Best of our wild blogs: 14 Dec 10

The Sunda Pangolin
from Macro Photography in Singapore

Orthoptera
from Creatures Big & Small

Zooming in for a Closer View
from Macro Photography in Singapore

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Singapore youth take a stand at Cancun

Group of eight attended talks, helped create youth climate statement
Jessica Cheam Straits Times 14 Dec 10;

CANCUN (MEXICO): A 'G-8' observer group closely followed this year's UN climate talks at this Mexican resort.

Not the G-8, but a G-8, and its members are all Singaporeans, aged 17 to 28, who want to champion climate issues.

They were in Mexico from Nov 29 when the UN talks began to broker a global treaty to reduce climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

The two-week event ended last Saturday with 193 nations agreeing to take modest but significant steps towards saving the planet. The Cancun Agreements also created a fund to help poor countries handle the effects of climate change.

The eight Singaporeans - picked by homegrown environmental NGO Eco Singapore, based on their essays and presentations on these issues - had to pay more than $3,000 each for flights and accommodation.

In Cancun, they did not flinch from tackling the steep learning curve of grasping complex issues and technical conference language.

Before the start of each day, the group studied conference material, attended the sessions, absorbed the key issues and tracked down powerful negotiators to interview and interact with.

All their activities were captured on a blog - (http://unfcccecosingapore.wordpress.com) to share developments with friends back home. Social media such as Twitter and Facebook were also tapped.

The Singaporeans, some of whom will arrive home today, also initiated meetings with youth counterparts from other Asean countries at Cancun, to come up with a youth climate statement.

'We want to have our voice at the meetings and this is the voice of the youth speaking to our governments,' said Teh Yi Ying, 17, a Victoria Junior College (VJC) student.

The youth statement, which recommended that climate change education be integrated into the school curriculum across Asean, was presented to the bloc's member delegations in Cancun before the close of the conference last Saturday. Yi Ying, president of VJC's environmental club Earthwatch, said she jumped at the chance to attend the United Nations talks as she wanted to understand the issues more intimately.

Eco Singapore is the first local youth NGO delegation involved in the UN climate meetings under the UN's youth constituency, known as UN Youngo.

Eco Singapore president Wilson Ang, 28, attending his fifth UN climate meeting, was instrumental in setting up the group.

After the 2008 meeting in Poland, he said, he saw a need for youth to be part of the process and initiated a discussion with the UN. This led to the UN Youngo, a youth network that now spans countries across the globe.

'I wanted a stronger youth presence in the negotiations, especially an Asian one. Our presence here also helps to strengthen Singapore and Asean's position,' he said.

'We also raise awareness back home by sharing what we've experienced at these high-level meetings.'

Last Friday, in Cancun, the Singaporeans met Senior Minister S. Jayakumar and Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim for a dialogue.

An entry in their blog said: 'Speaking candidly on several issues, Professor S. Jayakumar gave an overview of the current negotiations from Singapore's point of view and shared key points from his statement...He also expressed interest in youth participation and initiative in tackling climate change back in Singapore, especially in generating a bottom-up movement.'

Former Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) student Lee Zhe Yu, 20, who has just completed his national service, said the group also took the opportunity to present the Asean youth statement on climate change to ministers.

'The ministers were interested in our youth participation and encouraged us to take an active role in reducing Singapore's carbon footprint,' he added.

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Work begins on Changi racing hub

$380m motorsports project on track to be completed by end-2011
Christopher Tan, Straits Times 14 Dec 10;

CONSTRUCTION of Singapore's first permanent motor racing circuit has begun.

SG Changi, developer of the Changi Motorsports Hub, which costs around $380 million to build but which could spin off much more for the tourism industry and other businesses, got its permit to start work from the authorities last week.

Despite the late start since SG won the bid in March, its managing director Teh Leong is hopeful that the facility can be competed by the original target of end-2011.

It will include a 3.7km track that can host all motor races except Formula One. He expects the first race - a car event - to flag off by March or April 2012.

'We have to work harder to make sure it is ready on time,' he said yesterday . 'If not, it might affect the 2012 airshow which is in February 2012.'

The Singapore Airshow site is next door to the hub's 41ha grounds off Changi Coast Road. If construction is still going on, visitors to the airshow will be inconvenienced by the traffic diversions, noise and dust.

The news of progress being made also puts the brakes on speculation about SG Changi being cash-strapped.

'Rumours about us not having enough money to start are not true,' Mr Teh said.

The site has been left largely idle since SG Changi, a Japanese-led group that includes home-grown Jurong Kart World, beat two other bidders to build and operate the racing facility for 30 years.

This sparked talk that the development could have stalled, fuelled by the sudden resignation of director Genji Hashimoto, a former race driver. He has been replaced by businessman Moto Sakuma.

But since SG received its provisional permit (PP) to begin work, heavy machines have rolled in. 'The truth is, I wish the PP could have come earlier,' Mr Teh said. 'But I understand this is not a condo or shopping mall. There's no precedent here so everybody is extra cautious.'

The star draw at the venue will be MotoGP, the motorcycle equivalent of Formula One which is said to have a worldwide audience of 400 million. It is held in 18 venues globally, including Japan, Australia and Malaysia.

Asked how SG Changi intends to make the hub a viable business given the track record of loss-incurring circuits elsewhere, Mr Teh said: 'Singapore is a unique location. It has safety, security, convenience and ample logistics. We also have a lot of motorsports enthusiasts.'

He added that unlike most other facilities, the project here will rev up with shopping, F&B outlets, a motor museum and a racing academy.

Plans are afoot to build a 250-room hotel on site and develop a 400m stretch of beach fronting the track, after the latter is up and running.

Said Mr Teh: 'It will have a carnival atmosphere. We intend to bring in sumo wrestling, kickboxing and motor shows.'

The venue will be geared towards attracting car companies, with showrooms for rent and a bonded warehouse where 750 vehicles can be stored without paying registration taxes.

The track can be used for R&D work on new models and car launches. Mr Teh said the facility is slated to have 20,000 permanent seats and 10,000 temporary ones but can be expanded to accommodate up to 60,000 spectators.

He said SG Changi is in talks with car clubs on membership schemes for those keen to use the track for private races.

Nevertheless, the main purpose of the hub - which can be operated 24/7 - is competition. Mr Teh aims to hold more than 10 races, both night and day, a year.

Mr Tan Teng Lip, president of the Singapore Motor Sports Association, is relieved the hub is a step closer to reality after years of discussion and planning by the Singapore Sports Council and other parties.

He is optimistic that the builder can meet the December 2011 deadline. 'It is not close to a residential area so they can work round the clock if necessary.'

He said the crucial parts - pit building, grandstands and track - should be finished on time.

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Malaysia: Leukaemia inhibitor from tree extract can help fight cancer

Yu Ji The Star 14 Dec 10;

KUCHING: A compound from the Aglaia foveolata tree, found in Sarawak’s highlands, has entered pre-clinical trials, showing positive results in inhibiting the growth of some forms of cancer like leukaemia.

According to scientists at the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC), which owns the intellectual property rights to the plant, experiments found an extracted compound called Silvestrol offered benefits not found in other cancer-fighting drugs.

“First, it seems to inhibit leukaemia growth compared with controlled tests performed on mice. Second, the tests show that it seems to bypass drug resistance,” said Dr Yeo Tiong Chia, senior research officer at the centre.

Dr Yeo, a graduate of the Washington University in immunology, said he was confident of the compound’s potential.

He added that if tests continued to be positive, then the next step would be to conduct clinical trials on humans.

However, as with all experiments, he added, outcomes were hard to predict and could go either way.

Dr Yeo was speaking to The Star during SBC’s annual open day at its headquarters near Padawan, here.

Meanwhile, SBC chief executive Dr Rita Manurung said the centre needed funds to speed up research.

She said the centre had submitted a development proposal of RM5mil to both state and federal governments.

The development included expanding its chemistry labs and having better facilities to attract more visiting scientists.

Dr Rita explained the urgent need for funds.

“Intellectual property rights are not forever. At SBC, we hold just one right, which is for the Aglaia plant.

“We acquired that right in 2004, but such rights usually expire after 15 to 20 years. As such, all research must be speeded up,” she said.

Another important role of the centre is documenting indigenous vegetation, with focus on those that have medical qualities not yet known to the scientific community.

The programme has been ongoing for almost a decade, with about 3,000 plants documented.

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Discovery of new species in Thailand

Discoveries reveal life's secrets
Apinya Wipatayotin Bangkok Post 14 Dec 10;

The discovery of new animal and plant species is proof that Thailand is a biodiversity-rich country and stresses the need for better preservation of these biological resources, scientists say.

Twenty-five animal and plant species have been discovered by scientists from Chulalongkorn University since 2007, and these were crucial steps in biodiversity studies in the country, said Chariya Lekprayoon, of the faculty of science and chief of the university's Science Museum Development Project.

These newly discovered species could lead to the development of new products such as medicines, Ms Chariya said.

"We need to educate the public about the importance of these living things so they will help protect biological resources," she said.

The 25 species have been put on display at Chamchuri Square on Rama IV Road until Thursday as part of International Year of Biodiversity celebrations.

Some discoveries have already been made public, such as the Shocking Pink Millipede (Desmoxytes purpurosea) found in 2007 in provinces connecting the North and Central Plains, while other new species have been confirmed by reliable science journals this year.

Among the new discoveries are a snail, a millipede and a grass plant.

The snail (Rhachistia conformalis) was found for the first time on trees in Kaeng Krachan National Park in Phetchaburi. It could also be found in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani.

The millipede (Heptischius lactuca), was discovered in Mae Sot of Tak province, while Mnesithea thailandica is a grass species found in a rice field in RoiEt.

Somsak Panha, a leading scientist from Chulalongkorn University's department of biology, said Thailand's biodiversity was under threat from deforestation and global warming.

"The living things we have found are facing a natural imbalance. Loss of these species will eventually impact human beings because they are part of the life cycle," Mr Somsak said.

He called on Thai scientists to work harder on searching for new species to create better understanding about biodiversity.

"We have to work harder to fully read the biological map, which is very much associated with us. If we don't do it, experts from overseas will finally take the benefits from our resources," he said.

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U.S. and Indonesian Scientists Find Biodiversity Runs Deep in Sulawesi Sea

Expedition Transmitted Real-Time HD Video From Seafloor to Scientists Ashore
NOAA News 13 Dec 10;

New submarine volcanoes, a large hydrothermal field with a thriving exotic animal ecosystem and areas rich with deep-sea ocean animals are among the discoveries reported today by U.S. and Indonesian scientists who explored the largely unknown deep Sulawesi Sea last summer off the coast of Indonesia.

At an American Geophysical Union press conference in San Francisco, scientists explained that while the exploration area is recognized as one of the Earth’s major shallow water centers of marine diversity, little was known about the marine life inhabiting its deep areas until this mission.

“This expedition was exciting and productive in many respects,” said Sugiarta Wirasantosa, Ph.D., of the Indonesia Agency for Marine and Fisheries Research and Indonesia’s chief scientist for the expedition. “The joint science team mapped Kawio Barat, an active undersea volcano that rises nearly 12,000 feet from the seafloor, and the mission revealed that high marine diversity extends deep in the area, but that there is a different mix of diversity between the shallow and deep ocean.”

“Within the ‘Coral Triangle,’ a 2.3 million-square-mile area (6 million square km) in which the Sulawesi is included, more than 65 percent of the world’s reef-forming coral species are known to exist in shallow waters,” said Santiago Herrera, a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution who participated in the expedition. “We observed and imaged perhaps 40 potential new coral species and 50 potential new species of other animals, including those inhabiting an actively venting volcano. Documenting the abundance, biodiversity and distribution of deep-ocean animals will allow us to better understand the functioning of the ecosystems in the area and infer how resilient they are to human activities.”

The ocean exploration partnership matured in the wake of President Obama’s speech in June 2009 in Cairo when he spoke of building partnerships to support science and technological development in Muslim-majority countries. This expedition was the first in a multiyear plan for Indonesia and the United States to explore marine environments together as part of a larger partnership that foresees NOAA, Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, and Indonesia’s Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology partnering on issues of mutual interest including ocean exploration, fisheries and food security, climate change and tsunami research, among other areas.

The 2010 expedition was the maiden voyage of NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, which worked with the Indonesian Research Vessel Baruna Jaya IV. U.S. and Indonesian scientists worked side-by-side on both ships as well as in shore-based Exploration Command Centers in Jakarta and Seattle where they received information in real-time via satellite and high-speed Internet2 pathways, including high-definition video of the seafloor from the Okeanos Explorer’s remotely operated vehicles. Other scientists were on call ashore to assess the data, information and images as needed. At other Exploration Command Centers, including one in Silver Spring, Md., and one at The Inner Space Center at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, live video came in from sea via telepresence technology and engaged a variety of audiences ashore.

“Our partnership to explore the ocean and to share knowledge and technology advances science while building and strengthening the friendship between our nations,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., the U.S. under secretary for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “We look forward to further cooperation next summer when the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer is scheduled to return to Indonesia to continue this mission.”

“It’s especially important for Indonesians to better understand our ocean,” said Sugiarta. “Indonesia is a nation of 17,000 islands with a population that depends largely on the ocean for safety and on ocean resources for food, trade and economic well-being. Measurements of the flow of deep water masses through the deep Sulawesi Sea will help us better understand the ‘Indonesian Throughflow,’ which is important to all because it plays a major role in the global distribution of heat transported by ocean currents.”

“We had a fantastic view of the summit area of Kawio Barat and the features we saw strongly suggest very recent volcanic activity at 6,200 feet (1,900 meters),” said David Butterfield, PhD., a scientist with NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle. “Seeing an eruption at Kawaio Barat is a priority for future observations. Although 70 percent of Earth’s volcanic activity takes place under the ocean surface, researchers have only observed active eruptions by two undersea volcanoes.”

The application of telepresence technology for ocean science and exploration and for education and outreach was first envisioned by Robert Ballard, Ph.D., who partnered with NOAA to develop and refine the technology to bring the excitement of discovery in real time to audiences ashore. Expedition scientists on this latest mission believe that high-definition video transmitted from the deep sea to scientists ashore in real time provided a significant step forward in identifying marine animals, geologic features and other aspects of the deep regions of the Sulawesi Sea.

“In an incredible extension of telepresence technology, live images from the seafloor also went for the first time to scientists ashore beyond Exploration Command Centers,” said NOAA scientist Steve Hammond, Ph.D., the expedition’s U.S. chief scientist. “One scientist at the University of Victoria shared the live seafloor video with her ocean science students and took still frames from the video to email to other ocean experts who could help with identifications. We had scientists of many disciplines in numerous locations all sharing comments in an online chat room as they viewed live video,” he said. “All those comments are time-coded to the video for further reference and research.”

Sea World Indonesia in Jakarta and the Exploratorium in San Francisco were education partners in the expedition. A chronicle of the expedition, including logs and images from sea, is available online: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/.

Celebrating 10 years of ocean exploration, NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research uses state-of-the-art technologies to explore the Earth's largely unknown ocean in all its dimensions for the purpose of discovery and the advancement of knowledge.

NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer is operated, managed and maintained by NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, which includes commissioned officers of the NOAA Corps and civilian wage mariners. NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research is responsible for operating the cutting-edge ocean exploration systems on the vessel. It is the only federal ship dedicated to systematic exploration of the planet’s largely unknown ocean.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources.

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Indonesia suffered huge forest loss from illegal logging: Official

Antara 13 Dec 10;

Bogor, W Java (ANTARA News) - During the period 2000-2005, Indonesia lost a forest area as wide as a soccer field every second of the day due to illegel logging, a forestry official said.

"Some 1.7-2.5 million hectares of forest were destroyed annually by illegal logging in the period 2000-2005. This figure translates into a loss of forest land the size of a soccer field every second of the day," Djoko Supomo, head of the subdirectorate for assessment of natural forest utilization at the Forestry Ministry, said here Monday.

He said Indonesia now had about 120 million hectares of forests. Of this number, 20.5 million hectares were conservation forests, 33 millions hectares protected forests and 66 million hectares production forests.

Back in the 1970s, production forests were some of the most needed and valuable natural resources, and at the time a business enterprise was allowed to gain control over up to more than 1 million hectares of production forest.

But deforestation in Indonesia had worsened since the regional autonomy system was implemented at the beginning of 2000, he said.

Meanwhile, a forestry reseacher said poor surveillance had been the main cause of severe deforestation during the past few decades in the country.

"Forest surveillance has been and is still poor. It needs to be tightened to reduce deforestation," Dr Iskandar Z Ziregar, director of strategic studies and research at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), said.

Iskandar urged national stakeholders in the forestry sector to assume a greater role and better perform their functions in overseeing froests to counter deforestation.

He called on foresters to increase their capacity and skills sp as to be able to save Indonesian forests in a professional way.

"Every one holding an academic degree in forestry should also be a certified forester, somebody whose practical skills has been tested according to international standards by a reputed foresters` assocaition," he said.

"In Germany, a forester needs at least two years to become a certified one ," he said.(*)

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ASEAN: Five-country alliance to monitor fishing activities

Allison Lai The Star 13 Dec 10;

MALACCA: Malaysia will forge an alliance with Brunei, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand in tackling issues of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing off its respective waters via information sharing between the countries.

Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Datuk Wira Mohd Johari Baharum said the ministry would establish strategic actions among the countries to combat the issue.

“The impact of IUU has undermined efforts to effectively conserve and manage fish stocks.

“Thus the need to combat the matter in the region through monitoring, control and surveillance programmes is important,” he said at the launch of a seminar on monitoring, control and surveillance network and fishery resources and management here.

He added that the strategic actions included resource management cooperation, monitoring of workers and vessel registration to promote responsible fishing practices.

“Similar meetings between the countries would also be held annually to discuss, review and analyse IUU fishing-related issues,” he said, adding that ad hoc discussions were also allowed based on necessity.

He said Malaysia has a good and comprehensive system practice on vessel registration which other countries are interested to adopt.

“Now, we are even extending the existing Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) to all fishing boats in Kedah, which was equipped only in deep-sea fishing boats.

“This will enable us to better monitor on trespassing of fishing zones by fishing vessels,” he added.

Mohd Johari said findings from a ministerial in May 2007 showed that the IUU method of fishing in the world is serious with increasing concerns.

“Three sub-regional groups were also formed following the meeting to monitor such fishing activities,” he said.

The groups were the Gulf of Thailand, the Arafura-Timor Seas and the Southern and Eastern South China Sea including the Sulu-Sulawesi Seas.

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IBM pitches "smart" cities as planet savers

Glenn Chapman Yahoo News 13 Dec 10;

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – IBM is helping cities worldwide get "smarter" about using resources in ways that are good for the Earth as well as local budgets.

IBM announced that the coastal Texas town of Corpus Christi has joined cities such as London, Sydney, Stockholm, and Amsterdam in using Internet Age tools to better manage water, trash, parks and more.

"Look at the way the planet is evolving in terms of demographics and environmental considerations," said Guruduth Banavar, chief technology officer of global public sector efforts at IBM.

"It is pretty easy to see that we need to do some things dramatically differently."

Urbanization and climbing population are putting stress on the environment, and problems are exacerbated by inefficient uses of energy, water and land.

Technology can glean information about pipes, streets, parks, traffic and other once "dumb" parts of cities to effectively target solutions and, in some cases, fix things before they break, according to Banavar.

"There is a lot of information available to us through technology that is not being put to use very well," he said.

New York State based IBM and rivals such as Siemens in Germany and Cisco in California are providing systems that collect, share, analyze and act on data from historically "dumb" things in communities.

Banavar used the example of Corpus Christi, which went from tracking city work crews and projects on paper and index cards to getting real-time feedback and analytics regarding roads, buildings and more electronically.

"Now, they have information to say why problems occur, where they are and what can be done to prevent them," Banavar said. "At the end of the day, it is all about managing information to improve operations."

IBM software is being used in Corpus Christi to manage wastewater treatment plants, reservoirs, approximately 1,250 miles (2,012 kilometers) of wastewater mains and a water treatment plant that can hold 170 million gallons (643,520 cubic meters).

The system is relied on to provide water to the city's more than 280,000 residents.

Tracking of water pipe repairs revealed that nearly a third of the problems were at 1.4 percent of the sites served. Plans were put in place to fix underlying problems and cut ongoing repair costs.

Data analysis also showed that small pipes accounted for a disproportionate number of water main breaks, prompting a switch to larger pipes to avoid future troubles.

Skills of repair crew members are automatically factored into scheduling jobs.

"You can improve efficiencies maybe two-fold," Banavar said. "When problems persist, you can dig deeper to find out underlying causes and apply predictive maintenance."

Corpus Christi is going to use sensors in its trash collection program to improve recycling and handling of waste.

"We want to use information to make the planet a better place," Banavar said. "We can start solving these problems on the city level, then start connecting cities and scale out across the whole planet."

Cities can have a more selfish motivation in that better using resources means doing more with tight budgets.

"Corpus Christi is evolving into a more sustainable city," said city administrative superintendent Steve Klepper.

"We have the real-time status of city services, automated work orders and an overview of city's infrastructure to better manage our resources, as well as better maintain the city's mission-critical assets."

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Indonesia to intensify Asean voice in climate change talks

Antara 13 Dec 10;

Cancun, Mexico (ANTARA News) - Indonesia as chairman of ASEAN will intensify the voice of its member states in their position on climate change talks at the 17th Summit on Climate Change in Durban, South Africa, in 2011, a minister said.

"As of January 2011, senior officials from 10 ASEAN member countries will hold a meeting to prepare one ASEAN voice on climate change," Environment Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta said on the sidelines of the 17th Summit on Climate Change in Cancun, Mexico, Friday (Dec 10).

The reason for intensified efforts was because ASEAN seems not to have one voice or stance in negotiations at the climate change summit, he said.

"We are giving a sign that while Indonesia is holding the ASEAN Chair in 2011, it will further highlight ASEAN in dealing with climate change issues," he said.

Climate change issues to be discussed by ASEAN countries included mitigation and adaptation programs to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD plus).

The Indonesian delegation said that they are working actively in the 17th Summit on Climate Change, while Indonesia was appointed a facilitator to lobby the participating countries on climate change mitigation and MRV (Measurement, Reporting, and Verification) in the negotiations.

"We must be grateful that the President of COP-16 Patricia Espinosa has trusted Indonesia, along with several strategic ministers of other countries, to facilitate negotiations in search for common ground among key countries," Indonesian chief delegate Rachmat Witoelar said in Cancun, Mexico, Tuesday (Dec 6).

This measure was taken as the COP President perceived the negotiations will have the tendency to become stagnant, he said.

The 16th COP President Patricia Espinosa explicitly requested assistance from facilitators to facilitate the negotiations on several issues regarding mitigation and MRV.

The Indonesian delegation saw the designation as the facility confirms the world`s recognition of Indonesian role capable of performing a constructive approach to several key countries. (*)

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New Climate Battle Looms In South Africa In 2011

Alister Doyle PlanetArk 14 Dec 10;

The world's governments face a new battle in South Africa in 2011 between rich and poor about slowing climate change, buoyed by some progress in Mexico but with faded hopes for a new treaty in coming years.

In 2011, governments will try to build on a deal in Mexico to set up a Green Climate Fund to help channel $100 billion in climate aid a year from 2020, along with new systems to protect tropical forests and share clean technologies.

The two-week meeting in the Caribbean resort that ended on Saturday showed an ever-broader belief that a legally binding deal is far off, partly because of opposition by China and the United States, the world's top emitters of greenhouse gases.

"We still have a long and challenging journey ahead of us," said Connie Hedegaard, the European Union's Climate Commissioner, of hopes for a legally binding global deal.

Cancun rejected calls by small island states, which fear they will be washed off the map by rising sea levels, to set a deadline for a treaty when environment ministers next meet in Durban, South Africa, in a year's time.

Opposition in the U.S. Senate to President Barack Obama's calls to legislate curbs on U.S. emissions makes it hard to imagine a new U.N. treaty in coming years -- it would need 67 of 100 Senate votes to be ratified.

Durban is likely to be the scene of a battle between developed and developing nations about how to extend or replace the U.N.'s Kyoto Protocol, which obliges nearly 40 developed nations to cut emissions until December 31, 2012.

Cancun made little progress toward resolving splits over Kyoto, long-term curbs on greenhouse gases or ways to bolster fragmented carbon markets that are intended to drive trillion-dollar shifts in investments from fossil fuels.

COPENHAGEN TO CANCUN

All sides agreed that a main success in Mexico was to get the 190-nation talks back on track after the U.N.'s Copenhagen summit in 2009 failed to agree a treaty and merely came up with a nonbinding deal among 140 countries.

Many of the goals adopted in Cancun -- such as limiting a rise in world temperatures to below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 F) above preindustrial levels, or the target of $100 billion in aid from 2020 -- were in the Copenhagen Accord last year.

"Another 'failure' would have been crippling, if not fatal, to the whole enterprise," said Elliot Diringer of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. Another step forward was that Washington and Beijing, at odds on issues ranging from trade to interest rates in 2010, did not bicker in Cancun.

Many nations say the talks lack urgency compared to threats such as desertification, floods and heatwaves.

On Kyoto, Japan has led calls for a new treaty beyond 2012 binding top emitters including China, the United States and India which have no binding targets for 2012 under Kyoto.

In a tussle over shifting global influences in the 21st century, when China has overtaken Japan in economic influence, emerging powers insist that rich nations must extend Kyoto first before they agree a less onerous deal.

Hedegaard said that deadlock in Cancun would have meant "we are headed to Doha rather than Durban." An EU official clarified that she was alluding to the stalled Doha round of U.N. trade talks -- not to the Qatari city that is vying to host the climate negotiations after Durban, in 2012.

In Cancun climate talks, India enjoys place in sun
Shaun Tandon Yahoo News 14 Dec 10;

CANCUN, Mexico (AFP) – India has emerged as a new global power on climate change, with major nations voicing praise -- and surprise -- at New Delhi's agile diplomacy that helped produce a deal in Cancun, Mexico.

Jairam Ramesh, India's outspoken environment minister, was instrumental in breaking a deadlock over how to verify nations' climate actions and, for the first time, said that his country would consider a binding deal in the future.

Ramesh told reporters in the Caribbean beach resort that India needed to change with the times as it seeks a greater global role and the world inches toward a new comprehensive agreement on fighting climate change.

"India is moving ahead. India is being progressive. It can only attain global leadership by expanding its negotiating space," Ramesh said. "A negotiating position must evolve over time."

Ramesh faced criticism at home, with the political opposition and some environmental activists accusing him of selling out India's position to please the United States, which has warming relations with New Delhi.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also played down the statements by Ramesh, who has found himself in trouble before over his plain-spoken remarks overseas.

But some climate negotiators and experts saw his comments as a major -- even historic -- shift by India, which since its independence in 1947 has fiercely fought global agreements seen as imposing mandates on the developing world.

"India's stance in climate negotiations has been much more open and much more active," French Ecology Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet said. "This is something that is new and very encouraging."

Ramesh drafted a compromise on verification, an acrimonious dispute during last year's chaotic Copenhagen summit with developed nations insisting that all nations offer proof that they are meeting pledges to fight climate change.

Ramesh proposed that all countries responsible for at least one percent of carbon emissions blamed for climate change report their actions internationally every two years, but not face repercussions for falling short.

The final agreement in Copenhagen was more vague, but delegates said Ramesh's proposal helped bridge the gap between the United States and China, which stood on opposite poles over the dispute.

Ramesh's compromise offer was "very, very constructive," said Todd Stern, the chief US negotiator.

"It did most of what we thought needed to be done and had the benefit of not being ours," Stern said. "Diplomatically, that can be a good thing."

While Ramesh's role was among the highest profile, other major developing nations also played a more active role in Cancun.

China, stung by accusations that its intransigence ruined the 2009 Copenhagen conference, conducted an image makeover. China, the world's largest carbon emitter, highlighted its efforts on climate change and promised flexibility on the verification issue.

Brazil teamed up with Britain to solve a dispute over whether to extend the Kyoto Protocol, coming up with language that was acceptable to Japan -- which considers the treaty unfair by not including the United States and China.

South Africa also played a role, with President Jacob Zuma among the few heads of state to visit. The next major climate talks -- which some hope can seal a comprehensive deal -- is slated for Durban at the end of 2011.

But the highest praise -- from almost all countries in the talks -- was reserved for host Mexico. Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa painstakingly included all countries in talks, turning a page on bitter divisions in Copenhagen.

Dessima Williams, a diplomat from Grenada who heads the bloc of small island states that fear climate change threatens their very survival, said the Cancun talks showed a renewed influence "of the global South."

"Mexico is leading the way in the revival of an invigorated international system," she said.

The Cancun talks set up a "Green Climate Fund" to administer billions of dollars in climate aid promised for worst-hit poor countries. The deal also called for deep cuts in emissions to hold back temperature rises at two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.

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