Best of our wild blogs: 20 Feb 09

Live from Day 1 of National Sustainability Conference
on the Midnight Monkey Monitor

A closer look at some mysterious submerged reefs
on the wonderful creation blog

Resorts World Sentosa: at what price?
on the wild shores of singapore blog and shipping slowdown and Singapore petrochemicals industries

Stork-billed Kingfisher and the tilapia
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Pittas, victims of window crash
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Seen on STOMP: Bukit Batok fire
Singaporeans should know that Bukit Batok forest fires not easy to put out
on the Lazy Lizard's Tales blog

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It’s now a different climate in Singapore schools

Students are delving deeper into issues; topic of study includes renewable energy
Ong Dai Lin, Today Online 20 Feb 09;

THEY are no longer only learning about how to save electricity or the importance of plants in nature.

Primary school children are now delving deeper into environmental issues and studying topics such as climate change and renewable energy.

At Nanyang Primary School, for instance, Primary 1 students learn about global warming through using recycled materials to create art during their art lessons.

Their upper primary counterparts learn about the recycling of water and ways of energy conservation, said the school’s principal, Madam Heng Boey Hong.

Primary school principals interviewed by Today said they see more attention being spent on teaching students about these issues because of the growing importance of caring for our environment.

Dr Irene Ho, principal of Balestier Hill Primary School, said: “The general awareness of climate change has been widely discussed and promoted through the media. Many schools, through encouragement by the Ministry of Education (MOE), have been actively implementing their own environment programme.”

A MOE spokeswoman said: “At the primary and secondary level, students are taught topics like various types of energy and alternative sources of renewable energy through subjects like Social Studies, Science, Geography and English.

“Through lessons and class discussions related to these topics, students learn about the detrimental effects of non-renewable energy on the environment and the climate, as well as the threat that man faces from the depletion of such energy.”

Even pre-schoolers are getting a peek into the world of Mother Earth.

Last November, the National Environment Agency announced that it would be distributing a Pre-school Environmental Education Kit (PEEK) to 500 PAP kindergartens.

The kit is in the form of a 35-page story book that weaves in environmental topics like environmental degradation, pollution, wastage of resources and deforestation.

Still, more can be done to teach young children about the environment, said educators at primary schools.

The Head of Department (Science) at Henry Park Primary School, Mrs Sia Song Ling, suggested: “Other than areas like Social Studies and National Education, materials published and used in schools like textbooks can be enhanced to include more local context.

“For example, endangered or extinct local flora and fauna could be used as examples in science materials.”

Dr Ho said: “Alternative energy sources have been an urgent issue lately. Many countries have embarked on research and development in this field. It would be timely if the MOE can consider including this area in the school syllabus.”

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Singapore: A safe place to research quakes, tsunamis

Hetty Musfirah Channel NewsAsia, Today Online 20 Feb 09;

IN AN article in December in the renowned Science journal, he warned that the next great Sumatran earthquake is coming in the next few decades.

Yesterday, the Earth Observatory of Singapore headed by Professor Kerry Sieh signalled its readiness to predict such major natural disasters and, hopefully, save “hundreds of thousands of lives”.

The Republic’s first Research Centre of Excellence dedicated to the study of earth sciences opened its doors with some $150 million of funding for the next 10 years and a strong South-east Asian focus.

Among its immediate projects: Setting up an experimental GPS station at the Nanyang Technological University, where the centre is located, which will serve as a prototype for the next generation of advanced geophysical sensors.

Information from its new sensors will be merged with data already streaming in from a monitoring network stretching over 1,500 kilometres along the west Sumatran coast. The data will be collected and analysed in Singapore and partner laboratories and will be made available to researchers worldwide through the centre’s website.

While natural calamities such asvolcanic eruptions have yet to affect the Republic, the authorities believe the centre has much to contribute from its safe setting.

“Singapore is such a natural place in which we can set up a centre of expertise through our research, to be a source of knowledge and information about seismic activity of tsunamis and earthquakes in this region,” said Dr Francis Yeoh, the CEO of the National Research Foundation.

“Certainly, being a source of knowledge would be helpful for government policymakers and industry in this region.”

So, the centre is also setting up an interactive database on volcanic unrest between and leading up to eruptions, known as the “wovodat”, in close partnership with the Smithsonian Institution in the United States.

“Wovodat will allow us to mine the wealth of data that already exists in ancient documents in this observatory or in the archives ... so that when there is a period of volcanic unrest, say in Yogjakarta or Merapi, or a volcano in Western Sumatra, we will much more quickly be able to assess what the unrest might mean,” said observatory director Prof Sieh.

The observatory also has one eye on the ground in Singapore — namely, students. It plans to embark on programmes and curriculum development in secondary schools and junior colleges to spark students’ interest in earth sciences.

In the course of the next five years, the centre hopes to attract some 20 researchers and 50 graduate students.
NTU sets up GPS monitoring station
Zeinab Yusuf, Business Times 20 Feb 09;

AN experimental global positioning system (GPS) station will be set up at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and will be the prototype for the next generation of advanced geophysical sensors.

Handling the project is the NTU's Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS), which officially opened yesterday. EOS is the first of its kind in Asia.

'Data streaming in from the current, far-flung monitoring network stretching over 1,500km along the west coast of Sumatra, merged with the information from its new sensors, will be collected and analysed both here in Singapore and in its collaborators' laboratories,' said NTU.

The experimental GPS station was among 18 proposals submitted by EOS scientists - on earthquake science, volcanology and climate change - for consideration by EOS's scientific advisory board that convened yesterday.

Another major project underway is to refine and scale up an interactive global database, WOVOdat, on volcanic unrest between and leading up to eruptions. This project will see EOS working closely with the Smithsonian Institution in the United States.

The EOS, which receives up to $150 million in funding over the next 10 years from the National Research Foundation and the Ministry of Education, aims to provide research and data on serious environmental threats including tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and climate change, with a focus on South-east Asia.

EOS director Kerry Sieh said: 'You are close to earthquakes but you are not likely to be affected by them directly but you still have neighbours that you have to be concerned about, so the creation of this centre shows that you care about your neighbours.'

The EOS may also soon be rolling out education programmes to reach out to students in secondary schools and junior colleges to spark their interest in the earth sciences.

The curriculum is being worked on with the National Institute of Education and will be piloted with a leading autonomous school by April this year, explained Sharmini Blok, EOS education & outreach director.

As part of the EOS's aim to increase the depth of knowledge in the field of earth sciences, NTU will be offering a PhD programme starting in 2010.

Earth Observatory to monitor seismic activity
Speedy alert system part of new centre's projects
Amresh Gunasingham, Straits Times 20 Feb 09;

AN EXPERIMENTAL monitoring system that collects and analyses seismic activity along Sumatra's western coastline is one of three projects in the works at the new Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS).

The country's first Research Centre of Excellence dedicated to studying environmental threats - such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and climate change - in South-east Asia had its official opening at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) yesterday.

Among the projects is a prototype Global Positioning System (GPS) station, which speeds up the transfer of data on seismic activity, making it quicker to know when an earthquake has struck. The data is transmitted via satellite or the Internet to a database in Singapore, from which researchers across the world can access through the EOS website.

Current GPS systems monitor tectonic plate movement and volcanic activity in the South-east Asian region through over 30 data transmission devices located along a 1,500km stretch of the western Sumatran coast. But these networks also take up to a week to transmit information back to seismic data collection centres.

'We plan to upgrade these systems by introducing new types of sensors and better telemetry such that once an earthquake strikes, we will know - within an hour - when and where it happened,' said Professor Kerry Sieh, the director of EOS.

'The technology we are dreaming of putting together does not exist in any GPS system anywhere in the world,' he added. Faster detection will help emergency response workers evacuate casualties in affected regions - potentially saving hundreds of thousands of lives.

Two other projects are also in the pipeline at EOS.

One is the development of an interactive global database - known as WOVOdat - to study volcanic unrest between and leading up to eruptions in the South-east Asian region.

EOS principal investigator Chris Newhall, the world's foremost authority on volcanism in South-east Asia, said of the project: 'The more we can learn about the pre-eruptive processes, the better the forecasts on volcanic eruptions.'

Professor Newhall invented the widely used Volcanic Explosivity Index that was successfully used to forecast the timing and nature of the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, saving thousands of lives in the process.

EOS's third project involves igniting scientific curiosity in secondary schools and junior colleges.

At the opening ceremony, Dr Francis Yeoh, chief executive of the National Research Foundation (NRF), said that although Singapore is shielded from natural hazards such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, 'it is the natural place, given its geographical location in the region, to build a centre of expertise for knowledge and information about seismic activities, tsunamis and earthquakes'.

EOS receives $150 million - jointly funded by the NRF and the Ministry of Education - to carry out its research activities. It also receives another $75 million from NTU.

Research centre on earth sciences aims to be an asset to the region
Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid, Channel NewsAsia 19 Feb 09;

SINGAPORE: Singapore's first Research Centre of Excellence (RCE) dedicated to the study of earth sciences has opened its doors.

With some S$150 million of funding for the next 10 years and a strong Southeast Asia focus, the centre is set to push the understanding and prediction of major natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes in neighbouring countries further.

Dr Francis Yeoh, CEO, National Research Foundation, said: "Singapore is such a natural place in which we can set up a centre of expertise through our research - to be a source of knowledge and information about seismic activity of tsunamis and earthquakes in this region. Certainly being a source of knowledge would be helpful for government policy makers in this region."

Besides attracting top scientists to carry out research, the centre will roll out projects to predict natural disasters, thereby saving lives of those in the region.

This includes setting up an experimental GPS station, touted as the next generation of advanced geophysical sensors and putting in place extensive databases, like the "wovodat".

Professor Kerry Sieh, director, Earth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, said: "'Wovodat' will allow us to mine the wealth of data that already exists in ancient documents in this observatory. So when there is a period of volcanic unrest in Yogyakarta, Merapi or Western Sumatra, we will be able to assess what the unrest might mean more quickly."

At the local level, the observatory plans to embark on education programmes in schools to spark students' interest in earth sciences.

The centre hopes to attract some 20 researchers and 50 graduate students in the next five years. - CNA/vm

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Indonesia fishery law needs ‘urgent revision’

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post 20 Feb 09;

The government must revise the 2004 fishery law immediately to allow for climate change adaptation, a coalition of civil society groups said here Thursday.

The People’s Coalition for Equal Fisheries (Kiara) warned the law was no longer relevant due to rapid environmental change and the dwindling capacity of the country’s seas to provide catches for fishermen due to severe climate change impact.

The fishery activists also argued the law gave no solutions to help the country’s fishermen adapt to high waves or rising sea levels that have been blamed on global warming.

“The unpredictable weather due to climate change has made life worse for fishermen. Many can’t go fishing, but they don’t know what else to do to earn a living,” said Kiara secretary-general M. Riza Damanik.

“The government can’t just order them to stop fishing when there are high seas; there must be solutions.”

A study by Kiara showed the country’s fisherman went out to sea only on 180 days during 2008, amid frequent high waves.

The study also found fishermen in Jakarta Bay, for instance, saw a 60 percent drop in income last year due to extreme weather conditions and high fuel prices.

About 15 million people currently work as traditional fishermen across the country.

Kiara said the law’s revision should also focus on how to manage fisheries and maritime resources, rather than exploit them as stipulated in the existing law.

“The revision should be made as quickly as possible to respond to emerging problems, including fish scarcity, the threat of privatization in fishery areas, conflicts among fishermen, and long-standing poverty problems,” Riza said.

Suhana, a researcher at the Maritime Development Research Institute, said any revisions to the law should also prohibit foreign vessels from fishing in Indonesian waters.

“There must also be a zoning system to allocate special areas to traditional fishermen, otherwise they won’t be able to compete with businesses that operate huge vessels in their areas,” he added.

Riza said Indonesia could adopt regulations applied by the Philippines, which totally prohibits foreign ships from fishing in its waters.

The Philippines also forbids large vessels from operating in its coastal areas.

“The law should have an answer for law enforcement against rampant illegal fishing and the use of trawls,” he said.

Experts say the melting of the polar ice caps and sea level rises will cause the inundation of low-lying islands and the destruction of coral reefs, as well as have an impact on food security from marine sources.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi previously said if climate change adaptation and mitigation were not implemented, about 2000 Indonesian islands would be lost by 2030.

Data from the ministry shows the country’s fishery output reached 8.71 million tons last year, from 8.24 million in 2007

It exported 895,000 tons in 2008, a 4 percent increase from the 854,329 tons it exported in 2007.

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Landslide Threats In Malaysia

Landslide Threats In Selangor, Perak And Pahang
Bernama 19 Feb 09;

Selangor, Perak and Pahang have been identified to be at high risk of experiencing landslides based on a study conducted by Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).

The study was conducted based on rainfall distribution and intensity as well as soil erodibility which were used periodically to calculate the threat of landslides in the country, the university's International Research Centre on Disaster Prevention ((IRCDIP) director Prof Dr Roslan Zainal Abidin said.

He said the centre was also conducting a comprehensive study on landslide threats in the country, which is expected to be completed in 2015.

"We will use existing techniques to identify actual locations with high risk of landslides and the early symptoms," he told Bernama after tabling a working paper, entitled "Use of Rainfall Soil Chart in Highland Development" at a seminar on environmental management here Thursday.

Roslan said the guidelines available in the country was sufficient and that monitoring and enforcement had to be conducted more strictly as a preventive measure against the recurrence of landslides.

Meanwhile, Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Maznah Mazlan said the ministry was preparing a draft on regulations for development of highland and hill slopes and was also revising the Amended Land Conservation Act 1960.

She said various environment awareness campaigns would also be organised this year.

Maznah said Malaysia's position in the "Environmental Sustainability Index Study' conducted by Yale University was at 26th among 149 countries last year, from 38th among 146 countries previously.

"This showed that we are serious in tackling the negative effects to the environment at the source, enhance conservation efforts and adopt a sustainable management of natural resources," she said in her speech when opening the seminar.

It was read by the ministry's Under Secretary of the Mineral and Geoscience Division Dr Azimuddin Bahari.

About 130 participants attended the seminar which was organised by the National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN).

-- BERNAMA

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Elephants destroy farms in Lampung, Indonesia

Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post 19 Feb 09;

Wild Sumatran elephants from the Way Kambas National Park (TNWK) have destroyed hundreds of hectares of rice and other crops in several villages in the three districts of Labuhan Ratu, Way Jepara and Purbolinggo, in East Lampung regency.

The attacks caused panic among local residents as the animals strayed in to residential areas. Labuhan Ratu resident Ruslani, 40, said Wednesday that villagers were frightened because some had previously been stomped to death by raging elephants.

“They come in a group of about 30 every night, destroying our rice paddies, cacao, cassava and corn farms,” said Ruslani, who claimed to have lost his 2-hectare cassava farm through such an attack.

He added all the men in the village were now patrolling each night to prevent the elephants encroaching on the village, by shining lamps and making noise with a traditional kentongan (bamboo or wood tubes knocked together to produce warning signals) and bamboo fireworks.

But Ruslani said the herd did not seem to get frightened at all, despite this tactic often having succeeded in the past.

“They seem to have more guts today. Now it’s us who are frightened that they may fight us back.”

The elephants, according to Ruslani, have been entering the villages since January. They usually come at night and leave at dawn.

“They’re capable of destroying 6 to 7 hectares of rice paddies and other plantations in a single night,” he said.

Mudir, 40, of Tegalyoso, Purbolinggo, said the elephants had destroyed his 2-hectare corn farm, which he depended on heavily to pay his children’s school fees.

Efforts to drive the wild elephants back into the forest have been carried out by the TNWK and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) by deploying forest rangers and activists using four trained elephants every night.

But the herd continues to come back, destroying farms and property in its wake.

A 29-kilometer-long canal, running through 12 swamps in the three villages of Labuhan Ratu 6, 7 and 9 has been built by the park to prevent the elephants encroaching. But after it was damaged in early 2007, small groups of between 10 and 15 wild elephants began entering the villages.

Bigger groups of elephants have also attacked the villages, with the TNWK recording up to 59 elephants in such a group.

Lone elephants have also been reported attacking villages around the Bukit Barisan National Park (TNBBS) in Ulubelu district, Tanggamus regency, destroying ready-to-harvest rice, coffee and coconut crops, as well as farmers’ huts.

Hendrawan, director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment’s (Walhi) Lampung branch, said environmental damage in the elephants’ habitats through rampant illegal logging was behind the attacks.

“We can’t just blame the elephants. They wouldn’t do this if their habitat was still intact,” he said.

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Coastal Wetlands In Eastern U.S. Disappearing

ScienceDaily 19 Feb 09;

While the nation as a whole gained freshwater wetlands from 1998 to 2004, a new report by NOAA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service documents a continuing loss of coastal wetlands in the eastern United States.

The new report, Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Coastal Watersheds of the Eastern United States, shows a loss of 59,000 acres each year in the coastal watersheds of the Great Lakes, Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico from 1998 to 2004.

“This report shows the nation’s need to expand the effort to conserve and rebuild valuable coastal wetlands,” said Jim Balsiger, acting NOAA assistant administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service. “Coastal wetlands are nurseries for important commercial and recreational fish and are vital to many threatened and endangered species. They also provide natural protection to coastal communities from the most damaging effects of hurricanes and storm surges.”

One reason wetland loss is concentrated in coastal watersheds is that with large numbers of people living here – more than half of the nation’s population lives in coastal counties in densities five times greater than inland counties – the building of roads, homes and businesses have accelerated wetlands loss, particularly along the Gulf of Mexico. Wetland restoration is also more difficult in coastal areas where land values are high and factors such as storms and large expanses of soft muddy ground hamper restoration efforts.

The report contains a case study from Florida’s St. Vincent Island that illustrates the challenges of restoring coastal wetlands, but also shows the enormous benefits including opening up areas for public recreation as well as habitat for fish, turtles, shorebirds and other wildlife.

“We are concerned by the findings of this report because coastal wetlands provide essential habitat for many migratory bird, fish, and endangered species,” said Rowan Gould, acting director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “The high rate of coastal wetlands losses is even more alarming when we consider the anticipated stresses that climate change will bring to our coasts in the future. We look forward to working with federal and non-federal partners to stop this trend and achieve no net loss of coastal wetlands."

NOAA and FWS are discussing with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other interested groups how to best respond to the alarming loss of coastal wetlands outlined in the new report. "Our coastal wetlands are ecological treasures that help protect shorelines and infrastructure in areas where more than half of Americans live,” said Michael Shapiro, acting assistant administrator for water at EPA. “This report emphasizes the need for action to protect these valuable resources."

Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Coastal Watersheds of the Eastern United States, 1998 to 2004 is available online as a PDF.

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East meets West for Earth Hour in over 500 cities

* Number of cities and towns signed up to Earth Hour 2009 exceeds 500
* 75 countries now committed
* Global brands pledge support for the lights-out campaign
WWF 19 Feb 09;

The global call to action on climate change has been answered from east to west as a record 538 cities and towns in 75 countries sign up to turn their lights off at 8.30pm on 28 March for Earth Hour 2009.

East meets west for Earth Hour as icons such as the Merlion in Singapore, Hong Kong’s Symphony of Lights and the Shanghai Hong Kong New World Tower, unite with some of the Western world’s most famous landmarks, including Paris’ Eiffel Tower, Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Sydney’s Opera House, Table Mountain in Cape Town, CN Tower in Toronto and Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Casino, to go dark.

Earth Hour Executive Director Andy Ridley said the global growth in support for Earth Hour has been phenomenal.

“In 2007, Earth Hour was held in one city, Sydney. A year later, the number of cities had skyrocketed to 371. With six weeks to go before Earth Hour 2009 we are well over the half-way mark towards our goal of 1,000 cities and towns.

“Earth Hour is bringing together the diverse peoples of the world in a truly universal and unifying way. From Auckland to Hawaii and Cape Town to St Petersburg, people are coming together to vote with their light switch for action on climate change,” said Mr Ridley.

As the campaign continues to gather pace, some of the world’s best known brands are leading the call for action from the business community.

“The business community has an incredible ability and responsibility to engage employees, customers and suppliers to create a sustainable future for our planet,” Mr Ridley said.

HSBC is supporting Earth Hour by pledging to turn off lights in offices in 33 countries around the globe. Swedish furniture giant IKEA is running Earth Hour awareness campaigns in its stores, not only in its home country but as far away as China.

Global leader in commercial real estate services, CB Richard Ellis, is encouraging lights-out participation in the more than 2.0 billion square feet of buildings it manages in more than 50 countries. Leading professional services firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, is providing consultants across Asia Pacific and other territories.

Boutique companies are getting involved in creative ways, such as luxury travel business Abercrombie & Kent, which will be ensuring Earth Hour is celebrated in some of the most remote parts of Africa, including on wildlife reserves and on the Nile.

“With the support of businesses, countries and citizens globally, Earth Hour 2009 can reach out to one billion people voting with their light switch on 28 March for action on climate change,” said Mr Ridley.

More links
Earth Hour in Singapore

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The need for Asia to commit to clean energy

A steady growth market must appear, decoupled from the price of oil, to convince investors to lay down cash
Dennis Posadas, Business Times 20 Feb 09;

While climate change and renewable energy has crept into the popular consciousness in Asia, the commitment to it ebbs and flows depending on the price of crude oil. During the 2008 oil crisis which saw the price of crude rise to US$140/barrel, enthusiasm for renewable energy reached an all- time high.

However now that oil prices have dropped significantly, that enthusiasm has tanked. This is simply a repeat of the post '70s Opec oil crisis scenario; in fact, after the Reagan administration took over the White House in the '80s, it had most of the solar panels removed from the roof.

Fortunately, many Asian governments have now started to implement clean energy laws. These laws are similar to those in Europe and the US, and feature incentives for the clean energy sector. Often, these laws feature mandates such as the Renewable Portfolio Standard or the Feed-In-Tariff, which require the power utilities to purchase their power from renewable/clean energy sources in increasing increments per year.

Unfortunately, while these laws are starting to come into place, there is still a lack of a societal commitment to clean energy in Asia, which may undermine the potential success of these laws.

From being an immediate priority at US$140/barrel, it is now again a nice-to-have afterthought. This is not the way to encourage the development of clean energy, and make it affordable for everyone.

Asia actually stands to lose out if clean energy is not adopted fast enough.

Climate change

Former Reagan-era Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) director John Topping Jr, president of the Washington-based Climate Institute, said that climate change threatens countries in Asia with a rise in sea levels that will destroy low-lying coastal areas. It will also introduce changes in the intensities of the various storms that pass through countries like the Philippines annually.

In his book, Sudden and disruptive climate change, Mr Topping said that many responses to climate change are not costly. He said that technologies like cogeneration or harvesting electricity from waste heat from industrial activity can save industry and consumers huge sums while also reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants.

Despite the fact that some clean energy sources are cheaper, there are others such as photovoltaic solar that are still at US$3-4 per watt. Although technology is driving costs down, it is not happening fast enough because the market seems to have a love-hate affair that depends on the price of crude oil.

Without a willingness by consumers to make the commitment to clean energy regardless of oil's price, it becomes difficult for utilities to justify large capital investments in clean energy because the calculations simply do not make it competitive even over a period of several years. Thus, the utilities may try to comply with these mandates in a minimal manner instead of going all out.

It also becomes harder for investors to justify funding innovation and R&D in renewable energy technologies if the market demand fluctuates. On the other hand, in some places where the price of electricity is already expensive, it is already a non-argument because clean energy has already reached grid parity.

Another way is to do it through traded credits. In a cap and trade system for example, a cap on emissions set by various governments will penalise those who fail to comply. In turn, these violators are expected to purchase the credits from those who made the investments in clean energy. One potential problem in Asia is if very few entities invest to get the credits; again it works in developed societies like the US and Europe, but we still need to see the results in Asia.

In some Asian countries, a Green Option allows consumers to require that a certain percentage of their electric consumption comes from clean energy sources.

Green Option

This assumes that a significant segment of Asians will be willing to pay a slight premium. Unfortunately, at the moment, most Asians will still default to fossil fuel-generated electricity, because it is the cheapest in many cases.

Unfortunately, unless we want a repeat of history, a steady growth market needs to appear, decoupled from the price of oil in order to convince investors to lay down the cash. Although innovation is going on in clean energy, without a strong steady market, we will not see the combination of economies of scale and innovation similar to what caused the prices of PCs and semiconductors to drop and move forward technology-wise.

Without a large support base of Asians numbering in the millions who are willing to commit to clean energy, these mandates won't realise their true worth. It is time for us as consumers to look beyond cheap fossil fuel power, and give importance to clean power, regardless of how cheap or expensive crude oil is.

Eventually, if we push through on this commitment, clean energy will also be cheap energy.

Dennis Posadas is deputy executive director, Philippine Congressional Commission, on Science, Technology and Engineering. He is also the author of 'Jump Start: A Technopreneurship Fable', to be published by Pearson Education Asia this year.

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Chinese auto maker plans to take on giants with electric cars

Yahoo News 19 Feb 09;

SHENZHEN, China (AFP) - From its headquarters in south China, BYD Auto is pursuing a project of staggering ambition: To be in the lead as the world's cars free themselves from their century-old dependence on petrol.

The company, which was founded just 14 years ago and found success making batteries, has unveiled a series of slick electric and plug-in hybrids as it prepares to enter the US and European markets in 2011.

"In the next five to 10 years we will see big changes. Electrification will happen much sooner than people expect," said Henry Z. Li, BYD's soft-spoken general manager for auto exports, in an interview.

Whether he is right has implications not just for those who have put money in the company -- such as celebrity investor Warren Buffett -- but for the planet, with China now the top greenhouse gas emitter according to some counts.

The vision at BYD, or Build Your Dreams, is that of a future where electric cars fill the roads and quick-charge stations are as readily available as petrol stations today.

This dream remains a long way off, with big cost and technological barriers ahead.

Only next month will it start delivering the F3DM -- DM stands for "dual mode" -- which can go 100 kilometres (63 miles) on its battery, or 580 kilometres (360 miles) in hybrid mode with gasoline.

The model's initial appeal will be to corporate clients that can afford to buy a small fleet of hybrids and set up special facilities for recharging.

For the private Chinese consumer, the case for a hybrid is less obvious, and in order for this market to take off, it is important to build up a critical mass of vehicles that makes charging stations commercially viable.

BYD is in talks with utilities such as State Grid Corporation of China, and they are "interested", said Li, 40.

"It's a positive cycle. More electric cars, more charging stations. It's no use asking which comes first, the chicken or the egg. We have to put something out there first," he said.

It may seem like a huge leap to go from carving out a niche in China's embryonic market to aggressively expanding abroad and taking on the likes of General Motors, Chrysler and Ford, which also are exploring electric vehicles.

Some rivals duly voiced skepticism after BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu told participants at last month's auto show in Detroit that he planned to kick off sales in the United States and Europe in just two years.

The company's relative lack of experience, having been in the auto business only since 2003, may be a disadvantage but its unique history could nevertheless put it in pole position, argued Jia Xinguang, an independent auto researcher based in Beijing.

"BYD has experience in making batteries. It's number two in the world for rechargeable batteries. It's got a technological advantage," he said.

Other companies have tried electric cars before -- and failed. But times have changed, observers said.

"The technology has advanced significantly since the electric vehicles of the 1990s," said John Patten, an expert on alternative fuel cars at Western Michigan University.

"The political climate is also much more receptive, and is in fact pushing this type of technology, which is environmentally beneficial, so people and politicians don't have to be sold on the benefits."

This goes for China too, where BYD just got a boost from the government in the form of a policy package to help the auto industry through the global economic crisis.

While details are still pending, the company is likely to benefit from a subsidy for clean vehicles, which could cut the 150,000-yuan (21,900-dollar) price tag for the F3DM, which is almost double the petrol-powered equivalent.

"It's difficult for people to accept this high premium. That's why government incentives are important," said Li.

The company got a different boost in September when Buffett's MidAmerican Energy Holdings said it had agreed to buy 10 percent in BYD Co., the parent of BYD Auto.

"It was a signal to the public that Warren Buffett recognised the battery technology and our future directions. He's a long-term investor," said Li.

Until recently, BYD was operating against the backdrop of rapidly rising crude prices. Now oil is plunging, but the company sees it as only a minor bump in the road.

"In the short term perhaps oil prices are up and down, but in the mid-term, long-term it has to go up, because it's a limited resource. We're looking more long-term, not just one to two years," said Li.

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Electric car charging stations power-up in San Francisco

Yahoo News 20 Feb 09;

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Electric vehicle (EV) charging stations went live outside San Francisco's City Hall this week as the mayor vowed that the area will lead the nation in steering away from gasoline-powered cars.

"Our goal is to transform the Bay Area into the EV capital of the United States, and a networked infrastructure is essential for the adoption of electric vehicles," said mayor Gavin Newsom.

"San Francisco is proud to be the first city to feature charging stations with technology to support our city's clean electric fleet vehicles and car-share fleets."

Coulomb Technologies installed three charging stations unveiled Wednesday at a plaza across from the City Hall entrance.

The ChargePoint Network stations are part of a two-year public demonstration of the feasibility of using electric vehicles in cities.

Stations feature Fleet Management Portal technology that tracks amounts of gasoline saved and greenhouse gas emissions avoided by each electric vehicle.

The system sends text messages to drivers' mobile telephones alerting them when electric vehicles need charging, or when ones that are parked have finished being charged.

"The Bay Area is the epicenter of the electric vehicle movement," said Coulomb chief executive Richard Lowenthal.

"A smart, networked infrastructure is an essential enabler of this movement and the City of San Francisco is leading by example."

Coulomb is based in the California city of Campbell and specializes in plug-in vehicle charging infrastructure.

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Scientists map CO2 emissions with Google Earth

Yahoo News 19 Feb 09;

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A team of US scientists led by Purdue University unveiled an interactive Google Earth map on Thursday showing carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels across the United States.

The high-resolution map, available at purdue.edu/eas/carbon/vulcan/GEarth, shows carbon dioxide emissions in metric tons in residential and commercial areas by state, county or per capita.

Called "Vulcan" after the Roman god of fire, the project, which took three years to complete, quantifies carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels such as coal and gasoline.

It breaks down emissions by the sectors responsible including aircraft, commercial, electricity production, industrial, residential and transport.

"This will bring emissions information into everyone's living room as a recognizable, accessible online experience," said Kevin Gurney, the project leader and an assistant professor of earth and atmospheric sciences at Purdue.

"We hope to eventually turn it into an interactive space where the public will feed information into the system to create an even finer picture of emissions down to the street and individual building level," he added.

The United States accounts for some 25 percent of global emissions of carbon dioxide, which scientists have identified as the most important human-produced gas contributing to global climate change.

Simon Ilyushchenko, an engineer at Internet search giant Google who worked on the project, said "integrating the data with Google Earth was a way to advance public understanding of fossil fuel energy usage.

"Dynamic maps of the data, broken down by the different sources of emissions, easily show where people burn more gasoline from driving or where they use more fuel for heating and cooling homes and businesses," he said.

Vulcan integrates carbon dioxide emissions data from the US Environmental Protection Agency and US Department of Energy. The current data is from 2002, but the scientists said they plan to incorporate more recent data.

Besides Purdue, the project also involved researchers from Colorado State University and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

It was funded by NASA, the US Department of Energy, the Purdue Showalter Trust and Indianapolis-based Knauf Insulation.

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Glaciers in China and Tibet fading fast

WWF 19 Feb 09;

Beijing, China - Glaciers that serve as water sources to one of the most ecologically diverse alpine communities on earth are melting at an alarming rate, according to a recent report.

A three-year study, to be used by the China Geological Survey Institute, shows that glaciers in the Yangtze source area, central to the Qinghai-Tibet plateau in south-western China, have receded 196 square kilometres over the past 40 years.

Glaciers at the headwaters of the Yangtze, China's longest river, now cover 1,051 square kilometres compared to 1,247 square kilometres in 1971, a loss of nearly a billion cubic metres of water, while the tongue of the Yuzhu glacier, the highest in the Kunlun Mountains fell by 1,500 metres over the same period.

Melting glacier water will replenish rivers in the short term, but as the resource diminishes drought will dominate the river reaches in the long term. Several major rivers including the Yangtze, Mekong and Indus begin their journeys to the sea from the Tibetan Plateau Steppe, one of the largest land-based wilderness areas left in the world.

“Once destroyed it will be extremely difficult to restore the high-altitude ecosystems,” said Dr Li Lin, head of Conservation Strategies for WWF-China. “If industrialized and developing countries do not focus their efforts on cutting emissions, some of this land will be lost forever and local populations will be displaced.”

Glacier retreat has become a major environmental issue in Tibet, particularly in the Chang Tang region of northern Tibet. The glacier melting poses severe threats to local nomads’ livelihoods and the local economy.

The most common impact is that lakes are increasing due to glacier melting and some of the best pastures are submerged. Meanwhile small glaciers are disappearing due to the speed of glacier melting and drinking water has become a major issue.

“This problem should convince governments to adopt a ‘mountain-to-sea’ approach to manage their rivers, the so-called integrated river basin management, and to ratify the UN Water Convention as the only international agreement by which to manage transboundary rivers,” said Li Lifeng, Director of Freshwater, WWF International.

“It should also convince countries to make more effort to protect and sustainably use their high altitude wetlands in the river source areas that WWF has been working on.”

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Whiff of change for stinking Dubai beaches

Ola Galal Yahoo News 19 Feb 09;

DUBAI (AFP) – Beaches in Dubai had long been a magnet for travellers seeking sea, sun and sand. But beachgoers in the Gulf emirate recently got more than they bargained for -- stinking sewage.

Now an environmental lobby group wants to clean up the image not only of Dubai's beaches but of those all along the coastline of the United Arab Emirates, by awarding blue flags for sparkling waters.

"Tourists would like to come to Blue Flag-labelled beaches because (the award) is a sign of safety and care for the environment," says Maisoun al-Sharif, programme coordinator for the Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS).

"Those beaches will be receiving more tourists and they will look better," he adds.

Under the Blue Flag Programme launched by the EWS in conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund, managers of public or private beaches and marinas can apply to be awarded the top rating, provided they meet internationally-set standards that guarantee water cleanliness and quality.

Six months ago Dubai was hit by the foul whiff of a scandal when it was found that a stretch of Jumeirah beach lining the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club area was sullied by raw sewage spewing out of a pipeline extending from an inland industrial zone.

The discovery forced the closure of the part of the beach for a month and a half as officials sought to get to the bottom of the problem.

Eventually the Dubai municipality found that drivers of trucks carrying the waste were emptying the slops into the pipeline that opens into the sea instead of waiting for long hours at the city's only sewage treatment plant.

Although some truck drivers have been arrested and fined by the government, the coastline is still suffering from the discharged chemicals, oil and rubbish, according to Keith Mutch, head of the Sailing Club.

Tests conducted at the end of January showed that the water was still contaminated, Mutch says, lamenting that the authorities have not launched a suitable clean-up programme.

"This is black and that's blue," Mutch says as he points to the difference between the water in the club's marina, where dozens of boats lie, and the open sea beyond.

"Although the water is one million percent better than it was one month ago, I estimate that this beach will take five to seven years to recover to how it was a year ago," he adds.

Mutch is all for the planned beach rating programme.

"The Blue Flag grading system will by default force beach monitoring, just as five-star hotels monitor themselves. It will be very good for Dubai. If beaches in Dubai are ranked, then international tourists will come. I hope the beaches do apply to get the ratings as Dubai really needs the tourists," he says.

The once-booming emirate of Dubai, particularly its tourism sector, has been hit hard by the financial crisis.

Promoters of the Blue Flag initiative believe that if beaches are rated, those who oversee them will engage in constant monitoring and testing of the water to ensure standards are maintained.

"I expect there will be a positive (response) from beaches and marinas because ... it is possible for them to reach international standards," says Sharif of EWS.

The problem runs far deeper, however, as infrastructure has lagged behind the rapid urban expansion of Dubai, which over the past six years witnessed a real estate boom, including the launch of dozens of mega-projects, and a consequent population explosion.

Though the global financial crisis has put the brakes on the boom, the problem remains -- not only in Dubai but in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi as well as other emirates where housing projects have outstripped the building of infrastructure.

"The problem is linked to the sewage system," says Mohammed Abdul Rahman Hassan, head of marine environment and wildlife section at Dubai municipality.

Because of the pressure on the sewage treatment plant, he says, "so many tankers resort to (dumping) to avoid being in a long queue."

The federal and municipal authorities have stepped up efforts to police and regulate the beaches in a bid to save the ailing tourism industry, a lifeline not only for Dubai but for the entire country.

The department has tasked 10 full-time inspectors with patrolling the beaches and taking samples of the water and sand for testing at any of the emirate's 30 water testing stations, Hassan said.

The department also conducts quarterly checks of water quality.

Fines for those found dumping waste, including bags or empty containers, range from 500 dirhams (1,835 dollars) up to 270,000 dirhams (990,900 dollars), according to Hassan.

Meanwhile, the EWS is coordinating with the various role players, including the government's environment authorities and hotel operators, and expects to receive the first blue flag applications before the end of the year, Sharif says.

The group, he adds, is also busy assessing the conditions of all UAE beaches, he adds.

But the sailing club's Mutch believes more must be done to tackle the problem of beach pollution.

"There are still things that are being dumped and we don't know what they're dumping. The only way to tackle this problem is to shut down the pipeline," he says.

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