New nature flickr gallery
by Kok Sheng, with lots of sea stars! more on his wonderful creations blog
Quick trip to Cyrene Reef
with amazing sightings on the colourful clouds blog and the annotated budak blog and the wild shores of singapore blog, video clip of unknown sea anemone on the sgbeachbum blog
Southern Ground Hornbill
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog
Some interesting links
on the Compressed air junkie blog
Vesela Todorova, The National 16 Oct 08;
DUBAI: Pressure mounted yesterday on the Atlantis Hotel to release back into the wild a “rescued” young whale shark that has been kept for almost 40 days in the hotel’s aquarium.
After weeks of controversy over the capture of the shark, a member of a species listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as “vulnerable” throughout the world, the Emirates Marine Environmental Group (EMEG) yesterday issued a statement “to pressure Atlantis into tagging and releasing this shark back into its natural habitat as soon as possible”.
EMEG was set up in 1996 under the patronage of Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the wife of Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed, minister for presidential affairs.
The National has also learnt that the controversy over the whale shark has now reached the highest executive levels of Kerzner International and Nakheel, the joint-venture partners behind the Atlantis resort. A high-ranking official at the Ministry of Environment and Water is also believed to be looking into the matter.
Until yesterday, EMEG, which works on some conservation projects with the developer Nakheel, had remained silent on the matter, although individual members had expressed their concerns privately. Yesterday’s statement, however, was unequivocal.
“It is essential that this gentle giant be tagged and released as soon as possible to increase its chances of survival as well as gather scientific data on its movements in the Gulf,” said Ali al Suweidi, the group’s president.
Catches and sighting of whale sharks are declining, said the group’s statement, and the life history of whale sharks was still poorly understood.
“As a highly migratory species, it is crucial for all countries within the whale shark range to co-operate and create partnerships in order to protect these animals and gain a better understanding of their movements and behaviour.”
The four-metre shark was caught off Jebel Ali on Aug 27, although the exact circumstances of its capture remain obscure.
In May, Steve Kaiser, vice president of marine sciences and engineering for the resort, said all the fish that would be on show in the aquarium would be caught within 75 miles of Dubai.
“Right now we have 60 species and we hope to have well over a 100 before launch,” he said. He hoped the new arrivals would include sharks, stingrays and more reef fish.
At the beginning of September it emerged that a whale shark had been added to the collection, amid reports it had been “rescued” because it had been showing signs of distress.
From the outset, environmentalists expressed doubts about the reason for the shark’s capture and its continuing captivity. Ibrahim al Zu’ubi, environmental adviser to the Emirates Diving Association, said he had been told the animal would be rehabilitated, fitted with a satellite collar and released.
However, on Oct 5, Alan Leibman, managing director of the resort, told The National there were no plans to release the animal. “I’m not sure where that statement came from,” he said. “We have probably the most talented marine science people in the industry monitoring it and making sure it is well.”
There is little doubt that the creature has become a major attraction at the aquarium, which has been selling toy whale sharks in its shop for Dh99 (US$27) each.
Labels on the toys state that “Atlantis proudly supports the Kerzner Marine Foundation”, which on its website describes itself as “a private, non-profit foundation that fosters the preservation and enhancement of global marine ecosystems through scientific research, education, and community outreach”.
However, the foundation is not an entirely independent organisation; it was set up in 2004 by Kerzner International, the hotel group behind the Atlantis, and Mr Leibman is one of five directors on its board.
The foundation, which is based in Florida, failed to respond to repeated requests for a statement. Management at the Atlantis in Dubai and at the hotel chain’s global communications office in New York were also unavailable for comment.
Scientists believe water temperature, salinity and food trigger the migration of whale sharks.
Although in the wild whale sharks are thought to live for decades, it is known that their lifespan in captivity is significantly shorter. A study of 16 kept at the Okinawa Churaumi aquarium in Japan, one of few facilities in the world where the rare animals are exhibited, found it averaged less than two years.
International conservation groups have taken a dim view of the animal’s captivity. Ali Hood, director of conservation at the UK-based Shark Trust, said it hoped “that the Atlantis resort acts with the best interest of the animal as its primary concern and that revenue raised during its time in captivity is used to further the knowledge, understanding and conservation of these magnificent and vulnerable creatures”.
Plea to free Atlantis whale shark
Vesela Todorova, The National 16 Oct 08;
The shark was caught off Jebel Ali in August. Paulo Vecina / The National
An environmental organisation has today joined a campaign calling for the release of a juvenile whale shark from the Atlantis theme park in Dubai.
The animal, which is four metres long was caught off Jebel Ali on 27 Aug but the circumstances of the animal’s capture are unclear.
The group of opponents protesting the animal’s capture is now being backed by the Emirates Marine Environmental Group (EMEG), one of a handful of environmental organisations in Dubai.
In a statement, the organisation called for the whale shark’s release into the wild from the main aquarium at the newly-opened Atlantis situated on The Palm Jumeirah.
“EMEG is voicing its concern over the status of this captive animal in order to pressure Atlantis into tagging and releasing this shark back into its natural habitat as soon as possible,” it said.
Ali al Suweidi, the organisation’s president, added: “It is essential that this gentle giant be tagged and released as soon as possible to increase its chances of survival as well as gather scientific data on its movements in the Gulf.”
The whale shark has been the subject of controversy for weeks. It has appeared on the pages of newspapers around the world while executives in the United States and the UAE are pondering its fate as are ministry officials.
EMEG had previously distanced itself from the debate. Although individual members had privately expressed their outrage, the group, which co-ordinates some of its conservation activities with developer Nakheel – a joint venture partner in the resort – had remained publicly silent on the matter.
Reports have said that the whale shark was caught because it displayed signs of fatigue and distress.
Mohd Ishak Samon, The New Paper 17 Oct 08;
BIRD-WATCHING is now a favourite pastime at this HDB block, after a flock of 50 Little Egrets decided to make it their home.
Mr Vernon Sim, a 34-year-old executive, said the birds began roosting on a tree behind Block 50, Dorset Road, about three months ago.
'It was a weird phenomenon to see so many of these unusual birds in a HDB estate,' he said.
Every morning at 6.40am, the common migratory birds take off, flying towards the north and returning around 7pm.
Singapore is one of their wintering grounds.
Residents do not seem to mind their new neighbours.
'They don't make noise. Within 15 minutes of returning every day, they will fall asleep,' said Mr Sim.
The only inconvenience is the 'tonnes' of bird droppings.
'The residents avoid parking their cars at the five or six lots below the tree, except for one guy who still parks his motorcycle there,' said Mr Sim.
'He covers the seat with a towel. But the rest of his bike is covered with the droppings. I don't know why he does that.'
Birdwatching
Every once in a while, Mr Sim leaves his flat on the fourth floor and heads to a staircase landing on the 11th floor to watch the birds come home.
'They look very elegant because they will glide and circle around before landing on the top of the tree,' said Mr Sim.
'The aunties, especially, like it very much.'
Vincent Wee, Business Times 17 Oct 08;
AS in any major port, the possibility of mishap cannot be ruled out. But the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) remains committed to marine environment protection, even as it develops Singapore as a shipping hub.
Working with other agencies and industry players, MPA has contingency plans for dealing with oil and chemical spills, as well as other marine incidents and is able to deal with maritime mishaps effectively.
The Marine Emergency Action Procedure (MEAP) details comprehensive plans for the MPA, as the lead agency, to tap a large pool of resources for assistance in the event of a marine emergency. These include resources and personnel from public agencies such as the Singapore Armed Forces, the Police Coast Guard and Singapore Civil Defence Force, as well as anti-pollution vessels and equipment operated by private organisations.
The MEAP also provides details on methods of reporting and communication, and establishes clear channels of authority for effective marshalling of resources. To ensure our readiness, we conduct regular emergency exercises with other agencies, port facility operators and shipowners to test the response actions detailed in the MEAP.
Today, MPA is conducting its annual Joint Oil Spill Exercise (JOSE), which tests and validates MPA's readiness to respond to mishaps at sea. This year, the exercise involves a deployment of oil-spill response equipment by participating agencies in the sea off Raffles Lighthouse.
In our quest to keep our waters pollution-free and to provide for adequate compensation from marine incidents, provisions have been made through legislation. Singapore's statutes provide for punitive sanctions against those who flout good maritime practices, and thereby cause marine pollution, mishaps at sea or damage.
A key resource that the MPA draws on during a marine emergency is technology. For instance, our VTIS lets us track the movements of all vessels within our port in real time. This not only allows for effective command and control of all vessels involved in dealing with the emergency, it also allows us to keep an eye on other vessels in the port and to keep them clear of the affected areas, if necessary.
MPA also uses a computerised Oil Spill Prediction Model. When input with information such as the type of oil spilled, wind and current conditions are keyed in, the model is able to predict the movements of oil slicks hours and even days ahead. With such predictions, MPA can more effectively deploy resources and prioritise our actions to minimise damage and loss.
Other agencies such as the Singapore Oil Spill Response Centre (SOSRC) are also on-hand to help deal with mishaps.
'SOSRC is always on call to deal with oil and chemical spills and very often the call to respond comes directly from whichever company has had the incident. We are very well-known in Singapore and throughout the region and, in addition to ad hoc customers, we have response contracts with around 32 long-term customers to respond immediately on a 24/7 basis,' said SOSRC's manager Chris Richards.
'We have a very close relationship with the MPA and in fact are considered one of the main response service providers for this type of incident. The annual JOSE exercises are a fundamental part of the MPA's MEAP and are always beneficial in honing the response to a high state or readiness,' he added.
Mr Richards elaborated that while the actual mobilising of the response is similar in different types of incidents, the actual response methodology is very different. For example, with oil spills, there is an immediate threat to the environment, but with chemical incidents, there is potentially the added threat to the responders from the chemical itself due to toxicity, flammability and so on. With LNG and LPG incidents, there is also the threat of fire and explosion. So when deciding how to deal with any type of incident, the first priority is to minimise the risk, he reiterates.
'Singapore has a multiple risk/incidents approach; it uses the MEAP that consists of relevant agencies led by MPA,' said Ho Yew Weng, response and projects manager at Oil Spill Response and East Asia Response (OSRL/EARL).
'The MEAP prepares Singapore and the relevant agencies to respond to any form of marine emergencies. In the case of OSRL/EARL, we had been identified as a technical/response resource for an oil spill incident and co-opted to join this team. JOSE and Chemspill are exercises that involve the government agencies and industry to go through various credible scenarios,' he added.
MPA uses cutting-edge navigation aids
Business Times 17 Oct 08;
It also works with neighbouring states to enhance safety in Malacca Straits, reports VINCENT WEE
AS the busiest port in the world, navigational safety is a priority for the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore. And the local maritime industry is progressive and at the forefront of technology.
'The accurate charting of our waters and the timely distribution of updated hydrographic information enables ships to navigate safely in our busy waterways,' says chief hydrographer Parry Oei. 'This allows our port operations to continue smoothly, efficiently and speedily, with minimal disruption.'
To ensure maximum navigational safety, MPA's Hydrographic Department has turned to cutting-edge technology. For example, the new Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) is a navigational tool that works with real-time positioning systems to provide ships with accurate and updated information on their location.
Used with the Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC), ECDIS is also able to warn ships of potential hazards such as groundings, and help prepare voyage plans.
Singapore's port waters and approaches are clearly marked by five lighthouses and several hundred beacons, navigational buoys and mooring buoys. An integrated personal computer-based monitoring system monitors the lights in the lighthouses and alerts MPA when they are faulty or not functioning.
To further enhance navigational safety, a reference station has been installed to broadcast Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) signals on medium frequency. The free DGPS service covers Singapore's port waters and approaches, providing mariners with positioning accuracy of better than five metres.
MPA also disseminates Maritime Safety Information (MSI) through the VHF, NAVTEX and SafetyNET systems. The broadcasts provide navigational warnings, weather bulletins and other information to ships in the region. This enables the automatic communication of information between Singapore's Port Operations Control Centres and ships at sea, as well as between ships. Five AIS transponder base stations have been installed in Singapore.
With the help of state-of-the art hardware, MPA also works closely with littoral states and the international maritime community to maintain navigational safety in Singapore and the Straits of Malacca.
While technology is key to maintaining navigational safety, MPA is also working with the international maritime community, particularly the neighbouring states of Malaysia and Indonesia, to enhance safety in the region. On this front, a breakthrough vehicle is the Cooperative Mechanism for the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, launched last year. The ground-breaking initiative serves as an institutionalised platform for continuing dialogue between the coastal states - Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore - and users and stakeholders of the Straits, as well as a framework for concrete cooperation with the international maritime community. It enables them to work closely to enhance navigational safety and environmental protection in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.
The Cooperative Mechanism was conceived by the three littoral states following a number of IMO events on safety, security and environmental protection in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore from 2005 to 2007. It comprises three components: a cooperation forum, a project coordination committee and an Aids-to-Navigation Fund.
The mechanism allows stakeholders to voluntarily contribute to the efforts of the littoral states with respect for their sovereignty. One of the key stakeholders, Japan through the Nippon Foundation's representative office in Asia, the Nippon Maritime Centre, has taken the initiative by contributing US$1.4 million to the Aids-to-Navigation Fund, which provides funds for the maintenance and replacement of the 51 principle aids to navigation in the Straits.
With more and more traffic passing through the Straits and the need to provide safe navigation through them, the burden on littoral states keeps rising. The fund is aimed at sharing this burden among the various stakeholders.
But after taking the initiative with its initial contribution, the Nippon Foundation has found it difficult to get similar contributions from other stakeholders, such as the international shipping community. 'This has never been achieved and thus it will be a historical breakthrough if it is achieved,' the foundation says.
According to chief hydrograher Dr Oei: 'The Cooperative Mechanism enables users of the Straits to exchange views on a regular basis, jointly undertake projects and even make direct monetary contributions to the Aids to Navigation Fund.
'Projects include establishing a tide, current and wind measurement system for the Straits, co-operation and capacity building - to respond to incidents involving hazardous and noxious substances - and replacing aids to navigation along the Sumatra coast, which were destroyed as a result of the tsunami in 2004.'
Biodiversity is crucial to the working of the ecosystems we humans rely on for our survival, says Kirsty Park
Dr Kirsty Park, The Guardian 15 Oct 08;
'Will the world and humankind be very much the poorer if we lose a thousand or so species?" asks Marcel Berlins (G2, October 8) in response to an International Union for the Conservation of Nature report revealing that 1,141 of the 5,487 known species of land mammal are at risk of extinction.
Berlins acknowledges that he is being deliberately provocative and would genuinely like an answer to this question. As a conservation biologist, I can provide one.
Berlins states: "I passionately believe in saving the whale, the tiger, the orang-utan, the sea turtle and many other specifically identified species." Leaving aside the false notion that there is a single species of whale or sea turtle, who gets to identify these lucky chosen species? On what basis? Berlins seems to confuse the relative importance of conserving any particular species with its emotional appeal to the wider public.
He continues: "What I do not accept is the general principle that all species alive today should carry on existing for ever. We have become so attuned to treating every diminution of animals, insects, birds or fish with concern that we have forgotten to explain why we think it so terrible."
No species exists for ever, and there is no principle that suggests any species should - extinction is a natural process, as the fossil record demonstrates. What is not natural is the rate of current extinctions in comparison to this natural "background" extinction rate. From documented extinctions alone (which are gross underestimates of the true number), the current rate is 100-1,000 times greater than the natural rate. Future extinction rates due to habitat destruction are predicted to be several times higher.
Berlins questions the "usefulness" of some species, saying: "Many species at risk are very close to other species that are not at risk; the differences are so small that only the scientists have any interest in them." Nature is incredibly complex and all species (including humans) are dependent on many others. Several studies have demonstrated that biological diversity is crucial to the sustained functioning of many of the ecosystems that humans rely on for food, materials, medicine, nutrient cycling, etc. It is very difficult to determine the precise detail of a species' "functional role", and impossible to judge with any certainty which species we can "afford" to lose.
There are countless examples of species that may look superficially similar to the casual observer but that are really quite different - the length of a bumblebee's tongue determines which floral species it pollinates, for example. You cannot just substitute one bumblebee species for another without risking the loss of large groups of flowers (including important economic crops) and all of the species that have symbiotic associations with those flowers.
Our preference for certain species bears no relationship at all to their "importance" in the ecosystem, or the morality of any human-induced extinction event. To borrow the words of Aldo Leopold, the great American ecologist: "The first rule of intelligent tinkering is to save all the pieces."
• Dr Kirsty Park is a lecturer in ecology and conservation biology at the University of Stirling
Justin McCurry, guardian.co.uk 16 Oct 08;
Slices of raw whale meat - an expensive delicacy - are served in the Japanese coastal town of Wada
Japanese diners who enjoy tucking into dolphin meat are putting their health at risk, as well as courting international condemnation.
A new study by two Japanese universities found that residents of Taiji, a whaling town on the Pacific coast, who frequently ate the meat of pilot whale - a member of the dolphin family - have mercury levels 10 times the national average.
The hair of three tested residents contained quantities of mercury higher than 50 parts per million [ppm], a level that can lead to neurological problems.
Researchers from the Health Sciences University of Hokkaido and Daiichi University's College of Pharmaceutical Studies tested hair samples from 30 men and 20 women from the town between last December and July this year.
The average mercury level among the men was 21.6 ppm and 11.9 ppm among women - both about 10 times the national average. Three men with dangerously high levels of mercury said they ate pilot whale meat more than once a month.
Tetsuya Endo, a member of the research team, said the residents faced no immediate threats to their health but suggested they cut back on their dolphin and whale meat consumption, according to the Kyodo news agency.
Mercury levels halved among people who stopped eating the meat for two months.
Last year a study of dolphin meat served in school lunches in the Taiji area revealed mercury levels 10 to 16 times higher than the health ministry's accepted level of 0.4 ppm.
The latest warnings come as the town, about 280 miles west of Tokyo, begins its annual dolphin cull.
Local fishermen are expected to slaughter around 2,000 of the estimated 20,000 dolphins that will be killed in Japanese coastal waters between now and April.
The hunters bang on metal poles to drive pods of dolphins into secluded coves, where they are speared and hacked to death. The few that survive are sold to aquariums in Japan, Europe and the US.
Despite international condemnation of the culls, the people of Taiji, where coastal whaling is said to stretch back 400 years, claim the local economy would collapse if coastal whaling and dolphin hunting were banned.
Mark Kinver, BBC News 16 Oct 08;
A loophole in animal welfare laws that allows primates to be kept as household pets should be closed, an MP has urged.
Mark Pritchard, Conservative MP for The Wrekin, said the animals, such as small monkeys, were often housed in cramped cages, causing unacceptable suffering.
The RSPCA supported the call for a ban, adding that an estimated 3,000 primates were being kept as pets in the UK.
Mr Pritchard is calling on ministers to outlaw the breeding, sale or keeping of primates for the domestic pet market.
'Growing problem'
The Shropshire MP said he would use his Ten Minute Rule Bill, which he will present in the Commons on Tuesday afternoon, to highlight why the practice of keeping the animals had no place in modern society.
"Are we a modern country or are we a country stuck in Victorian times that likes to keep primates in confined spaces in order to entertain us," he told BBC News.
As well as welfare concerns, Mr Pritchard added that his proposals would also raise awareness of how the market for exotic pets could undermine global conservation efforts.
"Britain needs to lead the world on this issue and set a global standard in order that other countries follow and ban keeping primates as pets.
"The demand for so-called exotic pets is growing and the problem is getting worse rather than diminishing; and in my view there is a clear correlation between the scarcity of some of these species and the pet trade.
"Unless the government takes action to stop primates being kept as pets in the UK, their rhetoric on protecting forests and ecological habitats rings very hollow indeed."
Recently, the IUCN - also known as the the World Conservation Union - published its latest global assessment on the state of the world's primate species.
The Red List found that 48% faced extinction; a situation described as depressing by some conservationists.
"We certainly support Mark Pritchard's aims," said Rachel Hevesi of the Monkey Sanctuary Trust.
"We would like to see an end to the primate pet trade because it only causes suffering and, in the bigger picture, only damages the conservation of primates.
System failure
Although the vast majority of primates for sale in the UK - primarily small monkeys like marmosets, tamarins and capuchins - were bred in captivity, Ms Hevesi said the animals' exact trade routes were unknown.
"We know that there is a lot of legal and illegal trade coming out the native range countries into Europe," she told BBC News.
"By the time that the monkeys arrive in this country, the monkeys are claimed to have been captive bred.
"Therefore it is virtually impossible to know what direct and indirect links there are back to the native range countries.
"As long as there is a legal trade, it will feed an illegal one too."
One of the recent arrivals at the trust's sanctuary in Cornwall was a capuchin named Joey, who had been kept in a wardrobe-sized cage for nine years.
A vet's report said an X-ray revealed that the monkey showed "extensive boney deformation and generalised poor bone density" as a result of being kept in cramped conditions and not getting enough sunlight.
It added: "New World primates, such as the capuchin monkey, are particularly susceptible (to bone disease), due to their specific requirements for vitamin D3."
Joey is believed to have been a wild animal, taken from a forest in Suriname, South America.
Although keeping many small monkey species, such as tamarins or squirrel monkeys, as a pet do not require licences, capuchins are covered by the Dangerous Wild Animals Act.
This legislation requires the animals to be licensed and to be examined by a vet once a year.
Yet an investigation should that Joey's owner's initial 12-month licence was never renewed.
'No restrictions'
Ros Clubb, scientific officer for the RSPCA's wildlife department, said a ban on keeping primates as household pets was something the society had been calling for over a number of years.
"The general public should not be able to keep them because the primates have such specialist needs that they cannot be met in a household environment," she told BBC News.
"They don't get the stimulation they need, they don't have the room they need. Often, diet is a problem as well.
"They are also not exposed to the level of sunlight they need and they often develop all sorts of psychological and behavioural problems because of the way they are being looked after.
"At present, there is virtually no restriction for keeping primates as pets."
Dr Clubb added that it was an issue that the government was looking to address.
Concerns about keeping primates as pets were raised during the formation of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, and the government established a working group to devise a code of conduct.
The government had indicated that it was preparing to reconvene the working group, of which the RSPCA is a member, in the coming months.
Dr Clubb said that the society had a very clear position: "What we have been calling for is for this restriction to be part of the legislation.
"That would mean that there would be a restriction on who would be able to keep primates in the first place.
She added owners should be limited to organisations or individuals who were part of a registered conservation programme or housed rescued animals.
The likelihood of Mr Pritchard's Bill making it to the statute books is remote, but he said that his goal was to get the issue back on the political agenda.
"It is putting down a marker that the government needs to take up the cause for itself. This Bill has cross-party support, including one of the most respected animal welfare supporting Members of Parliament, Elliot Morley.
"This is not a partisan matter, it is a matter about what does it say about our country."
Vincent Wee, Business Times 17 Oct 08;
REDUCTIONS in carbon emissions agreed to by the International Maritime Organization should apply globally to all ships no matter what flag they fly, IMO secretary-general Efthimios Mitropoulos said here yesterday.
He was speaking at the second Singapore Maritime Lecture, where he made clear his stand on greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr Mitropoulos acknowledged that there is ongoing debate over whether emission reductions agreed to by IMO should apply only to First World countries or should be extended to include all ships regardless of the flag they fly.
'My view on this is that, if reductions in carbon dioxide emissions from ships are to benefit the environment as a whole, they must apply globally to all ships in the world fleet,' he said.
The reality of the situation is that with First World-flagged tonnage representing just 25 per cent of shipping, the net benefit to the environment would be minimal if the rule applied to only these ships.
In addition, if control measures applied only to ships flagged in First World countries, there would likely be a rush to the non-First World ship registers, further reducing effectiveness, Mr Mitropoulos pointed out.
'To prevent this happening, with all its negative repercussions, we should develop a regime that will contribute positively, fairly and visibly to the endeavours of the international community as a whole to combat climate change - a regime whereby all IMO members engage in effectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping in its entirety,' he said.
Since MARPOL Annex VI (IMO's set of regulations which addresses atmospheric pollution issues) does not cover the emission of greenhouse gases from ships, IMO is working through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol to reduce these gases.
'We have established an ambitious but achievable action plan to that end and are now working towards the development and adoption of a robust regime that will regulate shipping at the global level and contribute to the slowing down of climate change,' said Mr Mitropoulos.
Good progress has been made this year by its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), he said. 'These efforts are due to culminate in the expected adoption, in 2009, of a comprehensive package of technical and operational measures for all ships.'
This, he hoped, would successfully convey to the conference of parties to the UNFCCC, to be held in Copenhagen towards the end of next year, IMO's firm determination to protect and preserve the marine environment.
'Our goal is to deliver realistic and pragmatic solutions aimed at contributing substantively to worldwide efforts to address the phenomena of climate change and global warming. We must all play our part and we must work together if we are to achieve it,' Mr Mitropoulos said.
IMO charts passage through choppy waters
Marine pollution, piracy and talent shortage among obstacles
Yang Huiwen, Straits Times 17 Oct 08;
THE shipping industry is in for challenging times - faced with not just a global downturn in trade, but also problems such as marine pollution, piracy and a shortage of young people entering the industry.
The grim outlook was provided yesterday by the head of a global maritime body who was visiting Singapore.
'We must acknowledge that since 2004, we have had a boom in the world economy which had a most welcome impact on the shipping markets, where the dry cargo market and freight rates were extremely high for long periods of time,' said Mr Efthimios Mitropoulos, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
'So, sooner or later, there will be some kind of a decline,' he told The Straits Times in an interview.
He said no sector will be unscathed by the financial crisis and that shipping will be affected to some extent. He is here for Singapore Maritime Week.
However, Mr Mitropoulos said that shipping, which accounts for about 90 per cent of world trade, will remain the preferred mode of transport due to cost efficiencies.
The IMO, which regulates the shipping industry on issues that include safety, environmental and legal issues, is working to reduce harmful emissions such as greenhouse gases and sulphur oxide from ships.
Shipping contributed about 3.5 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions last year, but that figure is expected to rise.
He said the IMO is 'working towards the development and adoption of a robust regime that will regulate shipping at the global level and contribute to the slowing down of climate change'.
These include deciding on whether to impose a fuel tax to cut greenhouse gas emissions or use more complex market-based instruments such as emissions trading.
The IMO hopes such moves will be enough to prevent the United Nations from imposing its own emission rules at a Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December next year.
The Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012, will be replaced by the outcome of the Copenhagen meeting.
Mr Mitropoulos said that greenhouse gas emission reductions agreed by the IMO 'should extend to all ships, no matter what flag they fly'.
Under existing regulations, only 25 per cent of the world's fleet is obliged to comply with mandatory reduction measures.
'If reductions in carbon dioxide emissions from ships are to benefit the environment as a whole, they must apply globally to all ships in the world fleet.
'To me, it seems incongruous that two ships carrying similar cargo, loaded in the same port, sailing at the same speed and having the same destination, should be treated differently simply because they are registered under two different flags.'
He is also 'very concerned about the reluctance of promising young people to join the maritime organisation'. He pointed out: 'We have to act early to prevent a situation arising where we have state-of-the- art ships but there are not enough qualified professionals to man them.'
The IMO is working to make the profession a more attractive one and to retain talent, he said. It aims to solve problems such as mistreatment of seafarers and cut down on piracy.
Nicola Leske, PlanetArk 17 Oct 08;
FRANKFURT - Indian physicist and environmental activist Vandana Shiva said the financial crisis showed it was high time for countries to rebuild local, diverse farms to become independent from global turmoil.
"The lesson to be learned from the financial meltdown is that the world is at a tipping point," Shiva told Reuters at the Frankfurt Bookfair on Thursday, where she is promoting her new book "Soil not Oil".
"When one thread rips somewhere its effect is felt around the world," said Shiva, a board member of the International Forum on Globalisation, which examines the effects of globalisation on local economies and communities.
Shiva was also one of the first tree-huggers in the 1970s, participating in the Chipko movement of female peasants in the Uttaranchal region of India, which adopted the tactic of hugging trees to prevent their felling.
Shiva said industrial farmers were running short on funds to buy pesticides and fertilisers amid reduced lending and borrowing worldwide but switching to small-scale, organic farming would eliminate the need to buy chemicals.
Shiva, who received her Ph.D. in physics at the University of Western Ontario, argued that diverse, organic farming was the answer to climate change and world hunger.
She said a quarter of greenhouse gases were emitted by industrially farmed crops and livestock, a figure that could be reduced to zero by switching to organic farming.
"If you look at Great Britain, it has no food independence any more... at this point we are eating oil and that just doesn't taste good," Shiva said.
"The world needs to shift from consumptive energy such as fossil fuels to regenerative energy," Shiva continued, adding that governments should allow and support "the rebuilding of local food sovereignty".
The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has disagreed with the Indian activist.
Its Director General Jacques Diouf said last December there was no reason to believe that organic agriculture could substitute conventional farming systems in ensuring the world's food security.
But the FAO has said that people should reduce their consumption of meat to help tackle global warning.
The organisation has estimated that meat production accounts for nearly a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions, which are generated during the production of animal feeds.
Ruminants, particularly cows, also emit methane, which is 23 times more effective as a global warming agent than carbon dioxide, it has said.
Shiva, 56, said she believed it was a mistake to bet on industrial farming to feed the world and said she was heartened by an increased interest in environmental issues globally. (Editing by Jon Boyle)
Straits Times 17 Oct 08;
LONDON: Oxfam launched an urgent appeal to mark UN World Food Day yesterday, saying that even as hundreds of billions of dollars were being directed to tackle the financial crisis, the number of people worldwide facing starvation has risen to nearly one billion.
'Rich countries are directing their attention to high fuel prices and turmoil in the financial sector, but the number of malnourished people in the world rose by 44 million in 2008,' the British-based international aid charity said.
'Nearly one billion people are now going hungry. When you consider the speed of the world's response to the credit crisis, the delay in acting is shocking.'
Oxfam said it needed an extra US$26.2 million (S$38.8 million) for its humanitarian work, a sum that is paltry compared to the billions made available in days to bail out Western banks.
It also noted that five months after countries promised to give more than US$12 billion to address the global food emergency, under US$1 billion has been given.
'These are tough times for many of us, but huge increases in food prices mean that the world's poorest are being hit hardest,' said Oxfam chief executive Barbara Stocking.
The charity said higher food prices meant people were eating less and lower quality food, while children were being pulled out of school and farmers were migrating to city slums.
The Oxfam report contrasts the global food crisis with the huge profits being made by the farm and food companies, the Guardian reported.
'The trend in agriculture, as in international finance, has been towards deregulation and a reduced role for the state,' Ms Stocking said. 'It is time the world woke up to the need for developing country governments to support their poor farmers, and the obligation of developed countries to help them to do so.'
In a global opinion poll released on the eve of World Food Day, Britain's BBC World Service reported that almost two-thirds of people surveyed in the Philippines, Panama, Kenya and Nigeria say they are now eating less because of the rise in food prices.
While world grain prices have been tumbling back down the steep slope they climbed early this year, food bills from London to Manila remain 9 per cent to 16 per cent higher than a year ago, according to the latest national reports.
And experts worry that the wild swings may turn uphill again.
The global financial crisis 'puts us in a precarious position', said United Nations' food economist Abdolreza Abbassian, who fears farmers frustrated by falling prices and credit shortages will plant less.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Food crisis billions failing to arrive, warn reports
Groups contrast the speedy global response to the financial crisis with the 'shocking' delay in responding to food shortages in the developing world
John Vidal, guardian.co.uk 16 Oct 08;
Two Ugandan women drag sacks of food relief. Photograph: Walter Astrada/AFP/Getty Images
Five months after countries pledged to give more than $12bn to address the global food emergency, less than $1bn has been delivered, says Oxfam. In a report to coincide with World Food day, the international agency berates rich countries for failing to respond speedily or adequately to soaring food and fuel prices.
"Rich countries are directing their attention to high fuel prices and turmoil in the financial sector but the number of malnourished people in the world rose by 44 million people in 2008. Nearly one billion people are now going hungry. When you consider the speed of the world's response to the credit crisis, the delay in acting is shocking", said an Oxfam spokesman.
In a separate report, Care International said that at least 6.4 million people in Ethiopia now need emergency food aid and that Somalia is facing a food crisis "unseen since the famine of the early 1990s".
"Drought, conflict, and rising food prices have left more than 17 million people in the Horn of Africa sliding into a full-blown humanitarian crisis. These countries are heading into the peak hunger season when cereal prices are at their highest, and families have no stocks left from the previous harvest", said Jonathan Mitchell, Care's emergency director.
The Oxfam report says that while staple food prices have come down since their peak in July, they remain stuck at levels far higher than the long-term average. "This is not a fleeting crisis."
Barbara Stocking, director of Oxfam GB, said: "It is shocking that the international community has failed to organise itself to respond adequately to this. The UN taskforce produced a good plan – the Comprehensive Framework for Action – but there is still not clear leadership to implement it."
She added: "Developing countries are being bombarded with different initiatives and asked to produce multiple plans for different donors. We need to see one coordinated international response, led by the UN, which channels funds urgently to those in need, and leads on implementation of the longer-term reforms".
The Oxfam report contrasts the global food crisis with the record profits being made by the world's largest agribusiness and seed companies. "[US food company] Bunge saw its profits increase by $583m (£333m) between April and July, Thailand's Charoen Pokphand Foods is forecasting a 237% increase in sales, Nestlé's global sales rose 8.9% January to June and Tesco has reported profits up 10% on last year. France's Carrefour and Wal-Mart in the US say that food sales are the main factor sustaining their increases in profits".
The world's largest seed companies have all seen profits grow by over 25% in the second quarter of 2008.
However, poor countries have also failed to come up with adequate answers to food price rises, says the report. Many countries responded by banning rice exports. But this, says the report, resulted in only limited curbs on inflation and has contributed to a shortage of supplies on the world market.
Other countries have forced controls on markets or slashed import tariffs, but this could pose serious future threats to infant industries and paralysis of the food supply chain.
Oxfam recommends that poor countries invest more in agriculture and protect small-scale producers. It urges rich countries to stop pressing for rapid liberalisation of poor countries' economies in trade negotiations and global agreements.
"The food crisis and the fate of 17 million people in Africa is being pushed down the list of priorities. Add to this the global financial crisis, and things could hardly be any worse. The perfect storm just got more perfect", said Mitchell.
Global financial crisis threatens aid to the world's hungry, warns World Food Programme official
Radha Basu, Straits Times 17 Oct 08;
THE global financial crisis has put the world's hungry at risk of not getting the food they need.
Given this year's skyrocketing food prices and more natural disasters, the World Food Programme (WFP) needs to raise US$6 billion (S$8.9 billion) - twice as much as last year - to feed 90 to 95 million people in more than 80 countries.
Its spokesman for Asia, Mr Paul Risley, told The Straits Times that if funds are not forthcoming, it may have to cut back on programmes or the number of people it helps.
'We are concerned that donor countries will reduce their commitments in view of the financial crisis,' he said. 'That's really the last thing we need.'
The food-aid arm of the United Nations is the world's largest humanitarian agency, providing rations to people from the poorest communities, conflict zones and areas decimated by natural disasters.
Ahead of World Food Day yesterday it said that it is still short of US$2 billion to feed the hungry this year.
Mr Risley said it is important for governments, companies and ordinary folk to open their wallets, even during difficult times.
'Millions of the world's poor are but a single natural disaster away from calamity,' he said.
In Myanmar, for instance, many people had sacks of rice stored in their kitchens but Cyclone Nargis devoured their supplies when it hit in early May.
'Living as we do in a world made very small by air travel and e-mail, helping is just the humane thing to do,' he said.
While disaster relief often spurs generosity, Mr Risley said that chronic hunger still lies below the radar of many donors.
'Hunger and malnutrition remain the biggest risk to health worldwide - greater than Aids, malaria and tuberculosis combined - claiming one child's life every five seconds,' he said.
Indeed, 25,000 people die every day from hunger-related causes, mostly in India, Bangladesh and sub-Saharan Africa.
A doubling in the prices of rice, wheat and maize early this year worsened the plight of the hungry.
The World Bank says the price hikes pushed an estimated 100 million people back into extreme poverty and malnutrition.
The number of malnourished people will rise to 967 million this year from 820 million two years ago, it says, wiping away years of gain from hunger-eradication programmes.
World Bank president Robert Zoellick said last week that while the financial crisis is the centre of attention, 'many forget that a human crisis is rapidly unfolding in developing countries. It is pushing people to the brink of survival'.
Citing the contributing factors, Mr Risley said that countries have been investing less in agriculture, with richer industrial nations preferring to import staple foods like rice.
In Asia, growing urbanisation has led to farmlands being eaten up by factories, and low-value crops like rice being replaced with cash crops like oil palm.
At the same time, rapid economic growth and burgeoning populations in developing countries have meant greater demand than ever for food.
It has not helped that food-exporting nations like the Philippines, India and Pakistan have become importers and imposed export bans.
Pakistan's ban on wheat exports, for example, directly affected millions in Afghanistan. 'Almost overnight, we had an additional 2.3 million mouths to feed in Afghanistan,' said Mr Risley.
Mr Risley, who visited Singapore recently, hoped the Government, companies and individuals would donate more to the programme.
Some, like Yum Foods, have already shown the way. The restaurant company. which owns Pizza Hut and KFC, raised US$118,000 for the WFP here in Singapore last year as part of a global campaign. A similar fund-raising effort this year will end next week.
'Money is the quickest means to transfer food from one plate to another - and provide a tangible gift of life,' said Mr Risley.
To donate, log on to www.fromhungertohope.com or www.wfp.org
Cut the wastage
Straits Times 17 Oct 08;
WHILE more can be done to shore up food production, cutting wastage is an equally urgent need, says Mr Paul Risley of the World Food Programme.
'The terrible waste that occurs in developed societies is frustrating to people who have seen the face of hunger in so many countries,' he says.
When The Straits Times first meets him, he is at Lau Pa Sat amid tables laden with half-eaten pratas, laksa and satay.
'Too much food is in the wrong places at the wrong time,' he says, acknowledging that what is wasted cannot quite be shipped to starving folk elsewhere.
'But if all of us pledge that we won't buy and waste so much and donate the money saved instead, we could see real changes.'
Ingrid Melander and Pete Harrison, PlanetArk 17 Oct 08;
BRUSSELS - European Union leaders planned on Thursday to appease critics of the bloc's bold plans to fight climate change amid economic turmoil with concessions to heavy industry and former communist nations.
But they were set to reaffirm a December deadline and stick to their ambitious targets of cutting carbon dioxide emissions by a fifth by 2020 at a summit overshadowed by tumbling stockmarkets and the threat of a punishing recession.
"The European Council confirms its determination to honour the ambitious commitments it has made on climate and energy policy," said the draft final statement circulated to leaders at the final session of a two-day summit and obtained by Reuters.
"In this connection, it reaffirms that its objective is to reach agreement in December," said the text, which could still be changed by leaders.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged other leaders to push for a deal by December, and Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauaer warned of difficult negotiations ahead to win over the plan's critics.
"We've got two months for intensive work," he said. "It's often that way in Europe -- that people yearn for national measures and then we agree on something on a European level."
During combative discussions on Wednesday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk threatened to use his veto unless more was done to shield Poland's coal-based economy from the impact of the measures.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi also dangled a veto threat to demand more time to negotiate the package and less burden on Italian industry, already plagued by a loss of competitiveness to emerging economies.
CRISIS
In deference to these critics, the draft called for quick work on "applying that package in a rigorously established cost- effective manner to all sectors of the European economy and all member states, having regard to each member state's specific situation".
Rafal Grupinski, senior aide to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, said: "In the conclusions, we expect that either there is no December date for agreement or, if there is the date, that our proposals are accepted and the specificity of our country and other countries will be taken into account."
The 27-nation bloc aims to lead the world in battling global warming, mindful of UN predictions of more extreme weather and rising sea levels.
The economic crisis pushed climate change down the agenda of the summit, but some western European leaders argued fighting climate change could go hand in hand with efforts to rebuild economies while cutting risks from volatile energy imports.
European companies could lead the world by exporting technologies from a new low-carbon economy -- such as electric cars and wind turbines -- while green jobs could replace all those lost in old economy industries like steel, they said.
But environmentalists said that while EU leaders including French President Nicolas Sarkozy were busy making big promises to protect the environment in public, their ministers and advisers were busy creating loopholes in the legislation to protect industries at home.
"Mr Sarkozy and others are showing that they are unwilling to walk the walk when it comes to decisive action," said Greenpeace spokesman Mark Breddy. (Reporting by Ingrid Melander, writing by Pete Harrison; editing by Paul Taylor)
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