Daurian Starlings flocking
from Bird Ecology Study Group
Coral Triangle Slideshow - WWF
from Psychedelic Nature
Wildfacts updates: October sightings
from wild shores of singapore
What happens on Sentosa's unnatural shores?
from wild shores of singapore
Straits Times Forum 31 Oct 09;
I WAS surprised and disappointed to discover that the route of the recently concluded North Face 100 race passed through the core of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.
Meeting the needs of recreation is important and having a healthy and active nation is a good thing. However, in a small country like Singapore, selecting appropriate venues for any given recreational activity requires understanding, sensitivity and a well-informed populace.
The ultramarathon and training run routes for the race were inappropriate for the following reasons:
# The law: The National Parks Board Act calls for the protection of the plant and animal life of our nature reserves. While NParks is encouraged to promote recreation in nature reserves, the caveat 'appropriate' is applied. Are high-impact runs an appropriate form of recreation in sensitive nature areas? The Parks and Trees Act also discourages such disturbances.
# Sustainability: Our rich biodiversity, already squeezed into a limited area, may be harmed by the noise, compaction and erosion that accompany high-impact activities. I have studied the Bukit Timah forest for 20 years, and my professional opinion is that high-impact activities held in high biodiversity areas are not conducive to their conservation.
The North Face's website says its 'associates, athletes and customers are...dedicated to preserving the places they explore'. Evidence suggests that reality can fall short of corporate ideals.
# Limited resource: The largest remaining remnant of the rainforests that clothed Singapore for thousands of years is a mere 0.6 sq km area in the heart of Bukit Timah, the very area the ultramarathon route traversed. Mistreating such a limited resource base is not a prudent way to preserve the crown jewel of our natural heritage.
Living in a small country means we have to accept and work around certain limitations. Just as we cannot realistically convert the entire island back into a wilderness, we also should not expect to hold recreational activities wherever we want. Unfortunately, the ultramarathon organisers were not informed or sensitive enough to select alternative routes.
Shawn Lum
President
Nature Society (Singapore)
Straits Times Forum 31 Oct 09;
IN RESPONSE to Ms Sabrina Wong's suggestion that schools look for alternative outdoor camp venues ('Singapore schools should look for alternative venues for adventure camps', Thursday), the Singapore Sailing Federation (SingaporeSailing) would like to highlight good alternatives available in Singapore.
Service providers like Outward Bound Singapore, a member of SingaporeSailing and Singapore's leading adventure-based education centre, conduct high-quality educational camps and courses for students at their centres on Pulau Ubin and East Coast Park. They have extremely high safety and risk management standards and constantly conduct safety training and reviews.
SingaporeSailing also conducts an outdoor experiential learning programme called SailSmart. The four-day programme is targeted at schoolchildren to educate them on the environment, the sea, the weather and how to be safe and sensible by the sea. Safety standards are the top priority and they are modelled after the world-class practices of Outward Bound Singapore.
Among the many benefits that Sail-Smart delivers, participants will gain water wisdom and know when it is safe to swim and when the current is dangerous. They will have a better understanding of the marine environment, the wind, the weather, the tides, the delicate nature of our planet and how we must treat it with respect to sustain it. Principles of seamanship are also taught and through interactive and hands-on activities, participants will acquire life skills such as leadership, teamwork and self-confidence.
Besides Outward Bound Singapore and SailSmart, there are many other options available in Singapore, listed under the Singapore Sports Council's Sports Education Programme, which maintain good- quality programmes and high standards of safety.
We will be pleased to share more information with school teachers and parents who seek outdoor camp options in Singapore.
Why do we need to send children overseas for camps when we have such high-quality programmes available in Singapore?
Edwin Low
Secretary-General
Singapore Sailing Federation
Perak tragedy
Straits Times Forum 29 Oct 09;
'Singapore schools should look for alternative venues for adventure camps.'
MS SABRINA WONG: 'I am concerned after reading yesterday's report, 'Tragedy at children's goodwill camp'. The year-end school holidays are approaching and schools will send students to Malaysia for outdoor camps. My son is slated to go to Perak for a camp similar to that struck by the bridge collapse tragedy. Previously, my other children went to Perak for such camps where they, like the children in yesterday's report, crossed raging rivers. Schools should look for alternative venues.'
Not the right time to send students on overseas field trips
Straits Times 31 Oct 09;
I UNDERSTAND that Choa Chu Kang Secondary School is organising field trips to countries such as Japan and China this school holiday.
I am surprised parents can afford these trips and are willing to pay thousands of dollars for them.
Such trips are becoming the norm these days, rather than an option, though the latter may be so technically.
A student who wants to opt out feels pressured. Parents also find it hard to reject the child's request to go on an overseas field trip.
Why are schools organising such activities in a recession year?
Are schools not innovative enough to organise educational and entertaining programmes in Singapore?
I appeal to the Ministry of Education to review such overseas programmes, especially in a difficult year for many parents.
Lee Keen Meng
Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia 30 Oct 09;
SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, launching the Clean and Green 2010 campaign at the HortPark on Friday, urged Singaporeans to prepare for the global challenge of climate change.
He added that as a responsible member of the international community, Singapore will bear its fair share of the collective effort to reduce carbon emissions.
Mr Lee pointed out that as a small country, Singapore's carbon emissions are a "negligible" part of global emissions, and it is not under any international obligations to make absolute cuts.
He said: "Furthermore, we are not an Annex 1 Country under the Kyoto Protocol, which has an international obligation to make absolute cuts.
"Unlike many bigger countries, we face serious limitations in switching to alternative energy sources or reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.
"Nevertheless, we are a responsible member of the international community, and we have to bear our fair share of the collective global effort to reduce carbon emissions.
"Therefore, provided other countries also commit to do their part in a global deal, we will reduce emissions from 'business-as-usual' levels and do what we need to do with other countries to reduce humankind's CO2 emissions."
Responding to media queries, Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said Singapore has been committed to protecting the environment since the 1960s.
He said the government had kept the environment at the forefront of its development considerations "long before sustainable development became an international concern".
Earlier this year, the government launched a blueprint which represents a major national effort to reduce emissions. Mr Lee added that Singapore is carefully studying whether it can do more.
The Sustainable Development Blueprint includes calls for at least 80 per cent of all buildings in Singapore to be energy-efficient. And steps have already been taken, such as installing solar panels to convert the sun's rays into electricity for housing blocks.
Singapore is no stranger to green initiatives, having started its green journey more than 40 years ago. In addition to creating more nature parks, it is also getting residents to buy eco-friendly appliances.
Mr Lee said the government will continue to find new ways to protect the environment amid rapid development. But the success of these initiatives depends on the support of the community.
Prime Minister Lee also launched a national programme to help companies cut down on wastage and improve energy efficiency.
The idea here is that such measures will help businesses lower costs in the long run while reducing their carbon footprint.
The impact of such a scheme can be quite substantial because the industry sector accounts for nearly 60 per cent of Singapore's total energy consumption.
- CNA/ir
Singapore will do its fair share to tackle climate change
Straits Times 31 Oct 09;
SINGAPORE is committed to ongoing international efforts to tackle the climate change issue and is prepared to play its part if a global agreement is reached, Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said yesterday.
If climate change is to be addressed effectively, there must be a concerted effort by all countries, he said, in a statement responding to queries from the media on the issue.
'And to move the process forward, we need a fair global solution that takes into account differences in national circumstances,' he said.
Dr Yaacob issued his comments from Barcelona, where he is attending the Informal Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change.
This is being held ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December, where a new global warming treaty is set to be signed.
He noted yesterday that Singapore is not an AnnexI country and is not obligated to take on economy-wide targets on reducing emissions.
Annex I is a list of industrialised countries that have committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by specific amounts.
Dr Yaacob said that notwithstanding this, 'we are prepared to do what is possible within our means, and energy efficiency has been recognised as a key strategy for us'.
'If a global agreement is reached, we are prepared to do our fair share. Every measure entails costs. To afford to continue to take mitigation measures, we need to grow,' he said.
'We must therefore balance concern over the environment with economic growth, and how we find a balance will be a continuous process.'
He cited the Clean and Green Singapore 2010 campaign launched yesterday as a sign of Singapore's continuing commitment since the 1960s to 'protect, cherish and keep our environment clean'.
The Sustainable Singapore Blueprint, he added, had outlined the goals of achieving economic growth and environment protection together. Released in April, it also represents Singapore's response to the challenges of population growth, resource scarcity and climate change.
Emissions cut if others do their part as well
PM Lee says climate change is a big challenge for Singapore
Nur Dianah Suhaimi, Straits Times 31 Oct 09;
CLIMATE change is one of the biggest challenges ahead for Singapore, and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the country will bear its fair share of the global effort to reduce emissions.
This is despite the fact that Singapore's carbon emissions are a 'negligible' part of global output, and it is not among nations which committed themselves and were obliged to make specific cuts in greenhouse gas emission levels.
'We don't have this obligation,' he noted yesterday in a reference to what is known as Annex I countries.
'But as a responsible member of the international community, we have to bear our fair share of the collective global effort to reduce carbon emissions.
'Therefore, provided other countries also commit to do their part in a global deal, we will reduce emissions from 'business-as-usual' levels and do what we need to do with other countries to reduce humankind's carbon dioxide emissions.'
Speaking at the launch of the Clean and Green 2010 campaign at the HortPark yesterday, Mr Lee said that Singapore faced serious limitations in switching to alternative energy sources or reducing its dependence on fossil fuels.
'We are what you call alternative energy disadvantaged,' he said. 'We do not have geothermal energy, we do not have space for a nuclear plant. All we have are power stations that import energy,' he said.
Singapore has made significant efforts over the years to protect the environment and ensure that growth could be sustained without significant damage to the environment.
The most recent move was the the launch in April of the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint to ensure, among other things, that resources - especially energy - are used efficiently.
The blueprint, drawn up by the private and people sectors together with the Government, calls for long-term carbon emission cuts in households, businesses and industries.
Mr Lee described it as a 'major national effort' to reduce emissions.
And yesterday, he also launched a new Energy Efficiency National Partnership programme to help companies be more energy efficient.
The main draw for companies to join the new initiative is the electricity cost savings they will get to enjoy.
'It makes sense for you and it makes sense for the country,' he told industry players.
It will be a huge coup if the industry sector joins in this latest 'green' effort.
According to the National Environment Agency, the petroleum refining, petrochemical, electronics and pharmaceutical industries use almost 60 per cent of the country's total energy consumption.
These latest initiatives to make Singapore 'greener' follow the launch this week of the first 'zero energy' building that produces as much power as it uses.
In his speech, he also praised Singaporeans for being actively involved in the community and for their efforts in keeping Singapore 'green'.
Many volunteers, he said, were helping out at the parks and nature reserves. Response to programmes such as the Community-in-Bloom gardening programme and the Plant-a-Tree programme have been very enthusiastic.
However, more need to be done. For one thing, the industry sector, a major energy consumer, needs to play its part too.
Mr Lee said he hoped the industry sector will support the new Energy Efficiency National Partnership programme strongly.
The Singapore plant of pharmaceutical company Pfizer is already showing interest in the initiative.
Its engineering services director for Asia Pacific, Mr Lee Chin Hoo, said the company has been consistently reducing its energy consumption by about 10 per cent every year.
They first started with the basic practice of getting employees to switch off lights when they were no longer in the room and controlling the aircon temperature. Today, Pfizer's Singapore plant is saving more than $1.4 million a year by chilling water using absorption chillers, which use steam, instead of energy-guzzling electric chillers.
'Learning network' to help companies share best practices and technologies
Teh Shi Ning, Business Times 31 Oct 09;
PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced a new programme to promote energy efficiency among companies, at the launch of Clean and Green Singapore 2010 yesterday evening.
Speaking on climate change and sustainable development, Mr Lee said that while carbon emissions here are 'negligible' relative to global emissions, and Singapore is not obliged to cut emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, it will still bear its fair share of the collective global effort.
Singapore will 'reduce emissions from business-as-usual levels, provided other countries also commit to do their part in a global deal', he said.
Under the Sustainable Development Blueprint, Singapore has committed to reduce energy intensity (measured as consumption per dollar GDP) by 35 per cent by 2030, from 2005's levels.
To move towards that goal, the industry sector, being a major energy consumer, can do more, Mr Lee said. The National Environment Agency (NEA) says that industry accounts for almost 60 per cent of Singapore's total energy consumption. More energy-intensive sub-sectors include the petroleum refining, petrochemical, electronics and pharmaceutical industries.
Which is why the Energy Efficient National Partnership (EENP) programme has been rolled out by the National Environment Agency. 'The EENP programme will help companies to set energy efficiency goals and implement energy productivity improvement projects,' Mr Lee said.
It will be steered by a high-level committee of industry representatives, energy efficiency specialists and policymakers, chaired by Senior Parliamentary Secretary Amy Khor of the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources.
The programme will start a 'learning network' to help companies share best practices and technologies, as well as a 'recognition scheme' under which NEA will give out annual awards to companies whose good energy management practices bear tangible results, as well as to employees and corporate teams which implement good energy efficiency projects.
Green scheme for firms
Today Online 31 Oct 09;
A new national initiative will get companies to set energy efficiency goals and put in place energy productivity improvement projects.
The Energy Efficiency National Partnership, launched by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday, is a voluntary scheme facilitated by the National Environment Agency.
It is hoped such measures will help businesses lower costs in the long run while reducing their carbon footprint.
The industry sector accounts for nearly 60 per cent of Singapore's total energy consumption, and NEA wants to target especially the oil and petrochemical, pharmaceutical and electronics industries.
"We've been working with several big companies like Pfizer and Schering Plough ... and having discussions on ideas and measures that we can explore," said NEA director of resource conservation Ong Seng Eng.
Employees and senior management who implement their plans and achieve energy savings will get recognition, he added. 938LIVE
Esther Teo, Straits Times 31 Oct 09;
MANUFACTURING has long had an off-putting image of smokestacks and soot but the sector here is pushing hard to add a healthy shade of green to the picture.
The Singapore Manufacturers' Federation (SMa) made its eco-intentions clear at the inaugural Manufacturing Excellence Community network session yesterday.
The session's aim is to help best practices be shared among leaders in academia and the industry with a focus on green manufacturing this year.
SMa president Renny Yeo emphasised the need for manufacturers to seek excellence by constantly exploiting new technologies and innovations.
He highlighted sustainable or green manufacturing as a way for companies to improve their operational performance and so ensure their long-term viability.
He said the remaining challenge was to remove the apprehension business owners showed when it came to going green.
Mr Yeo recalled that while people used to perceive improving quality as a cost in the 1960s, by the 1970s they had realised that raising quality standards saved money instead.
'Today, people look upon the green movement as a cost, tomorrow they will look upon green as an instrument that improves their profitability - both their top line and bottom line,' he said. 'They must realise that it's not just about reducing pollution but using less as well.'
Manufacturing accounts for about 22 per cent of Singapore's gross domestic product and leads the world in some industries. The country has approximately 70 per cent of the world market for building offshore oil rigs and 30 per cent of the hearing aids market.
Managing director of the Economic Development Board (EDB) Beh Swan Gin told the gathering at Suntec City that it was imperative that manufacturers kept up with green trends.
'Manufacturing holds the key to greening the supply chain and lowering the carbon footprint for companies in a strategic and profitable way,' he said, adding that the sharing of best practices was the best way forward.
'No nation can be a technology laggard, no economy can achieve sustainable growth by simply consuming.'
Speaking to reporters after the event, Dr Beh pointed out that Singapore was already an efficient energy user with power plants using natural gas - described as the cleanest fossil fuel as it burns more efficiently than coal or oil.
However, he said that the EDB was working to improve local expertise in carbon services by strengthening companies involved in carbon consulting and locating more of them here.
'Since people tend to congregate in a central location for such rare expertise, Singapore is well placed for that role,' he added. 'However, the low hanging fruits (of the carbon credit market) will be the power plants and the infrastructure-type pro-jects... in China and India where the opportunities lie.'
The increasing focus on going green and its growing economic importance are behind the decision to add a growth category to the annual Manufacturing Excellence Awards (Maxa) by SMa and its partners.
The new award will recognise high-growth local manufacturing companies that demonstrate excellence, innovation and sustainability.
It aims to encourage small- and medium-sized enterprises to leverage on the 'Singapore-made, globally acclaimed' brand name to venture into new and emerging markets.
Profit by going green, manufacturers told
Felda Chay, Business Times 31 Oct 09;
GOING green can be profitable, and local manufacturers should start embracing the idea, Economic Development Board managing director Beh Swan Gin said at a networking session held by the partners of the Manufacturing Excellence Award (MAXA).
'Manufacturing holds the key to greening the supply chain and lowering the carbon footprint for companies in a strategic and profitable way,' Dr Beh said at the session, which had a focus on green manufacturing. He told reporters that going green does not require a drastic increase in skilled manpower for manufacturers, and that Singapore has enough skilled manpower to support green manufacturing.
'It's really about what they can do to tweak their processes, possibly they will need one or two experts,' he said. 'They can develop them in-house, they can recruit them, they can even get consultants to help.' Manufacturers can also reap the benefits of carbon trading when they reduce their carbon footprint.
EDB is currently trying to strengthen the infrastructure for carbon services expertise here 'because to earn carbon credits, you have to document the savings and be able to lodge it and validate the declarations and claims, and all these require expertise,' Dr Beh said.
Earlier this year, the government unveiled the Singapore Sustainable Blueprint, under which 80 per cent of buildings in Singapore should achieve at least the basic Green Mark Certification by 2030 - a move expected to reduce energy intensity by more than 30 per cent.
This creates opportunities for local manufacturers to be involved and is an incentive for them to turn to green manufacturing, Renny Yeo, president of the Singapore Manufacturer's Federation (SMa), said on the sidelines of the session.
At the session, MAXA also announced the creation of a 'Growth Award' to recognise excellence among fast-growing local manufacturing companies. The award will be presented from next year.
NUS, NTU to offer more courses in recognition of field's growing value
Grace Chua, Straits Times 31 Oct 09;
ENVIRONMENTAL biology is making a comeback here as well as worldwide, as universities recognise the discipline's role in the study of climate change and environmental issues like pollution.
Both the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) plan to revamp their curricula to include more topics in the field, and the latter has applied for funding to set up a Research Centre of Excellence for environmental science.
As NUS' biological sciences head Paul Matsudaira put it: 'Singapore is at the epicentre of some of the major and most challenging environmental problems that have to be addressed.
'The equatorial location is one asset, since tropical environmental problems are comparatively under-researched.'
Like other biology disciplines such as molecular biology and genetics, environmental biology is the study of living things, but in terms of their surroundings.
For example, it looks at how pollution and climate change affect species and biodiversity. Thus ecology, ecotoxicology and conservation biology might be considered aspects of environmental biology.
NUS, for instance, is offering several new courses on ecology and evolutionary biology this year, and in the last two years, it has hired at least four new faculty members in biology.
Meanwhile, NTU's school of biological sciences has hired several international faculty members to study microbial ecology, said provost Bertil Andersson.
NTU's attention to environmental biology, the school's expertise in earth sciences and its experience in environmental engineering are all part of a new university-wide Sustainable Earth initiative, which is expected to be launched formally in February next year.
But these changes are not driven solely by university administrations. They have also come about because of rising student interest.
One in five life sciences majors at NUS, for example, now opts for environmental biology modules, up from 12 per cent seven years ago.
NUS started its integrated life sciences curriculum in 2001 and NTU started its School of Biological Sciences the following year, as part of a nationwide drive to train more students in the field.
But NUS biological sciences graduate Huang Danwei, now 28, felt he was not getting enough training in biodiversity and ecology. So in 2006, he and 10 others met the dean to propose curriculum changes.
The department listened to them, and classes in biodiversity and ecology are now available in the first- and second-year syllabuses.
There is demand for people with taxonomy skills and biodiversity know-how as fields like climate modelling and conservation grow.
For instance, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research's Institute of High Performance Computing had a recent job posting for a research officer with 'expertise in data management, database, climate change scenarios and biodiversity'.
But will these changes translate into real environmental policy changes or scientific advances?
Professor Matsudaira said he expects the biggest impact to come from the development of science-backed environmental policy, where Singapore will directly influence the Asia-Pacific region.
'Because we are scientifically strong, we will train students and scientists for jobs in government, research and industry,' he said.
However, students and universities should not jump on the bandwagon simply because the field is hot, warned National Institute of Education biologist Shawn Lum.
'We should do it not because it's a fad, but because as educational institutions and as a country, we value it as a worthy field and endeavour, and our interest in it is not going to fall by the wayside the moment the next big thing comes along,' he said.
Straits Times 31 Oct 09;
More than a decade ago, eminent microbiologist Joan Rose, 55, was engaged by Singapore's national water agency PUB to head an external panel to assess the quality of Newater. Her contributions to Singapore's water industry will be recognised tomorrow, when she receives a Public Service Medal (Friends of Singapore) from President S R Nathan. Professor Rose speaks to Amresh Gunasingham about Singapore's reclaimed water and problems the world faces in getting safe drinking water.
# What sort of tests are performed to determine the quality of Newater?
They involve a series of chemical and microbiological tests for different things that can show up in water, such as nitrogen and phosphorus levels. The tests are, for the most part, quantitative, which means we can count what is coming into the sewer system, waste water plant and Newater facility, and what each barrier is providing in terms of producing a high water quality.
There are around 295 tests performed on Newater here on a variety of parameters. If you look at the yardstick used by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to judge the safety of drinking water around the world, then about 130 parameters are identified for testing. What Singapore did was look broadly and track new issues as they came to light globally.
We are pushing methods for detecting microbial contamination to lower and lower levels.
# Since its launch six years ago, what sort of improvements have been made to the quality of Newater?
The water quality has always been very high. The improvements have been made primarily in terms of operations and reliability and new technologies. For example, energy is a big issue facing the world, and waste water and drinking water industries are trying to understand how to produce high-quality water and be conscious of energy costs.
There are also new technological advancements such as the use of membranes of different sizes, which will have different capacities for producing water while giving a small carbon footprint.
# What are the emerging contaminants in water that experts are worried about?
Pathogens such as cryptosporidium have been at the top of the list of concerns due to their acute effects, including diarrhoea, and the list seems to be growing. Around the world, the presence of pharmaceutical products such as antibiotics and drugs that lower cholesterol in used water are of growing concern.
The authorities in Europe and the United States have started to investigate what hospitals and clinics do with some of their waste water and how pre-treatment could improve the approach to treating waste water, because we know a lot of drugs are used in hospitals.
Singapore has started to look at the list of pharmaceutical drugs that may be coming into the sewer system from the hospitals.
We have also encouraged the PUB to work with people in the health sector. It is a question of asking 'Who is using what drugs in Singapore?' because globally there is a list of different kinds of drugs that people use.
The WHO is currently grappling with determining what the health risks are for people, especially when dealing with pharmaceutical drugs. Nonetheless, a therapeutic dose is 10,000 times more than what can be found in water.
The multiple barriers in water treatment methods here mean we are able to reduce 99.9999 per cent of them.
# How is Newater perceived globally?
Around the world, it is called different things, but the process is similar in terms of the technology used to produce purified water. In Orange County, Southern California, for example, the authorities have been using a groundwater replenish system for some time. They are now developing a new facility fashioned to a large extent on what Singapore has done, where microfiltration and reverse osmosis are used.
There are also facilities in Africa which are reclaiming water for various uses, including domestic supply. Australia has also been looking at it seriously, having built a few treatment plants in Brisbane.
I think we are going to see a ramping up of Newater use globally, particularly in areas where they are thinking about scarcity, efficiency, conservation and water management.
Sun, sea, sand and drunk people - such is the life of a Sentosa lifeguard
Venessa Lee, Today Online 31 Oct 09;
THE man had a catfish stuck in his chest, recalled Ms Aryati Hajis.
The student from China told her that he "was trying to catch the fish for dinner" when he was impaled by one of its spikes at Sentosa's Siloso beach.
"I had to yank it out really forcefully," said Ms Aryati, the manager of Sentosa's Beach Operations department.
The incident, which took place last year, was all in a day's work for the lifeguard unit at the resort island, whose 3.2km stretch of beach is the only one in Singapore with professional lifeguards.
The National Water Safety Council is exploring the possibility of volunteer lifeguards being stationed at different beaches in Singapore, said a council spokesman.
Sentosa's lifeguards prefer to be called beach patrol officers. "It's managing the beach more than just lifeguarding," said Ms Chang Shuwen, 19.
Clearing seaweed and setting traps for spiked critters like rabbitfish, catfish and stonefish are part of her job, she said.
Other duties include providing first aid, guest services (swimmers at Sentosa are referred to as "guests" by the beach patrol officers) and facilitating operations at Sentosa's Siloso, Palawan and Tanjong beaches.
Catching marine animals doesn't sound like something you'd find on Baywatch. "When I caught (the TV show) one time, you know, they actually wrestled with a crocodile," quipped Mr Julian Ong, a beach operations executive who also performs lifeguard duties. Also, I was told, no one really runs around in swimsuit-clad groups.
While regulation red swim-wear is issued at Sentosa, (Baywatch-red swimsuits have become a pop culture cliché), the flagship kit is a flaming yellow shirt and red shorts for the beach patrol officers.
Said 22-year-old beach patrol officer Ahmad Lutfi Bin Saimin: "When you wear the shirt, people can see that someone is coming because it is bright."
But surely, part of the charm of being a lifeguard is being able to chat with babes? Some lifeguards confessed to having been approached, and to appreciating the bikini-dotted scenery.
However, virtually all the 10 or so beach patrol officers I spoke to ruled out such chit-chat with varying degrees of shyness and avowals of the need to be professional.
The beach patrol officer is seen as a figure of authority, explained Mr Mohamed Gasznne Ismail. "When people see an authority on the beach, most of them, in Singapore, shun the (observation) towers ... Generally, they're shy. (They could be thinking) 'Oh, the lifeguard may blow the whistle, I'd better not embarrass myself.'"
Mr Jet Lim, 24, a part-time beach patrol officer, cited a desire to do his part for Singapore's tourism sector: "We're bringing up Sentosa's image, so I don't want to bring that down."
Why Drownings Occur
A lifeguard's job, it seemed to me, included moments of boredom and moments of terror. Sometimes, when nobody is in the water, for example, it "can get quite boring", said Mr Lufti.
By contrast, at certain peak periods, "there are 100 people in the water. You have to really pay attention and make sure everyone is safe," said Mr Gabriel Cheam, 18, who also worked part-time.
Mr Muhammad Yazid Bin Nasre, who has performed "countless" rescues, said: "My most memorable rescue would be myself towing back five people at once."
He had hoisted a toddler, one woman and a man onto the rescue tube he had brought into the sea, which he slung on his shoulders, leaving his arms free to tow the other two adults.
"The adrenaline rush gives you a lot of power," said the 24-year-old, with a smile.
Lifesaving requires a staggering intensity of focus. Late in 2005, Mr Ong, 37, said, a man on Sentosa "was actually in his car and he had a heart attack ... we went to the car park to do CPR. ... I couldn't save him.
"The sad part about it was, it was my uncle."
He was so intent on performing CPR that he didn't even recognise his uncle: "I was trying to revive him and I didn't know." Mr Ong said that the CPR procedures went on right until the ambulance came, about 10 minutes later. He only knew it was his uncle when his mother told him later, he said.
In a dark coincidence, another tragedy with similar overtones unfolded a few months later.
Some of the drownings on Sentosa occur because "some of our guests overestimate their own ability to swim in open water", said Ms Aryati, who said people often try to swim to the man-made islets opposite Sentosa's beaches, which can be dangerous.
Her 16-year-old cousin, Mohamed Hirwan, drowned at Sentosa during Chinese New Year in 2006.
"It was my own cousin. They were challenging each other to swim to the islet. I couldn't recognise his face," said Ms Aryati. She could not recognise him because of white foam coming out of his nose and mouth, which partially covered his face. It was only later - after "we (took) turns to do the CPR" and the ambulance took him away - that she found out who had died.
Drownings also occur when alcohol or drugs have been consumed, or when horseplay is involved, she said. According to Ms Aryati, one drowning took place at Sentosa each year from 2006 to 2008. There have been no fatalities this year.
After each drowning, measures such as reviewing safety procedures are taken. "We perform many more interventions," she said, referring to attempts, for example, to urge guests not to take their girlfriends piggyback while in the water.
One such intervention took place during Chinese New Year last year, she said. One man, drunk as a skunk, kept trying to enter the water. "Five of our guys had to tie him to a tree to subdue him, with consent from the wife," said Ms Aryati. He spent "a good two hours" tied up, she added.
Manicured, but nice all the same
Venessa Lee, Today Online 31 Oct 09;
It may look like the manly lovechild of a tractor and a digger, but it has a decidedly dainty function.
Sentosa's beach cleaning machine costs $150,000 and it is used to make the sand softer and fluffier, according to representatives of Sentosa Leisure Group. It also clears debris 15cm beneath the surface.
Yes, the sand between my toes did feel soft. It didn't feel as angel-dusty as some other beaches overseas, I thought uncharitably, but soft, I will concede.
When I paid another visit to Sentosa's beaches this week, I felt tired just thinking about the sheer number of Things To Do. There was even a flying fox that I was sure to dangle ignominiously from, and a basketball court.
I decided that sitting on a sun bed would be best for me, notwithstanding the sudden downpour. Looking around me, I saw at least 16 sun-bedders facing the rain falling on the man-made islets and rocks opposite. It felt like a team-building exercise.
Yet, trudging across the wet sand, I realised that I could also feel a glimmer of peace, just looking out at the grey sea and sky, and not doing much.
Shame about the trash there
Letter from Paul Chong
Today Online 3 Nov 09;
IT WAS nice to read about this original aspect of Sentosa's beaches - even if the coast there is not all that fantastic compared with those on our neighouring shores.
The Sentosa management could do more to ensure that there is less unwanted rubbish swept up onto the beach, especially at Siloso Beach, which is open to swimmers. I was there last Sunday and the beach was in a very poor state, with much debris floating in the water and rubbish on the sand.
I have given my feedback a few times but the reply I always get is that the beaches face the open sea, with many ships sailing by, so the rubbish is unavoidable. I'm not so sure. After all, we managed to clean up the Singapore River ...
Don't forget the doggie patrol
Letter from Carol Hodgkiss
Today Online 3 Nov 09;
I READ Venessa Lee's Weekend Today Big Story, "Baywatch, SG" (Oct 31-Nov 1) with interest and was disappointed that she did not mention the rescue dogs that also patrol Sentosa's beaches.
My friend T J and his golden retriever Snuffy, among others, have been working at the beach for years now. Trained dogs have the ability and stamina to rescue people when even their human partners cannot.
I would have liked to have seen the headline "Baywatch, SG: Meet the men, women and dogs who keep Sentosa's beaches safe'.
Keeping Sentosa's beaches safe and clean
Daily clean-up operations stepped up after big events
Letter from Vincent Yeo Operations Director, Sentosa Leisure Group
Today Online 10 Nov 09;
WE REFER to the letter, "Shame about the trash there" (Nov 3). We thank Mr Paul Chong for his feedback, and for the opportunity for Sentosa to share more on our plans to step up the cleanliness of our beaches.
A team of cleaners is deployed daily to scoop up litter in the sand, clear refuse bins, and remove flotsam brought in by the tide and strewn along the shore. This regime is stepped up whenever functions and activities are held on our beaches.
As the popularity of Sentosa's beaches continues to grow, we are committed to providing a clean and enjoyable experience for our beach-goers. To that end, we are currently in the process of sourcing for more beach cleaning solutions, to complement our efforts and increase the efficiency of our clean-up programme.
We will continue to review the situation on our beaches, and would like to encourage our beach guests to lend us a hand in keeping our beach stretch clean.
We would also like to thank Ms Carol Hodgkiss for her letter, "Don't forget the doggie patrol" (Nov 3). Currently, Sentosa does not work with a volunteer dog patrol team. We have spoken to Ms Hodgkiss and understand that the initiative referred to in her letter is actually a privately-run programme that focuses on helping dogs to swim. It is not a dog patrol programme as originally cited.
Sentosa's beach patrol team is led by certified lifeguards, who are also trained in open-water lifesaving skills, a component that is unique to Sentosa's life-guard team. Through regular patrols, and monthly beach safety campaigns to promote public awareness and education, the Sentosa team aims to empower our beach guests with safety tips, while providing them with an enjoyable and safe experience.
The Star 31 Oct 09;
BESUT: More than 1,300 people have been arrested in the country since 2003 for violating marine park conservation laws.
Marine Park Department director-general Abd Jamal Mydin said continuous enforcement resulted in fines totalling RM1mil, along with the arrests of 1,335 offenders.
He said since 2003 until June this year, Pahang recorded 125 violations and RM254,980 in fines, followed by Kedah (82, RM254,850), Johor (58, RM161,350) and Terengganu (53, RM249,800).
Speaking after the opening of the Besut Marine Park Department office in Seberang Kastam, Kuala Besut, near here recently, Abd Jamal said enforcement activities were being carried out intensively at marine parks.
He said that only 42 out of 800 islands in Malaysia had been gazetted as marine parks, adding that the department would continue to encourage state governments to consider declaring more marine parks.
He also thanked environmentalists for their pivotal efforts to safeguard the marine parks and create public awareness.
Antara 30 Oct 09;
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - National environmental stakeholders such as academics, entrepreneurs and activists have suggested four ways to tackle the negative impact of climate change, an official said.
The suggestions were presented during a discussion on mitigation of climate change held as part of the National Summit 2009 at the Pacific Place, Ritz-Carlton Hotel, here on Friday.
"We are suggesting four ideas, namely betterment of forest management, promoting renewable energy, allocate funds to support green programs and create good cooperation between the goverment and people in handling the issue," the discussion`s facilitator, Agus Purnomo, said here on Friday.
Purnomo, who is chief of the National Board for Climate Change`s secretariat, said the implementation of better forest management can help reduce carbon emissions, one of the factors in climate change in the world.
Oxygen produced by Indonesia`s forests can play an important role in reducing excessive carbon gas emissions into the air.
"However, several matters, namely the clear definition of the forests` function, preventive action against forest fires and clearer measurement of borders with land owned by local people need to be accomplished first to make the gas emission reduction program a success," said Agus.
As to the promotion of renewable energy among the people, Agus stated all partcipants in the discussion suggested that the government provide a budget to support the program.
The government opened the 3-day National Summit 2009 on October 29 with the participants consisting of all national stakeholders in the government and society to discuss a 2010-2014 national roadmap.
The meeting has three main topics, namely economy, people`s welfare and law and bureaucratic reforms.
The summit is expected to produce recommendations to accelerate infrastructure development across the country over the next five years.(*)
Antara 28 Oct 09;
Denpasar (ANTARA News) - Sea and Coastal Areas Director of the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry Subandono Diposaptono said that climate change could affect the marine tourism, particularly natural tourism in coastal areas.
"When the climate changes as a result of global warming the sea surface would rise so that white sand will disappear because it is submerged with water," Diposaptono told a seminar on climate change here on Tuesday.
He said that the increase in global warming would also bring impact to tourism as it would cause inconvenience in the natural tourism areas.
For marine tourism, the impact of global warming would be the whitening of coral reef and if this happened the condition under the sea would no longer be attractive to tourists.
Besides, this condition will also cause extreme waves that would change the environment into a situation which is not safe or dangerous to the visitors of a beach.
He said that at present the sea water was experiencing an average surface increase by five to 10 millimeters per annum. Although it was small, yet it would impact the convenience of human life if it continued to take place for a long time.
"Besides due to climate change, the water surface increase also happened due to excessive exploitation of ground water that causes the land surface to subside.
Generally, big cities in Indonesia are near to the sea so that we think that the sea surface has risen while in fact it is the land surface which is subsiding," he said.(*)
Emmy Fitri Jakarta Globe 31 Oct 09;
Inextricable traffic jams, even on toll roads, barely breathable air, heavily contaminated water and dwindling open spaces — problems suffered daily by Jakarta residents — may seem intolerable now, but experts warn that it will only become worse unless concerted efforts are made to fix the mess that is Indonesia’s capital.
Urban planning expert Darundono sums up the current path Jakarta is on today in one word — “catastrophic.”
Each day, almost 10 million commuters spend hours on Jakarta’s roads. But transportation analyst Budi Santosa, from Trisakti University, says it has long been predicted, in several studies, that by 2014, traffic jams in the capital are likely to reach total gridlock as a result of the exponential increase in the number of vehicles plying an insufficient road network.
“A viable solution is to design a mass rapid transportation system to reduce the vehicle population. We cannot afford to build another inner-city toll road or more streets because we have run out of land for such massive construction,” Budi said, adding that so far there appear to be no breakthroughs visible on the horizon.
Jakarta, however, is not only running out of land for more roads. The capital is choking from the unfettered conversion of open spaces into concrete.
Darundono says that when he designed the Jakarta Spatial Plan for 1965-1985, the designated green areas accounted for between 26 percent and 28 percent of the city’s surface, but today they make up only about 10 percent.
“The government has been inconsistent in its implementation of its own plans. Parks, green spaces and public cemeteries are being turned into shopping malls and government offices,” he says.
The combined effect of the sheer number of vehicles out on the road each day and the lack of green open spaces that could offset their fumes has severely degraded the quality of the city’s environment.
According to the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), transportation causes 70 percent of Jakarta’s air pollution, and the city produces 13,000 tons of carbon dioxide daily.
As a result, on most days of the year — 347 out of 365 in 2006, to be exact — Jakartans are breathing in polluted air.
It is no wonder then, that a third of the capital’s residents suffer from some form of respiratory tract infection each month.
In fact, a World Resources Institute paper says respiratory tract infections account for 12.6 percent of mortality in Jakarta — more than twice the national average.
Admitting that the capital, home to as many as 12 million people, is mired in environmental problems, the acting head of the Jakarta Environment Management Board (BPLHD), Ridwan Panjaitan, says programs to address each and every issue are up and running, including the enforcement of emission tests and the smoking ban.
“But we cannot work by ourselves because some programs are closely related to other agencies like the health agency and the traffic police. That becomes our challenge, to synergize the programs with other agencies because unless we have a common understanding then we cannot work together,” he says.
Returning home at the end of the day, more than five million Jakartans will scarcely find rest and solace in their small, cramped houses in the capital’s rapidly expanding slum areas, where basic services such as water supply and sanitation are minimal, if they exist at all.
The government’s efforts to build thousands of low-cost apartments for the poor have so far been criticized as only adding to the problems, instead of being a solution.
“There will be massive groundwater use,” Darundono said.
Excessive groundwater extraction has long been flagged as a major problem in Jakarta, causing the land to sink by an average of 5 to 10 centimeters a year, according to a study by the World Bank.
The capital’s water supply operators have been unable to connect hundreds of thousands of households, particularly those in slum areas — where the thousands who migrate to Jakarta each year in search of work live.
With the confluence of these urban woes threatening the future of Indonesia’s capital, real solutions must be found soon.
On Nov. 10-12, international experts will converge on Jakarta to map out a sustainable path for the capital.
These solutions are urgently needed to avoid the catastrophe that Darundono says we are currently headed toward.
Niniek Karmini, Associated Press Google News 30 Oct 09;
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Thousands of dead fish and clumps of oil have been found drifting near Indonesia's coastline more than two months after an underwater well began leaking in the Timor Sea, officials and fishermen said.
An estimated 400 barrels a day of oil has been leaking from a fissure that erupted on Aug. 21 at a rig about 150 miles (250 kilometers) off the Australian coast. PTTEP Australasia, a branch of Thai-owned PTT Exploration and Production Co. Ltd., has failed repeatedly to stop the leak but says it is still trying.
The head of the World Wildlife Fund Australia, Gilly Llewellyn, said Friday that the early impact of the spill is beginning to become clear.
"This is shaping up to be one of the largest (spills) in Australian history," Llewellyn said in an interview. "It is one of the most diverse marine habitats in the world. The impact could be over weeks, months, years."
It is still unclear how far the spill has actually spread because much of it may be undersea, Llewellyn said.
But a slick has drifted hundreds of miles (kilometers) toward the impoverished Indonesian province of East Nusatenggara, where fishermen say they have seen thousands of dead fish drifting.
Residents in the seaside villages of Nunkolo and Bandi, located on small islands off the coast of West Timor, were suffering skin problems and acute diarrhea after eating contaminated fish, local environmental groups said.
"Fishermen have been facing serious difficulties for the past month," Ferdi Tanoni, chairman of the West Timor Care Foundation, said. "Villagers' income dropped by 80 percent because many fish died or smelled oily."
If estimates of the amount of oil leakage per day are accurate, the current size of the spill would have reached nearly 1.2 million gallons (more than 5.3 million liters).
There are fears it could harm whales, turtles and dolphins — some of them rare — living in the deep waters.
Several dead sea snakes and birds have been found in oil and are believed to have been killed by the slick, although tests have not yet determined the cause of death, Llewellyn said.
Samples taken by West Timor's Regional Environmental Agency in waters roughly 20 miles (32 kilometers) off the coast found high concentrations of oil and, in one out of every four tests, dead fish.
AP writers Irwan Firdaus and Anthony Deutsch contributed to this article.
Toll rises as sea life feed at oil spill
Marian Wilkinson, Sydney Morning Herald 31 Oct 09;
LARGE numbers of whales, dolphins, turtles and sea birds are feeding in waters polluted by the massive oil spill off the West Australian coast and are likely to be at ''immediate risk'', a new report released by the federal Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, reveals.
A leading ecologist, James Watson, was commissioned by Mr Garrett's department to spend days surveying the marine life in the waters surrounding the oil lease - owned by the Thai company PTTEP - which has been leaking in the Timor Sea for nine weeks. Dr Watson's report says ''the presence of dying birds and dead sea snakes suggest that there is an immediate risk to species utilising the water that has been affected by the oil slick''.
Dr Watson and his team spent three days surveying waters covered by oil seeing thousands of birds, hundreds of dolphins and whales and many more animals feeding there. ''Some animals are unable to survive due to this oil slick.'' he said yesterday. ''In a rapid survey, we were able to come across dying animals.''
Dr Watson said on nearby Ashmore Reef, a marine reserve, his team found 17 dead birds, some with large amounts of oil on them.
After seeing the scale of the oil slick, which is spread over 4223square kilometres, Dr Watson told the Herald: ''I am amazed at how little Australia really cares about this. This is a huge oil slick.''
The well in the Montara oil field has been leaking 400 barrels of oil a day, by the company's estimate, since August 21 after an accident at the site. The leak is now entering its 10th week and the company conceded on Thursday it was unlikely to be contained for several more weeks.
Dr Watson said the presence of marine life in the oil spill area was extraordinary. ''There were more birds, more whales, more sea snakes in areas that contained oil than in areas that didn't. There needs to be a lot more monitoring done before we know the full extent of this oil slick because it's enormous.''
The report highlights the impact of the spill at a time when many birds are breeding on the nearly marine reserves of Ashmore and Cartier reefs. This month, migrating birds will also be flying across the slick escaping the northern winter.
The survey team found that many seabirds were being attracted to the spill rather than avoiding it.
''We observed that this increase in bird activity corresponded with the greater activity of larger fish (jumping and schooling) in oil-affected areas and we surmise that the presence of a light oil sheen may attract fish which then attracts some species of birds,'' the report found.
''A commonly sighted phenomenon was large groups of noddies flying around strips of oil and feeding in, and around, these patches of water.''
Mr Garrett said yesterday he was very concerned about the spill: ''I share the frustrations that efforts to get this spill stopped have so far not been successful.'' He backed Dr Watson's recommendation for continuing long-term monitoring of the spill's impact.
But Dr Watson said its extent and the failure to contain the spill raised serious concerns about the level of protection for marine life off the north-west Australian coast as oil and gas drilling expands. ''It makes me think what are the long-term plans for the north-west coast? If this was to happen closer to breeding humpback whale nurseries off the Kimberley, that could have a significant impact.''
Scott Haggett, Reuters 30 Oct 09;
CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Canada and Greenland agreed on Friday to create a joint commission to recommend how many of the polar bears shared between the two countries can be hunted each year.
Canada, along with the government of its vast Arctic territory of Nunavut and Greenland -- which has home rule under Denmark -- will form a panel to advise on how many of the up to 2,700 bears that wander between the two nations can be sustainably culled by native and trophy hunters.
Representatives from Canadian Inuit groups will also be included on the commission.
"The purpose of this memorandum of understanding is to deal with the sub-populations (of bears) that we jointly harvest and manage with the government of Greenland," Canadian Environment Minister Jim Prentice said on a conference call.
Canada has the world's largest polar bear population, estimated by the federal government to number 15,500. That number is split into 13 distinct sub-populations containing about two thirds of the global total.
But the animals are under pressure from climate change and hunting. Critics have said current hunting levels in Nunavut and neighboring Greenland are not sustainable.
Canada is considering designating polar bears as a "species of special concern". The United States has listed its polar bears as a threatened species as melting sea ice in the Arctic Ocean shrinks the bears' habit.
The agreement will see the Canada and Greenland share hunting and research data for polar bears in the Kane Basin, which has as many as 200 bears, and the up to 2,500 bears that are in the Baffin Bay sub-population.
Craig Stewart, a spokesman with World Wildlife Fund Canada, said polar bears in the region are under hunting pressure and welcomed the pact.
"We think its a positive step forward," Stewart said. "It mirrors other agreements that are in place, with the United States for instance, to manage shared populations and is focused on what is perhaps the most sensitive population of polar bears in the entire Arctic."
(Editing by Rob Wilson)
Sand, sea and surf--a U.S. Geological Survey report takes a holistic approach to studying coastlines to determine how best to save the beaches
Carina Storrs, Scientific American 30 Oct 09;
Myrtle Beach's popular oceanfront is retreating at a rate of up to 30 centimeters per year. But visitors who flock to that part of South Carolina's Atlantic coast continue to enjoy its wide, sandy stretches, because the state refills them every seven years or so with sediment dredged from the sea bottom.
Deciding whether to re-sand an area of beach is one impetus behind a study by researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, who are presenting its findings this week at the International Geological Program Annual Conference in Myrtle Beach. Called the South Carolina Coastal Erosion Study (SCCES), the multiyear project examined the 100-kilometer-long stretch of the northern South Carolina coast known as Long Bay, which includes Myrtle Beach. By gathering information for the entire bay area, the scientists can make better predictions about erosion rates and the best ways to restore beaches. Moreover, the study's wide-scale approach could be applied to improve erosion projections in other areas.
"It's a holistic system as opposed to how we might have done things 20 years ago," says Paul Gayes, director of the Center for Marine and Wetland Studies at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C. Gayes is one of the collaborators involved in the study, which began in 1999.
Departing from the decades-old approach, the SCCES surveyed a broad swath of land and sea. "What's typically done is you go out and you might have a footprint that's one percent of [our 100-kilometer area]. We take the big picture approach," says Walter Barnhardt, a USGS marine geologist who worked with the study. As Barnhardt explains, erosion is caused by "energy in the ocean that's working against the architecture of the beach"—energy that typically is generated by storms and rising seas. Its erosive effects are not just determined by the conditions in the 1 percent footprint, but also by the ocean's depth, current and geology all along a segment—in this case, Long Bay.
To get a broad picture of Long Bay, the SCCES scientists used sonar to measure water depth and explore the geology along the ocean floor. They also placed a series of three-meter-tall tripods along the seabed from which they hung various sensors to measure wave height, current and sediment flow.
The measurements revealed a number of variations in the ocean conditions along Long Bay. For one, different sections along the beach have deeper waters that generate larger waves, which pound at the sand strongly and accelerate erosion rates. Variations in ocean depth could help explain why different parts of the beach are eroding at different rates.
The team also found that currents and ocean geology are causing sand on the sea bottom to move in a southeasterly direction, starving the waters to the north of sediment. This movement has created deposits in the southeastern section of the bay that could serve as sources of sand for dredging to replenish the beaches, Barnhardt says.
USGS scientists have already launched similar bay-wide surveys of coastlines in North Carolina and Massachusetts. As with SCCES, the same types of sonar and sensor measurements will be taken in these locations to measure water depth and flow as well as seafloor geology. Although these measurements will span several years, they will provide information about coastlines in a shorter time frame than those taken in topographical studies, which require decades of data to reveal patterns, Barnhardt says.
With the predictive information about erosion rates at hand, Long Bay's state and local governments can find the most promising dredging locations before making an expensive investment. The decision to replenish Myrtle Beach every seven or eight years may be an easy one, considering that the area brings the state billions of dollars in tourist spending. But to the south, where history and the recent geologic studies predict faster erosion, the beaches might require dredging and refilling every couple of years.
The mapping data will also aid planning for new construction projects. In Massachusetts, for example, engineers are using this information to design foundations for offshore wind turbines. "If you want to build something on land, you would want to know the geology. We're just doing it underwater," Barnhardt says.
Idling school buses spew tons of exhaust into the air, putting children at risk when they leave school at the end of each day. In New York City alone, idling vehicles emit as much pollution as nine million diesel trucks driving from the Bronx to Staten Island. But the city's laws requiring them to shut down their engines in school zones are poorly enforced.
Brett Israel and Environmental Health News, Scientific American 30 Oct 09;
At 2:33 p.m. in New York City’s East Harlem, four short yellow school buses pull to a stop in front of Reece School, a private elementary school for special needs children. The bus drivers pop their doors open and idle, engines running, while they await their young passengers.
As the students trickle out of the school, a clipboard-wielding teacher checks their names off her list and guides them to their buses. On the older buses, the engines rumble as the children climb aboard. At 2:40 p.m., the first bus is full and off it goes, down the hill, merging with traffic on Madison Avenue.
The second bus inches forward and stops. Six more round the corner onto 104th Street, all with engines running.
By 2:45 p.m., all the students are heading home.
Between dismissal and departure, the diesel engines idled for 12 minutes, spewing exhaust into the air in front of the school.
Idling longer than one minute in a school zone is illegal in New York City for all vehicles, but the laws are rarely enforced. Before dismissal, around the corner on Madison Avenue, a produce delivery truck idled for several minutes, double-parked—all while a traffic enforcement cop stood two cars down.
Idling buses, cars and trucks may not seem like a big deal, but in New York City they spew out as much pollution as nine million diesel trucks driving from the Bronx to Staten Island, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. That’s roughly 130,000 tons of carbon dioxide, 940 tons of nitrogen oxide, 24 tons of soot particles, and 6,400 tons of carbon monoxide each year.
Vehicles running on diesel fuel release fine particulate matter and elemental carbon—also known as black carbon. In studies around the world, particulates have been linked to deaths from respiratory disease and heart attacks. Diesel exhaust also contains several carcinogens and other toxic substances.
For school children, health experts say diesel exhaust presents a serious health concern—especially to asthmatics—because it can trigger asthma attacks.
In New York City, the asthma hospitalization rate is almost twice the national average, and neighborhoods in Northern Manhattan, including East Harlem, have among the highest rates of pediatric asthma hospitalization and mortality in the city. Asthma is the most common cause of hospitalization for children under 14 years old, and in New York City’s worst neighborhoods, an estimated 1 in 4 school children have asthma, according to the Asthma Free School Zone, a New York based non-profit group.
In May, scientists in New York reported that school zones’ concentrations of black carbon—a predictor of diesel pollution—are related to idling of buses and trucks at the end of the school day.
“If you find ways to either curb bus emissions or curtail bus idling, and cut traffic in general, children’s exposure to black carbon should be reduced,” said Jennifer Richmond-Bryant, lead author of the study. She was an assistant professor at Hunter College in New York at the time of the study, but is now with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Asthma Free School Zone was also involved with the study.
Because of the health threat to children, California in 2003 banned idling of school buses. Under the state law, California school bus drivers must turn off their engines when they arrive and restart them no earlier than 30 seconds before departing.
At least 17 other states also have state or local rules that limit idling, some for all vehicles and others for just buses.
In most cities, kids’ exposure is greatest while they are actually inside the bus. According to one study in Los Angeles, people are exposed to 40 times more exhaust while riding in a bus than they are while waiting at the bus stop.
But in New York City, pollution at bus stops is unusually high because of urban street canyons--tall buildings and narrow streets that trap pollution at the street level. Particulates at ground level can be up to 175 percent higher than on the rooftops, depending on which direction the wind is blowing.
In the new study, air quality was monitored over 16 days at the end of the school day. Monitoring devices were positioned near the Reece School, which is also near two other East Harlem schools. Minute-by-minute readings were taken of particulate matter and black carbon and the results were compared to background pollution, according to the study, which was published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.
The researchers found that fine particulates were higher than black carbon, but changes in concentration were not related to traffic, suggesting that the street canyon was trapping the particles. Black carbon concentrations, however, were significantly related to idling and passing diesel vehicles. Because background data on black carbon have never been recorded, researchers are unable to say whether it is significantly higher during the dismissal period.
The findings have prompted several environmental and community groups to start developing policies and educational programs to manage traffic, improve air quality, and reduce absenteeism related to asthma attacks.
When the Asthma Free School Zone was founded, director Rebecca Kalin took on the idling problem by targeting the worst offenders.
“The most egregious example was yellow school buses, and nobody seemed to be paying attention at all,” said Kalin.
After a phone call in 2004 to then Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, a representative from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s office met with Kalin the next day, and within eight months, the city sued the largest school bus companies, forcing the school bus operators to train drivers to limit idling.
In April, the maximum idling time in a school zone was reduced from three minutes (the maximum time elsewhere in the city) to one minute. The law, however, is difficult to monitor and rarely enforced.
A spokesperson for the New York City Department of Education said there is little that schools can do to make sure bus drivers comply because buses are privately operated and enforcement is the police department’s job.
“I’m really concerned about the city situation, but it’s improving all the time,” Kalin said. There’s a loop-hole in the law that exempts private schools and doesn’t require them to post no idling signs, she said.
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation granted traffic enforcement officers the authority to ticket school buses that violate idling laws in an effort to encourage bus companies to retrofit their buses. The fines begin at $220, and reach $2,000 for repeat offenders.
Isabelle Silverman, an attorney with the Environmental Defense Fund, said it makes sense to allow these officers to ticket idlers since “they are out there walking the streets, breathing in the pollution.”
“We want them to fix the problem, not to just have to pay,” said Anhthu Hoang, General Counsel for West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc., a community environmental justice group. “We want them to lower their emissions.”
California’s Air Resources Board also has no information on whether its ban on idling school buses is being enforced.
Federal regulations, however, are starting to clean up diesel vehicles, including school buses. In 2007, the EPA required better emission controls on new diesel truck and bus engines, such as soot filters and cleaner fuel.
Under the new EPA standards, a school bus made in 2008 will produce 90 percent less soot than a bus made in 2006. The retirement age for buses was also reduced from 19 to 16 years, so as the bus fleet turns over, the buses will become cleaner. Some buses will even be fitted with systems that are capable of monitoring idling times.
Bloomberg launched a “Turn It Off!” campaign with ads on radio, bus stops and billboards, encouraging drivers to stop idling in the city.
Advocacy groups are encouraged by the attention in recent years, and are hopeful that the momentum from new laws will lead to greater awareness. But the problem is far from solved, as seen by the continued idling of buses and cars as schools leave school each day.
Cars are not a significant source of pollution near the schools, probably because gasoline contributes less black carbon and particulate matter than diesel fuel, the New York City study found. However, the Environmental Defense Fund and the Asthma Free School Zone are targeting all vehicles with their anti-idling campaign.
“It all adds up. It’s all unhealthy,” Silverman said. “It’s right at the curbside, at stroller level, and it’s totally unnecessary. Turning it off is a win-win for everybody.”
Valerie Elliott, Times Online 28 Oct 09;
Farmers and meat companies across Britain reacted with a mixture of anger and exasperation yesterday after one of the world’s leading climate change campaigners urged people to become vegetarian to help to fight global warming.
The offensive by Lord Stern of Brentford in The Times was especially timely as about 100 leading meat and farm industry figures sat down to breakfast in the elegant Cholmondeley Room in the House of Lords to celebrate champions in the pig industry.
The occasion was also an opportunity to show the vegetarian Farming Minister, Jim Fitzpatrick, the efforts being made to reduce the carbon footprint of livestock farms.
Serving the right bacon and sausage was therefore important, and industry leaders chose Bedfordia Farms, which is pioneering technology in farming. The group pumps slurry from pig units to an anaerobic digestion plant, where it is combined with other waste from the food chain to produce renewable energy and bio-fertiliser. These type of plants are increasingly being seen as one of the ways to help British farming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
It was the lack of acknowledgement about what the industry is doing to help to fight climate change that made senior farming leaders so outraged by the comment by Lord Stern. The reaction in Whitehall, however, was muted. The remarks were a personal view from Lord Stern, who is an economist, one senior insider said.
It was left to Professor Robert Watson, chief scientific adviser at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to set the record straight and make clear that stopping people eating meat was not on the government agenda. The professor, who eats meat, fish and cheese but admits that he consumes more fruit and vegetables these days, made clear that eating a balanced diet that was good for health and the environment was the key. However, he did not flinch from Lord Stern’s view that the nation had to reduce its carbon emissions.
“There’s no question we need to reduce greeenhouse gas emissions, not only the way we produce energy and use energy, but also from avoiding deforestation and our agricultural sector. Livestock globally could account for as much as 18 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions.
“When you look at the livestock industry, it’s not just the cows burping methane, it’s transporting the meat, it’s cooking the meat, it’s storing the meat. It’s not stopping eating meat. It’s how do we get a balanced diet that reduces the environmental footprint.”
Work is already under way to tackle emissions from livestock. Defra has a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture by 11 per cent in 2020. Duncan Fuller, head of research and development at the English Beef and Lamb Executive, said new feeding regimes were being investigated.
“The better the feed, the more digestible it is, then the lower the methane as a by-product,” he said.
Experiments on mixing rye grass with clover were showing this could work. He said: “Farmers will be able to reseed on their existing pastures with the right varieties of grass that can cut greenhouse gases.”
Selective breeding from animals with the most efficient feed systems that reduce methane emissions was also a subject of research.
“I am optimistic that with the state of knowledge we have now, we will be able to meet the low carbon transmission plan of 11 per cent reduction by 2020. The biggest task, however, is how to influence 80,000 livestock producers in the UK they have to change their behaviour,” Mr Fuller said. Tending his 220 cattle and 1,300 sheep on the west coast in Cumbria, Alastair Mackintosh, the livestock board chairman for the National Farmers’ Union, was besieged with calls and e-mails from members who were incensed and worried about their future.
He said: “A week doesn’t go by without an attack on the livestock sector. Agriculture and farming are part of the solution to climate change, it’s not the problem. We have a challenge going forward, but we are up to it. One area of work is whether we can trap methane and reuse it. If the technology is there we need to do it.”
The Soil Association; Compassion in World Farming; the food and farming campaign group, Sustain; and VIVA, vegetarian campaigners, were united that everyone should have one or two meat-free days a week.
The word on meat
“Eating a vegetarian diet is a lot cheaper than a meat one. Let’s face it — the most expensive foods on the average families shopping lists are meat and dairy” — Jonte Jay
“Thanks for the good and scientific article. More people should be vegan. I hope all people take \ up soon, before it’s too late” — Sean Lee
“Those who refuse to give up meat are contributing significantly to the destruction of the planet” — Peter Radcliffe
“If we quit breeding large herds of animals for meat, population goes down, less animals producing less methane gas. Unfortunately, there will still be Lords and politicians producing more than their fair share of gas . . .” — Dbrent Willis
“Tell me I’m having a bad dream and not living in such a ridiculous country” — Nicholas Fox
David Fogarty, Reuters 30 Oct 09;
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A new type of U.N. scheme is spreading clean energy technology to millions of people in India, promising to cut carbon emissions and help investors earn valuable carbon credits.
Two leading carbon offset project developers in India say the scheme offers the promise of improving livelihoods and greatly expanding the reach and potential investment returns of the U.N.'s existing Clean Development Mechanism.
The CDM allows investors to build clean-energy projects, such as wind farms and solar power stations, in developing countries and earn carbon offsets in return. These can be sold on to help buyers in rich nations meet mandatory emissions targets.
But the CDM is hampered because it is based on the approval of single projects, which can take up to two years and is costly.
The expanded scheme, called program of activities (PoA), aims to allow the launch of identical emissions-reduction projects across a much wider user base in a single program, so cutting overall costs and simplifying the roll-out.
"India's the best place for PoAs. There's a lot of hunger to do these renewable projects because they know the government is committed," said Chandra Shekhar Sinha, head of environmental markets in Asia for J.P. Morgan.
The country of 1.1 billion people has large areas cut off from the electricity grid and is ideal for the deployment of clean energy via solar, wind or biomass, such as crop waste.
Areas that are linked often have old and inefficient lighting and powerlines that need upgrading and transport networks that need to switch to cleaner fuels.
Investment programs that can deploy cleaner energy and drive greater efficiency with the carrot of revenue from selling carbon offsets are seen as a key way to help poorer nations curb the growth of their greenhouse gas emissions.
SOLAR LANTERNS
J.P. Morgan is developing three PoAs in India and is evaluating others. One scheme involves the deployment of 1.2 million solar lanterns in the northern state of Bihar.
The other two cover the roll-out of more fuel-efficient commercial cooking stoves in restaurants and biomass boilers and gasifiers for agro industries, such as sugar mills.
All three are estimated to yield about 12 million U.N. offsets called certified emissions reductions (CERs) by 2012, Sinha said. CER futures traded on the European Climate Exchange closed at 13.76 euros on Thursday.
"I've seen many new projects coming up in programmatic CDM," Ashutosh Pandey, CEO of Emergent Ventures India, told Reuters.
He said interest in PoA has surged over the past 6 months once some of the teething troubles of the scheme were overcome and he expected 15-20 programmatic CDM projects to be launched in India over the next 6 to 12 months.
U.N. data shows that, globally, one PoA project is already formally registered and 15 more are being checked out by U.N.-approved auditors. Several are in India.
Emergent Ventures has several PoA projects under development, including transmission line improvement, street lighting upgrades and biomass gasifiers to generate power.
The street lighting scheme swaps out old systems for more efficient ones. "We are starting with a couple of cities and the program will be valid for 28 years and we hope to include 70-80 cities," Pandey said.
Programmatic CDM initially stalled over rules that would have saddled the U.N.-approved auditors with liability costs over mistakes in the design or execution of projects already registered and given credits.
Rule changes have partly removed this stumbling-block but other challenges, such as preventing people from selling off their solar lanterns, compact fluorescent bulbs or portable stoves to make money, still remain.
Sinha said J.P. Morgan's solution was not to subsidize the price of the solar lantern.
"The consumer will still end up paying 850 rupees ($18) because that's the price they would pay," he said. "It's the distributor that gets the carbon revenue stream so that they push the technology."
(Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
FACTBOX: U.N. scheme aims to bring clean energy to millions
Reuters 30 Oct 09;
(Reuters) - A U.N. scheme designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions and transform the livelihoods of millions of people in developing countries is picking up speed, with dozens of projects being developed or evaluated.
The Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism provides for offsets from clean energy projects in developing countries to be sold to governments and companies, such as utilities, that need to meet mandatory emissions targets.
Programmatic CDM aims to dramatically ramp up the CDM's traditional single-project based approach and bring simple emissions reduction technologies to millions of individual households, businesses or villages in poorer countries.
Countries such as India are embracing programmatic CDM as a way to spread cleaner technology to millions of people while helping project developers earn money from carbon credit sales.
Here are some details about programmatic CDM:
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Programmatic CDM, also known as a program of activities or PoA, is a grouping of identical emissions reduction projects, strung together like the links in a chain. Generally, it is a collection of smaller, related CDM projects that share the same methods, or standards, to deploy, monitor and verify them.
Each link is called a CDM program activity (CPA) and each PoA can include several, or even dozens of, CPAs. An entire PoA can run for 28 years and CPAs can be added over time.
Programmatic CDM was created because the traditional single project structure of the CDM is costly and doesn't favor smaller projects that can help the poor get access to clean energy technology.
Once a PoA is formally verified by a U.N.-approved auditor, the idea is that CPAs can be easily and cheaply added.
For example, the world's first approved and registered PoA project, designed to deploy 30 million compact fluorescent bulbs in Mexico, has 30 CPAs, each designed to distribute 1 million bulbs to homes at a time.
WHICH TECHNOLOGIES WORK BEST?
Developers are still working this out since programmatic CDM is still new. But technologies include solar lanterns, more efficient cooking stoves for village homes, biomass gasifiers (using plant waste to generate electricity), solar hot water heaters, solar panels, upgrading regional or even national electricity grids and upgrading citywide street-lighting networks. Switching bus or taxi fleets to cleaner fuels is another possibility.
WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS?
Project developers are finding that auditing and validation of PoAs is more time-consuming and expensive than they expected. The process of adding CPAs to the parent program of activities might not be as quick and as cheap as initially expected.
The biggest issue is the potentially expensive liability costs the U.N.-approved auditors face for the "wrongful inclusion" of a CPA into a parent PoA.
Current rules allow a CDM executive board member to seek a review if they feel there is a problem with the addition of a CPA. This can be done within a year of the PoA project being formally registered or six months after carbon credits are issued.
Problems detected after this period mean the auditor is liable for the credits issued for the project, potentially costly for a project than can run 28 years.
(Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Reuters 30 Oct 09;
(Reuters) - Talks on a new U.N. climate deal are bogged down before a December 7-18 meeting of 190 nations in Copenhagen -- the following lays out how to judge success or failure.
Negotiators will meet in Barcelona, Spain, from November 2 to November 6 for their last session before Copenhagen
Yvo de Boer, head of the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat, says there are four "political essentials" for a deal even though it will be impossible to agree a legally binding treaty in Copenhagen and some details will be left for 2010.
1) DEVELOPED COUNTRIES -- "Ambitious" targets for each nation to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists in the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in 2007 that developed nations would have to cut emissions by between 25 and 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 to avert the worst of climate change. So far, planned cuts average 11 to 15 percent -- the Secretariat calls these "woefully short" of the IPCC range.
A U.S. Senate committee will aim to pass a carbon cutting bill in early November, but full U.S. legislation is unlikely by Copenhagen.
2) DEVELOPING NATIONS -- "Nationally appropriate mitigation actions" by developing nations. Such actions, slowing the rise of emissions rather than demanding absolute cuts, could include making more use of renewable energy such as wind or solar power; more efficient coal power plants; and better building insulation.
3) CASH AND TECHNOLOGY -- Agreement on ways to raise "new, additional and predictable financial resources and technology." It says the cash needed both to curb emissions and help people adapt to changes such as droughts or floods could total $250 billion per year in 2020. The Secretariat also wants developed nations to come up with at least $10 billion in Copenhagen to kick-start a deal.
4) INSTITUTIONS -- "An effective institutional framework with governance structures that address the needs of developing countries." Copenhagen needs to work out the nuts and bolts of how to share out new funds and technologies.
RECENT VIEWS
* The European Union agreed on October 30 to three conditional offers of cash for developing nations. "I think this is a breakthrough that ... makes a Copenhagen agreement possible," British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.
* Jairam Ramesh, India's minister of state for environment, cautioned on October 16: "We may not get the perfect agreement. This is Copenhagen 1.0. You may have Copenhagen 2.0 a couple of months later.".
* "The real negotiations will be after Copenhagen," said Yi Xianliang, a Chinese Foreign Ministry official. "Copenhagen will be a starting point, not an ending point."
* "We are still keeping ambitious expectations and targets," U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on October 28
FACTBOX: Climate negotiating positions of top emitters
Reuters 30 Oct 09;
(Reuters) - Following are the negotiating positions of top greenhouse gas emitters in the run-up to a U.N. meeting in Copenhagen in December where a new pact for combating climate change is due to be agreed:
1) CHINA (annual emissions: 6.8 billion metric tons, 5.5 metric tons per capita)
* Emissions - President Hu Jintao promised on September 22 that China would cut its carbon dioxide emissions per dollar of economic output by a "notable margin" by 2020 compared to 2005. The "carbon intensity" goal is the first measurable curb on national emissions for China. Hu reiterated a promise that China would try to raise the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to 15 percent by 2020.
* Demands - China wants developed nations to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and to give far more aid and green technology.
2) UNITED STATES (6.4 billion metric tons, 21.2 metric tons per capita)
* Emissions - President Barack Obama wants to cut U.S. emissions back to 1990 levels by 2020 and by 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. He told the United Nations on September 23 that the days when the United States "dragged its feet" on climate change were over.
Democratic U.S. senators will try to push a bill through the Environment and Public Works Committee as early as the first week of November. The bill would cut emissions by 20 percent from 2005 levels by 2020 -- about 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. It would still face a long road to become law.
* Finance - The United States says a "dramatic increase" is needed in funds to help developing nations.
* Demands - "We cannot meet this challenge unless all the largest emitters of greenhouse gas pollution act together," Obama said.
3) EUROPEAN UNION (5.03 billion metric tons, 10.2 metric tons per capita)
* Emissions - EU leaders agreed in December 2008 to cut emissions by 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and by 30 percent if other developed nations follow suit.
* Finance - EU leaders made progress toward an agreement on funding at a summit on October 30. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said an accord had been reached but diplomats said leaders were still trying to seal an east-west rift. A draft declaration says developing nations will need 100 billion euros ($148 billion) a year by 2020.
* Demands - The EU wants developing nations to curb the rise of their emissions by 15 to 30 percent below a trajectory of "business as usual" by 2020.
4) RUSSIA (1.7 billion metric tons, 11.9 metric tons per capita)
* Emissions - President Dmitry Medvedev said in June that Russia's emissions would be around 10 to 15 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. That means a rise from now -- emissions were 34 percent below 1990 levels in 2007.
* Demands - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on September 11 that Russia would reject any new climate pact that imposed restrictions on Russia but did not bind other big polluters such as the United States or China.
5) INDIA (1.4 billion metric tons, 1.2 metric tons per capita)
* Emissions - India is prepared to quantify the amount of greenhouse gas emissions it could cut with domestic actions, but will not accept internationally binding targets, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said on September 17. India has said its per capita emissions will never rise to match those of developed nations.
* Demands - Like China, India wants rich nations to cut emissions by at least 40 percent by 2020. But Ramesh signaled room to compromise on October 16: "It's a negotiation. We've given a number of 40 percent but one has to be realistic."
6) JAPAN (1.4 billion metric tons, 11.0 metric tons per capita)
* Emissions - Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama wants to cut Japan's emissions by 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 if Copenhagen agrees an ambitious deal, toughening a goal set by the previous government of an eight percent reduction.
* Finance - Hatoyama told the United Nations on September 22 that Tokyo would also step up aid.
(Note: Greenhouse gas emissions are 2008 data by Germany's Energy industry institute IWR except EU, which are from 2007 submission to United Nations)
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