Grown back
from The annotated budak and Venus blues
Bird tree: Syzygium polyanthum or salam
from Bird Ecology Study Group
NSS Kids’ Enchanted Butterfly Exploration at Changi T3
from Fun with Nature
Good News And Great Relief To Pulau Payar Marine Park, Langkawi from Natura Gig
Transformed estate may have 35,000 flats, about as many as Toa Payoh
Hoe Pei Shan Straits Times 23 Jun 10;
PUNGGOL is set to become as big as Toa Payoh.
The remaking of the coastal town is on track, and the crown jewel of the estate, the first waterfront public housing development in the country, will be launched for sale next week.
Giving an update on the makeover yesterday at a Housing Board exhibition, Senior Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu said that by 2015, there could be 35,000 flats in the estate, up from the current 18,000 residential units already built. This is on a par with the number of homes in Toa Payoh, based on HDB's annual report last year.
Jointly designed by international architectural firm Group8asia and local firm Aedas, the first batch of Punggol waterfront flats will sport solar panels and rooftop gardens, among other green initiatives.
The area will also soon welcome a new town centre, where the first mixed commercial and residential development site will be launched in the second half of this year.
A 4.2km waterway running through the heart of the neighbourhood, that connects Sungei Punggol and Sungei Serangoon, is also estimated for completion by the end of the year.
Adding a little touch of Punggol's seafaring past, parts of the waterway and promenade will feature sandy coasts.
Other highlights include a sports activities area and horse riding centre that will be up and running by the year end.
Ms Fu said the array of facilities on offer makes the estate part of 'a premium housing project that targets a niche group of buyers who are prepared to pay more for its signature attributes'.
When asked about the prices of such luxury public housing, an HDB spokesman said that prices will be revealed only during next week's launch.
But realtor PropNex told The Straits Times that the first batch of waterfront flats would, on average, probably fetch around $350,000 for a four-room flat and $400,000 for a five-room flat.
These figures are based on estimates without information on the range of flat sizes, but taking into consideration the various views corresponding to unit location. According to the designs, about 80 per cent of the flats in the first phase of the project will command waterfront views.
PropNex's analysis found that these prices are still lower than the median re-sale price tags for Punggol flats, which currently stand at $369,000 for a four-room flat and $430,000 for a five-roomer, according to data from the first quarter of this year.
One home buyer keen to take to Punggol's waterways is Mr Wu Da Wu, 35, who took a day off work to view yesterday's exhibition.
'It looks great, and with the surrounding water, it's very soothing - I wouldn't mind paying a little more for a home that is different from anywhere else at this price.'
Speaking of how the Punggol project is changing the face of Singapore's housing estates, Ms Fu said: 'They mark an important milestone in HDB's town planning and the evolution of public housing design.
Remaking of Punggol estate on track
Mustafa Shafawi Channel NewsAsia 23 Jun 10;
SINGAPORE: Plans for remaking Punggol are on track.
Senior Minister of State for National Development, Grace Fu, said as of June 1, HDB has completed almost 18,000 residential units in Punggol.
Another 9,400 are under construction.
Subject to demand, HDB is on track to complete 35,000 flats by the end of 2015.
This will make Punggol similar in size to Toa Payoh.
Ms Fu was speaking at the Punggol, Remaking our Heartlands Exhibition at HDB Hub.
She said as Punggol's population attains critical mass, new facilities can and will come on board.
The first mixed commercial-cum-residential development site at the Town Centre will be launched in the second-half of this year.
And a premium HDB project will be launched later this month, boasting waterfront living an eco-friendly features.
Ms Fu stressed that it's also important for a new town like Punggol, to foster its identity by heightening awareness of its rich heritage, which dates back to the early days of Singapore.
Grassroots leaders are working together with government agencies to develop educational panels along the Punggol Waterway, highlighting various aspects of Punggol's developments, both past and present.
For example, the panels along the Heartwave Wall, near Punggol MRT station, will depict the story of Punggol's evolution and its significant development milestones.
The Heritage Trail along Punggol Road will showcase the history of the road, together with a focus on the flora and fauna of old and present Punggol. - CNA/jy
Punggol to be 'a mini Sentosa in the backyard'
Additional reporting by Esther Ng Today Online 23 Jun 10;
SINGAPORE - Almost 18,000 residential units in Punggol have been completed by the beginning of this month with another 9,400 under construction.
And subject to demand, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) is on track to complete 35,000 flats by the end of 2015, making Punggol similar in size to Toa Payoh.
The updates were given yesterday by Senior Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu at the Punggol, Remaking our Heartlands exhibition.
Ms Fu said that as Punggol's population attains critical mass, new facilities can and will be added.
The first mixed commercial-cum-residential development site at Punggol's town centre will be launched later this year.
Later this month, a premium HDB project - under the Build-To-Order (BTO) system - will be launched.
Situated along Punggol Waterway, it will offer waterfront living and boasts eco-friendly features such as large courtyards and openings to promote natural ventilation and airflow to flats and common areas.
Ms Fu said it targets a niche group of buyers who are prepared to pay more for its signature attributes such as prime location and groundbreaking design with vantage views.
Ngee Ann Polytechnic real estate lecturer Nicholas Mak said the mixed commercial cum residential development will be welcome as Punggol lacks a regional commercial centre.
"There will be a gradual appreciation of property there," he said.
The waterfront project however will not turn Punggol into a Sentosa Cove nor a Pinnacle, said Mr Mak.
"Sentosa Cove is some 2,800 landed houses, it faces the Southern Sea and has a marina. Punggol Waterfront faces a canal, a short stretch of water and the Straits of Johor."
PropNex's Mohammed Ismail said the project is an exciting lifestyle concept, a "mini Sentosa in the backyard".
Meanwhile, Ms Fu said two other BTO projects will also be launched in Sengkang, providing choices for flat buyers with different budgets and preferences.
She also said it is important for a new town like Punggol to foster its identity by heightening awareness of its rich heritage which dates back to the early days of Singapore.
Joyce Woo Yahoo News 22 Jun 10;
HONG KONG (AFP) – As Hong Kong steams into summer, millions of air conditioners kick in to cool the sweltering city -- ensuring, scientists say, that the future will be even hotter.
"I don't think I can live without air cons," says 45-year-old accountant Angus Lee, speaking for most of the city's seven million inhabitants.
"I don't think I can function properly in Hong Kong's heat -- I need to be cool in order to think."
But that love affair with chilled air -- which is growing fast throughout Asia as living standards rise -- comes at a heavy environmental price.
Scientists predict that Hong Kong will have almost no winter by the end of the century as the electricity guzzlers help heat up the city.
"Local temperatures are rising at a speed of 0.6 degrees Celsius each decade, more than three times the global average," said Lee Boon-ying, director of the Hong Kong Observatory.
"The excessive use of any electricity-powered machines like air conditioners will accelerate global warming, raising temperatures."
Scientists link climate change to the greenhouse effect, in which gases emitted by burning fossil fuels such as coal to produce energy trap heat in the atmosphere.
Air conditioners account for up to 60 percent of Hong Kong's electricity usage in the hot, humid, sub-tropical summers, according to government figures.
The city is notorious for its over-chilled interiors, from arctic shopping malls to icy bank towers, with many street-side shops leaving their doors open and letting the cool air out, enraging environmentalists.
Popular travel guide Lonely Planet warns travellers of the big chill, saying "temperatures are set so low you may find your extremities turning blue."
The government recommends buildings set all indoor temperatures at 25.5 degrees Celsius (77.9 Fahrenheit), but there is no legislation to force compliance.
Measurements taken by AFP inside some of Hong Kong's major shopping malls showed indoor temperatures around 21.5 degrees Celsius, far below the government's recommended figure.
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said it investigated any complaints and would press the venues to use air-conditioning efficiently.
Hong Kong is not alone in its growing dependence on cooler air, with the Asia-Pacific region representing the largest global air conditioning market.
The region accounted for about half of global demand in 2008, according to a report by US-based Global Industry Analysts, and is also the fastest growing market worldwide as income levels rise.
A large percentage of Hong Kong's air conditioners also use hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), but less-harmful refrigerants are available, EPD spokeswoman Eva Wong said.
The environmental watchdog hopes to reduce consumption of HCFCs, which experts say deplete the ozone layer and contribute to climate change, by 90 percent over the next five years, she said.
Fighting climate change by putting cleaner vehicles on Hong Kong's jam-packed streets and cutting pollution from thousands of factories in nearby Guangdong province on China's mainland may be a Herculean challenge.
But the simple fan would go a long way in attacking the city's contribution to global warming, said Friends of the Earth Hong Kong environmental affairs manager Hahn Chu.
"No one wants to live in a sweatbox, and although replacing your air con with a greener version is one option, there are other ways to keep cool, like using fans," he said.
Yahoo News 22 Jun 10;
BEIJING (AFP) – A massive floating expanse of green algae is heading towards China's east coast, potentially threatening wildlife and the region's tourist industry, state media reported on Tuesday.
The algae bloom covered 200 square kilometres (80 square miles) and was about 13 kilometres (eight miles) offshore and floating towards the coastal city of Jiaonan in Shandong province, Xinhua news agency said.
The local branch of the State Oceanic Administration, which monitors marine conditions, is sending boats in a bid to clear the algae, it said.
Algae blooms are typically caused by pollution in China and suck up huge amounts of oxygen needed by marine wildlife to survive and leave a foul stench when they wash up on beaches, the report added.
In August 2008, a large offshore algae bloom threatened the sailing competition of the Olympic Games when it engulfed waters surrounding the event's venue in the eastern China city of Qingdao, near Jiaonan.
Up to 10,000 soldiers and volunteers were enlisted to clean up more than a million tonnes of the foul-smelling algae as they raced to clear the waters in time for the Olympics.
According to a 2008 State Oceanic Administration report, raw sewage and pollution from agricultural run-off has polluted 83 percent of China's coastal waters, leading to algae pollution and other problems.
In 2008, China's coastal waters witnessed 68 red tides -- another type of algae bloom -- covering 13,700 square kilometres (5,500 square miles), an increase of more than 2,100 square kilometres over 2007, the report said.
The Jakarta Post 22 Jun 10;
Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said Tuesday that realistically Jakarta will never be free from floods, the problem the city’s residents complain about the most.
“It is impossible for us to make Jakarta free from floods,” Fauzi said during a hearing with the Jakarta Council as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.
Fauzi explained that the floods were mainly caused by Jakarta’s unpredictable environmental conditions and the fact that 40 percent of its land is located below the sea’s high tide level.
“Moreover, 13 big rivers stream through the city and end up in the Jakarta gulf,” he added.
As part of efforts to reduce floods by 2012, the administration has planned to repair road drainage systems in 33 locations across the capital this year.
The city will also build a drainage system that channels waters into the West Flood Canal
via the Cideng River.
ScienceDaily 22 Jun 10;
Until recently, the disastrous scale of the threat posed by salmon farms to the fauna and National Park of the Aysén region of southern Chile was entirely unknown. The unexpected discovery was made by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization and the University of Göttingen, who were studying acoustic communication among the native whales in the region. The researchers not only discovered that the salmon industry is rapidly spreading to the hitherto largely unspoiled south of the region; they also documented the previously unknown threat to the region's native sea lions.
International environmental organisations have expressed their surprise at this accidental discovery.
The Göttingen researchers report their observations in the "Correspondence" section of the current edition of the journal Nature.
With an export volume in excess of two billion US dollars, Chile is one of the world's main producers of farmed salmon. The aquaculture, which is carried out on a massive scale, is mainly concentrated on the ramified fjords of the province of Aysén in Patagonia. While parts of the province are classified as a National Park, the protection does not extend to the surrounding sea. The salmon farms, which are entirely legal from the government's perspective, have, in part, devastating impacts on the region's entire ecosystem -- not least because Atlantic salmon is an alien species in Chile, introduces diseases and therefore poses an additional risk to already threatened native species. Moreover, the use of medication on the farms and the waste they produce also burden the ecosystem.
The ISA (infectious salmon anaemia) virus, which causes anaemia and death in salmon, has forced many aquaculture operators to close down their farms in northern Chile in recent years. "The farms, however, are now spreading further south," reports Heike Vester from the Norwegian research institute Ocean Sounds, who is currently completing her doctorate at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization and the University of Göttingen. Because the region's ramified fjords are difficult to access from land, the full scale of the impact of this development only became clear to her when she was carrying out research from the water. Vester's photographs document, among other things, the threat posed to the South American sea lion. The animals get caught in the protective nets surrounding the salmon farms when young and, even if they manage to free themselves, parts of the nets often remain stuck to the sea lions and suffocate them as they grow.
The salmon farms also incur other negative effects on the ecosystem: large volumes of excess feed for the farmed fish and their faeces can be seen floating in the water, and the crowded conditions under which the salmon are kept necessitate the use of medication and pesticides. Measurements taken by other participants in the Göttingen researcher's expedition prove that no forms of life now exist in direct proximity to the farms. "The air there smells like bleach," says Vester.
Acoustic measurements carried out in the field by the biologist also reveal the existence of another invisible threat: the ships that supply the farms and the generators of the feeding machines generate constant noise. "This noise can drive the threatened marine mammals, for example blue, humpback and sei whales and Peale's dolphins and Chilean dolphins, away and disrupt their communication in the ramified fjords and channels," explains Marc Timme from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, who is co-supervising Heike Vester's doctoral thesis.
The north of the province of Aysén, where many salmon farms were shut down and abandoned due to the virus, also presents a bleak picture. "The diseased fish were obviously not disposed of properly and, in some cases, simply sunk in the water in plastic bags," reports Vester. Her photographs show discarded, dead and partly eaten salmon. "It would appear that this is how the virus managed to enter the ecosystem," concludes the biologist. It is not possible to quantify the effects of this infestation on the native flora and fauna.
In their report published in the journal Nature, the Göttingen researchers suggest that the salmon industry, local fishermen and environmental protection organisations join forces in seeking a solution to this problem. A joint approach of this kind has already been tested in countries like Italy, Australia and the USA. The aim must be to ensure that, in addition to those of the salmon farms, the rights of the local fishermen and the environment are asserted. This is the only way that sustainable tourism can be established as a new sector with good prospects in the region.
The Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Göttingen researches complex systems from very wide-ranging areas in physics, information technology and biology. Heike Vester's research project involves the study of the complex communication between social whales, such as pilot and killer whales. As part of her study, the biologist has collected and compared sound recordings and behavioural studies from northern Norway and southern Chile with a view to identifying variations in the sound patterns of the two geographically divided populations. The aim of the study is to gain a better understanding of the composition and structure of the sounds and their use. This could contribute to the identification of important steps in the evolution and development of the formation of sounds by these animals. Heike Vester has visited Chile every year since 2008 on the invitation of the Chilean Center for Scientific Tourism to study how sustainable tourism could be developed there.
Tiffany Crawford, Vancouver Sun 22 Jun 10;
VANCOUVER — Nala, Vancouver's much-loved baby beluga, died Monday evening after its airway became blocked, the Vancouver Aquarium announced Tuesday.
Baby Nala was born June 7, 2009 to huge public fanfare and died just two weeks after her first birthday in the tank at the Vancouver Aquarium at about 10:15 p.m.
Aquarium veterinarian Dr. Martin Haulena said a necropsy on Nala showed she had a "unique pocket" located off her airway that contained a couple of rocks and a penny.
The pocket had become inflamed resulting in obstruction to Nala's airway, he said, which led to an accumulation of fluid in her lungs.
Haulena said staff members are still trying to figure out whether the pocket was the result of a congenital defect or caused by the inhalation of the foreign objects.
"A very, very strange finding, one that we certainly did not suspect," he said.
"I'm still racking my brain to try to figure out what we could have done about it," he said at a news conference Tuesday, in front of the beluga tank where Nala had died just several hours before.
The rocks are a normal part of the pool environment, although staff still aren't sure how the penny got in the tank.
Behind Haulena in the pool Tuesday, swam three Beluga whales, Tiqa, Quila and 23-year-old Aurora, the mother of baby Nala.
Two other belugas were in another tank. There are now five belugas at the aquarium.
Nala had suffered a bout of illness that had lasted about 10 to 14 days.
After taking blood samples, staff had treated her with medication for a suspected infection.
Her health seemed to improve Friday and by the weekend she was playing with the other whales.
Though Nala's health suddenly took a turn for the worse Monday and she had been put under 24-hour watch by staff and volunteers.
On Monday night, staff knew by the monitors that something was wrong, said Haulena. He said they rushed outside but Nala died just as they reached the water.
Nala is the second baby beluga born at the aquarium to die in five years. Another of Aurora's calves, named Tuvaq, died in 2005 at the age of three.
In 2002, a Pacific white-sided dolphin named Whitewings died of respiratory failure when staff tried to remove objects such as stones, pine cones and seashells from her stomach.
A Vancouver-based animal advocacy group said eating debris is a sign of neurotic behaviour in whales and dolphins caused by living in captivity, and that Nala's death was a another example of this behaviour.
"If you put a person in confinement and had just four walls and someone only visited a few times a day, that person would go crazy," said Annelise Sorg, a spokeswoman for the Coalition For No Whales in Captivity.
"It took Nala only a year to go crazy. Eating debris shows us they are not happy living in a concrete bathtub in a puddle in the park."
Beluga whale dies at Vancouver aquarium
AFP Google News 23 Jun 10;
VANCOUVER, Canada — A yearling Beluga whale died at the Vancouver Aquarium from "foreign bodies" in her airway, officials announced Tuesday.
The little white whale, named Nala, had been sick and on antibiotics, but her death late Monday night surprised staff at the aquarium, a research and tourist facility in this western Canadian city.
"We were already seeing much improved behavior with her appetite returning," said an aquarium statement. "She continued to play with her beluga family and trainers up to the day she died, which was why her death was unexpected."
"The preliminary results of Nala?s necropsy indicate that she had a unique pocket in her airway that contained three foreign bodies," said the aquarium. "The pocket had become inflamed resulting in obstruction to the airway and an accumulation of fluid in the lungs."
Lifeforce, an animal activist organization that opposes keeping whales in captivity, criticized in a statement this "36th death of a cetacean caused by the Vancouver Aquarium aquatic circus business."
"Beluga psychological and physical needs cannot be provided for in aquarium prisons, so they should be phased out," Lifeforce spokesman Peter Hamilton told AFP.
Five Belugas still remain at the aquarium, which defended its breeding program on research grounds.
"What we learn from the responsible breeding of animals can often help to further our understanding of wild populations," said the aquarium in a news release. It said the relationship between Nala and her mother Aurora had been used for research on whale communications.
After videos of Nala's birth in a tank on June 7, 2009 were released by the aquarium she received worldwide publicity. Her name was chosen in a Canada-wide contest, with Nala the abbreviation for "Nalautsaagaq," a special surprise gift in the Inuit language of Inuktitut.
Richard Black BBC News 22 Jun 10;
Campaigners have unveiled a petition signed by more than a million people calling for maintenance of the global moratorium on commercial whaling.
It was presented to Australian minister Peter Garrett outside the International Whaling Commission meeting in Morocco.
Another statement signed by more than 200 scientists argued that with other threats facing whales, the moratorium should remain in place.
Private talks on a compromise deal continued with little sign of progress.
However, in Tokyo, Japan's Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forests, Masayoshi Yamada, said he was prepared to reduce the whaling quotas that would be assigned to Japan under the 10-year draft compromise proposal being debated here.
"I believe Japan has space to make a compromise," he said.
The draft would see Japan's minke whale quota in the Southern Ocean set to 400 for five years, then 200 for a further five years.
It is believed that Japan would contemplate movement on the first figure, but not the second - which may not be enough to convince anti-whaling countries to make a deal.
It certainly would not be enough for Mr Garrett, whose Australian government is vocal in its opposition to the proposed deal.
"I believe the people of the world's voices on protecting whales need to be heard," he said.
"I certainly hear them today in front of the IWC meeting in Morocco.
"In accepting this petition, I say that we too understand how important it is that this compromise proposal that's been floated, that would see the commercial whaling moratorium finish, does not succeed."
The petition - organised by campaign group Avaaz - reads: "As citizens from around the world, we call on you to retain the international ban on commercial whaling as the core policy of the International Whaling Commission in its pursuit of conservation of whales."
Mr Garrett also joined many conservation groups in condemning the fact that after two years of behind-the-scenes talks, delegations opted here for two more days of the same, rather than the public and accessible discussions that usually characterise this forum.
Meanwhile, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) presented the European Commission with a 200,000-postcard petition calling on the EU to ensure "the international ban on commercial whaling must stay".
Call to science
The third petition of the day was organised by a group of scientists who argue that with other threats facing cetaceans around the world, hunting should not be legitimised.
"Whilst aware that some whale populations are showing signs of increase in the absence of whaling pressure... such increases are not a sufficient rationale to justify the IWC endorsing commercial catches," their statement reads.
"There is no evidence that any of the few populations and species shown to be increasing have reached, or are anywhere near, the levels that might justify non-zero catch limits under the IWC's existing management and conservation policies and procedures."
One of those signing was Mark Simmonds, director of science at WDCS, who commented: "I think it shows that marine scientists are very concerned about the resumption of commercial whaling and that there are other things that affect whales such as climate change that need to be addressed.
"It's a request to members of the IWC not to resume commercial whaling," he told BBC News.
The proposed compromise deal has divided opinions among the conservation community.
Some argue that the commercial whaling moratorium must be maintained at all costs, while others say that as the moratorium does not prevent whaling by Iceland, Japan and Norway, a deal that substantially reduces the numbers hunted each year and puts the hunts under international oversight might be worth doing.
And others, on the pro-hunting side, are arguing against it because they believe whale-hunting is justified if it is done sustainably.
"What this process is really concerned about is ethics and, more precisely, the desire of some to impose their conviction that whaling is wrong on others who believe it is a right when carried out sustainably," said the IWMC World Conservation Trust - a lobby group that promotes sustainable use of living resources - in a newsletter distributed at the meeting.
The meeting continues until Friday, and most observers appear to be hoping to be permitted more involvement than kicking their heels outside in the Moroccan sun.
BBC News 22 Jun 10;
A deal that could regulate whaling for the next 10 years is being debated at the International Whaling Commission's (IWC) week-long meeting in Agadir, Morocco.
Environment correspondent Richard Black, who is at the talks, looks at the proposals drawn up by the IWC's chairman and considers the likelihood of the measures being adopted.
What is the "deal"?
On the table is a draft compromise "package" of measures that has been drawn up by the IWC chair and vice-chair following a two-year sequence of meetings with a small group of delegations. If adopted, it would reform whaling for a 10-year period.
The essential ingredients of the deal are that Japan would phase down (or phase out) its whaling operations in the Southern Ocean. The draft calls for its annual minke whale quota to fall from 935 to 400 now, and then to 200 in 2015.
In exchange, it would be assigned a quota for whales in its coastal waters.
Iceland and Norway would also receive quotas set by the IWC that could be smaller than the quotas they currently award themselves.
The three countries would agree not to go hunting unilaterally; Japan would agree not to use the "scientific whaling" clause. No other countries would be permitted to begin hunting.
Quotas would initially be set by political agreement, but the IWC's scientific committee would be able to mandate cuts if there was evidence that whale stocks were being threatened.
Measures such as observers on whaling boats and a DNA register for meat would be introduced, in order to prevent illegal hunting.
Most countries also want to see a clause adopted that would limit whalemeat to domestic consumption only.
Subsistence hunting by indigenous groups (such as the Greenland Inuit) would largely be unaffected.
Why do some conservation groups hate it?
Because in their eyes it legitimises commercial whaling, which has been under a global moratorium since 1986.
It would also - as it stands - permit some hunting of species listed as endangered, such as the fin whale.
Some are worried that if it was passed, some other countries would try to begin hunts - South Korea has already indicated such a wish.
Why do other conservation groups like it?
Under the global moratorium, as many as 2,000 whales are killed each year by Japan, Iceland and Norway. These countries set quotas unilaterally and there is little international oversight.
They say that although the moratorium has been a real achievement, it is clearly not working for these three countries.
They see the deal as potentially reducing the number of whales being killed each year - perhaps down to half of current levels - and putting existing whaling under international oversight.
However, none of them back the draft proposals in their current form, and want certain elements tightened up.
They would also like to see the IWC get involved in other issues that threaten whales, such as climate change. At present, the commission is unable to turn its full attention to other matters, because the hunting issue is so divisive.
How would Japan benefit from the proposed deal?
It would see an end to the annual acrimony and international condemnation.
The deal would secure quotas for Japanese coastal communities with a history of whaling.
There is also a view among some negotiators that Japan's government is becoming concerned about the cost of the Antarctic expeditions, and is looking for to find an exit strategy.
Will IWC member nations accept the proposals?
Very hard to call.
As it stands, the package falls short of what anti-whaling countries want in some areas. A revised version is likely to emerge at some point during the talks.
However, while they are looking for deeper cuts in Japan's Antarctic hunt, Japan itself says the existing figures are too low.
The backers - principally the US - want to secure a consensus agreement. That looks to be a vain hope; there is unlikely to be any formulation that can satisfy both Australia at one end of the spectrum of opinions, and Iceland at the other.
In the absence of a consensus, IWC members will vote on the proposed measures. A three-quarters majority would be needed to bring about the change.
Michael McCarthy, The Independent 23 Jun 10;
Thirty years ago it was one of the great environmental issues, along with the hole in the ozone layer and CFC chemicals. Now acid rain may be making a comeback – but this time, there's a change in the chemicals responsible.
Nitrogen emissions from motor vehicles and agricultural fertilisers, are combining with rain to produce nitric acid, and are starting to replace the sulphuric acid resulting from power-station emissions as a major source of the environmental scourge of the 1970s and 1980s, according to American experts.
The result is a renewed and serious environmental risk for forests, rivers and wildlife, as nitric acid rain can – just like its sulphuric equivalent – kill plants, fish and insects by leaching important plant nutrients such potassium, calcium and magnesium from the soil. At the same time, it can help to liberate potentially toxic minerals such as aluminium, which can flow off into watercourses. The concern is surfacing in the US, where several scientists have voiced their worries in the current issue of the journal Scientific American.
But the problem exists in Britain and Europe too, especially in Scandinavia, which, because of prevailing westerly winds, receives much of the UK's air pollution. "The issue hasn't gone away," said Ed Dearnley, policy officer for air quality at the charity Environmental Protection UK.
In fact, many EU member states are not on course to meet new limits on nitrogen air pollution which come into force at the end of this year, under the 1999 Gothenburg Protocol, which attempts to do for air pollution what the 1997 Kyoto Protocol attempted to do for climate change: solve the problem by reducing emissions.
The UK is unlikely to meet its limits for NOx (oxides of nitrogen) under the EU National Emission Ceilings Directive, although by a smaller margin than many other countries. Britain expects to overshoot its NOx ceilings by less than 5 per cent, whereas France and Spain look like exceeding theirs by about 30 per cent.
In the US, although nitrogen pollution has been reduced, it has not gone down as much as sulphur pollution. Sulphur dioxide emissions decreased by almost 70 per cent from 1990 to 2008, but emissions of NOx went down only 35 per cent during the same period. Scientists "have grown increasingly aware of the consequences of the remaining nitric acid deposition", according to Professor William Schlesinger, president of the Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York.
Professor Schlesinger said it is clear that humans are adding nitrogen to the Earth's surface, and although researchers do not know yet where it all goes, "we do know that increasing concentrations of nitrogen in unexpected places will cause significant environmental damage that we will all learn to regret".
According to Scientific American, the Professor thinks that national arguments over climate change have allowed the US to ignore the nitrogen problem, which he predicts will be the next big environmental issue.
Atmospheric nitrogen is not only responsible for acid rain; when it falls to earth it also causes eutrophication, an excess of nutrients which can lead to algal blooms on lakes and can disrupt plant diversity by letting a very few plant species outcompete almost everything else.
Acid rain: An environmental crisis that disappeared off the radar
Michael McCarthy The Independent 23 Jun 10;
You can tell an environmental problem has gone off the radar screen when Friends of the Earth don't have anybody tracking it, and that's the case with acid rain. There is currently no acid rain campaigner at FoE in London (although they will cheerfully point you in the direction of an expert).
These days, the focus of green campaigners has switched almost entirely, away from air pollution to climate change. Yet a generation ago, acid rain was one of the highest-profile green issues, of concern to all the main campaigning environmental groups and to the general public, who were presented with apocalyptic visions of forests dying and lifeless rivers.
It was also the subject of angry argument between nations – not least between the Scandinavian countries, and Britain. In the mid 1980s, when the row was at its height, Norway and Sweden took very strong objection to the fact the acid rain they were suffering from, which was causing serious problems for their forests and lakes, was largely British in origin.
Much of Britain's electricity was then generated by big coal-burning power stations situated in northern England on the eastern side of the Pennines, such as Drax in Yorkshire. These plants burned enormous amounts of coal with a very high sulphur content, and the resultant sulphur dioxide emissions from the power station chimneys were blown by the prevailing westerly winds across the North Sea, transformed into sulphuric acid and deposited on the Scandinavian land mass.
For Britain it was unfortunately "out of sight, out of mind", and the Norwegians and Swedes were furious that the then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, with Britain's Central Electricity Generating Board run by a Thatcher favourite, Walter Marshall, were long disinclined to take responsibility.
Eventually, however, Britain accepted it had to do something and at considerable expense, flue gas desulphurisation equipment, or sulphur "scrubbers", were fitted to all major power station chimneys. Since then atmospheric sulphur emissions have tumbled in Britain by about 85 per cent. But nitrogen is the new concern now.
Lesley Wroughton and Timothy Gardner Climate Reuters 22 Jun 10;
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - World climate talks set for November in Mexico could make progress on how poorer states cope with global warming, but more wins are needed at the table to produce a big breakthrough at the long-running talks, a senior World Bank official said.
Broad differences over emission targets and who should pay for poorer nations as they struggle with climate changes have stymies negotiations to forge a new global climate deal.
In an interview, Kathy Sierra, World Bank vice-president for sustainable development, which includes the environment, said small steps in Mexico could go a long way to build the confidence to take on tough issues like binding cuts on emissions.
"I think what we need is some successes. And some successes on some of the things that are ripe and some that are a little tougher, so that you get confidence on both sides," she said.
But Sierra is optimistic the groups could make some progress on important issues, including how to help impoverished countries pay for the battle against climate change, such as funding more green fuel projects.
"Most observers feel that there is room to make a couple of leaps forward," said Sierra. "It may not be the fully fledged negotiation of a treaty but there are pieces that people are hoping will come together."
Those pieces, said Sierra, include making headway on financing to help poor countries reduce deforestation and protect their tropical forests.
Six months after climate negotiators emerged disappointed with the results of talks in Copenhagen, Sierra said momentum was picking up again to reach a new pact to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.
The Copenhagen meeting failed to reach a deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions. But it resulted in an accord that earmarked $30 billion annually over the next three years to help poor states tackle climate change.
"Things were more muted after Copenhagen ... there was a lot of pause in the system ... but my sense from our contacts now is that people have regrouped and while yes, there is a very difficult fiscal environment in (advanced economies), that doesn't mean we should stop," Sierra added, referring to the rising fiscal deficits among Western countries.
She said rich countries were focused on trying to build trust among developing countries by meeting the $30 billion a year funding mark agreed in Copenhagen.
Increasing that to an agreed $100 billion annually by 2020 will, however, be a challenge given budget strains in advanced economies, she added.
"Whether and how the larger sum of money is going to be mobilized in this environment is difficult," she noted.
LOW-CARBON ENVIRONMENT
As Sierra prepares to leave the World Bank after a 32-year career, she said developing nations were increasingly focused on moving toward a low-carbon environment and were looking to the World Bank to help them fund that transition.
She said the World Bank was about to appoint a high-level expert to help the bank make available the best renewable energy technologies on the market.
Sierra said the World Bank was increasing funding available for clean energy projects, such as small and mid-sized hydropower projects and solar power, and over the next several years would easily surpass this year's $3.8 billion investment mark.
The World Bank has been tasked with managing a Clean Technology Fund for donors but has come under fire from environmentalists for also backing coal plants that emit tens of millions of tons of harmful carbon emissions.
In April, it approved a $3.75 billion loan for a coal-fired mega power plant in South Africa to help the country ease its chronic power shortage despite opposition from several large World Bank shareholders, including the United States.
The project highlighted tensions faced by fast-growing developing countries over meeting rising energy needs and moving toward clean energy solutions.
As the world's poverty-fighting institution, the World Bank cannot completely rule out coal projects but should also not increase funding for them, Sierra said.
"As an organization that has its core mandate as development, it is probably inappropriate for us to have a red line on any one technology," she said. "But should we be growing that portfolio? No, I think we should be looking at where we can add the most value, which is on transformational technologies."
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