Best of our wild blogs: 18 Oct 08

Gold-whiskered Barbet and papaya
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Sentosa with TeamSeagrass
on the teamseagrass blog and about the seaweed bloom there on the wild shores of singapore blog

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New book on how Singapore achieved environmental and water sustainability

Little Green Dot
A new book shows how Singapore achieved environmental and water sustainability in just 40 years
Tania Tan, Straits Times 18 Oct 08;

BALANCING two big 'E's - the economy and the environment - will be Singapore's biggest challenge in the years to come. But if history is anything to go by, the little red dot has what it takes to live green and prosper.

A new book, which tells the Singapore story from the viewpoint of the environment, is now out.

Clean, Green And Blue spans the early days when getting clean water to citizens was a challenge, to the cutting-edge water technologies being developed here today.

Singapore has seen it all in the space of 40 short years.

In the coming uncertain times, economic growth may have to take precedence, but not at the expense of the environment, said Mr Tan Yong Soon, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, who penned the book along with his colleagues from the ministry.

'There will be some trade-offs if you want to achieve both,' he added. 'But it's doable.'

Published by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, the book is a 'how-to guide' for anyone interested in replicating Singapore's environmental success, said Mr Tan.

It gives a detailed look at how Singapore went about achieving environmental and water sustainability, which he hopes will 'urge Singaporeans to continue to support the environment'.

And because the green journey is a 'never-ending one', each person has a role to play, said Mr Tan.

The book is also a showcase of Singapore's environment and water achievements that its authors hope will help inspire other countries to achieve green gains.

'That's not to say that we have arrived,' said Mr Tan. 'There's always room for improvement.'

But the nation has always tried to live by the principle of balancing economic growth with liveability.

The 450-page book took about a year to write and is chock-full of examples of the constant struggle between the two.

For example, then prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's bold decision in the 1970s to enforce legislation by the Anti-Pollution Unit, which imposed strict rules on polluting industries, seemed to threaten industrial growth in the fledgling nation.

But the decision to stand firm resulted in minimal smoke pollution - ensuring Singapore enjoyed good air quality alongside industrial growth.

It took foresight and practicality to progress without destroying the natural environment.

Singapore in the 1960s was a cesspool of filthy waterways and rudimentary sewerage systems - a situation many countries still face.

The first step was to bring clean water to people and build proper waste management facilities. Creating jobs by boosting the manufacturing industry without causing pollution was another hurdle that needed to be crossed.

For a nation without its own water supply or other natural resources, water independence was also put high on the national agenda - a move that resulted in the production of Newater some 30 years later.

Cleaning up the country's waterways, keeping industrial air pollution at bay and maintaining public hygiene have been the result of 'hard work and far-sightedness' from top leaders, especially from Mr Lee, now the Minister Mentor.

'We were very fortunate that our leaders had a clear vision, without which I doubt we would be where we are now,' noted Mr Tan.

Another little-known detail is that the country has spent more than $10 billion on major environmental infrastructure works over the past 30 years.

The book will be given to schools and institutions and used as a reference for foreign delegates participating in training workshops here.

Environmental proponents are looking forward to the tome.

The book gives 'interesting insights' into Singapore's environmental experience, especially in solving water problems, said Dr K.E. Seetharam, director of the Institute of Water Policy at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

World-renowned water expert Asit Biswas, founder of the Third World Centre for Water Management in Mexico, also gave Singapore the thumbs up for its environmental journey so far.

But he was quick to add that many improvements could still be made in energy conservation.

'I walk into buildings and I'm frozen solid,' he told The Straits Times. 'The key will be whether this country can maintain its success in the years to come.'

Certainly, the Government is not leaving that to chance.

After the National Environment Agency launched a five-year, 10 per cent Energy Challenge campaign in April, the average household monthly consumption went down almost 4 per cent between May and August, compared to last year.

As Mr Tan wrote in the book: 'Going forward, Singapore needs to do more through setting higher standards for energy efficiency, regulations, and finding the right mechanisms and incentives to achieve the desired improvements in energy efficiency.'

taniat@sph.com.sg

'The expertise, experience and practical wisdom embodied in this report are well worth study and replication on a broad international scale.'

Dr Margaret Chan, director-general, World Health Organisation

'If you have always wanted to know how a government could develop a sustainable water strategy, this is the book to read. It is a remarkable story.'

Dr David Garman, president, International Water Association

'(Mr) Tan Yong Soon and his team at MEWR (Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources) give a comprehensive account of how Singapore turned green before it became the fashion.'

Mr Peter Ho, head of civil service, Singapore

'While other nations talk about climate change and environmental issues such as clean air, water and waste management, Singapore implements sustainable solutions. This little gem of a book explains what they are doing, how and why to preserve their ecosystem.'

Dr Allan Hawke, chancellor, Australian National University (2006-2008)

BOOK REVIEW
From a backwater town to a sparkling metropolis
Straits Times 18 Oct 08;

A book documenting Singapore's environmental journey will be launched next week. Clean, Green And Blue shows how the Republic has grown from a dirty, resource-poor town into a bustling cosmopolitan centre for green technology. Professor Asit Biswas, the 2006 Stockholm Water Prize winner, reviews the book.
I VIVIDLY recall a discussion that I had when Singapore became an independent country in August 1965, at the Faculty Club of the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, where I was teaching then.

The topic of our discussion was the future of Singapore. My four colleagues were somewhat pessimistic.

They did not see how a small state of about 600 sq km at the time, with a population of only about 1.5 million, no natural resources, per capita GDP of around US$1,500 (S$2,220), and no significant manufacturing and industrial base, could have a bright future.

My view was different.

I argued that behemoths such as India and China would find it difficult to turn on a dime.

However, a small nation like Singapore could be nimble, provided it had enlightened and strong leadership and good governance.

Looking back, it turns out that I was closer to the truth.

By 2005 - a period of only 40 years - the country had nearly four million people and a per capita GDP of close to US$27,000, an astonishing increase of 18 times over 1965.

The questions that need to be answered at present are how did Singapore do it, and what were the enabling conditions that made this country a miracle in the history of development?

My view has not changed during these four decades. The main reasons for this remarkable transformation have been enlightened and strong leadership and good governance, from which every strand of development has flowed.

Thus, it is appropriate that the book is dedicated to former prime minister (now Minister Mentor) Lee Kuan Yew, whose leadership ensured this miracle.

In this authoritative book, Mr Tan Yong Soon, who is the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, with the help of his colleagues Lee Tung Jean and Karen Tan, explains objectively and candidly the country's long environmental journey over the past 40 years.

It explains how Singapore made this transformation, as well as the background and the rationale for the policies that were formulated and, what is more important, successfully implemented; as well as the institutional evolutions that occurred which made this possible.

Right from its very independence, its leaders realised that environment and development are two sides of the same coin.

One affects the other and, in turn, is affected by the other.

For example: the Water Catchment Policy that was introduced in 1983 to control developments within unprotected catchment areas.

Less intensive development in these areas, coupled with stringent pollution control measures, helped ensure the good quality of water collected.

MM Lee clearly pointed out as early as 1968 the importance of maintaining 'a clean and green city'.

This was four years before the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Stockholm, when the world started to realise the importance of maintaining a good environment, concurrent with population growth, urbanisation and industrialisation.

The main ingredients which ensured where Singapore is today are:

# Continuous clear vision of its leaders as to where the country should go in the future, and strong endorsement of this vision by its people;

# Transformation of the vision into long-term plans, which have regularly evolved over time as the world and national conditions have so warranted;

# Continuous consideration of management, technological and institutional innovations in the planning process; and

# Ensuring that the vision, plans and programmes are practical and do-able, and can be implemented cost-effectively and within a stipulated time period with the full support of its people.

This approach has worked not only in the area of environment, but also in all aspects of the nation's development.

The book analyses how this overall philosophy was successfully implemented to control and manage air, land and water pollution.

It shows a nation that was transformed from a backwater town into a vibrant metropolis with cutting-edge water technology.

This remarkable and very readable book will not only make all Singaporeans proud of their environmental achievements and heritage, but also provide many valuable and practical lessons to other countries - both developed and developing - as to how their own environment can also be successfully managed.

In a world where gloom and doom stories take centre stage, it is refreshing to see a comprehensive analysis which shows categorically that, given good leadership (both political and professional), environment-development problems can be solved.

For anyone interested in such issues, and even if you read only one book a year, I would have no hesitation recommending that you read this remarkable and uplifting story of Singapore's environmental journey.

There is much to learn from this success story.

The writer is president of the Third World Centre for Water Management, Mexico, and Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School for Public Policy. He won the 2006 Stockholm Water Prize - the highest honour in the water profession. His work has been translated into 32 languages.

All hands on board for cleaner environment

'While investing in 'hardware' such as infrastructure and R&D in technology and policy is important, the challenge of sustainability is ultimately about people. It is anchored in the many individual decisions made every day - in their work and personal lives.

The population at large must want a cleaner and greener environment and prepare to work for it...When Singapore was poor and dirty, the public rallied behind the government and Singapore was able to invest heavily to improve its environment. Singaporeans must not be complacent and believe that they have arrived, or that there is no longer a need to pay for a better environment. The government, the private sector, the civil society, and every individual Singaporean all play an important role in improving the environment.'
Excerpt from Clean, Green And Blue

Book raises $400k for charity
Straits Times 18 Oct 08;

TWENTY organisations and individuals have donated $20,000 each for copies of the book Clean, Green And Blue.

Half the amount will be channelled to this year's President's Challenge fund. The rest will be split equally between local green groups, the Singapore Environment Council and the Nature Society. The book, written by the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tan Yong Soon, recounts Singapore's 40-year environmental journey.

'These aren't even autographed copies,' said Mr Tan. 'We didn't expect such generosity, but we're very thankful for it.'

The donors include US-based water company Black & Veatch, marine company SembCorp Industries and philanthropic group the Tan Chin Tuan Foundation.

Donors will receive their copies of the 450-page book on Tuesday from President S R Nathan at the award ceremony for this year's President's Award for the Environment winners. Copies will be available at all major bookstores from next week.

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New ways to help businesses cut power bills

Shobana Kesava, Straits Times 18 Oct 08;

NEW initiatives were announced yesterday to help businesses go green, part of a $50 million kitty that includes subsidies for technology, energy-saving equipment and energy audits.

The details come hot on the heels of stiff electricity tariff hikes, which sent companies scrambling to cut costs, and led to a string of complaints sent directly to Singapore Power and to The Straits Times, and posted on blogs.

Many businesses said they would be keen to take up energy-saving measures, at a time when they are bracing themselves for a double blow.

Apart from a near 30 per cent higher power bill from now till December, they are also facing a shrinking demand for products due to the global financial crisis.

The National Environment Agency (NEA), announcing the details of its Sustainable Energy Fund yesterday, said that companies would get help and subsidies to design their premises in the most energy-efficient manner, create a business that would reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the air, train their own energy managers and help pay for energy-efficient equipment.

For example, $6 million is available to train qualified energy managers who will help firms become more energy efficient.

Many companies here are cutting power use by switching to more efficient generators, air-conditioners and light bulbs.

Nine of 15 companies approached said they already had measures in place.

KLA-Tencor has removed one fluorescent tube out of the three in each lamp. It is a symbolic move, said Mr Theo Kneepkens, its vice-president of Asia operations.

'It's to remind staff to save electricity where they can, because this barely cuts under 0.01 per cent in our costs,' he said.

The international precision engineering company has also been able to negotiate a supply of electricity from Senoko Power directly. This saves a few percentage points in fees to SP Services as the middleman.

Such an option is available only to the largest companies, drawing power of at least 10,000 kilowatt-hours a month, the Energy Market Authority said.

Panasonic Refrigeration Devices Singapore said it is in the process of fitting sensors which switch lights off automatically in an already bright room.

Singapore Power raised its charges a clear 22 per cent for the October to December period for households, while the figure could be nearly 30 per cent higher for businesses. The exact hike is not immediately obvious to businesses, which have several components factored into their electricity tariffs. They are already bracing themselves for the fallout.

Sim Lim Square's monthly electricity bill skyrocketed from $135,000 last year to $162,000 in the first half of this year, and could now reach almost $200,000.

A spokesman for Suntec City said he expected the increase to be over 25 per cent, even though management took steps such as replacing inefficient lamps and adding energy-saving devices to ventilation systems four years ago.

Even small companies are trying to slash their power bills.

Travel agency Journeys' head of administration and finance, Ms S. Jeyaletchumi, said staff use just three of the eight air- conditioners at their premises off Lavender Street, which the firm moved to a month ago.

She said: 'The previous tenant here spent $1,000 a month on electricity and water, and we hope to spend just $600.'

She said the company would be glad to adopt any of NEA's schemes, if they help to cut costs.

Companies are hoping for a reprieve in January, following a drop in oil prices. Singapore Power says that tariffs are expected to decrease if oil prices continue to stay down this month.

Aid to go green
FUNDING help for businesses to go green:

# $6 million to train energy managers. The aim is to have 1,000 such professionals by 2012. Training modules drawn up by the Energy Sustainability Unit start next month.

# $2.5 million for green design. Before a facility is built, the NEA can fund either up to 80 per cent of the cost of workshops or up to $600,000 to find the best energy- efficient workplace measures.

# $500,000 in grants to push firms to take on projects that use less fossil fuel or produce less carbon dioxide.

# $10 million to help with energy audits. About $2 million already approved for such audits at 34 industrial facilities, with the potential to save over $13 million.

# Grants for energy-efficient technologies to help industrial companies offset part of their investment cost.

More grants to help industries save energy

NEA scheme will help industrial companies offset investments in energy efficient equipment
Jamie Lee, Business Times 18 Oct 08;

A MULTI-million-dollar grant scheme to help industrial companies offset their investments in energy efficient equipment is expected to be launched next month, a senior executive at the National Environment Agency (NEA) said yesterday.

'The total amount is quite significant,' said NEA chief executive Lee Yuen Hee, adding that this would target investments in new technology.

He said that it would 'definitely be larger' than some current grants such as the $6 million grant to certify professionals in energy management but declined to give the grant size.

He also announced that all cars sold in Singapore must have labels that show the vehicles' fuel consumption and carbon emissions from April next year.

'Currently, we do have a voluntary scheme,' Mr Lee told reporters, adding that about 20 per cent of carmakers have labels for their cars.

He added that having such information on car brochures is not enough.

'It's all hidden in the fine print. It's not really transparent,' he said, adding that having labels would standardise the way information is presented to the buyers.

Mr Lee said that feedback from the distributors was positive. 'They have been quite supportive,' he said.

This would have little impact on sales, said Paul Ng, general manager of Vertex Automobile, which distributes Chery cars from China. 'We're only making the information more visible to consumers,' he said.

The penalties for not having such fuel labels are being drafted and would be 'similar in scope' to the mandatory labels of electrical appliances such as refrigerators and air-conditioners, said Mr Lee.

Since January this year, all household appliance suppliers must indicate the energy efficiency of their products. Under the Environmental Protection and Management Act, suppliers who do not provide labels can be fined up to $2,000.

NEA expects to reduce household electricity consumption by at least 10 per cent over a five-year period through a campaign launched in April this year.

The average monthly consumption fell 4 per cent from May to August, compared with the same period a year ago.

Going green or saving money?
Esther Ng, Today Online 18 Oct 08;

IT COULD be that the environmental message is sinking in, or that Singaporeans are just pragmatic people when it comes to paying their bills.

Whatever the case, recent data from the National Environment Agency (NEA) show that Singapore households are becoming more mindful of energy efficiency.

Following the launch of the NEA’s 10% Energy Challenge campaign in April, the average monthly electricity consumption from May to August was 490 kWH, down almost 4 per cent over the corresponding period last year.

Households in five-room flats also recorded the highest decline in average monthly consumption followed by private apartments.

August, in particular, recorded the sharpest drop of more than 8 per cent over the same month last year.

Is this decrease in electricity expenditure due to the NEA campaign or increases in electricity tariffs?

Amid higher fuel prices, electricity tariffs went up 5.7 per cent from 22.62 cents to 23.88 cents per kWH between April and June. It increased a further 5 per cent from 23.88 cents to 25.07 cents per kWH from July to last month.

NEA’s chief executive officer Lee Huen Yee said: “It’s a bit early to determine the factors that have contributed to this decline ... electricity tariffs have been increasing in the past few quarters and this could have contributed to a reduction in consumption.

“At the same time, we have been actively promoting our campaign. So hopefully, the message that we have been promoting has been getting through.”

And with the latest 21 per cent increase in electricity tariffs, Mr Lee says this should give Singaporeans an added incentive to save more.

As far as big businesses are concerned, there are a number of energy efficient incentives under the Energy Efficiency Masterplan — launched last year to coordinate energy efficiency efforts across various sectors — to choose from.

They include NEA’s Energy Efficiency Improvement Assistance Scheme; the Energy Smart Label; and the Building and Construction Authority’s Green Mark award.

Going forward, Singapore households and businesses can also expect more energy efficient initiatives from the NEA and other government agencies. For instance, from next April, fuel economy labelling will be compulsory for all passenger vehicles and the current mandatory labelling scheme for household appliances will be extended to include clothes dryers.

A public forum will also be held at the end of this month to discuss further measures that can be taken to increase energy efficiency in Singapore.

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SingPower explains electricity price increase

Straits Times 18 Oct 08;

SINGAPORE Power (SP) said it does not keep any of the tariff increase that has been levied on users.

All of the extra cost goes into paying for the higher cost of fuel, said SP, the sole supplier of power to households and the majority of businesses here.

SP has come under fire since electricity prices began to rise this year.

Blog posts such as that on Tomorrow.sg and on online forums said electricity tariff increases should be absorbed by SP, considering that it posted over $1 billion in profits last year.

Responding to queries from The Straits Times, SP said it does not profit from supplying power to households and businesses.

The charges are set by the Energy Market Authority (EMA) for its services, although SP is allowed to recover the cost through a fee that is regulated by EMA.

SP's online annual report indicated that its profits had come mainly through the sale of assets in South Korea, Taiwan and new acquisitions in Australia.

'SP has to earn a reasonable return so that it can finance the investments in its grid infrastructure needed for replacement, as well as for meeting new demand,' an SP spokesman said.

For example, he said, SP would need to invest about $5 billion in the electricity grid infrastructure over the next five years.

SHOBANA KESAVA

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Air-cons, fridges with poor energy efficiency to be removed from market

Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia 17 Oct 08;

SINGAPORE: Air-conditioners and refrigerators which are not energy efficient will be taken off the shelves in the near future.

New cars will also have to carry labels that show their fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

These changes are all part of Singapore's national campaign to conserve energy.

Energy labels have been pasted on refrigerators and air-conditioners from January this year to help Singaporeans make informed choices in their shopping. They will be extended to dryers from April 2009.

But the National Environment Agency (NEA) said about 11 per cent of air-conditioner models and less than one per cent of refrigerators are not energy efficient.

NEA also released figures that showed a reduction in electricity usage in Singapore. The average monthly electricity consumption between May and August this year dropped by four per cent compared to the same period last year.

Lee Yuen Hee, CEO, NEA, said: "It could be a combination of factors - because electricity tariffs have actually been increasing in the past few quarters, and this could have contributed to a reduction in consumption.

"We hope that households will continue to practise the electricity saving habits that we've been advocating. This is particularly because of the financial situation at this point in time and also the prospect of recession coming in." - CNA/vm

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What would the bank-bail out money buy for the environment?

Up to $4 trillion has been committed to rescue the global economy. How could that money be spent on the environment?

John Vidal, guardian.co.uk 17 Oct 08;

Countries could protect nature, help halt climate change, and provide food and clean water for a billion people for little more than has been pledged to bail out the world's banks in the last week, according to a series of authoritative economic reports from the UN, world bodies, major charities and banks.

Estimates of the sum committed this week by governments to rescue the world's financial system range between $2-4 trillion. Investment on this scale to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect nature would not only be repaid up to 100 times over, say the studies, but would also save trillions of dollars having to be spent later.

So what could investment on the scale of the the bank bail-out money buy?

Climate change: Lord Nicholas Stern, who led the UK government's study of the economic costs and benefits of climate change said it would cost 1% of global GDP, or $540bn (£313bn) a year, to hold greenhouse gas emissions at a level to avoid the worst effects of global climate change. But his review for the Treasury in 2006 said that if countries did not act, the overall costs and risks of climate change would soar into trillions of dollars a year.

Eco-systems and biodiversity: A study on the costs and benefits of investing in the wealth of nature has provisionally found that most of the world's forests, mountains, rivers and seas could be protected for about $45bn annually, says Pavan Sukhdev, lead author of the EU and German government funded report.

"The economic arguments for nature protection are beginning to enter mainstream thinking", said Sukdev, whose team is due to report fully next year. Last month the team estimated that the loss of the services that the forests perform, such as providing clean water and absorbing carbon dioxide is already costing the global economy $2-5 trillion a year.

Another major study, by Shell economists working with the World Conservation Union this year, estimated it would cost $1.3 trillion, spread over 30 years, to protect the world's most important eco-systems. For this sum, nearly 15% of land and 30% of the oceans would be protected from illegal logging, overfishing, pollution and would go most of the way to protecting the most endangered animals.

Renewable energy: Switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources in the US alone would not only reduce the world's carbon emissions by nearly 20% but could provide hundreds of thousands of jobs, says Jeffery Greenblatt, Google's climate and energy manager.

In a major study, Greenblatt proposes spending $4.4 trillion, spread over 30 years, to replace all the US's coal- and oil-fired electricity generation renewable electricity. The Google plan would generate 380 gigawatts of wind power, 250GW of solar power and 80GW of geothermal power, as well as reduce US energy use by 33% and boost sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles to 90% of new car sales by 2030.

Britain's more modest plan to generate 36% of all electricity from renewable sources by 2020 is roughly costed by the Treasury at $100bn, over 12 years.

Water and sanitation: International charity WaterAid this week estimated that providing safe water and sanitation to the 2.5 billion people in the world without it would cost £37.5bn. This, said a spokeswomen, was about equal to the amount (£37bn) given by UK government to RBS, HBOS and Lloyds TSB on Monday.

Hunger: Earlier this year, Jacques Diouf, head of the UN's food and agriculture organisation, said it would cost around $30bn a year to avert all future threats of conflicts over food. "How can we explain to people of good sense and good faith that it was not possible to find US$30 billion a year to enable 862 million hungry people to enjoy the most fundamental of human rights: the right to food and thus the right to life?" he said.

Greenpeace senior climate campaigner Jim Footner said: "This [bail out] money just shows how fast and how decisively the government can act when it faces a crisis. The onset of climate change is crisis of equal severity, and should tackled with a similar level of urgency and ambition. The scientists tell us we have less than 100 months before global emissions must peak and then begin to fall, and if we are to achieve this then we need massive investment in renewables and energy efficiency schemes and we must stop burning coal in conventional power plants. If we can find £50bn overnight for the bankers, then we can find the necessary finance and political will to lead ourselves out of the climate change crisis."

Read more!

Beluga whales in Alaska listed as endangered

Yereth Rosen, Reuters 17 Oct 08;

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - The depleted population of beluga whales that swim off the coast of Alaska's largest city was listed as endangered on Friday by the federal government.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, called the listing "premature" after she had pressed for more time to make beluga population counts.

Environmentalists hailed the listing decision, but criticized the time it took to materialize.

"Hopefully the State of Alaska will now work toward protecting the beluga rather than, as with the polar bear, denying the science and suing to overturn the listing," Brendan Cummings, oceans program director for the Center for Biological Diversity said in a statement.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it has determined that belugas in Cook Inlet, the channel that flows from Anchorage to the Gulf of Alaska, are at risk of extinction and deserving of strict protections under the Endangered Species Act.

The population, which fell to a low of 278 in 2005 from 653 in 1994, has yet to rebound from a period of over-harvesting by the region's Native hunters, officials said.

Hunting of Cook Inlet belugas largely ceased in 1999, but the population continues to struggle, officials said.

"In spite of protections already in place, Cook Inlet beluga whales are not recovering," James Balsinger, acting assistant administrator for NOAA's Fisheries Service, said in a statement.

Conservation groups said they had initially filed a petition to list the population as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in March 1999.

"The science was clear — and it has been for a very long time," said marine mammal scientist Craig Matkin of the North Gulf Oceanic Society. "The population is critically endangered."

At the urging of the Palin administration, NOAA delayed a listing decision that had been expected in April this year so that it could conduct one additional summer population survey.

"The State of Alaska has had serious concerns about the low population of belugas in Cook Inlet for many years," Palin said in a statement after the NOAA decision. "However, we believe that this endangered listing is premature."

Denby Lloyd, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said they had urged NOAA to delay the listing "for a few years to get more population counts."

"Of course, whenever you have a population of marine mammals that is this low, it is a cause for serious concern," Lloyd said. "We just aren't sure that an endangered listing, and all the legal requirements it brings with it, is necessary to assure the health of this population at this time."

Various industry groups have also fought the listing, which they fear will hamper Cook Inlet oil and gas development, cargo shipping, commercial fishing and major construction projects.

The beluga population of Cook Inlet is among five beluga populations in Alaska waters.

(Editing by Mary Milliken, Editing by Sandra Maler)

Government declares beluga whale endangered
Dan Joling, Associated Press Yahoo News 18 Oct 08;

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The beluga whales of Alaska's Cook Inlet are endangered and require additional protection to survive, the government declared Friday, contradicting Gov. Sarah Palin who has questioned whether the distinctive white whales are actually declining.

It was the Republican vice presidential candidate's second environmental slap from Washington this year. She has asked federal courts to overturn an Interior Department decision declaring polar bears threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The government on Friday put a portion of the whales on the endangered list, rejecting Palin's argument that it lacked scientific evidence to do so. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that a decade-long recovery program had failed to ensure the whales' survival.

"In spite of protections already in place, Cook Inlet beluga whales are not recovering," said James Balsiger, NOAA acting assistant administrator.

The decision means that before federal agencies can issue a variety of commercial permits, they must first consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service to determine if there are potential harmful effects on the whales.

That has the potential to affect major Alaska projects including an expansion of the Port of Anchorage, additional offshore oil and gas drilling, a proposed $600 million bridge connecting Anchorage to Palin's hometown of Wasilla and a massive coal mine 45 miles south of Anchorage.

The state does have serious concerns about the low population of beluga whales in Cook Inlet and has had those concerns for many years, Palin said in a statement. "However, we believe that this endangered listing is premature," she said.

Palin in April successfully lobbied for a six-month delay in a listing decision until a count of the whales this summer could be included in deliberations. That count showed no increase over 2007 numbers — 375 whales, compared with a high of 653 in 1995.

Federal regulators and conservation groups said further delay would be harmful.

NOAA said Friday the Cook Inlet population declined by 50 percent between 1994 and 1998 and "is still not recovering" despite restrictions on the number of whales that Alaska's native population can kill for subsistence. It said recovery has been hindered by development and a range of economic and industrial activities including those related to oil and gas exploration.

The National Marine Fisheries Service "will identify habitat essential for the conservation of the Cook Inlet belugas in a separate rule-making within a year," the agency said.

The federal decision pleased environmentalists.

"We can finally focus now not on whether the belugas are endangered, but what we can do to protect them," said Brendan Cummings, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups that petitioned for the listing.

Cook Inlet stretches 180 miles from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage. It is named for Capt. James Cook, the British explorer who sailed into the inlet in 1778 on a quest to find the Northwest Passage.

Beluga whales feed on salmon and smaller fish. They can also eat crab, shrimp, squid and clams. During summers, the whales, which reach a length of up to 15 feet, often can be spotted from the highways leading away from Anchorage, gathered at river mouths, chasing salmon that have schooled before a run to spawning grounds.

Beluga whales' natural enemies are killer whales, but something else has been keeping their numbers down in Alaska's Cook Inlet.

Craig Matkin, an independent biologist who has worked in south central Alaska for 25 years, said the delay in the listing had held up a comprehensive research plan to find out why the population had not recovered after subsistence hunting was curtailed.

The concern is not just in numbers, he said, but in distribution. Whales in recent years have been staying in northern Cook Inlet near Anchorage.

"They're just gone from these areas," he said of his own home near in Homer, near the tip of the Kenai Peninsula and about 100 miles from Anchorage. "Why they aren't coming down into this habitat is a question I'd like to answer."

Future development won't be helpful to the recovery, Cummings said, starting with the noise and pollution associated with industrialization of the inlet, which includes oil rigs off the Kenai Peninsula.

Global warming, changing ocean conditions and higher temperatures in salmon streams may be another factor, Cummings said.

The Port of Anchorage, helped by congressional earmarks secured by Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young, has embarked on a $500 million project to double the port's size and replace its aging docks.

Environmental groups also have expressed concern about a planned coal mine 45 miles from Anchorage across Cook Inlet, where developers propose to mine 300 million metric tons of sub-bituminous coal, roughly equal to the energy of a billion barrels of oil, over 25 years. That would mean noise and boat traffic associated with building and operating a mine, a potential effect on salmon streams and more warming.

The Cook Inlet beluga whales are one of five populations in Alaska waters and the only one endangered. Other beluga populations off Alaska inhabit Bristol Bay, the eastern Bering Sea, the eastern Chukchi Sea and the Beaufort Sea.

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Associated Press Writer H. Josef Hebert in Washington contributed to this report.

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Armyworms attacking pastures, wheat in Texas

Linda Stewart Ball, Associated Press Yahoo News 17 Oct 08;

DALLAS – Texas farmers are once again battling armyworms and the voracious creatures are attacking fields and pastures in formidable numbers.

"There are probably more armyworms this year than in previous years," Allen Knutson, an entomologist with the Texas A&M University System, said Thursday.

The armyworm, which is actually the caterpillar or larva of the night-flying moth, do the most damage in the fall, when they're at their peak, nearly fully grown at about an inch-and-a-half long. They'll chomp on any plant, but prefer grasses, especially the lush and well-fertilized hay meadows and pastures in North, East and Central Texas.

"Unless the farmer is looking very closely, he won't realize he has a problem" until it's too late, Knutson said. "Almost overnight a field can be consumed by armyworms. A farmer drives by and says 'Oh my goodness, I've lost my crop.'"

The armyworm gets its name from its method of operation. The larvae occur in large army-like numbers and when they eat all the food in one area they "march" en masse, across roads and fence lines, to the next field for feeding, unseen in the darkness and cool of the night.

"When small, they eat very little," Knutson said. "But after 10 days to two weeks, they turn into eating machines."

He said armyworms consume about 80 percent of all the food they will eat in the last two to three days of their 30-day life cycle as a caterpillar.

The cool temperatures in the fall and generally higher rainfall are favorable for armyworm outbreaks.

Brian Betts, who farms about 1,000 acres in East Texas for his beef cattle, has already been plagued with two generations of armyworms this year and fears a third infestation.

"We're checking every day because we've got oats and wheat planted," Betts said. "If they get in there, they'll destroy it. ... Catching them early is the key."

Pesticides are an effective counterattack, extension agents say, though it's possible to spend more on chemical controls then the pasture or harvest of hay is worth.

Betts said if he loses his current crop he'll have to depend on grain and hay to get his cattle through the winter.

The moths hibernate or winter in South Texas, then fly north in the spring and summer by the millions, looking for the perfect field to lay their eggs.

"One moth can lay 2,000 eggs," said Kenny Rollins, an extension agent in northeast Texas, adding that the armyworms showed up earlier than in past years. "Every year, Mother Nature throws us a curve. When it's wet, we have disease and fungal problems. When it's dry, grasshopper problems."

This year, there was enough moisture early in the season to draw more armyworms, Rollins said. They'll devour winter pastures until the first freeze.

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EU steps up battle to halt deforestation by 2030

Reuters 17 Oct 08;

WWF labels the effort 'lame' (see below)

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe's environment chief suggested using some of the cash generated by the EU's landmark emissions trading scheme to tackle the loss of forests, home to half the world's known species and a third of its land area.

Speaking at a news conference on Friday, EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said he wanted to reduce gross tropical deforestation by at least 50 percent by 2020 and halt global forest cover loss by 2030 at the latest.

"We are not going to have effective tackling of global warming if we do not take care of this type of activity," he said. "Without stopping deforestation, the biodiversity loss will continue ... in 10 square kilometers' of tropical rainforest, there are more species than in the entire EU."

Deforestation is responsible for almost 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and has become a key issue in the international negotiations currently under way on a new U.N. climate change agreement for the post-2012 period.

Forests are currently disappearing at a rate of about 13 million hectares per year, about the size of Greece.

At the U.N. negotiations, Dimas said, the European Commission wanted to work toward setting up a Global Forest Carbon Mechanism (GFCM), where developing countries would be rewarded for their emissions cuts achieved by actions taken to reduce deforestation.

But that would need a serious amount of funding, which could come from the proceeds of auctioning carbon permits to businesses participating in the EU's emissions trading scheme.

If 5 percent of this revenue were made available to the GFCM, this could raise up to 2.5 billion euros in 2020, he said.

The Commission also wants to test whether "deforestation credits," meaning carbon offsets generated from avoiding deforestation, could be used to help governments reach their post-2012 emission reduction targets.

But this would be done under a pilot phase, and such offsets would not be available for sale to businesses involved in the EU emissions trading scheme before 2020.

Friday's proposals also encouraged the use of labeling schemes to help curb the import into Europe of illegally harvested timber. Green groups said those plans lacked teeth.

"The Commission's proposal for this law will not help European consumers know if the flat-pack wardrobe they bought last Saturday is the result of forest crime," said Sebastien Risso, Greenpeace EU forest policy director.

(Reporting by Jeremy Smith; Editing by Gerard Wynn)

EC issues lame deforestation plans
WWF 17 Oct 08;

Brussels, Belgium: European Commission plans to halve rather than halt tropical deforestation by 2020 have been sharply criticized by WWF today.

The European Commission's communication on reducing emissions from deforestation and a legislative proposal to tackle the problem of illegal logging are unlikely to meet their intended objectives of halting deforestation and eliminating the trade of illegal wood, according to the global conservation organization.

At the Convention on Biological Diversity, last May in Bonn, representatives of more than 60 countries signed up to a WWF commitment to achieve zero net deforestation by 2020. WWF urges the European Union to maintain this target.

“The EU has finally recognised the need for legislation to address the trade in products from illegally sourced timber,” said Anke Schulmeister, Forest Policy Officer at WWF. “However, the draft proposal presented today does not have the teeth needed to seriously clamp down on this trade.” says Anke Schulmeister, Forest Policy Officer at WWF.

Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for about 20 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and illegal logging is one of the major causes. Every year about 27 million cubic meters of illegal timber enter the EU.

Today’s proposal does not bind companies all along the supply chain to provide credible assurances that their timber is legally sourced. It also does not clearly specify whether source country laws, such as those protecting land tenure rights of local peoples, need to be covered by these assurances.

WWF calls the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers to move rapidly to strengthen the proposal so that, as soon as possible, legislation is in place to effectively stop the trade of illegal wood and paper products.

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Pay indigenous people to protect rainforests, conservation groups urge

John Vidal, guardian.co.uk 17 Oct 08;

Rich countries should try to cut the greenhouse gas emissions caused by deforestation by first investing in the people who live and use forests, rather than relying on the financial carbon markets to encourage conservation, leading development experts have proposed.

If not, they risk unleashing a wave of land grabs, corruption, cultural destruction and civil conflict, said the Washington-based Rights and Resources Initiative, a coalition of of UN- and government-funded research organisations including the World Conservation Union and the Center for International Forestry Research (Cifor).

The loss of trees is responsible for almost a fifth of the world's emissions of carbon dioxide – stopping and reducing it is seen as one of the quickest and cheapest ways of cutting emissions

The call for human rights to be put at the centre of the issue came after Johan Eliasch, Gordon Brown's special adviser on forests, proposed this week that tropical forests be included in future carbon markets.

UN climate change negotiators are trying to set up a new financial mechanism, known as Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (Redd) which could generate billions of dollars a year for reducing forest loss in the tropics.

But initial findings of World Bank-commissioned research presented at a conference in Oslo, Norway, suggest it will cost far less to save carbon by recognising forest community rights rather than relying on the future money markets.

A study by Jeffrey Hatcher, an analyst with Rights and Resources in Washington, found that it costs about $3.50 (£2) per hectare to recognise forest people's land. The costs of protecting forests under Redd have been estimated as about £2,000 per hectare.

"There is lots of evidence from around the world that communities conserve their forests when their [land] rights are recognised. There are now about 400m hectares of forest formally owned by communities. These 400m hectares conserve about 20-40m Gigatonnes of CO2. This means that it costs about $1.6bn (£925m) to achieve this conservation. The Eliasch review suggested it would cost about nearly $17bn year to to stop deforestation, which works out as far more expensive", said Hatcher.

Norway's Minister of Environment and International Development, Erik Solheim, said that efforts towards reduced emissions from deforestation in developing countries should be based on the rights of indigenous people to the forests they depend on for their livelihoods, and should provide tangible benefits to them consistent with their essential role in sustainable forest management.

"In addition to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, early action, pilot projects and demonstrations should safeguard biodiversity, contribute to poverty reduction and secure the rights of forest-dependent communities in order to achieve any degree of permanence, legitimacy and effectiveness," said Solheim.

The UK and Norwegian governments pledged £108m earlier this year to protect the forests of the Congo basin.

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Arctic air temperatures climb to record levels

Reuters 16 Oct 08;

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fall air temperatures have climbed to record levels in the Arctic due to major losses of sea ice as the region suffers more effects from a warming trend dating back decades, a report released on Thursday showed.

The annual report issued by researchers at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other experts is the latest to paint a dire picture of the impact of climate change in the Arctic.

It found that fall air temperatures are at a record 9 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees C) above normal in the Arctic because of the major loss of sea ice in recent years that allows more solar heating of the ocean.

That warming of the air and ocean impacts land and marine life and cuts the amount of winter sea ice that lasts into the following summer, according to the report.

In addition, wild reindeer and caribou herds appear to be declining in numbers, according to the report. The report also noted melting of surface ice in Greenland.

"Changes in the Arctic show a domino effect from multiple causes more clearly than in other regions," James Overland, an oceanographer at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle one of the authors of the report, said in a statement.

"It's a sensitive system and often reflects changes in relatively fast and dramatic ways."

Researchers at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, part of the University of Colorado, reported last month that Arctic sea ice melted to its second-lowest level this summer.

The 2008 season, those researchers said, strongly reinforces a 30-year downward trend in Arctic ice extent -- 34 percent below the long-term average from 1979 to 2000, but 9 percent above the record low set in 2007.

Last year was the warmest on record in the Arctic, continuing a regionwide warming trend dating to the mid-1960s. Most experts blame climate change on human activities spewing so-called greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

(Reporting by Will Dunham)

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