UN: Big boost needed in carbon markets to cut greenhouse gas

Matthew Phan, Business Times 7 Nov 2007;
Kyoto Protocol's CDM must grow from US$5b credits in 2006 to US$100b

EXISTING market mechanisms for the trading of carbon credits must be scaled up significantly if the world is to meet targets for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, says Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

If the world is to cut emissions by the 60-80 per cent necessary to mitigate climate change, the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which generated some US$5 billion worth of credits in 2006, must account for US$100 billion worth per year, he said.

But to do so, the CDM 'must be scaled up in applicability and geography', Mr de Boer said at the opening of Carbon Forum Asia yesterday. The event - a two-day trade fair of project developers, financiers and others involved in the carbon markets - is being held for the first time in Singapore.

Under the CDM, developing countries can house carbon reduction projects that generate credits, then sell these credits to developed nations like the EU or Japan, which use them to offset their own emissions.

But certain countries have dominated the market, with China, India and Brazil accounting for nearly four-fifths of all newly registered credits in 2006.

The CDM is market based - 86 per cent of investment comes from the private sector - so funds tend to flow to hot locations for foreign direct investment, said Mr de Boer.

Further, the CDM does not recognise projects in afforestation or which avoid deforestation - though the latter accounts for some 20 per cent of annual emissions. Further work is needed to develop methodologies or ways to obtain and measure GHG reductions in forestry, he said.

Other panellists at yesterday's forum directed participants' eyes to the UN Climate Change Conference taking place in Bali early next month. There, parties will negotiate the next phase of a carbon trading regime, after the current phase expires in 2012.

They are also expected to discuss future national targets for reductions and to try to bring developed economies like the US and Australia on board.

The vision is for a deep, broad and liquid global market for emissions trading. But many said not to expect too much from Bali - the goal is for a clear road map for negotiations, which should be concluded within two years.

Meanwhile, Singapore is putting processes in place to help companies take advantage of the economic opportunities in carbon trading, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim.

For example, it has designated emission credits as a qualifying commodity for concessionary tax rates on offshore trading income of just 5 per cent, to encourage traders to use Singapore as a base.

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New institute to come up with energy solutions

Chuang Peck Ming, Business Times 7 Nov 07;

SINGAPORE is keen to work with Japan and other countries in projects like energy-saving through the newly set up Economic Research Institute of Asean and East Asia (ERIA).

Speaking at a symposium on East Asian economic integration yesterday, Minister of State for Trade and Industry S Iswaran said Singapore is interested in such a tie-up to develop its capabilities in energy efficiency, in which Japan is a leader.

He suggested that the ERIA, which is expected to be endorsed by Asian leaders later this month, hold joint seminars or workshops with energy research institutes based in Asean states.

The ERIA, first proposed by Japan at the 2nd East Asia Summit in January, has produced a test-run project titled 'Energy Saving in East Asia', which Mr Iswaran said 'demonstrates the potential of ERIA to provide substantive research on the energy-saving potential of East Asia and Asean, as well as the economics of biomass utilisation and biofuel standards'.

He further suggested that the ERIA, set up to play a key role in promoting East Asian economic integration, can also be a leader in aspects of climate change research.

Energy efficiency, made all the more important by rising concerns about climate change, is a key challenge in the pursuit of economic progress and further integration in Asean and East Asia, said Mr Iswaran.

Kanae Yamamoto, Japan's Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, stressed that energy security and climate change will be an 'urgent priority' that has to be addressed by a more integrated Asia. 'We must become 'one Asia' as soon as possible, so that we take control of common problems confronting us.'

The ERIA, which is to be located in one of the Asean countries, and to which Japan has pledged $120 million for 10 years, will have a role to play in tackling these complex issues, according to Ms Yamamoto.

'The ERIA will play the role of a collective brain trust that can call upon a vast store of wisdom to grapple together with the many problems common to the region,' she said.

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Conference didn't live up to its hot theme

Letter from Fanny Lai Hoew Min (Ms), Straits Times Forum 7 Nov 07;

LAST week, I attended a 'Corporate Social Responsibility' conference at Suntec City, which focused on 'Environmental Sustainability and Social Responsibility for Better Business'.

The irony was that the air-conditioning at the venue was extremely cold, wasting energy while making the attendees uncomfortable. I observed that most of the delegates were so uncomfortable that they had to put on jackets, sweaters and shawls.

The conference MC mentioned that the organiser had to provide hot water to the delegates without being asked, because too many people had requested it.

On Sunday night, when I was having dinner at a restaurant in VivoCity, I noticed that the aircon was so cold in the barbecue restaurant that the restaurant provided diners with shawls.

I am surprised that this practice, which is normally found in outdoor dining places during autumn and winter time in temperate countries, is being practised in a tropical country.

Why do we have to simulate such an uncomfortable and energy-wasting environment while the world is hot on the topic of reducing global warming?

On many occasions when I request to turn the temperature up, the response I received was that it was a non-adjustable central aircon.

I appeal to owners of commercial properties to go green without the need for rebuilding and buying new and expensive technology. Simply adjust the thermostat a couple of degrees higher, or adopt the recommended setting of 25 deg C. If need be, they could provide individual controllers for adjustment.

This would certainly cut down the utility bill, make the customers feel more comfortable and help reduce global warming.

I also strongly urge the business community to seriously consider going for tropical smart casual attire suitable for our warm climate. Instead of a long-sleeved shirt, suit and tie that are too warm and unnatural for our warm weather, one should consider lighter material, short sleeves and more airy attire that is suitable for the outdoors and a non-aircon environment. This way, as a nation we can collectively reduce our dependency on airconditioning.

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Singapore sets aside S$170m for clean energy research

Channel NewsAsia 6 Nov 07;

SINGAPORE : Singapore has set aside S$170 million for research into clean energy.

Industry players are discussing various alternative energy sources at Carbon Forum Asia.

Carbon trading is also high on the agenda.

Singapore is investing in energy research, with the aim of encouraging more firms and organisations to use renewable energies and environmentally-friendly technologies.

Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said, "The National Research Foundation has set aside some S$170m for research into clean energy. This will provide funding support for world-class R&D centres, and offer Singapore as a global test-bed and site for early adoption."

The growth in technological know-how will also allow more local companies to embark on emissions trading and pollution-reducing projects.

Under the United Nations climate change treaty, countries which are not able to meet their carbon emission targets can buy credits from others who do.

The carbon trading market is estimated to double this year to US$60 billion.

Yvo De Boer, Executive Secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, said, "It's a very rapidly growing market; at the moment or rather last year it was already worth 30 billion dollars. Some people are saying that it could be worth as much as 60 billion dollars this year. And I would expect that as the action on climate change develops, as we develop the post-2012 climate change regime, the market will grow even more significantly and play an ever growing role. "

Some companies in Singapore are already actively participating in this growing market.

David Leong, Executive Chairman, Aretae, said, "I think Singapore is very well positioned to be in the emissions trading market and also in the project development market because we are actually in the middle of China and India, which is the biggest, two biggest producers of carbon credits today. And we also have the ASEAN region which has a lot of opportunities to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and industry itself."

Some 1,000 participants are attending the The Carbon Forum Asia which ends on Wednesday.

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Experts say traders, not conflict or supply shortfall, drive oil to US$95

The New Paper 7 Nov 07;
Blame them for high oil prices?
Experts say traders, not conflict or supply shortfall, drive oil to US$95

OIL prices soared to a record high of US$95.93 ($139) a barrel last week, and experts say the trend is likely to continue.

But unlike past incidences of oil price spikes, this one doesn't seem to be linked to any crisis, say analysts. There have been no recent threats of conflict that may trigger supply interruptions.The Opec nations are also pumping out ample supplies of crude. And demand has been sluggish in recent months with the weak consumer sentiment in the US.

So what's causing oil prices to hit record after record?

Analysts believe that oil traders may be behind the current run-up in prices, reported The Washington Post.

Traders, who treat oil like any other commodity, are believed to be taking advantage of the weak US dollar and money flowing out of stock markets to drive oil prices upwards.

And experts say the last 10 weeks have shown how much these traders can influence the oil market, driving prices to levels analysts say are up to US$30 more than what a barrel of crude should cost.

Deutsche Bank oil economist Adam Sieminski told the Post that sentiment is one of the factors that has helped traders push oil prices skywards.

He said that when investors hold a large number of options to buy oil at a price of US$100, 'it's almost like magnetism. It draws prices to that level'.

Options allow traders to 'bet' on what oil prices will be in the future. If they hold an option to buy oil at US$100, that's the price they would pay for a barrel if the market prices exceed that amount before the option expires.

Many veteran oil analysts say that traders are creating a bubble in the market and that the sudden price spike could reverse just as suddenly.

However, traders say that they're not betting on higher oil prices on a whim.

They believe that even though though supplies are currently ample, it doesn't mean they will stay that way.

'There is no current shortage, but no one deals on today's market. They make deals based on tomorrow's market,' said Mr Joseph Stanislaw, an oil consultant and senior adviser to the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche.

'And that's what they're worried about.'

Even though Opec nations are pumping out a surplus now, traders say that the extra output may not be able to satisfy the appetites of rapidly-growing economies like India and China a few years down the road.

If supplies in some volatile oil-producing countries like Nigeria and Iran were to be disrupted, experts predict that oil prices can hit US$160.

'It would be silly if we waited until things were not available,' said a veteran energy trader at a US hedge fund.

'People react to perceptions of what will happen. That's not idle speculation.'

Read more!

Calls to include green incentives in Singapore Budget

Tan Hui Yee, Straits Times 7 Nov 07;

CONSERVING the environment, raising education standards and nurturing innovation were some of the issues raised last night at a public dialogue session held to prepare for next year's Budget.

More than 40 participants took part in the two-hour session at the National Library where they reeled off ideas on where government spending should be directed next year.

One frequent request was for the Government to offer more incentives or even impose penalties to nudge people towards more environmentally friendly or 'greener' lifestyles.

The chairman of environmental group Waterways Watch Society, Mr Eugene Heng, called for special tax credits to give people incentives to conserve the environment.

Other participants suggested levying higher taxes on firms that cause pollution, as well as making it cheaper for people to use electric cars instead of petrol-powered ones.

Another recurring call was to encourage innovation to keep the economy competitive. One participant urged the Government to reduce the number of scholarships it offered, to free up young talent for entrepreneurial activity. Another suggested spending more money to raise the quality of teachers.

Others, meanwhile, were more focused on the bread-and- butter issues. Ms Eveline How, 33, for example, raised her concern over impending means-testing for subsidised treatment at government hospitals. If she were to be hospitalised, she would choose to stay in C-class wards because they were the cheapest and would allow her to save money for old age, she said.

Last night's session was the first in a series of six dialogues to held in the coming weeks.

Dr Amy Khor, who heads the government feedback agency Reach and who chaired the session last night, told reporters she was surprised that participants did not ask for more 'goodies'.

'Surprisingly, nobody asked for more New Singapore Shares. I think it's because the economy is doing pretty well, and perhaps people's wages and bonuses are pretty reasonable.'

She said suggestions to have tax relief for people looking after aged parents or those with school-going children should be considered. Another suggestion to abolish estate duty is currently being looked at by the Ministry of Finance.

Today Online 7 Nov 07
Budget 2008: What they want
Esther Fung

IF A group of Singaporeans have their way, Budget 2008 would see more money being spent on fostering a spirit of innovation in schools and businesses; and on encouraging environmentally-sustainable practices.

For example, more taxes and penalties could be imposed on firms emitting pollutants, suggested some members of this group who were taking part in a dialogue session at the National Library last evening. The meeting, organised by Reach, the Government feedback unit, was the first in a series of six pre-budget public dialogue sessions.

About 60 people, including professionals, retirees, students and entrepreneurs, took part in the dialogue. The issues they raised ranged from healthcare and transport subsidies to employment aid and tax relief and environment-friendly practices.

Dr Amy Khor, who chaired the event, noted that contributors this time round brought up more "softer issues. They are concerned about promoting innovation in the education system, which is quite different from previous years where there were more calls to give goodies and assistance". Dr Khor is also Reach chairman.

There were more specific suggestions too like the perennial favourite, reductions in income tax, as well as abolishing estate duty tax so that Singapore can keep up with regional competition.



The New Paper 8 Nov 07
Mister, it's about Budget, not carpets
Most questions at yesterday's public feedback discussion on the Budget were well-thought out, but some were downright silly
By Low Ching Ling

IT was an opportunity for Singaporeans to give their two cents' worth about next year's Budget.

But some issues raised by the participants at yesterday's two-hour public dialogue session at the National Library had others scratching their heads. Like the auntie who called for TVMobile to be removed from buses.

Her logic - that it would make commuters miss their stops - had nothing to with transport fares or cost savings.

It was not even within the jurisdiction of the Government.

TVMobile is run by MediaCorp and installed on SBS Transit buses.

DIALOGUE

The dialogue was organised by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and Reach, the Government's feedback unit. There were about 30 participants.

Then there was the uncle who praised the Government for using the Budget surplus to buy things like the Airbus A380 recently acquired by the Singapore Airlines (SIA).

Before him, someone had asked if the objective of the Budget was to have surpluses.

MOF's deputy secretary of policy Ng Wai Choong, who was part of the three-man panel, clarifed that the Government does not own SIA.

Another man, Mr Wong, pushed the green agenda in an unusual way.

'Let's get back to basics,' he said.

'God knows who invented air-conditioning and carpets. Why do we need carpets in our weather?

'If we use carpets, we need to use vacuum cleaners which consume energy.'

The other participants chuckled at his suggestion.

Mr Wong added: 'We live in an air-conditioned society. It's hurting the environment and the nights are getting warmer. Why can't we build higher ceilings?'

He also asked why the Government can't 'mix Channel 8 and 5' into one channel so viewers can be exposed to another language.

Dr Amy Khor, chairman of Reach, told reporters after the dialogue: 'We have a pretty diverse group of participants, from the man in the street to professionals, businessmen and students.

'The issues raised were very wide-ranging. But there were also many good suggestions raised.'

But surprise, surprise, bread-and-butter issues were not on the minds of the participants.

Yes, a few spoke about the GST hike, rising oil prices and inflation, but many were preoccupied with issues about the environment.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Civil servant Carol Loi, a mother of two, complained about bad air quality in the West.

A student from Hai Sing Catholic School, which had 13 students at the session, wanted to know if Singapore could develop alternative energy sources.

The school's principal suggested the Government explore the possibility of introducing hybrid cars.

His student wanted COE prices for such cars cut as they are more expensive than those that run on petrol.

Mr Wong wants a tree-planting campaign in the industrial estates.

Other items on the participants' Budget wishlist include abolishing estate duties, monetary incentives for stay-home mums and putting more money into developing a more innovative population.

Dr Khor said not many cost of living issues were raised because the economy was doing well.

Still, she 'thought people will ask for more goodies' precisely because of that.

Did environmental issues dominate the dialogue because Dr Khor is also the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment and Water Resources?

She didn't think so.

'Environmental issues are now top of the agenda of many people, including students... (because) there are so many articles in the press and shows.'

This week is also Clean and Green Week, and there were a few environmentalists among the participants, she added.

Read more!

Govt will remove hurdles to Jurong Island's boom

Nisha Ramchandani, Business Times 7 Nov 07;
ExxonMobil, Shell projects will give big edge to S'pore chemicals sector: PM


(SINGAPORE) ExxonMobil Chemical Company's massive new petrochemical project here will make Jurong Island the company's biggest integrated manufacturing site worldwide and a strong endorsement of Singapore's pro-business environment.

Speaking yesterday morning at the ground- breaking ceremony, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the government will do all it can to ensure sufficient resources to support the building of new plants.

'In anticipation of the construction boom in the chemical industry, the government has acted to head off potential supply constraints,' he said.

'Jurong Island's security checkpoint will be expanded to cope with the heavier traffic, especially during peak hours. And earlier this year, we streamlined our foreign worker rules to make them more flexible.

'The government is committed to providing companies with the necessary support to create and extract maximum value from their projects.'

The chemical complex, expected to come on stream in early 2011, is estimated to cost more than US$4 billion. It will include a one million tonnes per year ethylene steam cracker; two 650,000 tonnes polyethylene units; a 450,000 tonnes polypropylene unit; a 300,000 tonnes specialty elastomers unit; an aromatics extraction unit to produce 340,000 tonnes per year of benzene; and an oxo-alcohol expansion of 125,000 tonnes per year.

A 220 megawatt co-generation power plant will also be built.

The complex - with ExxonMobil's 605,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery here - makes the company Singapore's single largest foreign manufacturing investor.

The output of the chemicals cluster at S$74 billion is higher than that of electronics. And strong growth is expected in the next 10 years.

Shell is building a US$3 billion petrochemical cracker complex here, expected to be completed in 2009-10. And when ExxonMobil and Shell's crackers come on stream, this will double Singapore's ethylene output to 4 million tonnes a year.

'This critical mass of ethylene will allow the industry to capture value from new chemical chains and produce specialty and higher-value chemicals and polymers,' Mr Lee said.

'We can move from commodities to specialties, strengthening competitiveness and distinguishing ourselves from other chemical-producing regions such as China and the Middle East.'

ExxonMobil's new plant will be able to convert a wide variety of feedstock into higher-value products, said Kwa Chong Seng, chairman and managing director of ExxonMobil Asia Pacific. The specialty elastomers unit, for instance, will produce new metallocene-based Vistamaxx specialty elastomers. Vistamaxx will be used for next-generation medical, automative and apparel materials.

Mr Kwa said up to 10,000 people will be hired to construct the plant and 400 to run it when it comes on stream.

Channel NewsAsia 6 Nov 07
ExxonMobil breaks ground for largest petrochemical complex in S'pore

SINGAPORE: US energy giant ExxonMobil on Tuesday began building the world's largest petrochemical complex in Singapore, which is expected to be ready by 2011.

The petrochemical complex, which will be ExxonMobil's second plant in the city-state, would be capable of producing one million tons of ethylene and 1.3 million tons of polyethylene annually.

It is also capable of producing 450,000 tons of polypropylene and 300,000 tons of specialty elastomers, the company said.

ExxonMobil executives declined to say how much was invested in the petrochemical plant, but industry experts estimate that a project of such size could require investments of 2.0 billion US dollars.

Regional managing director Kwa Chong Seng said the new complex "will strengthen ExxonMobil's supply capabilities to serve the growing needs for petrochemical products in Asia and globally."

"The new Singapore project will employ ExxonMobil's latest proprietary technologies, and will have the capability to process a broad range of feedstocks and convert them into higher value products," he said at the groundbreaking ceremony.

ExxonMobil's new petrochemical complex will be located on Jurong Island, which houses Singapore's flourishing multi-billion dollar chemicals industry.

The US energy firm's decision to build the complex in Singapore is a further boost to the island-nation's position as a regional chemical industrial base for the world's leading players.

Output from the chemicals industry is now worth 74 billion Singapore dollars (51 billion US), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said. - AFP/ac

Today Online 7 Nov 07
Chemicals: A bright future
ExxonMobil to build a second plant in S'pore
Nazry Bahrawi

THE outlook for Singapore's chemical industry is "promising", with growth stronger than the last decade's expected in the next 10 years, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday at the groundbreaking of ExxonMobil's second petrochemical plant on Jurong Island.

The cluster has seen unprecedented growth and transformation, with last year's manufacturing output worth $74 billion, $1 billion more than the electronics cluster.

Global demand for petrochemical products is rising about 5 to 6 per cent per year, said ExxonMobil Chemical president Michael Dolan. Asia's demand, he added, is about twice that figure.

When both ExxonMobil and Shell crackers come onstream, total ethylene output in Singapore will double to around 4 million tonnes a year.

"This critical mass of ethylene output will allow the industry to capture value from new chemical chains, and produce specialty and higher-value chemicals and polymers," Mr Lee said, adding that Singapore can then move up the value chain, from commodities to specialties, distinguishing itself from other chemical-producing regions such as China and the Middle East.

Citing packaging as a growth area for petrochemicals where polymers are replacing energy-intensive materials like glass and steel, Mr Dolan said: "We're seeing continued penetration because of the inherent benefits that these materials provide, the energy efficiency, the functionality, so we're very bullish on growth."

ExxonMobil's project is expected to come onstream in early 2011.

ExxonMobil's decision to embark on its second plant reflects its confidence in Singapore to provide a conducive business environment over the long term, said Mr Lee, adding that the Government is committed to providing companies with the necessary support for their projects. The Government, Mr Lee said, has acted to head off potential supply constraints in anticipation of the construction boom in the chemicals industry.

Mr Lee also outlined plans to develop manpower, namely the Chemical Industry Manpower Advisory Council — a grouping with members from the private sector and the Economic Development Board — who will work with industry members to develop manpower initiatives for the chemical sector.

Straits Times 7 Nov 07
Work starts on ExxonMobil's 2nd petrochemical plant here
Upon completion in 2011, it will be US giant's largest such facility in the world
By Erica Tay

CONSTRUCTION is under way on ExxonMobil's largest petrochemical complex in the world, on Jurong Island.

The energy and chemical giant broke ground yesterday at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Top ExxonMobil executives flew in from around the world for the big day, which follows about three years of deliberations.

'When this plant is completed in 2011, the Singapore complex will be ExxonMobil's largest owned and operated petrochemical plant,' said Mr Kwa Chong Seng, chairman and managing director of ExxonMobil Asia Pacific.

The company declined to disclose the cost of the project but industry watchers estimate it to be at least US$4 billion (S$5.8 billion).

The plant will be groundbreaking in another way, when it is up and running. The complex - which comprises a world-scale cracker and several downstream units - is equipped to turn crude oil components into petrochemical products that are new to consumers in booming Asia.

For example, it will be the first location in the world where ExxonMobil Chemical will produce large-scale commercial quantities of a new-age material called Vistamaxx.

This is a kind of speciality elastomer or rubber said to have unprecedented elasticity, softness and strength, with uses ranging from medical equipment to space-age fabrics.

The multi-billion dollar complex will be the group's second chemical plant in Singapore.

It will employ an additional 400 permanent staff when up and running.

Together, ExxonMobil's new and existing chemical plants in Singapore will turn crude oil components into nearly two million tonnes of ethylene - an ingredient for making plastics - annually, almost half of Singapore's projected ethylene capacity.

Add to that its oil refinery next door, the plants will form part of the energy giant's biggest integrated site worldwide.

At the peak of construction, the ExxonMobil project will employ up to 10,000 workers.

Besides the Houston-based group, European giant Shell is also building a world-scale cracker complex, spanning Jurong Island and Pulau Bukom, which will require about 8,000 workers at the height of construction.

With two mega petrochemical projects taking place, Mr Lee yesterday reassured investors such as ExxonMobil that the Government is committed to supporting the construction of new plants.

'In anticipation of the construction boom in the chemical industry, the Government has acted to head off potential supply constraints,' he said in a speech. Measures include expanding the Jurong Island security checkpoint to cope with heavier traffic and making rules on foreign workers more flexible.

'We will do all we can to ensure adequate resources to support the construction of new plants,'' said Mr Lee.

For the industry's longer- term staffing needs, a council made up of representatives from the Economic Development Board and the private sector is also working on manpower initiatives to fill chemical sector jobs.

Read more!

NEA to offer Environmental Education modules to more schools

Channel NewsAsia 6 Nov 07;

SINGAPORE: Among its various initiatives to raise awareness on today’s pressing environmental challenges, the National Environment Agency (NEA) has partnered schools to develop Environmental Education modules to educate our young on issues such as global warming and climate change.

Having already been rolled out in four schools- Commonweath Secondary, Marsiling Secondary, Nanyang Girls’ and Nan Hua High, NEA is looking into working with these schools to develop similar courses for other schools.

Speaking at the opening of this year’s Clean & Green Singapore Schools’ (CGS) Carnival, Dr Amy Khor, Senior Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry for the Environment and Water said adopting habits to protect our environment should be cultivated at a young age.

“Global challenges such as climate change, the shortage of potable water and the depletion of natural resources have highlighted the urgent need for sustainable development. There is no better way to meet these challenges than to get more people to adopt environmentally-friendly practices as a way of life. We will achieve a greater chance of success if we start raising awareness and cultivating an environmentally-friendly lifestyle from young,” said Dr Khor.

Since 2006, secondary one students at Marsiling Secondary underwent a 30-hour environmental educational module on water management as part of their curriculum and the programme has been extended to secondary two students this year who are learning about factors that impact air quality and ways to prevent air pollution.

Meanwhile, Mrs Annie Lim, teacher-in-charge of the Green Club at Commonwealth Secondary School, said that the "Water" module of the Environmental Education curriculum for Secondary 1 students, helped them to adopt a green mindset and lifestyle.

"The students are now more aware of the strategic importance of water and the repercussions of not saving and conserving water. They also realise how vulnerable Singapore is, and have learnt about the appropriate technologies available to sustain our water supply. They are more observant of what is happening in the school environment and willingly step forward to provide suggestions on ways to improve it. Moreoever, they are very enthusiastic about taking up green projects next year and mentoring their juniors in these projects," said Mrs Lim.

This annual CGS carnival also showcased joint environmental projects by schools and their corporate partners from the NEA Corporate & School Partnership Programme (CASP). Under (CASP) participating corporations act as mentors to their adopted schools, facilitate training attachments and conduct tours of their companies and plants. Resources and funding are also provided for the schools’ environmental programmes and projects which are exhibited at the Schools Carnival where the best projects are selected to compete in the “Environment Project Competition”.

Among the winning projects this year is one by Princess Elizabeth Primary School and Fujitsu Microelectronics Asia Pte Ltd who have developed an eco-friendly aquarium that requires minimal maintenance and reduces water usage. They came up with a system which enables the water in the aquarium to be changed once every two years compared with once in two months previously, with the use of a unique filtration system that uses bacteria to clean up the waste in the tank.

Another winning entry successfully tested earthworms as an alternative to chemical fertilizers.

This year saw some 175 schools from pre-school to pre-tertiary levels, participating in build-up activities for the Carnival, an increase of 45 per cent compared to last year.

Read more!

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."

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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."

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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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