Government to proceed with Jurong Lake District development

S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia 29 Dec 08;

SINGAPORE: The Singapore government is proceeding to put in the infrastructure to facilitate the growth of Jurong Lake District. This follows the unveiling of the area's development blueprint in April this year.

Giving an update on Monday, both the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and JTC said the measures include constructing a new spinal road, expanding the Jurong East MRT station and redeveloping the bus interchange.

There will also be upcoming developments at the International Business Park (IBP), Teban and Pandan Gardens.

The existing business cluster in the IBP will be expanded to maximise its potential in the next economic upturn.

Given IBP's proximity to industrial estates in the west and to the major commercial hub at Jurong Gateway, it remains an attractive location for many industrialists to site their headquarter operations.

JTC envisaged that this strong demand for business park space in IBP will continue into the next economic upturn.

It is planning to develop the land parcels along the business park's southern boundary, generating about 5 hectares of land and 125,000 square metres of business park space.

There will also be improvements to the road network in the IBP which was the first business park established in Singapore in 1992.

Teban and Pandan Gardens will be rejuvenated as well to provide attractive waterfront housing and to enhance their connectivity.

On top of that, there will be road improvement works at Faber Terrace and Faber Hills. This will improve current traffic situation in the area and allow more quality low and medium density housing fronting Sungei Ulu Pandan.

All these are part of Master Plan 2008 to develop new growth areas outside the city centre.
- CNA/so

Jurong to get more business space
Expansion of business park will position Singapore for recovery
Jessica Cheam, Straits Times 30 Dec 08;

THE economic outlook is all gloom but the Government is already positioning Singapore for the next upturn by unveiling plans to beef up the supply of business park space in Jurong.

Its ambitious move comes even as demand in the property sector has fallen dramatically in recent months while office rents have dipped.

Industrial landlord JTC Corporation said yesterday it will develop 5ha south of the existing International Business Park. This will yield 125,000 sq m, or about 1.35 million sq ft, of rentable space.

The development will help JTC 'secure investments and anchor key companies' in an effort to better place the economy for the next upturn, it said.

Site surveys will start next month and infrastructure work, including improvements to the park's road networks, will begin in March. Two new road linkages to the Ayer Rajah Expressway and Pan-Island Expressway will be created.

Companies can lease space in the business park from 2011, said JTC.

Market watchers told The Straits Times that the Government is stimulating economic activity with the development while also seeking to avoid the kind of office space crunch that has hit businesses in recent years.

The economic boom that preceded the financial crisis saw prime office rents double to almost $19 per sq ft last year. This sparked a scramble to build more office space, including government moves to release transitional office sites to relieve pent-up demand.

While this has now led to concerns that Singapore could face an office space glut over the next two years, some analysts feel that early preparation of sites enables the market to respond faster when the economy does pick up.

Colliers International's research and advisory director, Ms Tay Huey Ying, said she did not think there would be a glut, and that this 'will help in ensuring a U-shape recovery instead of a V-shape one when the global economy recovers'.

CIMB-GK economist Song Seng Wun said government investment in public infrastructure like Jurong Island or Changi Airport during downturns has traditionally 'worked well for Singapore'.

Even though the impact on economic output 'will not be massive', such work will benefit local firms, added Mr Song.

The International Business Park - 21 land parcels of about 25ha - is Singapore's first such park. Established in 1992, it has drawn renowned tech firms such as Dell and Acer to set up shop.

JTC said a review of the park's masterplan was timely as the Urban Redevelopment Authority had recently announced a dramatic makeover for Jurong in its 2008 Masterplan.

The industrial town is to be redeveloped into Jurong Lake District - a 360ha mini metropolis of homes, hotels, shops, eateries and offices linked to the MRT via walkways and waterways.

It will consist of Jurong Gateway, the up-and-coming commercial hub of the West, and Lakeside, which is being developed as a destination for young families, with tourist attractions and parks complemented by water activities.

JTC said 'there is potential' for synergy between the expanded business park and the rejuvenated Jurong Gateway.

Collier's Ms Tay agreed that more business park space will add critical mass and 'aid in the realisation of the Government's vision for the Jurong Lake District'.

To complement the commercial developments, the surrounding housing estates will be rejuvenated by various statutory boards. This will mean upgrades to Teban and Pandan Gardens and the Faber Terrace areas in the next few years.

Wider variety of housing in the west
Straits Times 30 Dec 08;

RESIDENTS in the west can look forward to having a wider variety of homes to choose from in the next few years.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) yesterday announced detailed plans to rejuvenate estates such as Teban and Pandan Gardens, and Faber Terrace and Faber Hills - part of a bigger makeover for the Jurong district.

As the existing International Business Park expands, infrastructure upgrading works will also be carried out at surrounding housing estates by national water agency PUB and the Housing Board.

Dredging works by the PUB to deepen Jurong Lake to allow for more recreational water activities, for example, have already begun.

Under its Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters Programme which aims to convert canals and reservoirs into a scenic network of waterways, PUB plans to build a new waterfront promenade with boardwalks, bridges and wetlands at Jurong Lake.

At Teban and Pandan Gardens, the HDB has been rejuvenating these estates through various upgrading programmes and its Selective En-bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers). Sers involves the relocation of residents in public housing that is about 30 years old to newly developed high-density projects located nearby.

Road improvement works at Faber Terrace and Faber Hills will also allow more quality low- and medium-density housing fronting Sungei Ulu Pandan to be built to support the growth of the Jurong Lake District, said URA.

A 1.9ha private residential and commercial site next to Jurong East MRT was also put on URA's reserve list last month.

Knight Frank's director of research and consultancy Nicholas Mak does not expect the plans to have any immediate significant impact on the market.

But Colliers International's research and advisory director Tay Huey Ying said the plans to enhance residential estates 'will add variety to housing options...and help entice home purchasers'.

'This can help to boost population in this area - a critical ingredient if the Jurong Gateway is to be a success.'

JTC to bulk up space at Jurong business park
Area to be increased by 20%; some parts to see plot ratios raised
Emilyn Yap, Business Times 30 Dec 08;

(SINGAPORE) The economy may be slowing but the government has already set its sights on riding the recovery. To meet future demand for space, JTC Corporation plans to expand the International Business Park (IBP) in Jurong by 20 per cent and will raise plot ratios for some areas in the park.

Property consultants generally welcomed the news and believe that the new supply, which will enter the market only in the mid to long term, will have little impact on the weakening property market.

First established in 1992, the IBP now consists of 21 land parcels spanning 25 hectares, and JTC has fully allocated these plots. The park is home to several global technology firms such as Creative Technology, Acer and Dell.

'We are expecting a surge in demand for business park land in this area in the next economic upturn, which land intensification on existing IBP land alone would not be able to address,' said a JTC spokesman yesterday.

To prepare 'land supply in advance to meet investors' needs, we are planning to develop land parcels adjacent to the IBP for its expansion'.

JTC will be adding five parcels or around five hectares of land along the IBP's southern boundary. With a plot ratio of 2.5, this will generate some 125,000 square metres of new business park space.

JTC has also been receiving requests from existing IBP lessees to intensify land use. The overall occupancy rate for multi-tenanted buildings at the park has been high, at around 90 per cent.

To meet these needs, plot ratios for around 14.8 hectares of land will be increased from 1.4 to 2.5.

In line with the redevelopment, the government is looking to improve the area's road network by creating two road linkages to direct traffic from the IBP to the Ayer Rajah Expressway and the Pan Island Expressway.

It could take another 3-4 years for the IBP's revamp to be completed, estimates JTC. The redevelopment will complement the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) 2008 Master Plan to create a suburban commercial hub in Jurong.

'There is potential to create synergy between the IBP and the proposed developments in Jurong Gateway, the commercial precinct of the Jurong Lake District,' said the JTC spokesman.

JTC's announcement comes amid a cooling economy and a softening property market - consultants are predicting a fall in demand for industrial space and rents in the coming year. But some whom BT spoke to remain sanguine about prospects for the extra IBP space coming up.

'Business park space is still a good alternative for those looking at office space outside the Central Business District (CBD). As long as rentals in the CBD are considered high, interest in business parks will be healthy,' said Knight Frank's head of industrial business space, Lim Kien Kim. 'I don't think this new supply will significantly affect rents for business parks in general.'

According to its website, JTC charges a land rent of around $60.57 per square metre (psm) per annum, or a land price of $913 psm on a 30-year lease for IBP sites with a plot ratio of 2.5.

DTZ's executive director Ong Choon Fah also believes that the new IBP supply will not pose a big concern. 'This is long-term . . . There will always be market cycles, so we must not lose sight of the long- term goals . . . Announcing this now also allows market players to be aware of what is happening in the future, so they can start to plan.'

Cushman & Wakefield Singapore managing director Donald Han says that the new IBP plots could also be put on the reserve list if they are released in a subdued market. Reserve list sites are launched for tender only upon successful application by a developer with an undertaking of a minimum bid acceptable to the state.

'I don't think (the government) will force feed the market,' he said.

Alongside JTC's redevelopment plans for the IBP, URA also released other updates to its 2008 Master Plan for the Jurong Lake District yesterday. They include the rejuvenation of Teban Gardens and Pandan Gardens, and road improvement works for Faber Terrace and Faber Hills.

Rejuvenation for Jurong residential areas
Better connectivity and more housing choices are on the cards
Emilyn Yap, Business Times 30 Dec 08;

MORE residential areas in Jurong are to be rejuvenated as part of the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) 2008 Master Plan to develop commercial hubs outside the Central Business District.

Supporting the growth of the Jurong Lake District, Faber Terrace, Faber Hills, Teban Gardens and Pandan Gardens will soon enjoy better connectivity and more housing choices.

Various infrastructure plans in the region will proceed 'notwithstanding the current economic downturn', said URA in a release yesterday.

The government will be enhancing roads at Faber Terrace and Faber Hills. Not only will this improve the area's traffic situation, it will also allow more low and medium-density housing fronting Sungei Ulu Pandan to be built in future, said URA.

Noting that traffic along the Ayer Rajah Expressway in the area can be heavy, DTZ's executive director Ong Choon Fah agreed with the plans. 'If you build up the Jurong Lake District, you will also need to find an accessible way to get there,' she said.

According to URA, new residences at Faber Terrace and Faber Hills will be private and could include landed property as well as low- and medium-density condominiums. The area could be suitable for cluster housing, said Cushman & Wakefield Singapore managing director Donald Han.

Teban and Pandan Gardens will also undergo rejuvenation. Two public housing sites at Teban Gardens are already under the selective en-bloc redevelopment scheme, and PUB's ABC Waters programme for the Pandan Reservoir will further enhance waterfront living in the area.

There are also plans to improve Teban and Pandan Gardens' connectivity with the Jurong Lake District.

The district - comprising a commercial centre at Jurong Gateway and a leisure hotspot at Lakeside - could attract more large and global companies and the redevelopment of the International Business Park would further support this. As JTC Corporation also said yesterday, it plans to add another five hectares of land and raise plot ratios for some areas in the park.

Knight Frank director of research and consultancy Nicholas Mak pointed out that multinational corporations do pay attention to where the workforce is when they pick a site for their headquarters or factories. 'To know that (workers) are all living around is good, there is a ready pool of labour,' he said.

The announcements are also 'a signal to potential developers and investors that there is still land around the Jurong Lake area available,' he added.

URA also provided more updates on the development of Jurong Lake District yesterday.

For instance, dredging works to deepen the Jurong Lake for more water-based activities are already underway.

The ‘lake district’ just gets bigger ...
Zul Othman, Today Online 30 Dec 08;

IN APRIL, they learnt how nearby Jurong would be transformed into a “lake district” and Singapore’s largest commercial hub outside the city centre.

Yesterday, residents of three estates located a stone’s throw away — including one that made history by being the first to reject upgrading — found out they would be part of the rejuvenation, too.

The 30-year-old public housing neighbourhoods of Teban and Pandan Gardens, according to the Urban Redevelopment Authority, can expect “attractive waterfront housing”, a feature that has been given top billing elsewhere, such as in Punggol.

With Pandan Reservoir and Sungei Ulu Pandan in the vicinity and water-based activities expected, space for private housing fronting the river has also been set aside at nearby Faber Terrace and Faber Hills.

And to top off the effect of the Jurong Lake District, which promises leisure infrastructure and should be fully developed by 2020, it was announced yesterday the authorities would expand the nearby International Business Park (IBP) so that more jobs and homes go hand-in-hand in the former swampland-turned-industrial town.

JTC Corporation (JTC), which manages the 25-hectare IBP, will add five hectares or 125,000 sq m of business space to the area, which, in its current size, had been fully allocated by the middle of this year.

There is potential to “create synergy” between IBP and the proposed developments in the Jurong Gateway, the 70-hectare commercial precinct (500,000 square metres of office space) of the Jurong Lake District, said JTC.

“We’re expecting a surge in demand for Business Park land in this area in the next economic upturn, which land intensification on existing IBP land alone would not be able to address,” said a JTC spokeswoman.

Tenants of the IBP engage broadly in data centre, engineering, software R&D, info-comm and telecommunication (ICT) activities. It is too early to say if rent at IBP will increase, which would depend on the market, the spokeswoman added. Expansion will start with a site survey next month and site preparation works in March, which will include two road linkages to direct traffic to the Ayer Rajah and Pan-Island Expressways. The targeted completion date is within three to four years.

Across the AYE, road improvement works will also be carried out at Faber Terrace and Faber Hills to support future growth in low- and medium-intensity density housing while more housing choices will be provided in Teban and Pandan Gardens through the Selective En-Bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers). The latter estate rejected upgrading works in 2003.

But this time, residents Today spoke to said they were pleased to hear about the coming developments, which in the case of Teban Gardens, already includes two Sers sites. More details will be made known at a later stage, but residents such as clinical nurse Farida Abdul Talib, 46, has her wishlist ready.

She said: “(There’s) not much variety now. I would definitely like to see more shops to liven up the place.” ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SUFIAN BIN SUDERMAN

Read more!

Singapore families get utility rebates

Families to get $125m in utility rebates
780,000 households will benefit from help given to offset GST hike
Jessica Lim, Straits Times 30 Dec 08;

MORE than 780,000 HDB households will receive utility rebates in the next seven months, with those in smaller flats getting more.

The 2009 rebates will cost the Government $125 million. They were introduced during last year's Budget as part of the $4 billion GST offset package.

The aim of the rebates is to help Singaporeans, especially those from low-income households, cope with the GST hike implemented in July last year.

The Utilities-Save (U-Save) rebates range from $70 to $210 and are pegged to flat type. They will be parcelled out in two instalments - the first next month, and the second in July.

People living in one- or two-room flats, for example, will receive rebates of $210, while those living in five-room flats will receive $110.

Now in its third year, the rebates - which recipients can roll over to the following months if their bills are less than the rebate amount - will run until at least 2011. Over the five years from 2007 to 2011, $550 million will be handed out in total.

The rebate will help Madam Fauziah Ab Samad, a mother of five school-going children who lives in a four-room flat in Jurong West.

'This month, my children had to buy school books and new uniforms. This will really help to offset all these extra costs,' said the housewife, who lives on $1,300 a month from her husband who is a bus driver.

The family has $500 in unpaid power bills.

Mr William Sng, 61, who lives in a three-room flat in Hougang, is also grateful.

'If the Government wants to help me to pay my bills, I am happy,' said the father of two in Mandarin.

'It may not be that much, but the amount saved will cover the amount I spend for four trips to the supermarket.'

The rebate amount will be reflected in utility bills for January and July 2009 for all eligible households.

For more information on U-Save rebates, the public can call SP Services on 1800-2222-333.

Utilities rebates of $70-210 for HDB homes in 2009
Business Times 30 Dec 08;

MORE than 780,000 eligible HDB households will receive $125 million worth of Utilities-Save (U-Save) rebates in 2009, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday.

Households will receive between $70 and $210 worth of U-Save rebates, depending on flat type. Part of the rebates will be given out in January, while the rest will be given in July.

Under the schedule of U-Save rebates released yesterday, one-room and two-room HDB flats will get $210 worth of rebates in 2009.

Three-room flats will get $190; four-room flats, $180; and five-room flats, $110. Executive flats will get rebates of $70.

The U-Save rebates are part of the $4 billion GST Offset Package announced in the 2007 Budget to help Singaporeans, especially low and middle-income households, cope with the increase in the goods and services tax (GST) in July 2007. The GST was increased by two percentage points to 7 per cent then.

The rebates will cost the government about $620 million over five years (FY2007-FY2011), it said.

'U-Save rebates will be used to offset utility charges directly. The amount of U-Save rebates will be reflected in the utility bills for January and July 2009 for all eligible households,' said the Ministry of Finance yesterday.

Electricity bills were hiked by about 21 per cent in October - the highest one-time increase in about seven years.

The government's U-Save rebates aim to provide relief for the higher electricity bills.

Read more!

Artistic clues to coastal change

Julian Siddle, BBC News 29 Dec 08;

Nineteenth Century artwork is a useful tool for studying coastal erosion, according to a retired coastal engineer.

Robin McInnes assessed the accuracy of geological and topological features in more than 400 paintings of the Isle of Wight and Hampshire coastline.
Dr McInnes said such old masters gave engineers the chance to see coastal features before they were changed by industrial development.

He was standing in London's Tate Gallery, admiring a painting entitled Pegwell Bay, Kent - a recollection of October 5th 1858 by Pre-Raphaelite artist William Dyce, when the thought struck him that the detailed accurate depiction of groynes and foreshore, despite being painted 150 years ago, might be of use in his work as a coastal engineer.

Over the years, Dr McInnes had amassed quite a collection of paintings, prints and etchings depicting the coastlines of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, where he ran the island's coastline management strategy.

Combining his interests in paintings of the local environment, geology and coastal erosion, he looked at hundreds of artworks and came up with a method to assess their value as indicators of coastal change - especially erosion.

"From the late 18th Century, Europe was cut off by the Napoleonic wars, this resulted in travellers and artists paying greater attention to the picturesque landscapes of the British Isles," said Dr McInnes.

Artists such as William Turner visited the Hampshire coast and produced panoramic paintings in aquatint and water colour.
Dr McInnes began to examine images from the 1770s to the 1920s. From more than 400 paintings, prints and illustrations he drew up a scale to asses how useful such artworks were as coastal engineering tools.

"The ranking system is based on four or five factors, it is a qualitative assessment," he said.

"I looked at issues such as the material and the nature of the media, oil paintings versus prints; generally, water colour allowed the most accurate depiction.

"The next question was what do they actually show, do they provide understanding of the geology or beach levels? I gave each a score for that.

"Also to time periods, from a coastal engineers point of view, the most relevant period is when rapid coastal development took place."

Dr McInnes said the Victorian era saw a dramatic change in the coastline as towns, such as Portsmouth, grew with the opening up of railway links.

He also gave marks for the accuracy of the artistic style, and whether the painting showed the topography.

"In Italian landscape style accuracy was not the prime consideration, (whereas) traditional Victorian coastal painting was the most accurate as the idea was to provide an exact image to take home.

"Followers of the pre-Raphaelites captured in precise detail this period, it coincided with an interest in geology and natural sciences. "

He added that the paintings of the period were not just a tool for categorising physical change, but also environmental and developmental issues.

"Many artists returned to the same spot to capture the same scenes over a period of years.

"The study shows how Victorian development has radically changed the coastline; it's nice to strip it back because it helps you understand what might be the underlying problems of erosion and instability.

"Natural processes in the past are largely masked by coastal development," Dr Innes explained.

"Looking back 150 years, it's easier to understand the geography and topography when you don't have this coastal development covering the slopes."

The study - carried out with help from Portsmouth University, the Crown Estate and the National Maritime Museum - has been well received by organisations concerned with coastal erosion.

Dr McInnes recently presented his findings at a coastal engineering conference in Venice, where he learned of similar research that used Caravaggio's paintings to asses historic water levels in the sinking Italian city.

"A lot of people think it can be applied to other parts of the coast that are well illustrated," he says.

The study could be extended, he suggested, to cover areas of south-east England where the erosion of soft rocks, combined with human development, has led to dramatic coastal change.

Read more!

Disappearing UK coast presents dilemma

Alison Harper, BBC News 29 Dec 08;

It's a bright sunny day in Studland, Dorset. The wind catches the sand and whips it through the dunes and grasses. Helped by the tides, as each grain moves the shoreline slowly but inevitably shifts.

Emma Wright has worked for the National Trust at Studland for the past seven years.

As we walked along the beach she explained she had become used to seeing areas of the beach swept away.

In November it took just one storm for the sea to reclaim 15 metres of the beach.

Emma showed me red and white hazard tape flapping next to some wooden posts - these were all that remained of the wooden steps once used to access the car park.

"It's just the vegetation left which is holding the dune together and you can see it cracking all the way through.

"That will be just another chunk of dune grass to fall off into the sea with the next storm", she says.

Summer holidays

Studland isn't disappearing overnight - its situation is well documented and is just one section of 279km (173 miles) of coastline in south-west England at risk of erosion.

There are around one million visitors annually, but Emma admitted as the years go on there will be much less to visit.

She explained the rows of beach huts at Studland have been moved inland three times in the past.

"If you come on your summer holidays you want to be on a sandy beach.

"Once that sandy beach isn't there, you don't want to be sat in a car park. The beach hut becomes a shed," she says.

So can anything be done?

It is a dilemma for those keen to protect the beach and those who use it.

"People come here because it's so wonderfully natural, " Emma explains.

"The National Trust is about nature conservation."

That means managed retreat - leaving nature to take its course and the inevitable consequences of erosion.

It is one of those days which is perfect beach-walking weather as long as you are wrapped up warmly.

Howard and Sylvia Oliver come to visit Studland often from their home along the coast in Swanage.

They agree the beach should be left as it is.

Pointing towards Brownsea Island, Howard admired the coast: "Look at that - it's the open stretch of water and sand, it's just superb.

"I'd certainly be sad if we lost a lot of it."

He didn't want to see groynes - wooden or concrete barriers - put up in the sea to slow down the erosion.

"I think it would be a real shame, " he says.

Inevitable

The National Trust has experimented with gabions, metal grilles filled with rocks, which are supposed to soak up the force of the waves.

But they were washed away.

Some visitors do believe in a more solid effort.

Clive Arnold was over with his family on the chain ferry for the afternoon.

"I think some drastic action needs to be taken pretty soon. I think if you left nature to take its course the beach would be eroded so fast.

"At least if you put groynes in there would be something left for the people to enjoy."

It is a view recognised by Emma but she believes it will only delay the inevitable and, anyway, the National Trust is well aware of the sacrifices it will have to make as the erosion continues.

Its own visitor centre, car park and restaurant will be lost.

To relocate would cost an estimated £3.6m and there is nowhere for it to go since most of this peninsula is closely protected as a designated Site of Specific Scientific Interest.

Ironically the National Trust is hampered by the very policies it supports.

No-one can tell how quickly the erosion will take effect. As the sand moves, other areas are enlarged.

"At the moment we're turning back the clock.

"We're where we were in Tudor times, the sand is moving around and the water has come in," but even with expert advice, Emma says the future is unknown and that is what makes her job at Studland unique.

"I'd love to know what it would look like in 100 years. It is ever changing and unpredictable".

Read more!

Natural disasters 'killed over 220,000' in 2008

Simon Sturdee Yahoo News 29 Dec 08;

BERLIN (AFP) – Natural disasters killed over 220,000 people in 2008, making it one of the most devastating years on record and underlining the need for a global climate deal, the world's number two reinsurer said Monday.

Although the number of natural disasters was lower than in 2007, the catastrophes that occurred proved to be more destructive in terms of the number of victims and the financial cost of the damage caused, Germany-based Munich Re said in its annual assessment.

"This continues the long-term trend we have been observing. Climate change has already started and is very probably contributing to increasingly frequent weather extremes and ensuing natural catastrophes," Munich Re board member Torsten Jeworrek said.

Most devastating in terms of human fatalities was Cyclone Nargis, which lashed Myanmar on May 2-3 to kill more than 135,000 people and leave more than one million homeless.

Just days later an earthquake shook China's Sichuan province, leaving 70,000 dead, 18,000 missing and almost five million homeless, according to official figures, Munich Re said.

Around 1,000 people died in a severe cold snap in January in Afghanistan, Kyrgystan and Tajikistan, while 635 perished in August and September in floods in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.

Typhoon Fengshen killed 557 people in China and the Philippines in June, while earthquakes in Pakistan in October left 300 dead.

Six tropical cyclones also slammed into the southern United States, including Ike which, with insured losses of 10 billion dollars, was the industry's costliest catastrophe of the year.

In Europe, an intense low-pressure system called Emma caused two billion dollars worth of damage in March, while a storm dubbed Hilal in late May and early June left 1.1 billion dollars' worth.

The earthquake in Sichuan province was the most expensive overall single catastrophe of 2008, causing around 85 billion dollars worth of damage, helping to make the year the third most expensive on record, Munich Re said.

With 200 billion dollars' worth of damage, only 2005, when a large number of hurricanes slammed into the southern United States, and 1995, year of the Kobe earthquake in Japan, wreaked more destruction since records began in 1900.

According to provisional estimates from the World Meteorological Organization, 2008 was the tenth warmest year since the beginning of routine temperature recording and the eighth warmest in the northern hemisphere.

This means that the ten warmest years ever recorded have all occurred in the last 12 years, Munich Re said.

"It is now very probable that the progressive warming of the atmosphere is due to the greenhouse gases emitted by human activity. The weather machine is running in top gear, bringing more intense severe weather events," it said.

The number of tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic in 2008 was much higher than the long-term average, and in terms of both the total number of storms and the number of major hurricanes, 2008 was the fourth most severe hurricane season since reliable data have been available, it said.

The world needed "effective and binding rules on CO2 emissions, so that climate change is curbed and future generations do not have to live with weather scenarios that are difficult to control," board member Jeworrek said.

Last December, the international community agreed in Bali on a two-year roadmap culminating in a new global climate deal to be signed in Copenhagen in December 2009.

Unprecedented in scale and complexity, this accord, due to take effect from 2012, is meant to rein in the greenhouse gases that stoke global warming and throw a lifeline to poor countries exposed to mutated weather patterns.

'Huge year for natural disasters'
BBC News 29 Dec 08;

The past year has been one of the most devastating ever in terms of natural disasters, one of the world's biggest re-insurance companies has said.

Munich Re said the impact of the disasters was greater than in 2007 in both human and economic terms.

The company suggested climate change was boosting the destructive power of disasters like hurricanes and flooding.

It has called for stricter curbs on emissions to prevent further uncontrollable weather scenarios.

Although there were fewer "loss-producing events" in 2008 than in the previous year, the impact of natural disasters was higher, said Munich Re in its annual assessment.

More than 220,000 people died in events like cyclones, earthquakes and flooding, the most since 2004, the year of the Asian tsunami.

Meanwhile, overall global losses totalled about $200bn (£137bn), with uninsured losses totalling $45bn, about 50% more than in 2007.

This makes 2008 the third most expensive year on record, after 1995, when the Kobe earthquake struck Japan, and 2005, the year of Hurricane Katrina in the US.

Torsten Jeworrek of Munich Re said the pattern continued a long-term trend already observed.

"Climate change has already started and is very probably contributing to increasingly frequent weather extremes and ensuing natural catastrophes," he said.

Uninsured

Asia was the continent worst hit by natural disasters in 2008, Munich Re reported.

Cyclone Nargis in Burma killed an estimated 130,000 people and devastated much of the low-lying Irrawaddy Delta region, while the earthquake which struck China's Sichuan province in May left an estimated 70,000 dead and millions homeless.

Munich Re said the losses of $85bn made Sichuan the second most expensive earthquake after Kobe.

Although Nargis and the Sichuan quake brought the biggest cost in terms of human lives, the economic losses were mostly uninsured.

The most expensive single event in 2008 was Hurricane Ike, which brought $30bn in losses. It was one of five major hurricanes in the North Atlantic over the year, which saw a total of 16 tropical storms.

In addition, roughly 1,700 tornadoes across the US caused several billion dollars of damage, as did periods of low pressure weather activity in Europe.

Munich Re quoted World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) figures showing that 2008 was the 10th warmest year since reliable records began, meaning that the 10 warmest years on record all occurred in the past 12 years.

"It is now very probable that the progressive warming of the atmosphere is due to the greenhouse gases emitted by human activity," said Prof Peter Hoppe, head of Munich Re's Geo Risks Research.

"The logic is clear: when temperatures increase there is more evaporation and the atmosphere has a greater capacity to absorb water vapour, with the result that its energy content is higher.

"The weather machine runs into top gear, bringing more intense severe weather events with corresponding effects in terms of losses."

The company said world leaders must put in place "effective and binding rules on CO2 emissions" to curb climate change and ensure that "future generations do not have to live with weather scenarios that are difficult to control".

"If we delay too long, it will be very costly for future generations," said Mr Jeworrek.

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Best of our wild blogs: 29 Dec 08

Stars on Sembawang Beach?
on the wild shores of singapore blog

It hurts...
on the annotated budak blog

Pacific Golden Plover catching a crab
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Solar-powered green sea slug steals ability to photosynthesise from algae
from Not Exactly Rocket Science

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40,000 in Singapore sign petition to end animal cruelty

Singaporeans do care
40,000 sign petition to end animal cruelty –the most in Asia so far
Esther Ng, Today Online 27 Dec 08;

THE feat surprised even animal rights activists here: Singaporeans have become the first in Asia to put 40,000 signatures to the Universal Declaration for Animal Welfare (UDAW).

The petition, begun by nearly 200 animal welfare groups worldwide, will be presented to the United Nations once 10 million signatures are collected. So far, 1.8 million have been amassed. In the Asia Pacific, Singapore is second only to Australia (140,635), scoring more signatures than New Zealand (36,545) and Thailand (29,734).

Mr Louis Ng, executive director of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), which is behind the campaign here, called this a “pleasant surprise amid all the bad economic news”.

He said when Acres started campaigning for UDAW two years ago, holding more than 130 roadshows, it did not expect to garner so much support from Singaporeans. He puts the success down to “personal touch” and “the work of a bunch of passionate volunteers”.

“Unlike online petitions where you go and click a button, our volunteers at our roadshows explain to people why animals matter and why animal cruelty has to end ... Many (afterwards) sign the petition. It shows that Singaporeans do care for issues of no economic value,” said Mr Ng.

That Singaporeans are becoming more aware of animal welfare issues, and taking a more active role in supporting these, should not come as a total surprise.

Over the last 10 years, a number of Singaporeans have started their own animal shelters, taking in abandoned dogs and cats.

Action for Singapore Dog’s (ASD) president Ricky Yeo reckons “at least 20 to 30 individuals or groups have sprung up, just by the number of people that come to us for help or advice”. He said: “You could say the Internet, the green movement help make people more aware about animal cruelty and want to do something about it.”

Many of these animal welfare groups run educational and sterilisation programmes that could have contributed to increased awareness among Singaporeans. For instance, the Cat Welfare Society’s “trap-neuter-release-and-manage” programme of neutering strays and managing the cat population is run by a network of volunteers which number in the hundreds.

Then there are individuals like Ms Lynn Lam, who started a network of some 300 cat welfare volunteers in the west and east of Singapore — as well as the Singapore Zoo’s educational and conservation programmes over the decades. These, too, have contributed to the overall consciousness of animal well-being.

In 2005, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recognised the growth of animal welfare groups in Singapore in his Budget Speech and urged Singaporeans to donate to causes like this. The Government has also decided to broaden the definition of charitable activities to include sports, environment protection and animal welfare.

Acres, meanwhile, is not resting on its laurels — it will continue campaigning for UDAW at its monthly roadshows at shopping centres next year.

Laws make good progress: Acres founder
Today Online 27 Dec 08;

ACRES founder Louis Ng has been highlighting the problem of endangered wildlife trafficking for the past seven years, so, when the Singapore Government last year tightened the law on this, he was elated.

The fine is now $50,000 per animal, a jail term of up to two years, or both. Previously, it was only $5,000 per species.

“This change in legislation shows that the Government is taking a strong stand on trafficking,” said Mr Ng, when asked to give his take on where Singapore stood in terms of animal welfare-friendly laws.

While the maximum penalties for animal cruelty have increased from a $500 fine and/or jail term of 6 months, to a fine of $10,000 and/or jail term of 12 months, animal activists say the law is feebly enforced.

They cite the case of serial animal abuser David Hooi, who upon being released from jail after a month, went on to kill another kitten.

The penalty for abandonment of an animal is $10,000, a jail term of 12 months, or both, but according to ASD president Ricky Yeo, there has yet to be a case “where a person has been prosecuted for abandonment”.

Last year, the AVA introduced stricter licensing rules for pet farms to regulate the sale of pets. Activists think more can be done as this has not reduced the number of dogs abandoned. Instead, they say the number of animals sold in pet shops or through backyard breeders has increased.

“I’ve had Australia animal welfare groups telling ASD that Australian puppy mills are exporting puppies to farms in Singapore,” said Mr Yeo.

More links

• About Acres on their website
• Animal Matter to Me petition on http://www.animalsmatter.org/

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HSBC bankrolls marine conservation project with S$600,000 donation

Ali Smith, Channel NewsAsia 28 Dec 08;

SINGAPORE: Pulau Semakau may be Singapore's only remaining landfill. But if an ambitious environmental conservation project pays off, there are hopes the island could someday be upgraded to a marine park.

The three-year project is a S$600,000 community initiative bankrolled by HSBC.

Volunteers will be crucial to the success of Project Semakau.

It aims to mobilise over 3,000 volunteers to survey and collect data on the 350-hectare island's inter-tidal shores.

"I hear about the loss of corals because of global warming and I think it's important to preserve our marine life here," said Jen Wong, one of the volunteers.

Dhavalakshmi Palanivelu, another volunteer, said: "We have very little natural landscape left here in Singapore, so we should preserve what we have left."

At the project's launch, HSBC handed its S$600,000 commitment to the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research.

So far, about 50 volunteers have been trained by science experts from the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research.

They will begin leading groups at the inter-tidal shores early next year to teach them the value of the island as a conservation site.

Volunteers will include the public and university students who will spread the message of balancing urbanisation with conservation.

Professor Leo Tan, National University of Singapore's director for special projects, said: "We can have the biggest buildings and the highest ships and so forth and we can have a great economy, but unless the air is clean, the water is clean, the food is clean, we are not going to have any future at all."

- CNA/ir

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Bicycle rental a hit in Paris: Singapore considering similar set up

Straits Times 29 Dec 08;

ACCOUNTANT Michel Lepaulnier no longer battles the crowds on the Paris Metro during the early morning rush hour.

Instead, he hops on a rented bicycle near his home in the bohemian area of Montmartre on the right bank of the River Seine and cycles to his workplace about 7.5km away.

The 45-year-old pays nothing for renting the bicycle if he completes his journey within 30minutes, which he usually does.

Paris' bicycle rental system, called the Velib, has become a popular means of transport for both locals and tourists.

The success of the system, which has reduced congestion in the city and improved the environment, has the Singapore authorities considering a similar set-up here.

Last month, the Land Transport Authority said it was looking into setting up bicycle kiosks at MRT stations to provide bicycles, and bike-washing and parking facilities.

The Velib, which was started by the Paris town council last year, counts more than 20,000 bicycles spread across 1,450 stations located outside restaurants, on side streets and at tourist attractions, among other places.

The stations are spread across the entire 86.9sq km of Paris and serve two million people. The stations are no more than 300m apart and each has space for 20 to 35 bicycles.

'It's wonderful... I don't have to invest in a bicycle and it's really good exercise,' said Mr Lepaulnier.

Cyclists who hold on to the bike for more than 30 minutes pay ¥1 (S$2) for the first additional half hour, ¥2 for the second, and ¥4 for the third onwards. Commuters can also buy an annual subscription for ¥29.

To ensure that the system is not abused, cyclists have to wait a few minutes after returning their bicycles before borrowing another one. They must also register their credit card and put up a ¥150 deposit, which is deducted if the bike is not returned within 24 hours.

A Straits Times check found the system easy to use as it is available in languages other than French, including English.

Cycling in the city is also a breeze as cars do not try to squeeze cyclists out of the lanes. Some parts of the city have bicycle-only lanes or lanes allowing only bikes and buses.

In land-scarce Singapore, providing such cycling facilities may pose a problem. Another obstacle here is the hot and humid weather.

In Paris, the Velib has been instrumental in reducing congestion on the roads, greenhouse gases, and is also a welcome means of exercise.

But some issues raised by cyclists there include not being able to rent helmets, and having to circle around to find a station to return their bikes to when the one they want fills up.

MARIA ALMENOAR

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Asia appetite for turtles seen as a threat to Florida species

The reptiles, especially softshell turtles, are prized in China as food and as a source for traditional medicines. U.S. experts fear the trade could lead to extinctions.

Kim Christensen, LA Times 27 Dec 08;er 27, 2008

The turtle tank at Nam Hoa Fish Market is empty, but not to worry: The manager of this bustling Chinatown store says he has plenty in back.

"Big ones," he says, spreading his hands as wide as a Christmas turkey.

He nods to a worker, who slides a large, waxed-cardboard box from a stack behind the counter and strips off the lid. Inside is a squirming burlap bag, from which he dumps two 15-pound softshell turtles that hit the concrete with a clop, then flail helplessly on their backs.

"Miami," the shopkeeper says of the reptiles' origins. "All from Miami."

Fresh off a plane at Los Angeles International Airport, one of the hubs of the sprawling international turtle trade, the critters will help feed a huge and growing appetite for freshwater turtles as food and medicine.

The demand pits ancient culture against modern conservation and increasingly threatens turtle populations worldwide. As Asian economies boomed, more and more people began buying turtle, once a delicacy beyond their budgets. Driven in particular by Chinese demand, Asian consumption has all but wiped out wild turtle populations not just in China, but in Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and elsewhere in the region. Now conservationists fear that the U.S. turtle population could be eaten into extinction.

"It's insatiable," says Matt Aresco, a Florida biologist and director of the private Nokuse Plantation conservation reserve in the Florida Panhandle. "If we harvested every single turtle in Florida and sent every single one to Asia, there would still be a demand for more," he says. "That's how scary it is."

Federal law prohibits the capture of endangered or protected species. But it does not cover common turtles such as Florida's softshells, whose widely varying population estimates range from 4 million to 20 million. Softshells also abound in other, mostly Southern, states, some of which, including Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama and Mississippi, have banned or severely limited commercial harvests. Until recently, Florida had no limits on softshell harvests.

In Chinese communities around the world, turtles are coveted for their meat, which is thought to enhance longevity and sexual prowess. They're also used to make tonics believed to boost the immune system, and for other traditional medicines intended to treat an array of ailments, including cancer, arthritis and heart disease.

Carl Chu, the author of "Finding Chinese Food in Los Angeles," recalls growing up in his native Taiwan and watching as turtles' heads were cut off and their blood mixed with alcohol, then drunk as an aphrodisiac. It's one small illustration of an age-old Chinese belief that all kinds of food are therapeutic, he says.

"Anything that can be eaten is eaten to obtain some medicinal effect, and that includes turtles," he says.

Helen Nguyen, who has owned Nam Hoa Fish Market for 26 years, says that many of the turtles she sells for $6.99 a pound, before butchering, end up as soup in Chinese restaurants in Alhambra and Monterey Park, communities with large Asian populations.

The big, brownish-green softshells are most desirable because a 12-pounder will yield about half its weight in meat, she says. Its leathery shell also can be steamed and eaten.

"Most often, older people eat it," Nguyen says. "For the body. For the health. Makes you healthy."

In 1999, an international consortium of biologists and others estimated that the Asian turtle trade had grown to about 10 million of the reptiles a year, or 30,000 a day. By many accounts, demand has since grown dramatically.

During the peak season in late summer and early fall, the creatures are pulled by the thousands from Florida lakes, rivers, ponds, canals, drainage ditches and abandoned phosphate pits.

Those who catch them typically use baited hooks on trotlines, some stretching for miles. Their catch is bagged, boxed and shipped live to U.S. customers on both coasts and the Gulf of Mexico -- and to Asian gateways such as Hong Kong and Taiwan.

One Florida seafood dealer said his company had processed up to 20,000 pounds a week -- a couple of thousand adult turtles. Another broker ships nearly that much, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report this year.

Many of the shipments go through LAX.

"In rough numbers, it's probably about 800 turtles a week, and they're going to southern China and Hong Kong," says Joe Ventura, an inspector with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Los Angeles. "It used to be a luxury item there. Now it's just a routine thing that people eat."

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UK's holiday waste smashes all records

Christmas packaging, millions of trees and up to a billion cards are heading to landfill – even though much of it could be recycled

Rachel Shields, The Independent 28 Dec 08;

This is a toy story, but it has no happy ending. As millions of households wade through crumpled wrapping, plastic ties and discarded boxes, the sheer weight of refuse in coming days is expected to smash all records.

Waste watchdogs warned yesterday that rubbish from the estimated 100 million toys unwrapped last week is likely to burn big holes in the ozone layer as well as in parents' pockets.

The Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap) said toy manufacturers are not putting enough information about recycling on their packaging and, as a result, most of it will be sent needlessly to landfill. Over Christmas 2008 alone, this will lead to more than 400 extra tonnes of harmful C02. The news is a blow to the Government's 2007 Waste Strategy, which aims to see 40 per cent of all household waste recycled by 2010.

A survey by Recycle Now showed that while 89 per cent of British parents with children under the age of 12 would like to recycle toy packaging, 53 per cent found it difficult to know what was suitable for recycling.

"A large proportion of the packaging material from toys is actually recyclable because it is made from paper or cardboard," said Andy Dawe, Wrap's head of retail. "It is helpful for consumers to have labelling on the types of material that make up the packaging and which of these can be recycled. It also makes a real difference if different materials can be separated. For example, where a box includes cardboard with a plastic window, it should be made as simple as possible to remove the window."

The government-funded agency is now calling on toy manufacturers to improve recycling instructions on their products, and for consumers to redouble their recycling efforts.

"It's for manufacturers, government-led organisations and consumers themselves to do this," said Natasha Crookes of the British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA). "Seventy per cent of toy packaging is now recyclable, so it is really about getting people to recycle, especially at Christmas when everyone is busy unwrapping their presents."

British households generate 20 per cent more waste during the festive period, including one billion Christmas cards, eight million Christmas trees and 83 sq kms of wrapping paper.

Toy manufacturers are required by law to carry safety warnings on packaging, but are not obliged to include recycling instructions. The BTHA is currently drawing up new packaging guidelines that will include recycling.

Many retailers have made steps towards reducing packaging. Boots reviewed its gift sets and relaunched them this Christmas with reduced packaging. The online retailer Amazon recently launched a "frustration-free packaging" service, which reduces excess wrapping and which will begin in the UK after Christmas.

In 2007, the UK recycled 9.7 million tonnes of household waste, an increase of 10 per cent on the previous year. However, some fear that the current economic downturn may lead to companies prioritising profits over their environmental obligations.

"It is vitally important that we carry on recycling," Mr Dawe said. "If we stop, all materials will go to landfill – and that is the worst possible outcome."

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Best of our wild blogs: 28 Dec 08

First time at Sultan Shoal
on the wonderful creation blog and manta blog and discovery blog.

Dead Colugo found near Chestnut Drive
on the Flying Fish Friends blog

Vertebrates of Pulau Semakau
on the wild shores of singapore blog and scenic semakau with some less happy sightings.

Life History of the Fulvous Pied Flat
on the Butterflies of Singapore blog

Pied Imperial Pigeons eating palm fruits
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

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