Wildfacts: easy intro to Singapore's common marine life
on the wild shores of singapore blog and wildsingapore website
Barbets and papaya
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog
Chinese Egret, problems of identification
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog
The Times of India 5 Nov 08;
* Gujarat forest department announced 56 recorded whale sharks had been released since the start of the campaign in 2004 for conservation of
the species.
* The success of the campaign became evident from within a year of its launch, when the first whale shark was voluntarily released by fisherfolk. Since then, many more have been released.
* Six cities in Gujarat, including a non-coastal city, adopted it as their mascot.
* On March 12, 2005, the Postal Department of Gujarat came out with a special whale shark postal cover.
* On November 10, 2005 a corporate body was awarded the BNHS Green Governance Award for the whale shark campaign.
* Whale sharks went on to become a part of various state celebrations in Gujarat.
* A state-wide whale shark day makes it the first animal with a day in its honour.
* The Kharva fishing community of coastal Veraval city also showed their commitment to whale shark conservation by making lifesize whale shark inflatables a part of their most important celebration, the birth of their religious deity, Ramdev Maharaj.
* As an incentive to the fishing community, the government announced compensations for those whose nets were damaged while releasing accidentally trapped whale sharks.
* On July 5 this year, a function was held to compensate boat owners for damaged fishing nets.
WHAT IS A WHALE SHARK?
The whale shark, protected and classified as a vulnerable species worldwide, migrates from as far as the waters of Australia and Mexico to give birth in the warmth of the Arabian Sea along Saurashtra coast. They are often found just 1-2 km off the fishing ports of Veraval, Dwarka, Diu, Mangrol and Porbander. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the ocean and can grow up to 45 feet in length. In India they are found most frequently in the Arabian Sea along the shores of Gujarat in western India.
Whale shark is the largest fish in the world; the head is flattened and the wide mouth, positioned at the tip of the snout, stretches almost as wide as the body. The whale shark is particularly large and its tail has a half moon shape. Whale sharks are greyish, bluish or brownish above, with an upper surface pattern of creamy white spots between pale, vertical and horizontal stripes. The belly is white.
WHALE LAWS:
In 2001, whale shark hunting was banned after it became the first fish to be listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Under the act, no person shall, after the commencement of this Act, acquire, receive, keep in his control, custody or possession, sell, offer for sale or otherwise transfer or transport any animal specified in Schedule I. Any person can be arrested for poaching or illegal killing of animal.
POACHING:
Before 2001 about 200 whale sharks were killed in a year. Each hunted whale shark brought fishermen Rs 50,000-1 lakh, making it a lucrative catch.
Agents of fish processing and export firms would pay up to Rs 1 lakh for a 40-ft whale shark weighing 8 to 10 tonnes. Its fins, liver from which oil is extracted, and meat has great demand and fetch a heavy price in the international market.
Antara 4 Nov 08;
Batam (ANTARA News) - Western Indonesia-Singapore`s border determining treaty is still waiting for Pedra Branca and Middle Rocks ownership between Singapore and Malaysia.
"Waiting for Pedra Branca ownership, the we can determine the border," said The Foreign Affair`s legal and international treaty division executor, Damos Dumoli Agusman, here Tuesday.
He said that Indonesia and Singapore are still agreed on the central border area, between Batam island and Singapore. Meanwhile in Batam island eastern and western waters has not yet to be greed.
Pedra Branca is located eastern of Singapore, resulting the eastern borders is not yet determined.
Meanwhile, Johor strait quarrel between Singapore and Malaysia, becomes the lion country`s main reason to delay the treaty with Indonesia.
"They say, the Johor strait matter is done, but when we want to make an agreement, Singapore delayed so it can be pack as one with the eastern border," he said.
"There are a reclamation theory, but I don`t want to talk about it," Damos said.
He said on Pedra Branca that the International Criminal Justice has decided that Pedra Brance belongs to Singapore, and Middle rocks belongs to Malaysia, however the two neighboring countries are still dealing the matter.
Since 2005 until now, Indonesian and Singapore government has been five times dealing about the countries border.
The only agreed Indonesian and Singaporean sea line determination treaty is the Singapore strait on May 25, 1973 and ratified by presidential decree no.7/2003.
The joint determined border line in Singapore strait is less than 15 Km of base line distance between both countries.
(*)
Letter to the Straits Times Forum 5 Nov 08;
MR WEE Eng Leong ("What is the point of having a rule banning cats in HDB flats when enforcement is ineffective?" on Saturday) is right to feel upset over the cat mess caused by irresponsible pet owners. However, his solution - to get the Government to more strictly enforce a ban on cats in HDB flats - isn't going to get the job done for a host of reasons.
I suspect that sometimes the ban is not so strictly enforced because local authorities who have a heart recognise something that the Government doesn't: that many of our citizens love cats and the companionship they bring. And how do you ban cats when there is real love involved?
As an animal lover, I often find myself in conversations with all sorts of people about their pets. Even a burly taxi driver can get misty-eyed talking about the cat who greets him when he comes off his late shift.
There is a more practical reason for reversing the ban that you don't have to be a cat lover to see: "legalise" cat ownership and you allow licensing and microchipping. Licensing means that cat owners can be held responsible for the actions of their pets and fined. Microchipping means that cats can be quickly identified and traced, not just when they leave a mess behind, but also when they are abandoned. And of course, sterilisation of pets has to be required - not just cats but dogs as well.
Let's try to make this a win-win situation for everyone. And I can offer a quick-fix to Mr Wee in the meantime: simply purchase a bag of mothballs, which is less than a dollar at NTUC FairPrice supermarkets, and sprinkle them in the area around his parents' flat. Cats hate the smell and will avoid the area. It works. But the ban on cats doesn't.
Joanna Colodin Hughes (Ms)
Ignore climate change? Singapore has much to lose
Republic must take the problem seriously as its eco-friendly reputation is at stake: MM Lee
Kor Kian Beng, Straits Times 5 Nov 08;
THE stakes are high for Singapore in its efforts to stay clean and green.
With its small size, the island-state may not be able to make a difference to the global effort of tackling the climate change problem.
But Singapore cannot afford to do nothing either.
That could affect its reputation as an eco-friendly city and lead to possible repercussions, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said yesterday.
Speaking at the Singapore Energy Conference, which is part of the inaugural International Energy Week being held here, he explained why Singapore had to keep at its efforts.
'The point is, if we don't do this, we lose our status as a clean, green city and we'll lose our business and lose our extra premium for being an unusual city.'
But MM Lee also painted a grim picture of the global situation over climate change several times in his remarks and during a dialogue with the 400 delegates.
The world, including Singapore, will be in 'deep trouble' if major economies like China, India and the United States do not start taking climate change seriously within the next two decades, he said, noting that the Europeans have started to do so.
Said MM Lee: 'If they get the message within 10, 15 years as this thing progresses, then I think there's hope that all is not lost. There will be a worldwide agreement between all major consumers of energy to some limits. If it comes too late, if it comes 30, 40 years in time, then I think we're all in deep trouble.'
In the meantime, Singapore must 'hope for the best, but prepare for something less than the best', including exploring renewable energy options. And it must continue its efforts to be environmentally friendly, as it has been doing since the early independence years.
'In this little island, we've got to keep pollution down because there's no way to say, 'These are high-quality areas, that's a low-quality area'. If you pollute one part, you've polluted the whole of it.'
He was asked later what was preventing Singapore from joining a list of developed countries that have pledged to cut emissions by an average of 5 per cent from 1990 levels by the year 2012.
MM Lee replied that Singapore's domestic carbon footprint per capita is low.
'The problem is, as a small economy, we got to do these things because it's economic for us to take these high carbon footprint industries which the more developed countries do not want, and then we export the products.'
But Singapore may not need to rely on these sectors in the future if diversification into high-tech industries pays off.
'We are heading for more R&D, not only in the products which we can use, but in the products which we can help others use.
'We are moving as far as we can into a more knowledge-intensive economy, but if we move too fast, you create unemployment for people working in factories, then you get voted out.'
What about changing people's lifestyles and reducing their energy consumption, instead of looking for alternative energy supplies, suggested National University of Singapore final-year mechanical engineering student Chean Yujun, 24.
MM Lee agreed and offered several ways to bring down energy consumption.
One is to learn from the Japanese how to minimise the amount of energy used to make a product.
Another is to rein in the use of air-conditioning, which he said is the biggest consumer of electricity in homes.
He gave the thumbs up to HDB heartlanders who have started to switch off air-conditioners at night now that electricity prices have risen.
He himself switches off the lights and tells staff to turn off the air-conditioner when leaving the office, but 'unfortunately some of them are connected to the whole grid, so those who are using the rooms also lose the cooling'.
Here is where innovative ideas can come into play, he said, recounting an experience in a hotel he stayed at in Turkey.
The room lights went off if he stood still and came on only when he moved about.
MM Lee said the manager told him this was because there were motion sensors in the room. 'Well, that's a clever gadget. I think we should find the equivalent of that for the air-conditioner.'
No space for nuclear plant here
Straits Times 5 Nov 08;
NUCLEAR energy is the best alternative to fossil fuels, but the problem for Singapore is the country is too small to safely house a nuclear power plant.
More than other options such as wind, wave and solar energy, nuclear energy is 'the real alternative that can produce the electricity generation to match oil and gas', Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew told energy experts, academics and policymakers yesterday.
He indicated that the Government had thought about possible locations: Pedra Branca island east of Singapore, or on a floating platform out at sea. This was because international standards require a 30km-wide safety zone around a nuclear plant. This is a big problem in a small country like Singapore.
He was responding to a question on whether Singapore can do more to promote environmentally friendly technology, like electric cars.
Such cars had to be charged regularly, and this requires a source like nuclear energy, 'but where do we site this nuclear station?
'I was thinking at one time, perhaps we have a floating platform and put a nuclear station there. And when it blows up, you move it a few kilometres away from us,' he said to laughter.
Another idea he spoke about earlier was to build it on Pedra Branca, which houses the Horsburgh Lighthouse.
'They say, okay, there's Horsburgh Lighthouse. It's more than 30km away. We reclaim land, plonk it there. But then it's less than 30km away from the Malaysian coast. They will be worried.'
This led him to his point that regional countries need to cooperate on energy. One way is to have a common power grid and pipelines.
'If we understand the complexity and the immensity of the problems the world faces, and which we will face in South-east Asia, then we should have a common grid and a common pipeline so that it's transferable,' he said.
He recognised there were difficulties. Oil, gas and electricity prices differ. Malaysia and Indonesia provide subsidies while Singapore relies on the market to control energy consumption.
'These are problems which will take some time to resolve. Somehow we must find some way. Sooner or later they will come to the conclusion...that this problem can be better resolved if we have a common grid and common pipelines.'
KOR KIAN BENG
MM Lee says ASEAN can cooperate to have common grid and pipeline
Ca-Mie De Souza, Channel NewsAsia 4 Nov 08;
SINGAPORE: Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has said ASEAN will need to cooperate to have a common grid and pipeline, especially in the face of the world's immense environmental problems.
Mr Lee was speaking at the Inaugural Singapore Energy Lecture, part of the International Energy Week, which drew some 2,500 participants.
He acknowledged that removing government subsidies for electricity and fuel will be a difficult step for Malaysia and Indonesia. But citing Singapore's example, he said pricing is an effective tool to control consumption.
Mr Lee said: "I hope our neighbours also come to the conclusion that we are forced to cooperate. If we understand the complexity and immensity of the problems the world faces, (and which we will face in Southeast Asia), then we should have a common grid, common pipeline so that it's transferable."
On Asia's giants, he said China and India need to realise that if they despoil the environment, their actions will impact them.
Mr Lee said: "If they get that message within 10, 15 years, then I think there's hope, all is not lost. If it comes too late, if it comes 30, 40 years we are all in trouble, because I do not believe that they will be able to reach European levels of sensitivity (to the environment) any time within one or two decades."
Mr Lee's comments on India drew a question from India's Science and Technology Minister, Kapil Siba, who stood up to defend his country's commitment to preventing climate change.
Mr Lee replied that India, like China, subsidises energy, which does nothing to curb consumption.
Nevertheless, China is showing interest to do something in the medium term as seen in its joint eco-city project in Tianjin with Singapore.
For India, it will be some time before the country - where 80 per cent of its population are still in villages - begins to develop and become a main contributor to global warming.
Turning to the US, Mr Lee said the country ought to lead the way as it is a big energy consumer. But, he said, America is not motivated to cut consumption until a lesson hits it hard.
Mr Lee said: "It's a slow process, if it can happen within 20 years, we will be lucky."
And the environment will not be a priority for the incoming president who has his plate full with domestic issues.
As for alternative energy sources for Singapore, Mr Lee said tapping on wind and tides are not much of an option.
But his musings as to where to site a possible nuclear plant, with at least a 30-kilometre radius, drew laughter from the audience.
"There's Horsburgh lighthouse. (laughter) It's more than 30 km away - we reclaim land there and plonk it there. But it's less than 30 km from the Malaysian coast. (laughter) They will be worried," Mr Lee said.
Singapore's International Advisory Panel on Energy, who are in town for the International Energy Week, had recommended that Singapore not rule out nuclear energy.
On a question if Singaporeans would be ready to pay more for renewable energy sources, the minister mentor said Singaporeans are cost-conscious.
"They don't care where the energy comes from," he said. Singaporeans are concerned about which source is the cheapest, he added.
Mr Lee was also asked about the barriers hindering Singapore joining the Annex I countries of the Kyoto Protocol, which basically agree to reduce their emissions, particularly carbon dioxide, to target levels below their 1990 emissions levels.
Mr Lee said that if it is based solely on energy used in the domestic sector, Singapore has complied with Annex I.
But Singapore does not have a choice, as it has its export sector, including shipping and petrochemicals which contribute to the higher carbon footprint.
"We are moving as far as we can into a more knowledge-intensive economy, but if we move too fast, you create unemployment for people working in factories, then you get voted out," he explained, to laughter from the audience.
On other alternatives, Mr Lee said it does not make sense to turn food into biofuels. And so it boils down to what each and everyone must do.
Mr Lee said: "We have to accept that we are all passengers on this one planet and if we don't reduce this consumption of carbon energy, we are in serious trouble."
The minister mentor said there are limits to what technology and man's ingenuity can do. Hence, countries will have to control energy consumption, keep it down, keep population growth down, at a level which the world can sustain.
- CNA/ir
One day, a regional energy grid?
But neighbouring countries’ oil subsidies won’t make this easy, says MM
Lin Yanqin, Today Online 5 Nov 08;
BILLIONS may be poured into researching clean energy technology, but the little things done to consume efficiently will help make a difference too, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.
He was responding to a National University of Singapore student who pointed out that there was more focus on trying to meet demand for energy rather than lowering consumption, at the Singapore Energy Conference yesterday.
For example, the glass windows on the corridors at the Istana were tinted to minimise the amount of energy needed to cool the place, said Mr Lee. “There are limits to what man’s ingenuity can do, so let’s consume less ... and live within the limits of what the world can sustain.”
Asked for his views on Singapore becoming a global centre for test-bedding new technology such as electric cars — an International Advisory Panel on Energy had recently suggested this in its recommendations —Mr Lee said it was possible, but charging these cars still required carbon energy.
“So then, we go back to nuclear (power), but where do we site this nuclear station?” he said.
It is a safety requirement that nuclear stations be sited 30 kilometres from cities. On this basis, Singapore has ruled-out the nuclear option, but a member of the advisory panel on Monday had said the idea should not be dismissed.
Yesterday, Mr Lee said, evoking laughter from the 500-strong audience: “I was thinkingat one time of a floating platform, and build the station there, and when it blows up, we can move it 30 kilometres away from us.”
But, even as Singapore does what it can to improve energy efficiency, it would take the rest of world to play their part — especially big energy consumers like the United States, China and India.
And without experiencing the consequences of climate change, countries will not feel the urgency to act, said Mr Lee.
For example, Europe’s first-handexperience of such effects — like the deadly heatwave that hit France in 2003 — had made them more responsive. In contrast, the United States, being accustomed to natural disasters, seemed to feel less “panicked”. The world would be “lucky” if the message of taking action registered within the next 20 years, added Mr Lee.
As for South-east Asia, Singapore and its neighbours could work better together, and build a common grid or gas pipeline. But such plans would be impeded by, for instance, the oil subsidies in Malaysia and Indonesia which, if removed, would generate protests and riots.
“But sooner or later, they will come to conclusion to that we have already reached, that this problem will be better resolved with a common pipeline or grid,” he said.
MM Lee ponders nuclear energy option
But Singapore's small size stands in the way, he says
Lee U-Wen, Business Times 5 Nov 08;
(SINGAPORE) Could nuclear energy be the solution to Singapore's search for a viable source of alternative energy in the long term?
Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said as much yesterday when he described nuclear energy as a realistic, viable alternative to oil and gas for producing electricity.
The stumbling block, however, is that even if the decision was made eventually to build a nuclear power station, the densely populated and compact Republic lacks the minimum safety distance required for evacuation in case of a fallout.
'The rule is that you must have the power station at least 30 km away . . . Where do we site this nuclear station?' asked Mr Lee as he delivered the inaugural Singapore Energy Lecture as part of the ongoing International Energy Week being held here.
Separately, Mr Lee also said that Singapore would eventually be 'forced to cooperate' with its neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia, in this alternative energy effort. 'If we all understand the complexity and the immensity of the problems the world faces, and what we will face in South-east Asia, then we should have a common pipeline and common grid so that (the energy) is transferrable.'
On Monday, members of the high-powered International Advisory Panel on Energy, which met for the first time, proposed that nuclear power could form part of Singapore's evolving energy strategy. This suggestion, among others, is already being studied by the government.
The panel also said that nuclear research and even a nuclear power plant should not be left out of Singapore's range of long-term solutions, even as the long-term costs and safety and waste management issues had yet to be carefully studied.
In his 75-minute dialogue with a 500-strong audience at the Raffles City Convention Centre, Mr Lee said that Singapore's options for alternative energy were severely limited, with no wind power or strong tides that could generate power.
Singapore is already venturing into solar energy, with Norway's Renewable Energy Corporation already starting construction on a $6.3 billion solar cell plant in Tuas View.
Even so, Mr Lee wondered about the plant's ability to satisfy the country's energy needs.
'The Norwegians are seeking investments for the solar plant, to do research and development. But how much (energy) can it supply? Whatever it is, we have got to try every little way to minimise the use of carbon fuels.'
Last month, the Energy Market Authority said that while solar power has some potential, it realistically could not replace more than a small proportion of Singapore's energy needs. Solar is also more expensive than electricity generated from natural gas, although the technology is still improving and costs are gradually coming down, said the statutory board.
During the question-and-answer portion of the dialogue, Mr Lee was asked whether he felt Singaporeans were ready to pay more for renewable energy - energy generated from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat - which are all naturally replenished.
To which the Minister Mentor replied: 'Singaporeans are cost-conscious. They don't care where the energy comes from, they just want to know which is the cheaper option.'
This quarter, electricity tariffs in Singapore went up by 21 per cent - the highest one-time increase in nearly seven years. Tariffs, which are reviewed every three months, have soared for five consecutive quarters since July 2007 due to rising oil prices.
Mr Lee went on to say how the government had tried its best to encourage more drivers here to switch to energy-efficient hybrid cars, a move that has been met with a lukewarm response so far because of the higher costs involved.
'We have reduced the taxes, but Singaporeans have decided, 'No, we'll take the non-hybrids,' said Mr Lee.
Esther Ng, Today Online 5 Nov 08;
FIFTY years from now, filling up your car with petrol could be a distant memory. Instead, the fuel of choice could be algae, or any one of the second-generation biofuels derived from agricultural waste such as straw, wood residue, stems and leaves.
That is, if the cost of extracting fuel from these biomasses can be successfully reduced.
In addition, more hydrogen fuel cell cars could populate the roads. These are some of the scenarios drawn up by energy experts at the Singapore Energy Conference yesterday at Raffles City.
As a substitute for diesel, biofuel is commonly used to power vehicles; it can also be used to power hydrogen fuel cells and generators.
Second-generation biofuels are better than the first, because they produce less greenhouse gas emissions and are not made from crops that could otherwise be usedto feed people.
According to Mr Duncan Macleod, vice-president of Shell Hydrogen — one of the main distributors of first-generation biofuel — second-generation fuel “will not be commercially available in the next five to 10 years, but first generation fuel will continue to grow because of government mandate”. The reason? Biofuel exports, though small, are an economic contributor.
Until cheaper and more efficient biofuels are available, Mr Macleod called on “governments, energy companies and car manufacturers to develop more clean and efficient vehicles”.
But energy experts say no one type of fuel will be a “silver bullet” to climate change, and it makes better sense — politically and economically — to rely on a diverse range such as natural gas, hydrogen and biofuel for the world’s energy needs.
Shobana Kesava, Straits Times 5 Nov 08;
SINGAPORE'S only plant which converts food waste into an energy source may soon be able to put wood, foam and plastics through the system, using new British technology.
IUT Global turns organic waste into compost, methane and energy.
With Refgas technology, it can also turn inorganic waste into Syn-gas, a hydrogen-based gas which can be added to methane to generate heat and electricity.
The combined mixture will power the Tuas Eco-Recycling Plant's gas engines to potentially double the electricity that could supply the national grid, said its chief executive officer, Mr Edwin Khew.
An agreement for the project was signed yesterday in Singapore by Mr Khew and Refgas chairman George Willacy. The plant could be ready in a year, estimated Mr Willacy.
Funds of up to $10 million will first need to be raised to build the 500 sq ft plant, which will connect to IUT's plant on a large 1.7ha site in Tuas.
'Fund-raising could prove a bit of a challenge given the financial times we're in,' said Mr Khew.
The team could apply for test-bed funds from the Economic Development Board as the project is the first of its kind here.
The new process produces clean energy by incinerating dry bio-mass waste such as woodchips, leaving only gas and a small amount of inert ash as a by-product. IUT's system feeds in a semi-liquid material.
Mr Malcolm Wicks, the Special Representative on International Energy Issues to the British Prime Minister, told The Straits Times that the project was exactly the kind he wanted to promote to governments and businesses to encourage the growth of low carbon growth economies.
The former British energy minister, who was here for International Energy Week, said businesses which developed clean technologies early would 'reap the most long-term competitive benefits'.
So far, Refgas has generated enough heat and electricity for 1,000 homes in Wales.
Ronnie Lim, Business Times 5 Nov 08;
SINGAPORE could attract even more mega investments to develop new alternative and renewable energy ideas and technologies for the world, energy officials said.
Finland's Neste Oil, which is starting up a S$1.2 billion second-generation biodiesel plant here in 2011 - the largest in the world - is eyeing that option.
'There's room for another line of the same capacity,' for both the Singapore facility, and a sister plant in Rotterdam starting up in late 2011, Jarmo Honkamaa, its deputy CEO, disclosed at an energy conference here yesterday.
Given rising global energy demand and high oil prices on the one hand and environmental concerns on the other, renewable transportation fuels are a true option, he said. 'It is a new supply source and also helps diversify fuel supplies.'
Neste, which is exporting the palm oil-based, sulphur-free diesel produced here mainly to Europe, needs to build up even more capacity, he said. There is growing diesel demand there, with two-thirds of European cars expected to be diesel-fuelled by 2030.
That's why it is already looking at expanding capacity beyond its Singapore and Rotterdam plants, which will be respectively its third and fourth bio-diesel plants.
Mr Honkamaa was speaking at the Singapore Energy Conference taking place during International Energy Week here, where experts like Peter Schwartz, chairman of Global Business Outlook, have said that 'Singapore could be the seller of technology to the world'.
Reinforcing this, Robert Hefner, owner of natural gas company GHK, said that despite its small size, 'Singapore has indeed a role to play in energy ideas.'
Strom Madsen, president of Vesta Technology R&D, which opened its S$500 million Asian headquarters in Singapore on Monday, told the conference that the global financial crisis, although worrying, provides an opportunity for a paradigm shift towards sustainable energy.
The wind-turbine maker, for instance, has not scaled back on its Singapore investment, he stressed. Expected to employ 300 scientists by 2012, he said that 'the Singapore facility will attract talent including engineers and researchers who will come here to develop important contributions in renewable energy.'
Wind energy will become one of the most competitive energy sources, he added, saying that from about 2 per cent today, it is projected to account for as much as a quarter of energy supplies in future.
Coincidentally, just last Friday, Norway's Renewable Energy Corporation, launched construction of its first phase S$3 billion solar cell plant here - which will also be the world's largest when it starts up in 2010.
Apart from making solar wafers, solar cells and solar modules, REC will also conduct R&D, process innovation and development here.
Also promoting the line of how cities like Singapore can serve as clean technology test-bedding and R&D hubs, Deputy Prime Minister S Jayakumar said at the conference that they can leverage upon their concentrations of technological and scientific talent as well as access to capital markets and funding.
The Singapore government has allocated funding to facilitate this, including developing a Cleantech Park at Jalan Bahar 'which will allow test-bedding of products and solutions for the Tropics, including ideas that are replicable for global markets,' he added.
Business Times 5 Nov 08;
THE quality of urban transport matters greatly to a city's character, its liveability, and whether it can continue to sustain itself and grow, said Transport Minister Raymond Lim yesterday.
'Today, about half of the world's population already lives in cities,' he said, adding that a UN report forecasts that this would rise to 70 per cent in the next 40 years.
Mr Lim was speaking at the inaugural World Urban Transport Leaders Summit. The summit serves as a platform for senior government officials, professionals and academics to discuss and exchange views on urban transport policies and strategies.
Running till Thursday, the summit will include four plenary forums and policy dialogues chaired by the members of the Land Transport Authority's International Advisory Panel (IAP).
Topics include 'good governance, sustainable transport', 'managing congestion' and 'strategies for emerging cities'.
The six members of the IAP themselves are internationally recognised transport experts and practitioners from Australia, Japan, South Korea, The Netherlands, the US and the UK. The IAP was formed in 2007 to advise LTA on its transport policies and strategies, and help keep LTA abreast of the latest global trends and developments in land transport.
The theme of the summit is 'Transforming Urban Transport for Liveability and Sustainability'.
In his opening speech, Mr Lim also said that the UN report notes that 'in the last two decades, the urban population in developing countries has been growing by an average of three million people a week'. 'Such growth will put an unprecedented amount of pressure on urban transport systems. We need to urgently improve urban transport.'
Mr Lim called this a common challenge and said that Singapore has sought to learn from the experience of other countries when looking for transport solutions. Real-world examples were studied before the Land Transport Masterplan was unveiled earlier this year.
'Many of our technology systems in urban transport have also been developed collaboratively with other cities,' said Mr Lim, pointing to the Glide system that optimises traffic signals to smoothen traffic by creating 'green waves'.
'Such components for an Intelligent Transport System may be too challenging or expensive for any one city to take on alone,' he added.
It is understood that one such component is the Bus Priority System, which allows traffic lights to differentiate between public buses and other vehicles. Based on Australian technology, it makes use of onboard systems to relay information to a control centre in order to give signal priority to buses and allow them to travel more quickly through congestion. Singapore is expected to introduce the system next year.
After opening the World Urban Transport Leaders Summit, Mr Lim also officially opened the LTA Academy's new premises at the LTA Hampshire Road office.
The LTA Academy was established in 2006 to share Singapore's experience and expertise in land transport. It also promotes the research and exchange of best practices within the global land transport community.
During the summit, the LTA Academy also signed four international memoranda of cooperation with universities and transport institutes to develop joint programmes and research.
WORLD URBAN TRANSPORT LEADERS SUMMIT
Long-term planning key for transport system
Four core principles guide Singapore's transport planners, says LTA chief
Samuel Ee, Business Times 5 Nov 08;
TRANSPORT solutions for Singapore have to be economically, socially and environmentally sustainable, and long-term planning is key.
This is one of the four core principles that has guided the Republic's transport planners, according to Yam Ah Mee, chief executive of the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
He was speaking yesterday at a plenary forum on the topic: 'Developing a sustainable, people-centred land transport system in Singapore - Principles of Governance'.
The other three principles are that a world-class transport system needs to be founded on sound, market-oriented economic solutions; constant innovation in anticipation of and in response to changing solutions; and the need to engage and consult all the people involved.
Mr Yam gave his speech during the inaugural World Urban Transport Leaders Summit, which opened yesterday.
More than 100 senior government officials, professionals and academics from 30 countries are attending the three-day summit to discuss and exchange views on urban transport policies and strategies.
The summit's theme is 'Transforming Urban Transport for Liveability and Sustainability'.
A UN commission once defined the concept of sustainability as an approach which meets the needs of the current generation without reducing the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
In his speech, Mr Yam touched on the need to protect the environment for future generations.
'Land transport has a significant role to play in contributing to a high-quality and sustainable living environment, given its impact on air quality, energy consumption, noise pollution and the urban landscape,' he said.
The transport sector is a major contributor of carbon dioxide in the environment, accounting for 19 per cent of Singapore's carbon dioxide emissions in 2005.
In that same year, the manufacturing sector was the biggest generator of carbon dioxide at 54 per cent, while buildings and households contributed 16 per cent and 11 per cent respectively.
'Hence, we must consciously gear our land transport practices and policies towards supporting environmental objectives,' he said.
'This will contribute to a quality living environment for our people.'
As Singapore has limited land space - 12 per cent is allocated for roads compared with 15 per cent for housing - Mr Yam said the increase in travel demand must be met largely by public transport and the system has to cater to the diverse needs of the population.
'Transport is a basic need and we must ensure that everyone has access to it - the low-income groups, the elderly, wheelchair users, families with young children and pedestrians,' he said.
At the same time, public transport is the most efficient means of transport and the LTA will endeavour to make it a choice mode.
'A single-deck bus can carry about 80 passengers at any one time, whereas the average occupancy of our cars is about 1.5 persons per car,' said Mr Yam.
'Therefore, we need to encourage more people to use public transport to meet the 60 per cent increase in travel demand between now and 2020.' he added.
This will be done with central bus network planning for seamless journeys starting next year, the doubling of the rapid train system from the current 138 km of rail network to 278 km by 2020, and managing road usage through the vehicle quota system and electronic road pricing.
And although land is scarce, Mr Yam said that road-building will continue to cater to the heavy demand of new employment at residential centres and to enhance the connectivity of existing roads.
He said: 'A comprehensive road network is essential to sustain economic activities.'
Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia 4 Nov 08;
SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority is looking into ways to make it more convenient for commuters to cycle to bus terminals and MRT stations before continuing their journey on public transport.
One of the ideas it is considering is to partner private vendors to build bicycle kiosks at bus interchanges and train stations.
It is also looking at getting vendors to ensure that bicycles parked at the terminals or stations all day are cleaned and taken care of, an idea which is being practised in some countries.
Another option is for vendors to provide bicycle rental services to commuters. - CNA/yt
PARIS' POPULAR PUBLIC BIKES...
Something similar here?
LTA hopes to get private vendors to operate an islandwide bicycle rental system
Yeo Ghim Lay, Straits Times 5 Nov 08;
THE Land Transport Authority (LTA) is thinking of setting up bicycle kiosks at MRT stations to get more people to take to two-wheelers.
These kiosks, if built, will rent out bicycles and even provide bike-washing services and parking facilities.
LTA chief executive Yam Ah Mee said yesterday that the idea was being studied, and added: 'We are looking to see how interested private vendors are to participate and provide these services.'
He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the inaugural World Urban Transport Leaders Summit.
At least one bicycle shop now offers this kind of service - The Bike Boutique at Amoy Street. For $80 a month, its customers who ride to work in the city park their bikes in the shop.
Their bikes are washed there, and the cyclists use the store's shower facilities to freshen up before work. Store manager Tay Choon Wei, 30, said he has 60 customers now, thrice the number in 2004.
If public bicycle kiosks do take off, they will be the latest in a series of measures to cater to the growing number of cyclists here.
Earlier this year, the LTA said it would install more bicycle racks at MRT stations and bus interchanges, so people can park their bicycles before making the rest of the journey on public transport.
An ongoing trial allows foldable bicycles to be carried on board buses and trains during certain hours.
Besides these moves, bike lanes are cutting through towns like Tampines, where a trial to allow cyclists on footways has been extended.
It is unclear now how bicycle rental kiosks will operate, but other cities give some pointers.
In Paris, a system called Velib has over 20,000 bicycles spread over more than 1,400 stations. A cyclist may pick up a bike at one station and drop it off at another for fees ranging from ¥1 (S$1.90) for a day to ¥29 for a year.
In Montreal, Canada, a public bicycle system nicknamed Bixi debuted in September with 40 bikes, each with a radio-frequency tag so it can be tracked.
When a user is done with the bike, he parks it at a solar-powered bicycle station, which has facilities to accept cash and credit-card payments. Bixi, which will roll out another 2,300 bikes by early next year, made it to the 19th spot on Time magazine's Best Inventions of 2008.
No islandwide bike rental system exists in Singapore now; TownBike, NTUC Income's initiative, runs only in Bukit Batok.
Mr Ong Kian Min, deputy chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, yesterday welcomed the idea of public bicycle kiosks, and suggested that bike shops suss out the demand and come up with some proposals.
The Bike Boutique's Mr Tay said government support is vital for such a system to get off the ground. 'The kiosks will also have to be managed well to ensure that they are not misused,' he said.
‘Get Singapore on the test-track’
Neo Chai Chin Today Online 4 Nov 08;
THE road for hybrid cars in Singapore has not been smooth, with a mere 1,300 of them on the streets — but if the urging of a panel of international experts is heard, the island could one day serve as the test-track for revolutionary vehicle technology.
The experts think there is “significant opportunity” for electric transport here, given Singapore’s compact size and the economic potential in the sector, among other things.
At the inaugural meeting of Ministry of Trade and Industry’s International Advisory Panel on Energy, one of the nine panelists,Mr Peter Schwartz, noted in the next 20 years, almost all newvehicles would be powered by electric motors.
“The interesting question is what produces that electricity — is it a fuel cell, battery, a turbo generator?” said Mr Schwartz, co-founder and chairman of scenario consultance Global Business Network.
Therein lies the potential economic windfall in serving as a test bed.
Indeed, developing technologies such as electric vehicles is one area that could see part of the $25 million in funding set aside by the Government for the next five years.
This Energy Research and Development Fund, unveiled last night at the launch of the annual International Energy Week, can be tapped by parties involved in research and development into new energy solutions for Singapore.
For instance, with the imminent arrival of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), research needs to be done into what kind of supporting infrastructure — for such cars to be charged — would work in Singapore’s housing estates.
For now, the country has not seen high take-up rates for hybrid cars because of their high prices, and lack of awareness and refuelling options. But Mr Schwartz believes the island’s compact size — and the shorter distances travelled — is ideal for an electric car.
At a media briefing yesterday chaired by Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry S Iswaran, the international advisory panel gave its strong support for Singapore’s market-based approach to the energy industry.
It agreed energy should be priced to reflect its true cost to end-users — including environmental costs — as subsidies would only lead to wasteful consumption.
‘Don’t dismiss nuclear option’
The panel also agreed that Singapore’s import of liquefied natural gas was the right step towards diversifying natural gas resources and adopting a cleaner fuel for power generation.
But some members felt the city-state should not dismiss the use of nuclear power in the future. Last year, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had said it was not feasible for densely-populated, compact Singapore because it lacked the minimum 30km safety distance for evacuation in case of fallout.
While Dr John Deutch of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology felt its long-term costs, and safety and waste management issues had to be studied, “nuclear power should not be taken off the table, especially since it may become more prominent in the region”.
The panel also urged Singapore to explore how to adapt its grid infrastructure to spur innovation for a more optimal energy supply.
Meanwhile, there could be a silver lining for Singapore’s energy industry in this current financial crisis.
Mr Schwartz predicted that a number of energy companies could face financial problems in the “not-too-distant” future, and Singapore could be well-placed to“either capture the value of those companies or their technologies”.
The Republic could serve as a “magnet” for companies seeking financing, and serve as a test bed, and research and development base for them. While in Singapore, the panel had separate discussions with the Prime Minister and the Minister Mentor.
Samuel Ee, Business Times 5 Nov 08;
SLUGGISH and sometimes jerky performance seem to have driven a wedge between the Singapore car buyer and compressed natural gas (CNG), with the love affair set for a possibly unhappy ending.
Some cars retrofitted with CNG kits have been causing problems for owners, who say their cars now face a loss of power or worse.
'One owner was so fed up with her CNG car stalling every other day that she drove back to our workshop and told us to remove the entire kit,' says the manager of a parallel import company. The cost of a CNG conversion can range from $3,000 to $4,500, depending on the size of the gas tank installed.
The manager believes the car's petrol engine was not designed for CNG use, so there may be durability issues.
'Unless it is like the Mercedes-Benz E200 NGT, which has a factory-fitted CNG kit,' he says. The Merc is the only such OEM (original equipment manufacturer) model available here.
The executive of an authorised distributor says that his company also faced CNG-related woes.
'We have stopped all retrofitting works and no longer offer the CNG alternative to our customers,' he says. 'There were problems with the ECU (electronic control unit) and engine mapping, which caused a lot of minor problems. There was power loss, the engine stalled and even the trip computer's readings were out.'
He adds that with such serious technical issues involved, the dealership had no choice but to pull the plug on CNG retrofits. Also baffling was that different cars had different problems or none at all.
'The same CNG kit installed in two different cars will have different results,' he says. 'It is probably the lack of expertise on the installer's part - they don't know what to do.'
Gilbert von der Aue, manager of C Melchers, agrees that some CNG installers are less well-trained than others, but he says that 'only a very small percentage of cars are having a small issue'. Melchers is one of the better-known names for CNG retrofits in Singapore, which has a total of around 20 installers.
'Our group does about 55 per cent of all retrofits, and out of all these cars, only 2 per cent have issues where certain cars will have a slight drop in performance compared to petrol,' he says.
He explains that the jerkiness occurs during acceleration and if the driver is 'light-footed'.
'CNG's burning characteristics require more gas to flow in, so you have to adapt to the way of driving,' says Mr von der Aue.
As for the other issues, he says that they could be due to the tuning of the cars, which a less-proficient installer may not know how to perform effectively, or even a problem with the car itself.
'We have seen inherent problems with the existing car, like its compression ratio. CNG technology is very precise, so it is far less forgiving than petrol,' he says. 'It is a proven technology and there are no technical issues for Melchers.'
He attributes the steady drop in sales of new CNG cars to worries about the re-introduction of the special tax and adverse publicity about long queues at the only two CNG public refuelling stations. There is a special tax of six times the road tax for bi-fuel cars such as CNG cars, which can also run on petrol, but there is an exemption until Dec 31, 2009. A review of the special tax will be done closer to the date and some people fear the exemption will be lifted.
The number of new CNG cars has plunged dramatically from the July peak of 419 units. It slipped to 320 cars in August, and further to only 283 units in September.
One parallel importer who used to sell about 20 CNG cars a month now only gets two or three orders. He says that the advantages of these cars - their lower running cost (CNG is cheaper than petrol) and reduced registration taxes (new cars retrofitted with a CNG kit attract a green vehicle rebate of 40 per cent of open market value) - have been overshadowed by adverse publicity and falling petrol prices.
He says: 'CNG is now an old story.'
Tania Tan, Straits Times 5 Nov 08;
SINGAPORE'S first business park devoted to companies that focus on environmentally friendly technology has been given the green light, officials revealed yesterday.
The 55ha plot in Jalan Bahar in the north-west could eventually house companies that specialise in industries like solar power, water or fuel cell technology.
The buildings themselves will be green, employing renewable energy and clean technologies.
Named the Clean Tech Park, the project will be rolled out in phases and take 15 to 20 years to complete.
The first building is expected to be up by 2010, said Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar at the opening of the Singapore Energy Conference at the Raffles City Convention Centre.
The project will be about achieving new lows - 'low waste, low energy and low carbon emissions', said Prof Jayakumar.
He added: 'Doing more with less is key to creating sustainable cities.'
Concrete plans for the park are expected to be released in the first quarter of next year.
The new park is part of the country's drive to become a global green hub, producing eco- friendly technologies and services.
The Government has already invested some $170 million to boost the clean energy industry.
Although Singapore accounts for only 0.2 per cent of the world's carbon emissions, its efforts to help provide solutions to problems like climate change were lauded by experts.
Keynote speaker Peter Schwartz called the Republic's environmental progress 'astonishing'.
The chairman of international consultancy firm Global Business Network said the country could soon export lucrative green technologies to overseas markets.
'You could well be a net winner in this whole situation,' he said.
With its engineering and chemical expertise, Singapore could become a centre for developing carbon-capture technology, he said.
Shaun Tandon, Yahoo News 4 Nov 08;
TOKYO (AFP) – Environmental group Greenpeace said Tuesday it will not chase Japan's controversial whaling expedition in the Antarctic Ocean this year as it fights to clear two activists being prosecuted by Tokyo.
The more militant Sea Shepherd group, however, has pledged once more to harass the whalers, paving the way for more showdowns on the high seas when the Japanese fleet embarks later this month.
Environmentalists and most Western nations strongly oppose Japan's whaling. The country kills hundreds of whales a year in the name of research, with the meat nonetheless ending up on dinner tables.
Greenpeace said its top priority was defending two of its Japanese activists who go on trial early next year and face prison on charges of stealing whale meat during an investigation to unearth alleged corruption.
Junichi Sato, who was one of Greenpeace's most visible spokesmen in Japan, and Toru Suzuki are currently on bail after being arrested in June. They face 10 years in prison if convicted, according to Greenpeace.
"This is a politically motivated prosecution and so anything we do to campaign against whaling could be used against Junichi and Toru," Greenpeace Japan official Takumi Kobayashi said, citing advice from lawyers.
"We do not believe they should go to jail for exposing the truth. We will do everything to prevent that," he told AFP.
The environmental group, which has nine times sent ships to the Antarctic to face off with whalers, denied it was bowing to pressure.
"The decision-maker is not the fishermen but the Japanese government and also the Japanese public, so this time we will be concentrating our activities in Japan," Kobayashi said.
Greenpeace said more than 250,000 people have sent e-mails to the Japanese prime minister demanding that charges be dropped against the two activists.
The group said it would also bring a delegation to Japan in December coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to denounce the prosecution of the activists.
Sato and Suzuki took part in a lengthy investigation in which Greenpeace charged that whalers on the taxpayer-backed hunt had taken meat home and sold it on the black market.
An official at Japan's Fisheries Agency declined to comment on Greenpeace's decision but said the upcoming whaling expedition would proceed as planned.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which accuses Greenpeace of being too conciliatory, has vowed physically to stop the hunt.
Whalers netted little more than half of their intended catch last season as Sea Shepherd activists hurled stink bombs and forcibly boarded a whaling vessel.
Sea Shepherd activist Peter Hammarstedt warned that the group had "a few surprises" for the whalers this year.
"We intend to be more aggressive and even more relentless," the Swede said in a recent statement. "We intend to make sure no whales are killed on our watch."
Japan has sought the international arrest of Sea Shepherd activists. Tokyo last week also pressed the visiting Dutch foreign minister, Maxime Verhagen, to stop "illegal" anti-whaling protests.
A Japanese official said US-based Sea Shepherd's Steve Irwin ship is registered in the Netherlands. Greenpeace's headquarters is also in Amsterdam.
Japan hunts whales despite a 1986 moratorium, using a loophole that allows "lethal research" on the ocean giants. Only Norway and Iceland defy the moratorium altogether.
The Tokyo government argues that Western opponents of whaling, led by Australia, are insensitive to Japan's culture of whaling.
But few Japanese eat whale on a regular basis and surveys show that many young people are questioning the hunt.
Nazry Bahrawiin Today Online 4 Nov 08;
EXPECT a “confrontation” between the state and lay Muslims if Jakarta moves ahead with its nuclearisation plans without securing the consent of the national council of Islamic clerics, one of Indonesia’s leading environmental activists warned recently.
Indonesia plans to build its first nuclear power plant in the earthquake-prone region of Jepara in central Java by 2010.
“If the Majlis Ugama Indonesia (MUI) does not give the green light for this project, the people may take up the cause of eco-jihad to the streets,” said Mr Fachruddin M Mangunjaya of Conservation International Indonesia. He spoke to Today recently, on the sidelines of a seminar on Islam and conservation in Indonesia held at the University of Edinburgh. The prospect of “eco-jihad” had been raised earlier by a member of the audience.
Already, green protests have sprung up in Indonesia, saidMr Fachruddin, pointing to demonstrations against the Sidoarjo mud flow at East Java, which started in May 2006. Research by British-based scientists has found that the mud flow was caused by drilling activities by a mining firm owned by the nation’s welfare minister.
In September last year, scholars from the Jepara chapter of the Nadhatul Ulama (NU) — Indonesia’s largest Islamic group — declared it “haram” (impermissible) for the government to build a nuclear plant there because it would endanger residents’ lives. Mr Fachruddin cautioned against looking at the term “eco-jihad” negatively, and said there was only a slim chance that extremist groups would hijack the green cause to recruit new members.
“Jihad is not a dirty word to be associated with extremists only,” he said. “When Muslims strive for the betterment of humanity such as improving the quality of education, we are said to be making jihad.”
Furthermore, he is not totally against Indonesia’s nuclearisation. “I believe a nuclear plant could be set up in Kalimantan which is situated in Borneo ... Compared to the other parts of Indonesia, there is a lack of volcanic and earthquake activities there,” he said. “You can then transport the energy ... not just to other parts of Indonesia, but also sell it to Malaysia and Brunei.”
The writer is pursuing a postgraduate degree in Comparative and General Literature at the University of Edinburgh under the British Chevening scholarship.
Mark Kinver, BBC News 4 Nov 08;
Certain farming methods can help sustain the biodiversity of tropical forests, a study has shown.
Researchers found that an areca nut plantation in south-west India supported 90% of the bird species found in surrounding native forests.
The low-impact agriculture system has been used for more than 2,000 years and should be considered as a new option for conservation efforts, they added.
The findings appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The team of scientists from the US and India chose the site on the coastal fringes of the Western Ghat mountain range because it met a number of attributes the study required:
# a long history of continuous agricultural production
* intense human pressure
* extensive natural areas still remaining
The landscape consisted of a mixture of intact forest, "production forest" (where non-timber products, such as leaves, were allowed to be removed) and areas of cash crops, primarily areca nut palms ( Areca catechu ).
"We found a total of 51 forest (bird) species in this study system," the researchers wrote.
"These species were broadly distributed across the landscape, with 46 (90%) found outside of the intact forest.
"Within areca nut plantations, we recorded threatened forest species, such as the great hornbill ( Buceros bicornis ) and the Malabar grey hornbill ( Ocyceros griseus )."
Cashing in
The team said the combination of the height of the areca nut palms ( Areca catechu ) and the plantations' close proximity to the intact forest created the necessary ecological conditions to support forest bird species.
They added that data showed the distribution of species in the area had been relatively stable for more than 2,000 years, before the first farmers cultivated the area.
As well as having a high ecological value, the plantations were also economically productive.
The areca nut is consumed by about 10% of the world's population, predominantly Asian communities.
The shade provided by the palms' canopy also created the conditions that allowed farmers to grow other high-value crops, such as pepper, vanilla and bananas.
Rather than expanding the plantations, the farmers relied upon the leaf litter from the surrounding production forests to produce mulch for their crops, rather than using costly fertilisers.
The researchers also said alternative crops that could be grown in the wet lowlands, such as rice, yielded lower returns both economically and ecologically.
Lead author Jai Ranganathan, from the US National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), said the findings provided another option for conservationists to consider.
"It identifies another tool that can be used by conservationists," he told BBC News.
"If it is not possible to make places completely protected areas then they can look at whether a system like this will help support the rich biodiversity."
Cancer concerns
While the production system delivers economic and environmental benefits, health officials have voiced concerns about how the areca nut, which contain a stimulant called arecoline, is primarily consumed.
It is chewed either by itself or as a part of "betel quid", which generally consists of a betel leaf (from the Piper betle vine) wrapped around pieces of areca nut, slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) and generally tobacco.
In 2003, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) issued a warning that linked chewing areca nuts to an increased risk of cancer.
An IARC working group stated: "A previous evaluation in 1985 had found that chewing betel quid with tobacco is carcinogenic to humans.
"The new evaluation goes further to conclude that chewing betel quid without tobacco is also carcinogenic to humans.
"The working group also concluded that the areca nut, a common component of many different chewing habits, is carcinogenic to humans."
Dr Ranganathan said the researchers were aware of the health concerns associated with the crop, but the purpose of the study was to understand how tropical agriculture and biodiversity could co-exist in close proximity.
"Areca nut cultivation has an extremely long history in south and south-east Asia and is likely to continue for the foreseeable future," he said.
"Given this persistence, I feel that it would be a shame to overlook the potential benefits of this cultivation system for biodiversity."
Dr Ranganathan said that he intended to look for further examples of established agriculture and cultivation practises in the region that provided habitats that supported a high level of biodiversity.
Richard Ingham Yahoo News 4 Nov 08;
PARIS (AFP) – A reddish microbe found on the inside of a tree at a secret location in the rainforests of northern Patagonia could unlock the biofuel of the future, say scientists.
Its potential is so startling that the discoverers have coined the term "myco-diesel" -- a derivation of the word for fungus -- to describe the bouquet of hydrocarbons that it breathes.
"This is the only organism that has ever been shown to produce such an important combination of fuel substances," said Gary Strobel, a professor of biology at Montana State University.
"The fungus can even make these diesel compounds from cellulose, which would make it a better source of biofuel that anything we use at the moment."
The study appears on Tuesday in a peer-reviewed British journal, Microbiology.
Strobel, a 70-year-old veteran of the world's rainforests, told AFP that he came across Gliocladium roseum thanks to "two cases of serendipity."
The first was in the late 1990s, when his team, working in Honduras, came across a previously unidentified fungus called Muscodor albus.
By sheer accident, they found that M. albus releases a powerful volatile -- meaning gassy -- antibiotic.
Intrigued by this, the team tested M. Albus on the ulmo tree, whose fibres are a known habitat for fungi, in the hope that this would show up a new fungus.
"Quite unexpectedly, G. roseum grew in the presence of these gases when almost all other fungi were killed. It was also making volatile antibiotics," said Strobel.
"Then, when we examined the gas composition of G. roseum, we were totally surprised to learn that it was making a plethora of hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon derivatives. The results were totally unexpected and very exciting, and almost every hair on my arms stood on end."
Strobel's team put the G. roseum through its paces in the lab, growing it on an oatmeal-based jelly and on cellulose.
Extractor fans drew off the gases exuded by the fungus, and analysis showed that many of them were hydrocarbons, including at least eight compounds that are the most abundant ingredients in diesel.
Biofuels have been promoted as good alternatives to oil, which is sourced from politically volatile regions and is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect.
Plants store carbon from the atmosphere as a result of photosynthesis when they grow, and they release the carbon, as carbon dioxide (CO2), when they are burned.
Oil, though, comprises carbon that is stored underground. When it is burned the CO2 adds to the atmosphere.
One of the downsides of biofuels has been their impact on the world food market, because the present generation of fuels is derived from food crops that are grown on farmland.
Another avenue of exploration is in cheap, plentiful non-food fibrous plants and cellulose materials, such as switchgrass, wood chips and straw.
But these novel sources, hampered by costs and technical complications, are struggling to reach commercial scale.
"G. roseum can make myco-diesel directly from cellulose, the main compound found in plants and paper," said Strobel. "This means that if the fungus was used to make fuel a step in the production process could be skipped."
Instead of using farmland to grow biofuels, G. roseum could be grown in factories, like baker's yeast, and its gases siphoned off to be liquefied into fuel, he suggested.
Another alternative, he said, would be to strip out the enzyme-making genes from the fungus and use this to break down the cellulose to make the biodiesel.
Strobel said Montana State University had filed patents for the fungus, proceeds of which would be shared with local people.
G. roseum is a variant of a known fungus species called Gliocladium. "It might be" common in some forests, said Strobel.
Asked where the fungus had been found, he pointed to the experiences of the 1848 gold rush and said the location had to be protected: "The answer to that is, what if we pushed ourselves back about a hundred and fifty years and you heard a story about a guy finding gold out in California?"
Tree fungus could provide green transport fuel
Organism discovered in the Patagonian rainforest produces mixture of chemicals similar to diesel
Alok Jha, guardian.co.uk 4 Nov 08;
A tree fungus could provide green fuel that can be pumped directly into tanks, scientists say. The organism, found in the Patagonian rainforest, naturally produces a mixture of chemicals that is remarkably similar to diesel.
"This is the only organism that has ever been shown to produce such an important combination of fuel substances," said Gary Strobel, a plant scientist from Montana State University who led the work. "We were totally surprised to learn that it was making a plethora of hydrocarbons."
In principle, biofuels are attractive replacements for liquid fossil fuels used in transport that generate greenhouse gases. The European Union has set biofuel targets of 5.75% by 2010 and 10% by 2020. But critics say current biofuels scarcely reduce greenhouse gas emissions and cause food price rises and deforestation. Producing biofuels sustainably is now a target and this latest work has been greeted by experts as an encouraging step.
The fungus, called Gliocladium roseum and discovered growing inside the ulmo tree (Eucryphia cordifolia) in northern Patagonia, produces a range of long-chain hydrocarbon molecules that are virtually identical to the fuel-grade compounds in existing fossil fuels.
Details of the concoction, which Strobel calls "mycodiesel", will be published in the November issue of the journal Microbiology. "The results were totally unexpected and very exciting and almost every hair on my arms stood on end," said Strobel.
Many simple organisms, such as algae, are already known to make chemicals that are similar to the long-chain hydrocarbons present in transport fuel but, according to Strobel, none produce the explosive hydrocarbons with the high energy density of those in mycodiesel. Strobel said that the chemical mixture produced by his fungus could be used in a modern diesel engine without any modification.
Another advantage of the G. roseum fungus is its ability to eat up cellulose. This is a compound that, along with lignin, makes up the cell walls in plants and is indigestible by most animals. As such, it makes up much of the organic waste currently discarded, such as stalks and sawdust.
Converting this plant waste into useful fuels is a major goal for the biofuel industry, which currently uses food crops such as corn and has been blamed for high food prices. Normally, cellulosic materials are treated with enzymes that first convert it to sugar, with microbes then used to ferment the sugar into ethanol fuel.
In contrast, G. roseum consumes cellulose directly to produce mycodiesel. "Although the fungus makes less mycodiesel when it feeds on cellulose compared to sugars, new developments in fermentation technology and genetic manipulation could help improve the yield," said Strobel. "In fact, the genes of the fungus are just as useful as the fungus itself in the development of new biofuels."
"Fungi are very important but we often overlook these organisms," Tariq Butt, a fungus expert at Swansea University, said: "This is the first time that a fungus has been shown to produce hydrocarbons that could potentially be exploited as a source of fuel in the future. Concept-wise, the discovery and its potential applications are fantastic. However, more research is needed, as well as a pilot study to determine the costs and benefits. Even so, another potential supply of renewable fuel allows us to diversify our energy sources and is certainly an exciting discovery."
John Loughhead, executive director of the UK Energy Research Centre, also welcomed the discovery but noted it is at its earliest stage of development. "This appears another encouraging discovery that natural processes are more capable of producing materials of real value to mankind than we had previously known. It's another piece of evidence that there is real potential to adapt such processes to provide energy sources that can help reduce our need for, and dependence on, fossil fuels."
The next stage for Strobel's work will be to refine the extraction of mycodiesel from the fungus. This requires more laboratory work to identify the most efficient ways to grow the organism and, perhaps, genetic modification of the fungus to improve yields. If successful, Strobel's technology will then need to be tested in a large-scale demonstration plant to solve any problems in scaling up to to commercial production.
Strobel also said that his discovery raises questions about how fossil fuels were made in the first place. "The accepted theory is that crude oil, which is used to make diesel, is formed from the remains of dead plants and animals that have been exposed to heat and pressure for millions of years. [But] if fungi like this are producing mycodiesel all over the rainforest, they may have contributed to the formation of fossil fuels."
Oil Creation Theory Challenged by Fuel-Making Fungus
Robert Roy Britt, livescience.com Yahoo News 4 Nov 08;
A newfound fungus living in rainforest trees makes biofuel more efficiently than any other known method, researchers say.
In fact, it's so good at turning plant matter into fuel that researchers say their discovery calls into question the whole theory of how crude oil was made by nature in the first place.
While many crops and microbes can be combined to make biofuels - including the fungi that became infamous as jungle rot during WWII - the newfound fungus could greatly simplify the process, its discoverers claim. Researchers have suggested that billions of acres of fallow farmland could be used to grow the raw material of biofuels. But turning corn stalks or switchgrass into fuel is a painstaking process and the end product is expensive and not entirely friendly to the environment.
The fungus, which has been named Gliocladium roseum, stands out in the crowd.
"This is the only organism that has ever been shown to produce such an important combination of fuel substances," said researcher Gary Strobel from Montana State University. "The fungus can even make these diesel compounds from cellulose, which would make it a better source of biofuel than anything we use at the moment."
The scientists are now working to develop its fuel producing potential, according to a paper published in the November issue of the journal Microbiology.
The fungus grows inside the Ulmo tree in the Patagonian rainforest in South America. "When we examined the gas composition of G. roseum, we were totally surprised to learn that it was making a plethora of hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon derivatives," the stuff of diesel, Strobel said. The fuel it produces has been dubbed "myco-diesel."
Cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose make up the cell walls in plants. They makes the stalks, sawdust and woodchip and cannot be digested by most living things. Some 400 million tons of this plant waste is produced ever year just from farmland, Strobel and his colleagues say. In current biofuel production, this waste is treated with enzymes called cellulases that turn the cellulose into sugar. Microbes then ferment this sugar into ethanol that can be used as a fuel.
If G. roseum can be used commercially to make fuel, a step could be skipped.
"We were very excited to discover that G. roseum can digest cellulose. Although the fungus makes less myco-diesel when it feeds on cellulose compared to sugars, new developments in fermentation technology and genetic manipulation could help improve the yield," Strobel explained. "In fact, the genes of the fungus are just as useful as the fungus itself in the development of new biofuels."
The discovery also questions assumptions about how fossil fuels are made.
"The accepted theory is that crude oil, which is used to make diesel, is formed from the remains of dead plants and animals that have been exposed to heat and pressure for millions of years," Strobel said. "If fungi like this are producing myco-diesel all over the rainforest, they may have contributed to the formation of fossil fuels."
Eva Kuehnen and Christoph Steitz, PlanetArk 5 Nov 08;
FRANKFURT - Many of the world's solar energy companies could fail or fall into the arms of stronger rivals as the financial crisis raises borrowing costs and as solar module prices fall.
Any such shake-out would in turn precipitate consolidation in the industry, which has for years been attracting heavy investment and government subsidies that have driven supply ahead of demand.
"In our view, too much solar capacity has been added relative to demand, and will lead to oversupply," Goldman Sachs analysts wrote, adding that the consequences would drive module prices down by about 15 percent next year.
Oversupply and an easing of demand as economies slow will help the cost of photovoltaic solar energy fall in line with the cost of conventional electricity -- so-called "grid parity" -- which will ultimately give the sector a boost, but not before many companies have fallen by the wayside.
A toxic mix of tight credit and falling prices will make it especially perilous for those solar companies with weak cash flows and high debt.
"On a global average, three out of four (solar energy) companies will not make it," said Robert Schramm, analyst at Germany's Commerzbank.
Commerzbank said the impact of tougher financing conditions would affect returns seven times more than would module prices. It puts next year's financing needs for global photovoltaic projects at 33 billion euros, of which 20 billion would need debt financing.
But all indications pointed to a near halt in debt financing for large-scale solar power parks outside Germany, Commerzbank added, which would last until at least the second quarter of 2009.
WINNERS AND LOSERS
US solar panel maker Evergreen Solar, for example, warned in October that if credit markets did not improve in the next nine months, it would not be able to fund a $400 million production facility it needs to deliver on its 2010 contracts.
Evergreen Solar operates a joint venture with Norway's Renewable Energy Corp (REC), one of the world's top polysilicon manufacturers, and Germany's Q-Cells, the world's largest solar cell maker.
"We think that about 10 percent of the companies may fall victim to the current financial crisis -- most of them in Asia," Credit Suisse analyst Karsten Iltgen wrote in a note.
Thomas Weisel Partners has downgraded China-based solar cell makers Suntech Power Holdings Co Ltd and JA Solar in light of waning demand due to the credit crisis.
So where should equity investment in the sector go?
Goldman Sachs says shares in equipment makers with strong market share, technology leadership and take-over potential could be winners, including Switzerland's Meyer Burger and Germany's Roth & Rau, on which it has "buy" ratings.
Credit Suisse's Iltgen also favours Roth & Rau, which makes machines used for the production of solar cells, and notes the company's low valuation and strong cash position.
Roth & Rau shares trade at a discount to Meyer Burger as well as German rivals Centrotherm and Manz Automation.
But Hans-Otto Truemper, managing director of Grossboetzl, Schmitz & Partner, which has 1.8 billion euros of assets under management, still thinks the timing is not ideal.
"If you look at the current energy costs -- oil prices have practically more than halved -- then the competitiveness of solar and wind power needs to be called into question," he said.
"However, I see opportunities in the sector," he added. "And in the long term, there is no way around it."
(Editing by Will Waterman)
Paul Eccleston, The Telegraph 4 Nov 08;
The ozone hole over Antarctica covered an area as big as North America at its peak in September, according to the latest figures.
The hole was the fifth biggest since satellite monitoring began in 1979.
Nasa satellites measured the maximum area of this year's ozone hole at 10.5m square miles and four miles deep on 12th September.
Ozone loss was at its worst in 2006 when the hole covered more than 11.4m square miles at its peak but by last year the ozone hole had returned to average size and depth and was 30 per cent smaller than the record size.
The figures were released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which has been monitoring the ozone layer since 1962.
Ozone, a type of molecular oxygen, forms a protective layer measuring between six and 30 miles in the stratosphere that absorbs harmful ultra-violet (UV) radiation from the Sun.
Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey were the first to discover in 1985 that ozone levels were declining and that a hole had appeared above the Antarctic.
The depletion at certain times of the year was blamed on the release of man-made chemicals containing chlorine such as ChloroFluoroCarbons (CFC's) used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems, aerosols and solvents.
Under the 1987 Montreal Protocol production was controlled and countries who signed up agreed that no more would be produced after 1995 except for essential uses such as medical sprays.
CFCs in the stratosphere peaked in about 2000 and are declining at an estimated one per cent per year But the World Meteorological Organisation calculates that it will be 2050 before the ozone layer recovers to its former levels.
According to NOAA scientists, the ozone hole was bigger this year because of colder than average temperatures.
"Weather is the most important factor in the fluctuation of the size of the ozone hole from year-to-year," said Bryan Johnson, a scientist at NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado which monitors ozone, ozone-depleting chemicals, and greenhouse gases around the globe.
"How cold the stratosphere is and what the winds do determine how powerfully the chemicals can perform their dirty work."
The cycle starts in May, according to the NOAA, as Antarctica moves into a period of 24-hour-a-day darkness. Rotating winds the size of the continent create a vortex of cold, stable air centred near the South Pole that isolates CFCs over the continent.
When spring sunshine returns in August, the sun's ultraviolet light sets off a series of chemical reactions inside the vortex that consume the ozone. The colder and more isolated the air inside the vortex, the more destructive the chemistry.
By late December when the southern hemisphere summer is at its height, the vortex has crumbled and the ozone has returned until the process begins again the following winter.
Craig Long, a research meteorologist at NOAA's National Centres for Environmental Prediction, said: "These chemicals - and signs of their reduction - take several years to rise from the lower atmosphere into the stratosphere and then migrate to the poles.
"The chemicals also typically last 40 to 100 years in the atmosphere. For these reasons, stratospheric CFC levels have dropped only a few per cent below their peak in the early 2000s."
And NOAA atmospheric chemist Stephen Montzka said: "The decline of these harmful substances to their pre-ozone hole levels in the Antarctic stratosphere will take decades. We don't expect a full recovery of Antarctic ozone until the second half of the century."
Ozone hole over Antarctica grows again
Stratospheric levels of harmful CFCs will take between 40 and 100 years to dissipate and have only dropped a few per cent since reaching a peak in 2000, scientists warn
John Vidal, guardian.co.uk 4 Nov 08;
The ozone hole over Antarctica grew to the size of North America this year – the fifth largest on record – according to the latest satellite observations.
US government scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) say this year's ozone hole reached its maximum level on September 12, extending to 10.5m sq miles and four miles deep. That is bigger than 2007 but smaller than 2006, when the hole covered over 11.4m sq miles.
Scientists blamed colder-than-average temperatures in the stratosphere for the ozone hole's unusually large size this year. "Weather is the most important factor in the fluctuation of the size of the ozone hole from year to year," said Bryan Johnson, a scientist at NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, which monitors ozone, ozone-depleting chemicals, and greenhouse gases around the globe. "How cold the stratosphere is and what the winds do determine how powerfully the chemicals can perform their dirty work."
The main cause of the ozone hole is human-produced compounds called chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which release ozone-destroying chlorine and bromine into the atmosphere. The Earth's protective ozone layer acts like a giant parasol, blocking the sun's ultraviolet-B rays. Though banned for the past 21 years to reduce their harmful build up, CFCs still take many decades to dissipate from the atmosphere
The 1987 Montreal Protocol and other regulations banning CFCs reversed the build-up of chlorine and bromine, first noticed in the 1980s.
"These chemicals – and signs of their reduction – take several years to rise from the lower atmosphere into the stratosphere and then migrate to the poles," said NOAA's Craig Long, a research meteorologist at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Prediction. "The chemicals also typically last 40 to 100 years in the atmosphere. For these reasons, stratospheric CFC levels have dropped only a few per cent below their peak in the early 2000s."
"The decline of these harmful substances to their pre–ozone hole levels in the Antarctic stratosphere will take decades," said NOAA atmospheric chemist Stephen Montzka of the Earth System Research Laboratory. "We don't expect a full recovery of Antarctic ozone until the second half of the century."
Starting in May, as Antarctica moves into a period of 24-hour-a-day darkness, winds create a vortex of cold, stable air centred near the South Pole that isolates CFCs over the continent. When spring sunshine returns in August, the sun's ultraviolet light sets off a series of chemical reactions inside the vortex that consume the ozone. The colder and more isolated the air inside the vortex, the more destructive the chemistry. By late December the southern summer is in full swing, the vortex has crumbled, and the ozone has returned – until the process begins anew the following winter.
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