Best of our wild blogs: 1 Jan 16

My vision of a sustainable future for Singapore in 2065
Green Future Solutions

Birdwatching in MacRitchie Reservoir (December 30, 2015)
Rojak Librarian

Best 12 Nature Images of 2015
Bugs & Insects of Singapore

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December likely to be warmest on record, and the 2015 joint-hottest year ever

The year 2015 is likely to tie with 1997 and 1998 as the warmest year on record, with a mean annual temperature of 28.3°C, said the National Environment Agency.
Channel NewsAsia 31 Dec 15;

SINGAPORE: December 2015 is likely to be the warmest December on record, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said, while 2015 is likely to tie with 1997 and 1998 as the warmest year on record in Singapore.

The mean monthly temperature and mean daily maximum temperature for the month to date is 27.8°C and 31.6°C, respectively, said the environment agency in a press release on Thursday (Dec 31). This would exceed previous highs of 27.3°C in December 1997 and 31.3°C in December 1997 and 2002, respectively.

In addition, 2015 is also likely to tie with 1997 and 1998 as the warmest year on record, with a mean annual temperature of 28.3°C. The record warm temperatures in 2015 and 1997 can be attributed to the strong El Nino events occurring in both years, according to NEA.

Looking ahead, the start of the year 2016 is likely to experience a few days of widespread moderate to heavy rain and occasionally windy conditions arising from the strengthening of the northeasterly winds over the region, said the NEA.

For the rest of the fortnight, short-duration thundery showers can be expected mostly in the afternoon and early evening on 6 to 8 days, it added. The showers may be heavy at times on days when there is convergence of winds coupled with strong solar heating of land areas.

The temperature range for the fortnight is forecast to be between 22°C and 33°C.

Based on long-term statistics, January is the usually third wettest month of the year, after November and December. Rainfall for the first half of January 2016 is likely to be normal, said NEA.

- CNA/mz


December likely to be warmest on record, 2015 joint-hottest year ever
AsiaOne 31 Dec 15;

SINGAPORE - December 2015 is likely to be the warmest on record since 1997.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a statement today (Dec 31) that the mean monthly temperature and mean daily maximum temperature for December to date is 27.8 and 31.6 degrees Celcius respectively.

They exceed the previous highs of 27.3 degrees Celcius in December 1997, and 31.3 degrees Celcius in December 1997 and 2002.

2015 is also likely to tie with 1997 and 1998 as the warmest year on record, with a mean annual temperature of 28.3 degrees Celcius. The record warm temperatures in 2015 and 1997 can be attributed to the strong El Nino events occurring in both years.

Half of Singapore received above average rainfall in December 2015. The highest rainfall of 420mm to 480mm (55 per cent to 80 per cent above average) was recorded in the western part of Singapore around Jurong Island.

The northwestern part of Singapore around Kranji received the lowest rainfall where 150mm to 200mm (25 per cent to 45 per cent below average).

The highest total daily rainfall of 128.8mm was recorded on Dec 28 around Jurong Island due to heavy thunderstorms in the afternoon.

In addition, a weak monsoon surge due to the strengthening of northeasterly over the region brought widespread rain to Singapore on Dec 29.

There were several warm days in December 2015 with highest daily maximum temperature recorded between 34.4 and 34.7 degrees Celsius.

On a few rain days, the lowest daily minimum temperature recorded was between 22.4 and 22.5 degrees Celsius.

In the next two weeks, northeast monsoon conditions are forecast to prevail over the region with the low level winds blowing predominantly from the northeast or northwest.

The start of the year 2016 is likely to experience a few days of widespread moderate to heavy rain and occasionally windy conditions arising from the strengthening of the northeasterly winds over the region.

For the rest of the fortnight, short-duration thundery showers can be expected mostly in the afternoon and early evening on six to eight days.

The showers may be heavy at times on days when there is convergence of winds coupled with strong solar heating of land areas.

The temperature range for the fortnight is forecast to be between 22 and 33 degrees Celsius.

Based on long-term statistics, January is the third wettest month of the year, after November and December. Rainfall for the first half of January 2016 is likely to be normal.

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Malaysia: Floods worsen in Sarawak

YU JI The Star 31 Dec 15;

KUCHING: Seven flood relief centres have been opened in and around the state capital as of noon Thursday.

As of 7pm, there are 437 evacuees from 167 affected families at four relief centres in Kuching and three in Samarahan.

The worst affected area is Stapok, on the outskirts of the city. The relief centre there currently has 112 evacuees, including five toddlers and one handicapped person.

The other shelters at Bako, Taman Sri Setia, Kampung Tambirat and community halls in Samarahan.

A water level station at Batu Kitang on Sungai Sarawak Kiri is currently at the alert stage.

Nearly all rain stations in southern Sarawak have received "very heavy" rainfall since midnight. The Siol station reported 252mm of rainfall, followed by the Third Mile station with 224mm.

According to the Drainage and Irrigation Department, rainfall of more than 60mm within two to four hours typically cause flash floods.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (Met) has issued a "heavy rain, orange stage" warning for most of coastal Sarawak, from Lundu to Mukah. It said rain was "expected to continue until Jan 1".

A "first category strong winds and rough seas" warning was issued at midnight just as it began to rain.

Floods hit Sarawak’s low-lying areas after continuous rainfall
YU JI The Star 31 Dec 15;

KUCHING: Rain has been falling non-stop since midnight Thursday here, resulting in flash floods at low-lying areas in the Sarawak capital.

The Fire and Rescue Department said on Friday that one of the first areas to flood was Kampung Beradek near Bako National Park.

Reports of other affected areas include Batu Kawa, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak's health faculty and villages like Sinar Budi and Kampung Pulo.

Seven rainfall stations have recorded rainfall above the warning level, with Siol reporting 199mm of rain since 2am; Third-Mile station, 185mm and Saberkas, 151mm.

Six areas have recorded rainfall exceeding the warning stage, including Kuching south, the Barrage, Rampangi and Semariang.

According to the Drainage and Irrigation Department, rainfall of more than 60mm within two to four hours would typically cause flash floods.

As of 11am, all river level stations at affected areas had readings within the normal range. A high tide of 5.4m is forecasted at 9pm.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Meteorological Department has issued a "heavy rain, orange stage" warning for most of coastal Sarawak, from Lundu to Mukah. It said rain was "expected to continue until January 1".

A "first category strong winds and rough seas" warning was issued at midnight just as it began to rain.

"Strong north-easterly winds of 40-50 km/h with waves up to 3.5m (11 feet) is expected to occur over the waters off Sarawak, Labuan and Sabah, specifically in the interior, Kota Kinabalu and Kudat until Saturday, January 2," it said.

It warned the conditions were dangerous to small crafts, recreational sea activities and sea sports.

Flood situation improving in Terengganu
The Star 31 Dec 15;

KUALA TERENGGANU: The flood situation in Terengganu is improving and the number of evacuees still at relief centres is falling quickly.

As of 6pm yesterday, few evacuation centres were open and in only one district, Kemaman, housing 547 victims from 125 families.

The centres were Seberang Tayor Hulu Hall (164 victims), Felda Seberang Tayor Civic Hall (286 victims), Masjid Kampung Batu (16) and Tebak (81).

“Floodwaters in certain areas, especially in Hulu Terengganu, Marang and Dungun where initially some 57 evacuation centres were opened since Sunday, have also receded,” said state Civil Defence Department director Lt-Col Che Adam A. Rahman.

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Indonesia: 10 fishing boats to be sunk for poaching

Antara 31 Dec 15;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian authorities will, on Thursday, sink 10 fishing boats caught poaching in Indonesian waters.

The Task Force of Eradication of Illegal Fishing, or "Satgas 115," would sink the 10 boats, the maritime affairs and fisheries ministry said in a statement, here, Thursday.

The boats would be sunk in four different locations in the country: one in Belawan (North Sumatra), one in Tarempa, Batam (Riau Islands), two in Tarakan (North Kalimantan), and six in Tahuna (North Sulawesi).

The ministry recently deployed four additional patrol boats to strengthen law enforcement activities against foreign vessels found poaching in Indonesian waters.

The ministry currently has a total of 31 patrols boats to guard the Indonesian waters against poachers.

Indonesia has incurred material losses and environmental damage due to illegal fishing activities mostly conducted by foreign fishing boats in its maritime territory.

Therefore, Indonesia has vowed to impose stringent sanctions against the perpetrators of the crimes to serve as a deterrent to other poachers.

The authorities have detained 177 fishing boats for poaching in Indonesian waters.

Of the 177 boats, 107 have been sunk or destroyed, including 103 foreign fishing boats, the secretary general of the maritime affairs and fisheries ministry, Sjarif Widjaja, said in a press conference, here, on Tuesday.

The destroyed foreign boats were 21 from Thailand, 34 from the Philippines, six from Malaysia, 39 from Vietnam, one from China, and two from Papua New Guinea.
(Uu.F001/INE/KR-BSR)

Navy sinks 10 more ships as 2015 draws to a close
Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post 2 Jan 16;

The Navy sunk 10 more illegal fishing boats on New Year’s Eve, a moved aimed at further proving that the country is serious about promoting its territorial integrity.

“We remain consistent, so anyone violating our laws should receive harsh punishment,” Navy spokesperson Commander M. Zainuddin said in Jakarta on Thursday.

Zainuddin said that out of the 10 illegal boats, four were foreign boats flying Philippine and Malaysian flags, while six boats flew Indonesian flags but had foreign crews.

The Navy sank the boats in the four different locations; in Tarakan, North Kalimantan, Beting Camar, Belawan in North Sumatra, in Ranai, Riau Islands, and in Tahuna, North Sulawesi.

Zainuddin said the Navy had received a court order to carry out its task and that the decision to sink the boats was based on allegations that they did not have the necessary documents to run their
fishing operations in Indonesian waters.

The Navy also involved the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry and Anti-Illegal Fishing Task Force (Satgas 115) in their operations against illegal fishing activities.

According to ministry data, the country caught 157 illegal fishing boats in 2015, 107 of which have been sunk.

The largest number of the boats came from Vietnam, with 39 boats, followed by the Philippines with 34 boats, Thailand with 21 boats, Malaysia with six boats, Papua New Guinea with one boat and China with one boat.

Article 69 of Law No. 45/2009 on fisheries stipulates that the coast guard can sink foreign vessels operating illegally in the country’s territorial waters with sufficient preliminary evidence.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is leading the campaign against illegal fishing and has said that it costs the country billions of dollars in lost revenue every year.

Meanwhile, Satgas 115 director Rear Admiral Widodo said that Indonesia would continue to be the target of illegal fishing activity.

“Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam need huge amounts of fish, but they don’t have the supply, so their fishermen try to meet demand by conducting illegal fishing activities in our area,” Widodo said on Thursday.

Widodo said that his unit would step up its efforts by conducting more patrols, including air surveillance operations.

“Ibu [Minister Susi Pudjiastuti] has said that Satgas should step up air patrols. We expect zero violations this year,” Widodo said.

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The grassroots of climate change

KOFI ANNAN Today Online 31 Dec 15;

The climate-change agreement reached in Paris on December 12 was a rich victory for diplomacy. Both the agreement itself and the atmosphere of cooperation that permeated the proceedings represent a sea change from the failed Copenhagen summit in 2009. But while we should congratulate world leaders on their success, Paris marks the beginning, not the end, of the road. It is now our collective duty to hold our leaders to account and ensure that they turn promises into action – especially in the world’s most vulnerable regions, such as Africa.

We should applaud China, India, the United States, and the European Union for their pre-Paris pledges on climate action. These countries’ commitments created the sense of responsibility, trust, and solidarity that enabled 195 nations not merely to agree on a one-off deal, but to set in motion a series of increasingly ambitious five-year cycles to phase out greenhouse-gas emissions this century. This is a clear signal that the carbon era has reached a turning point; as a result, there will be more investment in renewable energy.

Countries also promised to work harder to protect the world’s most vulnerable, by aiming to limit average global warming to as little as 1.5º Celsius above pre-industrial levels. And developed countries pledged at least US$100 billion of annual climate finance to help the least developed countries cut their carbon emissions and prepare for climate change. For the first time, an international agreement offers the least developed countries funds to cover some of the loss and damage caused by climate shocks.

But in order to fulfill the Paris agreement, we must ensure that governments keep their promises. National emissions targets are voluntary, rather than inscribed in the agreement, so they are not legally binding. In hard, practical terms, there is not yet anything specific to slow the extraction of fossil fuels or stop high-polluting countries from using coal for electricity. Developed countries made no individual commitments, and the starting year for funding adaptation assistance remains unclear. We must keep the pressure on to make sure that the promised climate finance is sufficient to enable the least-developed countries to adapt to present and future climate change.

All of this must happen urgently. The cumulative effect of previous decades of emissions means that there will be no chance for a last-minute solution.

In Africa, climate change may already be responsible for falling water levels in West African rivers; declining coral reefs in tropical waters; lower fruit production in the Sahel; fewer fish in the Great Lakes region; and the spread of malaria in the Kenyan uplands. Without significant cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions, we will see far worse. By threatening basic human needs, such as food and water, climate change will be a catalyst for instability, migration, and conflict. Africa will pay a heavy price.

Fortunately, we now know that we can prevent catastrophic climate change while still providing the energy needed to sustain economic growth, create jobs, and lift millions of people out of poverty. The many benefits of pursuing a low-carbon development path include not only cleaner air and better energy security, but also the opportunities that arise from decentralized and renewable power.

These opportunities are particularly crucial for Africa, where more than 620 million people live without electricity. The falling cost of solar power, batteries, and LED lighting means that renewable sources can now provide affordable, modern energy. In Kenya, for example, Maasai women in Magadi who have been trained to install solar power have brought electricity to 2,000 households in just two years.

But to realise this economic and social potential, African leaders must combat corruption. They must make the management of their utilities more transparent, strengthen regulations, and increase public spending on energy infrastructure.

Investment and external financing must follow. This is not a question of aid, but of fairness, given that Africa contributes so little to global emissions but stands to suffer the most from climate change. Investing in low-carbon energy also makes sound business sense: It boosts technology companies and promotes social entrepreneurship globally.

I am pleased that two initiatives launched in Paris will take us farther down the renewable-energy path. Europe and Canada pledged US$10 billion toward an ambitious project called the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative, which aims to install ten gigawatts of solar, wind, and geothermal capacity by the end of the decade. And France and India launched the International Solar Alliance to raise more than US$1 trillion by 2030 to deploy solar power in more than 100 developing countries.

The Paris agreement has drawn the first broad strokes of a solution to climate change. But until its targets are translated into action, the world’s least-developed countries may not be convinced that the developed countries are serious about equity – or “climate justice.”

For Africa, 2015 must be a turning point. If the world’s citizens hold their leaders to account for the targets they have set, it will be. Quite simply, the historic responsibility for the planet’s future rests on the shoulders of us all. PROJECT SYNDICATE


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kofi Annan, a former secretary-general of the United Nations, is Chair of the Africa Progress Panel.

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