Indonesia Aims to Balance Coal and Forests

Jackie Cowhig, PlanetArk 8 Jul 08;

LONDON - Indonesia, the world's number one coal exporter and a major greenhouse gas emitter, is struggling with conflicting green and growth aims.

It wants to increase coal-fired electricity generation by over 40 percent in the next decade, cut emissions and preserve rainforests at the same time. Analysts doubt it can manage all three.

"Indonesia is not in a position to be reducing greenhouse emissions at all," said Brian Ricketts, coal analyst at the Paris-based International Energy Agency.

"Their coal-fired power plant construction programme is already under way and Indonesia is quickly expanding coal production to be able to supply its own growing domestic demand and exports," he said.

Indonesia's energy-related CO2 emissions must rise because, according to government figures, its coal consumption is going to at least quadruple to 90-100 million tonnes a year by 2017.

The world's fourth-most populous country, with 226 million people spread across 17,500 islands, needs a substantial growth in electricity production to fuel economic growth.

But while poised to boost its own emissions, in addition to exporting its own polluting coal, Indonesia is attempting to add a new income stream as a high earner of carbon credits if it agrees to be paid to preserve its forests.

But it may not be able to keep all its lucrative juggling balls in the air, especially as demand builds to exploit more coal deposits in the jungles of the Kalimantan region in Borneo.


CARBON CREDITS

Until its coal-fired power initiative takes effect, Indonesia is a leading polluter due to deforestation, peatland degradation and forest fires, a World Bank report said.

Environmentalists say that if these activities are taken into account it ranks as the world's number three emitter of greenhouse gases. Deforestation accounts for 20 percent of man-made carbon emissions.

"Indonesia emits a rather modest 380 million tonnes CO2 a year from fossil fuels, the serious emissions are the ones from logging, burning and drainage of peatswamp forests: 2 billion tonnes a year CO2," conservation group Wetlands International said.

If the Reduced Emissions From Deforestation in Developing Countries (REDD) initiative agreed at last December's climate talks in Bali goes ahead, Indonesia could earn tens of billions of dollars annually.

This would be a strong revenue stream in addition to perhaps US$50 billion a year from coal exports in years to come.

Indonesian coal production will double by 2017 to at least 400 million tonnes, most of which will be exported.

It earned around US$10 billion from coal exports in 2007, producers said, and will earn tens of billions of dollars annually in decades to come. Coal prices have doubled during the past six months.


FOREST UNDER THREAT

Producers say Indonesia should be able to double its coal output without destroying much forest.

"If you fly over Kalimantan it's clear how much forest has already gone. The new thermal coal reserves to be developed are almost all in or near existing mining areas," one major Indonesian producer said.

That journey shows very little rainforest -- almost all has been replaced by bright green palm oil plantations for biodiesel and rice paddies.

The roads which run straight from the mines to the rivers to move coal have had a minimal impact.

Large-scale timber logging cleared much of Kalimantan's rainforests years ago.

"Coal mining areas are relatively small in Indonesia. Logging has already removed forest areas the size of Wales," the IEA's Ricketts said.

But global hunger for metallurgical or coking coal for steel production may threaten the untouched forest in central Kalimantan.

Hard coking coal prices are around US$400 a tonne, double a year-ago's levels, and some buyers say they cannot find it at any price.

"Central Kalimantan contains mostly metallurgical coal reserves and some thermal. It's got huge logistical problems and costs associated with getting the coal out for shipment and I'd tend to think if it could be done, it would have been done by now," another large Indonesian producer said.

However, Indian coal end-users and traders said they were looking to invest in Indonesian coking coal and thermal coal mines in central Kalimantan and elsewhere.

(Editing by William Hardy)

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G-8 Summit: Food prices to stay high at least until 2012

Only investments in raising farm yields can bring relief, says World Bank chief
Anthony Rowley, Business Times 8 Jul 08;

HIGH food prices that are triggering social unrest in many parts of the world and which are a major cause of soaring inflation are likely to continue at least through 2012, World Bank president Robert Zoellick said yesterday, rejecting forecasts that good harvests this year could cause prices to fall significantly.

Only massive new public and private investment in raising agricultural yields can bring relief, he said on the opening day of the G-8 summit in Toyako.

United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon meanwhile warned that 'high food prices are turning back the clock on development gains'. He urged G-8 leaders to come up with solutions during the remaining two days of the three-day summit.

Both men called for an end to trade-distorting subsidies and export restrictions on basic foodstuffs.

They also voiced strong concerns over record high energy prices. Oil prices are expected to loom large when leaders of the G-8 nations discuss the global economy today, and there may be calls for a stronger US dollar to stem the surge in oil and other commodity prices.

But Mr Zoellick warned that this could be achieved only by higher US interest rates, with adverse global economic consequences.

Food and energy prices also dominated much of the 'outreach' debate which the G-8 leaders held yesterday with leaders of seven African nations that were invited to the summit meeting for the first time this year. Mr Ban urged the G-8 to take concrete action to implement their commitments made in 2005 to double their aid to Africa by 2010.

The food crisis has taken the G-8 leaders by surprise and has to some extent overshadowed debate on climate change, although the two are interconnected because of the impact that global warming and erratic weather patterns are having on agricultural output.

It is a First World crisis as much as a Third World crisis, as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown noted yesterday here when he called upon Britons to stop 'wasting' food.

There is little prospect of one or two good grain harvests solving the problem, because of its deep-seated nature, Mr Zoellick suggested. Nor will high food prices automatically stimulate higher agricultural output in developing regions where farmers lack access to seeds and where soaring energy prices have pushed fertiliser prices beyond their reach.

Only a combination of short-term emergency food aid and long-term investment in higher agricultural productivity can restore balance to food supplies and prices and in the meantime the UN should vote to outlaw export restrictions that are adding to the global crisis, he added.

Mr Ban also called for more research into the impact of bio-fuel production on food prices.

Climate change will be a key issue today and tomorrow when the G-8 leaders hold outreach meetings with the leaders of China, India, Brazil and other major carbon-emitting emerging nations.

It is still unclear whether the G-8 leaders will commit themselves to halving their countries' CO2 emissions by 2050, and to interim emission-cutting goals.

Climate change is 'no longer something in the future', Mr Ban declared at a briefing.

He called on the G-8 to 'send a signal' from the summit by committing themselves to long and medium-term reduction targets. 'We cannot leave everything to Copenhagen,' he said in a reference to the meeting to be held next year to agree on a successor regime to the Kyoto Protocol which is due to expire in 2012.

Leaders from China, India, Brazil, Australia and other big carbon polluters will meet G-8 members during a separate gathering of what is known as the Major Economies Meeting.

'Let's agree a clear cut 50 per cent reduction by 2050 and on the principle of a mid-term target,' European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said yesterday.

'If we agree among ourselves then we are in a much better position for discussions with our Chinese partners and others.'

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To Fight Food Prices, South Africa Urges Return to Farming

Leon Marshall, National Geographic News 7 Jul 08;

With the global food crisis forcing South Africa's poor to struggle to make ends meet, officials have put forward a novel solution: Resume the subsistence agriculture that used to be part of the area's heritage.

A significant portion of South Africans and the majority of the country's poorest people live in rural areas, finance minister Trevor Manuel said.

"Higher prices are a signal to plant," he told National Geographic News. "This is true for poor people in rural areas as it is for large-scale commercial farmers."

Overall food prices have gone up 15.3 percent in South Africa over the past 12 months, with fats and oils increasing by a whopping 52.1 percent and heavily used staple grains by 22.9 percent.

Failing to plant crops on fallow land would squander an opportunity to protect the poor from an erosion of incomes because of these higher prices, Manuel said.

And while most urban dwellers do not have the land to plant sufficient food, many have vegetable gardens that could be used to supplement household food provisions, he added.

Buying in Bulk

Manuel has a firm supporter in Tony dos Santos, owner of a popular grocery store named Le Bamba in a region next to Kruger National Park that is home to some of South Africa's poorest communities.

Watching destitute people buy food these days is heartrending, dos Santos said.

"They arrive in groups, and you see them take items from the shelves, look at the price, and have serious discussions before putting them back, shaking their heads," he commented.

"They usually split into separate groups, which walk considerable distances to other shops to see if they can find better prices there. If they do, they buy in bulk and divide up the items."

Many people are only buying the basics, and more are finding it hard to afford even such foodstuffs, he added.

"Can you blame them? Take cooking oil, for instance. Two years ago I sold it at Rand 13.00 [around U.S. $1.70]. Now it costs Rand 40.00 [around U.S. $5.30]."

So "yes, people must learn to use available agricultural land—even small patches in their backyards—to the best possible advantage," he said.

"I have been to [Portugal's] Madeira and was surprised to see that even there people do not make use of all the available land anymore. But it applies particularly to Africa. Food aid is good and well, but it is learning how to use the available land properly that holds the long-term answer."

Government Aid

Asked why people have moved away from subsistence farming, finance minister Manuel's communications officer, Kuben Naidoo, explained that it might have to do with social grants or because food prices had been falling over the past 15 years when adjusted for inflation.

It might also be because of poor support from provincial agriculture departments.

The minister now supports the idea of small-scale farmers clubbing together, such as through farmer co-ops, to buy equipment and goods and to sell at better market prices. The legislative framework has been set up to facilitate such arrangements.

Manuel has also been strongly critical of the global shift from food into biofuel production, especially in the United States.

Subsidies paid to farmers in such countries to produce feedstocks for biofuel have priced staple grains out of the reach of the world's poorest people, he said.

To help internally, the South African government has specifically excluded maize from the country's nascent biofuel industry. And it has reduced the targeted biofuel component of the country's fuel needs from 4.5 percent to 2 percent, to 100 million gallons (400 million liters) a year by 2013.

South Africa also has a special cabinet committee looking into other ways of easing the impact of price rises. Among the measures already being implemented are targeted welfare grants and an extended program to feed schoolchildren.

The Government Communication and Information System also issued a statement after the cabinet meeting on April 16, 2008, saying that one of the things the committee is looking into is suspect behavior in the food industry, which the cabinet believes to be contributing to higher prices.

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CEOs to G-8 leaders: Act now on climate change

Business Times 8 Jul 08;

They urge consensus on a long-term goal of at least halving global emissions by 2050

CLIMATE change is a serious challenge for the international community, including the business community. While some uncertainties remain, applying a risk management perspective to the available information leads us to conclude that a reasonable approach would be for all leaders of business and government to take action now.

This is the consensus view of an unprecedented group of 100 CEOs of major companies, of which we are members, drawn from every industrial sector and region.

For the past year, we have worked together under the auspices of the World Economic Forum and World Business Council for Sustainable Development to assemble the most detailed set of guidance yet to emerge from the business community regarding the design of the climate policy framework that will succeed the Kyoto Accord.

Our message to the Group of Eight (G-8) leaders meeting in Hokkaido, Japan this week is that nothing less than a new geometry of international cooperation will be required for the international community to achieve the emission reduction goals recommended by the scientific community in an economically efficient fashion.

Where the Kyoto Accord relied almost entirely on a traditional, top-down set of government commitments, we believe the new framework will need to incorporate a more pragmatic and results-oriented mixture of top-down and bottom-up elements aimed at not only increasing the probability that governments will meet their commitments but also enabling them to do so in the least-cost, most pro-growth manner possible.

Above all, the new framework should be designed so that clear and predictable incentives (both positive and negative) are created to enable obvious economic value to be created over the short and long run from emission reductions. It should facilitate the linkage of explicit or implicit carbon values established at various national and regional levels, with the ultimate aim of establishing a deep and liquid international market for carbon that takes into account international competitive pressures.

It will be necessary for the new framework to respect the prerogative of national governments to employ the domestic policies best suited to their own national circumstances by allowing variation in the magnitude and timing of countries' commitments provided that the overall framework is capable of meeting specific intermediate and long-term environmental goals. In line with the latest assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), we urge governments to seek consensus on a long-term goal of at least halving global emissions against current levels by 2050.

Deep cuts

All countries need to recognise their responsibilities in meeting this long-term goal, but we seek leadership from the G-8 to agree to deep cuts by 2050. Leaders of major developing economies will also have to set out their plans to achieve emissions mitigation consistent with sustainable economic development, including, ultimately, absolute cuts that could take effect on a delayed basis.

For the sake of credibility, a realistic intermediate milestone should also be established to provide a marker on progress towards the long-term commitment. IPCC analysis suggests that, depending on the emissions growth scenario used, an intermediate milestone in the range of a 14-35 per cent reduction in global emissions by 2030 against current levels could be achievable at a carbon price of US$20/tonne CO2-equivalent. Undertaking a bottom-up quantification of the overall potential for an intermediate emissions reduction milestone would, we believe, be a useful and practical exercise for the international business community and governments to engage in over the next several months. Such an exercise would encourage a joint focus on where realistic abatement potentials can be found in the short to medium term. It would also provoke a practical public-private dialogue on how the framework can best be designed to ensure that these abatement potentials will likely be achieved.

A number of other bottom-up pieces of the architecture also have the potential to improve the environmental effectiveness, economic efficiency and political acceptability of a post-Kyoto framework. These, too, will need to be constructed through much closer collaboration with private sector and other non-governmental experts than is common in intergovernmental negotiations. In our report to G-8 leaders, we recommend public-private strategies to spur technology development and diffusion, encourage benchmarking and other arrangements among firms in the same industrial sector, leverage private investment and facilitate technology transfer in developing countries, empower consumers with better information about the implications of their choices, and create common metrics to improve the efficiency of carbon markets and enable apples-to-apples comparisons of investor risks, corporate strategies, and the performance of countries against targets.

Our commitment to address global climate change reflects the opportunity we feel that this challenge presents for technological innovation and shareholder value creation. Designed properly, we believe the new climate framework could have a greater degree of impact on developing countries than any other sustainable development initiative in history. Our overriding desire is for a results-oriented framework that aligns the long-term environmental and sustainable development imperative of addressing climate change with the practical business imperative of building long-term value for our customers and shareholders.

Representing over 12 per cent of the market capitalisation of all publicly traded firms in the world, our group stands ready to work with governments to help build consensus for a fair and effective post-2012 framework. However, businesses cannot fully capitalise on these new opportunities in an international policy vacuum: strong leadership from all governments, particularly those of the major economies, is essential, and that is why meetings such as the one that will take place in Hokkaido this week are so important.

Peter Bakker, CEO, TNT NV, Netherlands Alain Belda, chairman Alcoa, USA Oleg Deripaska, chairman Supervisory Board, Basic Element Company, Russian Federation Lars G Josefsson, president and CEO Vattenfall AB, Sweden Tsunehisa Katsumata, president, Tepco, Japan Phirwa Jacob Moroga, chief executive, Eskom, South Africa James Rogers, chairman, president and CEO, Duke Energy Corporation, USA Jose Sergio Gabrielli de Azevedo, president and CEO, Petroleo Brasileiro Petrobras, Brazil Vyatcheslav Sinyugin, CEO, JSC RusHydro, Russian Federation Michael R Splinter, president and CEO Applied Materials, USA Solomon D Trujillo, CEO Telstra, Corporation Australia Willie Walsh, CEO British Airways plc, UK

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It's spawning season for Hawaii's key coral species

Annual event critical to future survival of reefs, UH scientists report
Lynda Arakawa, The Honolulu Advertiser 7 Jul 08;

July is an eventful month for coral researchers like Robert Richmond.

It's the most productive time of the year for the spawning of two of Hawai'i's major corals, resulting in countless coral larvae that will become the valuable reefs of the future.

"This is the big spawning event of the year for them," said Richmond, research professor at the University of Hawai'i's Kewalo Marine Laboratory.

"Coral spawning events like the ones we're experiencing this month are the key to the future of Hawai'i corals. This is the replenishment phase. Just like any other living population, they are animals that are dying every year, and they need to be replaced by new individuals."

The coral Montipora capitata began spawning Wednesday night, with scientists expecting countless coral larvae — each a fraction of a millimeter — to drift around looking for a place to settle. The coral Porites compressa is expected to begin spawning later this month. Both are among the major contributors to coral communities in Hawai'i, Richmond said.

It's a critical time, especially considering the stresses and threats that coral reefs in Hawai'i and elsewhere are under.

Land-based runoff and sediment, as well as alien invasive species, are serious threats to corals in Hawai'i. Other stresses include overfishing and ocean debris. Scientists also say global climate change, which can contribute to coral bleaching, is another potential threat.

Coral reefs, sometimes called the rainforests of the sea, are home to thousands of marine plants and animals, and are a valuable part of Hawai'i's culture. They protect shores from erosion and are critical to the state's marine tourism industry.

Coral researchers this month will closely watch the reproduction process for these two corals out in the field as well as in laboratories. For some, it means putting in late hours — M. capitata and P. compressa spawn at night, with the event tied to the lunar cycle, Richmond said.

The coral M. capitata is hermaphroditic, so it releases both eggs and sperm, which float to the water's surface. They interact with other eggs and sperm from different coral colonies, and if conditions are right, fertilization will take place and coral larvae will develop, Richmond said.

P. compressa has separate sexes, so the females will release eggs while the males will release sperm, he said.

The coral larvae will drift around the ocean for a few days to a couple of weeks before settling on the ocean floor. Young corals can usually reproduce after three years and grow large enough to provide habitat for fish after three to four years, Richmond said.

Water quality is a key factor along the reproduction process. A rainstorm, for example, can cause freshwater runoff, which severely cuts the coral fertilization rate, Richmond said. Sediments and invasive algae can make it difficult for coral larvae to find a good place to settle and grow.

Only a fraction of the eggs that are released are fertilized, make it to the larval stage, find a place to settle and survive the first year, he said.

Richmond said he recently advised contractors for the military on Guam about spawning events there so they could plan their dredging operations around it.

"What happens (in Hawai'i) this month is really going to be critical for the next year and the next few years for corals here," Richmond said.

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NDP inconsistent in go-green policy

Letter from K. Ignatius Guo, Straits Times Forum 7 Jul 08;

I APPLAUD this year's National Day Parade (NDP) message: Let's Go Green. The article last Friday ('Packaging the fun - in an eco-friendly way') on the organiser's attempt to make use of recycled materials in NDP goodie bags was inspiring. However, on a closer look at rehearsals conducted weekly, there is still a long way before the organiser can claim the parade is truly green.

As an investment specialist focusing on green technology, carbon credit and other alternative energy themes with a global investment banking group in the Marina Bay area, I have had the opportunity to observe the handling of recyclables in the Millenia Walk vicinity on two consecutive Saturdays. I was disappointed there was no concerted effort to harness the many opportunities to recycle.

While bright blue bins were provided to dispose of recyclables in the waste disposal area, they were under-used. In fact, at meal times, workers, soldiers, participants and members of the public freely discarded empty and half-empty water bottles, clear plastic covers and other re-useable materials in the green waste bins provided. It was also depressing to see these recyclable materials collected with food waste, so contaminating them and making them non-recyclable, let alone re-useable.

Furthermore, the appointed recycler on the ground seemed to focus entirely on collecting and safekeeping papers and carton boxes that were discarded each time. I wonder if they were serious recycling professionals or just savvy rag-and-bone men.

Singapore, having ratified the Kyoto Protocol in 2006, has since held several world events and seminars on climate change, renewable energy, water resource and environment management. It is a regional leader that champions recycling as part of the national environment strategy and one of the first movers in renewable energy R&D, carbon market development and green technology investment.

The awkward display of uninformed recycling practice by the very people who prepare for the nation's birthday cast a shadow on Singapore's sincerity and commitment to this very effort.

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Best of our wild blogs: 7 Jul 08

A happy day at Changi!
a positive encounter on the manta blog part 1 and part 2 and wildfilms blog

Nature Trails Singapore: Bukit Batok Nature Reserve
on the Seen This Scene That blog

Changi
another trip on the urban forest blog

Semakau walk
on the urban forest blog and the discovery blog part 1 and part 2 and tidechaser blog

White-winged Tern
Breeding, non-breeding and transitional plumages on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

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Giant clams 'secure for another generation' after Philippine re-seeding

WWF website 7 Jul 08;

Re-seeding programmes on over 50 reefs are securing the survival of the giant clam for at least another generation, according to WWF-Philippines.

The clams, the world’s largest bivalve mollusks and the star of lurid but mostly imaginary literary and cinematic depictions of trapped divers, can live for over a century. They have been known to exceed 1.4 metres in length and weigh in at over 260 kilograms.

Once common throughout Philippine reefs, excessive hunting for the food, pet and curio trade all but depleted the wild giant clam population by the mid-1980s, prompting the IUCN to classify them as vulnerable.

An attempt to restore natural clam populations is now being spearheaded by Dr. Suzanne Mingoa-Licuanan of the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute in partnership with WWF-Philippines.

“Several species of laboratory-raised giant clams have been re-seeded in over 50 reefs nationwide, significantly bolstering wild stocks and ensuring their survival for at least another generation,” said WWF Project Manager Paolo Pagaduan.

By way of example, a fresh batch of 40 true giant clams (Tridacna gigas) wrapped in watertight plastic bags made the journey last month from rearing laboratories in the west of the country down the coast to their new homes in Batangas province on Santelmo Reef, a prized snorkeling site being restored with the help of WWF and a nearby ecotourism development.

With an average length of 36 centimetres and weighing almost 10 kilograms, each of the 40 clams was painstakingly but successfully laid to rest – alive of course – in
pre-designated nooks and crannies. Some 102 clams were planted in the same area last November and another 35 are being grown for transplanting in coming months.

“When we planted the first batch last November, all clam mantles were pale ochre. Now, each clam shows off electric hues of blue and violet – an indicator that the area is conducive to clam growth,” said Pagaduan.

“It is hoped that baby clam recruits will eventually appear to seed outlying areas in Batangas.”

Giant clams are an integral part of the reef, serving as nurseries for a host of fish and invertebrate species including damsels, gobies and tiny commensal crustaceans such as shrimp.

Sedentary organisms like sponges, tunicates, corals and algae find giant clam shells perfect substrates for attachment. Giant clams also act as filter feeders, sifting planktonic debris from the water for food thereby improving overall water quality.

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Is enough being done to ensure a sustainable quality of life in Singapore?

Managing energy, water resources
Business Times 7 Jul 08;

Is enough being done to ensure a sustainable quality of life in Singapore in the areas of energy and water use, and urban development? How can cities share best practices in these crucial areas?

Paul Peeters
CEO
Philips Asean

SINGAPORE is very active in the efficient use of energy resources but more can and needs to be done. The use of energy efficient lighting is a case in point. By adopting new energy efficient lighting technology, Asia could achieve a 40 per cent savings in energy output annually. Thailand and the Philippines have set national targets to switch to energy efficient lighting by 2010 and 2012 respectively. Australia and New Zealand have taken the bold move to ban energy inefficient lighting products.

Cities can also collaborate with companies. An example is the trial run of Philips' new energy-saving LED street lights in Amsterdam. The installation of the LED lamps is part of Amsterdam's new environment plan to investigate new energy sources and cut energy use throughout the city. With expected reduction of energy consumption in the test area by 51 per cent, the results of this trial will determine whether the city decides to continue with the technology.

Lim Soon Hock
Managing Director
PLAN-B ICAG Pte Ltd

IN the area of water use, Singapore has done an outstanding job in converting adversity into an economic asset. We are now not only less dependent on others for water, but are recognised for our achievements in recycling water. Newater is without doubt our single greatest breakthrough in ensuring a sustainable quality of life for Singaporeans, for many generations to come.

Singapore has no oil or any fossil fuel, nor access to hydro-power or wind power to generate energy economically, so achieving a sustainable quality of life comes at a price. Singaporeans and businesses will have to develop the discipline to conserve energy, and hope that other countries will do likewise. This will help drive the oil price down to an acceptable level so we would not have any major disruption to our quality of life, which can happen should the oil price spiral out of control.

Singapore scores top marks in urban development. It has always been well planned, with continuous reviews and enhancements to keep up with the times. The URA's recently released draft Master Plan aims to further transform our garden city into a more attractive place to live, work and play.

Although there has been much angst from the public recently on news of more ERP gantries and higher ERP charges, until our authorities come up with other effective measures, ERP appears to be the only workable solution to prevent massive traffic jams which could cause unpleasant glitches in our quality of life. We all do have a choice, and the choice here is obvious.

There are many ways in which cities can share best practices in these crucial areas, especially relating to water, but whichever approach is chosen, it must be free from any political motive. The sharing must be driven by a desire to improve the quality of life of our fellowmen, predicated on the common understanding that when that happens, everyone benefits. In this regard, Singapore has been exemplary in setting up two institutes, one for water policy research and the other to study urban development. While we continue to live by the philosophy that no one owes us a living, we are willing to share.

Hans-Dieter Bott
Managing Director
Siemens Pte Ltd

ONE area of sustainable development that Singapore has excelled in, is water.

Developing a sustainable water supply was a challenge that Singapore has successfully addressed in recent years. Today, Singapore is an excellent role model for the growing number of mega-cities in the world that are facing the same challenge. Its commitment to advance water science, even to the extent of collaborating with and providing grants to the private sector to develop and test-bed water-related technologies, is commendable. Siemens is a beneficiary of one of such grants, having just received last week a grant from the Environment and Water Industry Development Council to develop an innovative seawater desalination technology, which can cut energy consumption by at least 50 per cent.

In terms of best practice sharing, perhaps the most effective way of convincing cities around the world to invest in sustainable infrastructure is to show them the economic benefits of such investments.

Last week, Siemens released a study on sustainable infrastructure in London, which showed a comprehensive analysis of the costs and potential of greenhouse gas abatement technologies in a city. By investing less than one per cent of London's total economic output in currently available technologies, the city could reduce more than 40 per cent, or around 20 megatonnes of CO2 emission, by 2025. And about two-thirds of the identified levers would pay for themselves, largely by reducing energy costs.

Charles Reed
CEO
DOCOMO interTouch

TECHNOLOGY is a key factor that will continue to enable progress in the areas of energy, water use and urban development. Over the past decade, Singapore has successfully stayed at the forefront of technology in developing these areas by investing significantly in research and development. Various initiatives such as the new institutions for water policy research and urban development are complemented by the sustained efforts of the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and National Environmental Agency (NEA) to introduce new and better environmental policies.

I agree with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong that there is room for further progress. Besides educating the public on the importance of energy, water use and urban development, the government should continue to work with both public and private sectors to explore innovative ways in leveraging technology to advance the development in these areas.

As global consumption of resources including fuel, food and water, continues to increase, countries around the world must work closely to address this trend. A large-scale event such as the International Water Week is an example of a strategic platform created for global leaders to convene and discuss important issues and concerns of resources on a macro level.

Tan Kok Leong
Principal
TKL Consulting

SINGAPORE has done more than its fair share in ensuring a sustainable quality of life in the areas of energy and water through the creation of Newater, sophisticated urban planning and greenery. Its additional effort to seek future solutions through the Institute of Water Policy and Centre for Liveable Cities deserves further commendation.

Research would help to expand the water industry, improve results in efficiency and conservation and air quality, explore use of clean energy and recommend better water management systems.

The Centre for Liveable Cities would promote best practices on urban development through expertise from both local and overseas, public and private sectors.

Lars Ronning
President, Asia Pacific (excluding China and Japan)
Tandberg

THE price rise in energy is driven in part by global demand, and that demand has been growing faster than supply in recent years. The corollary is how a small loss of output can lead to a big price jump. That gives alternatives a real opening. Already, PM Lee Hsien Loong has reiterated the need to look again at clean energy such as wind and solar power.

The three to four decades of improvements in alternative energy have made wind, solar power and high-tech batteries attractive. A caveat, though, is cost. One reason why green power costs much more than fossil fuels stems from how existing forms of renewable energy rely on subsidies or other forms of special treatment for their viability.

What Singapore can do nonetheless is to follow in the footsteps of DuPont and Shell by sponsoring both academic researchers and firms with bright ideas. Innovation will improve the yielding of biofuels from crops and manufacturing processes. Brazil and the US are world leaders in this field. Another practice, and one that may raise a few eyebrows, is to tax oil companies to finance schemes to help the poor cope with rising energy prices. Countries such as Italy, the UK and US count among those who have done so.

Eric Hoh
Vice-President, Asia South Region
Global Account, Asia Pacific and Japan Geography
Symantec

PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong has called for Singapore to adopt incentives to avoid energy over-consumption, and to use energy economically. Enterprises too, need to do their part in reducing their carbon footprint, and there are many ways that they can utilise technology to go green, while being more energy-efficient. For example, businesses running large data centres can consider virtualisation to consolidate their servers and storage hardware. This will maximise storage use, reduce the number of physical servers, and eliminate duplicate data. Even SMBs can play a role by doing something as simple as power management - turn off their PCs, monitors, printers and other office equipment when not in use.

Here at Symantec, we are also committed to minimising our environmental footprint by conserving natural resources - we sell about a third of our consumer products online to avoid packaging altogether. We believe in embracing our technologies to implement green practices in our own data centres, helping us reduce our energy and carbon footprint.

Tan Teng Cheong
General Manager
Dell Singapore & Brunei

SINGAPORE'S consciousness in this area is improving as efforts such as ‘Bring Your Own Bag' (BYOB) day at supermarkets, Newater and recycling efforts are observable evidence of what's happening here.

Dell is also contributing to this effort. We have announced and are on track to be carbon neutral before the end of this year. We are also fully committed to design and produce energy-efficient products, that will emit less heat (reducing the need for cooling, thus using less energy) while improving cost savings for our customers. Most importantly, we are seeing more and more customers focusing and basing their buying decision on 'Green IT', a trend/practice that Dell will continue to foster.

Besides reducing the environmental impact from our hardware, we are working directly with our customers on programmes such as 'Plant A Tree For Me' and free PC recycling. We are also putting tons of effort on the social networking front and one of the most successful efforts is our ReGeneration blog (www.regeneration.org), where people from all walks of life can contribute and share concepts, thoughts, tips, and so on, and allowing Dell and its partners to adopt some of the great ideas in future products and services.

Matt Beath
Chief Executive Officer
Talent2 International - Singapore

THE Singapore government has taken proactive, well documented steps to create a sustainable living environment including the recent commitment of funding to the institutes for Water Policy and Urban Development. Organisations such as the NEA, Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore and the Economic Development Board have been proactive, with the latter in particular incentivising R&D by attracting renewable energy companies to invest in Singapore operations. Furthermore, Singapore has developed a world class public transport system, a crucial ingredient in developing sustainable cities.

Despite the positive steps taken, Singapore should be doing a lot more. After the recent positive step of acceding to the Kyoto Protocol it was quite perplexing to read that Tuas Power is looking at building a $2 billion coal-fired power plant in Singapore. Just a single 1000MW coal-fired power plant will add five to six million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. Other anomalies that exist include more fuel efficient diesel cars attracting a 'special tax' from the LTA.

We need to remember that it is not just up to the government to take action, every individual has to do his part.

A sustainable community is one that believes today's growth must not be achieved at tomorrow's expense - if we are really serious we would be assessing all alternatives before building a coal-fired power plant here.

Wee Piew
CEO
HG Metal Manufacturing Ltd

FOR a small city-state like Singapore, maximising the use of limited water and land resources is critical to our long-term survival. Â In terms of water use, Singapore has done well. Political tension over water issues with Malaysia in the past has probably spurred Singapore to become successful in managing water use and to strive for self-sufficiency.

Cleaning up our waterways like the Kallang river and converting Marina Bay into a reservoir, serve to both increase our water supply and enhance the living environment. Â The latest draft Master Plan by the Urban Redevelopment Authority URA) to develop Jurong Lake District and Paya Lebar also reflects Singapore's long-term urban development planning that will create new living areas where one can work and play.

In terms of energy use, however, I feel that more can be done to tap solar energy. Singapore lies in the tropics and enjoys sunshine all year round. Yet not enough is being done to encourage more R&D into transforming this 'free' source of energy into a viable energy alternative. Also, we should expand energy conservation education to a wider public, especially in schools, on a consistent basis rather than at a time when oil prices are high.

Albert Loo
General Manager, Asean/South Asia
Lexmark International

SINGAPORE has clearly become one of the world's model countries in terms of how it has transformed itself from being a third- to first-world country, in such a short time. Such speedy development comes hand-in-hand with sustainability issues. The Singapore government, together with institutions in the private and public sector, has made a concerted effort to deal with it.

As with all initiatives, there's a need to continually evaluate best practices to ensure that measures and frameworks evolve with the times. Likewise at Lexmark, we continually evaluate our business practices by balancing the economic, environmental and social needs of our world today without compromising the opportunities of future generations.

Cities with successful sustainability initiatives can share best practices and case studies. Singapore is itself a good case study. With its forward-looking sustainability policies, I've no doubt that other cities can learn from it; and future generations can reap the long-term benefits of sustainability.

Liu Chunlin
CEO
K&C Protective Technologies Pte Ltd

I THINK of one thing we should continue to build on and one thing we need to address.

The striking first impression of Singapore to visitors and to citizens returning from abroad is our lush greenery. It is a refreshing and welcoming aspect of our urban life that we take for granted. We should continue to build on that.

While we have addressed our water, energy, transportation, waste, pollution and other urban development needs, I can't help but be reminded of our vulnerability.

This to me is the greatest concern we need to address. We need then to build robustness into our system, just as Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has reminded us in the political succession realm. Examples of what I mean about resilience or minimising our vulnerability would be using water and energy carefully, diversifying our sources of energy, continuing to reduce and manage waste, ensuring our infrastructure keeps pace with the demand, and so on.

And since our company is into security and protective design for infrastructure and buildings, I can't help but be reminded of how vulnerable a city is to things like pandemic flu and terrorism. We need to build in robustness in terms of protection of infrastructure and buildings complemented by emergency response capability and a strong social, economic and psychological defence.

Quite often, cities copy other cities in their physical features. But each city is different. Hence, an important point is sharing the software. This requires leaders and practitioners who are multi-talented so that the complexities of city development are understood and applied with wisdom to the specifics of a particular city.

Carol Fong
CEO
CIMB-GK Securities

IN five decades, Singapore has become an economically developed country. Have we done enough? My answer would be that we can definitely do more. It is timely to focus on sustainable development to ensure a good quality of life for everyone, now and in the future. Everyone has a contribution to make because the economy, environment and social well-being are interdependent. Singapore can take the lead by developing a set of 'headline' indicators to monitor progress in energy, water and urban development. These indicators should be able to communicate important trends and provide benchmarks region-wide. They can also be used to raise awareness and educate the public on what it needs to do.

Pramod Ratwani
President & CEO
Consilium Software Inc

IN today's busy life we take for granted uninterrupted energy supply and clean water every time we turn on the tap. Singapore is known as an air-conditioned equatorial island where it is common to keep a jacket handy in the office. Existing office developments in Singapore should be encouraged to become more energy efficient. Singapore should take a look at Abu Dhabi which is investing billions of its oil and gas profits to turn itself into the world leader in renewable energy.

A commitment to clean energy and a holistic approach is required to convert Singapore into an eco-city with a goal of achieving zero waste and zero carbon for all new developments, which would be be powered entirely by renewable energy. This is a challenging goal that will take time to fulfil but one must work towards it for the betterment of the future generation. We need to do more to conserve scarce resources and follow best practices along with other developed cities.

Sam Yap
Group Executive Chairman
Cherie Hearts Child Development Pte Ltd

SINGAPORE is ahead of the game in water management, having ventured into advanced technologies such as Newater and desalination. Crucially, Singaporeans are acutely aware of the nation's limitations in water resources and are committed to sustainability in this area.

However, we may not be doing enough in terms of energy sustainability, as evident in our high dependency on oil and low rate of adoption of alternative energy sources such as solar power. This makes us vulnerable to fluctuations in oil prices, which will only go up as the scarce resource is depleted in future. Clearly, more needs to be done in adopting alternative energy sources and getting Singaporeans in tune with energy conservation efforts.

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PA Water-Venture centre opens at Sembawang Beach

Channel NewsAsia 6 Jul 08;

SINGAPORE: A new People's Association (PA) water sports club has opened in Sembawang, giving residents in the north of Singapore a taste of seasports.

Anyone can take part in the activities at the new Water-Venture centre at Sembawang Beach, which include kayaking, windsurfing, sailing and wakeboarding.

If you can't swim, facilitators will make sure you have your personal flotation device (PFD) strapped on.

But knowing how to swim is a must, if you are signing up for a certified course.

Calvin Christian, Head of Business Development at PA Water-Venture, said: "We do a swim test for all our certified courses, with the aid of a personal flotation device, over a distance of 50 metres.

"What we look out for is people who are confident in the water, able to tread water, swim around comfortably with the PFD on, especially when they're doing the capsize drills. They have to be comfortable before we actually continue the course with them."

This is the eighth People's Association seasports club in Singapore. The PA seasports clubs have about 18,000 participants each year.

At the Sembawang Beach, there are red buoys that demarcate the limits of all water activities. If anyone were to stray beyond them, the centre's patrol boats will guide them back to safety.

All water activities take place within the line of sight of facilitators and should there be trouble out at sea, patrol boats only need a few minutes to get to the incident site.- CNA/so

Silent Dragons in Sembawang
Straits Times 7 Jul 08;

THEY have named themselves the Silent Dragons, but the 30 members of this dragon boat team are far from uncommunicative.

Eight team members are hearing-impaired, but the whole team knows sign language.

They often come an hour before training sessions to practise signing, said the team's co-instructor Lau Kim Lan, 38.

'We wanted to bring these two communities together using dragon boating as a platform,' she said.

Besides their usual training grounds at the Kallang Basin and Seletar Reservoir, the Silent Dragons now have a new place to paddle, with the opening of the People's Association's(PA) latest water sports centre in Sembawang.

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan and Law Minister K. Shanmugam, both MPs for Sembawang GRC, joined 1,500 Sembawang residents at the opening of the Water-Venture outlet yesterday.

Measuring about 7,000 sq m, it is the eighth such centre managed by the PA and will have facilities for sports like kayaking and sailing.

It is the biggest centre of its kind. There are plans for other services, like wakeboarding classes.

It is expected to cater to about 500 Sembawang residents, said its assistant manager Sylvester Sim.

The Silent Dragons, who performed paddling displays at the opening, are excited about this possible new training ground.

'We're very interested in doing some kayaking exercises here that will help with our dragon boating skills as well,' said Ms Lau.

HONG XINYI

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'Invasive' humans threaten U.S. coral reefs

Dan Vergano, USA Today 7 Jul 08;

Half of all U.S. coral reefs, the center of marine life in the Pacific and Caribbean oceans, are either in poor or fair condition, a federal agency warns today.

The report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration places much of the blame on human activities and warns of further oceanwide decline.

Reefs closer to cities were found to suffer poorer health, damaged by trash, overfishing and pollution.

"Human impacts are making the big difference," says NOAA's Timothy Keeney, co-chair of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. "Humans are the most invasive species of all."

Released today at the International Coral Reef Symposium in Fort Lauderdale, the report looks at the 15 federally administered shallow-water reef preserves in the Pacific and Caribbean. Among the findings:

• Caribbean reefs were blasted in 2005 by hurricanes, disease and bleaching that killed 90% of all corals in some locations. Bleaching is a loss of color often attributed in part to global warming.

• Seafood species numbers are in poor condition at both Caribbean and Pacific reefs.

"Coral reefs are beautiful, but they are also tremendous economic resources," says NOAA marine biologist Jenny Waddell. Healthy reefs benefit tourism, fisheries and serve as coastal storm breaks, she says.

Coral reefs are living creatures made from the hardened shells of tiny polyps. They cover only 1% of the world's surface but play an outsize role in the oceans, serving as nurseries for young fish, centers of diversity for species and the underpinnings of some islands. Two once-common Caribbean species, elkhorn and staghorn coral, are now threatened.

The report is based on survey responses from reef managers, as well as reports from 270 scientists, Waddell says.

"We may be reaching a tipping point for coral reefs from changes in climate and overfishing, says NOAA's Mark Monaco. "But that doesn't mean we can give up."

NOAA report: US coral reefs in severe decline
Biran Skoloff, Associated Press Yahoo News 7 Jul 08;

Almost half the coral reef ecosystems in United States territory are in poor or fair condition, mostly because of rising ocean temperatures, according to a government report released Monday.

The reefs discussed in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report serve as breeding grounds for many of the world's seafood species and act as indicators of overall ocean health.

"They are a major indicator of something that could go wrong with the environment," said Timothy Keeney, NOAA's deputy assistant secretary for oceans and atmosphere.

Keeney said 25 percent of all marine species need coral reefs to live and grow, while 40 percent of the fish caught commercially use reefs to breed.

"If we lose the reefs, you lose a very significant and important habitat," Keeney said.

Since NOAA's last report in 2005, the Caribbean region has lost at least 50 percent of its corals, largely because sea temperatures have risen, Keeney said.

Elkhorn and staghorn corals have also been listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the first corals ever to receive such protections based on rapid declines.

The 569-page report took 18 months to complete with input from 270 federal, state and university scientists. It documented 15 ecosystems in U.S. states and territories, including the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Florida, Hawaii, American Samoa and Guam. It was released at the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium in Fort Lauderdale.

The report's authors noted it was the first detailed NOAA study to go beyond anecdotal evidence and patchy science to provide conclusive data that the nation's coral reefs are in trouble.

"We can actually document these declines now," said Jenny Waddell, coeditor of the study and a NOAA marine biologist.

The report found that coral bleaching caused largely by rising sea temperatures is a major factor. Carbon dioxide released by burning fossil fuels is absorbed by the oceans, making the waters more acidic and corrosive on corals.

Land-based pollution, such as sewage, beach erosion, coastal development and overfishing also are to blame.

The study does not make recommendations, but simply serves as what its authors deem a "call to action" for state governments and Caribbean countries.

Keeney sees corals as "a sentinel species of the planet," and calls them "the rain forests of the sea." Beyond their importance as breeding grounds for fish, reefs could hold cures for diseases.

He said there are also positive signs that people are beginning to understand "the value of coral reefs to our economy."

Kenney argues the report adds another layer of scientific certainty that man-made climate change is stressing the nation's oceans and could ultimately have huge economic and social impacts if its effects are not reversed.

"There's no question that ... man-made actions are the major cause for these losses and stresses on the reefs," Keeney said.

Dave Allison, a senior campaign director for the advocacy group Oceana, said the entire world's coral reefs "border on disaster."

"All the world's coral reefs are being stressed by both short-term and long-term human impacts," Allison said. "We've known about the human impact on corals for decades. It's just that the combination of problems confronting the corals have never come together in such a perfect storm."

NOAA report: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20080707_coral.html

Caribbean coral reefs only 25 percent healthy: report
Juan Castro Olivera, Yahoo News 8 Jul 08;

Global warming and pollution are decimating coral reefs around the world, with only 25 percent in good health in the Caribbean Sea, US experts warned Tuesday.

In other areas of the world such as the Pacific basin, nearly 70 percent of the coral reefs are either thriving or in good condition, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in a report.

NOAA told the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, that nearly half of coral reef ecosystems in the United States are in poor or barely passable condition.

"This is absolutely a call to action," said NOAA Coral Program director Kacky Andrews.

To reverse the deterioration and lessen the threat to coral reefs, she strongly suggested curbing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and the use of fertilizer, prevent damage from anchors and stop the sale of coral for jewelry.

"In the Caribbean, parts of Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Mexico that have been strongly impacted by hurricanes in the past few years, large communities of coral have been lost," Diego Lirman, a University of Miami Rosentiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science expert, told AFP.

He said the Caribbean region, which sustains only 60 or 70 species of coral compared to more than 500 in the Pacific, "has lost a large part of its most ancient corals, which ... can be more than 500 years old and make up the reef's basic structure."

While reports indicate a worldwide reduction in coral reef covering, in the Caribbean the problem is compounded by the reefs' increasingly slow rate of recovery, Lirman said.

"In some places protected zones have been set aside, but the fact is many countries lack the means to monitor them -- there are no patrols in the area and no real measure of control," the expert said.

Nonetheless, he said the University of Miami has a coral reef recovery program.

"We extract some corals, help them to grow and get stronger and return them to their communities in better condition so they can reproduce, or we take them to places where (coral reefs) have died off."

Development and overfishing also pose a threat to coral reefs, said Chantal Collier, with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

"In Florida, which has the third longest reef system in the world, coastal population has grown by 64 percent in the past two decades, putting pressure on the reefs from development," Collier said.

"Fishing is an activity of major concern in Florida, which is known as the fishing capital of the world," he added, noting that fish keep coral reefs healthy by cleaning them of algae that can overgrow and choke off nutrition.

The five-day Coral Reef Symposium ending Friday brings together some 2,500 scientists, conservationists and government officials from 114 countries. It is held every four years.

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Indonesia to recover its forests in 15 years: minister

Antara 7 Jul 08;

Karanganyar, Central Java (ANTARA News) - Indonesia is expected to recover its damaged forests in the next 10 to 15 years if the current reforestation programs continue to be implemented, Forestry Minister MS Kaban said.

The minister made the remarks during the inauguration of The Colomadu Koran Reading and Interpretation Assembly here on Sunday.

He said that many people nowadays had forgotten the importance of nature while in maintaining it there were many laws that had to be abide by.

"The Indonesia`s territorial land that stretches from Papua in the east to Aceh in the west constitutes a green belt or tropical forests. I hope that all members of this assembly which are living in all parts of the country would also take part in preserving the country`s nature," he said.

He said that one of the problems being faced today was how to preserve the country`s tropical forests. The number of trees being cut down was still bigger than that being planted.

"We should now plant trees more than we fell as we have set in the programs now being carried out throughout the country," the minister said.

The minister said that if the reforestation programs were carried out without constraints it was expected that in the next 10 to 15 years Indonesia would recover its normal nature conditions. (*)

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