Latest Green Jobs in Singapore [19 - 25 Mar 2012]
from Green Business Times
31 Mar (Sat): Mangrove Ecology Walk at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
from wild shores of singapore
29 Apr (Sun): Paint along with Pui San
from Art in Wetlands
Leopard cats in Singapore
from Through the Eyes of the Leopard Cat
Sunday with good net and bad net
from wild shores of singapore
Spotted Doves’ moment of intimacy
from Bird Ecology Study Group
Domestic Cat
from Monday Morgue
Sumita Sreedharan Today Online 26 Mar 12;
SINGAPORE - A new way to process waste water in Singapore will be piloted this year, and it may produce more NEWater, use less energy in the process and make it cheaper.
Today has learnt that Israeli-based water treatment company Desalitech is embarking on the project with national water agency PUB, and the test bed will be at the Kranji NEWater Factory.
In reply to queries, a Desalitech spokesperson said the discussions started "early last summer" and came about because PUB's "existing reverse osmosis has historically had problems with fouling, and fouling resistance is an advantage our technology offers".
Fouling happens when there is accumulation of unwanted material on the surfaces of the membranes that filter out material, such as wastewater or seawater, to make purified drinking water. This affects their function.
Also in reply to queries, a PUB spokesperson told Today, "fouling is typical in any membrane system in water plants across the world, so through this test-bedding project, we're trying to see if we can do things more efficiently." She added: "The objective of this test-bedding project is to validate the merits of the Closed Circuit Desalination (CCD) technology."
The project is based on the company's CCD technology, which is touted to be able to extract more usable water from waste water.
The project will also use reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment, but PUB hopes that the technology will help to "increase the overall flow in the RO system so as to produce more NEWater from the treated used water".
According to Desalitech, the project would affordably increase the overall recovery of an existing water reuse plant "from 75 per cent to 90 per cent or more and reduce operations costs".
Another plus of the technology is that it requires lower energy consumption. The demonstration unit is under construction and is expected to be installed and fully operational in December. The pilot will take place over a period of 18 months.
PUB said the project is part of the Environment and Water Industry Programme Office's efforts to grow Singapore into a water technologies and research hub.
PUB offers opportunities for water companies to test-bed their new technologies and solutions at its facilities under actual site conditions, and there are currently more than 30 such ongoing projects with both local and international water companies.
Desalitech chief executive officer Nadav Efraty said that his company was "proud to be working in Singapore, a nation that is a global leader in water reuse".
"Highly efficient and reliable production of clean, useful water from wastewater is a matter great global interest," he added.
Antara 24 Mar 12;
Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - NOAA-18 Satellite operated by Singapore managed to detect 114 hot-spots throughout Sumatra island, analyst of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) of the Pekanbaru Meteorological Station Marzuki said here Friday.
He said the number of hot-spots is dominated by Riau province with 42 spots, followed by the provinces of Jambi with 22 spots, South Sumatra 14, North Sumatra 10, West Sumatra 7, Bengkulu 6, Aceh 5, Lampung and Bangka Belitung three each, and Riau Islands only two spots.
"Actually the number of hot-spots this time is less than those on Wednesday (Mar 21), where Sumatra had 169 hot-spots," he said.
However, the spread of the hot-spots, Marzuki said, was not even like at present. "Some of the provinces where hot-spots have just appeared are Bangka Belitung, Riau Islands and Jambi," he said.
He said the number of hot-spots in March 2012 may be growing rather rapidly in view of an interruption in the position of the sun now exactly on the equator.
"This condition raised the temperature in Sumatra triggering the appearance of hot-spots in many places," he said.
(KR-FZR)
Editor: Ella Syafputri
BMKG detects drop in number of hot spots in w Sumatra
Antara 27 Mar 12;
Padang, W Sumatra (ANTARA News) - The Ketaping Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in West Sumatra said that in the last week there had been a drop in the number of hot spots in the area monitored by the satellite.
Head of the Padang BMKG Observation and Information Section Syafrizal said in Padang on Sunday that through the NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric) satellite there are still hot spots in West Sumatra but their number has reduced than those a week ago.
"The hot spots are still monitored in Pesisir Selatan subdistrict, Sijunjung and Pasaman regencies," Syafrizal said.
He said there were a total of five hot spots monitored in the three areas namely in Pesisir Selatan regency two, another two in Sijunjung regency and one in Pasaman regency.
In this context, data of the BMKG show that the number of hot spots had declined rapidly, because in Mar 23, 2012 there were still 23 of them, but in the two following days the number has dropped drastically to five hot spots.
The number of hot spots in West Sumatra is also less than those in Riau province with seven shot spots, and previously there were 40 of them.
BMKG said that while there are still hot spots in West Sumatra, they did not disrupt land and air transportation in the area because of smoke.
In this context, there are still hot spots in the area, and the BMKG also cannot be sure the hot spots were caused by forest fires or by the people who set fire on land to open it.
However, due to the high temperature in the area in the last couple of days reaching 32 degrees Celsius, BMKG still warned the people to stay alert for the possibility of fire.
"In the next few days the weather in West Sumatra may be hot with the temperature of not higher than 32 degrees Celsius, which is actually still normal," Syafrizal said.
(H-NG)
Editor: Ella Syafputri
Roy Goh New Straits Times 26 Mar 12;
WILDLIFE PROTECTION: Researchers thrilled to be able to document maternal care in two collared nocturnal primates in Kinabatangan
KOTA KINABALU: THE collaring of two female nocturnal primates recently have created a buzz among scientists conducting research in Kinabatangan.
The primates, a tarsier and a slow loris, were each found nursing their offspring at the Danau Girang Field Centre in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary.
A programme that focuses specifically on nocturnal primates in Kinabatangan is currently running since 2010 at the field centre involving researchers from local and international universities.
Alice Miles of Cardiff University said the female tarsier, with an offspring, was caught, collared and released on March 8.
"It will be interesting to follow the behaviour of the mother and her offspring, and document maternal care in the species. This is very exciting."
The slow loris was discovered on March 16, according to Saroto Payar, a research field assistant at Danau Girang.
Danau Girang director Benoit Goosens said the programme was funded by the Columbus Cleveland and Phoenix Zoos of the United States.
"Little is known about the nocturnal primates in Borneo and this project will provide valuable information on their behaviour and ecology in degraded forests."
Information compiled by the researchers would help the state better protect its wildlife habitat, added Goosens.
Rare primates spotted with their infants in Sabah jungles
Ruben Sario The Star 26 Mar 12;
KOTA KINABALU: Wildlife researchers have made a pleasant discovery in the jungles along Sungai Kinabatangan in Sabah’s east coast.
A tarsier and a slow loris which were caught before being released in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, have become mothers.
Researchers from the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) feel the development will enable them to learn more about some of the smallest and shiest primates there.
Mum’s the word: Boss and her offspring, a few days after being collared; and the tarsier carrying her baby in her mouth.
DGFC director Benoit Goosens said the discovery would provide researchers with opportunities to study the maternal patterns of these animals.
“Little is known about the nocturnal primates in Borneo and this project will provide valuable information about their behaviour and ecology in degraded forests,” he said here yesterday.
The capture of the tarsier and slow loris, which were fitted with radio collars, was part of the Kinabatangan Nocturnal Primate Programme that began in March 2010.
Cardiff University student Alice Miles, who was leading the programme at DGFC, said the tarsier collared on March 8 was found to be pregnant.
“While tracking her the following week, she was observed with a tiny offspring. The baby was thought to be no more than a few days old,” said Miles, adding that by following their development and behaviour, researchers could document maternal care in the species.
On March 16, DGFC researchers caught a slow loris – nicknamed Boss – and fitted it with a radio collar before releasing the primate.
“When we found her sleeping site five days later, we were surprised to see her resting with an infant among the vines. The infant was possibly a few months old,” said research assistant Saroto Payar.
“We believe that she had hidden her offspring when she went hunting for insects. She had been very nervous during the collaring. We now know why. She was worried about the infant she left behind,” said Saroto.
Four such primates – three tarsiers, including two females, and one slow loris – have been captured as part of the research initiative funded by the Columbus, Cleveland and Phoenix zoos in the United States.
Ruben Sario The Star 26 Mar 12;
KOTA KINABALU: The public can now do their part in conserving a key Sabah rainforest by contributing as little as RM15.
The money will go towards rehabilitating some 50sq m area within the 34,000ha Malua forest reserve that is critical for the long-term survival of orang utan, pygmy elephants, sun bears and other threatened wildlife species.
Alternatively, they can contribute RM300 to conserve some 1,000sq m of the forest reserve which borders the pristine Danum Valley in Sabah’s east coast.
The contribution can be paid within minutes using the website www.protectmalua.com developed by Malua BioBank, a Sabah-based project for the restoration and protection of critical wildlife habitat and forest ecosystems.
The contribution can also be sent as a gift for birthdays and other special occasions via personalised online certificates featuring animals such as orang utan, sun bears, pygmy elephants, clouded leopards, rhinos and hornbills.
Malua BioBank manager Merril Halley said the Protect Malua site made it easy for everyone to contribute towards rainforest conservation.
“This has to be one of most cost-effective and enduring ways for individuals to contribute to the restoration and protection of prime rainforest,” said Halley.
Contributions will be used to restore the degraded forest which was logged before a ban was imposed in 2008 by the state government.
The funds will be used for forest restoration activities over the next five years, 20% of which will be channelled into the Malua Trust, an endowment that will fund its protection in perpetuity.
Besides providing food for wildlife, restoring the forest will help lock up a massive additional 8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over the next 50 years.
The Malua BioBank project is based on a new approach to conservation which recognises that deforestation is driven by the profitability of alternative land uses. It is a joint initiative involving the Sabah Forestry Department, Sabah Foundation and Eco Products Fund.
Malua Advisory Committee chairman Cynthia Ong urged Malaysians, particularly Sabahans, to support the Malua BioBank.
“Sabah has pioneered a ground-breaking and innovative mechanism for sustainable conservation financing and we would like to see individuals, families and corporations stepping up to support its success,” she said.
Just click to help forest restoration
New Straits Times 26 Mar 12;
KOTA KINABALU: A conservation effort has gone online in a bid to make it easier for people to be part of it.
They can now make their contributions via the Internet to help restore a logged-over forest reserve, called Malua, in Lahad Datu, here.
Malua, which stretches to about 34,000ha, was logged until 2008, and restoring it is crucial for the survival of its wildlife habitat.
Using this new approach, the public can visit www.protectmalua.com and donate RM15 to restore 50 sq m of the forest or RM300 to restore 1,000 sq m.
The step taken by the Malua BioBank, a Sabah-based project, would help restore and protect wildlife and forests.
It also involves the Sabah Forestry department, Sabah Foundation and Eco Products Fund, a company that protects forests through a host of business models.
Malua BioBank manager Merril Halley said the Protect Malua site made it easy for people to contribute towards rainforest conservation.
"The online tool also lets users learn about the importance of Malua and decide how much rainforest they would like to protect in just one click."
Sabah Forestry director Datuk Sam Mannan said the project would help put a "price" on the ecosystem, especially those who had been making profits by exploiting it.
Malua advisory committee chairwoman Cynthia Ong urged Malaysians to support the effort, a "first of its kind" to protect the tropical rainforest.
"The global conservation and financial worlds are watching us as we move forward with this initiative," she added.
Farik Zolkepli The Star 26 Mar 12;
KUALA LUMPUR: Millions of ringgit go down the drain every year to clean up the waterways that are choked with rubbish.
People throw everything into the drain, right down to literally the kitchen sink.
This habit, which results in clogged drains unable to function when it rains, sees water being released into surrounding land.
Clogged drains have been identified as one of the major factors causing frequent flash floods in urban areas.
Government agencies and local councils face yearly battles to clean up the drains.
Government sources said more than RM40mil was spent annually to clean up monsoon drains nationwide.
While tissue paper and cigarette butts were commonly found in drains, people sometimes even throw mattresses into large monsoon drains, said Drainage and Irrigation Department senior director Datuk Zainor Rahim Ibrahim.
The department manages large monsoon drains while local councils take care of the smaller drains within their jurisdiction.
Zainor Rahim told The Star that the cost of cleaning rubbish and maintaining the drains could easily come up to millions of ringgit in taxpayers' money, and that such amounts could have been better spent on other projects benefi- ting society.
“A simple act of throwing rubbish in a designated area as well as recycling can make a huge difference in preventing clogged drains and, eventually, floods,” Zainor Rahim said.
He conceded that with more development in areas such as Klang Valley, many drains built during the colonial era were no longer large enough to meet the demands of dense new housing areas.
“The department has taken steps to widen the drains in stages but clogged drains are making it more difficult,” he said.
The Sultan of Selangor, in an interview in December, had called for a comprehensive action plan to tackle floods in the state and in the Klang Valley, saying piecemeal actions were no longer effective as rain patterns became more unpredictable.
Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah added that the public must also play their part by not throwing rubbish into drains.
Terengganu Drainage and Irrigation Department director Mat Hussin Ghani said more than RM2mil was spent on cleaning drains in six districts.
“We discovered strange items during our maintenance such as furniture, pillows and even a kitchen sink ... we can expect almost anything down there,” he said.
Mat Hussin added that the amount of rubbish seemed to increase each year, as people were insensitive to the fact that rubbish disrupts smooth water flow, contributing to flash floods.
Petaling Jaya City Council public relations officer Zainon Zakaria said about RM1mil was spent in cleaning up drains as well as repairing broken ones last year.
She added that the city council had to deal with commercial waste, such as cooking oil, which was dumped into the drains.
“People must change their habits. If not, no matter how much cleaning up we do, the problem will continue,” she said.
‘Water’ way to tackle pollution at rivers
The Star 26 Mar 12;
PETALING JAYA: Companies, under their corporate social responsibility programmes, are wading in to help clean up rivers and drains to rehabilitate the water source.
Guinness Anchor Berhad (GAB) Foundation, for instance, has a project called “Working Actively Through Education and Rehabilitation” (Water).
Started in 2007, it reached a milestone in its effort to rehabilitate the 2.5km Sungai Way here, which was plagued by waste pollution.
Its director Renuka Indrarajah said the foundation worked with the Global Environment Centre (GEC) to install rubbish traps and grease traps along the river and implement the “river within river” approach whereby efforts were made to improve the river's physical condition.
“The work done included habitat creation along the river banks and increasing bio-diversity.
“We also engaged the surrounding communities from Desa Mentari, Desa Ria, Kampung Lindungan, SS3 and SS9A,” she said yesterday, adding that the foundation received tremendous support from government agencies as well.
GAB foundation also organises various community activities, which centre on good habits such as recycling and composting.
The river, said Indrarajah, had seen much improvement after three years, which included a dramatic decrease in pollution and better water quality after being too polluted to be able to support living organisms.
“We can also see signs of living creatures in the river and its surrounding areas,” she said.
Indrarajah said people do not realise that some of the monsoon drains in cities such as Petaling Jaya were actually concretised rivers.
“So, keeping drains clean is also an important part of protecting the water source. Water from drains flows into rivers. Polluted drains will lead to polluted rivers as well,” she said.
The Star 26 Mar 12;
KOTA KINABALU: A Red Tide warning has been issued for the west coast of Sabah.
Sabah Fisheries Department director Rayner Stuel Galid said the Red Tide Monitoring Programme conducted by his department and the State Health Department showed the presence of Paralytic Shell Fish Poisoning (PSP) toxins in clam samples from the sea.
He said they found higher levels of PSP toxins in clam samples obtained from Kuala Penyu and areas off Kota Kinabalu City, Sipitang and Tuaran.
Galid urged the people to stop consuming any type of shellfish orbivalves, including oysters, mussels and cockles, due to the red tide which was an occasional phenomenon caused by a sea-based micro-organism.
“There is also a high possibility that other places close to the Red Tide declared area will be affected by the phenomenon in the near future,” he added.
Galid said eating toxic shellfish could cause poisoning and those affected should seek medical treatment immediately.
People eating red tide contaminated shellfish could experience eye and respiratory irritations, like coughing, sneezing, tearing and itching, and in more severe cases, paralysis and even death.
Manila Bulletin 18 Mar 12;
SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga – The red tide toxin phenomenon in Bataan and Zambales is at its worst, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) revealed Saturday.
The BFAR renewed its warning against gathering and eating shellfish off the coasts of Balanga City and the towns of Samal, Orion, Orani, Abucay, Hermosa and Mariveles in Bataan, as well as in waters of Masinloc, Zambales.
It said the red tide toxicity level in these areas has reached a record-high of 469 micrograms of red tide microorganisms per 100 grams of shellfish meat or more than 500 percent higher than the tolerable limit of 60 micrograms.
As such, all types of shellfish and “alamang” gathered from the areas are not safe for human consumption.
Since the red tide toxicity level is at a severe stage, anyone who eats shellfish harvested from affected areas could feel numbness and dizziness within 20 minutes, the BFAR said.
It added that symptoms of red tide poisoning include numbness in the lip area, dizziness and vomiting, which may lead serious illness and even death.
Fish, squids, shrimps, and crabs are safe for human consumption provided that they are fresh and washed thoroughly and their internal organs, such as gills and intestines, are removed before cooking.
BFAR said that Balanga City Mayor Jose Enrique Garcia has informed his constituents through public address system that the ban is still on until said otherwise by BFAR.
Meanwhile, BFAR shared that Samal Mayor Gene dela Fuente said the residents of the town were also informed of the ban.
BFAR laboratory technicians here and in Bataan, with the assistance of fishermen, have been collecting water and shellfish samples since Nov. 20, 2011 after an old woman died and four others were hospitalized for paralytic shellfish poisoning after eating “sulib” in Samal town.
One half of the shellfish meat and water samples were tested at the Bataan Red Tide Testing Center while the other half were brought to the BFAR main office in Manila for mouse bioassay, a laboratory technique to test for palytoxins. (Mark Anthony N. Manuel)
Michael Richardson Straits Times 26 Mar 12;
MOST people live and work on land. Some journey by air, or go out to sea. But all return to the land.
Our terrestrial view of the world defines exploration. As we spread and settle on land that was once wilderness, there seems little left on Earth to explore.
We know that space is still a vast, mysterious frontier. But we seldom think of the oceans as watery terra incognita, blinkered as we are by our land view.
However, the seafloor is an extension of the land. It has mountains, valleys and plains, although they are hidden by seawater. Little is known about the deep recesses of either the sea or the seabed.
Yet the oceans and seas play a vital role in sustaining life. They cover nearly three-quarters of Earth's surface, provide around half the oxygen we breathe, and are an important source of protein for a rapidly growing world population.
We need to know much more about the oceanic world because pollution, overfishing and acidification from excessive absorption of carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels and clearing forests are changing the seas, perhaps irrevocably and certainly in ways that make them less productive.
The deep sea, below about 200m, is by far the world's largest habitat, providing more than 80 per cent of the space for life on Earth to exist, from giant whales to minute phytoplankton.
This is why the audacious descent to the deepest place in the ocean (planned) by multimillionaire Hollywood film director James Cameron, of Titanic and Avatar fame, is important. It will stimulate much-needed popular interest and scientific research into oceanic life.
Lowered from a surface support ship by cable in a unique, high-tech one-person capsule designed to withstand extreme pressure and cold, Mr Cameron's target is Challenger Deep, the bathtub-shaped depression at the lowest point of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean west of the Philippines, 11,033m under the surface.
By early yesterday, the ship was positioned over Challenger Deep awaiting suitable weather to launch the diving capsule with Mr Cameron on board.
The trench is a mega-scale submerged Grand Canyon that stretches for 2,400km along the seabed in a subduction zone where the Pacific plate slides below the Mariana plate, creating a volatile region of earthquakes and volcanoes.
Only one manned submersible, sent down by the US Navy in 1960, has reached the bottom of Challenger Deep. It stayed for just 20 minutes. Since then, only unmanned remotely operated vehicles - the Japanese Kaiko in 1995 and the US Nereus in 2009 - have been down there.
Mr Cameron is filming documentaries in collaboration with the National Geographic Society. He is also working closely with the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, the University of Hawaii and other scientific groups.
His sub's scientific tools include a water sampler, a sediment collector, a 'slurp gun' for catching animals without hurting them, and a robotic manipulator arm. Also being deployed are three 'landers' to perform complementary research. The landers sink to the sea floor unattended, then rise on a timer or remote signal.
The deepest level a fish has ever been recorded is about 8,370m. Farther down, the main interest is in rock and sediment samples that could help researchers answer questions about subduction processes and the way fluids and mud are cycled through Earth's mantle.
Bacteria and other organisms plucked from the depths will enable scientists to understand how they withstand such extreme conditions.
Until now, the world's most advanced submersibles were built by the governments of the United States, China, France, Russia and Japan. But as budgetary constraints bite state oceanic research, wealthy private explorers in partnership with scientists are taking up the challenge.
Just behind Mr Cameron is adventurer and entrepreneur Richard Branson. His Virgin Oceanic arm has developed a solo manned sub that has small wings and is designed to 'fly' along the bottom of trenches that criss-cross the ocean bed at the boundaries of tectonic plates, instead of going straight down to the depths like the Cameron capsule.
Starting later this year, the Branson engineering team and its scientific collaborators plan to journey to the deepest part of each of Earth's five oceans. Less than 3 per cent of the seafloor has been explored, and none of the deepest points of the main oceanic trenches has been reached by manned submersibles, except for Challenger Deep.
Virgin Oceanic says it aims to provide a vertical sequence of sea life by using the sub in the southern Mariana Trench to record and collect specimens from its axis over 10km deep and then up the face of a nearby fault escarpment to near the surface, documenting changes in ecosystems along the way.
This could provide the first complete record of biological diversity from top to bottom in the world's oceans.
The writer is a visiting senior research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
James Cameron reaches deepest spot on Earth
Associated Press Yahoo News 25 Mar 12;
HONOLULU (AP) — Hollywood icon James Cameron has made it to Earth's deepest point.
The director of "Titanic," ''Avatar" and other films used a specially designed submarine to dive nearly seven miles, completing his journey a little before 8 a.m. Monday local time, according to Stephanie Montgomery of the National Geographic Society.
He plans to spend about six hours exploring and filming the Mariana Trench, about 200 miles southwest of the Pacific island of Guam.
"All systems OK," were Cameron's first words upon reaching the bottom, according to a statement. His arrival at a depth of 35,756 feet came early Sunday evening on the U.S. East Coast, after a descent that took more than two hours.
The scale of the trench is hard to grasp — it's 120 times larger than the Grand Canyon and more than a mile deeper than Mount Everest is tall.
Cameron made the dive aboard his 12-ton, lime-green sub called "Deepsea Challenger." He planned to collect samples for biologists and geologists to study.
"It's really the first time that human eyes have had an opportunity to gaze upon what is a very alien landscape," said Terry Garcia, the National Geographic Society's executive VP for mission programs, via phone from Pitlochry, Scotland.
The first and only time anyone dove to these depths was in 1960. Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard and U.S. Navy Capt. Don Walsh took nearly five hours to reach the bottom and stayed just 20 minutes. They had little to report on what they saw, however, because their submarine kicked up so much sand from the ocean floor.
"He is going to be seeing something that none of us have ever seen before. He is going to be opening new worlds to scientists," Garcia said.
One of the risks of a dive so deep is extreme water pressure. At 6.8 miles below the surface, the pressure is the equivalent of three SUVs sitting on your toe.
Cameron told The Associated Press in an interview after a 5.1 mile-deep practice run near Papua New Guinea earlier this month that the pressure "is in the back of your mind." The submarine would implode in an instant if it leaked, he said.
But while he was a little apprehensive beforehand, he wasn't scared or nervous while underwater.
"When you are actually on the dive you have to trust the engineering was done right," he said.
The film director has been an oceanography enthusiast since childhood and has made 72 deep-sea submersible dives. Thirty-three of those dives have been to the wreckage of the Titanic, the subject of his 1997 hit film.
Carey Gillam PlanetArk 23 Mar 12;
Utilizing biotech "drought-tolerant" corn to boost global food production would be a less-effective tactic than planting conventional corn and improving agronomic practices, a veteran plant scientist said on Tuesday.
"The technology has gotten a tremendous amount of attention. We think undue attention," said Doug Gurian-Sherman, a plant pathologist and senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, in an interview at the Reuters Food and Agriculture Summit.
"It is a modest benefit and a real benefit and a step forward. But it is really kind of a baby step," Gurian-Sherman, who served on a FDA biotech advisory subcommittee from 2002 to 2005, said of biotech advances in drought tolerance.
He said drought-tolerant corn "is going to be useful for many 15 to 20 percent of the areas where moderate levels of drought are pretty predictable, places like Nebraska and Kansas. It is not likely to be helpful at all with the kinds of severe droughts that we've had in Texas the last couple of years. This crop is going to die just like any other corn crops under those conditions."
Many companies have been racing to roll out drought-tolerant crop technologies. The world's largest seed company, Monsanto Co (MON.N), is conducting on-farm trials of its genetically modified drought-tolerant corn seed this spring.
Monsanto and rival seed companies have been pushing drought tolerance as a means to help increase production of key crops, particularly corn, as climate changes produce drier and warmer conditions in some growing areas.
Drought last year in Texas and parts of the central United States wreaked havoc on many crops.
But Gurian-Sherman said the leading drought tolerant corn option -- Monsanto's seed product -- reduces yield loss by just 5 to 6 percent and only in areas of modest drought. He said he analyzed data Monsanto submitted to regulators as part of his research.
Conventional breeding has been improving yields under drought conditions by about 1 percent a year, on average, he said. Taking into account the number of years the biotech options take to develop, the millions of dollars spent on the research and the additional costs farmers pay for transgenic crops, the biotech "drought-tolerant" versions are inferior to conventional offerings, he said.
Gurian-Sherman said there is a dire need for more efficient use of water in agriculture, but the most critical needs are for improved irrigation methods and techniques like mulching of soils to hold in moisture as opposed to using biotech seeds.
Water use efficiency issues are not addressed by drought-tolerant crops, he said.
Overall, public policy and research needs to shift direction in a way that promotes sustainable agriculture and allows for more diversity in crop selection, chemical usage and water usage, Gurian-Sherman noted.
"Drought is incredibly important and so going forward we need to think about ways to try to mitigate the losses from drought and prevent them from getting worse," he said.
"Biotech certainly has some successes, but if you look at the bigger picture ... breeding and agronomy continue to way outperform biotech."
(Editing by Jim Marshall)
Nina Chestney PlanetArk 26 Mar 12;
Extreme weather events over the past decade have increased and were "very likely" caused by manmade global warming, a study in the journal Nature Climate Change said on Sunday.
Scientists at Germany's Potsdam Institute for Climate Research used physics, statistical analysis and computer simulations to link extreme rainfall and heat waves to global warming. The link between warming and storms was less clear.
"It is very likely that several of the unprecedented extremes of the past decade would not have occurred without anthropogenic global warming," said the study.
The past decade was probably the warmest globally for at least a millennium. Last year was the eleventh hottest on record, the World Meteorological Organization said on Friday.
Extreme weather events were devastating in their impacts and affected nearly all regions of the globe.
They included severe floods and record hot summers in Europe; a record number of tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic in 2005; the hottest Russian summer since 1500 in 2010 and the worst flooding in Pakistan's history.
Last year alone, the United States suffered 14 weather events which caused losses of over $1 billion each.
NOT NORMAL
The high amount of extremes is not normal, the study said.
Even between March 13 and 19 this year, historical heat records were exceeded in more than 1,000 places in North America.
For some types of extreme weather, there are physical reasons why they would increase in a warming climate. For example, if average temperature rises, then so will the number of heat records if all else remains equal, the study said.
Natural weather patterns like El Nino or La Nina can also cause highs in global temperature or increased precipitation which leads to floods.
"Single weather extremes are often related to regional processes, like a blocking high pressure system or natural phenomena like El Nino," said Stefan Rahmstorf, co-author of the study and chair of the institute's earth system analysis department.
"These are complex processes that we are investigating further. But now these processes unfold against the background of climatic warming. That can turn an extreme event into a record-breaking event."
Recent years have seen an exceptionally large number of record-breaking and destructive heatwaves in many parts of the world and research suggests that many or even most of these would not have happened without global warming.
Currently, nearly twice as many record hot days as record cold days are being observed both in the United States and Australia, the length of summer heatwaves in western Europe has almost doubled and the frequency of hot days has almost tripled over the period from 1880 to 2005.
Extremely hot summers are now observed in about 10 percent of the global land area, compared with only about 0.1-0.2 percent for the period 1951 to 1980, the study said.
The link between storms and hurricanes and global warming is less conclusive but at least some of recent rainfall extremes can be attributed to human influences on the climate, it added.
(Reporting by Extreme weather events over the past decade have increased and were "very likely" caused by manmade global warming, a study in the journal Nature Climate Change said on Sunday.
Scientists at Germany's Potsdam Institute for Climate Research used physics, statistical analysis and computer simulations to link extreme rainfall and heat waves to global warming. The link between warming and storms was less clear.
"It is very likely that several of the unprecedented extremes of the past decade would not have occurred without anthropogenic global warming," said the study.
The past decade was probably the warmest globally for at least a millennium. Last year was the eleventh hottest on record, the World Meteorological Organization said on Friday.
Extreme weather events were devastating in their impacts and affected nearly all regions of the globe.
They included severe floods and record hot summers in Europe; a record number of tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic in 2005; the hottest Russian summer since 1500 in 2010 and the worst flooding in Pakistan's history.
Last year alone, the United States suffered 14 weather events which caused losses of over $1 billion each.
NOT NORMAL
The high amount of extremes is not normal, the study said.
Even between March 13 and 19 this year, historical heat records were exceeded in more than 1,000 places in North America.
For some types of extreme weather, there are physical reasons why they would increase in a warming climate. For example, if average temperature rises, then so will the number of heat records if all else remains equal, the study said.
Natural weather patterns like El Nino or La Nina can also cause highs in global temperature or increased precipitation which leads to floods.
"Single weather extremes are often related to regional processes, like a blocking high pressure system or natural phenomena like El Nino," said Stefan Rahmstorf, co-author of the study and chair of the institute's earth system analysis department.
"These are complex processes that we are investigating further. But now these processes unfold against the background of climatic warming. That can turn an extreme event into a record-breaking event."
Recent years have seen an exceptionally large number of record-breaking and destructive heatwaves in many parts of the world and research suggests that many or even most of these would not have happened without global warming.
Currently, nearly twice as many record hot days as record cold days are being observed both in the United States and Australia, the length of summer heatwaves in western Europe has almost doubled and the frequency of hot days has almost tripled over the period from 1880 to 2005.
Extremely hot summers are now observed in about 10 percent of the global land area, compared with only about 0.1-0.2 percent for the period 1951 to 1980, the study said.
The link between storms and hurricanes and global warming is less conclusive but at least some of recent rainfall extremes can be attributed to human influences on the climate, it added.
Andrew Quinn PlanetArk 26 Mar 12;
U.S. Intelligence Sees Global Water Conflict Risks Rising Photo: Eduardo Munoz
An earthquake survivor drinks water from a well in a provisional camp at downtown Port-au-Prince October 30, 2010.
Photo: Eduardo Munoz
Fresh water supplies are unlikely to keep up with global demand by 2040, increasing political instability, hobbling economic growth and endangering world food markets, according to a U.S. intelligence assessment released on Thursday.
The report by the office of the Director of National Intelligence said that areas including South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa will face major challenges in coping with water problems that could hinder the ability to produce food and generate energy.
The report said that a "water war" was unlikely in the next 10 years, but that the risk of conflict would grow with global water demand likely to outstrip current sustainable supplies by 40 percent by 2030.
"Beyond 10 years we did see the risk increasing," a senior U.S. intelligence official told reporters. "It depends upon what individual states do and what actions are taken right now to work water management issues between states."
The official declined to discuss the risks for specific countries, but in the past water disputes have contributed to tensions between rivals including nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, Israel and the Palestinians, and Syria and Iraq.
The report, drafted principally by the Defense Intelligence Agency and based on a classified national intelligence estimate, said that water in shared basins would increasingly be used by states to pressure their neighbors.
"The use of water as a weapon or to further terrorist objectives also will become more likely," it said, noting that vulnerable water infrastructure was a tempting target.
The U.S. State Department requested the report, which is part of an effort by the Obama administration to assess how long-term issues such as climate change may affect U.S. national security.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is due to hold an event on Thursday to announce a new public-private initiative to grapple with water issues.
SOCIAL DISRUPTION
The report said that during the next 10 years, the over-pumping of ground water supplies in some agricultural areas will pose a risk to food markets and cause social disruption if mitigating steps such as drip irrigation and improved agricultural technology are not implemented.
It also said that through 2040 water shortages and pollution would likely harm the economic performance of important U.S. trading partners by limiting the use and development of hydro power, an important source of electricity for developing countries.
The report rated the management of several key water basins, and said the risks were greatest for the Brahmaputra which flows through India and Bangladesh and the Amu Darya in central Asia.
It said the chief drivers of increased water demand over the next 10 years would be population growth and economic development, although the impacts of climate change will play a growing role, particularly after 2040.
While the intelligence community believes there is no technological "silver bullet" on the horizon to improve water management, the report said the most important step to address the problem would be more efficient use for agriculture, which accounts for 70 percent of global fresh water use.
It also said the United States, which has expertise in water management in both the public and private sectors, could help lead in developing policies for improved global water use and international cooperation.
"The United States has opportunities for leadership, but we also saw it being a risk that if the United States wasn't engaged in exercising that leadership, other states would step up to do that," the intelligence official said.
(Editing by Vicki Allen)
Water wars between countries could be just around the corner, Davey warns
UK Energy secretary tells conference that growing pressure on water resources could worsen existing war and lead to new ones
Fiona Harvey guardian.co.uk 22 Mar 12;
Water wars could be a real prospect in coming years as states struggle with the effects of climate change, growing demand for water and declining resources, the secretary of state for energy and climate change warned on Thursday.
Ed Davey told a conference of high-ranking politicians and diplomats from around the world that although water had not been a direct cause of wars in the past, growing pressure on the resource if climate change is allowed to take hold, together with the pressure on food and other resources, could lead to new sources of conflict and the worsening of existing conflicts.
"Countries have not tended to go to war over water, but I have a fear for the world that climate instability drives political instability," he said. "The pressure of that makes conflict more likely."
Even a small temperature rise – far less than the 4C that scientists predict will result from a continuation of business as usual – could lead to lower agricultural yields, he warned, at a time when population growth means that demand for food was likely to be up by 70% by 2060. By the same time, he noted, the number of people living in conditions of serious water stress would have reached 1.8 billion, according to estimates.
"Climate change intensifies pressures on states, and between states," he told the conference, gathered to discuss whether climate change and natural resources should be regarded as a national security issue. "[Its effects] can lead to internal unrest … and exacerbate existing tensions. We have to plan for a world where climate change makes difficult problems even worse."
But Davey recalled previous global catastrophes that had been averted, including the threat of nuclear armageddon during the cold war, and successes such as the elimination of smallpox. He urged governments to work on adapting to climate change as a matter of urgency, as well as striving for an international agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
His call was echoed by Ali Bongo Ondimba, president of the Gabonese Republic. He told the conference that Africa was the most vulnerable part of the world to climate change, but that African people had been responding to a changing climate for thousands of years – his own Bantu people had been forced, centuries ago, to move around Africa as areas dried out and food became scarcer.
Gabon had already started to take action to protect the 88% of its land that is covered by rainforest, and to reduce carbon emissions by its industries, with a view to a "transformation" by 2025.
He warned that seeking to lift people out of poverty could not be achieved at the expense of degrading natural resources. He warned that policies for economic growth across the continent must reflect this immediately: "The impact [of degradation] cannot be reversed by policies conceived too late."
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