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News from Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum
Yoga Rusmana Bloomberg 25 Jul 17;
Indonesia sees the risk of forest and land fires increasing until the peak of dry season in September, reigniting concerns of a repeat of 2015 haze that enveloped much of Southeast Asia.
Satellite images showed 170 hotspots across the country, including 35 in Aceh province on Sumatra island, 44 in East Nusa Tenggara and 21 in West Kalimantan, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. Affected areas also include other parts of Sumatra, Kalimantan on Borneo, Java and Sulawesi, the agency known as BNPB said on Twitter.
Stinging smoke from the illegal burning to clear land for palm oil and paper plantations blanketed Singapore, parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand for over a month in 2015. Besides prompting school closures and disrupting sea and air travel in the region, the smog also forced some in Indonesia to flee their homes. The haze also cost Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, $16.1 billion of losses, according to World Bank estimates.
The event in 2015 prompted several palm oil producers to increase efforts to prevent forest fires. Sime Darby Bhd. and IOI Corp Bhd. joined Fire Free Alliance to support Indonesian government efforts to prevent land burning. The program covers more than 200 villages, measuring at least 1.5 million hectares of land in various parts of Indonesia, and encourages citizens to participate in community-based fire prevention initiatives.
The disaster agency has stepped up efforts to fight the fire in western Aceh, caused by land clearing on peatlands and mineral soil by local residents, it said. Efforts to put out the fires have been hampered by limited road access, water sources and fire-fighting facility, it said.
Separately, President Joko Widodo asked ministers and governors to enforce a moratorium on new permits to clear forest and peatlands for another two years, the cabinet secretariat said in a statement Tuesday. The ban issued in 2011 has now been extended twice as environment groups and consumers including Unilever and Nestle SA push for production of palm oil that’s certified as sustainable.
Indonesia's disaster agency says forest fire threat to escalate
Reuters 25 Jul 17;
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) has warned of an escalating threat of forest fires with the dry season expected to peak in coming months, while hot spots detected in the province of Aceh have already been causing choking smoke.
Fires had spread to around 64 hectares (158 acres) of fields and forests in Aceh, a northern province on the island of Sumatra, producing haze and some residents had been taken to hospital due to breathing problem, the agency said on Tuesday.
"The peak of the dry season is predicted to be in August and September, so the threat of forest and field fires, and drought will escalate," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for BNPB said in a statement.
The fires in Aceh started on Tuesday last week and authorities are still trying to extinguish them in some areas.
Meanwhile, a satellite image showed 170 hot spots across Indonesia as of Monday evening, Nugroho said.
Indonesia is regularly hit by forest fires, which can result in choking smoke blowing across to neighboring countries like Singapore and Malaysia.
Indonesia suffered some its worst forest fires in 2015, hitting mainly the island of Sumatra and in Kalimantan, the Indonesian portion of Borneo island.
The World Bank, citing government data, said that 2.6 million hectares (6.4 million acres) of land in Indonesia burned between June and October 2015, causing $16 billion of estimated economic damage.
Draining and conversion of peatland, often driven by palm oil plantations, contributed to the intensity of haze from the fires, the World Bank said.
The head of Indonesia's Peatland Restoration Agency told a conference in May there would be "no more haze going to the neighbors", as authorities implemented new measure to combat fires, the Thomson Reuters Foundation reported.
Indonesia's Environment and Forestry Ministry said on Monday she wanted to make permanent a current moratorium on issuing new licenses to use land designated as primary forest and peatland.
By November last year, the government has put more than 66 million hectares under the coverage of the moratorium.
Reporting by Bernadette Christina Munthe and Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by Ed Davies
Fires burn 64 hectares of land in West Aceh
The Jakarta Post 25 Jul 17;
Fires spread across 64 hectares of forest and peatland have been reported in five districts in West Aceh regency, Aceh.
Three residents suffering from respiratory problems caused by the haze were rushed to the Cut Nyak Dhien Regional Hospital in Meulaboh, West Aceh, on Sunday, kompas.com reported.
According to data from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), Johan Pahlawan district was the most affected district with 19 hectares of peatland reportedly burnt while the Arongan Lambalek and Meureubo districts each recorded 15 hectares of burnt land.
Ten hectares were reportedly burnt in Sama Tiga district while five hectares of burnt peatland was reported in Woyla district.
The fires were allegedly caused by local farmers' slash-and-burn practices, BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a statement.
Read also: West Kalimantan readies 4 choppers for water bombing
The BNPB, in collaboration with the police, the military and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), have intensified efforts to control the fire and haze, Sutopo said.
“Challenges include difficulty in accessing the locations of the fires, a lack of firefighting vehicles and equipment, as well as a lack of water sources near the fire spots,” he said.
According to data collected by Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Aqua and Terra satellites and a National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (Lapan) SNNP satellite, 170 hotspots were detected across Indonesia, 35 of which were in Aceh. (yon/bbs)
West Kalimantan readies 4 choppers for water bombing
Severianus Endi The Jakarta Post 25 Jul 17;
Authorities in West Kalimantan have prepared four helicopters for water bombing operations as the dry season, predicted to take place from August to October, has the potential to trigger land and forest fires, which may lead to a haze disaster.
Mega Fitriyawita, a forecaster with the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that radars in several locations had begun to detect a number of hot spots.
On Sunday, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellites detected seven hot spots in four out of 14 regencies and municipalities across West Kalimantan. On Monday, the number of hot spots increased to 23, which spread in seven regencies, according to the Modis sensor satellites.
In May, local authorities announced an emergency alert status to handle a haze disaster caused by land and forest fires. The status will take effect until October.
West Kalimantan Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head TTA Nyarong said the province’s administration had anticipated the condition by preparing four helicopters for water bombing operations, and by activating disaster mitigation command posts in several disaster-prone areas.
Peatlands with the highest burning potential are spread across 174 out of 2,031 villages in 14 regencies and municipalities across West Kalimantan. Mappings show that two regencies have the highest number of villages prone to land and forest fires.
“They are Ketapang, which has 45 fire-prone villages, and Sintang with 34 villages. Other regencies have up to18 villages [prone to land and forest fires]," Nyarong said. (afr/ebf)
Indonesia warns of forest fires escalating in dry season
Straits Times 25 Jul 17;
JAKARTA • Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) has warned of an escalating threat of forest fires with the dry season expected to peak in coming months, while hot spots detected in the province of Aceh have already been causing choking smoke.
Fires had spread to around 64 hectares of fields and forests in Aceh, a northern province on the island of Sumatra, producing haze, and some residents had been taken to hospital due to breathing problem, the agency said yesterday.
"The peak of the dry season is predicted to be in August and September, so the threat of forest and field fires, and drought will escalate," Mr Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a BNPB spokesman said in a statement.
The fires in Aceh started on July 18 and the authorities are still trying to extinguish them in some areas. Satellite images showed 170 hot spots across the country, including 35 in Aceh province on Sumatra island, 44 in East Nusa Tenggara and 21 in West Kalimantan, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.
The BNPB said on Twitter that affected areas also include other parts of Sumatra, Kalimantan on Borneo, Java and Sulawesi.
West Kalimantan Disaster Mitigation Agency head TTA Nyarong said the province's administration had anticipated the condition by preparing four helicopters for water bombing operations, and by activating disaster mitigation command posts in several disaster-prone areas.
Indonesia is regularly hit by forest fires, which can result in choking smoke blowing across to neighbouring countries like Singapore and Malaysia.
Indonesia suffered some its worst forest fires in 2015, mainly in the island of Sumatra and in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo island.
The World Bank, citing government data, said that 2.6 million hectares of land in Indonesia burned between June and October 2015, causing US$16 billion (S$22 billion) of estimated economic damage.
Draining and conversion of peatland, often driven by oil-palm plantations, contributed to the intensity of haze from the fires.
The head of Indonesia's Peatland Restoration Agency told a conference in May there would be "no more haze going to the neighbours", as the authorities implemented new measures to fight the fires.
The Indonesian government has extended a moratorium on issuing new licences to land designed as forest and peatland for another two years, the presidential office said yesterday.
The move is partly aimed at protecting the ecosystem, restoring peatland after forest fires, and reducing emissions.
President Joko Widodo inked a presidential instruction on the extension of the moratorium.
"I instruct to continue moratorium on awarding a new licence for land designed as primary forest and peatland located in conservation forest, protected forest, and productive forest," the statement said.
The ban issued in 2011 has now been extended twice as environment groups and consumers, including Unilever and Nestle, push for production of palm oil that is certified as sustainable.
By November last year, the government had put more than 66 million hectares under the coverage of the moratorium.
REUTERS, BLOOMBERG, XINHUA, THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Lee Li Ying Channel NewsAsia 26 Jul 17;
SINGAPORE: Come 2019, local wildlife in the Mandai precinct can travel between two sections of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve using a dedicated bridge, Mandai Park Holdings (MPH) announced on Wednesday (Jul 26).
Construction of the Eco-Link, which will span the width of Mandai Lake Road, started in June. It forms part of efforts to allow habitat connectivity as the area transforms into a mega-nature attraction. Mandai Park's rejuvenation project will see the relocation of Jurong Bird Park and the development of a new Rainforest Park in the same area as the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and River Safari.
The wildlife crossing will be located within a 50-metre forested strip set aside as buffer and will measure 44m wide and 110m long. While the Eco-Link is being constructed, artificial crossing aids will be put up along Mandai Lake Road to help arboreal and gliding animals such as colugos and squirrels move across more easily, MPH said.
It added that curated tree and shrub species will be planted to attract and cater to the needs of different species. Fencing around the precinct will also guide animals to the bridge and act as a barrier to the road. Animals expected to use the bridge include colugos, squirrels, pangolins, lesser mousedeer and lizards.
Said Mike Barclay, CEO of MPH: “Our existing wildlife parks at Mandai are already sanctuaries for local wildlife in the area, as indicated in our regular biodiversity surveys conducted in the parks. It is our vision for the future precinct to continue providing conducive habitat corridors for local wildlife to find shelter in our parks and to connect with the adjacent nature reserve.”
OTHER CONSERVATION EFFORTS
Development work for the Mandai project started in February this year and an “extensive range” of measures are being taken alongside it to ensure the process is sensitive to the surroundings, said the developer.
An example is the effort being made to preserve trees of conservation value. Arborists will survey and tag trees based on their species, health, size and conservation status. Selected trees could be incorporated into the park design where possible or transplanted to other parts of the development. Trees to be retained will have a protection zone erected around it during the construction period to minimise any damage.
Other measures include shepherding wildlife to safe areas before work starts at each part of the site, inspecting trees for active bird nests, tree hollows or burrows before any transplanting or removal is done, and conducting biodiversity awareness training to workers at the sites.
“Our priority is to ensure that the project is developed sensitively and in careful considering of the neighbouring nature reserve and local wildlife in the area … We take this role very seriously and will continually refine and enhance our measures as the project progresses,” said MPH senior vice-president Philip Yim.
Mandai makeover: Eco-bridge, biodiversity classes for contractors among measures to protect wildlife in area
Audrey Tan Straits Times 26 Jul 17;
SINGAPORE - To reduce impact on native wildlife found in natural forests surrounding an upcoming eco-tourism hub in Mandai, a new wildlife bridge crossing 9m above ground will be built by end-2019.
Mandai Eco-Link, which will be 110m long and 44m wide, will have native trees that would provide food and cover for wildlife crossing Mandai Lake Road.
Developer Mandai Park Holdings will also provide biodiversity awareness training sessions for contractors in a bid to reduce impact on native wildlife.
Contractors will learn more about animals that roam the forests of Singapore, like the straw-headed bulbul, king cobra, and lesser mousedeer, and what to do if they were to encounter one during the course of their work.
MPH released details of these measures during a press conference on Wednesday (July 26). Preparatory work in the area is currently underway with Mandai Lake Road now lined with bright yellow hoarding.
The plan is to build a new Rainforest Park and relocate the Bird Park from Jurong to join the existing trio of attractions there - the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and River Safari by 2023.
Mr Philip Yim, senior vice-president and project lead at Mandai Park Development, said on Wednesday that a wildlife shepherding plan will also be implemented to gradually funnel wildlife away from work sites - similar to what the Urban Redevelopment Authority did in 2016 for a forested area in Lentor that had to make way for a private housing project.
The Mandai area is rich in wildlife as it sits right next to the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.
The land on which the Rainforest Park and Bird Park will be built is on state land but secondary forest has over the past few decades regenerated, resulting in a rich landscape of wildlife that workers could encounter.
The training sessions aim to teach them more about the denizens of Singapore's forests, such as their conservation status, or whether an animal is endangered in the wild.
They are also taught how to respond to these sightings. If a rare animal is sighted, a response protocol is in place for wildlife specialists to be activated to handle the animal professionally and safely.
Mr Yim also gave details on the wildlife bridge that it had last year said it would build, to provide safe passage for animals crossing between fragments of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve on both sides of Mandai Lake Road.
Similar to the Eco-Link spanning the Bukit Timah Expressway, the Mandai bridge will have native trees that would provide food and cover for native animals using the crossing.
While work on the Eco-Link is underway, artificial crossing aids, such as poles and rope ladders, will be put across Mandai Lake Road to help arboreal and gliding animals, like the Malayan colugo and the slender squirrel, get across safely.
MPH said such aids will also be deployed around the nature precinct to aid wildlife connectivity, which is important to ensure that animals can move around to feed and breed, and not get isolated.
Since plans for the area were announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in 2014, environmental groups have expressed concern that development work in the area, noise from visitors, and the possibility of escapee species from the parks, would threaten native wildlife in the neighbouring nature reserve.
MPH said it conducted an environmental impact assessment and has been engaging with the green groups since 2012, well before plans were firmed up.
The Eco-Link was one suggestion set out in an Environmental Impact Assessment report released last July (2016), detailing environmental protection measures including creating buffer zones around work sites.
Another recommendation from the report, which MPH has done, was to swop the locations of the new Rainforest Park and Bird Park, such that existing trees do not have to be cleared.
Nature guide Ivan Kwan welcomed the new measures MPH said it will implement.
"The eco-link, and plans to rejuvenate the habitats, sound good. But they appear to be effective only after the development is complete," he said.
"However, I'm curious to see what other interim steps will be taken during construction. Rope ladders can benefit arboreal animals but aren't useful for terrestrial species. Especially with the expected increase in road traffic, native animals from the nature reserve could end up as roadkill."
Primate researcher Andie Ang, who studies the critically endangered Raffles' banded langur in Singapore, said it is good that the developer has committed to installing rope ladders to help arboreal animals cross Mandai Lake Road.
Dr Ang urged them to do so quickly, especially now that work has started. Rope ladders have to be carefully designed so larger animals, such as monkeys, could use them too. The langur, for example, has been spotted in the area.
Bird scientist David Tan from the National University of Singapore said there has to be strong science backing the eco-link. For example, when the National Parks Board built the BKE eco-link, it did biodiversity studies, camera trapping work and bird surveys on both sides of the bridge before, after and during construction.
"However, there is no indication that there will be pre- and post-monitoring schemes in place in the Mandai Eco-Link. It's currently being taken on faith that the bridge will work," he noted.
When asked, MPH said biodiversity studies on both sides of the proposed eco-link are ongoing, and that long-term monitoring will be done.
They also said the rope ladders design is still being worked out.
Zones to protect trees in Mandai to be set up, with steps taken to ensure their health
Audrey Tan Straits Times 26 Jul 17;
SINGAPORE - The secondary forests on both sides of Mandai Lake Road will soon make way for two wildlife parks - the Bird Park, which will move from Jurong, and the new Rainforest Park. But developer Mandai Park Holdings is taking steps to preserve some of the decades-old trees growing on both plots, by engaging an arborist - a tree expert - to do an assessment.
"We determine which trees to preserve based on a number of factors, including their size and species, based on the species status set out in the Singapore Red Data Book," said arborist Derek Yap, who was engaged by Mandai Park Holdings for the job. The Singapore Red Data Book lists species which are endangered in the Republic.
The trees will be preserved in a way that will ensure they remain healthy for years to come, Mr Yap told The Straits Times on the sidelines of an event organised by Mandai Park Holdings on Wednesday (July 26) to brief the media on its environmental protection strategies.
"The development plans set out tree protection zones that are more than the bare minimum. We also don't just preserve individual trees. As this is a forested context, we keep trees in clusters, and there will be a buffer around each cluster to ensure work doesn't encroach into these tree-protection zones," said Mr Yap, who runs a private consultancy for trees and had previously been with the National Parks Board for a decade.
A tree-protection zone is essentially about giving a tree room to grow, so its health is not impaired and its roots do not become unstable.
His assurance comes after a 270-year-old tembusu tree fell in the Singapore Botanic Gardens in February, killing a woman.
Evidence presented earlier this month (July) during a coroner's inquiry had shown that the tree was decaying from the inside, although signs of the rot had not been visible to inspectors, making it hard to predict that it would topple. Mr Yap, the tree expert who took the stand in the Botanic Gardens case, told the court that rot could have started with the roots, and raised the possibility that this could have set in as far back as 1859, when the roots were last cut. That was the year the Botanic Gardens was founded.
On Wednesday, he noted that there have been significant advances in arboriculture, the management and study of trees, over the years.
Mr Yap said: "The good thing is that the industry is learning fast... Many people understand now that there is a need for arboriculture.
"What we do is that we will screen the construction processes, to ensure works would not result in a predictable failure of trees. Whenever an arborist determines that works would result in a predictable failure of a tree, there has to be a dialogue between the parties involved. Either the works are moved elsewhere, or the tree is removed.
It is important to work with the contractor and designers - everyone has to come on board with the right mindset."
Mandai Eco-Link: Will animals use the wildlife bridge?
Audrey Tan Straits Times 27 Jul 27;
SINGAPORE - Native animals living in the forests of Mandai will be able to use an overhead bridge of their own by the end of 2019.
The bridge is among efforts by Mandai Park Holdings (MPH) - which is developing a nature precinct of five wildlife parks in the area - to minimise the impact on wildlife as the hub is being built.
The hub is expected to be ready by 2023. It will contain a new rainforest park and the bird park, which will be relocated from Jurong, and will be built on two plots in the area.
The two plots are on state-owned land, but are now overrun by regenerated secondary forests. The plots are located just outside the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, and are part a rich ecological vein of flora and fauna in the area.
MPH provided details of the bridge at a briefing on Thursday (July 26).
The elevated wildlife crossing, which will not be open to members of the public, will be 44m wide and span the length of Mandai Lake Road. It will provide a safe passage for animals crossing between parts of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, which straddles both sides of the road.
For years, there have been reports of animals - such as the critically endangered Sunda pangolin - crossing Mandai Lake Road and getting run over by cars.
The Mandai Eco-Link will be similar to an existing wildlife crossing - built by National Parks Board (NParks) - that runs across the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE).
Here are some interesting facts about the Mandai Eco-Link:
1. WILDLIFE BRIDGES: HOW DO THEY WORK?
The bridges help animals safely get from one part of the forest to another, across roads and expressways.
For instance, the 62m-long Eco-Link@BKE, which opened in 2013, connects the Bukit Timah and Central Catchment nature reserves. When the BKE was built in 1986, it cut a line through the reserve area, splitting it into two.
The Mandai Eco-Link will link the central and northern swathes of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve that are now separated by Mandai Lake Road.
The ability to move between one forest area to another is important for animals, especially in Singapore. This is because the island's nature areas are fragmented by urban development, unlike in countries that have rolling acres of forests.
Being able to move from forest to forest will help animals feed and breed without becoming isolated.
2. WILL ANIMALS USE THE BRIDGE?
Animals cannot be forced to use the bridge. However, ecological studies suggest that there are several ways to encourage them to use wildlife crossings.
Using native plants on the bridge will be a key strategy.
Native plants found in Singapore's forests provide food and shelter for animals in the wild. Ensuring that they can be found on the bridge will make sure there is an unbroken landscape of vegetation the animals are familiar with.
Tree species being used on the Eco-Link@Mandai include Archidendron jiringa, Sterculia parviflora, Shorea leprosula and Ilex cymosa, MPH said. The saplings will be transplanted from other parts of the forested area that is being developed, or bought.
Ensuring that there are suitable "layers" of vegetation
In natural forests, there are several such layers - the understorey, which refers to vegetation near the floor, the midstorey, and the top-most layer, the canopy.
Different animals use the different layers to find food and shelter. Nectar bushes and shrubs, for instance, are frequently patronised by butterflies. Some insects live on the forest floor, as do land-dwelling mammals such as the pangolin and mouse deer.
Birds like the greater racket-tailed drongo and straw-headed bulbul tend to find food in the mid-storey.
There are also arboreal animals that are found in the forest canopies. These include the Malayan colugo, which glides from tree to tree.
Making sure animals can find their way to the bridge
These strategies will not work if animals cannot locate the bridge in the first place.
That is why biodiversity surveys and data on road kill hot spots, for example, are important.
For the Eco-Link@BKE, NParks conducted studies on the types of biodiversity that can be found on both sides of the bridge by, for instance, setting up camera traps. There are ongoing studies monitoring the wildlife in the area.
Efforts to monitor animals on both sides of the Mandai Eco-Link started in November 2016, and include camera trapping surveys and transact surveys.
In transact surveys, scientists record the wildlife they find on walks along a specific route in the forest. MPH said such efforts will continue during the construction of the Eco-Link.
An MPH spokesman said: "After the completion of the Eco-Link, the monitoring programme will be extended to the bridge itself, to understand wildlife utilisation of the bridge."
3. WHICH ANIMALS ARE LIKELY TO USE THE BRIDGE?
- The Sunda pangolin, which is critically endangered in Singapore.
There have been reports of pangolins ending up as roadkill in Mandai Lake Road.
- Lesser mouse deer, another endangered mammal in Singapore.
It is 45cm long, 20cm tall at the shoulders, and weighs just 2kg. It is the smallest of all hoofed mammals anywhere in the world. It is unclear if these shy animals will use the bridge, as they usually dwell deep in the forest interior.
- Straw-headed bulbul, a bird widely hunted in South-east Asia for its melodious song.
It is listed as endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. In December 2016, a Straits Times report said Singapore is thought to have at least 200 straw-headed bulbuls. Non-governmental organisation Traffic, which monitors the wildlife trade, said Singapore was "one of the few remaining strongholds for the species".
The Star 24 Jul 17;
MIRI: Environmental activists have called authorities to introduce a law to ban the use of plastic bags in shopping complexes and supermarkets.
Miri Malaysian Nature Society adviser (for campaign on waste pollution) Dr Loh Yunn Hwa said it was high time for retailers to stop giving plastic bags to customers.
“Supermarkets and shopping complexes must stop this or there will be mountains of plastic wastes in cities such as Miri, which has huge problems with wastes, particularly plastic materials.
“Miri City Council (MCC) has tried persuading the public not to indiscriminately dispose plastic waste but the campaign had failed, she said in response to the failure of MCC’s “Say No To Plastic” campaign.
The habit of indiscriminate dumping of wastes, especially plastic bags and bottles, seemed hard to kick, Dr Loh said, adding that most of these wastes ended up in the rivers and seas instead of being recycled.
Miri Red Crescent recycling unit adviser Judy Wan Morshidi concurred with Dr Loh that stricter measures should be implemented to reduce pollution from plastic wastes in Miri.
She hoped education campaigns in schools would help inculcate caring attitude towards the environment among schoolchildren.
“I was involved in the ‘Say No To Plastic’ campaign when I was a city councillor .
“It was frustrating that the campaign failed to get support from the public.
“I believe we need to use the full force of the law,” she said.
Miri mayor Adam Yii recently said the campaign failed to garner the support of the business community and the public in Miri.
He said it was up to the state’s Local Government Ministry to impose a law refraining supermarkets and shopping centres from providing plastic bags to shoppers.
As a trio of lawsuits claim compensation for sea rises resulting from fossil fuel emissions, campaigners say carbon majors must change their business models
Laura Paddison The Guardian 26 Jul 17;
Three Californian communities have launched legal action against some of the world’s biggest oil, gas and coal companies, seeking compensation for the current and future costs of adapting to sea level rises linked to climate change.
San Mateo and Marin Counties, coastal communities in northern California, and Imperial Beach, a city in San Diego County, have filed complaints against 37 “carbon majors”, including Shell, Chevron, Statoil, Exxon and Total.
They claim greenhouse gas emissions from the fossil fuel companies’ activities over the last 50 years have locked in substantial sea level rises, which will cause billions of dollars’ worth of damage to properties and businesses, as well as endangering lives.
According to the complaint, the defendants “have known for nearly 50 years years that greenhouse gas pollution from their fossil fuel products has a significant impact on the Earth’s climate and sea levels”. Rather than working to reduce impacts, the complaint claims the companies engaged in a “co-ordinated, multi-front effort to conceal and deny their knowledge of these threats”.
A spokeswoman for Shell said “we believe climate change is a complex societal challenge that should be addressed through sound government policy and cultural change to drive low-carbon choices for businesses and consumers, not by the courts.” A spokesman for Statoil said this lawsuit was not the first against the industry and that “previous cases have been dismissed as [providing energy while meeting climate commitments] is a political, not a judicial, issue”.
Exxon and Chevron declined to comment specifically on the litigation. BP and Total did not respond to the Guardian’s request for comment.
Climate change litigation
“This an unprecedented moment for climate change litigation,” says Sophie Marjanac of campaigning lawyers Client Earth, which is monitoring the case.
Coastal California is already experiencing the effects of rising sea levels, says Deborah Halberstadt, executive director of the state’s Ocean Protection Council which recently released a study (pdf) about the threat of rising seas. “The rate of ice loss from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets could rapidly accelerate, leading to extreme sea-level rise, [...] with potentially catastrophic impacts for California,” she says.
Serge Dedina, the mayor of Imperial Beach, a low income coastal community in San Diego County, says that up to 30% of the city could be affected by climate change. “As the lowest-income, highest poverty-rate city in San Diego County, we have no capacity to pay for the extensive adaptation measures.”
It’s a similar story for Marin County. Within 15 years, says county supervisor Kate Sears, flooding could affect tens of thousands of residents and cause upwards of $15.5bn (£11.9bn) in property damage. “This lawsuit is intended to shift those costs back where they belong – on the fossil fuel companies,” she says.
“We are at the point of no return in fighting climate change,” says San Mateo supervisor Dave Pine, “and if we don’t reduce emissions there will be catastrophic impacts.” Potential property damage in the county is estimated to be in the region of $39bn, with sea level rises set to affect more than 100,000 residents (pdf).
This isn’t the first time fossil fuel companies have found themselves facing legal action over climate change. Kivalina – an Alaskan barrier island community of fewer than 400 people – filed a lawsuit in 2008 against oil companies including BP and Chevron demanding up to $400m for relocating their village in the face of rising sea levels. They were ultimately unsuccessful, with their case dismissed on the basis that it was a political question, not one for the courts.
“This claim has a better chance,” says Marjanac, “we have better climate science now.” She also believes the “vacuum in the US at a federal level” when it comes to climate change, may make the state court more willing to step in.
She does, however, acknowledge there are significant hurdles to success. These include the “utility argument”: that companies are providing energy to the world, something that is demanded and sanctioned.
Pressure heating up on carbon majors
While all parties acknowledge the claim is likely to be prolonged, awareness raising is an important element. “This kind of litigation is a vital tool in the spreading effort to force oil companies to change their business models,” says Jeremy Leggett, founder of solar energy company Solarcentury.
Exxon, Total, Shell and Statoil are among those already making some shifts away from fossil fuels.
Shell’s CEO, Ben van Beurden, announced earlier this month that the company would invest up to $1bn per year in its New Energies division to explore alternative energy. But the energy transition will be “change that will take place over generations”, he said, not a revolution.
Exxon told the Guardian “oil and natural gas will remain prominent in meeting global energy”, but a spokesman said the firm is working on alternatives and “invests about $1bn a year to support a broad portfolio of R&D projects ranging from advanced biofuels to carbon capture.”
Total has made significant investments including the purchase last year of battery company Saft for $1bn. And Statoil has established Statoil Energy Ventures with $200m in investment capital for four to seven years.
However, many campaigners and analysts remain sceptical. “These investments amount to lip service,” says Kelly Mitchell, climate and energy director for Greenpeace USA, “while [fossil fuel companies] dump resources into more fossil fuel projects around the world, lobby politicians and lock us into decades of fossil-fuel infrastructure.”
Leggett sees varying levels of seriousness among the big players. “No company has admitted the game is up yet. Some have taken out substantial hedged bets in the form of significant investments in clean energy, notably Total and Statoil. Others have dug in, seemingly for a fight to the death,” he says.
“The bottom line,” says Mitchell, “is that these companies are clinging to an outdated business model that is not compatible with a safe climate and liveable communities.”
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