Making money among Singaporeans' top goals

Alvin Foo, Straits Times 13 Dec 07;

SEEING the world, learning something new and making money.

These were the top three aspirations of Singaporeans, according to a recent OCBC Bank-commissioned survey conducted by research agency AC Nielsen. The results were released yesterday.

The top three aspirations ranked above even health and family. The survey involved telephone interviews with 500 Singaporeans aged between 18 and 64.

It was undertaken to help the bank better understand the goals of Singaporeans, so it can try to help them meet those goals.

The bank plans to share the findings via its 'Ask OCBC' booklets, which will be given out on a quarterly basis.

At the top of the dream list was travel. One in two respondents, or 51 per cent, wanted to explore the world.

Said Ms Ng Li Lian, OCBC's head of marketing services: 'We thought that money and retirement would be highest up on the priorities list, but it turned out to be travel.'

Next on the Singaporean dream list was self-improvement, followed by making money, buying a house and good health.

Then came family and children, charity and volunteering. Completing the list of 10 dreams were owning a car, starting a business and retiring early.

The AC Nielsen survey is the start of a process through which OCBC aims to find out more about Singaporeans' aspirations.

Ms Ng added: 'It's a method through which we can reach out to customers in a more meaningful way, on their own terms rather than on our terms.'

Retiring early low on the list
But charity work is surprisingly among Singaporeans' Top 10 dreams: Survey
Ng Jing Yng, Today Online 13 Dec 07;

It might come as little surprise that Singaporeans' top dreams include travelling and making money.

What would raise eyebrows: The fact that they rate doing charity work even above owning a car or starting a business.

And only three in 100 dream of retiring young, while barely one in four would want to live to be 100 years old.

This, at least, is according to a telephone survey commissioned by the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited (OCBC) to discover what dreams people here would like to see come true in the next 10 years. Conducted by AC Nielsen, the survey involved 500 Singaporeans aged between 18 and 64.

On the list of top-ten dreams, "charity and volunteering work coming in at No 7 is surprising, as it shows how the usual assumption of Singaporeans as materialistic is not true", said Ms Ng Li Lian, head of marketing services at OCBC's Department of Consumer Financial Services.

Respondents cited doing mission work overseas and "building a free soup kitchen" for the needy as one of their goals.

One in two Singaporeans want to see the world. But only one in 50 would want to migrate.

In line with becoming a nation of lifelong learners, 23 per cent yearned to pursue further studies or interests such as calligraphy. And asked for their biggest regrets, nearly a third said they would have studied harder or further.

While 13 per cent want to buy landed property, only 9 per cent — who tended to be male, single or in the 18-to-24 age bracket — were interested in buying a car.

That retirement came low on the list of aspirations did not surprise Ms Ng. Financial freedom was the more impor- tant overarching theme for Singaporeans, she noted.

Asked what would be key in achieving their goals, the majority cited saving up or earning more money. Just 4 per cent of respondents opted to leave it to the luck of the 4D or lottery draw.

But, even as the nation grapples with longer lifespans and a later retirement age, only 26 per cent of Singaporeans would want to see their 100th year — men, Malays and those married with young children are more inclined to desire this.

The survey kicks off a series of "dialogues", via SMS, the Internet and more, by OCBC to understand Singaporeans' aspirations, so as to tailor its services and products to their needs.

And as part of this move, it will be publishing — on a quarterly basis — "Ask OCBC" booklets with information on how to achieve their dreams, such as travel ideas, home improvement advice, and financial tips.

Come Monday, 200,000 Today readers will receive free copies of the red booklet. Today is the only paper to be distributed with the English version of the booklet, the first edition of which will include a pull-out calendar, fridge magnets and family activities.

Read more!

NParks to study impact of global warming

HSBC-funded research will assess how climate change has affected biodiversity here
Tessa Wong, Straits Times 13 Dec 07;

THE National Parks Board (NParks) will launch a study early next year to gauge the effects of global warming on Singapore's wildlife, officials said yesterday.

'There have been a lot of changes to our climate in the last 15 years,' said Ms Sharon Chan, NParks' assistant director of central nature reserves.

'What we want to know is, with all these changes, what has the impact been like on our biodiversity?'

The three-year effort will see volunteers cataloguing animals and plants in the country's nature reserves. The findings will be compared to data gathered in 1992 and 1997.

NParks plans to use the results to evaluate how successful it has been in taking care of Singapore's nature reserves and wildlife.

The study will be sponsored by HSBC to the tune of $300,000.

Yesterday, the chief executive officer of the bank's Singapore office, Mr Guy Harvey-Samuel, handed over a $100,000 cheque at a ranger station in MacRitchie Reservoir.

The money will be used to kick-start the first year of the programme. Funding for the programme's second and third years will be raised later, according to HSBC.

Half of the $100,000 presented yesterday was raised in the bank's Green Sale held in June. The drive saw HSBC donate $2.80 for certain banking transactions and 28 cents for every online fund transfer and every customer who made the switch to Internet banking.

Referring to climate change as 'the biggest challenge' faced by mankind, Mr Harvey-Samuel said: 'I'm tremendously excited that HSBC can be involved with this sort of thing...Anything we can do to bring the importance (of saving the environment) to the forefront is valuable.'

Ms Chan, who conducted the first study in the 1990s, will be leading the new study as well.

NParks will oversee the project, while Six National Youth Achievement Award Youth Leaders and HSBC staff participating in its Green Volunteers programme will assist in data collection.

Read more!

Shell lets sun set on its solar business

Today Online 13 Dec 07;
Like rival BP, it sheds green cloak and goes back to its roots

LONDON — Shell, the oil company that recently trumpeted its commitment to a low carbon future by signing a pre-Bali conference communique, has quietly sold off most of its solar business.

The move, taken with rival BP's decision last week to invest in the world's dirtiest oil production in Canada's tar sands, indicates that Big Oil might be giving up its flirtation with renewables and going back to its roots.

Shell and BP are among the biggest producers of greenhouse gases in the world, but both have been keen to paint themselves green through a series of clean fuel initiatives.

BP, under its former chief executive John Browne, promised to go "beyond petroleum" while Shell has spent millions advertising its serious interest in the future of the environment.

But at a time when interest in solar power is greater than ever, with the world's first "solar city" being built at Phoenix, Arizona, a small announcement from Environ Energy Global of Singapore revealed that it had bought Shell's photovoltaic operations in India and Sri Lanka, with more than 260 staff and 28 offices, for an undisclosed sum.

The sell-off, to be followed by similar ones in the Philippines and Indonesia, comes after another major disposal executed in a low-key way last year, when Shell hived off its solar module production business.

The division, with 600 staff and manufacturing plants in the United States Canada and Germany, went to Munich-based SolarWorld. Shell has, however, formed a manufacturing link with Saint-Gobain and promised to build one plant in Germany.

The Anglo-Dutch oil group confirmed yesterday that it had pulled out of its rural business in India and Sri Lanka, saying it was not making enough money.

"It was not bringing in any profit for us there, so we transferred it to another operator. The buyer will be able to take it to the next level," said a Shell spokesperson in London.

The oil group said it was continuing to move its renewables interests into a mainstream business and hoped to find one new power source that would "achieve materiality" for it. Shell continues to invest in a number of wind farm schemes such as the London Array offshore scheme, which has government approval.

Shell has also been concentrating its efforts on biofuels, but declined to say whether it had given up on solar power even though many smaller rivals continue to believe that the technology has a bright future.

Environmental groups have always accused Shell of using clean energy initiatives as "greenwash" to deflect criticism from its core carbon operations, especially tar sands. The latest pullout has annoyed rival business leaders at London-based Solar Century and local Indian operation, Orb Energy, who fear the impact of a high-profile company selling off solar business.

Mr Jeremy Leggett, chief executive of Solar Century and a leading voice in renewable energy circles, said Shell was undermining the credibility of the business world in its fight against global warming.

"Shell and Solar Century were among the 150 companies that recently signed up to the hard-hitting Bali Declaration. It is vital that companies act consistently with the rhetoric in such declarations, and as I have told Shell senior management on several occasions — an all-out assault on the Canadian tar sands and extracting oil from coal is completely inconsistent with climate protection," he said.

He added: "This latest evidence of half-heartedness or worse in Shell's renewables activities leaves me even more disappointed. Unless fossil-fuel energy companies evolve their core activities meaningfully, we are in deep trouble."

Mr Damian Miller, former director of Shell Solar's rural operations and now chief executive of Orb Energy, said the oil majors, including Shell, had invested time and energy in promoting their plans for renewable energy in the press and on TV, but were not able to lead the transformation the world needs towards renewable energy and energy efficient solutions.

Shell declined to comment on these criticism or talk about where its priorities lay. But chief executive Jeroen van der Veer did make a number of comments last summer that could have paved the way for a change in policy. Alternative energy sources such as renewables would not fill the gap, he argued, forecasting that even with technological breakthroughs they could supply only 30 per cent of global energy by the middle of the century.

"Contrary to public perceptions, renewable energy is not the silver bullet that will soon solve all our problems," he said.

Meanwhile, BP has been accused by Greenpeace Canada of lining itself up to help commit "the biggest environmental crime in history". This follows its decision to swap assets with Husky Oil, giving it an entrance ticket to the Alberta tar sands, which are said to be five times more energy-intensive to extract compared to traditional oil.

A spokesman insisted BP remains committed to exploring the potential of renewables, adding that the group was "pressing ahead with 450 megawatts of wind production capacity in the US".

"The tar sands deal in Canada does not represent a change in direction, it was just a very good opportunity which represents a broadening of the portfolio," the spokesman said. — THE GUARDIAN

RELATED ARTICLES

Shell seeks to make diesel fuel from seaweed
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'The biggest environmental crime in history'
Cahal Milmo, The Independent 10 Dec 07;
The Canadian wilderness is set to be invaded by BP in an oil exploration project dubbed ...'The biggest environmental crime in history'

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PUB steps up progress of flood alleviation projects

Channel NewsAsia 12 Dec 07;

SINGAPORE: As heavy rainfall is expected this month, PUB has stepped up the progress of its projects to prevent flooding.

It says at least eight of such projects will be completed this month.

Joan Road, off Thomson Road, is one area that is prone to flooding – that is why it is one of the locations where the PUB project is being carried out.

The works involve widening and deepening the existing drain to improve water flow.

Other locations for such projects include the junction of Mountbatten Road and Tanjong Katong Road, as well as Maple Avenue in the Bukit Timah area.

Ongoing works are also located at the junction of Cuscaden Road and Tomlinson Road, Kramat Lane, Bedok North Avenue 3, Commonwealth Avenue and Sims Avenue.

The biggest flood alleviation project is at the Marina Barrage. PUB says it will alleviate flash floods in the low-lying city areas when it is completed in mid-2008.

About 100 of PUB's staff and contractors are on high alert this monsoon season to make sure there are no blockages in drains that could affect water flow.

In the last 30 years, PUB has invested more than S$2 billion on drainage improvement works.- CNA/so

Flood-combat works near end
Today Online 13 Dec 07;

IN anticipation of the intense and heavy rainfall expected this month, the Public Utilities Board has been putting its flood alleviation projects into high gear.

At least eight such projects will be completed or are close to completion this month. These are at Bedok North Avenue 3, Maple Avenue in Bukit Timah, the junction of Cuscaden Road and Tomlinson Road, Kramat Lane, the junction of Mountbatten Road and Tanjong Katong Road, Commonwealth Avenue, Joan Road and Sims Avenue.

"We have a five-year drain-age construction programme but many projects were brought forward to alleviate flash floods in localised spots," said Mr Yap Kheng Guan, PUB's director of drainage.

PUB staff and contractors have been put on high alert to inspect drains and ensure there are no blockages. Said senior technical officer Thia Soon Swee: "We have often pulled out rags, styrofoam boxes and all sorts of rubbish from choked drains."

In the last 30 years, the PUB has invested more than $2 billion on drainage improvement. As a result, flood-prone areas have been reduced from 3,200ha in the 1970s to 124ha today. With the completion of the Marina Barrage by the middle of next year, this will be further reduced to less than 100ha, said the PUB.

Be ready for floods, it's going to be a wet Christmas
David Boey, Straits Times 13 Dec 07;

HAVE your umbrella close at hand, from now till year's end.

The forecast is a wet spell for the next two days, with possible flash floods soaking low-lying areas.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) and PUB, the national water agency, also red-flagged a flood risk for Christmas week, should rain again coincide with high tides.

Afternoon and evening showers with thunder, heavy at times, are expected today and tomorrow.

The two agencies said in a joint statement yesterday that a double whammy of 3m-high tides and heavy rainfall could trigger flash floods today and tomorrow.

Some 100 PUB staff and contractors are now on 'high alert', keeping their eyes peeled to ensure drains are not blocked by rubbish.

'Blockages in drains are the most common cause of localised flash floods,' said PUB senior technical officer Thia Soon Swee, 59. 'We have often pulled out rags, styrofoam boxes and all sorts of rubbish from choked drains.'

On the PUB and NEA's watchlist are low-lying areas in:

# Chinatown, including the area near UOB Plaza and shophouses around Mosque Street, South Bridge Road, Upper Pickering Street and Trengganu Street.

# Residential areas in Tanjong Katong, including Dakota Crescent, Dunman Road, Fort Road, Meyer Place, Mountbatten Road, Rose Lane and Stadium Road.

# Streets in Geylang, from Lorongs 26 to 32, Lorongs 4 to 22, Lorongs 101 to 106, Changi Road and Langsat Road.

Other areas cited include roads between Kitchener Road and Weld Road, as well as Lorong Buangkok.

The PUB said over 600 homes and businesses have been alerted. 'Motorists travelling along roads in low-lying areas are also advised to exercise caution if floods occur,' it added.

The Automobile Association of Singapore (AAS) is girding its tow trucks for a busy spell to rescue stalled vehicles involved in traffic accidents on wet roads.

The AAS's tow truck drivers have already seen their daily workload climb from the usual 60 calls to 68 in the past week because of the showers.

The NEA said heavy showers this month are typical of the north-east monsoon, which blows moisture-laden clouds into the region from the South China Sea between November and January.

Last December, 765.9mm of rain drenched Singapore - the wettest on record. In the first 12 days of this month alone, 351mm of rain have fallen on the island.

Far East Flora, a florist near MacRitchie Reservoir hit hard by last December's deluge, is not taking any chances.

Senior manager Sarah Yong said staff have pre-positioned some 100 sand bags to dam up the premises.

Last year, waist-deep floodwaters destroyed 'a few hundred hampers' and Christmas trees during the company's busiest period.

'All retail staff and florists have been briefed to watch out for floods,' she said.

Flood relief
Straits Times 13 Dec 07;

Singapore's national water agency, PUB, expects to have eight flood management projects finished or nearly completed this month. Work has been pushed into high gear ahead of the heavy monsoon rains. 'We have a five-year drainage construction programme, but many of these had been brought forward to alleviate flash floods in localised spots,' said Mr Yap Kheng Guan, PUB's director of drainage.

Location: Commonwealth Avenue

Flood relief: Work on a $12.8-million canal is 85 per cent done. Despite this month's intense rain, the area has remained flood-free.

Location: Maple Avenue in Bukit Timah

Flood relief: Improvements to drainage system completed last month.

Location: Junction of Cuscaden Road and Tomlinson Road

Flood relief: Work on raising road level to be completed this month. Wider drain being built.

Location: Kramat Lane in Orchard Road area

Flood relief: Work on raising the road level, widening and deepening existing drains to be completed this month

Location: Bedok North Avenue 3

Flood relief: Roadside drains widened. Holes added to speed up drainage of water from the road.

Location: Junction of Mountbatten Road and Tanjong Katong Road

Flood relief: Drainage work will be completed this month.

Location: Joan Road, Caldecott Hill valley

Flood relief: Existing drain in the low-lying valley area being deepened and widened to double its capacity.

Location: Sims Avenue

Flood relief: Larger drain being built. Temporary pump diverts water to larger drain.

Flood alleviation projects completed or close to completion this month
Channel NewsAsia 13 Dec 07;

SINGAPORE: At least eight flood alleviation projects are being completed or close to completion this month.

The works are in anticipation of the intense and heavy rainfall expected in December.

At the junction of Cuscaden Road and Tomlinson Road, the long-term solution is to raise the road level to prevent water from collecting.

The PUB said the works there will be completed this month and a wider drain is also being constructed.

On Commonwealth Avenue, construction work on a canal is now 85 per cent complete.

The other flood alleviation projects are at Joan Road, Kramat Lane, Sims Avenue, Bedok North Avenue 3, the junction of Mountbatten Road and Tanjong Katong Road, and Maple Avenue in Bukit Timah. - CNA/ac

Read more!

Vietnam considers Singapore a good model for development

Channel NewsAsia 12 Dec 07;

In the next phase of Vietnam's development, Mr Goh suggested that the government considers the impact of fast growth on the society. The government would also have to consider the impact of Vietnam's economic development on the environment.

HUE, Vietnam: Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong has likened the process of Vietnam's economic development to a marathon race and said the country's run could be an uphill task in the coming years.

He made this point in discussions with Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh at the Party Headquarters in Hanoi on Wednesday.

Mr Nong Duc Manh told Mr Goh that Vietnam considers Singapore a good model for its development and looks forward to further cooperation.

He also sought Mr Goh's views on developments in Vietnam.

Mr Goh, impressed by what he had seen in the last two days, urged Vietnam to consider what it must do to sustain its economic growth – plans that include its macroeconomic policies.

He said Vietnam would also need to keep investing in physical infrastructure such as airports and sea ports.

To do that, the country would need to make a greater investment in its human resources, which includes acquiring the necessary management, technical and professional skills.

Although Singapore would continue to help Vietnam as much as it could, Vietnam would have to adapt Singapore's experiences to suit its needs.

In the next phase of Vietnam's development, Mr Goh suggested that the government considers the impact of fast growth on the society.

The government would also have to consider the impact of Vietnam's economic development on the environment and how inflation could be managed.

The senior minister added that he is optimistic about Vietnam's growth potential in the years to come.-CNA/so

Keppel to develop Ho Chi Minh City's first waste-to-energy plant
Channel NewsAsia 12 Dec 07;

SINGAPORE: Keppel has received the green light to develop a waste-to-energy plant in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City.

It will be Vietnam's first such plant and also the biggest in Southeast Asia, outside Singapore.

It will be able to treat 2,000 tons of waste per day and generate more than 20 megawatts of green energy.

The plant will reduce the volume of waste by up to 90 percent.

This will extend the life of existing landfills and free up more land for commercial, industrial and residential uses.

Keppel says it will give details of the project when they are finalised.-CNA/so

Singapore a good role model, says Viet party leader
He asks SM Goh how Vietnam can keep up growth in harmonious way
Roger Mitton, Straits Times 13 Dec 07;

HANOI - THE head of Vietnam's ruling communist regime, General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, told Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong that Singapore was considered a good role model for his country's future development.

At Tuesday's meeting, Mr Manh, who as party leader is the country's paramount political figure, asked Mr Goh how booming Vietnam could continue to prosper in a harmonious, stable way.

The Senior Minister stressed that Singapore is a city state, while Vietnam, as a big, populous country, is different and would need to adapt Singapore's experience to suit its own context.

Still, as the two men are friends from their previous meeting in 2003, Mr Goh was able to offer his views in a candid and engaging discussion that lasted an hour.

Mr Goh said Vietnam's economic development could be compared to a marathon which had gone smoothly on a level stretch for the first few kilometres.

Now, however, it was likely to start going uphill, and Vietnam would need more energy and resources to keep up the pace of its economic growth.

Among other things, it must invest in airports, sea ports and highways, while also nurturing the 'software' to support the hardware for this infrastructure upgrade.

And that, said Mr Goh, would require greater investment in human resources to provide the required managerial and professional expertise.

In running this marathon, Vietnam would also need to face the hurdles of rising inflation and a widening income gap caused by its rapid economic growth.

Despite these challenges, Mr Goh told Vietnam's party leader that Hanoi should push for double-digit growth to generate the resources needed to tackle income disparity and assist poorer sectors of society.

Mr Ho Tong Yen, the Senior Minister's spokesman, said Mr Goh remained 'optimistic about Vietnam's growth potential in the years to come'.

'Singapore will continue to help Vietnam as much as we can, sharing our experience where it is relevant,' he said.

Mr Goh left Hanoi yesterday morning for the historic city of Hue in central Vietnam.

It was his first visit to the region, and he took the opportunity to extol its historic and scenic tourist potential.

As Vietnam's former imperial capital, Hue is the site of the Citadel, built in the early 17th century, which houses the Imperial Palace, Vietnam's answer to Beijing's Forbidden City.

As Mr Goh toured the attractions of the Citadel, he was surrounded by tourists, including parties from Singapore and Malaysia.

Last year, more than 105,000 Singaporeans visited Vietnam, an increase of 42 per cent over the year before.

Hue's other attractions include the elaborate tombs of many of the country's 13 former emperors.

Yesterday evening, Hue's provincial and city leaders met Mr Goh at the Imperial Palace in a room that was used by the emperors to receive foreign dignitaries.

There, provincial Communist Party secretary Ho Xuan Man told Mr Goh that Hue would like to attract more Singapore investment.

Mr Goh suggested that being a beautiful and centrally located city with excellent historic attractions, Hue could position itself as an international convention centre.

As a convention hub, Hue would naturally attract additional investments by hotels, and in turn draw more tourists, he said.

Later, Mr Goh was the guest of honour at a colourful gala dinner in the Vuu Hu Room at the Imperial Palace.

Today, he will travel south to the historic port town of Hoi An.

Read more!

Nuclear Power's "Green" Credentials Under Fire

Nick Trevethan, PlanetArk 13 Dec 07;

SINGAPORE - Nuclear power's claim to be the answer to global warming is being questioned by reports suggesting mining and processing of uranium is carbon intensive.

While nuclear power produces only one 50th of the carbon produced by many fossil fuels, its carbon footprint is rising, making wind power and other renewable energies increasingly attractive, according to environmental groups and some official reports.

The nuclear industry has come under fire over safety concerns for decades, but a growing recognition of the threat of climate change has put a renewed focus on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced throughout the energy chain.

"Nuclear is a climate change red herring," said Ben Ayliffe, Senior Climate and Energy Campaigner at Greenpeace. "There are safer, more reliable alternatives, like energy efficiency and renewables as part of a super-efficient decentralised energy system."

While the earth's crust still has large resources of uranium -- 600 times more than gold -- much of the highest grade orebodies are already being exploited, forcing miners to develop more technically challenging or lower grade resources.

That means uranium mining requires much more energy.


CARBON COST

One example is Cameco's Cigar Lake project in Saskatchewan, which has been plagued with setbacks caused by floods at the underground mine, which may one day supply over 10 percent of the world's mined uranium.

The problems have forced Cameco to push back the production start to 2011 from 2007, and analysts this week said further delays out to 2012 or 2013 were likely.

"The potential is that nuclear will increase its carbon footprint due to the lower grade ores that remain," Tony Juniper of Friends of the Earth said on the sidelines of a UN climate change conference in Bali.

The carbon cost at Rio Tinto's Ranger uranium mine Australia has also risen. The mine produced 17.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per tonne of uranium oxide in 2006, from 13 tonnes in 2005, a Rio Tinto spokeswoman said.

She added that part of the rise was due to bad weather which restricted access to high grade ore, as well as an expansion in capacity, and the company was trying to reduce emissions again.

Uranium output at the mine was 4,748 tonnes last year, resulting in around 84,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Rio produced some 28.3 million tonnes of carbon across its business.

Despite these industry figures, Clarence Hardy, secretary of the Australia Nuclear Association and president of the Pacific Nuclear Council, says the environmental groups are wrong in their assumptions and that nuclear power is relatively clean.

"Carbon dioxide emissions from the nuclear cycle are very low. They are not zero, but they are low compared to fossil fuels and they are even low compared to hydro," he said.


URGENT SOLUTIONS

Over the life of a nuclear power plant, carbon emissions are between 10 and 25 grams of C02 per kilowatt, as little as one 100th of that of a coal-fired plant, Hardy added.

"Even wind and solar have higher C02 emissions than the entire nuclear fuel cycle from mining through to waste management," Hardy said, arguing that large volumes of steel and concrete -- both energy-intensive products -- were required for those products.

But UK data paints a different picture.

A UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology document on carbon emissions puts nuclear's footprint was around 5 grams of CO2 per kilowatt, similar to the figure for offshore windpower at 5.25 grams and above onshore wind at 4.64 grams.

Scientists at the conference in Bali said the world needed urgent solutions and emissions needed to peak within the next 10 to 15 years.

But building a nuclear reactor typically takes decades.

"Even if we started scaling up nuclear power tomorrow we couldn't do that because it would take longer than that to get a serious impact from new reactors," Juniper said.

"The real answer is more renewable, sustainable energy and greater energy efficiency."

Read more!

Noteable Quotes at Bali Climate Talks

PlanetArk 13 Dec 07;

Following are quotes from world leaders and senior officials at the opening of the high-level segment of Dec. 3-14 UN-led climate talks in Bali or at press briefings.

UN SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON:

"This is the moral challenge of our generation. Not only are the eyes of the world upon us. More important, succeeding generations depend on us. We cannot rob our children of their future."

"Our atmosphere can't tell the difference between emissions from an Asian factory, the exhaust from a North American SUV, or deforestation in South America or Africa," he said.

INDONESIAN PRESIDENT SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO

"We are embarking on the biggest project in human civilisation," he said. "We must ensure that the United States ... is part of such post-2012 arrangements."

AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER KEVIN RUDD

"For Australians, climate change is no longer a distant threat. Our rivers are dying, bushfires are more ferocious and more frequent and our natural wonders -- the Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu, our rainforests -- are now at risk."

PAULA DOBRIANSKY, HEAD OF THE US DELEGATION

"We want the world's largest economies, including the United States, to be part of a global arrangement. An approach in which only some are committed to acting cannot be environmentally effective."

"We don't want to be prejudging outcomes here," she said of US opposition to scientific guidelines for rich nations to cut emissions by 25-40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. "We dont want to be predetermining what will come out of this process."

PRESIDENT OF THE MALDIVES, MAUMOON ABDUL GAYOOM

"We believe that climate change must be viewed not only as a danger to natural systems, but also as a direct threat to human survival and well-being. We are convinced that this negotiation process must not be viewed as a traditional series of governmental trade-offs, but as an urgent international effort to safeguard human lives, homes, rights and livelihoods."

PRIME MINISTER OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA, MICHAEL SOMARE

"The answer is simple. If we lose the world's forests, we lose the fight against climate change. Rainforests are our Earth's greatest utility -- our planet's lungs, thermostat and air-conditioning system."

PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD BANK, ROBERT ZOELLICK

"Climate change policies cannot be the frosting on the cake of development; they must be baked into the recipe of growth and social development."

DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE FAO, JACQUES DIOUF

"Low-income people everywhere will be at risk of food insecurity due to loss of assets, absence of alternative livelihood options and lack of adequate insurance coverage from extreme weather events." -- For Reuters latest environment blogs click on: http://blogs.reuters.com/environment/ (Compiled by David Fogarty; Editing by Jerry Norton)

Read more!

Saudi Arabia Says No Need to Cut Oil Use to Fight Warming

Emma Graham-Harrison, PlanetArk 13 Dec 07;

NUSA DUA, Indonesia - Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday the world does not need to shift away from fossil fuels to combat global warming, suggesting pilot technology and greater efficiency as better options.

Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi told UN-led climate talks that the world should focus on research to cut emissions while continuing to use its "huge reserves" of crude, gas and coal.

Riyadh is traditionally wary of anything that might undermine demand for the vast reserves of oil that have transformed it from a small desert kingdom to a powerful international player, and is currently earning near-record prices for its crude.

"The trend towards moving away from fossil fuel consumption as a means of addressing climate change does not represent a practical alternative to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, particularly given the availability of technologies for energy efficiency and carbon capture and storage," Naimi said.

Many governments and groups such as the International Energy Agency are heavily pushing energy efficiency as a way to start tackling emissions problems with existing technology.

But no commercial-scale projects yet exist for carbon capture and storage, which is supposed to pump emissions from coal-fired power plants underground for long-term storage.

Naimi also criticised fuel taxes that aim to curb consumption in some countries, saying they were part of a system that unfairly favoured coal and largely emissions-free nuclear energy "despite their more adverse pollution and impact on the climate".

Naimi said the world should instead investigate "clean oil", including carbon capture and storage, although he did not explain how it might be possible to capture and then store emissions from the vehicles that consume a large portion of the world's oil.

Read more!

Seychelles promises to protect its sharks

Ed Harris, Reuters 12 Dec 07;

PORT LOUIS, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The Seychelles will protect its rapidly declining shark population, the government said on Wednesday, after a Taiwanese fishing boat was caught in its waters with an illegal load of fins.

Booming demand for shark fin soup in Asia, especially China, is driving the shark fishing industry and increasing the risk of extinction for some shark species, marine scientists warn.

Conducting searches around the 115-island Indian Ocean archipelago last week, a French navy ship found 650 kg of shark fins aboard a Taiwanese fishing vessel. The fishermen's paperwork said only 15 kg were caught in Seychellois waters.

"We could only get them for the 15 kg, not for the rest, but this shows you the volume of sharks caught," Didier Dogley, permanent secretary at the Seychelles' Environment Ministry, told Reuters by telephone.

"We are going to crack down on illegal shark finning ... We have already started with the patrolling."

The 650 kg of dried shark fin that was discovered would have come from about 13 tonnes of sharks, he added. Some shark fishermen cut off the fins before throwing the shark back into the water -- where they drown because they cannot swim.

Dogley was speaking as scores of delegates from around the world held the second of three days of talks in the Seychelles to discuss how to best protect shark populations.

The whale shark -- the largest fish species, growing up to 20 metres long -- visits the Seychelles between August and November.

"These sharks are very important for countries like us," Dogley said, referring to Seychelles' eco-tourism industry.

"If you're lucky, you can see about a dozen." (Additional reporting by George Thande in Victoria; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

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Ivorians warn of Chinese fishing threat: union

Yahoo News 12 Dec 07;

Ivorian fishing groups warned Wednesday of the threat to acquatic flora and fauna in their national waters from "exploitation and abusive practices" by Chinese fishing fleets.

"Foreign boats, notably Chinese, are in the process of jeopardising the future of fishing in Ivory Coast," Ivory Coast Marine Fishermen Union (SYMAPECI) Secretary General Barthelemy Kouassi Yao told AFP.

"Today, in total disregard of national and international law, they use 'bottom trawling' which is dangerous and captures everything in its wake," Kouassi said, calling this an "alarming situation."

"We have observed a drastic decline in the local production because nothing is done to stop this pre-planned pillage. And we are far from the turning point of stopping the fall in production, unfortunately," he added, saying that part of the problem was due to the "complacency" of Ivorian authorities.

Since 2004, "nearly 40 Chinese ships operate in Ivorian territorial waters, some of which hold questionable agreements," he said. The Chinese presence symbolises a menace "for 4,000 jobs in the sector."

"In terms of the number of boats that sail here...if you let things be, in a few months all sea life will be gone from the waters of the Ivory Coast," Ivorian ship owner Richard Tchibanda said.

He said at least 20 years are needed for certain species to be able to replenish fish stocks.

On July 27, 22 African countries bordering the Atlantic Ocean, including Ivory Coast, spoke out against the "pillaging of more than 50 percent" of their fish resources by fishing boats without authorisation and which threatens the food security for the population.

"More than 50 percent of our fish resources are pillaged every year," said Ivorian Animal Production Minister Alphonse Douati, also head of the Ministerial Conference on Fishing Cooperation between the 22 African countries bordering the Atlantic (COMHAFAT).

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Scientists shed light on monster sea waves

Julie Steenhuysen, Yahoo News 12 Dec 07;

Ocean waves as tall as an eight-story building, once dismissed as maritime folklore, can be studied using waves of light, offering hope of predicting where these monsters may appear, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

"These giant waves have been featured in many famous literary works from the Odyssey to Robinson Crusoe, but they were just thought to be the subject of myth for a long time," said Daniel Solli of the University of California, Los Angeles, whose study appears in the journal Nature.

These rogue or freak waves can appear out of nowhere on an otherwise calm sea. Their extreme height -- reaching some 98 feet tall -- can batter a ship, smashing it to bits. "Even modern ships are not immune to damage from these things," Solli said in a telephone interview.

"Scientists thought these were just sailor's yarns," Solli said, until they spotted one in the mid-1990s off an oil platform in the North Sea.

Now they are studying how they form. Solli thinks the answer may be found by studying light waves, which behave similarly to water waves.

Solli was studying the properties of light waves traveling in glass when they discovered optical rogue waves, freak brief pulses of intense light similar to the freak water waves.

Solli, a physicist, knew the same physical effect could occur in different physical systems. He began looking at possible explanations and found a stark resemblance between the mathematical equations that describe rogue water waves and his rogue light waves.

"The more we looked into this, the more it became clear that what we were seeing was the optical counterpart of the same effect," he said.

When they examined these light waves further, they found a predictable change occurred that perturbed an otherwise normal-looking wave into becoming a rogue light wave.

He thinks the same thing may be happening in the sea.

"Essentially there is a sweet spot or tickle spot we found. If you tickle the wave on this particular spot, it develops into one of these rogue waves," he said.

"It is highly likely a similar effect is at work in the water waves," he said.

If he is right, the finding could allow scientists to study these rare monster waves in a table-top experiment.

"We hope it may be possible to develop more complete models and learn new ways to predict them," he said.

(Editing by Will Dunham and Sandra Maler)

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Red Cross says global warming caused record disasters in 2007

Yahoo News 12 Dec 07;

Global warming caused a record number of natural disasters across the world in 2007, up nearly 20 percent from a year earlier, the International Federation of the Red Cross said on Thursday.

"As of 10 October 2007, the Federation had already recorded 410 disasters, 56 percent of which were weather-related, which is consistent with the trend of rising numbers of climate change-related disasters," the IFRC said in its "World Disasters Report".

In 2006, the IFRC recorded 427 natural disasters, a rise of 70 percent in the two years since 2004.

"These figures confirm the trend of recent years," IFRC Secretary General Markku Niskala told a press conference.

Over the last 10 years, the number of natural disasters rose by 40 percent from the previous decade, while the number of deaths caused by disasters doubled to 1.2 million people from 600,000, the report said.

The number of people on average affected by natural disasters each year rose to 270 million from 230 million over the same period.

"Better reporting of smaller disasters partially explains these increases. However, more severe disasters are also on the increase," the IFRC report said.

The report warned that vulnerable groups in society such as women, disabled people, the elderly and ethnic minorities face extra hardships when coping with natural disasters.

The IFRC cited examples of blind, deaf or paralysed people who may be unable to flee danger on their own, or people unable to follow evacuation plans because they have been excluded from school and thus cannot read.

In the December 2004 tsunami that devastated southeast Asia, three times as many women were killed than men because they tended to be at home when the waves struck, noted Mohammed Mukhier, one of the report's authors.

The report also said that in some instances, minority groups like the Dalits in India and the Tamils in Sri Lanka did not receive equal amounts of aid after the tsunami due to political, ethnic or religious reasons.

"Aid agencies need to work to change attitudes, develop inclusion and advocate on behalf of marginalised groups," Niskala said.

"Discrimination thrives in the shadows, so we need to chase those shadows away," he added.

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