NASA study says climate adds fuel to Asian wildfire emissions

EurekAlert 30 Apr 09;

In the last decade, Asian farmers have cleared tens of thousands of square miles of forests to accommodate the world's growing demand for palm oil, an increasingly popular food ingredient. Ancient peatlands have been drained and lush tropical forests have been cut down. As a result, the landscape of equatorial Asia now lies vulnerable to fires, which are growing more frequent and having a serious impact on the air as well as the land.

A team of NASA-sponsored researchers have used satellites to make the first series of estimates of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from these fires -- both wildfires and fires started by people -- in Malaysia, Indonesia, Borneo, and Papua New Guinea. They are now working to understand how climate influences the spread and intensity of the fires.

Using data from a carbon-detecting NASA satellite and computer models, the researchers found that seasonal fires from 2000 to 2006 doubled the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released from the Earth to the atmosphere above the region. The scientists also observed through satellite remote sensing that fires in regional peatlands and forests burned longer and emitted ten times more carbon when rainfall declined by one third the normal amount. The results were presented in December 2008 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Tropical Asian fires first grabbed the attention of government officials, media, and conservationists in 1997, when fires set to clear land for palm oil and rice plantations burned out of control. The fires turned wild and spread to dry, flammable peatlands during one of the region's driest seasons on record. By the time the flames subsided in early 1998, emissions from the fires had reached 40 percent of the global carbon emissions for the period.

"In this region, decision makers are facing a dichotomy of demands, as expanding commercial crop production is competing with efforts to ease the environmental impact of fires," said Jim Collatz, an Earth scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and a co-author of the study. "The science is telling us that we need strategies to reduce the occurrence of deforestation fires and peatlands wildfires. Without some new strategies, emissions from the region could rise substantially in a drier, warmer future."

Since the 1997 event, the region has been hit by two major dry spells and a steady upswing in fires, threatening biodiversity and air quality and contributing to the buildup of CO2 in the atmosphere. As more CO2 is emitted, the global atmosphere traps more heat near Earth's surface, leading to more drying and more fires.

Until recently, scientists knew little about what drives changes in how fires spread and how long they burn. Collatz, along with lead author Guido van der Werf of Vrije University, Amsterdam, and other colleagues sought to estimate the emissions since the devastating 1997-98 fires and to analyze the interplay between the fires and drought.

They used the carbon monoxide detecting Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite -- as well as 1997-2006 fire data and research computer models -- to screen for and differentiate between carbon emissions from deforestation versus general emissions. Carbon monoxide is a good indicator of the occurrence of fire, and the amounts of carbon monoxide in fire emissions are related to the amount of carbon dioxide. They also compared the emissions from different types of plant life (peat land vs. typical forest) by examining changes in land cover and land use as viewed by Terra's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectradiometer (MODIS) and by Landsat 7.

Collatz explained that two climate phenomena drive regional drought. El Niño's warm waters in the Eastern Pacific change weather patterns around the world every few years and cause cooler water temperatures in the western Pacific near equatorial Asia that suppress the convection necessary for rainfall. Previously, scientists have used measurements from NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission satellite to correlate rainfall with carbon losses and burned land data, finding that wildfire emissions rose during dry El Niño seasons. The Indian Ocean dipole phenomenon affects climate in the Indian Ocean region with oscillating ocean temperatures characterized by warmer waters merging with colder waters to inhibit rainfall over Indonesia, Borneo, and their neighbors.

"This link between drought and emissions should be of concern to all of us," said co-author Ruth DeFries, an ecologist at Columbia University in New York. "If drought becomes more frequent with climate change, we can expect more fires."

Collatz, DeFries, and their colleagues found that between 2000 and 2006, the average carbon dioxide emissions from equatorial Asia accounted for about 2 percent of global fossil fuel emissions and 3 percent of the global increase in atmospheric CO2. But during moderate El Niño years in 2002 and 2006, when dry season rainfall was half of normal, fire emissions rose by a factor of 10. During the severe El Niño of 1997-1998, fire emissions from this region comprised 15 percent of global fossil fuel emissions and 31 percent of the global atmospheric increase over that period.

"This study not only updates our measurements of carbon losses from these fires, but also highlights an increasingly important factor driving change in equatorial Asia," explained DeFries. "In this part of Asia, human-ignited forest and peat fires are emitting excessive carbon into the atmosphere. In climate-sensitive areas like Borneo, human response to drought is a new dynamic affecting feedbacks between climate and the carbon cycle."

In addition to climate influences, human activities contribute to the growing fire emissions. Palm oil is increasingly grown for use as a cooking oil and biofuel, while also replacing trans fats in processed foods. It has become the most widely produced edible oil in the world, and production has swelled in recent years to surpass that of soybean oil. More than 30 million metric tons of palm oil are produced in Malaysia and Indonesia alone, and the two countries now supply more than 85 percent of global demand.

The environmental effects of such growth have been significant. Land has to be cleared to grow the crop, and the preferred method is fire. The clearing often occurs in drained peatlands that are otherwise swampy forests where the remains of past plant life have been submerged for centuries in as much as 60 feet of water. Peat material in Borneo, for example, stores the equivalent of about nine years worth of global fossil fuel emissions.

"Indonesia has become the third largest greenhouse gas emitter after the United States and China, due primarily to these fire emissions," Collatz said. "With an extended dry season, the peat surface dries out, catches fire, and the lack of rainfall can keep the fires going for months."

Besides emitting carbon, the agricultural fires and related wildfires also ravage delicate ecosystems in conservation hotspots like the western Pacific island of Borneo, home to more than 15,000 species of plants, 240 species of trees, and an abundance of endangered animals.

Smoke and other fire emissions also regularly taint regional air quality to such a degree that officials have to close schools and airports out of concern for public health and safety. Peat fires also aggravate air pollution problems in this region because they release four times more carbon monoxide than forest fires. In 1997, air pollution from the fires cost the region an estimated $4.5 billion in tourism and business.

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/asian_fires.html

Written by: Gretchen Cook-Anderson
NASA Earth Science News team

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Best of our wild blogs: 1 May 09

Volunteer with the Hantu Blog!
on the wild shores of singapore blog

“One Hundred Questions of Importance to the Conservation of Global Biological Diversity” on the Biodiversity crew @ NUS blog

Dolphins sighted off Semakau!
on the wonderful creation blog

Semakau walk on Labour Day
on the wonderful creation blog and discovery blog and urban forest blog

Back to Jong!
on the wonderful creation blog and the discovery blog and urban forest blog

Another side of Sentosa
on the wild shores of singapore blog

The Mangrove Pitta experience
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Pretending to be a pebble
on the annotated budak blog

Works on Sentosa causeway and new bridge continues until Aug 09 on the wild shores of singapore blog

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Climate Change Hits Vietnam's Poorest Areas

Bernama 30 Apr 09;

HANOI, April 30 (Bernama) -- There are no fears of tsunamis in the fishing village of Hai Ly Commune. The sea is calm and bountiful for the fishermen who come back to shore with nets full, reported the Vietnam news agency.

"But under the surface there is a problem," warns Nguyen Quang Thanh, 77, a villager of Nam Dinh Province's coastal Hai Hau District, 150km south of Hanoi.

"The sea level is rising and has caused a huge loss to my village," Thanh says.

The dyke has been breached three times since 1947, forcing two villages and three churches to be moved.

Thanh was among 82 families living outside the sea dyke eight years ago.

"Luckily, we were displaced before our villages were inundated," he says.

But he and his neighbours are not safe yet. While part of the dyke has been rebuilt to make it strong, Thanh and his neighbours' homes are located at the foot of the part, which is still earthen.

Nguyen Thanh Sy, who is in charge of transport and irrigation works in the district, says the council is aware it's very dangerous for those living by the coastline, particularly in the flood and storm season.

"However, there's no way that we can move them to higher ground," Sy says. "It'll be very costly, you know."

The rise in sea level and other impacts of climate change are a threat to Vietnam.

A new Asian Development Bank report, released in Hanoi recently, said Vietnam's rice production could "dramatically decline" and rising sea levels could submerge tens of thousands of hectares of crop land by the end of the century.

The report, entitled The Economics of Climate Change in Southeast Asia: A Regional Review, also warned that climate change could force the relocation of thousands of families living in coastal communities when its adverse impacts hit the country by 2020.

Understanding the threat, Thanh, Sy and other residents of Hai Ly Commune in the Red River Delta know that sea level rise and its impacts on their lives are related to global warming and climate change.

"Yes, people have heard of climate change. They understand that climate change is real and it is happening now," Ha Noi-based Oxfam Great Britain country director Steve Price-Thomas said.

"But they are not quite sure what to do about it. They don't know where it comes from. They need to understand options to deal with it," Price-Thomas said.

How to explain to the public how climate change originated and what it means are questions Viet Nam aims to address, said Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment's Deputy Director of Meteorology Hydrology and Climate Change Department Nguyen Khac Hieu.

"It's crucial for the public to be aware of climate change so they can learn how adapt to it and mitigate its potential consequences.

"There's no doubt that prevention will cost us much less than repairing the damage.

"The mission to raise public awareness is one of key activities we'll deploy in the national target programme to respond to climate change," Hieu said.

The US$112 million programme was approved last year.

As part of the measures, Hieu said climate change would be introduced at high schools and some universities.

Danish Embassy programme officer for climate change Nguyen Thuy Trang said it was important to change people's behaviour, which was contributing to the increase of greenhouse gases emissions.

"There should be more advocacy for the use of public transport instead of private vehicles, one of the main culprits creating air pollution in big cities," Trang said.

Meanwhile, the poorest people, who commonly live in rural areas, are the most vulnerable to climate change, especially those living in coastal and mountainous areas.

However, as Thanh from Hai Ly Commune said, they lacked the assistance necessary to adapt to climate change, even though they knew how dangerous it would be for them.

"Everybody in our village is scared of storms, floods and the rise in sea level. It's another enemy after the foreign invaders during the war. But what can we do?" Thanh said.

In 2005, the Government decided to grant each household with home located at the foot of the dyke in Hai Ly Commune VND4.5 million (US$257) to move to a higher place.

"That sum is not enough," Thanh said, adding that even if it was enough, there is no land available for us to move to, except in the cemetery.

Even the re-construction of the dyke could not be finished because of the shortage of funding.

Poverty is also a problem. Price-Thomas said that though awareness of climate change was increasing, people had too many immediate challenges in their lives.

"Some people think it's a long-term problem and they worry more about short-term concerns, for example their poverty.

"It's rich countries that cause the problem. They need to help poor countries like Vietnam to adapt to climate change. "

-- BERNAMA

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Indonesian local authorities' environmentally unfriendly policies blamed for disasters

The Jakarta Post 30 Apr 09;

The National Disaster Management Body (BNPB) has blamed local authorities and their environmentally unfriendly policies for the recent spate of disasters nationwide.

"The biggest challenge in preventing disasters for the government at both the central and local levels is the bureaucracy itself. Their thirst for income often leads to policies that are unfriendly to the environment," Deputy Chief of the BNPB Sugeng Triutomo told The Jakarta Post after launching the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction at the Borobudur Hotel in Central Jakarta.

The platform will serve as an advisory body at all levels of administrations, providing recommendations for environmentally-friendly policies, as well as raising public awareness, head of BNPB Syamsul Ma'arif said.

Sugeng outlined several instances of irresponsible policy development.

"In Puncak, West Java, both the provincial and the Bogor regency administrations have issued many building permits in conservation areas just to earn more land and building taxes," Sugeng said.

"That has been happening for years and the impact is long-term. But when the floods hit Jakarta, the Jakarta and West Java administrations just play the blame game. This must not happen anymore," he said.

The latest disaster, the Situ Gintung dam burst in Banten, killed more than 100 people and was a classic of example of this mismanagement, Sugeng said.

"It was always forbidden to build on the land encircling the lake. There are regulations about that. However, when people began to build their homes there, the authorities just ignored it and imposed taxes," he explained.

In Papua and Kalimantan, Sugeng said, the challenge to prevent environmental destruction was even more complicated due to the greater amount of potential taxes from logging and mining companies.

Sugeng said similar challenges face authorities nationwide, particularly in remote areas.

"On the one hand, the authorities' desire for money may harm the environment, while on the other a lack of public awareness about the natural environment may exacerbate it," he said.

A number of observers have also blamed the central government's law enforcement measures against regional governments.

They claim that existing regulations at the national level are largely ignored by many regional administrations, who instead implement their own measures to make a profit.

The National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, kicked off by the BNPB in cooperation with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), aims to overcome those problems.

"This platform accommodates all stakeholders, including NGOs, academics, the media, private sector, the government and international communities," head of BNPB Syamsul Ma'arif said.

Syamsul said the platform will also bridge the gap between the authorities and local communities.

"Disaster management is a collective business of the government, communities and private sector," he said.

"I would like to congratulate the Indonesian government for this measure and hope it is not just a *supermarket' for NGOs and communities but actually manages disasters," Ignacio Leon-Garcia, the head of UN OCHA, said. (bbs)

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Earth Day: a Southeast Asia regional perspective

Menandro S. Abanes, Jakarta Post 30 Apr 09;

"All the regions of the Philippines; the Mekong River Delta in Vietnam; almost all the regions of Cambodia; the North and East of the Lao PDR; the Bangkok region of Thailand; and West Sumatra, South Sumatra, West Java and East Java of Indonesia are all among the most vulnerable regions in Southeast Asia." These are the conclusions of a study entitled "Climate Change Vulnerability Mapping for Southeast Asia" by the Economic and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA) in 2009.

There were three factors considered in the study to identify these climate change "hotspots," namely, climatic hazards (floods, droughts, cyclones, etc.), human and ecological sensitivity (population density and protected areas), and adaptive capacities (socio-economic data, technology and infrastructure).

Climate change, as we know, is one of the biggest threats to biodiversity. Conservation International (CI) identified the areas called biodiversity hotspots in dire need of conservation and protection due to high prevalence of species and high risks.

Of the 34 biodiversity hotspots in the world identified by CI, Southeast Asia hosts four of these; Indo-Burma, the Philippines, Sundaland (Borneo and Sumatra), and Wallacea (Sulawesi and Moluccas). These biodiversity hotspots are home to thousands of endemic species, some of which are threatened and endangered.

With climate change ever threatening our rich regional biodiversity, as concerned ASEAN citizens, what can we do in our endeavors to conserve and protect our biodiversity?

Global environmental issues and concerns such as climate change and biodiversity loss are covered by Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) to address such issues. For example, the issue of climate change is tackled by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) while biodiversity loss is covered by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

If there is one measure that can be credited for slowing down global environmental degradation and promoting global environmental vigilance and care, then it is, I must say, the collection of MEAs which are legally binding on the countries who signed these environmental conventions.

Although there still exist tremendous challenges to combat global environmental problems, the MEAs have shown the achievements, limitations and potentiality of these agreements to confront pressing and complex global environmental issues such as threats to biodiversity. MEAs have laid a good foundation and framework for policy and actions by decision-makers, if we intend to really do something on biodiversity conservation.

For activists, MEAs have provided a good starting point for discussion, debate, criticism and action. As citizens of signatory Parties, which are our governments, we are called upon to advance the goal of protecting and conserving our Earth from human destructiveness and greed. We should push our governments to help them comply with their obligations to prevent and manage negative human impacts on the Earth.

The current political-economic situation in our region and even in the world may not look conducive to significant reforms to highlight environmental protection and conservation, but the reports of EEPSEA on climate change "hotspots" may trigger responses and key actions from governments, private sector and NGOs.

Various national problems in the region bring us to the challenges facing regional structures. As we know, regional environmental issues and concerns are not insulated from national political and economic problems facing member states. New elections in Indonesia mean a new government and new directions, whilst economic recession is affecting Singapore.

There is an impending election in the Philippines, along with political uncertainties in Thailand and Myanmar. Malaysia also has a new leader and government. These are the changing realities in the region, affecting the efforts and directions we may take in protecting and conserving the Earth from the negative impacts of climate change and other environmental hazards.

There are logical reasons to look beyond countries and nation-states to determine adequate responses to the social, political, economic and environmental realities that challenge us. We must examine and push forward regional structures such as ASEAN to play a more enhanced role in addressing transnational concerns and issues.

Regional structures can represent and articulate collective interests and, at the same time, manage collective affairs and obligations of member states in regional and global levels.

The power and jurisdiction in tackling environmental concerns and issues must not rest solely on individual governments.

Various actors such as NGOs, the private sector and individuals have shown and proven their contributions in combating and mitigating climate change. These partnerships within countries and beyond can open up environmental possibilities from which we can draw valuable lessons.

Regional structures can offer cooperative problem-solving mechanisms bringing together ASEAN member states to provide our Earth with a breathing space in the midst of choking challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss.

ASEAN is blessed with rich biodiversity. Millions of tourists from all over the world come to our region to witness and enjoy this richness. Let us help our region protect and conserve its biodiversity. Let us have one region on Earth that showcases the beauty and wonders of biodiversity - let it be ASEAN.

The writer is a Research Associate of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity based in the Philippines.

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Singapore to develop biodiversity index

Project will help chart how cities manage their range of flora and fauna
Grace Chua, Straits Times 1 May 09;

SINGAPORE is helping to develop a grading system to measure how cities worldwide are conserving their plant and animal species.

More than half the world's population now lives in cities, which pose threats to biodiversity in the form of development, pollution and competing land use.

Yet a wide range of plants and animals is essential even to cities.

Plants, for instance, absorb carbon dioxide and prevent flooding as well as soil erosion, and bats pollinate the fruit trees in gardens and by roadsides.

The Singapore Index on Cities' Biodiversity would measure performance and assign scores based on three categories:

# Biodiversity - the number of plant, animal and other species that exist in a city;

# The services that these plants and animals provide, such as pollination and as carbon sinks; and

# How well a city manages its biodiversity - for instance, by setting up a conservation agency or a museum to document species and habitats.

'It will be like a report card with grades for different indicators,' said Dr Lena Chan, deputy director of the National Parks Board's (NParks) National Biodiversity Centre.

The centre is helping to develop the index with its own technical experts and those from overseas institutes, scientists from the National University of Singapore and NParks, and city representatives and non-governmental organisations from around the world.

The index, expected to be ready for use next year, originated from the conference of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, held in Bonn last May.

At the conference, Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan commented on the need for a biodiversity index specifically for cities, as none existed.

The development of the Singapore Index was announced by an inter-ministerial committee on Monday as part of a sustainable-development blueprint.

At the same time, Singapore is coming up with a national plan to protect its biodiversity for the next 10 to 15 years.

Details of the plan are being worked out and will be announced later this month, but it will include biodiversity monitoring programmes, species surveys and the reintroduction of rare species.


Biodiversity index named after Singapore
Business Times 1 May 09;

AN index to measure biodiversity in cities has been named after Singapore in recognition of the island's contribution and leadership in the area.

The 'Singapore Index on Cities' Biodiversity' - or 'Singapore Index', for short - is intended to help cities evaluate their biodiversity efforts over time.

In February, various players were invited to a workshop here by the National Parks Board. International experts, non-governmental organisations and city representatives from Montreal and Nagoya convened to discuss the specifics of the index.

It was agreed the Singapore Index should focus on components such as the native biodiversity, ecosystems services present and how a city manages these things.

Details of assessment criteria will be decided by year-end, but BT understands cities will derive a single number from applying the index.

Singapore initiated the development of a city biodiversity index when National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan proposed the idea at a conference in Germany last May.

The effort is part of Singapore's push to promote sustainability.

It is hoped the index will be used as a self-assessment tool for cities aware of gaps in information about their biodiversity and conservation efforts.

Oliver Hillel, of the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), found the workshop to be 'one of the best events' he has participated in. 'The city biodiversity index will be a strategic contribution to the CBD in more ways than one,' he said.

So far, cities including Paris, Curitiba in Brazil and Edmonton in Canada have agreed to test the Singapore Index.

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Singapore firms go eco-friendly and economical

Esther Fung, Today Online 1 May 09;

As a curry puff maker, Old Chang Kee naturally uses a lot of cooking oil. But instead of throwing out the used fuel, the Singapore-listed company has been getting the oil recycled to help power its mobile stalls.

The firm is among food industry players with a headstart in a Government pilot programme aimed at encouraging manufacturers to cut down waste and emissions.

Launched yesterday, the Sustainable Manufacturing Programme is jointly organised by the Singapore Manufacturers’ Federation (SMa) and SPRING Singapore. About 10 firms have signed up so far.

SPRING will help to defray up to 70 per cent of the costs of such investments.

“There may be some companies which are skeptical and say there is no demand for it. But those who take on the opportunity now will be better positioned to be more competitive compared to those who have not,” said SPRING’s deputy chief executive Ted Tan.

Businessmen at the launch added that being green would help them reach out to European markets, where green consumerism is in vogue.

Over the next five years, this programme is expected to help 60 companies, and generate a value-add of $180 million, said Mr Tan.

SMa is collaborating with the Singapore Environment Council and Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) to help food manufacturers like Prima reduce its carbon footprint in its flour mills.

SMa president Renny Yeo said firms need to view eco-friendly practices not so much as costly but rather, as tools to increase profitability through innovation.

Deals inked to help local firms go green
They are meant to help manufacturers meet future challenges
Francis Chan, Straits Times 1 May 09;

THE global focus on climate change and the environment means companies will have to meet stringent criteria on whether their manufacturing practices are environmentally sustainable, said Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry S. Iswaran.

'The commercial and cost pressures associated with meeting these higher standards are exacerbated in an economic downturn, when consumer demand declines,' said Mr Iswaran.

'This presents opportunities for collaboration between environmental services companies and manufacturing companies to use environmental technology solutions to alleviate cost pressures.'

The minister was speaking at the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) yesterday between the Singapore Manufacturers' Federation (SMa), Singapore Environment Council and Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology.

SMa said the agreements aim to transform and upgrade local manufacturers' capabilities to meet future challenges.

Yesterday, the first joint initiative under the MOUs - the Sustainable Manufacturing Programme - was launched.

The programme, which is supported by Spring Singapore, aims to help increase a manufacturer's efficiency by reducing energy and water consumption, by-product waste and its carbon footprint through eco-efficient improvements to its manufacturing practices.

'This is the right step forward, especially in this downturn where we can help our manufacturers cut non-wage costs for business sustainability,' said SMa president Renny Yeo.

Spring Singapore deputy chief executive Ted Tan agreed: 'The movement towards a green economy is a tide that we cannot reverse...and this is probably the best time for companies to build capabilities and prepare for the upturn.'

Mr Tan said Spring can help small- and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) with qualifying projects defray up to 70 per cent of the implementation costs through its EnviroTech Capability Development Programme.

'Through this programme, we expect to help about 60 companies and generate a value add of about $180 million over the next five years,' he added.

The scepticism of firms fighting to stay afloat during the downturn is not lost on Mr Tan. But he maintains that such initiatives can help SMEs get in better shape for the upturn.

'I think this is really about preparing for the future, and those who take on the opportunities now will be in a better position to be more competitive compared to those who have not,' he added.

Sustainable manufacturing takes off here
Prima and Gardenia are among first few scheme participants
Michelle Yeo, Business Times 1 May 09;

SUSTAINABLE manufacturing in Singapore took off yesterday with a pilot project in the food manufacturing sector, bringing together manufacturers, packaging firms, F&B retailers, environmental technologists and waste management outfits.

Environment technology firms will help manufacturing companies to increase their efficiency by reducing energy and water consumption, by-product waste and carbon footprint through eco-efficient improvements to their manufacturing systems and processes.

Prima Ltd and Gardenia Foods are among the first few participants of the Sustainable Manufacturing Programme.

Under this programme, the Singapore Manufacturers' Federation (SMa), Singapore Environment Council and Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) will foster a conducive environment for sustainable manufacturing practices.

Speaking at the programme's launch yesterday, S Iswaran, Senior Minister of State for Trade & Industry and Education, said: 'Sustainable manufacturing will have a global impact and it is important that our manufacturers understand how to leverage on it. Companies will be able to reduce costs, reduce carbon emissions, and technologies will be a reference site for export to overseas markets.'

Earlier this week, the government launched a blueprint for Sustainable Development in Singapore, and is pledging to invest $1 billion in this blueprint over the next five years.

Prima executive director and general manager Lewis Cheng told BT yesterday: 'It is not enough to look at the top and bottom line of the business. We need to be socially responsible and see what we can do to protect the environment.'

Prima will be converting by-products from flour milling to biofuel to power manufacturing, and also recycle them into biodegradable packaging.

Alpha Synovate, a waste oil recycler, helped to convert curry-puff retailer Old Chang Kee's used cooking oil into biofuel, which in turn is used to power Old Chang Kee's mobile kitchens. This successful collaboration is an example for all food manufacturers to emulate.

Spring Singapore will be supporting the programme through a grant support up to 70 per cent of qualifying costs.

Spring deputy chief executive Ted Tan said that the movement towards a green economy is 'a tide we cannot reverse' and that the downturn is a good time to build capabilities and generate potential in companies. Spring will play its part in defraying part of the manufacturing costs.

SMa president Renny Tan added in the same vein: 'The downturn presents a good opportunity for our manufacturing sector to implement long- term plans and invest in research to find greener solutions. This will prepare them for the economic upswing in the future.'

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Pakistan's blind dolphins face hazardous existence

Hasan Mansoor Yahoo News 30 Apr 09;

INDUS RIVER, Pakistan (AFP) – Nazir Mirani, 47, is the third generation of a humble family committed to saving Pakistan's blind dolphins, an endangered species swimming against a tide of man-made hazards.

"I treat them as my children and do everything whenever a dolphin is trapped in shallow waters," said Mirani, once a fisherman and now among a handful of people officially assigned to protect the dolphins.

"No one can know them as meticulously as me. I was born in a boat and have been living with these fish ever since," said the lanky Mirani, his complexion darkened by years under the burning sun and his chest puffed up with pride.

"Look at my eyes," he said. "Aren't they shaped like the fish?"

Indus dolphins -- Platanista gangetica minor or "bulhan" in the local Sindhi language -- are listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union.

According to local folklore, a lactating woman once refused to give milk to a saint, who cursed her and pushed her into the Indus. The woman turned into a dolphin and the freshwater species was born.

Females are bigger than males, weighing up to 110 kilograms (243 pounds) and growing up to 2.5 metres (eight foot) long.

The brownish-pink mammals have lived alongside humans for time immemorial. Their long, pointed snouts thicken at the end, and the upper and lower teeth are visible even when the mouth is closed.

Their numbers are declining as fishermen deplete their stock of food, pollution worsens, and a network of barrages restricts their movements. Falling water levels due to declining rain and snowfall are another peril.

The Worldwide Fund For Nature Pakistan estimated in 2006 there were around 1,200 Indus dolphins left -- 900 at a sanctuary near Sukkur in the southern province of Sindh and another 300 further upstream in Punjab.

The dolphin is blind because it lacks eye lenses and so hunts for catfish and shrimp using sophisticated sonar, said Hussain Bux Bhagat, a senior official in the Sindh wildlife department.

Dolphins swam freely in the Indus until about 100 years ago when engineers under British rule started slicing up the river with irrigation projects in the dry hinterland.

The barrages pose a critical threat to the dolphins, dividing their natural habitat into five separate segments of the snaking river.

"This species used to roam across 3,500 kilometres (2,190 miles) of the Indus but are now confined to 900 kilometres (560 miles)," Bhagat said.

As a result the risk of inbreeding "could lead to infertility and then extinction," Bhagat added.

An alarming increase in pollution from untreated sewage dumps, illegal pesticides, and industrial and agricultural waste also threaten their survival.

The dolphins swim on their sides, trailing a flipper along the river bottom, and can move in water as shallow as 30 centimetres (12 inches).

But each year up to 50 dolphins get trapped in the thousands of kilometres (miles) of irrigation channels, which are closed and left to dry out.

Fishermen used to kill them but awareness campaigns have improved to the extent that they now inform wildlife officials who come to their rescue.

"People were so uneducated they used to shoot the dolphins dead until a few years ago," said Bhagat.

The trouble is that wildlife services have limited resources. Rescuers have just one van with a water tub, which they use to keep the dolphins alive for a few hours while they take them back to the river.

"We have successfully rescued 50 dolphins this season but we could do it more efficiently if we get a helicopter," Bhagat said.

Dolphins also stray into narrow channels during monsoon season when sluice gates are opened to maintain the water flow at the barrages.

Experts who did a 2006 survey for the environment ministry said the needs of Pakistan?s dolphins are the same as its people -- both need a clean, reliable source of water to survive.

Mirani -- whose father worked with Swiss specialist Giorgio Pilleri who conducted pioneering research into the mammal -- said his family tradition of helping conserve the dolphins will continue.

"My son Nadir Ali is ready to assist me," he said, gesturing towards a teenager holding an oar as he steers a boat along the river.

"After me, he and his six younger brothers will try to protect dolphins," he said, before cheering loudly as a dolphin emerged to swim alongside their boat.

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Island nations want treaty to cut greenhouse gases

John Heilprin, Associated Press Yahoo News 30 Apr 09;

UNITED NATIONS – Two small island nations, worried by rising sea levels, proposed drastic global cuts Thursday in the use of hydrofluorocarbons, a class of powerful greenhouse gases commonly used as coolants in refrigerators and air conditioners.

Micronesia and Mauritius urged 195 nations that signed on to the U.N. ozone treaty to reduce consumption of HFCs by 90 percent by 2030.

"Continuing to emit these super greenhouse gases is irresponsible when we have climate and ozone-friendly alternatives available," said Masao Nakayama, Micronesia's ambassador to the U.N.

The two nations said "near-term abrupt climate change threatens our way of life and, in some cases, our very existence."

The treaty encourages using HFCs to replace ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which have now been virtually eliminated.

A global fund affiliated with the ozone treaty has invested billions in creating new markets for HFCs and other chemicals that do not harm the protective ozone layer above the earth. But HFCs, like CFCs, are powerful climate-warming chemicals — up to 10,000 times more so than carbon dioxide.

HFCs account for only about 2 percent of the globe's climate-warming gases, but scientists say eliminating their use would spare the world an amount of greenhouse gases up to about a third of all CO2 emissions about two to four decades from now.

Two leading U.S. senators wrote President Barack Obama on Thursday to express "strong support" for U.S. backing to use the 21-year-old ozone treaty to phase down HFCs by 85 percent by 2030.

"By phasing down these gases, the global community will be able to achieve significant near-term climate change benefits," wrote Sens. Barbara Boxer of California, who heads the Environment and Public Works Committee, and John Kerry of Massachusetts, head of the Foreign Relations Committee.

The ozone treaty, they said, is "well-equipped to prevent HFC emissions" by regulating their production and consumption and promoting alternatives.

The deadline for proposing an amendment to the ozone treaty is Monday, six months ahead of a scheduled treaty meeting.

The U.S. has been weighing such a proposal.

Officials at the Environmental Protection Agency have called it a preferred option, and the Defense Department already has prepared for phasing down HFCs.

The State Department, too, drew overwhelming support for such a plan from participants at two meetings this year, recalled one participant, Mack McFarland, global environmental manager for Delaware-based DuPont Fluorochemicals.

White House spokesman Benjamin LaBolt said Thursday, however, that "the administration has not developed a position on this."

Manufacturers already have begun to replace HFCs with so-called natural refrigerants such as hydrocarbons, ammonia or carbon dioxide.

McFarland said his company, one of only five in the U.S. that make HFCs, supports a "phase-down" of HFCs to about one-fifth of their current use. He estimated the U.S. market for HFCs is $1 billion, about a third to one-half what it is globally.

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Best of our wild blogs: 30 Apr 09

CITES to scrutinize Solomon Islands dolphin trade
on the wild shores of singapore blog

16 May 2009: Second Singapore Animal Welfare Symposium @ NUS on Habitatnews

The Grass Yellows of Singapore (Part 2)
on the Butterflies of Singapore blog

Weird snails at Changi
on the wonderful creation blog and crabs, fishes and echinoderms

Starry day at Cyrene Reef
on the Urban Forest blog

Back to Normal
on the Pulau Hantu blog and eagle eyes in turbid water

Shooting prawn
on the annotated budak blog and new-dibranchs and unevenly matched

Lesser Coucal drying feathers
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Oriental Pied Hornbill Nesting
on the Garden Voices blog

Red wattled lapwing
photo on flickr by Mendis

Snake on the loose slithers down Woodlands street
on the Lazy Lizard's Tales blog

Marina Coastal Expressway work started
on the wild shores of singapore blog

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More 'sky gardens' set to blossom

New URA plan makes landscaping a must for new projects downtown
April Chong and Jessica Cheam, Straits Times 30 Apr 09;

EXPECT to see more 'gardens in the sky' in Singapore, especially in areas like Orchard Road, Raffles Place and along the Singapore River.

A new plan launched yesterday by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) makes it a must for new developments coming up in several areas from December to have landscaping.

This can take the form of rooftop gardens, planter boxes and sky terraces on the upper levels. Developers will also be encouraged to landscape their grounds.

The areas affected by this new ruling are the Downtown Core - which encompasses Raffles Place, Shenton Way, and Marina Centre - along the Kallang River, and Jurong Gateway, the upcoming commercial hub in the west.

Existing buildings will not be left out.

Those in Orchard Road and the business district will be allowed to open outdoor refreshment areas on their rooftops. To do this, they will be given additional gross floor area of half the roof area or up to 200 sq m.

This complements a programme launched on Monday by the Building Construction Authority (BCA) and URA. Under it, private buildings which are eco-friendly enough to achieve high standards under BCA's Green Mark scheme get additional gross floor area.

The new URA initiative, launched yesterday, is called Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-Rises (Lush), and is part of a national sustainability blueprint launched by an inter-ministerial committee on Monday.

The blueprint sets national targets for pollution standards, energy usage and green areas over the next 20 years, and aims to create a more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient nation.

In addition to the Lush programme, the National Parks Board also announced yesterday an $8 million fund that developers can tap to create rooftop gardens on existing buildings.

To be launched in September, the fund will offset up to $75 per sq metre for landscaping costs - about half the $150 to $180 per sq m usually charged by gardening companies.

Landlords in the Orchard Road and downtown areas can apply to the fund.

In announcing the plans yesterday, the URA said that encouraging private developers to include greenery in their buildings is becoming increasingly important as Singapore becomes more built up.

Developers that The Straits Times spoke to yesterday welcomed the moves, but had suggestions to make the scheme more attractive as URA had said that the the usual development charges (DC) would apply.

The DC rate is pegged at 70 per cent of a building's enhanced land value.

Managing director of City Developments Kwek Leng Joo felt that while developers can make use of the additional area, they would have to grapple with the additional costs.

'We would suggest that the DC rate be pegged at the previous rate of 50 per cent instead of the current 70 per cent, which most developers find too high.

'This could make the incentive more attractive and effective to help the policy take off quickly,' he said.

Rooftop landscaping gets $8m boost
NParks launches 3-year co-funding scheme; URA starts landscaping for urban spaces plan
Emilyn Yap, Business Times 30 Apr 09;

(SINGAPORE) Hot on the heels of a sustainable development blueprint released on Monday, the National Parks Board (NParks) yesterday announced a three-year $8 million scheme to co-fund rooftop landscaping in the city.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) also launched its landscaping for urban spaces and high-rises (Lush) programme to help meet the blueprint's goal of creating another 50 hectares of 'sky-rise' greenery by 2030.

'Despite Singapore being land scarce, greenery can be pervasive in our urban spaces,' said URA chief executive Cheong Koon Hean. From September this year, NParks will give cash incentives to owners who install green roofs on existing buildings in the downtown and Orchard planning areas. The scheme will first target low- to mid-rise developments that are highly visible, and those surrounded by little street-level greenery.

NParks hopes to create nine hectares of green roofs over the next three years. The incentives will cover up to half of installation costs, capped at $75 per sq m. According to the agency, the typical cost of installing a green roof ranges from $150-$180 per sq m.

Gardens on the roof cost more than those on the ground for every square metre, said Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects' president Henry Steed. 'But once you have built it, the asset is there and the land usable, whereas a plain roof is not.'

In conjunction with NParks' scheme, URA will offer owners who install green roofs bonus gross floor area (GFA) above the master plan permissible intensity. The additional space - limited to half of the roof area or 200 sq m, whichever is lower - can be used for outdoor refreshment areas.

Developers will have to pay a development charge (DC) or differential premium, but URA believes the bonus GFA offer is sufficiently attractive.

The current DC calculation formula creams off 70 per cent of the enhancement in land value, but 'there's still a 30 per cent gain for developers,' said URA's urban design deputy director Cheng Hsing Yao.

The GFA incentive scheme is part of URA's Lush programme, which includes other existing and revised measures to enhance the urban landscape.

For instance, developers applying to exclude sky terraces from GFA computations now have to submit detailed plans on landscaping and communal facilities at the terraces.

Developers housing car parks within raised decks must also put up earth berms for plants on at least 60 per cent of each side of the deck wall, and should surround the area with see-through fences rather than solid walls.

In the strategic areas of the Downtown Core, including Marina Bay, Kallang Riverside and Jurong Gateway, new developments also have to put in place 'sky-rise' greenery or ground-level landscaping equivalent to the site area in size.

For very small plots where buildings have to be tall to maximise the plot ratio, 'replacement is typically not too difficult,' said Singapore Institute of Architects immediate past-president Tai Lee Siang.

Both Mr Steed and Mr Tai believe more can be done to promote urban greenery.

Mr Steed, for instance, envisions it will ultimately be possible for all roofs to have green features ranging from gardens, water catchment areas and even mini-farms.

URA, NParks introduce schemes to promote more sky gardens in Singapore
Timothy Ouyang, Channel NewsAsia 29 Apr 09;

SINGAPORE : Singapore developers will enjoy new incentives to include skyrise greenery in their projects.

The government wants to see more sky terraces and rooftop gardens, as part of a multi-billion dollar sustainable development blueprint for Singapore for the next 20 years.

The initiative is known as Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-rises (LUSH).

Fun Siew Leng, group director of Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), said: "A lot of people place premium on having greenery at their doorstep. And it doesn't mean that by going high-rise you don't have access to greenery.

"So, one of these ways is to encourage and require more greenery to be built in the development itself, either at the ground level or even at the upper levels."

Come December 1 this year, new projects and re-developments within the central business district, Kallang Riverside and Jurong Gateway areas will be required to have green landscape at least equivalent in size to the development site area.

These can include ground floor landscape areas, as well as roof gardens and sky terraces. As a guide, 40 per cent of these areas are to consist of permanent planting.

Developers will also be given additional gross floor area of up to 200 square metres of roof space or 50 per cent, whichever is lower, for greening their rooftops for use such as outdoor refreshment areas.

This will be allowed over and above the Master Plan maximum allowable gross floor area for the site.

And it is not just new buildings that will stand to benefit from the initiative. NParks is introducing a pilot scheme later this year to encourage existing building owners to green-up their roof tops.

NParks is spending S$8 million over the next three years in cash incentives to co-fund up to half the cost of installing green roofs.

A green roof is defined as a lightweight growing system, which requires a proper selection of plant material for easy maintenance. The cost of installing a square metre of green roof typically ranges from S$150 to S$180.

"There are also benefits in reduction of heat as well. The green roof reduces the heat load going into the building as well as the ambient temperature of the roof itself," said Simon Longman, director of National Parks Board.

So far, there are more than 100 developments in Singapore with approved sky terraces.

NParks will start giving out the cash incentives in September 2009.

NParks plans to transform some 9 hectares of existing rooftops into green roofs over the next three years.

The URA is targeting to add 50 hectares of skyrise greenery by 2030. - CNA /ls

Lush incentives for high-rise greenery
Esther Ng, Today Online 30 Apr 09;

SINGAPORE the Garden City is reaching for the skies — and that is why, to emulate cities like Stuttgart, Portland and Tokyo that plume their buildings with greenery, the Government is tossing more carrots to developers here to do the same.

Under the Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-Rises, or Lush, programme launched by the Urban Redevelopment Authority yesterday, developers will get additional gross floor area (GFA) — subject to a maximum of 50 per cent of the roof area or 200 sq m — if they provide more rooftop greenery and compatible commercial use, such as an outdoor refreshment area.

This extra GFA is on top of what the developer is allowed to build on the site.

To encourage existing building owners in Downtown and Orchard to green up their rooftops, the National Parks Board will, from September, fund half the installation costs up to $75 per sq m of green roof. The works typically cost between $150 to$180 per sq m.

The benefits include, for building occupants, thermal insulation which keeps the interior naturally cool — and for the city environment, urban biodiversity in the form of more birds and insects.

But would building users welcome bird droppings, and would these green spaces encourage mosquito breeding?

NParks’ director of Streetscape Simon Longman said that the board “would have to educate the public” and it will work with the National Environment Agency to do so.

Other measures include fine-tuning existing building guidelines — such as getting developers to enhance planting around landscaped decks, and GFA exemption for communal sky terraces.

From December, the URA will also require that new developments replace the greenery and landscape areas equivalent to the area of the development site, either at the ground level or vertically. This applies to all new developments and redevelopments within the Downtown Core, Kallang Riverside and Jurong Gateway.

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Marine Pollution: Increased coastal regulation likely

Sam Bateman, Straits Times 30 Apr 09;

IN MARCH 1989, the large American oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Alaska's King William Sound, creating massive marine pollution. The major cause of the accident was human error. Investigation found that the third mate did not properly manoeuvre the vessel, and that the master failed to provide navigation watch, possibly because he was under the influence of alcohol.

The Exxon Valdez incident became a defining moment in efforts to prevent pollution of the marine environment by ships. It caused a huge public furore in the United States and led to the introduction of the Oil Pollution Act in 1990, placing extensive controls over oil tankers and other vessels in US waters.

Now, almost 20 years to the day since the Exxon Valdez disaster, there is another similar case.

While the amount of oil spilt is far less, the consequences may be as far-reaching. As with the Exxon Valdez, the main cause of the latest incident is probably human error - a factor hard to control, much less eliminate.

On March 11, the Hong Kong-flagged container ship Pacific Adventurer, while in heavy seas off the south-east coast of Queensland, lost 31 containers overboard. These were loaded with the chemical fertiliser ammonium nitrate. To make matters worse, the ship apparently rolled on the containers, fracturing the hull and spilling over 200 tonnes of bunker fuel. This created a 60km oil slick, resulting in extensive pollution of the sensitive marine environment of nearby Moreton Island and the popular tourist beaches of Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

Hundreds of workers were engaged in cleaning up these beaches and two mine hunters from the Royal Australian Navy have been searching for the lost containers. They must be recovered: Apart from the problems the ammonium nitrate pose, the area is a rich prawning ground, and trawlers could snag containers, leading to the loss of fishing gear, and possibly even a prawn trawler.

The incident attracted huge public attention in Australia. Australians are addicted to their beaches and are committed to protecting their marine environment. Incidents of marine pollution by ships inevitably lead to calls for new restrictions on vessels in Australian waters, particularly in the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait.

The cause of the disaster is being investigated. While the waters at the time were rough, they were not exceptionally so. The ship was still some distance from the centre of Cyclone Hamish and a well-operated ship should not have lost cargo in that way. The decision of the ship's master not to slow down or alter course may have been due to a wish to get into the sheltered waters of Moreton Bay ahead of the cyclone, as well as the desire to maintain his schedule.

Press reports suggest the ship's officers had instructed the stevedores loading the containers in Newcastle, the ship's previous port of call, to apply normal securing arrangements rather than storm lashings, even though weather forecasts showed the ship was likely to pass near Cyclone Hamish. The Pacific Adventurer is a multi-purpose vessel, not a dedicated container ship, and containers are carried on deck on top of general cargo holds. This can make securing them more difficult.

The disaster is likely to have far-reaching implications. It will almost certainly galvanise the Australian government into reducing the risks of shipping accidents in Australian waters by whatever means possible. For example, we are less likely now to see any softening of its position on compulsory pilotage in the Torres Strait. This was introduced in 2006 because the government thought that unpiloted ships passing through the hazardous waters of Torres Strait posed an unacceptable risk to a very sensitive marine environment. Both the US and Singapore have protested against this arrangement.

Ship owners are caught between the desire to contain costs and the need to operate safe ships. Shipping accidents are caused by badly maintained ships, human error, or both. While regulations and enforcement can reduce the risks of poor maintenance, it is harder to tackle human error, particularly when there is already concern about the professional standards of seafarers and the attractiveness of seafaring as a vocation.

The risks of human error could become greater as the global economic recession deepens, international trade declines, ships are laid up and ship owners seek to cut costs, possibly by employing less experienced and qualified crews.

We can expect restrictions on navigation to continue due to greater international concern for the marine environment. This concern has increased enormously over the last 20 years or so. While major ship-owning nations such as Singapore may oppose new coastal regulations on shipping, the trend towards increased regulation is inevitable. Incidents such as the Pacific Adventurer disaster will only accelerate this trend.

The writer is a senior fellow with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.

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