Pulau Hantu on New Year's Day 2010
from Where Discovery Begins
Stinging in the New Year
from wild shores of singapore and wonderful creations blog
Aerial battle: Brahminy Kite vs Changeable Hawk Eagle
from Bird Ecology Study Group
'Dead fish zone' hits Pulau Ubin
from wild shores of singapore
Exploring Ubin's Shores
from Nature's Wonders
Going Solo at Changi
from Nature's Wonders
Find a partner that is kind to the environment here!
from Green Drinks Singapore
Melissa Sim, Straits Times 2 Jan 10;
Dead tiger garoupas at Mr Ong Sing Seng's fish farm off Pulau Ubin yesterday. Half of his fish have died due to the plankton bloom, which drains the sea water of oxygen and deprives fish and other marine animals of it. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
THE plankton bloom that first hit fish farms off Pasir Ris Beach about 11 days ago has since moved farther out to sea and struck those around Pulau Ubin.
About 50 farms around Pulau Ubin have lost their fish to the bloom. Some farms have lost as much as 60 per cent of their stocks.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has explained that plankton blooms occur when one species of these drifting marine organisms predominates over others and multiplies quickly.
The rapid increase in the number of these organisms drains the sea water of oxygen and deprives fish and other animals of it.
The AVA said the current bloom was triggered by fickle weather, higher concentrations of nutrients in the sea water and poor water exchange between the high and low tides.
Mr Ong Sing Seng, 42, a fish breeder and distributor whose farm is off Pulau Ubin, said he could lose up to $800,000. Half his fish have died.
The fish affected by the plankton bloom include the tiger garoupa, sea bass and red snapper. He said he can do little more than aerate the water if the fish continue to die.
Another farmer, Mr David Sim, 54, said 60 per cent of his fish were dead, and that he was now trying to prevent further loses.
Some of the measures include pumping seawater from greater depths to the surface to aerate the water there, and lowering nets so the fish swim in the more oxygen-rich water lying deeper in the ocean.
Mr Sim said he is moving his expensive fish such as the mouse garoupa - which can fetch up to $105 per kg - to an enclosed tank with controlled salinity and temperature.
He hopes the authorities will give affected fish farmers grants to invest in more such tanks, which cost about $10,000 each. This way, the farmers can be protected against future fluctuations in water conditions.
Mr Lee Van Voon, 43, another fish farmer and breeder, said: 'We need to work together with the Government to find new ways to farm fish instead of relying on open-sea farming.'
The 106 licensed coastal floating fish farms here produced 3,235 tonnes of fish valued at $11.4 million in 2008. They accounted for 4 per cent to 5 per cent of the fish consumed here annually.
Pair produces 3 chicks in a year after being released into the wild
Chang Ai-Lien, Straits Times 2 Jan 10;
CALL them the poster chicks for conservation.
Three baby birds have been produced by an oriental pied hornbill 'couple' released into the wild from the Jurong BirdPark last year.
The distinctive bird, once extinct here, is the first animal to be taken from captivity to help strengthen numbers of Singapore's native creatures, through a collaboration between the bird park, the National Parks Board (NParks) and the Singapore Avian Conservation Project.
The project marks a step forward for wildlife in Singapore's urban jungle, said Mr Wong Tuan Wah, NParks director of conservation.
'NParks is excited about this early success in what is likely to be a long-term recovery of the hornbill population,' he said. 'We wanted to help these kings of the forest along because they are such a large, spectacular native bird which the public can really appreciate.'
The parent birds in the project - male Sada, 20, and its mate Lily, 10, were together for seven years before being released into a forested area in Bukit Timah. Despite being loving partners in captivity, sparks did not fly and they did not produce any chicks.
Freedom proved to be a powerful aphrodisiac.
Once introduced into the wild in December 2008, they made up for lost time immediately - eggs were laid in January last year which resulted in two chicks, Angel and Bobby, hatching a month later. A third chick, Christine, hatched in June.
This is the first time in research on the species that two successful clutches have been recorded in a year, rather than the norm of just one.
Jurong BirdPark general curator Raja Segran said: 'To do so, they must have had space, food and security to spare.
'These birds were part of our lives in the past, and it is wonderful to be able to share the island with them again.'
The park is an international leader in hornbill breeding, with seven of its 13 oriental pied hornbills bred in-house.
Hornbills mate for life, and it is the male which provides for the female and her chicks for three to four months, after she seals herself into a tree with 'hornbill glue' made with saliva, mud and fruit to protect her brood.
They generally nest in tree holes, but the authorities have provided some extra public housing for them, although lacking somewhat in privacy.
More than 20 nesting boxes have been placed in forested areas around the island, fitted with surveillance cameras so researchers can study the birds' behaviour.
Recounting an incident the cameras captured of Lily, Mr Raja Segran said a 2.5m-long python had slithered up to the nest, hoping to get through the opening slit to eat the baby birds.
'The female kept it away by pecking it and when we arrived the next morning, the snake was curled around the nesting box,' he said.
The oriental pied hornbill plays an important role in forest health, dispersing seeds that are too big for smaller birds to eat.
It vanished from Singapore's shores over 150 years ago, but made a comeback in 1994, with migrants flying in from neighbouring countries to make Singapore their home. There are now more than 50 of them on Pulau Ubin and around the mainland.
The sight of the 70cm black-and-white birds with their giant beaks and harsh cackle thrilled engineer James Tan, 42, and his seven-year-old son, Ethan, who were having lunch at Changi Village recently.
'I never knew such a large bird existed in Singapore, and it was a most unexpected sight,' he said.
Other native creatures could also be reintroduced in the future.
NParks is in the midst of animal and plant surveys, while the bird park is looking at whether local songbirds such as shamas and thrushes, or another hornbill species - the rhinoceros hornbill - would be suitable candidates.
A documentary on the oriental pied hornbill, Singapore Hornbill Project - Return Of The King, will be screened to the public at the Singapore Botanic Gardens on Jan 16 and 17.
Those who want more information should visit www.nparks.gov.sg
More details on the free film screening on the wildsingapore happenings blog.
Victoria Vaughan, Straits Times 2 Jan 10;
The Jurong BirdPark has had 22 successful hatchings of the Bali mynah (above) since it started its captive breeding programme in 1989. -- PHOTO: JURONG BIRDPARK
JURONG BirdPark has joined forces with conservation group Begawan Foundation and the Cologne Zoo in Germany to help rescue the Bali mynah from the jaws of extinction.
It will give three birds to the foundation to breed, and will receive three from the German zoo to incorporate into its breeding programme.
The organisations want to create as large a gene pool as they can, to ensure a sustainable flock for the future.
The Bali mynah is now found mainly on Nusa Penida, south of the main island of Bali in Indonesia.
Its population was once thought to have dwindled to just 16 in the wild.
Unlike Singapore's plain local mynah, the Bali mynah has a white body, brilliant blue-framed eyes, and a touch of black at its wingtips and tail feathers.
Singapore's mynah, believed to have been brought from Vietnam on board barges, typically has a black head, brown feathers with a touch of white at its wingtips, and a yellow beak.
The Bali mynah's striking looks have landed it in trouble as a collector's item, taking it to the brink of extinction.
It was registered as an endangered bird species by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora in 1970.
Begawan Foundation founders Bradley and Debbie Gardner began a breeding programme for the mynah and took four back 'home' to Bali from Britain in 1999. By 2001, the population had grown to 36.
Jurong BirdPark, which has four breeding pairs, has had 22 successful hatchings of the Bali mynah since its captive breeding programme began in 1989.
'We identify a compatible male and female, set them up as a breeding pair and put them together in an aviary with a nesting log,' said Wildlife Reserves Singapore's assistant director of zoology Biswajit Guha.
A built-in camera in the nest allows staff to watch the birds round the clock.
Three to four eggs are typically laid, with an incubation period of around 14 days.
Once hatched, the young grow rapidly and will fledge and leave the nest at around three weeks of age.
The Bali mynahs will be air-freighted in transport cages to ensure their well-being during the transfer process.
According to the May update of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, a record proportion - 12 per cent - of known bird species is threatened.
The IUCN is the world's oldest and largest global environmental network.
A total of 2,065 species are listed as being in need of help to stay in existence.
Since 1500, 133 documented bird species have become extinct. Eighteen of them have occurred in the last 25 years of the 20th century.
Three species have become extinct in the wild in the past nine years, according to conservation network BirdLife International.
The Science of Surfaces is a four-part weekly series that looks at the surfaces we walk on so often but know so little about. In the first part, The Straits Times looks at the types of grasses being used in Singapore
Grace Chua, Straits Times 2 Jan 10;
TALK about natural heritage.
The lawns of the Istana, Asian Civilisations Museum, HortPark and Fort Canning Park are carpeted with the last remnants of one of the few native species of grasses here.
Zoysia matrella, or Manila grass, is a fine-leaved, hardy grass resistant to trampling and lack of sunlight.
But it is used in less than 10 per cent of public green spaces here because it is pricey.
Most of the island's public spaces are covered with cow grass, a coarser South American native species and a leftover from British colonial times.
Cow grass, or Axonopus compressus, does not need as much watering and tending as other grasses, but it tends to develop bald patches under heavy foot traffic and waterlogged, muddy conditions.
Sport fields are either turfed with cow grass - which costs about $25,000 for a standard-sized football field - or synthetic turf at a cost of about $500,000, said the Singapore Sports Council. The upcoming Sports Hub, for instance, will use cow grass.
That type is the cheapest at $4 to $6 per sq m, compared with $8 to $12 for Zoysia varieties, said Mr Veera Sekaran of landscaping company Greenology.
But, he added, the price does not factor in concerns such as proper drainage and whether it will thrive in shady conditions.
The National Parks Board (NParks) is studying a dozen types of grasses in order to see if the country should re-patch some areas with better grass.
The grass samples will be put through different conditions such as various soil fertility levels, soil types, shade and trampling conditions.
These grasses being tested include Manila grass and cow grass, but also Bermuda grass and seashore paspalum, among others.
Bermuda grass and seashore paspalum are frequently used on golf courses for their lush, high-density appearance, but need more watering and mowing than the other species.
NParks will reach a decision after a year-long study, which will be completed near the end of this year.
Twelve types of grasses may seem like a lot to test out, but there are several hundred species of grasses that can be used for turfing lawns, said American expert Milt Engelke of Texas A&M University, who was in town for an international turf grass seminar recently.
In the United States, temperate grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass are popular in the northern latitudes, while more tropical species such as Bermuda grass are popular in warm states like Florida.
Grass also serve important environmental and economic functions, Dr Engelke said.
They can be so hardy, he said, that 'if you denude the earth and walk away, the first thing that will be back is grass'.
A single square metre of grass produces enough oxygen for one person for a day, and sequesters carbon dioxide.
And grass root systems can be up to 30cm deep in healthy soil, holding the soil together and preventing erosion.
Grass lowers surface temperatures as well, and is used in green rooftops and green walls to help keep buildings from overheating.
And some turf grasses can tolerate and accumulate high levels of chemical and organic pollutants in a soil-cleaning process called phytoremediation.
For example, Bermuda grass can absorb hydrocarbons, while some fescues (a tufted, cool-climate grass) can take up radioactive isotopes.
Singapore begins first turf research programme to find durable grass types
Seet Sok Hwee/Evelyn Choo, Channel NewsAsia 2 Jan 10;
SINGAPORE: The National Parks Board (NParks) has spent a S$100,000 to pilot Singapore's first turf research programme. This is to understand what types of grass are most suitable for the country.
The turf you see in most parts of Singapore is cowgrass which has been found to be weak against Singapore's high rainfall and hot climate.
And NParks hopes to replace the current cultivation with more durable grass types, like turfgrass.
It is known to reduce ambient temperatures and controls soil erosion.
So a one-year study of 12 grass species has been launched and the research facility is located at HortPark.
Dr Tan Puay Yok, deputy director, Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology, NParks, said: “One of the objectives of this research facility is of course to find a suitable combination of soil and grass that does not require that high a level of maintenance.
“So for instance, if we can find a grass that is slower-growing but very well-adapted to water issues, lack of sunlight issues then we can potentially cut down the frequency of cutting. That in itself has an economic impact on maintenance cost of green estates. - CNA/vm
Amresh Gunasingham, Straits Times 2 Jan 10;
THE green movement is making some headway here as more businesses choose cleaner and more efficient ways to house their staff and products.
A check with three big players in the building efficiency sector - dedicated to the provision of energy-efficient technology and services such as the reduction of electricity, water and gas consumption - shows two trends:
Revenue and clientele have almost doubled in the last few years, with the bulk of business coming from hotels, shopping centres, office buildings and the manufacturing sector.
The number of building owners with a national building efficiency rating has increased more than tenfold since 2005.
This surge in business is luring more into the industry to grab a slice of the sustainability pie.
'From just a handful of players at the turn of the decade, there are up to 30 today,' said Mr Howard Shaw, executive director of the Singapore Environment Council.
Industry experts estimate the market to be worth about $100 million today.
One firm, Trane, has seen revenue soar by 40 per cent to US$12 million (S$17 million) since it opened an energy service division three years ago.
It offers energy-saving solutions such as the retrofitting of cooling ducts and lighting systems in commercial buildings.
'Owners are realising that they can gain significant savings and what is good for their bottom line is also beneficial for the environment,' said Mr Lee Eng Lock, Trane's technical energy director for Asia energy services.
In 2008, Trane installed $3.5 million worth of power-saving chiller systems at the Ascendas headquarters at Singapore Science Park in Pasir Panjang.
The project is expected to save about 5,300 megawatt-hours of electricity and reduce carbon emissions by 2,500 tonnes a year. This, in turn, will shave up to $1million, or 55 per cent, off the utility bill of Ascendas, a developer and manager of business space.
Mr Vincent Low, business development director at G-Energy Global, which manages about 100 clients, said business is growing at 30 per cent a year, translating into revenue that is 60 per cent higher than that in 2005.
Others are even eyeing markets abroad.
Kaer, among the first such companies set up here, is investing more than $20million in opening regional offices in China, India and Australia, said its chief executive, Mr Justin Taylor.
He added that revenue has jumped more than fourfold in the last decade, and is expected to double this year.
The greater push for energy efficiency is a key component of Singapore's push for sustainability, particularly given the lack of access to viable alternative energy sources such as wind, sun and biofuels.
The industry and building sectors are also the top two energy-guzzling sectors, accounting for nearly three-quarters of national energy consumption here, said the National Environment Agency (NEA).
To enhance professionalism and service quality in the industry, NEA has an accreditation scheme for energy service providers. There are currently 16 companies on board, with more in the pipeline this year.
The introduction of the Green Mark label - a building rating system - by the Building Construction Authority (BCA) is bringing more on board. The number of buildings with the Green Mark label has soared from 17 in 2005 to more than 200 today.
'The schemes have not only been able to reach out to the major developers, but also generated great interest among smaller ones,' said a BCA spokesman, who added that industrywide attention has had a major impact on getting architects and consultants to 'think green'.
BCA is looking to diversify the Green Mark scheme by offering certification
in areas such as infrastructure, office interior and landed housing.
But this is only the tip of the iceberg, said Mr Shaw, adding that while new projects were being designed with efficiency in mind, older buildings were still lagging behind.
Yet, a revolution of sorts is inevitable, believes Mr Taylor.
'We usually change our mobile phones every year, each time expecting to have more functions, more speed, just a better performance overall,' he said. 'Why are building systems not subject to the same rule?'
Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia 1 Jan 10;
SINGAPORE: It may have been the season to make merry but the authorities frown on those who flout rules in the process.
In an islandwide enforcement effort on New Year's Eve on Thursday night, environment officers issued 116 tickets for littering and another nine for illegal hawking.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said Singaporeans were still the main culprits of littering.
In 2008, there were some 20,500 cases of littering by Singaporeans. The number went up to more than 27,600 cases in 2009.
As for foreigners, the number caught littering decreased from more than 12,600 in 2008 to some 11,000 in 2009.
Excuses for littering, though, did get quite creative.
Jason Tan, NEA's environmental health officer, said: "Most of the common ones were like 'I aimed for the bin but actually I missed and that's why I littered.' Some said, 'I intend to pick it up later but I was apprehended'. Then there are some (who said), 'the cigarette butt actually burnt my hand and I dropped it.' And some will actually say 'somebody bumped into me and I dropped the cigarette butt.'"
- CNA/ir
A cleaner, safer New Year
NEA goes on anti-littering prowl
Ang Yiying, Straits Times 2 Jan 10;
WHILE revellers around him prepared to usher in the New Year, National Environment Agency (NEA) executive P. Thuraisamy kept his eyes peeled for litterbugs.
The 39-year-old officer did not spot any in Orchard Road during the hour that The Straits Times trailed him on New Year's Eve, but the NEA caught 116 around the island that night.
The figure was higher than the 92 caught on New Year's Eve in 2008.
The number of litterbugs caught on the New Year and Christmas Eves has been rising every year - from 36 in 2006 to 116 in 2009 and from 19 in 2006 to 76 in 2009, respectively.
An NEA spokesman said reasons for the increase were an increase in population, more events and countdown parties being organised, and more people attending these events.
Enforcement exercises, such as those on Thursday, along with education, will cultivate anti-littering behaviour in the long run, the agency added, urging the public to exercise ownership of the environment.
On Thursday, 160 enforcement officers fanned out to various locations, more than the 90 despatched on an average day.
But much more garbage is generated during festive occasions. The usual volume generated daily in Orchard Road is 0.6tonnes, and 0.3tonnes in the Marina and Esplanade areas. On New Year's Eve in 2008, the volume went up to one tonne in Orchard Road and 2.5 tonnes in the Marina and Esplanade areas.
Common litter usually includes cigarette butts, drinking cups and pamphlets.
First-time offenders who throw smaller items, such as sweet wrappers, cigarette butts and parking coupon tabs, can expect a $300 fine.
First-time offenders who throw larger items - such as plastic bags, food wrappers and drink cups - or items that can contribute to the breeding of pests are taken to court, as are repeat offenders.
Offenders can be given a corrective work order and a fine of up to $1,000 upon their first conviction, and more upon subsequent convictions.
The checks on Thursday also turned up nine illegal hawkers, selling roasted chestnuts, fruits, small household appliances and decorative lighting.
First-time offenders can be fined $300.
Recalcitrant offenders can be fined up to $4,000.
Starting on a clean slate
2010 kicks off and it feels like the dawn of spring - spring cleaning, that is
tay suan chiang, Straits Times Life 2 Jan 10;
The six-week festive period from Christmas to Chinese New Year is more than about getting together with family and feasting. It is also a time when most people do their spring cleaning.
Spring cleaning the home before Chinese New Year is a traditional practice in Chinese families. It is believed the cleaning removes the bad luck from the old year, making room for good fortune in the new one.
Take, for instance, secretary Jane Lee, 35, who is preparing to rummage through her clutter in her Bishan four-room flat starting today. 'It's a habit that I've had since I was young. The start of the year is a good time to do some major spring cleaning.'
One of the tasks the mother-of-two has earmarked is throwing out old clothes and other items which she no longer uses.
According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), 'about 5 per cent more than the average amount of waste is disposed from December to February'. On average, Singapore generates 7,000 tonnes of waste daily, and in December, the figure goes up by a further 187 tonnes every day.
While the NEA does not track what waste is discarded, the spokesman says 'it would generally be household waste thrown out from spring cleaning'.
SembWaste, one of four public waste collectors in Singapore, says it collects about 20 to 30 per cent more waste during the festive period of Christmas through the Chinese New Year.
'There is also an increase in the amount of bulky waste during the festive season and these include furniture and electrical appliances,' says its spokesman.
Mr Jeremy Taylor, managing director at second-hand goods company Cash Converters, says it sees a 'spike in the number of transactions' at this time.
He adds that in other months, customers generally bring in single items to sell. 'But since early December, they bring in items such as electrical appliances, saucers and cups. We get about 20 per cent more items brought in and this will continue till Chinese New Year.'
December to February is also a busier time for Introtech Trading, a company in Jurong that buys and sells used goods from karung guni (rag and bone) collectors.
Introtech supervisor Tok Kim Chwee was unable to give exact figures but says it gets 'more items coming in these three months, compared to the rest of the year'.
These include clothes, shoes and handbags, and electrical appliances such as television sets, computers and DVD players.
Clothes, shoes and handbags which are still in good condition are sold to second- hand dealers in Indonesia. Electrical items that can be repaired are done so at the warehouse and later sold to second-hand dealers in India, Nigeria and Pakistan.
Items that are beyond repair and cannot be sold, such as washing machines, are dismantled. The metal and plastic parts are sold to local scrap merchants.
The NEA says waste that can be incinerated is disposed of at its Waste-to- Energy incineration plants in Tuas: Heat energy produced from the combustion process is used to generate electricity, while ferrous metals from the ash residue are recovered for recycling.
So some of that stuff you throw out in your big clean-up could help the upcoming Year of the Tiger start with a roar - the roar of incinerator flames, that is.
Genetically modified crops are the way forward when it comes to feeding a booming population
Peter Droge, Tan Kim Ping, Qiu Shijia & Uttam Surana
Straits Times 2 Jan 10;
GLOBAL food security will become one of the most difficult problems for mankind in the next 50 years.
With the world population rapidly approaching nine billion people, our planet will have to produce more food in the coming decade than it has collectively done so in the last 10,000 years.
The consequences of food shortage are daunting.
The price of rice, soya bean, corn and wheat climbed to near historic highs in 2008. For the world's poorest, hunger and malnutrition are the direct result of food shortages. Numerous countries, including some on the African continent, the Middle East, India and even China, are confronted with a food security crisis today.
Much of the world's total land area of 150 million sq km is not suitable for agriculture, and nearly all productive land is already exploited.
The pressure to boost food production on this limited land area is compounded by other emerging problems.
Climate change due to rising temperatures and greater extremes of droughts and floods will hit agriculture. India and the United States already suffered sharp harvest reductions because of record temperatures in 2002.
Global warming may also result in further agricultural land loss due to rising sea levels.
Moreover, fuels derived from biological materials are being promoted as a renewable form of energy. Diversion of main food crops such as corn, sugar cane and soya bean for biofuel production looms as a real threat to the world's food security.
The problem of global food supply is, however, not new. It surfaced about half a century ago, and sparked in the 1960s and 1970s an initiative now widely known as the green revolution.
Essentially, the goal was to introduce to underdeveloped and developing countries conventionally produced high-yielding seeds and improved agricultural techniques such as effective methods of irrigation and use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides.
While partially successful, the innovations of the green revolution did not fully prepare us for the challenges that lie ahead.
In addition to societal changes, a second green revolution is needed that will engage agricultural scientists, researchers and policymakers alike to improve agricultural production.
Recombinant DNA technology is considered by many as a powerful weapon in this new revolution.
There is good evidence that it will lead to breakthroughs in the development of new crops with novel traits.
Genetically modified crops (GMC) usually result from the transfer of foreign genetic material derived from a donor organism to a recipient plant, using the laboratory-engineered and disarmed soil bacterium agrobacterium tumefaciens as a gene-transfer vehicle.
Recently, DNA coated on gold 'micro-bullets' was shot directly into plant cells using 'gene guns', thus representing a promising alternative transfer method.
Introduction of foreign DNA into the plant genome will lead to synthesis of recombinant proteins which, in turn, results in desirable traits due to changes in the plant cell's physiology.
The first GMC - the slow-ripening Flavr Savr tomato - was commercialised in the mid-1990s, and other varieties followed soon.
GMC, mostly modified for agronomic traits such as pest resistance and herbicide tolerance, have been increasingly adopted in many parts of the world.
One of the best-known examples of a GMC modified for enhanced nutritional properties is the golden rice, which contains a higher level of beta-carotene - a vitamin A precursor.
Vitamin A is essential for resistance to disease, protection against visual impairment and blindness, and growth and development in children. Preventable blindness in children and increased risk of severe infections due to vitamin A deficiency is a public health problem in more than half of all countries.
Golden rice is projected to be introduced into the market by 2012, provided that it passes regulatory checks and safety assessments.
Crops that can withstand environmental stress and grow in agriculturally unsuitable regions will play a prominent role in the future.
However, it is now known that salt and drought tolerance are affected by many genes which interact in a complex manner. This explains why conventional breeding techniques have had little success in the generation of these desired traits.
Resistance to salinity, drought and other environmental-stress factors through genetic modification is, therefore, an area of intense research employing recombinant DNA. If successful, the resulting GMC will play a major role in securing global food supply.
The development and use of GMC is not without controversy, however.
Environmental concerns have been raised and are mainly founded on possible transfer of genes from GMC to other plants. For instance, GMC can pollinate neighbouring wild plants and may result in an unintended transfer of foreign genes into the latter.
This could, for example, lead to the spread of pest resistance and impact ecological balances. These are valid concerns and precautionary measures are employed to prevent gene flow. They include the implementation of isolation distances between GMC and non-genetically modified crops, and the use of pollen barriers or traps around fields of GMC.
A second concern is whether consumption of food derived from GMC poses increased health risks such as allergenic reactions or unknown side effects.
So far there has been no substantiated report of health hazards resulting from consumption of foods derived from such crops. Nonetheless, measures to monitor the safety of GM foods are implemented in many countries that subject GM foods to rigorous pre-market assessments.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission, a body under the World Health Organisation and Food and Agricultural Organisation, established in 2003 an internationally recognised guideline prescribing how GM foods are to be assessed for allergenic potential.
The guideline also provides guidance on the assessment of GM foods for potential toxicity, nutritional equivalence with conventional counterparts, and unintended effects that could result from the insertion of foreign genes.
A GM food is allowed into the world market only after the assessments indicate that it is safe for consumption.
In Singapore, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has put in place standards that are in line with the Codex guidelines for GM foods. AVA carries out independent assessments of applications from companies intending to market GM foods here. It also receives scientific advice from the national Genetic Modification Advisory Committee.
A second green revolution seems to be in the making, and recombinant DNA technology and the production of GMC - though perhaps not 'magic bullets' - are likely to play a significant role.
With further technological improvements, a range of safer GMC in greater varieties could be generated in order to help sustain global food security.
Associate Professor Droge is from the Nanyang Technological University's School of Biological Sciences. Professor Surana is a principal investigator at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology. Ms Tan and Ms Qiu are members of the Secretariat Office of the Genetic Modification Advisory Committee of Singapore.
Stephen Then, The Star 2 Jan 10;
BAKUN: The Bakun hydroelectric dam is expected to become a cash cow that will churn out millions of ringgit for Sarawak starting this year.
Beginning October, the state government is projected to receive RM320mil in royalty payments from the developer of the RM7.8bil project.
The project developer, Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd, will pay RM162.3mil in a one-off special payment to the state government, plus RM155mil in water royalties and RM3.6mil in licensing fees, a source told The Star.
“The royalties and licensing fees (for generation of electricity) will then become an annual payment from next year,” the source said, adding that the RM162.3mil one-off payment was for the cost of the project that the state government had sustained.
“These payments are expected to be paid to Sarawak after September 2010, when the dam is scheduled to start generating electricity,” said the source.
Sarawak will also earn annual royalties from the sale of electricity to the peninsula once the 670km submarine cable is laid at the bottom of the South China Sea between Kuching and Johor.
The source said Sarawak Hidro and the state government had already agreed in principle to the terms and conditions of the royalty payments.
The Bakun project is now about 98% completed. However, it is learnt that there is a slight delay to the impoundment of the dam.
Originally, the sealing of the river diversion tunnels to allow the 69,500ha of dam reservoir to be flooded was supposed to be done by September 2009.
Yesterday, Bakun sources said the impoundment had yet to start because the finishing works to the main dam wall were still nearing completion.
However, at least 200MW of electricity can be generated once the first two turbines are activated by September this year.
The dam, which has been a controversy since 1996 when construction started, is the second highest concrete-faced rockfill dam in the world after the Shuibuya dam in China.
It has also been bogged down by delays, resulting in the Federal Government paying more than RM500mil in compensation to the affected parties, particularly during the 1997 economic crisis that saw the project shelved for 16 months.
There are still dilemmas, though.
About 900 natives are still staying in the area that will be flooded by the reservoir, which is about the size of Kelantan.
The Cairns Post 2 Jan 10;
THE Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has dismissed claims climate change is not a real threat to coral reefs.
James Cook University researcher Peter Ridd recently accused Australian scientists of crying wolf over the threat of climate change reef, claiming researchers who predicted corals would be mostly extinct by mid-century had a credibility problem as the natural wonder was in "bloody brilliant shape."
The Townsville-based Dr Ridd, who is an expert on marine physics, has previously claimed the Great Barrier Reef is as resilient to environmental change as a "cockroach is to a nuclear war", with threats such as coral bleaching and agricultural run-off not as serious as commonly believed.
Responding to Dr Ridd’s claims, GBRMPA chairman Russell Reichelt said there was strong scientific consensus, supported by strong research and fieldwork, that climate change was one of the greatest threats to coral reefs worldwide.
Dr Reichelt said elevated sea temperatures, brought on by global warming, were likely to rise over the coming century by as much as 3C warmer than present temperatures.
"You’ve got animals and plants there that are adapted to withstand up to the normal limits," he said.
"If you’ll take it above what they’re adapted to, they’ll die."
Dr Reichelt said coral bleaching was still the most visual and compelling evidence of changes to the Great Barrier Reef and other reefs worldwide.
The incidence and severity of mass coral bleaching events had increased over the past two decades, Dr Reichelt said.
Ben Webster, Times Online 2 Jan 10;
Twelve million low-energy light bulbs were posted to households over Christmas by an energy company as part of its legal obligation to cut carbon emissions, despite government advice that many would never be used.
Npower sent out the packages last month to escape a ban on issuing unsolicited bulbs, which came into force yesterday. The German-owned company saved millions of pounds by giving away the bulbs. Alternative ways of meeting its obligation, such as insulating homes, are much more effective but up to seven times more expensive.
It faced a fine of more than £40 million, or 10 per cent of its turnover, if it failed to meet its target for improving efficiency in homes under the carbon emissions reduction target scheme.
Households have received more than 180 million free or subsidised low-energy bulbs in the past 18 months. A survey in July by the Energy Saving Trust found that the average home had six unused ones lying in drawers and cupboards.
In 2008 the Government ordered the big energy companies to invest in measures for improving energy efficiency and cutting fuel poverty.
Companies can choose how to meet their obligations. Each measure they fund is given a score for the lifetime carbon savings that it achieves.
The scheme made assumptions about the usage of light bulbs that turned out to be wildly optimistic.
Companies were allowed to register immediate carbon savings from every bulb issued on the assumption that all recipients instantly installed them in some of their most intensively used light sockets. In reality, many people either stored the bulbs or threw them away, often because they were the wrong fitting or wattage.
The companies can also meet their obligations by paying for homes to be insulated. This guarantees energy savings but is much more expensive.
According to the latest government estimates, each low-energy bulb costs an energy company £2.97 and saves 0.04 tonnes of carbon over its lifetime. Insulating the external solid walls of a three-bedroom semi-detached house costs £8,760 and saves 18.08 tonnes. A company can achieve the same score of 18.08 tonnes by posting 452 bulbs, costing only £1,342.
In the first 18 months of the scheme, companies issued 182 million bulbs but insulated only 17,000 solid-wall homes. Britain has 6.6 million solid-wall homes requiring insulation.
Companies can pass on all the costs of the scheme to their customers. Over three years it is expected to add more than £100 to the average household’s energy bills.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change quietly admitted in June that the scheme was flawed and resulting in significant wastage.
In a paragraph buried in a 30-page “impact assessment”, the department said: “Government is increasingly concerned that the number of lamps already distributed has been so high that it may work out at more than the average number of highest-use light fittings in a house.
“As such, there is an increasing risk to carbon savings under the scheme where lamps are not used, are installed on low-use light fittings, or replace existing [low-energy bulbs].”
It said that direct mailouts of bulbs would be banned from January 1, 2010, allowing six months for companies to wind down their schemes.
Npower, which had a turnover of £427 million in 2008, initially focused on home insulation but was named a few months ago as the energy supplier that was farthest from achieving its green energy target. Companies that fail to meet their obligations by 2011 will be fined up to 10 per cent of their turnover.
It began posting 12 million bulbs on November 27, five months after the ban had been announced and just as the postal system was struggling to cope with the volume of Christmas mail.
A spokeswoman for the energy company said that the scheme was designed to be completed on New Year’s Eve, hours before the ban came into force at midnight.
She admitted that Npower did not know how many of the bulbs would be used. “There is nothing under [the carbon emissions reduction target scheme] that means we have to get evidence that bulbs are being used. It’s up to the customer,” she said.
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