Whatever Happened to Fuel Cells?

Michael Schirber, Yahoo News 5 Nov 07;

In 2003, President George W. Bush called for a billion-dollar initiative to make fuel cells the future replacement of the gasoline engine. These clean battery-like devices produce electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen and giving off only water.

But four years down the road, not many besides California's Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have been behind the wheel of a fuel-cell car, and a big reason for this is the paucity of hydrogen fuel filling stations.

"The infrastructure is not evolving fast enough," said Britta Gross, General Motors manager of hydrogen infrastructure and strategic commercialization.

Not waiting for the so-called "hydrogen highway" to be built, GM has launched its own Project Driveway, in which 110 Chevy Equinoxes equipped with hydrogen fuel cells will be lent—at no charge—to ordinary customers for 3-month test periods.

To provide fuel, the company is installing—largely at their own expense—10 hydrogen stations in the Los Angeles and New York areas, where Driveway participants can fill up for free.

Chicken and egg

The goal of Project Driveway is to obtain consumer feedback on fuel-cell cars, but it highlights a troublesome "chicken and egg" problem: Consumers will be reluctant to buy a fuel cell car if they don't see enough hydrogen stations around, while fuel suppliers will be reluctant to build hydrogen stations if they don't see enough fuel-cell cars around.

Jeroen Struben from the MIT Sloan School of Management has studied this and other market forces and found that they can prevent the transition to a non-gasoline infrastructure.

"There's 100 years of experience with gas filling stations," Struben told LiveScience.

The fact that people can fill their gasoline-powered cars at some 170,000 stations nationwide provides a sense of security that alternative fuels will need decades to achieve, Struben said.

The hydrogen driveway

Although limited in scope, Project Driveway is the largest fuel-cell demonstration so far. General Motors has invested more than a billion dollars in the technology, hoping to capitalize on its unique advantages, Gross said.

Compared to normal internal combustion engines, fuel cells need no transmission—the motor turns the wheels directly. This means manufacturers have more freedom to come up with cost-effective designs.

Compared to battery-powered vehicles, fuel-cell cars can be driven farther (the Equinox can go 150 miles on a full tank of 9.3 pounds of hydrogen). To get that sort of range, a battery must be combined with a gasoline engine, as in a hybrid electric vehicle.

Fuel cells also have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions better than other current alternatives, Gross said.

However, this is only true if the hydrogen is generated from renewables, such as wind and solar energy. Currently, most hydrogen is extracted from natural gas—a process that results in about as much carbon dioxide emissions per mile driven as does burning gasoline in a car, Struben said.

A fulfilling experience

As far as price, hydrogen could be competitive with gasoline, once the infrastructure is in place, Gross said. Most estimates assume that a pound of hydrogen (roughly the equivalent of a gallon of gasoline) will cost $2 to $3.

"Two years ago, $2 to $3 seemed expensive," Gross said, but not anymore with current gas prices.

One concern, though, has been that refueling a fuel cell can be a long and complicated procedure, as hydrogen is a highly flammable gas.

But Gross said that the Equinox can be filled in three to five minutes using a high pressure (700 bar) pump. Drivers can do it themselves, because there's a safety connecter that locks in place to prevent leaks.

Rural development

The 50 or so hydrogen stations in the United States are typically not open to the public and do not uniformly provide the high pressure that Gross considers necessary. The company is therefore rolling out 10 new stations for the start of 2008 when the first fuel cell Equinoxes will be delivered.

GM officials are already looking ahead to the next wave in 2010 to 2012 when they will release about 1,000 fuel cell vehicles. Gross said that this will require about 40 stations in and around the target areas.

Struben, the MIT researcher, is not sure those will be enough. "You need more stations than the simple calculations would suggest," he said.

In his market simulations, he found that when stations are far apart, people fill up more often just to be safe. This can cause long lines at the pump, which will discourage others from buying a fuel cell car.

To avoid this, government and industry need to provide long-term support to stations, especially in rural areas where "they might not be profitable for the first 10 to 20 years," Struben said.

Editor's Note: This article is part of an occasional LiveScience series about ideas to ease humanity's impact on the environment.

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High tech lake clean-up to save Vietnam's legendary turtle

Frank Zeller, Yahoo News 5 Nov 07;

Pollution threatens the lake that is the heart and soul of Vietnam's capital -- and a legendary turtle who lives below its murky waters -- but now a high-tech solution may be at hand to save them both.

Over the next three years, in time for Hanoi's 1,000th birthday in 2010, scientists intend to clean up Hoan Kiem Lake, home to the creature that symbolises Vietnam's centuries-old struggle for independence.

Vietnamese and German experts say they will use a new device, which borrows from the designs of corkscrews, submarines and tanks, to suck several metres (feet) of toxic sludge from the bottom of the 'Lake of the Returned Sword'.

The 2.4-million-dollar project will be a delicate one.

The famed, algae-green lake is home to an elusive turtle that is a key figure in Vietnam folklore.

In a story that every Vietnamese child learns at school, the 15th century farmer-turned-rebel leader Le Loi used a magical sword to drive out Chinese invaders and found the dynasty named after him.

When Le Loi, by now the emperor, went boating on the lake one day, a turtle appeared, took his sacred sword and dived to the bottom of the lake, keeping the weapon safe for the next time Vietnam may have to defend its freedom.

Today, occasional sightings of a giant soft-shell turtle draw large crowds, and photographs and amateur video clips attest to the claim that at least one turtle indeed still lives in the lake.

The turtle legend is a staple of traditional water-puppet theatre, and reported sightings of the animal, a symbol of eternity, are deemed auspicious, especially when they coincide with major national events.

"Since 1991 the turtle has come up about 400 times," said Vietnam's pre-eminent authority on the animal, Professor Ha Dinh Duc of the Hanoi University of Science -- better known here as the 'turtle professor.'

"Several times when it came up, it coincided with important events," he told AFP. "It's something we can't explain."

The turtle has appeared when Chinese presidents have visited, during the inauguration of a Le Loi statute, at the start of last year's Communist Party congress, and even during a conference on endangered reptiles, Duc said.

The professor says he doesn't know the age of the turtle -- which he says is a new species he has named Rafetus Leloiiis. He says it weighs around 200 kilogrammes (440 pounds).

Previously, at least four of the turtles lived here -- one of them is now stuffed and on display in an island temple on the lake -- but today only one is left and Duc frets about its well-being.

From his Hanoi home, crammed with turtle books, pictures and paraphernalia, he has pushed for efforts to save the turtle, also proposing to catch animals of the same species from another pond to mate with it.

"There has been coffee shop talk about cloning the turtle," he said, "but I would oppose it."

The more immediate threat to the turtle is man-made.

Stormwater run-off from the growing city has sullied the stagnant lake with chemicals and organic pollutants that feed algae blooms and choke off oxygen.

"The water quality is decreasing, and we expect a breakdown of the aquatic habitat within a decade," said Professor Peter Werner of Germany's Dresden University of Technology. "The lake could be dead in 10 years."

Hoan Kiem Lake, about 600 metres long and 200 metres wide, is now only about 1.5 metres deep while a four-to-six-metre deep layer of sludge has accumulated on the lake bed, said Christian Richter of German company HGN Hydrogeologie.

German scientists have developed an "subaquatic vacuum cleaner" that will crawl along the lake floor using two corkscrew-like spirals that dig up and funnel the mud into a pipe while also propelling the device forward.

The remote-controlled "SediTurtle" will use buoyancy to rise and sink like a submarine and use brakes on its two coils to move left and right like a tank, said engineer Dr Frank Panning of company GSan oekologische Gewaessersanierung.

"We are using low-impact environmental technology that is silent and minimises turbulence and the release of toxic compounds," said Werner. "This project is very sensitive. We have to take care of the turtle."

In the first phase, set to start early next year and take 24 months, scientists will first analyse water and sediment samples from Hoan Kiem and test the SediTurtle in another Hanoi lake.

If all goes well, Vietnamese experts could then take over and use the new technology to clean up the famous lake itself, said Werner.

Professor Duc -- whose support is deemed crucial for any project involving Hoan Kiem Lake -- has given the green light after vetoing earlier offers for help from Japan, Thailand and elsewhere.

"Many international organisations have offered to help," he said.

"This project is environmentally sound, and it's good for the turtle. And the turtle is important for Vietnam."

Read more!

Solar-Power Fever May Not Last

Mayumi Negishi, PlanetArk 6 Nov 07;

TOKYO - The world's current fever for solar power may not be sustainable and could be a bubble, an executive at Japanese silicon maker Tokuyama Corp said on Monday.

Tokuyama, the world's No. 2 maker of polycrystalline silicon after US firm Hemlock Semiconductor Corp, is still gauging long-term demand for silicon used in solar cells, Managing Director Yukio Muranaga told Reuters in an interview.

"Demand for solar power will grow, but we really don't know by how much," Muranaga said. "It's too early to commit to more investment at this stage."

The global solar market, which some of Tokuyama's clients expect will grow by as much as 40 percent a year, depends on uncertain factors including how much governments such as Germany's are willing to subsidise solar energy use, Muranaga said.

Investors have criticised Tokuyama for falling behind in a capacity race against its rivals, who are betting that demand for clean energy and semiconductors in zippy gadgets will boost demand for polysilicon.

Polysilicon prices are now 15 percent to 20 percent higher than a year ago.

Hemlock, nearly two-thirds owned by Dow Corning Corp, plans to more than triple annual capacity by 2010 to 36,000 tonnes of polysilicon, while Germany's Wacker plans to more than double capacity to 14,500 tonnes.

That would mean the two companies would outpace Tokuyama, which plans to raise annual capacity by 60 percent to 8,200 tonnes in the spring of 2009.

Until then, Tokuyama's sales of silicon, are capped by capacity, even while prices of raw materials such as coal surge, limiting growth.

The company, which forecasts 0.8 percent growth in operating profit this year, sometimes has to turn down orders for 500 or 1,000 tonnes, said Muranaga.

Its shares have fallen 16.7 percent since January, compared with a 5.6 percent fall in the benchmark Nikkei average

WAITING FOR TECHNOLOGY

But Tokuyama, which supplies silicon to wafer makers such as SUMCO Techxiv Corp, is not about to rush into expansion.

Unlike Kyocera Corp or Sharp Corp, which are expanding solar cell production after spending decades developing solar technology, recent entrants don't understand how variable the market can be, Muranaga said.

Burned when the IT bubble burst in 2000, the company still remembers having to halt production at its newly built plant as polysilicon prices fell by half.

"That's a trauma that is going to make them very, very cautious," said Yoshihisa Toyosaki, president of IT consulting firm J-Star Global Inc.

The company is now concentrating on developing a new production process that would slash costs and allow it to undercut its rivals in solar-use silicon, if successful.

The vapor-to-liquid deposition (VLD) process could take "a few years" before it is ready for commercial use, but that's no cause for concern, Muranaga said.

"We are looking five years, 10 years ahead," he said, saying governments are likely to need to balance their environmental policies. "Solar cells require charcoal, which comes from trees. Producing too many solar cells means deforestation, and that just defeats the purpose of green energy."

Read more!

Humanity is the greatest challenge

John Feeney, BBC 5 Nov 07;

The growth in human population and rising consumption have exceeded the planet's ability to support us, argues John Feeney. In this week's Green Room, he says it is time to ring the alarm bells and take radical action in order to avert unspeakable consequences.

We humans face two problems of desperate importance. The first is our global ecological plight. The second is our difficulty acknowledging the first.

Despite increasing climate change coverage, environmental writers remain reluctant to discuss the full scope and severity of the global dilemma we've created. Many fear sounding alarmist, but there is an alarm to sound and the time for reticence is over.

We've outgrown the planet and need radical action to avert unspeakable consequences. This - by a huge margin - has become humanity's greatest challenge.

If we've altered the climate, it should come as no surprise that we have damaged other natural systems. From deforestation to collapsing fisheries, desertification, the global spread of chemical toxins, ocean dead zones, and the death of coral reefs, an array of interrelated declines is evidence of the breadth of our impact.

Add the depletion of finite resources such as oil and ground-water, and the whole of the challenge upon us emerges.

Barring decisive action, we are marching, heads down, toward global ecological collapse.

Web of life

We're dismantling the web of life, the support system upon which all species depend. We could have very well entered the "sixth mass extinction"; the fifth having wiped out the dinosaurs.

Though we like to imagine we are different from other species, we humans are not exempt from the threats posed by ecological degradation.

Analysts worry, for example, about the future of food production. Climate change-induced drought and the depletion of oil and aquifers - resources on which farming and food distribution depend - could trigger famine on an unprecedented scale.

Billions could die. At the very least, we risk our children inheriting a bleak world, empty of the richness of life we take for granted.

Alarmist? Yes, but realistically so.

The most worrisome aspect of this ecological decline is the convergence in time of so many serious problems. Issues such as oil and aquifer depletion and climate change are set to reach crisis points within decades.

Biodiversity loss is equally problematic. As a result of their ecological interdependence, the extinction of species can trigger cascade effects whereby impacts suddenly and unpredictably spread. We're out of our league, influencing systems we don't understand.

Any of these problems could disrupt society. The possibility of them occurring together is enough to worry even the most optimistic among rational observers.

Some credible analyses conclude we've postponed action too long to avoid massive upheaval and the best we can do now is to soften the blow. Others hold out hope of averting catastrophe, though not without tough times ahead.

One thing is certain: continued inaction or half-hearted efforts will be of no help - we're at a turning point in human history.

Though few seem willing to confront the facts, it's no secret how we got here. We simply went too far. The growth which once measured our species' success inevitably turned deadly.

Unceasing economic growth, increasing per capita resource consumption, and global population growth have teamed with our reliance on finite reserves of fossil energy to exceed the Earth's absorptive and regenerative capacities.

Getting a grip

We are now in "overshoot"; our numbers and levels of consumption having exceeded the Earth's capacity to sustain us for the long-term.

And as we remain in overshoot, we further erode the Earth's ability to support us.

Inevitably, our numbers will come down, whether voluntarily or through such natural means as famine or disease.

So what can get us out of this mess? First comes awareness. Those in a position to inform must shed fears of alarmism and embrace the truth.

More specifically, we need ecological awareness. For instance, we must "get" that we are just one among millions of interdependent species.

It's imperative we reduce personal resource consumption. The relocalisation movement promoted by those studying oil depletion is a powerful strategy in that regard.

We need a complete transition to clean, renewable energy. It can't happen overnight, but reliance on non-renewable energy is, by definition, unsustainable.

But there is a caveat: abundant clean energy alone will not end our problems. There remains population growth which increases consumption of resources other than energy.

We have to rethink the corporate economic growth imperative. On a finite planet, the physical component of economic growth cannot continue forever.

In fact, it has gone too far already. As a promising alternative, the field of ecological economics offers the "steady state economy".

We must end world population growth, then reduce population size. That means lowering population numbers in industrialised as well as developing nations.

Scientists point to the population-environment link. But today's environmentalists avoid the subject more than any other ecological truth. Their motives range from the political to a misunderstanding of the issue.

Neither justifies hiding the truth because total resource use is the product of population size and per capita consumption. We have no chance of solving our environmental predicament without reducing both factors in the equation.

Fortunately, expert consensus tells us we can address population humanely by solving the social problems that fuel it.

Implementing these actions will require us all to become activists, insisting our leaders base decisions not on corporate interests but on the health of the biosphere.

Let's make the effort for today's and tomorrow's children.

John Feeney PhD is an environmental writer and activist in Boulder, Colorado, US. His online project is growthmadness.org

The Green Room is a series of opinion pieces on environmental topics running weekly on the BBC News website

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Rare Bearded Monkeys Discovered in Kenya

Zoe Alsop in Nairobi, National Geographic News 5 Nov 07;

A new population of De Brazza's monkeys, a species thought to be near extinction in eastern Africa, has been discovered in Kenya, a scientist has reported.

The discovery of the group, as well sightings of other rare monkeys in a remote northeastern reserve, is a happy note at an otherwise grim hour for the world's primates. A recent study by the nonprofit Conservation International found that human destruction of forest habitats has pushed some 25 types of primate to the brink of extinction.

Though the De Brazza's is not on that list, the newfound population may be a boon to their survival in Kenya.

The shy, white-bearded monkeys depend on wet environments and, like most primates, have rarely been known to travel more than a few kilometers from their normal range.

So when Iregi Mwenja, a researcher with Kenya's Institute for Primate Research, looked into reports that the monkeys were living in Mathews Range—a tiny pocket of lush forest some 90 miles (150 kilometers) from the closest known De Brazza's habitat—some experts were perplexed.

"When I told people that there were De Brazza's in Mathews, they said that that was not true," Mwenja said.

"I was almost doubting if it was true myself, but I had to go. The first thing is that I was shocked, because I had never seen such a large number of groups in such a small area before."

Monkeys "Just Hanging On"

Based on his survey, Mwenja puts the total number of De Brazza's living at Mathews Range between 200 and 300, bringing the total number of the monkeys in Kenya to 1,000.

Though there are about a hundred thousand De Brazza's living in the dense, little-developed forests of central and western Africa, populations of the monkeys in Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia exist only in small pockets that are isolated from the larger groups (see map of Africa).

A tour operator first noticed that there might be substantial numbers of De Brazza's in Mathews Range more than three years ago. At the time, Mwenja was completing a survey of De Brazza's in the wet forests of western Kenya.

In that study, Mwenja found evidence of nearly twice the number of De Brazza's that he'd expected. But the prognosis for their survival was not good in the face of burgeoning development around their habitat, Mwenja said.

Baby De Brazza's Monkey picture

"The De Brazza's grey-green coloring offers excellent camouflage from predators such as leopards, eagles, pythons, and other primates, but this does not save them from the tactically superior Homo sapiens," Mwenja wrote in his 2004 report.

"Hundreds are killed for crop raiding and bush meat through poisoning, traps, and the use of dogs."

If the Kenyan population of the species were to survive, western groups would have to be relocated to new forests, he believed.

That's why Mwenja was eager to confirm reports of De Brazza's living to the east of Kenya's Great Rift Valley.

While the environment surrounding Mathews Range wasn't particularly hospitable to researchers—there were armed cattle rustlers and road bandits to avoid—the ecology inside the forest, coupled with local taboos against killing wildlife, proved ideal for De Brazza's.

Marina Cords, a biologist at Columbia University in New York who has studied De Brazza's, said the discovery of the new population is an important find.

"People in Kenya are very excited about the De Brazza's, and [the monkeys] seem to be quite rare, because they seem to be just hanging on in western Kenya," she said. "So it's great to have this discovery in Mathews Range."

Climate Change

Mwenja found that the newly discovered monkeys are surviving off of many of the same plants and insects as the De Brazza's in western Kenya.

He also noticed that their physical appearance and social behavior were the same as that seen in other groups in Kenya.

Richard Leakey, a leading conservationist and former head of the Kenya Wildlife Service, pointed out that these similarities suggest the De Brazza's in Mathews Range are quite closely related to their cousins west of the Great Rift Valley.

The groups must have been part of the same population long after the valley opened up some two million years ago, dividing Kenya's eastern savannas from the forested hills of the west, he said.

"If the group in Mathews had been isolated several hundred thousand years ago, they would be quite different," Leakey said.

Today the Rift Valley is arid. Trees are sparse. But not so long ago, De Brazza's must have lived there, he said.

"For the De Brazza's to appear as far east—150 kilometers across the Rift Valley—it implies that there was some fairly continuous natural habitat or swampy ground across the Rift Valley until relatively recently," Leakey said.

"This complete disappearance of that forest belt must be in the last 8,000 years."

According to Leakey, that relatively rapid disappearance of forest suggests that climate change is affecting the world's habitats faster than we think.

Unique Population

Researchers say the thousand or so De Brazza's monkeys dwelling throughout East Africa are unique.

"They have a totally different social system than the ones in western Africa," said Joseph Muriuki Wahome, a zoologist at Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena, Mississippi, who has studied De Brazza's in western Kenya.

"In Gabon they found fairly small monogamous troops. But the ones in Kenya live in pretty large groups, and they were all made up of single males who were polygamous."

That uniqueness means the plight of East Africa's De Brazza's may be more critical than many people think.

"If it's only in East Africa that the population has become extremely small and very isolated, [the newfound population] is still very important," Wahome said. "Because you know what that kind of isolation means for inbreeding."

Anthony Rylands, a primatologist with Conservation International in Washington, D.C., sees Mwenja's study as an important step toward preserving the monkeys' future.

"We need to research, document, understand the nature of the wildlife around us in order to save it," Rylands said.

"Iregi Mwenja's work may well, we hope, have saved this population just by documenting its existence."

Read more!

'Most people ready to make sacrifices' to help climate

Straits Times 6 Nov 07; Many are prepared to make lifestyle changes and pay energy taxes: Poll

LONDON - MOST people around the globe are prepared to make sacrifices and even fork out more money in taxes if it means the world will be better protected against climate change.

A survey of more than 22,000 people in 21 countries has found that four in five people are prepared to change their lifestyle - even in the US and China, the globe's two biggest polluters.

The poll was carried out on behalf of the BBC and the results were published on its website yesterday.

The findings show that 83per cent of people believe changes have to be made to the lifestyles of individuals in order to reduce the level of climate-

changing carbon gases in the atmosphere.

Three-quarters of those polled backed energy taxes if the cash was used to find new sources of energy or boost efficiency.

And Chinese respondents were more positive than any others in this regard, with 85per cent in favour of energy taxes - a full 24 percentage points higher than the next most supportive nations.

The poll also suggested that a large majority of people in each country surveyed believe that sacrifices will be necessary.

In almost all countries in Europe, and in the US, most people believe the cost of fuels that contribute most to climate change - carbon-based fossil fuels such as oil and coal - will have to increase.

Attitudes towards rising energy costs in Asia and Africa are more varied.

In China and Indonesia, large majorities believe that higher energy costs are necessary, but in South Korea and India, the majorities in favour of higher prices are much smaller.

In Nigeria, 52per cent of the respondents do not believe that higher fuel costs would be necessary to combat global warming.

Opinions are divided on proposals to increase taxes on fossil fuels. Worldwide, only 50per cent are in favour and 44per cent are opposed.

After China, Australia and Chile are the most supportive of energy taxes, with 61per cent of those surveyed in favour.

In the rest of the world, only narrow majorities - and sometimes minorities - favour higher energy taxes.

However, when people opposed to energy taxes are asked whether their opinions would change if the revenue from the taxes were used to increase energy efficiency or develop cleaner fuel, large majorities are produced in every country in favour of higher taxes.

And when those opposed to higher taxes are asked whether they would change their minds if other taxes were reduced in order to keep their overall tax burden unchanged, the survey again discovered large majorities in every country in favour of higher green taxes.

'This poll clearly shows that people are much more ready to endure their share of the burden than most politicians grant,' said Mr Doug Miller, director of Globescan, the polling company that conducted the survey.

Globescan interviewed 22,182 people in the UK, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey and the US.


PlanetArk 6 Nov 07
Most Would Pay Higher Bills to Help Climate - Poll
Story by Jeremy Lovell

LONDON - Millions of people around the world are willing to make personal sacrifices, including paying higher bills, to help redress climate change, a global survey said on Monday.

The survey found 83 percent of those questioned believed lifestyle changes would be necessary to cut emissions of climate warming carbon gases.

The survey, conducted by two polling organisations for the BBC World Service, covered 22,000 people in 21 countries.

In 14 of the 21 countries from Canada to Australia, 61 percent overall said it would be necessary to increase energy costs to encourage conservation and reduce carbon emissions.

"People around the world recognise that climate change requires that people change their behaviour," said Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes which conducted the poll with GlobeScan.

"And that to provide incentives for those changes there will need to be an increase in the cost of energy that contributes to climate change," he added.

Scientists say carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels for power and transport will push global average temperatures up by between 1.8 and 4.0 degrees Celsius (3.2 and 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) this century, causing floods, famines and violent storms putting millions at risk.

CLIMATE TAXES

The response to climate taxes was more muted than that on raised energy prices, but it swung in favour if the revenue from those taxes was ring-fenced for use solely on measures to raise energy efficiency or develop clean energy sources.

There was also a greater acceptance of higher green taxes if they were offset by cuts in taxation elsewhere so the net effect on the individual's pocket was neutral.

"While few citizens welcome higher taxes, the poll suggests that national leaders could succeed in introducing a carbon tax on energy," said GlobeScan President Doug Miller.

"The key requirement is that their citizens trust that the resulting tax revenues will be invested in addressing climate change by increasing energy efficiency and developing cleaner fuels," he added.

The survey said the findings applied equally in China, which is building a coal-fired power station a week to feed its booming economy, and in the United States, which is the world's biggest carbon polluter -- although China is fast catching up.

They will be ammunition for UN environment ministers when they meet on the Indonesian island of Bali in December amid urgent calls to agree to start talks on a follow-up to the Kyoto Protocol on cutting carbon emissions which expires in 2012.

BBC News 5 Nov 07
Most ready for 'green sacrifices'

Most people are ready to make personal sacrifices to address climate change, according to a BBC poll of 22,000 people in 21 countries.

Four out of five people indicated they were prepared to change their lifestyle - even in the US and China, the world's two biggest emitters of carbon dioxide.

Opinion was split over tax rises on oil and coal - 44% against, 50% in favour.

Support would rise if the cash was used to boost efficiency and find new energy sources, the poll suggested.

BBC environment reporter Matt McGrath says the poll suggests that in many countries people are more willing than their governments to contemplate serious changes to their lifestyles to combat global warming.

Overall, 83% of respondents throughout the world agreed that individuals would definitely or probably have to make lifestyle changes to reduce the amount of climate-changing gases they produce.

In almost all countries in Europe, and in the US, most people said they believed the cost of fuels that contribute most to climate change would have to increase.

The only exceptions were Italy and Russia, where significant numbers of people believed that increases in the price of energy would not be needed.

The pollsters suggested that high energy costs in both countries could have put people off the idea of increasing prices even further.

Attitudes to rising energy costs in Asia and Africa were more varied.

Large majorities in China said higher energy costs were necessary - although the BBC's Dan Griffiths, in Beijing, pointed out that people interviewed over the telephone were unlikely to contradict official policy.

In South Korea and India, the majorities in favour of higher prices were much smaller.

And in Nigeria, 52% of the respondents said they did not think higher fuel costs would be necessary to combat global warming.

Green China?

Opinions were divided on proposals to increase taxes on fossil fuels.

Worldwide, 50% are in favour and 44% are opposed.

The Chinese are the most enthusiastic when it comes to energy taxes - 85% of those polled saying they were in favour, 24 percentage points more than in the next most-supportive countries.

In the rest of the world, narrow majorities - and sometimes minorities - favoured higher energy taxes.

However, when people opposed to energy taxes were asked whether their opinion would change if the revenue from the taxes were used to increase energy efficiency or develop cleaner fuel, large majorities in every country were in favour of higher taxes.

And when those opposed to higher taxes were asked whether they would change their minds if other taxes were reduced in order to keep their total tax burden the same, the survey again discovered large majorities in every country in favoured of higher green taxes.

"This poll clearly shows that people are much more ready to endure their share of the burden than most politicians grant," said Doug Miller, director of Globescan, the polling company that conducted the survey on behalf of the BBC.

Globescan interviewed 22,182 people in the UK, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, and the United States.

Interviews were conducted face-to-face or by telephone between 29 May 29 and 26 July 2007.

Read more!

Why were trees cut down?

Letter from Albano Daminato and Lisa Garris, Today Online 6 Nov 07;

Whither the trees?

SOME people who work or live around Cross Street might be able to attest to a rise in temperatures in the area that began about two weeks ago.

A number of beautiful, tall, shade-providing trees and shrubs were, practically overnight, cut down — all in the name of Land Transport Authority (LTA) works.

When I called the National Parks Board (NParks), I was told that the trees were cut down due to some "important" work being done by the LTA.

Surely, with all of the marvellous work done by the NParks in greening the island, a more sensitive approach could have been taken, instead of cutting large trees so mindlessly.

It would be such a shame if this goes on.

We hope the LTA and NParks can address this issue and give us some answers.

Today Online 8 Nov 07
Where once there was greenery ...
Letter from CARLYN LAW

I refer to the letter "Whither the trees" (Nov 6) by Albano Daminato and Lisa Garris, and I empathise with their sentiments about the fallen trees around Cross Street (picture).

My colleagues and I have been working in an old shophouse in the area for the past four years and loved the area's unique architecture and lush landscape.

To our dismay, the greenery in the area was uprooted in less than two days.

Now the area has clearly become warmer and barren, and devoid of character. We feel extremely saddened by this recent development and fear that more trees will be removed to make way for Land Transport Authority projects.

We ask that more sensitivity be exercised towards urban landscaping in our "green" society.

Trees felled only as a last resort
Today Online 15 Nov 07
Letter from Suhana Kharudin
Manager, Media Relations, Land Transport Authority

We refer to the letters, "Whither the trees" by Albano Daminato and Lisa Garris (Nov 6) and "Where once there was greenery ..." by Carlyn Law (Nov 8), on the trees around Cross Street.

We share the writers' concerns for our greenery and would like to assure them that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) makes every effort to preserve trees. Where possible, trees that have to be cut will be replaced by new ones.

The trees mentioned by the writers are directly affected by the construction of the Downtown Line Cross Street Station.

Prior to felling these trees, the LTA explored whether there was any alternative to their being felled. This is a standard process for all cases of roadside trees affected by development projects.

In this case however, there was no alternative given site constraints at Cross Street.

Work on the underground station has to be conducted within the space of the existing five-lane road. The road had to be diverted to the planting strip to improve safety and enable the continued smooth flow of traffic. There was no other space left in the area to replant the trees and shrubs.

Once construction is completed new trees and shrubs will be planted around Cross Street.

We thank the writers for their feedback.

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First-ever carbon trading deal signed in Singapore

Channel NewsAsia 5 Nov 07;

SINGAPORE: A Singapore-based company, ecoWise, has tied up with Japan's Kansai Electric Power Company to tackle climate change.Under the four-year deal, the first to be signed in Singapore, ecoWise will trade carbon credits for Kansai, Japan's second largest power firm.

Carbon trading is a market-based mechanism to help mitigate the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The burning of fossil fuels is a major source of industrial greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide and methane.

Countries, which have signed the Kyoto Protocol, are legally bound to meet emissions targets by 2012.

The Kyoto Protocol is designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by making the polluter pay for climate change.

A country that needs to fulfil its obligations may need to buy spare credits from another country that is on track to meet its target.

Under the latest Emission Reduction Purchasing Agreement, Kansai Electric Power Company will buy 95,000 carbon credits from ecoWise over four years, starting in 2008.

ecoWise said it would sell the carbon credits, which will be generated from its facility that processes industrial waste by using thermal energy, at market rate.

Lee Thiam Seng, CEO, ecoWise Holdings, said: "Currently, these agro wastes are using diesel burner, diesel dryer to dry. We are using renewable energy to dry. This will save about 6.1 million tonnes of diesel over the next four years."

The companies are in the process of getting the project registered with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Kansai said this contract is relatively small compared to its 20 other carbon credit deals around the world.

The firm estimates it will need to procure up to 13 million carbon credits between now and 2012.

Koji Toyama, Manager of the Global Environment Group, Kansai Electric Power, said: "In the near future, I hope Kansai will supply or provide environmental related technology to Singapore industries and if possible, Kansai would like to make a direct investment to the energy sector."

It is hoped that this collaboration will pave the way for more companies to follow suit.

For a start, ecoWise said it would explore opportunities in China, while KYOTOenergy, which had helped broker the deal, will look at investing in gas cogeneration projects.

Michel Buron, CEO of KYOTOenergy, said: "The market in 2006 for emission reductions was around US$24 billion. It is expected to grow to US$100 billion by 2010, and I would say the region – Southeast Asia – will take its share of it, but we see that this region is a bit behind compared to India or China, or even Latin America."

But industry players said there are more emission reduction projects coming on-stream in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, and the sector is set to grow.

However, the rate of adoption will depend on the level of confidence and awareness of how carbon credits can benefit businesses.

Climate change is expected to be discussed at the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Singapore.

Industry players hope this can further promote sustainable development.

Straits Times 6 Nov 07
Local firm ecoWise to sell 95,000 carbon credits
By Jessica Cheam

SESDAQ-LISTED ecoWise Holdings, a local environmental solutions company, yesterday took a step closer to becoming Singapore's first company to sell carbon credits.

Trading carbon credits is designed to limit industry carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

ecoWise unit Bee Joo Industries yesterday signed a deal with Japanese firm Kansai Electric Power to sell up to 95,000 carbon credits over five years.

Under the Kyoto Protocol, developed signatory countries must meet strict CO2 emission targets.

ecoWise's credits are from its biomass plant at Sungei Kadut, which uses wood waste to generate steam. This, in turn, is used to dry waste from the agro-industry. Traditionally, the industry uses diesel, a fossil fuel, to dry the waste.

Its plant results in a saving of 6.1 million litres of diesel each year, said ecoWise chief executive Lee Thiam Seng yesterday.

The project is awaiting final confirmation in the next few months from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to become Singapore's first clean development mechanism project, said Mr Lee.

It comes as Singapore hosts its first Carbon Forum Asia - a trade fair and global forum - which opens at the Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre today.

Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore chairman Edwin Khew said at a separate event yesterday that the event will reinforce Singapore's plan to become a carbon trading hub. Talks are under way with the Singapore Exchange to launch a carbon trading platform, said Mr Khew.

A recent World Bank report said global carbon trading grew in value to an estimated US$30 billion (S$43.5 billion) last year. - CNA/so

Business Times 6 Nov 07
ecoWise, Kansai Power sign carbon credit deal
By Matthew Phan

SINGAPORE saw its first contract to generate carbon credits signed yesterday, with an agreement between Sesdaq-listed eco-Wise Holdings and the Kansai Power Co of Japan.

Carbon credits, or certified emissions reduction units (CERs), are generated under the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol, which Singapore ratified last March.

Each CER represents one less tonne of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.

Yesterday's contract will see ecoWise - through its wholly-owned subsidiary - deliver up to 95,000 CERs to Kansai Power, one of Japan's largest utility companies, from early 2008 through to the end of 2012.

The credits are being sold forward, for between eight (S$16.80) to 12 euros each, said Michel Buron, CEO of KYOTOenergy, which brokered the deal.

For a forward sale - which means the buyer pays the seller first, and takes delivery of the CERs later - the price is 'classic', he said.

ecoWise's project will use the waste heat from a co-generation power plant to dry waste from the agro-industry, such as spent grains from breweries, and to heat tanks from a centralised dryer.

As ecoWise's co-generation plant runs on biomass, such as tree prunings or waste wood, it is considered as renewable, or clean, energy. In replacing the fossil-fuel dryers that are typically used, the project will save about 6.1 million litres of diesel every year.

Under the terms of the contract, Kansai takes on the risk of failure, so eco-Wise will face no penalties even if it fails to generate the CERs, Mr Buron also said.

Over US$4.5 billion worth of newly generated CERs were traded in 2006, with Asia accounting for four-fifths of this, according to the World Bank's State of the Carbon Market report in May.

Within South-east Asia, project developers have actively invested in Singapore's neighbours, which have agricultural land for biofuel crops and power plants that run on less efficient fossil fuels, like coal.

But projects are emerging here. PowerSeraya, Singapore's second largest generator, is planning an 800 megawatt co-generation plant that would replace existing steam plants and thereby qualify for CERs.

Another homegrown firm, IUT Global, which burns food waste to generate electricity, is also registering for credits.

SMEs urged to tap into renewable energy technology.

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Malaysian measures to tackle floods and climate change

Martin Khor, The Star 5 Nov 07:

Climate issue gets a boost in KL,

Malaysia announced a few first measures to tackle floods and climate change last week while Kuala Lumpur also hosted a regional meeting to prepare Asean countries for the UN climate convention in Bali next month.

CLIMATE change last week went up the Malaysian agenda when the Government announced some measures such as stopping development projects that affect “natural catchments.”

This decision was taken at a meeting of Mentris Besar and Chief Ministers, as of three measures to deal with climate change.

In announcing this, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid said the Prime Minister had issued a directive at last Thursday’s meeting that there would be no more approvals for projects that require the closing up of natural water catchments at development sites, adding that closing up lakes and ponds would disturb underground channels and give rise to flash floods.

It is not clear from this whether the order is that only lakes and ponds be not covered up or whether entire water catchment areas (which include forest areas and rivers) should not be touched.

The latter is important as catchment areas are crucial for conserving water and preventing soil erosion that silts and blocks rivers, leading to floods.

Two other proposals at the meeting are for state governments and local councils to plant more shade trees and to have houses in low-lying areas built on stilts.

These three measures seem to be aimed at reducing floods. The country is now preparing for another round of floods, with 4,500 relief centres that can take in 1.2 million people.

The floods last year, especially in Johor, was a stark reminder to Malaysians that climate-related events can be disastrous. Climate change is not something to worry about for the future but is already having impacts in Malaysia and around the world.

The three measures are only initial steps. To seriously tackle climate change will involve an overhaul of economic and social systems, as well as lifestyles.

China and India have formed Cabinet committees headed by the president and the prime minister, respectively, to come up with comprehensive measures to tackle climate change.

Each ministry should start thinking of how climate change will affect the country, what the sources are (such as greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation), how to reduce these sources and what measures to take to reduce the impacts.

The pressures to act will come from the UN convention on climate change, as well as from the increasing incidence of floods and warmer weather that will inconvenience many people.

Last week also saw Kuala Lumpur hosting a regional climate change conference (organised by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry and the British High Commission) to prepare Asean countries for the Bali meeting of the UN climate convention in December.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak described climate change as “perhaps the most momentous challenge of our time” which “presents a clear and present danger to mankind’s common future.”

Malaysia had already experienced devastating floods in recent years. “Climate change will not only influence the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events but also has adverse impacts on agricultural yields, biodiversity, forests, availability of clean water and increases in diseases such as malaria and dengue fever,” he said.

The developing countries suffer a “double inequity,” as they are not responsible but face the worst impacts, said Su-Lin Garbett of the Climate Change office in Britain’sDepartment for Environment.

She stressed that the costs of action (to reduce greenhouse gas emissions) would be less than the costs of inaction.

Speaking on current concerns on the climate negotiations, Chow Kok Kee, former director-general of the Meteorological Services Department and current vice chair of the Technology Expert Group under the UN Climate Convention, stressed that developing countries should be provided with environmental technology so that they could cope with climate change.

Unfortunately, there was little such technology transfer, and also disappointing was that little funding had been provided to developing countries.

Singapore’s representative stressed the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” and said climate change concerns should not affect developing countries’ economic growth.

Thailand’s representative proposed regional coordination to assist Asean countries, including on emissions and technology transfer, while the Philippines said developing countries should not be asked to undertake mandatory emission-reduction targets.

Vietnam stressed the need for developed countries to provide billions of dollars to help developing countries to adapt to climate change. So far, only little funds had been forthcoming.

And Laos stressed the need to help poor countries like itself establish climate observation centres to collect and analyse data.

It is good that the Asean region is beginning to think about the climate change issue. But it is only a start, as much more remains to be done.

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Singapore poised to take lead in global clean energy stakes

Jessica Cheam, Straits Times 5 Nov 07:
EDB maps out five-pronged strategy to spur sector's growth;

WITH oil prices close to hitting US$100 a barrel, the world may soon have to embrace clean energy in a big way.

When that happens, Singapore will be well-placed to tap on that growth, as the Economic Development Board (EDB) has mapped out a 'five-pronged strategy' to propel the Republic ahead in the clean energy stakes.

Clean energy is set to hit its next 'inflexion point' - where growth will explode - when grid parity is achieved, said the EDB's managing director, Mr Ko Kheng Hwa, in an interview with The Straits Times last Friday.

Grid parity is the point when it would be as cost-efficient to get electricity from the sun as it is from the conventional way of burning fossil fuels.

'With oil prices at a record high of almost US$100 a barrel, this looks like it'll be sooner rather than later,' said Mr Ko. 'When global markets reach this point, Singapore will be ready for it.'

EDB's strategy involves five specific areas: technology development; capability and manpower; growing a local eco-system of companies; encouraging local adoption of the technology; and branding and awareness.

Already last year, the industry had reached another milestone, said Mr Ko. 'It became profitable, at the same time, when environmental issues were taking centre stage in global debates. We spotted the trend and now we are moving in quickly.'

The global clean energy market has grown massively, with revenues in the industry climbing from US$40 billion in 2005 to US$55 billion (S$79.8 billion) last year, said leading US research firm Clean Edge.

Revenues are projected to hit US$226 billion by 2016.

Last week, Singapore trumped 200 other locations to emerge as the choice spot chosen by Norway's Renewable Energy Corp (REC) to build the world's largest solar plant at a cost of $6.3 billion.

'We have reached a turning point,' said Mr Ko. 'The REC project was the big boost. Suddenly, we're on the world map,' he said.

The win was the result of some 'nine months of intense courtship' of the REC.

'From this point, we will be accelerating efforts in our strategy. We believe this sector will attract interest from many Singaporeans, especially the younger generation, who are generally more environmentally aware,' he said.

Singapore's foray into clean energy, referring to energy obtained from renewable sources such as the sun and wind, began two years back when EDB was 'scanning the horizons' for areas of global growth.

So far, the Government has committed $350 million to transform Singapore into a 'global clean energy hub'.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said that Singapore should focus on developing the clean energy sector which has great potential.

The overall target is for the industry to generate $1.7 billion and employ 7,000 people by 2015.

The rising star of the clean energy race, says Mr Ko, is the solar industry - as it is closest to 'commercial viability', where demand has reached a critical mass globally.

Why EDB is so 'gung ho' as he puts it, about solar, is because of Singapore's many advantages.

As the manufacturing process of solar products is similar to the semiconductor industry, the country has 'decades of manufacturing know-how' to offer.

Also, its location in the sun belt places it in a huge potential market; and it has a skilled workforce of engineers, architects and the like that the industry needs.

'Going into renewable energy also reinforces our clean and green image,' added Mr Ko. The top priority now is sourcing for more funding and training people for the required jobs.

Meanwhile, a Clean Energy Programme Office has been set up to accelerate the industry's development.

Besides solar, EDB has a portfolio of other 'clean-tech' areas of research, such as in wind, fuel cell, and tidal energy.

So is Singapore putting its bets on a sure-win area?

CIMB-GK economist Song Seng Wun said the industry 'will be likely to pay off in the long run, given current trends in environmental movement'.

Standard Chartered economist Alvin Liew agreed that it was a good move to further 'diversify' Singapore's economy.

'But how successful the industry will be in the future, really depends on what happens in the next few years,' he added.

Mr Ko remains convinced of the industry's bright future. 'We will see interest and momentum accelerating now. We are definitely for real.'

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Marine Parade Town Council, NEA launch green project

Channel NewsAsia 4 Nov 07:

SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Marine Parade Town Council are piloting a new project called "Give me a Hi 5" which aims to get residents involved in the green movement.

The campaign, part of the national Clean and Green Singapore programme, aims to remind everyone to bin their litter, practice good hygiene and eradicate dengue.
By the end of October, there were 7,716 reported dengue cases, more than twice the number for the whole of last year.

Though the project starts at Marine Parade, there are bigger plans in store.

"We plan to launch this to other 13 constituencies in the southeast district by April next year," said NEA Environmental Health Department’s Southeast regional office general manager Billy Chew.

This campaign also draws attention to global environmental and climate change with a bid to get Singaporeans to recycle as part of its core messages are the 3Rs - reduce, reuse, recycle.

In 2006, Singaporeans generated more than five million tonnes of waste, half of which were recycled.

By increasing the recycling rate to 60 per cent by 2012, the Semakau Landfill will last for 50 years. - CNA/ac

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Singapore's little 'fruit' island in Punggol Reservoir

Cara van Miriah, The Electric New Paper 5 Nov 07:

Punggol's Fruity Sensation,
First look at floating platform at S'pore's reservoir island

IT WILL be Singapore's little 'fruit' island, right in the middle of Punggol Reservoir. Visitors will be able to take a scenic stroll to a fruit-themed platform on the island when it is opened to the public in 2009.

The platform, which is half the size of a football field, will be linked to the mainland by two bridges. The fruity theme is appropriate because one of the bridges will lead to the upcoming Sengkang Fruit Park, which will have dragon fruit, longan, pulasan, avocado, mandarin orange and durian trees.

The Fruit Park will be completed by the second half of next year.

Giving The New Paper on Sunday a preview, PUB said the fruit-themed platform on the island will feature a large purple mangosteen pavilion which will overlook Punggol Reservoir.

There will be colourful 'lime' seats on the deck, and visitors will be able to catch a glimpse of fish beneath the platform through the glass in three 'orange slice' features.

Surrounding the platform will be a natural habitat for fish and birds.

The project is part of PUB's Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters (ABC Waters) Programme.

With more than 20 projects islandwide, the programme will transform Singapore's network of canals, drains and reservoirs into picturesque rivers and lakes, along with a host of recreational and lifestyle activities.

The platform at Punggol Reservoir will also be able to facilitate water sport activities.

Mr Tan Nguan Sen, PUB's director of Catchment and Waterways who is in charge of the ABC Waters programme, said: 'The bridge which will link the island to the Sengkang Sports Complex and Anchorvale Community Club will offer visitors a beautiful view of the reservoir and kayakers.

'The floating boardwalk or bridge which will connect the platform and the Fruit Park will move in tandem with the changing water levels.'

When completed, all this will give residents of Punggol, Sengkang and Pasir Ris much to see and do.

On the Fruit Park, a National Parks Board spokesman said: 'It is a living classroom for visitors of all ages to learn about the trees that produce the tropical fruits sold in our markets. Covering 21ha, this edutainment facility will also allow park visitors to see and experience nature first hand.'

There will be no admission charge to the Sengkang Fruit Park or the fruit-themed platform.

Said Mr Michael Palmer, MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC: 'The residents at Sengkang and Punggol have been waiting for a long time for new amenities to be developed. When completed, the new features will add a different dimension to the estates.

'This will be one of the major lifestyle hub for residents.'

Built on 4ha of land beside Sungei Punggol, the Sengkang Sports Complex and Anchorvale Community Club will have four swimming pools, an indoor sports hall, and a synthetic soccer field.

The four-storey complex is the first sports- cum-community centre in Singapore with a waterfront view.

To be completed by the first half of next year, it will have facilities like a multi-media room, a tea arts room, playrooms, a large multi-purpose hall and a roof terrace.

Visitors can also expect shops, a riverfront cafe and other eateries.

The 200-seater indoor sports hall will be able to accommodate 12 badminton courts, and can be used for basketball and volleyball games too.

Punggol residents like Madam Molly Lee are looking forward to the developments taking shape.

As the mother of two put it: 'There is something for everyone - young and old - to do and see at the upcoming park.

'For me, the fruit-themed pavilion which is located in the middle of the reservoir is the most interesting feature.'

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