Best of our wild blogs: 5 Jan 10

Impacts of Marine Aquaculture & Possible Solutions
from Midnight Monkey Monitor

Shellfish and the mass fish deaths
from Half a Bunny and the Salmon of Doubt

Any dead fish at Changi?
from wild shores of singapore

Sandy shores with the missing fig snail
from Psychedelic Nature

Four injured bitterns all in a row
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Beyond the waste land
from The annotated budak

Nemo on Anemone @ Little Sisters Island
from sgbeachbum

Marine midges
from Singapore Nature

Sentosa with NIE friends
from wonderful creation

15 Jan (Fri): Workshop for Nature Guides - Crabby Tales: No Chilli required from wild shores of singapore

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Fish farm woes: Set up body to handle food crises

Straits Times Forum 5 Jan 10;

I REFER to Sunday's report, 'Fish farms in west spared from plankton woes'. Reports of more than 1,000 dead fish washing up on Pasir Ris Beach first surfaced on Dec 29. The figure jumped to 200,000 on Jan 1.

The fish farmers detected the problem first on Dec 23 and knew it would get worse.

Some of the farmers banded together to come up with ideas to salvage the situation. Among them were the use of air pumps, lowering the nets further into the sea, feeding medicine to the fish, and finally, releasing fish into the sea.

However, it looks like roping in the fish farmers in the west, to help keep the fish in their netcages, was not one of the options considered.

In the second week of December, it was reported that the Government was concerned enough about Singapore's food resilience to set up a $5 million Food Fund under the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA). This would help diversify and increase the country's food sources via co-funding of projects.

Perhaps, more can be done in terms of a coordination body at the national level to address food crises.

For example, following the plankton bloom, such a body would have been able to explore all options and carry them out fast, thereby reducing the loss - which came to 300,000 fish worth $2.7 million.

When time is of the essence, a coordination body could rally the support of seafood restaurants across the island to keep the tiger garoupas in their tanks. The logistics of such a move cannot be managed by a few affected farmers.

Going forward, an alert system, much like the Pollutant Standards Index to track the haze, should be put in place in the waters designated for fish farming.

It would be more cost-effective to have a coordination body to implement such a system with sensors in place at strategic points in the sea to monitor the oxygen levels. The fish farmers would then be alerted to potential dangers and recovery actions can be coordinated.

Food resilience is more than just investments in modern technology for intensive farming. It includes a systems approach to the farming cluster at the national level. With the unusual global weather patterns, this has become urgent. Let us get this in place before more of our fish farmers give up, and with this, sink all hope of meeting the target of 15 per cent locally produced fish.

Liu Fook Thim

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Securing our green sources: vegetables for Singapore

Business Times 5 Jan 09;

Hu Lee Impex started seeking partners for contract farming in the '90s, and investing in farms abroad in '05, reports CHEN HUIFEN

WAY before the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority called for Singapore investors to set up farms abroad, a little-known vegetable trading firm called Hu Lee Impex had done so - more than 10 years ago.

Realising that being a trader put it at the mercy of vegetable exporters in other countries, Hu Lee decided to move up the chain to gain direct access to the fruits and vegetables it supplies to wholesalers, restaurant agents and retailers from its base at Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre.

The company started seeking partners for contract farming in the 1990s, and began investing in farms abroad in 2005. Today, it has stakes in one farm in Vietnam and four in China - in Qingdao, Kunming, Guangdong and Hubei. It also has contract farming arrangements in about eight Chinese provinces.

Altogether, the firm jointly owns and manages close to 350 hectares of vegetable farmland in China and Vietnam, and a 266-ha fruit farm in Qingdao that has achieved the Good Agricultural Practice standard.

'And for those products that we do not grow, we have partners we can call on to import or buy on our behalf to bring to Singapore,' says Hu Lee managing director Jerry Tan.

The idea is to have as many sources as possible - not just to ensure the company can fulfil its commitments to customers but also to help secure Singapore's vegetable supply. Being a net food importer, Singapore is very reliant on overseas sources and should weather changes bring about a bad harvest at one farm, a wider network of sources could help to make up for the shortfall.

'We used to be just a trading company,' says Mr Tan. 'Now we have moved to become a vertically integrated company.'

But vertically integrated means more than owning farms. It also means investing in on-site equipment, imparting knowledge on post-harvesting techniques and developing cold chain logistics from farm to customer.

At the foreign farms, for instance, packing houses had to be set up near crops to select and pre-pack the harvest for export to Singapore. Workers had to be trained to test for pesticide levels and conduct quality-control checks.

At home, Hu Lee also invested in refrigerated trucks and a $10 million factory in 2006 to handle the growing volume of produce it imports. The 80,000 sq ft factory is both a cold store and a processing and packing plant, capable of handling 1,000 tonnes of produce a month. It is also one of the few vegetable and fruit processing facilities in Singapore that is Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)-certified.

To ensure consistent quality, Hu Lee even has data loggers track temperature changes in all containers carrying its fresh produce. To minimise condensation, it uses anti-frost plastic when shrink-wrapping vegetables. And each pack of vegetables can be traced back to a particular harvest at any farm in its stable through an inkjet-printed code on the packaging.

Hu Lee Impex also pre-trims raw produce such as cabbage, wongbok and other items.

'There's no wastage to the buyer, as the products are already ready for sale upon arrival at retail outlets,' said general manager for manufacturing Michal Lim. 'In normal circumstances, the retail outlets need extra manpower to shave off the first few layers, and that is cost to them. So we go to such an extent to value-add to our vegetables.'

Pre-trimming proved popular with retailers such as NTUC Fairprice, Cold Storage and Giant. Two years ago, the company also started to add value for restaurants.

'If you look at F&B outlets in shopping malls these days, the kitchens are very small,' says Mr Tan. 'Because of high rents, they have to maximise the dining area.'

Seeing a need for pre-cut food ingredients, Hu Lee set up a sister firm Cultured Greens, focusing on pre-diced, pre-sliced and pre-shredded vegetables and pre-cut fruits, customised and pre-packed to restaurants' needs and delivered.

It was a far-sighted move, considering the lifestyle changes happening as people are spending more time at work. As Mr Tan observes, the number of people patronising wet markets is falling, while patronage at F&B outlets is growing as Singaporeans eat out more.

Chains such as Coffee Bean, Subway, Delifrance, Pepper Lunch, Pasta Mania and the Suki Group are already customers of Cultured Greens. Boosted by a 150 per cent jump in sales at Cultured Greens, Hu Lee expects to generate revenue of $28-30 million this year, up from about $24 million last year.

In time to come, Cultured Greens may move into the consumer segment through ready-to-eat salad packs and ready-to-cook ingredients. But the priority in the next few years is brand creation and building. The group is hopeful that it has a chance at clinching mind space, as there is yet a prominent vegetable brand in the world.

'We want to build a brand for Asian leafy vegetables in Singapore and grow it regionally,' says Mr Tan. 'We already sell some of our vegetables at Jusco in Qingdao, unbranded, and at the same price you see in Singapore. We are amazed by the Chinese people's spending power.'

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JTC looking into radical ways to optimise land use in Singapore

Use of mega-hoist and 'plug-and-play factory' being studied by JTC
Harsha Mohan, Straits Times 5 Jan 10;

JTC is looking to overcome Singapore's chronic land shortage problem by using two radical land-optimisation concepts.

The industrial land agency has come up with what it terms the 'cluster industrial complex with mega-hoist', and the 'plug-and-play factory'.

The first proposes the use of mega-hoists - commonly used in port operations - which would permit containers to be hoisted from ground level to the 'doorstep' of each floor of a complex and eliminate the need for ramps.

This mechanism is better equipped for multi-storey buildings and enables JTC to consider constructing taller ones on a plot of land, reducing land usage by 0.5ha.

JTC's existing pioneering stack-up facility, Woodlands Spectrum, has a plot ratio (the gross floor area of a building divided by the site area) of 2.04, but a mega-hoist in a stack-up facility would take this ratio to 2.5.

Ngee Ann Polytechnic real estate lecturer Nicholas Mak described the concept as 'radical' but not necessarily without problems. 'With many small users, there might be a long queue for the hoist during certain peak hours, resulting in a bottleneck,' he said.

Savills' director of industrial services Dominic Peters expressed similar concerns. 'Given time taken with a hoist, it may not be as productive as a typical ramp.'

The second concept, the plug-and-play factory, is designed for industries such as oil, gaS and aerospace, where operations cannot be conducted in multi-stacked facilities.

It greatly reduces the quantity of land used for an industrial development via the use of shared services and what is called co-location.

Companies have to share a centralised 'backbone' that comprises warehousing and logistic facilities, as well as a workers' dormitory.

Factories are located alongside, with each plugging into the backbone's services. Such an integrated facility would enable more factories to be built on a smaller piece of land, with land use cut by 35 per cent.

Mr Peters added that 'stand-alone facilities are important due to business secrecy' and confidentiality, and competition may not favour co-locating.

It is thought that the centralised housing for foreign workers envisaged by the approach may provide a solution to the ongoing problem of finding suitable accommodation for migrant workers.

JTC is currently conducting a feasibility study of the two concepts, which it expects to conclude by the end of the year. Ms Josephine Loke, director of land planning at JTC, said that the key is ensuring operating costs did not increase for industrialists.

She disclosed that the techniques would most likely be tested in Jurong first and, if successful, then rolled out to industrial areas in the east.

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UN opens Biodiversity Year with plea to save world's life-supporting ecosystems

UNEP 1 Jan 10;

1 January 2010 - In a bid to curb the unprecedented loss of the world's species due to human activity - at a rate some experts put at 1,000 times the natural progression - the United Nations is marking 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity, with a slew of events highlighting the vital role the phenomenon plays in maintaining the life support system on Planet Earth.

"Humans are part of nature's rich diversity and have the power to protect or destroy it," the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which is hosted by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), said in summarizing the Year's main message, with its focus on raising awareness to generate public pressure for action by the world's decision makers.

"Biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth, is essential to sustaining the living networks and systems that provide us all with health, wealth, food, fuel and the vital services our lives depend on. Human activity is causing the diversity of life on Earth to be lost at a greatly accelerated rate.

These losses are irreversible, impoverish us all and damage the life support systems we rely on every day. But we can prevent them."

The Convention - which opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, entered into force at the end of 1993 and now has 193 Parties - is based on the premise that the world's diverse ecosystems purify the air and the water that are the basis of life, stabilize and moderate the Earth's climate, renew soil fertility, cycle nutrients and pollinate plants.

As a former UNEP Executive Director, Klaus Töpfer, put it: "If any part of the web suffers breaks down, the future of life on the planet will be at risk." That is why the UN General Assembly proclaimed 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity.

Although initial celebrations began in November under the slogan "Biodiversity is life, biodiversity is our life," the official launch will take place in Berlin on 11 January. This will be followed on 21 and 22 January by the first major event of the Year, a high-profile meeting at the Paris headquarters of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which is expected to bring together heads of state, royalty and their representatives.

A host of other events - meetings, symposia, multi-media exhibitions - will follow throughout the year in venues around world, from Trondheim, Norway, to Delhi, India, from Doha, Qatar, to Cartagena, Colombia, and from Shanghai, China, to Nairobi, Kenya, culminating in a high-level meeting at UN Headquarters in New York at the start of the General Assembly's 65th annual General Debate in September and an official closing in Kanazawa, Japan, in December.

"A wide variety of environmental goods and services that we take for granted are under threat, with profound and damaging consequences for ecosystems, economies and livelihoods," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in November at the start of the pre-celebrations.

"In this International Year, we must counter the perception that people are disconnected from our natural environment. We must increase understanding of the implications of losing biodiversity. In 2010, I call on every country and each citizen of our planet to engage in a global alliance to protect life on Earth."

The Montreal-based CBD Secretariat likewise stresses the urgency in raising public awareness of the importance of biodiversity and the consequences of its loss.

"The goal for raising awareness of these issues is to generate public pressure for action by decision makers, and to create the conditions for governments, individuals and other important sectors, to be encouraged to implement the Convention and to engage with other international and national institutions, towards achieving the goals of the Convention."

The Convention covers all ecosystems, species, and genetic resources, linking traditional conservation efforts to the economic goal of using biological resources sustainably, setting principles for the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources, notably for commercial use and covering the rapidly expanding field of biotechnology, and addressing technology development and transfer, benefit-sharing and biosafety.

While recognizing that ecosystems, species and genes must be used for the benefit of humans, the Convention stipulates that this must be done in a way and at a rate that does not lead to the long-term decline of diversity.

It offers decision-makers guidance based on the precautionary principle that where there is a threat of significant reduction or loss of biological diversity, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing measures to avoid or minimize such a threat. It acknowledges that substantial investment is required to conserve diversity, but argues that conservation will bring significant environmental, economic and social benefits in return.

Looking at the economic costs of action or inaction, a recent UN-backed Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) study estimated loss of natural capital due to deforestation and degradation at between $2 trillion and $4.5 trillion every year - "a staggering economic cost of taking nature for granted.

"It is estimated that for an annual investment of $45 billion into protected areas alone, we could secure the delivery of ecosystem services worth some $5 trillion a year," it said. "When compared to current financial losses on the markets, this is not a big price to pay. Sound ecosystem and biodiversity management, and the inclusion of Natural Capital in governmental and business accounting can start to redress inaction and reduce the cost of future losses."

Singapore celebrates International Year of Biodiversity too!

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Battle will be stepped up this year to save the tiger

Tigers top WWF list of 10 important endangered species as biodiversity campaign is launched

Robin McKie, The Observer 3 Jan 10;

Scientists and conservationists are to intensify their efforts this year to save one of Earth's most powerful, and threatened, creatures: the tiger.

Biologists have placed Panthera tigris at the top of a list of 10 key animals facing extinction, which should become the focus for major conservation efforts in 2010, they say.

"This year has been designated the International Year of Biodiversity by the United Nations and so we have created a list of 10 critically important endangered animals that we believe will need special monitoring over the next 12 months," said Diane Walkington, head of species programme for the WWF in the UK. Animals on the WWF list include the polar bear and the giant panda.

"This year will also be the Chinese Year of the Tiger, and so we have put it at the top of our list," added Walkington. "It will have special iconic importance."

Over the past century, the world's population of tigers has been reduced by 95% as a result of hunting and poaching for their body parts, which are used in traditional Asian medicine. There are only around 3,200 tigers left on the planet.

Of its nine main sub-species, three – the Bali, Caspian and Java tigers – are now extinct, while there has been no reliable siting of a fourth, the South China tiger, for 25 years. This leaves the Bengal, Amur, Indochinese, Sumatran and Malayan tigers, the numbers of which, with the exception of the Bengal and Indochinese, have been reduced to a few hundred per species.

In recent years conservationists have achieved some noticeable success in halting the decline in tiger numbers. For example, they helped to halt hunting of the Amur tiger, which lives in eastern Russia. Its numbers had dropped to a few dozen. Today there are around 500 Amur tigers, thanks to conservation measures introduced by the Russian government.

"It showed we could help the tiger," said Walkington.

However, over the past two or three years, levels of poaching have risen again while habitat problems have added to the stress on tiger numbers.

For example, sea level rises – caused by climate change – are now threatening the mangrove homes of tigers in the Sunderbans regions of Bangladesh and India. Hence the international decision to redouble efforts to save the tiger this year. "Of course, there are thousands of other species on the endangered list," added Walkington. "However, there is particular importance in selecting a creature such as the tiger for special attention.

"To save the tiger, we have to save its habitat – which is also home to many other threatened species.

"So if we get things right and save the tiger, we will also save many other species at the same time."

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Top 10 most endangered species in the world

The Telegraph 4 Jan 10;

The tiger has topped the World Wide Fund for Nature's list of species most at threat of extinction.

Below is the full list of creatures most under threat, according to the WWF.

1. Tiger

New studies indicate that there may be as few as 3,200 tigers (Panthera tigris) left in the wild. Tigers occupy less than seven per cent of their original range, which has decreased by 40 percent over the past ten years. Continuing deforestation and rampant poaching could push some tiger populations to the same fate as its now-extinct Javan and Balinese relatives in other parts of Asia.

Tigers are poached for their body parts, which are used in traditional Asian medicine, while skins are also highly prized. Additionally, sea level rise, due to climate change, threatens the mangrove habitat of a key tiger population in Bangladesh’s and India’s Sundarbans. The upcoming Chinese Year of the Tiger, starting in February 2010, will mark an important year for conservation efforts to save wild tigers, with WWF continuing to play a vital role in implementing bold new strategies to save this magnificent Asian big cat.

2. Polar Bear

The Arctic’s polar bears (Ursus maritimus) have become the iconic symbol of early victims of climate-induced habitat loss. Designated a threatened species for protection by the Endangered Species Act in the US, many polar bear populations will be vulnerable to extinction within the next century if warming trends in the Arctic continue at the current pace. WWF is supporting field research to better understand how climate change will affect polar bears and to develop adaptation strategies. WWF also works to protect critical polar bear habitat by working with governments and industry to reduce threats from shipping and oil and gas development in the region and with local communities to reduce human-bear conflict in areas where bears are already stranded on land for longer periods of time due to lack of ice.

3. Pacific Walrus

The Arctic’s Bering and Chukchi Seas are home to the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens), one of the latest victims of climate change. In September of this year, up to 200 dead walruses were spotted on the shore of the Chukchi Sea on Alaska's northwest coast. These animals use floating ice for resting, birthing and nursing calves, and protection from predators. With Arctic ice melting, the Pacific walrus is experiencing habitat loss to the extent that in September 2009, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced that adding the walrus to the Endangered Species Act may be warranted.

4. Magellanic Penguin

Once threatened primarily by oil spills, Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus), now face a larger threat as fish are displaced by warming ocean currents, forcing the birds to swim farther to find food. Last year hundreds of Magellanic penguins washed up on beaches around Rio de Janeiro, many emaciated or dead. Scientists have speculated that changes in ocean currents or temperatures, which may be related to climate change, could have been responsible for their movement more than a thousand miles north of their traditional nesting area in the southern tip of Argentina. Twelve out of the 17 penguin species are currently experiencing rapid population decline.

5. Leatherback Turtle

The largest marine turtle and one of the largest living reptiles, the leatherback turtle, (Dermochelys coriaceathe) has survived for more than a hundred million years, but is now facing extinction. Recent estimates of numbers show that this species is declining, particularly in the Pacific where as few as 2,300 adult females now remain, making the Pacific leatherback the world's most endangered marine turtle population. Atlantic turtle populations are more stable but scientists predict a decline due to the large numbers of adults being caught as bycatch and killed accidentally by fishing fleets. Additionally, rising sea levels and higher temperatures on Atlantic beaches pose a new threat to turtles and their offspring. Nest temperature strongly determines the sex of offspring, and a nest warming trend is reducing the number of male turtles. WWF aims to conserve leatherback turtle migratory pathways - by working with fisheries to decrease bycatch, by protecting critical nesting beaches, and by raising awareness so that local communities will protect turtles and their nests.

6. Bluefin Tuna

The Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is a large migratory fish found in the western and eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. Bluefin tuna is the source of highest grade sushi. Bluefin tuna fisheries are near collapse and the species at serious risk of extinction if unsustainable fishing practices in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean are not stopped. A temporary ban on the global trade of bluefin tuna would allow the overexploited species to recover. WWF is encouraging restaurants, chefs, retailers, and consumers to stop serving, buying, selling, and eating endangered bluefin tuna until this amazing species shows signs of recovery.

7. Mountain Gorilla

Scientists consider mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) to be a critically endangered gorilla subspecies, with about 720 surviving in the wild. More than 200 live in the Virunga National Park, located in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, bordering Rwanda and Uganda. War has been waged in areas around the park, with gorillas subject to related threats such as poaching and loss of habitat. Conservation efforts have led to an increase in the Virunga population by 14 per cent in the last 12 years, while the mountain gorillas other home, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda, has experienced population increases of 12 per cent over the past decade. Despite this success, the mountain gorillas status remains fragile, and WWF is working to save the great ape’s forest habitat in the mountains of the heart of Africa.

8. Monarch Butterfly

Every year millions of delicate monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) migrate from North America to their winter habitat in Mexico. A well conserved and protected high-altitude pine and fir forest in Mexico is essential for the survival of the overwintering of monarchs, which has been recognized as an endangered biological phenomenon. The protection of its reproductive habitats in the United States and Canada is also crucial to saving this species migration, one of the most remarkable natural phenomena on the planet. WWF, in collaboration with the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature, has designed an innovative conservation strategy to protect and restore the Monarch butterflies wintering habitat in Mexico, so butterflies are protected from extremes weather and other threats. WWF is also supporting local communities to establish trees nurseries that are reintroduced to the monarch butterfly reserve, creating at the same time new sources of income for the owners of the monarch forests.

9. Javan Rhinoceros

Listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List (2009), the Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is considered to be one of the most endangered large mammals in the world with only two populations existing in the wild, for a total number of less than 60 animals. Highly prized as a commodity in traditional Asian medicine, Javan rhinos have also been brought to the verge of extinction by the conversion of forest habitat to farmland. WWF has been involved in protection and conservation of the Javan rhino since 1998, supporting forest rangers to undertake increased patrolling and protection activities, conducting surveys of the rhino population, raising awareness of the importance of the rhinos to local communities, and supporting park management. Last month, highly trained sniffer dogs were used to search for traces of the extremely rare and endangered Vietnamese Javan Rhinoceros, of which no more than a dozen are thought to exist. These samples will be analysed to better understand the gender mix and whether this small population has a chance of survival.

10. Giant Panda

An international symbol of conservation since WWF’s founding in 1961, the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) which numbers around 1,600 in the wild, faces an uncertain future. Its forest habitat in the mountainous areas of southwest China has become fragmented, creating a number of small and isolated populations. WWF has been active in giant panda conservation for nearly three decades by working working with the Chinese government to protect habitats through the creation of reserves and to help local communities become less dependent on forest resources. Over half of the habitat where pandas live is now protected, and corridors are being established to connect key panda populations. But the 1,600 remaining wild pandas are still living in over 20 geographically separate areas, and infratructure development is on the increase, so there’s still much more to be done.

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The giant Amazon arapaima fish is 'under threat'

Matt Walker, BBC News 4 Jan 10;

The arapaima, a giant species of fish that lurks in the Amazon river, may be threatened by overfishing.

Studies reveal that errors in the classification of the species could mean that it is being pushed closer to the edge of extinction than thought.

The arapaima is the largest freshwater fish with scales in the world.

But there may actually be four species rather than one, say scientists, and a lack of research and management may allow some to be fished to extinction.

The threat to the future of these fish has been revealed in research conducted by Dr Leandro Castello of the Woods Hole Research Center in Falmouth, Massachusetts, US, and Professor Donald Stewart of the State University of New York in Syracuse, US.

They have reviewed what is known about populations of the arapaima, and conducted detailed investigations into the status of the fish in the wild.

Previously, it was thought there was one species of arapaima (Arapaima gigas), which also goes by the common names pirarucu or paiche.

They have the curse of being tasty and of having to breathe air
Dr Leandro Castello
Woods Hole Research Center, US

This perspective is based on a taxonomic review done over 160 years ago.

Adults grow to almost 3m in length and can weigh more than 200kg, making the fish the largest with scales living in freshwater anywhere in the world.

They are also air-breathers, coming to the surface every 5 to 15 minutes to gulp air, a behaviour which allows them to colonise muddy oxygen-poor rivers and lakes within the Amazonian basin and prey on other fish that find it difficult to move in such conditions.

However, in an ongoing study, Prof Stewart has analysed nearly all preserved specimens of supposed arapaima available in museums in the world.

So far he has only found one specimen of Arapaima gigas.

The others are suspected to be closely related species, including some as yet unreported.

"Our new analyses indicate that there are at least four species of arapaima," says Dr Castello.

"So, until further field surveys of appropriate areas are completed, we will not know if Arapaima gigas is extinct or still swimming about."

Concern about the fish's numbers comes from other work done by Dr Castello and Prof Stewart.

That suggests that arapaima sexually mature relatively late, and need very specific habitats to both live and reproduce.

Their research also shows that populations of the fish are being put under severe pressure by fishermen.

Because of the fish's huge size and habit of coming to the surface, it has long been a favoured fish to catch, with fisherman using harpoons and gill nets to land their prey.

"They have the curse of being tasty and of having to breathe air," says Dr Castello.

Fishermen have been catching large numbers of arapaima in this way since the 1800s.

But now, while a few populations are increasing, others are being overfished, say the researchers, who have published a paper warning of the fish's fate in the Journal of Applied Ichthyology.

And while Brazil implemented regulations to manage arapaima fisheries some 20 years ago, most fishermen do not follow the regulations, say the authors.

"Arapaima can be viewed as badly overexploited and under some level of threat of extinction," says Dr Castello.

One solution, they say, is to encourage community-based schemes for fisheries, and there is much need for additional action on the part of the government.

For example, their research shows that fishermen who specialise in hunting arapaima with harpoons can accurately count the fish, due to the fish's habit of breaching the surface for air.

The fishermen can then select a sustainable proportion of the population to hunt.

"Populations of arapaima managed with this system increased about 50% annually, while yielding increasing catches and hence economic profits to the fishermen," says Dr Castello.

Around 100 such community schemes are in place, and some previously overexploited populations have recovered.

"Such results are extremely rare in wildlife conservation, especially in tropical countries where wildlife conservation challenges are greater than elsewhere," says Dr Castello.

But much more needs to be done to research these fish in more detail and prevent overfishing, the scientists warn.

In particular, "the present situation may be one in which one species of arapaima is recovering in certain areas, while unrecognised species are going extinct," they say.

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Mangroves in Indonesia damaged by tin mining

70% of mangrove forests in Babel damaged
Antara 4 Jan 10;

Pangkalpinang (ANTARA News) - Around 70 percent of a total of 122,000 hectares of mangrove forests in Bangka Belitung (Babel) province were damaged by tin mining operations, a forest affairs official said.

"The damage on the mangrove forests is among others caused by mining activities in the coastal regions," head of the Babel Forestry Agency Sukandar said here Sunday.
According to him, the mangrove forest destruction can kill rabs and shrimps.

"Floods and abrasion could occur at any time due to damage to the mangrove forests, and the economy of the local fishermen will also be affected," he said.

The mangrove forest damage occurred in every district of the province that needs serious handling to restore and preserve the mangrove forests, he stated.

"We`ve planted 2,000 mangrove seedlings to restore the damaged mangrove forests, as the realization of the 100 working-day program in the forestry sector," he said, adding that his office will set up a team to minimize the mangrove forests damage caused by tin mining operations. (*)

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Hong Kong air pollution: 'life-threatening' levels

Yahoo News 4 Jan 10;

HONG KONG (AFP) – Hong Kong's roadside air pollution reached life-threatening levels one in every eight days last year, a report said Monday, citing figures obtained from the government.

The roadside air pollution index recorded by the Environmental Protection Department showed there were 44 days of "very high pollution" in the Central district last year, the South China Morning Post said.

The figure was significantly higher than 39 days in 2008 and 13 days in 2005, the newspaper said.

"Very high pollution" levels -- with the air pollution index exceeding 100 -- can significantly aggravate the symptoms of people with heart or respiratory illness, the department said.

Healthy people may experience irritation to the eyes, wheezing, coughing and sore throats.

A roadside station in the densely-populated Mongkok district recorded 37 "very high pollution" days last year, compared to just one five years ago, the report said.

In Causeway Bay, another busy shopping and residential hub, the figure is up five-fold from 2005, reaching 25 days, the report said.

A department spokesman said the trend could be partly attributed to unfavourable weather conditions and that the index did not reflect the full picture.

"Selective picking of a certain range of Air Pollution Index readings for comparison will not give a fair and comprehensive picture of how air quality changes over the years," a department spokesman said in a written reply to AFP.

However, a team of scientists said findings from their own research show that the roadside pollutant levels in Central were two or three times higher than the government figures.

"From the findings of our study, we can logically deduce that the number of 'very high pollution' days would be more than the (government's) figure," said team leader Chak Chan, acting head of the environment division at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Chan said their findings were more accurate because they used mobile measuring devices, while the government used stationary tools.

Air quality in Hong Kong continues to deteriorate due to emissions from the southern Chinese factory belt over Hong Kong's northern border and local emissions from power generators and transport.

The city has been wrapped in a thick blanket of haze for most days in recent months.

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Invasive species threaten US biodiversity

As 2010, the UN's International Year of Biodiversity, gets underway, a fight against some of the most damaging invasive species in US waterways is heating up. From IPS, part of the Guardian Environment Network
Matthew Berger, from IPS, part of the Guardian Environment Network
guardian.co.uk 5 Jan 10;

As 2010, the UN's International Year of Biodiversity, gets underway, a fight against some of the most damaging invasive species in US waterways is heating up.

The UN says some experts put the rate at which species are disappearing at 1,000 times the natural rate, and invasive species – which consume the food or habitat of native species, or the native species themselves – are one factor contributing to this acceleration. Climate change is another major factor.

"Often it will be the combination of climate change and [invasive] pests operating together that will wipe species out," says Tim Low of the Australia-based Invasive Species Council.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature says that 38% of the 44,838 species catalogued on its Red List are "threatened with extinction" – and at least 40% of all animal extinctions for which the cause is known are the result of invasive species.

But just as invasives are not the only threat to biodiversity, the threat to biodiversity is not the only problem caused by the havoc – ecological as well as economic – wreaked by species that are transported to a foreign habitat, get a foothold there and spread, often voraciously.

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity says the spread of invasives costs 1.4 trillion dollars a year globally in damages and control measures. The US alone loses 138 billion dollars a year in the fight.

The problem can be seen throughout US waterways, from Asian clams in California's Lake Tahoe to snakehead fish in the East Coast's Potomac River. One of the most immediate threats – Asian carp – is currently on the doorstep of the Great Lakes ecosystem, where it could decimate a seven-billion-dollar fishing industry among other economic and ecological assets.

After being imported to the south-eastern US in the 1970s for use in containing aquatic plants, bighead and silver carp, collectively referred to as Asian carp, eventually escaped from fish farms there and made their way north via the Mississippi River. They have taken over stretches of adjoining waterways such as the Illinois River and evidence was found in November that the fish are within seven miles of Lake Michigan.

The concerns over what a carp infestation might mean for the Great Lakes' industries and environment are several-fold. Asian carp are voracious eaters, consuming 40 times their body weight in a day, and females can carry a million eggs and spawn multiple times in a season.

Silver carp, which can top out at 1.2 metres and 45 kilogrammes, jump far out of the water at the sound of a boat motor. They are generally unappealing to U.S. consumers as food fish due to the floating bones in their flesh.

The battle over how to protect the Great Lakes ecosystem – which accounts for 20% of the world's freshwater – has now made it to the US Supreme Court, where Michigan and other Great Lakes states are suing the state of Illinois to temporarily shut canals in the Chicago area that connect the Mississippi River system to Lake Michigan, thus blocking the fish's path until a tenable solution is agreed.

The lakes have been hit before. Zebra mussels, for instance, have colonised the region's waters beginning in the late 1980s. Zebra and quagga mussels, both of which were most likely transported to the US in the ballast water of trans-oceanic ships, have since spread across the country, clogging pipelines and water intakes at significant economic cost.

At Nevada's massive Hoover Dam, quagga mussels have forced some turbines to be temporarily shut down, affecting 1.6 million electricity users.

In terms of damage to biodiversity, Asian carp crowd out other species by simply eating and reproducing more and faster. They make up 95% of the biomass in some stretches of the Illinois River. Similarly, when the Nile Perch was introduced to Africa's Lake Victoria, 100 to 150 endemic fish species were wiped out.
The role of climate change

Local species may become even more vulnerable to certain invaders as the effects of climate change are increasingly felt and habitats are disrupted by phenomena such as warmer temperatures and rising sea levels.

"We know invasive species can capitalise on these disturbances," says Scott Loarie, a co-author of a study in the current issue of the journal Nature which points out how fast species will have to migrate to keep pace with a changing climate. As ecosystems are transformed, "weedy-type species might be able to adapt and expand better than the original species," he says.

"In Australia, temperatures have risen the most at the highest altitudes, and these are the places where invasive species have multiplied the most," says Low. "In the Australian Alps, introduced foxes, rabbits, hares, house mice, horses and weeds have all increased either in numbers or in range."

The effects on biodiversity are evident. "The foxes are a real concern", he says, explaining that the Bogong moths that used to be a major food source for foxes are migrating to the mountains later in the season due to changing temperatures. This means foxes are preying on other species, such as the endangered mountain pygmy possum, which also rely on the moths for food and are now forced to spend more time in the open searching for food.

A changing climate is likely to hit aquatic species quickest. A recent study by researchers at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory found that lake surface temperatures in six Northern California and Nevada lakes are, on average, warming at twice the rate of the surrounding air.

One potential fallout of this trend is a more hospitable environment for invasive species, like the Asian clam that first appeared in California's Lake Tahoe at the beginning of this century but which is now prevalent enough that its waste has caused algae blooms in the lake's tourist-drawing crystal waters.

On the other side of the globe, river flows are decreasing in West Africa due to less precipitation at their sources, a result of climate change. This has allowed the South American native water hyacinth to prosper. The hyacinth clogs rivers and water intakes, blocks sunlight, and crowds out native species.

Back on the land, plants like serrated tussock have invaded grazing land in Australia and elsewhere, pushing out the native grasses livestock depend on with devastating speed. Low says invasive plants alone cost Australia over 3.5 billion dollars in agriculture losses and control efforts.

And the mountain pine beetle, aided by milder winter temperatures, is devastating British Columbia forests. Changing temperatures have also allowed the beetle to move to higher latitudes. It is expected to kill almost 80 percent of pine in the province by 2015.

The list goes on.

Though climate change is only one factor in the spread of invasives, these intruders are generally given a leg up by the disruptions caused by a changing climate since they are typically very hardy species and adept at capitalising on opportunities to colonise areas.

"Climate change is creating some difficult conditions for a number of living organisms and most of the invasive alien species are more resistant, more opportunistic than the organisms in a given place," the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity's Kalemani Mulongoy said in November.

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China diesel spill reaches Yellow River

Reuters 4 Jan 10;

BEIJING (Reuters) - A spill of around 150,000 litres of diesel oil from a broken pipeline in northwestern China into a river has started reaching the Yellow River, but drinking water is safe for now, state media said on Monday.

The leak, from a pipeline owned by China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) in Shaanxi province, was discovered on Wednesday.

The company turned off the tap when the accident happened, according to state media, but not before some of the diesel ended up in the Weihe River, a tributary of the Yellow River, a major water source for millions of people.

Despite the efforts of hundreds of people using barrages and other methods to clean up the diesel, the pollution had reached the Yellow River, the official Xinhua news agency said on its website (www.xinhuanet.com).

The populous but poor province of Henan is the first to have been affected, the report said, and the local government had begun taking emergency measures to guarantee safe drinking water, though say there is no need for alarm just yet.

"At present, cities along the river in Henan province have sufficient water resources," Xinhua said.

The province "will work all out to deal with the situation and ensure the safety of drinking water for cities along the Yellow River," it added.

The teaming provincial capital of Zhengzhou is one of the cities which relies on the Yellow River.

The province is setting up additional testing stations along the river and will test the water quality hourly, Xinhua said.

China periodically faces spills into rivers that result in water supplies being cut off, most seriously in 2005 when an explosion at an industrial plant sent toxic chemicals streaming into the Songhua River in the northeastern city of Harbin, forcing the shutdown of water supplies to nearly 4 million people.

Run-off from heavy fertiliser use, industrial waste and untreated sewage also caused a foul-smelling algae bloom on a lake in the southern province of Jiangsu in 2007 that left tap water undrinkable in a city of more than 2 million.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie)

China water warning as oil spill hits Yellow River
BBC News 3 Jan 10;

Pollution from a broken oil pipeline in northern China has now reached one of the country's major water sources - the Yellow River, state media say.

Hundreds of workers had battled to contain the oil upstream, but officials discovered traces in the river itself.

The traces were found about 200km (124 miles) upstream from Zhengzhou.

Three counties in neighbouring Shaanxi province have warned people not to take supplies from the river or drink river water.

Correspondents say local towns and cities get some of their water from the river, the rest from underground water sources.

Floating dams

The official Xinhua news agency said: "At present, cities along the river in Henan province have sufficient water resources."

About 150,000 litres of diesel poured into the Wei river in Shaanxi province after a construction accident on Wednesday, state media reported.
Map

The leak occurred on the fuel pipeline operated by the state-run China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) that connects Lanzhou in the north-west province of Gansu with Zhengzhou in central Henan province, according to the China Daily newspaper.

The diesel first went into the Chishui river, a tributary of the Wei.

Around 700 emergency workers are said to be labouring round the clock, using floating dams and solidifying agents to contain the spill.

Their task has been helped by the current cold weather in the region.

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Sun, wind and wave-powered: Europe unites to build renewable energy 'supergrid'

• North Sea countries plan vast clean energy project
• €30bn scheme could offer weather-proof supply

Alok Jha, guardian.co.uk 3 Jan 10;

It would connect turbines off the wind-lashed north coast of Scotland with Germany's vast arrays of solar panels, and join the power of waves crashing on to the Belgian and Danish coasts with the hydro-electric dams nestled in Norway's fjords: Europe's first electricity grid dedicated to renewable power will become a political reality this month, as nine countries formally draw up plans to link their clean energy projects around the North Sea.

The network, made up of thousands of kilometres of highly efficient undersea cables that could cost up to €30bn (£26.5bn), would solve one of the biggest criticisms faced by renewable power – that unpredictable weather means it is unreliable.

With a renewables supergrid, electricity can be supplied across the continent from wherever the wind is blowing, the sun is shining or the waves are crashing.

Connected to Norway's many hydro-electric power stations, it could act as a giant 30GW battery for Europe's clean energy, storing electricity when demand is low and be a major step towards a continent-wide supergrid that could link into the vast potential of solar power farms in North Africa.

By autumn, the nine governments involved – Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden and Ireland and the UK – hope to have a plan to begin building a high-voltage direct current network within the next decade. It will be an important step in achieving the European Union's pledge that, by 2020, 20% of its energy will come from renewable sources.

"We recognise that the North Sea has huge resources, we are exploiting those in the UK quite intensively at the moment," said the UK's energy and climate change minister, Lord Hunt. "But there are projects where it might make sense to join up with other countries, so this comes at a very good time for us."

More than 100GW of offshore wind projects are under development in Europe, around 10% of the EU's electricity demand, and equivalent to about 100 large coal-fired plants. The surge in wind power means the continent's grid needs to be adapted, according to Justin Wilkes of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). An EWEA study last year outlined where these cables might be built and this is likely to be a starting point for the discussions by the nine countries.

Renewable energy is much more decentralised and is often built in inhospitable places, far from cities. A supergrid in the North Sea would enable a secure and reliable energy supply from renewables by balancing power across the continent.

Norway's hydro plants – equivalent to about 30 large coal-fired power stations – could use excess power to pump water uphill, ready to let it rush down again, generating electricity, when demand is high. "The benefits of an offshore supergrid are not simply to allow offshore wind farms to connect; if you have additional capacity, which you will do within these lines, it will allow power trading between countries and that improves EU competitiveness," said Wilkes.

The European Commission has also been studying proposals for a renewable-electricity grid in the North Sea. A working group in the EC's energy department, led by Georg Wilhelm Adamowitsch, will produce a plan by the end of 2010. He has warned that without additional transmission infrastructure, the EU will not be able to meet its ambitious targets. Hunt said the EC working group's findings would be fed into the nine-country grid plan.

The cost of a North Sea grid has not yet been calculated, but a study by Greenpeace in 2008 put the price of building a similar grid by 2025 at €15bn-€20bn. This would provide more than 6,000km of cable around the region. The EWEA's 2009 study suggested the costs of connecting the proposed 100GW wind farms and building interconnectors, into which further wind and wave power farms could be plugged in future, would probably push the bill closer to €30bn. The technical, planning, legal and environmental issues will be discussed at the meeting of the nine this month.

"The first thing we're aiming for is a common vision," said Hunt. "We will hopefully sign a memorandum of understanding in the autumn with ministers setting out what we're trying to do and how we plan to do it."

All those involved also have an eye on the future, said Wilkes. "The North Sea grid would be the backbone of the future European electricity supergrid," he said. This supergrid, which has support from scientists at the commission's Institute for Energy (IE), and political backing from both the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and Gordon Brown, would link huge solar farms in southern Europe – producing electricity either through photovoltaic cells, or by concentrating the sun's heat to boil water and drive turbines – with marine, geothermal and wind projects elsewhere on the continent. Scientists at the IE have estimated it would require the capture of just 0.3% of the light falling on the Sahara and the deserts of the Middle East to meet all Europe's energy needs.

In this grid, electricity would be transmitted along high voltage direct current cables. These are more expensive than traditional alternating-current cables, but they lose less energy over long distances.

Hunt agreed that the European supergrid was a long-term dream, but one worth making a reality. The UK, like other countries, faced "huge challenges with our renewables targets," he said. "The 2020 target is just the beginning and then we've got to aim for 2050 with a decarbonised electricity supply – so we need all the renewables we can get."
A North Sea grid could link into grids proposed for a much larger German-led plan for renewables called the Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII). This aims to provide 15% of Europe's electricity by 2050 or earlier via power lines stretching across desert and the Mediterranean. The plan was launched last November with partners including Munich Re, the world's biggest reinsurer, and some of Germany's biggest engineering and power companies, including Siemens, E.ON, ABB and Deutsche Bank. DII is a $400bn (£240bn) plan to use concentrated solar power (CSP) in southern Europe and northern Africa. This technology uses mirrors to concentrate the sun's rays on a fluid container, the super-heated liquid then drives turbines to generate electricity. The technology itself is nothing new – CSP plants have been running in the United States for decades and Spain is building many – but the scale of the DII project would be its biggest deployment ever.

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Giant Carbon "Vault" Proposed Near New York City

Brian Handwerk, National Geographic News 4 Jan 10;

Several new underwater "vaults" that could stash the potent greenhouse gas carbon dioxide have been found—and one of them is right outside New York City, a new study says.

Such close-in vaults would be convenient, but could pose an earthquake risk, experts say.

Some of Earth's largest ancient lava flows lie below the Atlantic Ocean seafloor not far from the Big Apple.

The vault regions include rubble-filled, fractured, and otherwise porous volcanic layers in which massive amounts of liquid CO2 could be safely stored, the research found.

"We're saying, here's a potential reservoir that has favorable characteristics, and it might be worth looking at some more," said study author Dennis Kent, a geologist at Rutgers University.

It's unknown how much the New York City-area reservoir could hold. But scientists estimate that one vault near the beach in Sandy Hook, New Jersey, could store emissions from up to four coal power plants for the next 40 years.

However such underground carbon storage is still in the preliminary phase, with pilot projects underway in Iceland and in the United States' Columbia River plateau, experts say.

Great Jersey Valley

The team used seismic imaging to discover several promising carbon-storage sites within the undersea Central Atlantic Magmatic Province, which stretches along the eastern U.S. and Canadian coasts.

The rocks formed when lava oozed out some 200 million years ago as the supercontinent Pangaea broke apart.

At the time, New Jersey was home to a great rift valley full of volcanic-rock flows. The area looked like today's East Africa, where the Horn of Africa is slowly drifting away from the rest of the continent.

In some cases the rock formations stretch right up to beaches like Sandy Hook. Other sites lie a dozen or so miles offshore, according to the study, published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

High pressures and cool temperatures far beneath the ocean floor should maintain CO2 as a liquid denser than seawater—making leaks unlikely, Kent said.

A thick, overlying layer of seafloor rock and sediment would also serve as an additional natural seal to prevent escape.

But if CO2 leaks did occur, they could hurt marine wildlife and change ocean chemistry.

Quake Risk

Storing carbon close to cities could pose both advantages and risks, experts say.

For one, CO2 could be more easily captured from nearby smokestacks or other polluting sources, without the logistical challenges and expenses of long-distance transport.

On the other hand, keeping CO2 vaults so close to metropolises may be disastrous should anything go wrong.

For instance, the project carries the potential risk of triggering earthquakes, Kent said.

"Even though this is a seismically benign area, by overpressuring [the rock] a bit and changing local stresses, it's conceivable that earthquakes could be triggered."

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Climate change has no time for delay or denial

Powerful vested interests and climate sceptics will work overtime to block legislation and discredit the science ahead of the next global climate summit in Mexico

Rajendra Pachauri guardian.co.uk 4 Jan 10;

It is often said by perceptive observers that a disconnect is in evidence in many countries between a public that want stringent action to tackle climate change and what governments are actually doing.

The United States, for example - which for many years has had no forward-looking policies in reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) - is still encumbered with a large number of senators unwilling to act on account of partisanship or scepticism about the science of climate change.

It is a well-known fact that powerful vested interests and those opposed to action on climate change are working overtime to see that they can stall action for as long as possible.

The Centre for Public Integrity in the US has found that some 770 companies and interest groups have hired an estimated 2,340 lobbyists to influence America's federal policies on climate change in the past year, just as the stakes became higher with the prospect of far-reaching climate legislation in the US. That translates into more than four lobbyists for each member of Congress in Washington DC.

The climate sceptics have also been active in other ways. Take the hacking of emails from the University of East Anglia and the use of private communications between the scientists involved to discredit the science contained in the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which I chair. These scientists are highly reputed professionals, whose contributions over the years to scientific knowledge are unquestionable.

But, more importantly, even the allegations made on the basis of the stolen emails have proved incorrect. The papers which were criticised in the emails were actually discussed in detail in chapter six of the Working Group I report of the AR4. Furthermore, articles from the journal Climate Research, which was also decried in the emails, have been cited 47 times in the Working Group I report. It is also a well-established fact that the IPCC relies on datasets - not from any single source - but from a number of institutions in different parts of the world. Significantly, the datasets from East Anglia were totally consistent with those from other institutions, on the basis of which far-reaching and meaningful conclusions were reached in the AR4.

The same group of climate deniers who have been active across the Atlantic have now joined hands to attack me personally, alleging business interests on my part which are supposedly benefiting me as well as the Indian Tata group of companies. My institute, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), has no links with the Tata group, other than having been established through seed funding from that group as a non-profit registered society in 1974, much like several other non-profit institutions of excellence set up by the Tatas for the larger public good. As for pecuniary benefits from advice that I may be rendering to profit making organisations, these payments are all made directly to my institute, without a single penny being received by me.

I am providing this background only to highlight the fact that powerful vested interests are perhaps likely to get overactive in the coming months, and would perhaps do everything in their power to impede progress towards a binding agreement that is hoped for by the end of 2010 in the next major climate negotiations in Mexico City. In the end, knowledge and science will undoubtedly triumph, but delay in reducing emissions of greenhouse gases would only lead to worse impacts of climate change and growing hardship for the most vulnerable regions in the world, which are also unfortunately some of the poorest communities on earth.

A multilateral agreement to tackle climate change is absolutely essential, but given the slow pace of progress and the power that vested interests exercise over legislative and policy initiatives in democratic societies, something more may be essential. Firstly, given the critical role of the United States in forging an effective agreement to meet the challenge, the passage of legislation in that country will have to be supplemented with several initiatives to be put in place by the executive branch of the government.

But importantly, it seems to me that civil society and grassroots action would have to come into their own, not only to ensure that human society takes responsibility for action at the most basic level, but also to create upward pressure on governments to act decisively. If such grassroots efforts do not spread and intensify, nation states may not be able to resolve the differences that exist between them.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the spread of knowledge and awareness would be a critical driver of the transformation that is required to move human society towards a pattern of sustainable development. This would also be the most effective means of thwarting the efforts of skeptics and vested interests, who will do everything possible to maintain the status quo. As the science in the IPCC Fourth Assessment report clearly demonstrates, there is no leeway for delay or denial any longer.

• Rajendra Pachauri chairs the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and is director-general of The Energy & Resources Institute

Climate change scepticism will increase hardship for world's poor: IPCC chief
Rajendra Pachauri predicts lobbying will intensify to impede progress to agreement on binding treaty in Mexico City
Adam Vaughan guardian.co.uk 4 Jan 10;

Climate change scepticism is likely to surge in 2010 and could exacerbate "hardship" for the planet's poorest people, one of the world's leading authorities on climate change has told the Guardian.

Writing on environmentguardian.co.uk today, Rajendra Pachauri, the chair of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, also dismisses suggestions that he is personally profiting from policies to tackle global warming.

Climate sceptics gained media attention in the run up to the Copenhagen climate summit after alleging that hacked emails between senior climate scientists showed that an important temperature record was flawed — a charge rejected by governments and scientific bodies. In Australia, sceptics within the party led to the ousting of the leader of the opposition over new climate laws.

Pachauri predicted this year would see further scepticism. "Powerful vested interests are perhaps likely to get overactive in the coming months, and would perhaps do everything in their power to impede progress towards a binding agreement that is hoped for by the end of 2010 in Mexico City," he said. "Those opposed to action on climate change are working overtime to see that they can stall action for as long as possible."

After a weak deal in Copenhagen, Pachauri warned that allowing scepticism to delay international action on global warming would endanger the lives of the world's poorest people. "In the end, knowledge and science will undoubtedly triumph, but delay in reducing emissions of greenhouse gases would only lead to worse impacts of climate change and growing hardship for the most vulnerable regions in the world, which are also unfortunately some of the poorest communities on Earth."

Pachauri, a vegetarian, has previously described western lifestyles as unsustainable and advocated a diet including one meat-free day a week. He singled out lobbyists in the US for attempting to delay America's climate legislation, which is crucial for a global deal but is currently stalled in the Senate. Last year the Centre for Public Integrity found that 770 companies and interest groups hired an estimated 2,340 lobbyists to influence US policies on climate change, while America's oil, gas and coal industry increased its lobbying budget by 50%.

Pachauri said action from President Obama would be needed on top of Senate legislation. "The passage of legislation in that country [the US] will have to be supplemented with several initiatives to be put in place by the executive branch of the government," Pachauri said.

Bob Ward, policy and communications director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, said Pachauri was right on the level of sceptical activity. "We are already witnessing extraordinary efforts by powerful lobbies, in the US and Australia in particular, which are opposed to the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. There is a strong alliance of ideologically driven right-wingers, who reject environmental legislation on principle, and lobbyists for some hydrocarbon companies, who place the short-term commercial interests of their clients ahead of the wider public interest. Both have the common goal of delaying restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions, and both use the tactics pioneered by the tobacco industry, hiding their true motivations behind inaccurate and misleading claims about uncertainties in the science."

But Tony Kreindler of the Environmental Defence Fund, which has been following US climate legislation, said the number of climate sceptic lobbyists was now being matched by companies supporting legislation to cap carbon emissions. However, he added: "Opponents of action and the old sceptics will of course ramp up their lobbying this year as well, as they do anytime the Congress is on the verge of making law. We already have a bill through the House of Representatives and a bipartisan effort underway in the Senate. The President made his commitment clear in Copenhagen to legislation because it's in our national interest. This year is not a dress rehearsal, and everyone on both sides gets that."

On the stolen emails, Pachauri said the contents did not impact on climate science, adding that "the allegations made on the basis of the stolen emails have proved incorrect."

The University of East Anglia is currently undertaking an independent review of the hacking incident, led by senior civil servant Sir Muir Russell. The review is expected to be published in the spring, but a university spokesman said today that Sir Russell will "determine his final timescale after completing his initial scoping exercise". He added that the university had also responded to a letter from the science and technology committee of MPs asking for an explanation of the incident. The IPCC is conducting its own review into the stolen emails.

Pachauri also rebutted claims in The Sunday Telegraph that, through advisory roles for Deutsche Bank, Toyota, Yale University, the Asian Development Bank and others, he was reaping personal financial gain from climate change policies that could be influenced by the reports of the IPCC he chairs. The article claimed Pachauri had been silent on the "highly lucrative commercial jobs", the rewards from which "must run into millions".

In response, he said: "The same group of climate deniers who have been active across the Atlantic have now joined hands to attack me personally. As for pecuniary benefits from advice that I may be rendering to profit-making organisations, these payments are all made directly to my institute, without a single penny being received by me."

The Nobel Peace-prize winning Pachauri called for greater activism and more campaigning to press governments into taking strong action on carbon emissions this year. "Society and grassroots action would have to come into their own, not only to ensure that human society takes responsibility for action at the most basic level, but also to create upward pressure on governments to act decisively. If such grassroots efforts do not spread and intensify, nation states may not be able to resolve the differences that exist between them."

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