released in Idaho and near Yellowstone national park in hopes that their numbers would multiply.

There now are an estimated 1,200 wolves in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, where wary farmers regard them as a threat to livestock.

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Bottled water has contaminants too, study finds

Jeff Donn, Associated Press Yahoo News 15 Oct 08;

Tests on leading brands of bottled water turned up a variety of contaminants often found in tap water, according to a study released Wednesday by an environmental advocacy group.

The findings challenge the popular impression — and marketing pitch — that bottled water is purer than tap water, the researchers say.

However, all the brands met federal health standards for drinking water. Two violated a California state standard, the study said.

An industry group branded the findings "alarmist." Joe Doss, president of the International Bottled Water Association, said the study is based on the faulty premise that a contaminant is a health concern "even if it does not exceed the established regulatory limit or no standard has been set."

The study's lab tests on 10 brands of bottled water detected 38 chemicals including bacteria, caffeine, the pain reliever acetaminophen, fertilizer, solvents, plastic-making chemicals and the radioactive element strontium. Though some probably came from tap water that some companies use for their bottled water, other contaminants probably leached from plastic bottles, the researchers said.

"In some cases, it appears bottled water is no less polluted than tap water and, at 1,900 times the cost, consumers should expect better," said Jane Houlihan, an environmental engineer who co-authored the study.

The two-year study was done by the Washington-based Environmental Working Group, an organization founded by scientists that advocates stricter regulation. It found the contaminants in bottled water purchased in nine states and Washington, D.C.

Researchers tested one batch for each of 10 brands. Eight did not have contaminants high enough to warrant further testing. But two brands did, so more tests were done and those revealed chlorine byproducts above California's standard, the group reported. The researchers identified those two brands as Sam's Choice sold by Wal-Mart and Acadia of Giant Food supermarkets.

In the Wal-Mart and Giant Food bottled water, the highest concentration of chlorine byproducts, known as trihalomethanes, was over 35 parts per billion. California's limit is 10 parts per billion or less, and the industry's International Bottled Water Association makes 10 its voluntary guideline. The federal limit is 80.

Wal-Mart said its own studies did not turn up illegal levels of contaminants. Giant Food officials released a statement asserting that Acadia meets all regulatory standards. Acadia is sold in the mid-Atlantic states, so it isn't held to California's standard. In most places, bottled water must meet roughly the same federal standards as tap water.

The researchers also said the Wal-Mart brand was five times California's limit for one particular chlorine byproduct, bromodichloromethane. The environmental group wants Wal-Mart to label its bottles in California with a warning because the chlorine-based contaminants have been linked with cancer. It has filed a notice of intent to sue.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Shannon Frederick said the company was "puzzled" by the findings because testing by suppliers and another lab had detected no "reportable amounts" of such contaminants. She said Wal-Mart would investigate further but defended the quality of its bottled water.

The researchers recommend that people worried about water contaminants drink tap water with a carbon filter.

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Rich Countries to Keep Up Climate Funds - World Bank

Deborah Zabarenko, PlanetArk 16 Oct 08;

WASHINGTON - Despite the current global financial storm, rich countries are resolved to keep up funding to help developing nations combat climate change, a top World Bank environment official said on Tuesday.

Countries that have pledged to donate a total of US$6.1 billion to the bank's newly created Climate Investment Funds are "very resolute," said Kathy Sierra, the international lending organization's vice president for sustainable development.

"They are going to continue to support these types of activities because they see both a short-term and a long-term implication," Sierra told reporters at a meeting of the funds' donor and recipient countries in Washington.

That was in line with World Bank President Robert Zoellick's remarks at the end of a meeting of world finance and development ministers on Sunday.

"I think one of the lessons of today's crisis is you have to get ahead of these things, and so there is no doubt that climate change is a problem today and will be a problem tomorrow," Zoellick said. "And so, what we are trying to do at the Bank is to ... catch up and then get ahead of it."


ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Sierra said it was unclear whether such funds would continue to flow into the private sector, and said this could become more challenging in the future.

However, she said, one consequence of the present financial crisis could be to spur demand for environmentally sound development as a way to cut costs.

"I suspect there will be even more demand, because many of the solutions for the real economy will start looking for opportunities to decrease costs and become more efficient," she said. "So energy efficiency, for example, is going to be even more important going forward."

The climate investment fund is meant to help developing countries put larger-scale, environmentally sustainable projects in place as the world negotiates how to curb greenhouse gas emissions after 2012, when the first phase of the carbon-capping Kyoto Protocol expires.

These negotiations are taking place through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, with a meeting set for Poznan, Poland, in December. The negotiations are set to conclude at a meeting in Copenhagen in 2009.

Sierra said Mexico is expected to be one of the funds' first partners in environmental programs, saying this country has been "a great intellectual leader (with) ... a very strong climate change strategy."

Earlier, Mexico's environment minister, Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada, told the meeting, "As the current financial crisis unfolds, a plausible fear exists that the bailout of financial institutions will draw all attention and necessary resources away from climate change mitigation. In other words, in order to address what is urgent, we fail to address what is important." (Editing by Sandra Maler)

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