Best of our wild blogs: 30 May 10

A heartbreaking sight on Tanah Merah
from Lazy Lizard's Tales

Oil of death - Where were YOU when the shores need you...
from Psychedelic Nature

What is being done about the oil spill? (29 May)
from wild shores of singapore

Kusu Island: slick-free, for now
from wild shores of singapore. Also on Singapore Nature and wonderful creation.

What is sedimentation and why does it matter?
from wild shores of singapore

There's nothing here...
from The annotated budak

Murder of our marine life at Pulau Semakau
from The Simplicities in Life

More about cruel 'Animal Liberation': video clips from RazorTV
from wild shores of singapore

Kranji Reservoir Adoption Programme Update (April 2010)
from Happenings at the Kranji Marsh

Berlayer Creek: New ICCS Site!
from News from the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore

Been to Cyrene: "Yoga sea stars!"
from Cyrene Reef Exposed!

The Bayas Revisited
from Life's Indulgences

Guided walk at Semakau on a stormy afternoon
from The Simplicities in Life and First guided walk at Pulau Hantu - 2 Apr 2010

Do owls preen and stretch during the day or night?
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Raffles Museum Treasures: Basket star
from Lazy Lizard's Tales

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Oil spill off Changi East: Singapore reports

Clean-up of oil spill at Changi and East Coast to end soon
Evelyn Lam/Joanne Chan/Evelyn Choo Channel NewsAsia 29 May 10;

SINGAPORE : The National Environment Agency (NEA) on Saturday said that clean-up efforts of the oil spill in East Coast Park and Changi Beach following a collision of two vessels on Tuesday should be complete by Sunday.

The situation in Chek Jawa at Pulau Ubin is also under control, but researchers said there could be long-term effects on the eco-system.

It was a quiet affair for volunteers and workers, all trying to nurse Chek Jawa back to health.

The oil spill had seeped into the island on Friday, and they have been working since then.

Dong Kum Sang, volunteer, National Parks Board, said: "This morning, we were here at 7am, right up to almost lunch time. We were at the mangrove site. It was not that bad, it seems to be improving."

Authorities said the eco-system was not severely damaged.

Andrew Tan, CEO, National Environment Agency, said: "As of today, most of it has been cleaned up.

"The National Parks Board, working together with groups such as the Tropical Marine Science Institute and the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, have been working hard to make sure that there is minimal environmental impact itself.

"So I think, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I would say that the situation in Chek Jawa is under control."

Researchers, on the other hand, warn of long-term effects.

Peter Ng, director, Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, said: "We have not seen mass kills, but I am sure some are affected. (In the) longer term, the oil will affect the animals and plants in different ways.

"It may reduce the reproduction, it may reduce the growth rate, it might reduce their strength. And that has long-term implications."

The public can still visit Chek Jawa, but there will be no guided walks in the next two weeks, to allow the NEA to monitor the situation.

The slick has also spread to Malaysian waters, to the east of Pulau Tekong.

Malaysian authorities have been informed and Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority and NEA are offering assistance.

Back at Changi Beach, more areas have been hit by the spill. Car parks one to four were the latest zones affected.

But Mr Tan said that the clean-up operation is on track.

He said: "Barring any new oil patches that hit our coast, we should be cleaning up most of East Coast Park and Changi Beach by tomorrow."

Meanwhile, authorities said they will continue to monitor the situation closely. - CNA/ms

Cleanup of oil slick almost completed
Jamie Ee Wen Wei, Straits Times 30 May 10;
Absorbents used to soak up the oil that has reached the Chek Jawa wetlands are seen in the foreground as visitors walk along the coastal walkway at high tide. -- ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN

The oil slick that had spread to Chek Jawa was largely cleaned up yesterday.

Since last Friday, National Environment Agency (NEA) and National Parks Board (NParks) officers and volunteers have worked to clean up the nature area, which is home to a diverse ecosystem.

No immediate signs of major damage to the ecosystem have been observed, said NParks director Wong Tuan Wah.

Over at Changi Beach, new areas were hit by the oil slick even as the cleanup of other affected areas was almost completed.

Light staining of parts of the beach between carparks 1 and 4 was observed, the NEA said in a press statement.

Workers were deployed immediately to deal with the problem. The affected parts of the beach have been closed and signs put up to warn the public not to venture into the water.

The pollution is the result of a collision between an oil tanker and a bulk carrier last Tuesday morning. Some 2,500 tonnes of oil leaked into the water, causing a 4 sq km slick.

In a separate press statement, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said an oil slick was observed yesterday morning in Malaysian waters off Tanjong Pengelih, east of Pulau Tekong.

The MPA and NEA have informed their Malaysian counterparts and offered assistance in line with the Standard Operating Procedure for Joint Oil Spill Combat in the straits of Malacca and Singapore.

The MPA said it is closely monitoring the waters around Pulau Tekong.

To date, the NEA and ship operator AET have deployed 405 workers to the affected beaches in East Coast Park, Changi Beach and Pulau Ubin.

About 40 tonnes of sand contaminated with oil have been shovelled up and disposed at the Semakau offshore landfill.

With the prevailing winds blowing from south/south-east to south/south-west and depending on the sea currents over the next few days, the NEA said oil patches may still end up on the beaches.

While the patches along the shore of East Coast Park have been largely contained, the beach remains closed to the public.

Yesterday, the area was quieter than usual and most beach-goers avoided going near the water.

Mr Krishnan Kuppuswamy, 56, a director of a trading company, was one of those who turned up for a picnic with his family.

'We weren't planning to swim. We just came to enjoy the sea breeze. You can't really smell anything today.'

The NEA said it did not detect any toxic chemicals in the air and only a faint smell from the oil patches remained yesterday.

At Chek Jawa, workers and NParks volunteers endured the scorching heat yesterday to clean up the shoreline hit by the oil slick last Friday.

NParks' Mr Wong said there has been an outpouring of support from people to join in the effort.

But given the fragility of the ecosystem at Chek Jawa, he said NParks preferred to work with volunteers familiar with the area or those with expertise.

The nature area is still open to visitors but all guided walks have been suspended for two weeks.

Scientists wait to assess impact on wildlife
Straits Times 30 May 10;

The oil slick that has hit the Chek Jawa wetlands has not resulted in any mass destruction of wildlife there.

However, signs of death may show up over the next few days.

That is the view of Professor Peter Ng, director of the Tropical Marine Science Institute at the National University of Singapore.

'In the short term, some animals will die. We have not seen mass kills but I'm sure some are affected,' he told reporters during a trip to the wetlands yesterday to observe the damage. The breathing of fishes, for example, will be affected if their gills are coated with oil.

Prof Ng and his team of researchers have been working closely with the National Parks Board to monitor the situation at the nature area.

Yesterday, fishes and crabs could still be spotted near the shoreline.

While the scale of the pollution was 'minor', he cautioned that any amount could upset the fragile ecosystem in Chek Jawa.

With most of the oil patches along the wetlands cleaned up yesterday evening, he said the next step will be to monitor the long- term effects of the pollution.

As this is the first major pollution in the area, it is unclear how the ecosystem there will react.

Oil pollution could reduce the reproduction rate of the wildlife and stunt its growth, he said, adding that the accident was a 'wake-up call as to what can go wrong'.

A post-mortem of the clean-up efforts should be done to help the relevant bodies prepare for a similar situation, or worse.

'The authorities have already done what there is to be done... At this stage, the system has to self-recover,' he said. 'If we don't let too much oil hit it, the chances of recovery are not too bad.'

Jamie Ee Wen Wei

Volunteers help clean up shoreline
Nature lovers brave the heat and smell to clear some of the oil sludge at Chek Jawa
Jamie Ee Wen Wei, Straits Times 30 May 10;

Nature lovers got their hands dirty yesterday as they did their bit to clean up the affected shoreline at Chek Jawa on Pulau Ubin.

Work began at 7.30am when the tide was low. Using shovels, the volunteers dug up the brown oil sludge that had coated the shoreline and transferred it into large plastic bags.

Some used oil-absorbent cloths provided by the National Parks Board (NParks) to clean rock surfaces and mangrove roots stained by the oil - all this while stepping gingerly on the mudflats, which have roots and organisms living underneath.

'It's quite tricky to work on the mudflats because you don't want to damage the plants and roots,' said volunteer Tan Hang Chong, who is in his 30s.

'There may also be dangerous animals like the stonefish.'

More than 12 experienced volunteers were mobilised by NParks last Friday when the oil slick spread to Chek Jawa, to help with the cleanup there.

At 4pm that day, they started their work, which lasted about three hours. They continued yesterday.

They complemented the efforts of 107 workers deployed to the nature area, which had about 150m of its shoreline showing patches of oil.

Retired civil servant Wong Kum Sang, 60, an NParks volunteer who gives guided tours at Chek Jawa, said: 'I was very worried. I thought of the biodiversity there, and this will definitely affect the plants and animals.'

Another volunteer, Ms Alyce Ang, a freelance nature guide, said: 'We knew the cleanup had to be done quickly. Once the oil seeps into the ground, the damage will be great.'

Indeed, time was not on the volunteers' side.

They were able to carry out their work only during low tide, which lasted about two to three hours.

Mr Tan said: 'Our priority was to remove the sludge rather than rescue the animals.'

The volunteers were given tools and boots by NParks.

Most of them were involved in an oil spill cleanup for the first time.

It certainly was a tough job.

'My clothes were stained by oil. I'll probably have to throw them away,' said Ms Ang, with a rueful smile.

The scorching heat and lingering smell from the oil also added to the difficulty of the task.

But the volunteers were relieved to see the pollution was not as bad as they had imagined.

Still, they were concerned about the long-term impact on the environment there.

Mr Tan said: 'It's unfortunate that Chek Jawa had suffered two environmental threats within such a short time.'

Three years ago, as a result of heavy rains, the area was hit by freshwater flooding which altered the salinity of the water and led to the deaths of many sea creatures there.

'It will take time to see how soon the ecosystems here will recover,' he said.

Oil slick hits Chek Jawa: Scientists wait to assess impact
Straits Times 29 May 10;

THE oil slick that has hit the Chek Jawa wetlands has not resulted in any mass destruction of wildlife there.

However, signs of death may show up over the next few days.

That is the view of Professor Peter Ng, director of the Tropical Marine Science Institute at the National University of Singapore.

'In the short term, some animals will die. We have not seen mass kills but I'm sure some are affected,' he told reporters during a trip to the wetlands yesterday to observe the damage. The breathing of fishes, for example, will be affected if their gills are coated with oil.

Prof Ng and his team of researchers have been working closely with the National Parks Board to monitor the situation at the nature area.

Yesterday, fishes and crabs could still be spotted near the shoreline.

Read the full story in The Sunday Times.

A 1km long boom has been placed offshore from east of Pulau Ubin as a measure to prevent oil leaked from the tanker accident from affecting Chek Jawa and Pulau Ubin coastal areas. -- ST PHOTO: SAMUEL HE

Oil spill at Chek Jawa wetlands on Pulau Ubin. -- PHOTO: NPARKS

Oil spill reaching Chek Jawa. -- PHOTO: NPARKS

Despite the slick left on the beach by the recent oil spill, a large number of amateur anglers could still be seen casting their lines at Changi on Friday. -- ST PHOTO: BRYAN VAN DER BEEK

Family Day Out event at East Coast Park moved to Palawan Beach
Jeremy Koh Channel NewsAsia 29 May 10;

SINGAPORE : At least one mega event in Singapore has been affected by the oil spill off the Republic's eastern coast.

The situation at East Coast beach prompted organisers of the Family Day Out @ South East event to move it to Palawan Beach in Sentosa instead.

The event is part of this year's National Family Celebrations.

Families made the most of it to spend quality time with their family members, and enjoy the waters off Sentosa.

Lim Soon Hock, co-chairperson, National Family Celebrations 2010, said: "This is the third year we are organising a Family Day Out, and the whole objective is to create the opportunities for shared experiences, and for families to spend time together and bond with one another." - CNA/ms

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Oil spill off Changi East: Malaysian reports

Oil sludge hits 30km of Johor beaches
Ben Tan and Syed Umar Ariff New Straits Times 30 May 10;

KOTA TINGGI: Some 30km of beach near Teluk Ramunia are polluted with oil sludge following the collision between two ships in Singaporean waters last Tuesday.

Among the areas involved are Tanjung Punggai, Sungai Rengit, Langkah Baru, Sungai Buntu, Sungai Kapal and Sungai Musuh.
Fishermen said the sludge hit the beaches on Friday night and about 5am yesterday it had already reached the boat jetties.

Workers from the Marine Department and the Department of Environment, with the help of a private cleaning crew, have been deployed to prevent the sludge from reaching nearby rivers.

"We had to call in the authorities as the oil sludge will damage our fishing gear should we go out to sea," said Sungai Musuh fisherman Muhammad Basra, 63.

On Tuesday, MT Bunga Kelana collided with bulk carrier MV Waily, causing about 2,500 tonnes of crude oil to spill from a gash on the double-hulled tanker's port side.


Efforts to contain the spill have been carried out, with crews using biogradable dispersants and absorbent materials to soak up the oil, while 3.3km of booms circled the main slick in the shipping lanes that straddle the waters of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

It is understood that the fishermen have not been going out to sea since the oil spill began.

At the same time, some villagers near Sungai Rengit have been cleaning up the beaches between Kampung Jejak Baru and Tanjung Punggai since oil sludge hit the shore.


Meanwhile, ships and vessels that dock around the waters of Teluk Ramunia are alleged to have taken advantage of the massive oil spill to illegally dump their oil waste into the sea.

This follows the discovery of 50 sacks filled with oil sludge that were floating around Pulau Lima which is close to the Sungai Musuh jetty here.

Fisherman Ismail Rejab, 55, said he found the tied sacks in the waters and was not dismissing the possibility that there were more such sacks in the area.

He said such findings were not a good sign as the area was among the main locations where fishermen caught fish and prawns.

Ismail claimed that fishermen here had never found such sacks before the oil spill on Tuesday.

"I believe irresponsible parties are taking advantage of the oil spill to clean and dump oil waste from the vessels here."

In Segamat, Agriculture and Ago-based Industries Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar said the Malaysian Fisheries Development Board would work together with the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry to work out a compensation package for the fishermen whose livelihood had been affected by the oil spill.

Oil spill from tankers leaves 1,400 fishermen beached
Farik Zolkepli The Star 30 May 10;

PENGERANG: The oil spill after the collision between two tankers in the Singapore Strait on Monday has spread to seven other locations, affecting at least 1,400 fishermen.

Patches of oil can be seen in Tanjung Stapa, Tanjung Kapal, Sungai Rengit, Kampung Jawa, Sungai Mu-suh, Sungai Haji Ahmad and Sungai Haji Yusof here.

Department of Environment (DOE) director-general Datuk Ros-nani Ibarahim said the oil slick, which was earlier spotted in Tanjung Ayam and Teluk Ramunia, had now spread to other locations.

“However, it is just a few spots here and there and it is not a major concern. The clean-up operation is ongoing and is estimated that it will take less than a week to complete,” she said yesterday.

On fears shown by Pengerang villagers that some ships were taking advantage of the spill by dumping oil, Rosnani said it was not possible.

“Our personnel, marine police, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the Southern Region Marine department are patrolling the affected areas which have been cordoned off.”

Rosnani said the clean-up operation, utilising booms and dispersant, had been difficult due to thunderstorms as well as choppy waters.

She added that 6,900 litres of sludge had been collected during the operation. Some 2,000 tonnes of crude oil were spilt in the collision.

Rosnani said the department was also in touch with the Singapore Maritime and Port Authority daily for updates.

“The Singaporean authority monitors their waters as well as oil that escaped their cordoned-off area.

Meanwhile, fisherman Zakaria Idris, 49, said most of his counterparts were assisting in the clean-up.

“We are paid about RM50 daily by contractors hired by DOE. However, we are suffering losses of about RM100 a day as we cannot go out to sea,” he said.

Another fisherman Latipah Abdul Jalil, 50, said the Tanjung Ayam waters had turned black since Friday night.

“We hope the authorities will complete the clean-up operation soon. This oil spill is affecting our rice bowl,” he said.

Malaysian-registered tanker MT Bunga Kelana 3 collided with bulk carrier MV Waily in the strait, about 13km southeast of Changi East on Monday morning.

Clean-up first, then consider our fuel future
The Sunday Star Says 30 May 10;

WHATEVER made the Grena­dines bulk carrier MV Waily collide into the Malaysian tanker MT Bunga Kelana 3 may well be under investigation already, but what must concern the authorities more for now is how to rid the Singapore Straits and adjacent areas of the resulting oil slick.

Some 2,500 tonnes of crude reportedly leaked into the sea as a result of the collision early last Tuesday. Winds and tides then conspired to spread the slick farther afield over the days that followed.

Initial efforts consisting of 14 hours of hard work by Singa­porean and Malaysian police managed to remove some of the slick, but the rest remained to spread even more. In the best regional spirit of Asean cooperation, Indonesia also contributed to the clean-up efforts.

The Johor Environment Department says protective booms had been installed by Thursday to curb the spread of the toxic oil. However, that offers little consolation when on the same day the slick entered Malaysian waters until it was less than one kilometre from the beach in Kota Tinggi – and still spreading steadily.

More than just tourism and the national economy are at stake. Public health is threatened, and fishing communities revolving around the daily catch are unjustly deprived of their livelihoods as well.

There were no onboard casualties on either vessel, and it is fortunate that despite the constantly heavy maritime traffic, more of such accidents have not happened. However, this is no cause for celebration since every single accident must be deemed unnecessary and avoided diligently by all concerned.

The relevant laws must always be in place and fully enforced to provide for adequate compensation and effective deterrence against future mishaps. Yet even that can only be second-best, since it is always better to not have mishaps in the first place.

All of this is further evidence of our need to switch to clean, renewable forms of energy away from types of fossil fuels including nuclear. If crude oil contamination alone can cause so many problems internationally, it would be far worse if highly radioactive materials are involved, particularly when terrorists threaten to steal or sabotage these materials for their nefarious purposes.

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Oil spill off Changi East: other reports

Oil slick patches spotted in Malaysian waters
Yahoo News 30 May 10;

SINGAPORE (AFP) – An oil slick that had closed public beaches on Singapore's eastern coastline has been mostly contained but patches have drifted into Malaysian waters, officials said.

"The isolated patches of oil that were close to East Coast Park have been largely contained," the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a statement late Saturday.

But it added: "An oil slick was observed this morning in Malaysian waters off Tanjong Pengelih.

"MPA and the National Environment Agency informed our Malaysian counterparts of the observation and have offered our assistance," the agency said, without detailing the size of the slick in Malaysia.

Tanjong Pengelih in southern Malaysia is located east of Singapore's Changi Beach. No "significant patches" have been observed off Changi itself or within Singapore's port waters, the MPA said.

The spill came from the Malaysian-registered tanker MT Bunga Kelana 3, which was carrying nearly 62,000 tonnes of crude when it collided on Tuesday with the MV Waily, a bulk carrier registered in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

About 2,500 tonnes of crude leaked from a gash in the double-hulled tanker but most of it was contained at sea, according to the MPA.

In its own update, the National Environment Agency said cleanup efforts at Changi Beach and an offshore marine nature reserve were "nearing completion".

The NEA said containment booms set up to prevent oil from reaching more of the vulnerable reserve at Chek Jawa had been effective, with hundreds of emergency personnel and volunteers cleaning up oil that did seep through.

"There are no immediate signs of major damage to the Chek Jawa ecosystem," the NEA said.

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Oil spill off Changi East: MPA media release

Collision between MT Bunga Kelana 3 and MV Waily in the Singapore Strait - Update 6
MPA media release 29 May 10;

Containment and clean up efforts following the collision between the Malaysian-registered tanker, MT Bunga Kelana 3 and the St Vincent and The Grenadines-registered bulk carrier, MV Waily continued for the fifth day. Please refer to Annex A for a map of the area showing some of the efforts at sea.

Efforts in the waters off Changi East and East Coast Park are ongoing, and the breakdown is as follows:
-*No. of craft deployed: 25 craft
-*Containment booms: 1,490 metres
-*No. of vacuum truck: 3
-*No. of harbour buster: 1
-No. of skimmers: 3
-No of seaward personnel deployed: 140

No significant patches of oil have been observed in the Traffic Separation Scheme off Changi East or within the anchorages of Singapore's port waters. The isolated patches of oil that were close to East Coast Park have been largely contained. However, the possibility of small isolated patches of oil or oily flotsam surfacing remains, and MPA is monitoring our waters closely.

An oil slick was observed this morning in Malaysian waters off Tanjong Pengelih (to the east of Pulau Tekong). MPA and the National Environment Agency informed our Malaysian counterparts of the observation and have offered our assistance in line with the Standard Operating Procedure for Joint Oil Spill Combat in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. MPA is also closely monitoring the waters around Pulau Tekong.

Traffic in the Traffic Separation Scheme of the Singapore Strait remains unaffected.

Members of the public can contact MPA's 24-hour Marine Safety Control Centre at 6325-2489 to report any sighting of oil in our waters or coastlines.

Further details will be released when available.

End of release


MT Bunga Kelana and MV Waily Annex - Update 6 (29 May 10, 1700hrs)

ISSUED BY THE MARITIME AND PORT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE (MPA)

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Gulf oil spill creates huge undersea 'dead zones'

Clouds of crude and chemical dispersants have formed in the Gulf of Mexico and oceanologists fear these could have devastating effects on the food chain

Emily Dugan The Independent 30 May 10;

The world's most damaging oil spill – now in its 41st continuously gushing day – is creating huge unseen "dead zones" in the Gulf of Mexico, according to oceanologists and toxicologists. They say that if their fears are correct, then the sea's entire food chain could suffer years of devastation, with almost no marine life in the region escaping its effects.

While the sight of tar balls and oil-covered birds on Louisiana's shoreline has been the most visible sign of the spill's environmental destruction, many scientists now believe it is underwater contamination that will have the deadliest impact. At least two submerged clouds of noxious oil and chemical dispersants have been confirmed by research vessels, and scientists are seeing initial signs of several more. The largest is some 22 miles long, six miles wide and 3,300 feet deep – a volume that would take up half of Lake Erie. Another spans an area of 20 square miles.

More than 8,300 species of plants and animals are at risk. Some, such as the bluefin tuna, which come to the Gulf to spawn, could even face extinction. Scientists predict it will be many months – even years – before the true toll of the disaster will be known.

In previous spills, oil rose to the surface and was dealt with there, but due to the use of dispersants, as well as the weight of this particular crude oil and the pressure created by the depth of the leak, much of the oil has stayed submerged in clouds of tiny particles. At least 800,000 gallons of dispersants were sprayed at escaping oil in a frantic attempt to keep it offshore, but it now seems this preventative measure has created a worse disaster. The chemicals helped to keep the oil submerged and are toxic to marine life, resulting in unprecedented underwater damage to organisms in the Gulf.

Once these harmful substances enter the food chain, almost nothing will escape their effects. Forests of coral, sharks, dolphins, sea turtles, game fish and thousands of shellfish could all face destruction. What happens next to these underwater clouds – or plumes – depends largely on the currents. If they do eventually rise to the surface, they may end up on the shoreline months or years from now, causing a second wave of destruction.

The leak itself is far from over. With up to 40 million gallons of oil now in the sea, efforts to plug the hole (disgorging up to 19,000 barrels a day) have become frantic. Since Wednesday, BP has been trying to block the source by blasting it with mud and concrete. On Friday, things took a more desperate turn as BP added a dubious-sounding "junk shot" of shredded rubber and golf balls. BP's chief operating officer, Doug Suttles, said yesterday: "To date it hasn't yet stopped the flow. What I don't know is whether it ultimately will or not."

"It's the biggest environmental disaster of our time and it's not even over yet," said the marine toxicologist Dr Susan Shaw, director of the Marine Environmental Research Institute based in Maine. She has been diving among the damage and is horrified by the contamination caused by BP's continued use of dispersants. "They've been used at such a high volume that it's unprecedented. The worst of these – Corexit 9527 – is the one they've been using most. That ruptures red blood cells and causes fish to bleed. With 800,000 gallons of this, we can only imagine the death that will be caused."

According to Dr Shaw, plankton and smaller shrimps coated in these toxic chemicals will be eaten by larger fish, passing the deadly mix up the food chain. "This is dismantling the food web, piece by piece," she said. "We'll see dead bodies soon. Sharks, dolphins, sea turtles, whales: the impact on predators will be seen in a short time because the food web will be impacted from the bottom up."

The largest of the clouds, confirmed by a University of South Florida research ship last week, has gone deeper than the spill itself, defying BP's assurances that all oil would rise to the surface. It is now headed north-east of the rig, towards the DeSoto Canyon. This underwater trench could channel the noxious soup along the Florida coast, impacting on fisheries and coating 100-year-old coral forests. Tests on the toxicity of another chemical cloud, some 10 miles long and heading south-west of the site, are also being done by scientists from the University of Georgia.

Marine biologists say the timing of this underwater contamination could not be more catastrophic. "This is when all the animals are reproducing and hatching, so the damage at this depth will be much worse," said Dr Larry McKinney, director of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies in Texas. "We're not talking about adults on the surface; it will impact on the young – and potentially a generational life cycle."

This could wipe out more precarious species. "Bluefin tuna spawn just south of the oil spill and they spawn only in the Gulf. If they were to go through the area at a critical time, that's one instance where a plume could destroy a whole species."

What happens next to these suspended clouds worries scientists. Nobody knows how long it will take them to reach the surface and come towards the shore (if they ever do).

Dr Peter Roopnarine, an invertebrate zoologist and geologist at the California Academy of Sciences, is conducting tests on molluscs. He fears a second wave of wetland damage from these sub-surface plumes. "The organisms we're working with are in shallow sub-tidal waters and in the salt marshes, so we won't get immediate results from a plume. But we could end up seeing two disasters on shore, because the plume will eventually work its way there."

With no confirmation that BP's attempts to stop the flow of oil have succeeded, the damage is likely to get worse. If this "top kill" method of plugging the hole with concrete and mud fails, then the only option left is a relief well, which will take until August at the earliest to become operational. In the meantime, the surrounding ocean will become deadlier every day that passes. And even if the plug works, it may well be too late. As Dr McKinney pointed out: "At the depth that these plumes are at, the sea will be toxic for God knows how long."

Additional reporting by Sarah Morrison

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Retailers selling more energy efficient appliances under NEA's Voluntary Agreement

Joanne Chan Channel NewsAsia 29 May 10;

SINGAPORE : Energy efficient appliances are making waves in the market, thanks to government-industry collaborative efforts.

Under the Voluntary Agreement on Energy Efficient Appliances, 16 participating retailers have pledged to offer more eco-friendly models to consumers, while phasing out energy-intensive appliances.

This strategy of improving energy efficiency is in line with Singapore's push towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 16 per cent from the 2020 business-as-usual scenario, provided a global agreement is reached and put in place.

Months of public education appears to be paying off, with green appliances gaining popularity among consumers and retailers alike.

In the last six months, energy efficient air-conditioners on offer by participating retailers of the Voluntary Agreement have gone up by four per cent. These are models that have at least three ticks on the energy label.

Similarly, the number of energy-efficient refrigerator models rose to 67 per cent, up 1 per cent from October 2009. On the flip side, air-conditioners on sale with zero ticks have dropped from nine per cent to six per cent.

Participating retailers are also seeing increased sales.

Amy Khor, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Environment and Water Resources Ministry, said: "That should also encourage others to come on board, as more consumers become more enlightened and also require or request or look for energy efficient appliances."

Dr Khor was at the Energy Challenge Fair at Suntec, where she handed out awards to companies which achieved set targets under the Voluntary Agreement.

This includes retiring their stocks of energy inefficient models and introducing more 3- and 4-tick models, so that energy efficient models form at least 50 per cent of their model range after six months, and 60 per cent of their model range after one year.

Best Denki Singapore was one retailer recognised for introducing more green appliances, and sending employees for training.

C J Raj, managing director, Best Denki Singapore, said: "They had to undergo training on how to calculate the power supply, vis-a-vis the product so that they can tell the consumer approximately how much money they would be able to save.

"Secondly, they had to have full knowledge of the product itself, and how this product is going to help them to save money."

The minimum energy performance standards for household air-conditioners and refrigerators will kick in by the middle of next year. This means that the most energy inefficient models, or those with zero ticks on the energy label, will be removed from the market. - CNA/ms

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Young Singaporeans passionate about keeping our heritage alive

Desire to save aspects of history before they disappear altogether
Tan Dawn Wei Straits Times 30 May 10;

An area of growing interest has been in natural heritage, as seen by the public-driven movement to save Chek Jawa in the early 2000s, when planned land reclamation works threatened to destroy the area's rich biodiversity.

It always irks Mr Tony Tan when people accuse his home country of being soul-less, boring and expensive.

In fact, it riled him so much that he decided to prove them wrong. Seven years ago, the travel-savvy information technology professional, who was working in Britain, decided to come home to set up a hostel.

He rented from his parents a 1920s conserved shophouse in the heart of culturally rich Joo Chiat and started Betel Box with a friend.

Betel Box was not going to be just another cheap stay. Mr Tan wanted it to encompass and showcase six facets of Singapore: culture and heritage, food, art and design, nature and conservation, architecture and social studies, and finally, outdoor and adventure.

'I felt so strongly about doing it. It's important because travel agents refuse to debunk these three myths about Singapore,' said the eloquent, chatty 38-year-old who studied economics at University College London.

He did not want tourists to see only Sentosa or the Night Safari either. 'Singapore is a country with its own identity. We want to engage these travellers on a different level,' he said.

So, he got a travel agent licence and has been operating highly popular food and cycling tours that even Singaporeans sign up for.

'Although I'm an accommodation provider, it is the social environment that is most important to me and that is reinforced by the things we do, the way we decorated the hostel and the way we deal with people,' said the committee member of the non-profit Singapore Heritage Society.

His food tours - free for his guests and $50 for everyone else - is a six- to seven-hour chomp jaunt of over 20 dishes around the Joo Chiat area, filled with history nuggets of the food, architecture and how Singaporeans live.

Even those he hires have to fit a certain criteria, top of which is having 'a passion for Singapore'. Conservationists, artists and volunteers of social groups have all been members of his staff.

As Singapore continues to race towards economic excellence and cosmopolitan chic, young Singaporeans are looking back to the country's past and taking a shine to what was once seen as a fuddy duddy topic: heritage.

At the National University of Singapore, Professor Peter Ng teaches a Singapore studies module, Natural Heritage of Singapore, that is open to students of all faculties.

The class size has grown from 400 to 600 in three years and the school has had to cap the number because there are only 600 seats in the lecture theatre.

'It tells us that heritage is something that younger people are interested in and want to know more about,' said Professor Ng, 49, who has been on a crusade the past year to get a natural heritage museum built.

But this growing enthusiasm for the country's natural and man-made endowment is not just confined to the classroom.

Like Mr Tan, young Singaporeans - many born post-Independence - are doing their bit in pockets of this city and in cyberspace to preserve, document and showcase a slice of Singapore's heritage.

In the past few weeks, award-winning filmmaker Royston Tan has been sending out blasts on social networking site Facebook, asking people to share their memories of old places in a new film project. The docu-drama, scheduled for a possible television release later this year, will be a collection of scenes from long-forgotten corners of Singapore.

'Singapore's old places and our childhood places are disappearing every single minute. We want to invite people from all walks of life to help us form a collective memory of all these old places that matter to them,' explained the 33-year-old director of 15: The Movie and 881.

Since he started spreading the word, ideas have been pouring in, such as the last drain where one can catch wild fighting fish, an old confectionery stuck in time and Singapore's oldest bus-stop.

'We are always in transition. Sometimes, you don't even realise the changes that have taken place subtly,' said Mr Tan, who grew up in a kampung in Lorong Chuan.

Anyone interested in contributing ideas can e-mail wyna@chuanpictures.com

An area of growing interest has been in natural heritage, as seen by the public-driven movement to save Chek Jawa in the early 2000s, when planned land reclamation works threatened to destroy the area's rich biodiversity.

That groundswell of public opinion led to the Government making a U-turn on the redevelopment plans and promising to leave it alone for the next 10 years.

'There is a hunger from various stratas in society to have a connection,' said Dr Zeehan Jaafar, 32, president of Blue Water Volunteers and a Chek Jawa activist.

It was around the time the Chek Jawa campaign took off that a group of young people, including Dr Zeehan, banded together as a marine conservation group.

Blue Water Volunteers was registered as a society in 2006, although the group had started the ball rolling since early 2000 on an ad hoc basis. Run by volunteers, it wants to complement research activities and increase awareness of local marine habitats, such as coral reefs.

The core group of volunteers at Blue Water numbers about 50, most of them young working professionals below the age of 40.

'There's something to be said about preserving something that belongs to you, your own heritage,' said Dr Zeehan, a lecturer in biodiversity at the National University of Singapore.

'Our reefs, despite being so impacted because of development, are very diverse. We're still discovering new species.'

Blue Water's ReefWalk programme, where about 10 volunteer guides take 100 people on a chartered boat to Kusu Island for some coral reef spotting, is always overbooked. The group is training a fresh batch of volunteer guides and will restart the programme soon.

Dr Kevin Tan, president of the Singapore Heritage Society, is not surprised that young Singaporeans are getting in on the act of keeping a slice of Singapore's heritage.

'There's so much interest because many young Singaporeans are trying to find their own identities. In order for you to figure out your identity, you start looking at the present and back at the past,' said the 48-year-old, who runs his own consultancy on law and heritage.

'The government can only take care of state-centric heritage whereas younger people are looking at alternative history, history on the ground. These are ephemeral, not monumental. The state can't do this kind of thing but the public can.'

In one case at least, the state and the individual have come into a happy partnership.

In 2007, Dr Alan Prem Kumar, a senior scientist at the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore, and his 38-year-old brother, Indu, decided they wanted to do something for their Malayalee community.

'My brother and I were chatting one day and we realised that we didn't know our own history,' said the 47-year-old, who has spent 20 years in the United States.

'We didn't know the stories of the Singapore Malayalee community and our children would probably also not know. The stories could just die by the next generation instead of being passed down.'

The duo mooted the idea of a Malayalee Heritage Centre and approached Nominated Member of Parliament Viswa Sadasivan, who roped in Mr Predeep Menon and Mr Jaya Prakash Nair as advisers.

Mr Menon is chief executive officer of RSP Meena Architects Planner and Engineers and Mr Nair is director of Pandisea Pte Ltd.

A concept plan was born and Dr Kumar wrote to President SRNathan, who invited him to the Istana. As it turns out, there were plans for an Indian heritage centre.

He is now working with the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts on the Malayalee component of the all-encompassing museum.

He wants it to engage the young, so interactive features are in the plans. He, too, is learning about his heritage along the way and while the centre will take another two years to complete, he is not losing steam.

'We started it in 2007, and we hope to finish it,' he said.

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D'Kranji Farm Resort violates agreement with URA on land use

Lip Kwok Wai/Sharon See Channel NewsAsia 29 May 10;

SINGAPORE : More than a year after D'Kranji Farm Resort opened its doors, the company is now facing a series of setbacks.

D'Kranji Farm Resort was designed to provide a farmland experience to holiday-makers, while nurturing a new generation of farmers.

The idea was to allow farmers to sell their own produce to tourists. But not for long.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said the resort violated earlier agreements to keep land designated for F&B or retail uses to a maximum of 200 square metres.

In its reply to MediaCorp, URA said the resort's kiosks and structures for retail use are more than six times the agreed area. The 200 square metres had already been used up for restaurants and spas.

URA said it cannot accede to requests to increase this area as it would "compromise the existing rustic character."

Consequently, most of the farmers left half a year ago as they could not cope with rising costs.

Tourist arrivals also dwindled, and resort operator HLH Group Limited said it suffered losses of more than one million dollars to date.

Only three farming groups are left using the facilities now.

Some farmers are seeking legal avenues as they said the company had allowed them to sell their produce in their initial agreement.

However, with URA's restrictions on land use, D'Kranji said it will try to resolve the dispute through communication with the farmers.

With so few farmers left, Dr Johnny Ong, Executive Deputy Chairman of HLH Group, said the company may use part of its land for organic farming and an agriculture museum. - CNA/ms

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A bit of an uproar at resort over cruelty to animals

Martin Carvalho and Allison Lai, The Star 30 May 10;

ALOR GAJAH: Animal lovers including celebrities got together here to send out a strong message about cruelty to animals.

The gathering was organised following a controversy about a tiger that’s allegedly being abused at a resort here.

Yesterday’s 30-minute gathering, which included TV personalities Rina Omar and Bernie Chan, took place outside the main entrance of A’ Famosa Resort. It was meant to help create awareness on unethical treatment of animals.

The participants held banners and placards with the words “Stop Prostituting Animals”.

However, they dispersed following a request from the police.

Rina said the gathering was not targeted at the resort but rather as an act of raising public awareness over the unethical use of animals for profit.

“We are here today to send the message across to Malaysians on the need to protect tigers and other wildlife against exploitation.

“Do we want to show the younger generation the animals in their natural state in proper enclosure or do we want to see them being forced to pose for the camera or doing silly tricks?” she asked.

The group refused to take up A’Famosa’s offer of a free tour so that they can see for themselves how the animals were treated.

Resort general manager Allan Chee denied that the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) had issued an order against them.

He explained that Perhilitan officers visited the resort in April and had advised them to stop using their tigers for photography sessions following complaints that this might pose a danger to the people.

A YouTube clip titled “Tiger Being Abused For Money” shows a handler prodding a sedated tiger during a photography session.

Chee denied that the employee concerned has been terminated.

“He left on his own accord.”

Perhilitan is investigating the video posted on YouTube in February.

Malaysian activists protest over Tiger abuse video
Yahoo News 29 May 10;

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) – Wildlife activists on Saturday protested at a Malaysian wildlife park over a video posted on YouTube showing a tiger being manhandled for the amusement of visitors.

The two-minute clip shows the handler inviting visitors to take pictures with the tiger while he forces the apparently drowsy animal to sit up and kicks it in the head with his knee to get it to pose.

Around 30 activists took part in the protest outside the A'Famosa resort, saying they were "appalled" by the video, their spokeswoman Rina Omar said.

"We can't support any park that doesn't treat animals the way they should be treated," she said from the resort in central Malacca state.

"The tiger is our national icon, people are really upset about this."

The video sparked criticism from other groups, with Friends of the Earth describing it as "horrible and a disgrace".

The wildlife park insisted staff had not abused the tiger and said they had stopped allowing visitors to take photos with the big cat.

A'Famosa general manager Allan Chee earlier said the tiger "was just drowsy and lazy after being fed" and was being prodded to get into position.

There are only 500 wild tigers believed to be left in peninsular Malaysia, a sharp decline from an estimated 3,000 in the 1950s. The government aims to double the population to 1,000 by 2020.

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Food waste in Malaysia

Sunday Spotlight: What a waste!
New Straits Times 30 May 10;

A nation that generates more than a kilogramme of waste per person a day is considered developed. But when food increasingly becomes part of the landfill, it is a sign of societal regression, writes CHAI MEI LING

MENTION food wastage and images of leftovers from overladen plates and all-you-can-eat buffet lines spring to mind.

But a recently concluded survey revealed that urban households are an even bigger culprit when it comes to wasting food.

Urban Malaysians throw away close to one million kilogrammes of food from their kitchen every day -- 40 per cent more than what businesses and industries discard.

Bread and fruits are among the most common edibles to end up in garbage bins.

The study by Universiti Malaya, which took eight years to complete, detailed the composition of landfills in Selangor, divided into 24 categories. They included unconsumed food, kitchen waste, rubber, textile, wood and garden waste.


Researchers rummaged through the trash in landfills to analyse what households, businesses and industries threw out.

Unconsumed food comprised four per cent of the composition of an urban landfill in Kundang, Rawang.

"Four per cent seems like a small figure, but volume-wise, that translates to more than 1,000 tonnes of food tossed out a day.


"Multiply that by 365 days, put a monetary value to it, and you'll see how many millions of ringgit we're throwing away year after year," said solid and hazardous waste management expert Prof Dr P. Agamuthu.

This worrying trend, up from about two per cent five years ago, shows no signs of slowing down, said Agamuthu, who headed the study.

"As people become more affluent, they can afford to buy more. But with both the husband and wife working in most households, they become so busy that food bought isn't consumed on time."

Rural landfills however, were found to contain less food items. The Panchang Bedena landfill in Hulu Selangor, for example, had 0.5 per cent of unconsumed food.

Rural households also throw away much less food compared with businesses and institutions.

However, the study showed that the higher the income of the people, the more food they throw away, whether in urban or rural areas.

Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) president S.M. Mohamed Idris said Malaysians "do not feel guilty about wasting food" as they did not have to worry about food shortages or going hungry,

"Look at the amount of uneaten food left on the tables of restaurants, fast food chains and hawker centres. Parents are telling the kids that it's all right not to finish the food, instead of telling them not to waste. Children feel it's acceptable to leave food uneaten."

This vicious cycle bears bad news for both the nation's economy and environment.

Buying food that is not consumed gives rise to a false demand for the item, which unnecessarily hikes up prices. This puts a burden on the lower-income group which spends a far higher proportion of their earnings on food, said Idris.

Sunday Spotlight: To Throw or not to throw
New Straits Times 30 May 10;

WE'VE all done it at some point -- throw away good food that we think is no longer fit for consumption.

But we've also tucked into stale fare we assumed was fresh, upsetting our stomachs in the process.

The line between food safety and wastage isn't always clear-cut. Throw and you're wasteful, keep and you run the risk of jeopardising your health.

So how do we tell what's to be kept and what's not?

It's subjective, because different food has different ways of deteriorating, and the tolerance level of people is not the same, said food safety expert Professor Dr Son Radu.

"The rule of thumb is to base it on experience. Observe the changes in the texture, shape and colour, and take those as indications.

"For example, fruits and vegetables continue to undergo enzymatic reaction after being harvested, so they continue to deteriorate until they become spoiled. From your personal experience, you would roughly know what you can stomach."

But the signs are not always there, warned Universiti Putra Malaysia's Dr Chai Lay Ching.

"Microorganisms grow in food and cause changes in taste, smell or texture, so it's fairly easy to spot these signs.

"However, foodborne pathogens, like salmonella, do not physically change food in any way but they cause disease."

To be safe and prudent, it's advisable to cook only what's needed because food is best consumed as soon as possible after cooking, said Son, an expert consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.

"Eating food within two hours of cooking is considered safe. After that, there's no guarantee because there are many ways microbes can get in."

The biggest culprit is cross contamination, he added. Microbes can be transferred from dirty hands to plates, or make their way into cooked meat through a tainted container.

When excess food is kept warm and not hot, as what some eateries do, there is a risk of food contamination because warm temperatures provide "a perfect condition for pathogens to grow", said Chai.

E. coli, for example, needs only six hours to grow to a very high level that's detrimental to health, she added.

The researcher, who specialises in microbiological risk analysis, also discourages people from taking leftovers.

Reheating food kills most microorganisms, but some produce toxins that can't be eliminated.

"That's why it's best to cook what you need at the time you need it."

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No more eating shark fin in Hawaii after new law

Audrey McAvoy, Associated Press Google News 30 May 10;

HONOLULU — The $48-a-plate shark fin has been a favorite dish to celebrate 80th birthdays and fete out of town VIPs since Vienna Hou's Chinese restaurant opened 25 years ago.

But Kirin Restaurant customers won't be dining in that style starting July 1, 2011, when Hawaii becomes the first state in the nation to ban the possession of shark fins. The state is attempting to help prevent the overfishing and extinction of sharks around the world.

"Something will be missing," said Hou, who grew up watching her father sell shark fin as part of his seafood trading business in Hong Kong. "Decent Chinese restaurants — they all serve shark fin."

Gov. Linda Lingle on Friday signed a bill prohibiting the possession, sale or distribution of shark fins. The bill passed the state House and Senate with broad support earlier this year.

The legislation generated some grumbling in Hawaii's sizable Chinese community — more than 13 percent of the state population is Chinese or part Chinese. Many consider shark fin a delicacy and important part of Chinese culture.

The ban also comes as the tourism-dependent state expects a surge in affluent Chinese visitors.

Restaurateurs say about a dozen establishments in Hawaii serve shark fin, which doesn't taste like much by itself. The flavor in shark fin dishes comes from the ingredients it's cooked with, either the rich sauce it's served with on a plate or the savory pork and chicken base in shark fin soup.

Some people eat it for the supposed health benefits, claiming that it's good for bones, kidneys and lungs and helps treat cancer. Shark fin is also considered a status symbol in high-end restaurants, a dish to impress or lavishly treat guests. At Kirin, on a busy street near the University of Hawaii, one soup serving is $17.

In Hong Kong, high end restaurants can charge $1,000 for premium shark fin.

"I don't think you should say it should be illegal to have shark fin," said Johnson Choi, president of the Hong Kong China Hawaii Chamber of Commerce. "Shark fins are part of food culture — Chinese have had food culture for over 5,000 years."

Environmentalists say the tradition is leading to a dangerous depletion of sharks worldwide.

A report last year by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature estimates 32 percent of open ocean shark species are in danger of becoming extinct primarily because of overfishing.

Hawaii's lawmakers heard testimony that sharks are being killed for their fins at a rate of 89 million per year.

"It's not a local issue. It's an international issue," said Sen. Clayton Hee, D-Kahuku-Kaneohe, the sponsor of the Hawaii bill.

Restaurants serving fins will have until next July to run through their inventory. After that, those caught with fin will have to pay a fine between $5,000 to $15,000 for a first offense. A third offense would result in a fine between $35,000 to $50,000 and up to a year in prison.

It's designed to go a step further than the previous law which aimed to control shark finning — the act of cutting fins off sharks at sea and dumping their carcasses in the ocean — by banning the landing of shark fins at Hawaii ports.

Shark conservation activists say they hope the law inspires other states and the federal government to follow suit.

"This is a landmark bill," said Marie Levine, the founder and executive director of the Shark Research Institute in Princeton, N.J. "This is enormously important for the conservation of sharks."

Conservation efforts suffered a major setback earlier this year when an effort to protect six shark species under the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, failed in March.

Hee, who is of Chinese and Native Hawaiian descent, rejected the argument that shark fins shouldn't be banned because they're an important part of Chinese culture. He argued the food is only eaten by an elite few at Chinese restaurants.

"It's a tradition of serving shark fin to those who could most afford it. It's an indulgent activity," Hee said.

In contrast, he noted sharks are deeply ingrained in Hawaiian culture as ancestral gods, or aumakua, and are featured prominently in ancient legends.

The law's power may be primarily symbolic given Hawaii is a small market for shark fin, especially compared to Hong Kong. The IUCN estimates Hong Kong handles at least 50 percent and perhaps 80 percent of the world's shark fin trade.

Some restaurant managers — both inside and outside of the tourist mecca of Waikiki — said their biggest eaters of shark fin are Japanese tourists who like to order the dish because it's three to four times cheaper here than back home.

"I doubt it very much that people will be very disappointed," said David Chui, manager of Legends Seafood Restaurant.

Carroll Cox, president of the Hawaii-based group EnviroWatch, hopes the governor makes enforcement a high priority. Other countries will also have to commit to limit the shark fin trade for any restrictions to have an effect, he said.

"People learn to circumvent the law, especially when you have a product that's expensive and in demand," said Cox.

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Canadian government mulls plan to cull seals to save cod

Yahoo News 29 May 10;

MONTREAL (AFP) – The government is studying a plan to either kill 220,000 gray seals off its Atlantic coast or sterilize 16,000 female seals to save declining cod and other fish stocks.

The study obtained by AFP said options include a five-year effort to reduce the seal population either by killing the animals or injecting females with contraceptives in the area around Sable Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia.

The report prepared for Fisheries and Oceans Canada and first obtained by the Halifax newspaper The Coast estimates the gray seal population is around 300,000 strong.

But Mark Butler of the Ecology Action Center in Halifax criticized the options.

"If we start to kill seals to save cod, we would have to continue for centuries since fishing has been decimated by natural predators" such as sharks, he said. "It's a vicious cycle."

Environment Minister Jim Prentice recently announced plans to create a national park on the island, which also has wild horses and 300 species of birds.

The seal kill plan could deal a blow to the island by bringing in vehicles, workers and equipment. And any seals killed would likely be incinerated to avoid dumping their carcasses in the water.

Gus Van Helvoort, a spokesman for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, told AFP that no decision had been made on any plan.

Canada has faced criticism for allowing seal hunts off its coasts but says the animals are not endangered and that it is part of the country's tradition.

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Maldives president calls for direct action over climate change

President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives told a Hay festival audience that grassroots 'street action' was needed to change the focus of the debate on climate change in the US
Patrick Barkham, guardian.co.uk 29 May 10;

A 1960s-style campaign of direct action must ignite on the streets as a catalyst for decisive action to combat climate change, according to President Mohamed Nasheed of the imperilled Maldives. Nasheed told the Hay festival that it was the United States, not China, that was the biggest obstacle to a global agreement to check carbon emissions.

Nasheed, who held an underwater meeting of his cabinet last autumn and is presiding over the relocation of people from some islands because of the effects of warming oceans and rising sea levels, put his hopes in the emergence of "huge" grassroots action after the failure of talks in Copenhagen in December.

"What we really need is a huge social 60s-style catalystic, dynamic street action," he said. "If the people in the US wish to change, it can happen. In the 60s and 70s, they've done that."

But he said the US was where the focus of pressure had to be, whereas China and India were actually far more receptive to the concept of climate change.

"My sense of China is that they tend to believe in climate change. My sense of the US is that a fair amount of them simply don't believe in it," he said.

Interviewed by Ed Miliband, the former energy and climate change secretary, on a video link from the Maldives, Nasheed spoke of the devastating effect that changes in sea levels are having on the islands, which are on average just 1.5 metres above sea level.

People living on 16 islands of the Maldives archipelago are already being relocated but Nasheed, who was educated in Britain and became president at the first multi-party elections in 2008 after spells as a political prisoner, said moving the people of the Maldives somewhere else was not a solution. "Even if we go, I always think where would the butterflies go? Where would the sounds go?"

Miliband, who while in office struck a resolutely optimistic note about the involvement of the US in a new deal on climate change, was now more ambivalent about the American commitment to tackling its emissions. "I have a real fear about where the debate is in the US," he told the audience at Hay.

Nasheed said countries committed to tackling climate change should press ahead with agreements and emissions reductions regardless of whether they took more recalcitrant nations with them.

"We cannot wait for the lowest common denominator where everyone agrees to doing almost nothing," he said.

In a rebuke to the developed world, Nasheed noted how India listened to small countries' fears over the issue. "The refreshing thing about India is they listen to people, certainly they listen to the Maldives," he said.

The Maldives is embarking on a radical programme to become the first carbon-neutral country within 10 years. Its president claimed it was on track with three large wind farms under construction and photovoltaic technologies being developed, although the country is also having to build sea walls to repel the ocean and energy-hungry desalination plants to replace fresh water supplies lost to the sea.

The president, who has endured two spells in prison over the last two decades for criticising the former president and was granted refugee status in Britain, said he was still optimistic that with renewed grassroots action governments would act on climate change.

"I could have lost my life if I'd given it up. By simply believing in life you can get out of situations. I believe in human ingenuity. We are not doomed. We can succeed and we must work along those lines."

Asked whether he would support Ed Miliband in his bid to lead the Labour party, Nasheed said he had met both Miliband brothers. "Have a good fight and may the best man win," he answered diplomatically.

"That's what my mother says as well," added Ed Miliband.

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