Time running short for global climate deal: UN

Yahoo News 5 Aug 09;

CAIRNS, Australia (AFP) – Time is running short to pull together a global climate change deal in crucial talks in Copenhagen in December, the UN's climate change head said here Wednesday.

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is due to be concluded in Copenhagen in December but hopes are fading that an agreement can be struck.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Pacific Islands Forum summit of 15 regional leaders, the UNFCCC's executive secretary Yvo De Boer said there were many obstacles to be overcome before finding agreement on emissions reductions to 2020 and beyond to 2050.

"We are around 120 days of real time away from those negotiations in Copenhagen and we are only about five weeks in negotiating time away from those negotiations," he told journalists.

"Time is getting tight and I am getting concerned that we still have a long way to go," he told journalists.

The forum countries include several nations made up of low-lying atoll archipelagos, which are among the most vulnerable to rising sea levels and changing weather patterns.

Pacific island countries are the face of climate change, said De Boer.

"Meetings like this are important to show the face of climate change and to indicate that countries most likely to be affected seriously by climate change want to see vigorous change in Copenhagen," he said.

He said a planned declaration by the two-day forum summit, which finishes Thursday, would send a strong reminder about the importance of striking a deal at Copenhagen.

"A strong call from Pacific leaders will, I think, be an important signal on the road to Copenhagen, a signal which I think we are in dire need of at the moment."

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Wednesday committed his country to being a strong voice for the small Pacific nations in global climate change talks.

De Boer said any effective climate change deal must deliver ambitious emission reductions by developed countries, with major developing countries agreeing to slow the growth of their emissions in return for financial assistance.

China refuses to budge on greenhouse gases
Yahoo News 5 Aug 09;

BEIJING (AFP) – China refused to budge Wednesday on its demands that rich nations commit to large greenhouse gas cuts at upcoming climate change talks, while also declining to put a ceiling on its own emissions.

China and other developing nations will call on rich countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels at negotiations in Copenhagen in December, said Yu Qingtai, China's top climate negotiator.

"We have all along believed that due to the historical responsibility of the developed nations, they must continue to take the lead with large reductions beyond 2012," Yu told reporters.

We "have demanded that developed nations reduce emissions by 40 percent... this is fair and reasonable... China's position has not changed."

The December negotiations are aimed at hammering out a new climate change pact to replace the Kyoto protocol that expires in 2012.

As a developing nation with low per-capita emissions, China is not required to set emissions cuts under the UN Framework on Climate Change.

The European Union has said it will slash emissions by 20 percent by 2020 compared with the 1990 level.

The US Congress is considering legislation that would reduce US greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020.

China, the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases along with the United States, has said neither of the cuts are enough.

Yu further called on rich countries to lay out concrete plans to finance technology transfers to help developing nations cut emissions.

His comments came after weeks of discussions between China and the United States on climate change and after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said late last month that Beijing was key to the success of the upcoming talks.

Yu said China is seeking to increase energy efficiency by 20 percent from 2006 to 2010 as part of a plan to address global warming and will set similar targets for the period until 2020.

However, China still has not projected when it will reach its peak of greenhouse gas emissions, he added.

"When China reaches its emission peak will depend on its development stage, per capita GDP, national resources, technological level," Yu said.

"Our experts and competent authorities are studying when China will reach its emission peak."

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Best of our wild blogs: 5 Aug 09

An Encounter with a Long-Lost Friend
from Butterflies of Singapore

Otter Family In Sungei Buloh!
from Biodiversity Singapore

Department of Biological Sciences 60th anniversary lecture series from The Biodiversity crew @ NUS

Summary of Natural History, Heritage and Map exhibitions
from Habitatnews

Mon 10 Aug 2009: 9.30pm – Ivan Polunin’s 1950’s & 1960’s images of Singapore on “Lost Images,” Channel Okto from Otterman speaks

From the Reservoir Edge to Boardwalk
from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature

Oriental Pied Hornbill’s bill
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Boosting fish farming in Singapore: what environmental impact?
from wild shores of singapore

Creeping Fig
from Urban Forest

Buggery
from The annotated budak and a crab a day is still too much

Shore construction at Sungei Serangoon continues until Feb 2010 from wild shores of singapore

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Singapore's unremarkable happiness index

Pursuing perfection to our perennial peril
Radha Basu, Straits Times 5 Aug 09;

A RECENT article in this newspaper on how Singapore was placed an unremarkable 49th out of 140 countries in a 'happiness index' has unleashed much soul-searching.

One reader wrote to The Straits Times' Forum Online to dub the results 'disturbing'.

'By all counts, we are a materially wealthy nation, so why are Singaporeans not happy with their lot,' he asked.

Nearly 20 people weighed in with answers. One said Singaporeans aren't happy because 'we are slaves to $$$'.

Another cited the complaints that appear regularly in ST Forum - 'noisy neighbours, cats pooing, MRT eating, queuing, noise, ticketing, waiting...even Ms Singapore also not spared' (sic) - before philosophising: 'Like that how to be happy? Live and let live la!'

A third blamed the lack of 'social safety nets' like a national pension scheme for our high stress levels.

I should point out that the so-called 'Happy Planet Index' - the subject of the Forum angst - is not a particularly good gauge of happiness. It considers not just personal satisfaction and life expectancy, but also how environmentally friendly we are. Singapore, together with other developed countries, stumbled on that score.

Carbon dioxide-spewing SUVs and air-conditioners, after all, may make for happy individuals but not a happy planet. Not surprisingly, Latin American and Caribbean countries with their dense jungles, pristine beaches and laid-back people bagged nine of the top 10 spots in the Happy Planet Index.

But Singapore also doesn't do particularly well in other happiness barometers, such as the World Map of Happiness drawn up by Britain's University of Leicester in 2006. The project culled data from the United Nations Human Development Report, the World Health Organisation, Unesco and the Central Intelligence Agency, and polled 80,000 people, to come up with a 'happiness map' covering 178 countries.

Singapore ranked 53rd, lower than Denmark (1st), Bhutan (8th), Luxembourg (12th), Malaysia (17th), the United States (23th) and Britain (41th), but higher than China (82nd) and Japan (90th).

Internal surveys also have presented a rather dire picture. One by consulting firm Grey Group found that nine in 10 people polled acknowledged being stressed.

So what makes us appear unhappy to all these chroniclers of good cheer?

Engineer Andy Goh, 36, who beat more than 200 nominees to be dubbed the 'Happiest Singaporean' last year, believes that Singaporeans are generally happy - they just don't know it. 'It's easier (for us to) complain than to appreciate something,' he says.

Global Leadership Academy CEO Philip Merry, who organised the Happiest Singaporean contest as well as a congress on happiness last year, agrees.

'If you have people who love you, good health, can put food on the table and a stable job, you are already happier than nine in 10 people on earth,' he says. 'But not too many people here realise that.'

Singaporeans' drive helped transform this nation from a backwater into a global city within a generation. But that may have come at the cost of making many of us chronic worry warts.

The stresses of living in a society that focuses on materialism have made Singaporeans less happy than their peers in many other countries, says trainer Zaibun Siraj, who conducts workshops on happiness and laughter therapy.

'We spend much of our time on our work and on achieving success. We do not play enough. We do not laugh enough,' says Ms Zaibun,who was a second runner-up in the Happiest Singaporean contest.

Mr Goh concurs that the frenetic pursuit of success or status has made some lose sight of what really matters: family, friends, faith, even food.

The usual challenges life hurls at us from time to time have left Mr Goh unfazed. The secret to his sunny side? Spending 40 hours a week at work and 50 hours with his scientist wife and baby daughter, as well as family and friends.

Recent research on the science of happiness indicates that Mr Goh's instincts are correct.

American psychologist Ed Diener of the University of Illinois has shown that once our basic needs are met, additional wealth does little to increase our sense of satisfaction. High education, IQ or even youth are not prerequisites for happiness.

A 2002 study by Dr Diener and his collaborator Martin Seligman found that the common trait shared by the happiest 10 per cent of their respondents was strong ties to family and friends.

'Word needs to be spread,' Dr Diener said. 'It is important to work on social skills, close interpersonal ties and social support in order to be happy.'

Attitude is also important. Indeed, research is bearing out what the Dalai Lama has long held: 'If your own mental attitude is correct, even if you remain in a hostile atmosphere, you will feel happy.'

Journalist Eric Weiner, who has travelled to different countries to study happiness, reported in The New York Times on July 19 that attitude was the key reason Denmark is the 'happiness superpower'.

Like the Swedes and the Finns, Danes tend to be healthy, married and active - all hallmarks of a happy heart. But unlike their fellow Scandinavians, Danes also have lower expectations of life, reported Mr Weiner, quoting demographic studies.

'They live their life as the Buddha advised - in the present, not grasping some future happiness jackpot.'

So are happiness, ambition and the drive to excel incompatible? In a new book, The Pursuit Of Perfect, psychologist Tal Ben-Shahar argues that the pursuit of perfection is the biggest obstacle to happiness. Perfectionists, he says, reject anything that is less than flawless and suffer because they often cannot meet their own high standards. If we wish to be happy, we should aim to be 'optimalists' instead - 'good enough', rather than perfect, in our studies, work and love, he says.

Much of what is Dr Ben-Shahar's book formed the basis of a class on 'positive psychology' that he taught at Harvard in 2006 - one of the most popular courses ever taught at the university. He is scheduled to speak in Singapore in January next year, when he will undoubtedly make the case that you don't have to be perfect to be happy.

That's a message we should all take to heart.

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Bloats like a pufferfish, stings like a bee

Teh Jen Lee, The New Paper 5 Aug 09;

THINK that Singapore is safe because there are no lions, tigers or bears on the prowl?

Think again.

Though much of the country is developed, there are still pockets of tropical rainforest and coastal areas that are home to wildlife.

And some of these inhabitants can be deadly.

With the help of an expert from the National University of Singapore School of Medicine, Professor P Gopalakrishnakone, we identify Singapore's most deadly.

1 KING COBRA: This is the largest venomous snake in the world, and can kill with a single bite. The adult, which can grow up to 6m long, is uniformly brown above with an greyish-brown belly.

An orange-yellow throat with irregular black markings can be seen when the hood is spread. Found in a wide variety of habitats, especially along streams.

2 SEA SNAKES: They swim with their flat tails. They have no gills so they must rise to the surface for air, but can remain underwater for hours. They can grow up to 2.7m long, and are found mostly in warm coastal waters and near estuaries.

3 BLACK SPITTING COBRA: Though not aggressive by nature, these snakes can accurately spit a powerful neurotoxic venom into the eyes, causing temporary blindness. The bite, however, can be fatal. It preys on rats and frogs, and can grow up to 1.6m long.

Found in forested areas.

What to do to avoid being bitten or stung:

- Wear tall boots when walking in the jungle. Be alert and do not put your hands into holes or your foot into pits. Do not overturn stones or logs.

- Take extra care when walking at night, when most snakes are active.

- If you see a snake, do not go near it but allow it to move away. Snakes bite defensively or when agitated.

What to do if bitten:

Apply a broad and firm tourniquet above the wound. Release it for half a minute every half hour.

- Wipe the wound and cover it with dressing.

- Ask for help and go to the hospital immediately.

4 CONE SNAIL: Unlike most snails, the cone snail is a carnivorous predator. Although the snail moves slowly, it has a harpoon-like appendage with hollow sharp teeth containing venom that can paralyse small fish almost instantly.

The cone snail's bite is similar to a bee sting, but the larger species have been responsible for 15 deaths worldwide. Found in mangroves, rocky areas and areas with sandy bottoms.

What to do if bitten:

- Immobilise and raise the limb.

- Apply tourniquet above the wound, release pressure for one minute every 10 minutes.

- Start cardiopulmonary resuscitation if respiratory paralysis and heart failure set in.

- If patient is in shock, lie patient flat and raise both feet.

- Head to the hospital immediately.

5 STONE FISH: Stone fishes can grow to about 30-40cm long. They have tough dorsal fin spines that can act like hypodermic needles and penetrate thick soled shoes. These inject a neurotoxin venom that can kill.

There have been a few documented cases of deaths in Australia Africa and Japan.

The fishes use their spines in self-defence and not for hunting prey.

Found in tide pools and shallow waters of tropical seas.

What to do to avoid them:

- Shuffle your feet when walking in shallow water to give the fish time to escape.

- Wear rubber boots for protection.

What to do if stung:

- Apply a tourniquet above the site of the sting and raise the affected area.

- Remove any broken spines, clean the wound, encourage bleeding.

- Dipping the affected area in warm water can help relieve the pain.

- Seek medical attention.

6 MALAYAN KRAIT: It has a black body with about 30 white cross-bands. The white bands in adults are speckled with brown. It can grow up to 1.6m long.

Found in lowland forests & moist areas.

- See advice given for snakes above.

7 PUFFERFISH: Many pufferfish are highly poisonous as they harbour tetrodotoxin. This potent toxin may be concentrated in the intestines, reproductive organs or skin. Cooking by any means will not deactivate the toxin.

Found near shore in shallow seas from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Advice:

- Those who want to taste pufferfish, or fugu, should do so in Japan's certified restaurants who employ licensed puffer chefs.

- Symptoms of poisoning can appear within 10minutes to three hours of ingestion. Early signs include numbness around the mouth, tiredness, giddiness, headache, nausea, diarrhoea and abdominal pains.

- Induce vomiting if patient is conscious and collect the vomit as it may contain fish remnants which would be important for identification.

- Seek medical attention.

8 BLUE-RINGED OCTOPUS: Blue-ringed octopus are not aggressive and tend to avoid confrontation. When the threat is unavoidable, it ejects a neuromuscular venom that causes paralysis. It has caused at least one death in Singapore.

Found in shallow reefs, in coral rock pools and in tidal pools ranging.

Advice:

- Victims can be saved if artificial respiration begins quickly. But there is no known antidote and the only treatment is ongoing artificial respiration until the poison dissipates (usually in 24 hours).

- Symptoms include nausea, vision loss and blindness, loss of senses, loss of motor skills, respiratory arrest.

9 HORNETS: Unlike bees, which can only sting once before they die, hornets can sting multiple times.

The venom from the sting causes the victim's tissues to release histamines which can cause death.

Three species in Singapore. Two of them build their nests on trees, while the third builds nests inside enclosed spaces and old buildings.

Advice:

- Do not disturb any nests.

- When in vegetated areas, do not wear bright colours or perfumes as this will attract the insects.

- If you encounter hornets, do not swat. Retreat as fast as possible, into a pool of water or an enclosure if this is available. If not possible, lie face down and cover head with arms.

See a doctor if you are stung.

10 POISONOUS CRABS: Their toxins cannot be destroyed by cooking, and are extremely potent. The toxins are in the flesh and cannot be transmitted if one is pinched by the claws.

Advice:

- Most of poisonous crabs have very bright warning colours, and it is good practice to avoid eating them.

- Any food coming into contact with toxic crabs should be discarded.

# Prof Gopalakrishnakone, who has been researching dangerous animals for over 25 years, will be giving a talk at the Science Centre on Thursday at 7pm on some of these animals.

Admission is free, please e-mail kt_pang@science.edu.sg to register.

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A smarter planet, one building at a time

By 2025, they will be the single largest energy consumers and greenhouse gas emitters
Rich Lechner, Business Times 5 Aug 09;

BUILDINGS have always been much more than roofs over our heads. Over the last century, as towers of steel reached higher into the sky and homes sprawled farther and farther into the surrounding landscape, our buildings not only housed burgeoning urban populations and growing economies - they also served as symbols of modernity and progress.

Unfortunately, today's offices, factories, stores and homes are also symbols of something else - waste and pollution. In the US, buildings consume 70 per cent of all electricity, up to 50 per cent of which is wasted.

Lights blaze and air conditioners hum in empty offices at night, and lawn sprinklers turn on even during a rainstorm. Commercial buildings lose as much as 50 per cent of the water that flows into them. By 2025, buildings will be the single largest energy consumers and emitters of greenhouse gasses on our planet.

But on a smarter planet we can think about buildings differently - seeing homes not just as living spaces, but as living systems; seeing offices not just as static works.

In a smart building, systems are not managed separately - they interoperate. Thousands of sensors can monitor everything from motion and temperature to humidity, precipitation, occupancy and light. The building doesn't just coexist with nature - it harnesses it. Smart buildings can reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions by 50 per cent to 70 per cent and save 30 per cent to 50 per cent in water usage.

Although today most attention is focused on smart homes, some of the most dramatic progress is being achieved in commercial developments around the world.

The St Regis hotel in Shanghai integrated 12 sub-systems to create one intelligent building, with a ratio of energy costs to revenue below 5 per cent (compared to 8 per cent for other five-star hotels). GIB-Services in Switzerland is using excess heat from its data centre to heat a local public swimming pool.

A mining company in Canada is using its excess data centre heat to warm its warehouses during the cold Canadian winters. IBM's own green data centre in Boulder, Colorado, has replaced energy greedy air-conditioning with cooling from the air outside, which can be used for up to 75 per cent of the year, contributing up to 50 per cent in annual energy savings.

In Singapore, the city-state aims to have at least 80 per cent of the buildings to achieve the BCA Green Mark Certified rating by 2030. A target set for Singapore's built environment by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development (IMCSD), the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) rolled out its 2nd Green Building Masterplan in April 2009 to achieve this.

The roadmap sets out specific initiatives to achieve a truly sustainable built environment in Singapore by 2030 where when fully implemented, the 2nd Green Building Masterplan will reap annual savings of $1.6 billion in terms of energy cost reductions. The first Green Building Masterplan emphasising on new buildings and those undergoing major retrofitting was launched in 2006.

In addition, to nurture and meet Singapore's strong demand for a new 'green collar' workforce to design, build, operate and maintain green building systems and infrastructure in the future, the BCA academy offered a new masters degree for green building professionals in March 2009, in partnership with the University of Nottingham's School of the Built Environment.

The course is welcomed by the hundred-odd green building practitioners and graduating students that BCA Academy surveyed recently. On postgraduate training in sustainable development, an overwhelming 93 per cent of them endorsed the need for such training opportunities.

Ninety per cent of the respondents believed that there will be high demand for such courses and 68 per cent expressed a strong interest in pursuing graduate studies in sustainable development.

Keen professionals also receive 90 per cent funding of course fees. On this end, we applaud BCA's efforts in pushing Singapore's green agenda, specifically the city's green building visions. And for a glimpse of what is possible through a smarter approach, consider the GreenSpaces office park in Delhi, India, on which construction will begin this year. It aims to be the world's greenest and most energy-efficient commercial building, through such innovations as 100 per cent waste and water reclamation, instrumentation and interconnection of all systems, recharging ports for electric cars, and ventilated chairs.

It even plans to 'grow' its own oxygen and remove harmful compounds from the air through the strategic use of indoor vegetation - which doesn't just help the environment; it also helps people think and be more productive. An earlier prototype was rated the healthiest building in Delhi by the Indian government.

In the 20th century, people marvelled at what could be built by filling our buildings with steel. In the 21st, let's see what new heights - and reduced footprints - we can achieve by filling them with intelligence.

The writer is vice-president, energy & environment, IBM. He is in Singapore to speak at the Creating Business Value by Implementing Sustainable Development roundtable organised by the World Environment Center, headquartered in Washington, DC, and the Singapore Environment Council, held today. The organisers hope the roundtable stimulates innovative thinking and demonstrates practical business solutions to major societal challenges

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Indonesian minister plays down Riau, Jambi forest fires

Fadli, The Jakarta Post 4 Aug 09;

A minister says the government does not consider forest fires in Riau and Jambi provinces a pressing problem despite evidence they have caused health problems.

Forestry Minister MS Kaban said the government would only take firm action to control fires if the haze disturbed flights and sparked protests in neighboring countries, such as Malaysia and Singapore.

“We must accept the fact that haze might reach other regions like Batam and other parts of Sumatra. Why should we care about domestic affairs? People in other countries will laugh at us,” Kaban told a media briefing.

He blamed the fires on local people clearing land the traditional way and on oil palm companies.

“The local people burn wood as they cannot afford to buy tractors to clear the land. Companies also start fires,” he said.

He added the government would not ask the police to arrest the people responsible for starting fires.

Satellite discovers 90 hotspots in South Sumatra
Khairul Saleh, The Jakarta Post 4 Aug 09;

The South Sumatra forestry agency said satellite footage had shown the existence of 90 hotspots across the province.

The agency’s head of forest and land control Hasanuddin said 23 of the hot spots were located in Musi Rawas regency, 13 each in Ogan Komering Ulu and Muba regencies, 11 in Muara Enim, 10 in Ogan Komering Ilir and the rest in Lubuklinggau, Lahat, Prabumulih, South Ogan Kemering Ulu and Banyuasin.

“So far, the fires were set to clear land and have not sparked prolonged haze. The fires commonly cease after two or three hours,” Hasanuddin said.

The agency, however, has intensified its patrolling in the areas most prone to forest and bush fires, particularly in peatland areas.

He said locals had been informed about the danger of clearing land using fire, but they had ignored the government’s warningl.

“They said they had no other methods that were cheaper and faster than burning their land,” Hasanuddin said.

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Haze, fog again blanket Riau province

Antara 4 Aug 09;

Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - Haze and fog on Tuesday again blanketed Pekanbaru city, Dumai, Siak, Pelalawan, Indragiri Hulu, Rokan Hilir and Bengkalis in Riau province, a local government official said.

The thick fog which covered the city before noon had also lowered visibility and was affecting human health.

"The air which smells like smoke is also affecting our breath. Our eyes become irritated," Nasir (46) a civil servant working for the provincial administration said.

A resident, Nasir, was suffering so seriously of breathing problems and cough, he had to seek medication at the Petala Bumi General Hospital.

"It seems many people are suffering from breathing problems and cough. No one can stand this dirty air," Nasir said.

Another resident, Anita from Bagansiapi-api, the Rokan Hilir district`s capital also complained about fog which again blanketing her residential area after a few days of free from weather problem.

"Today thick smoke again covers the air, including limited visibility," she said.

Meanwhile, haze and fog also blanketed the industrial town of Dumai due to forest and land fire. Ash particles were clearly flying in the air of the town, she said.

Thick fog also blanketed land traffic in the eastern part of Sumatra linking Pelalawan, Pekanbaru with North Sumatra.

Earlier reports said the situation in Riau had reached a serious level and strong winds now from the southeast to the northeast may bring the haze to Malaysia and Singapore.(*)

Haze reaches dangerous level: Official
Rizal Harahap, The Jakarta Post 4 Aug 09;

The intense haze from forest fires covering parts of Pekanbaru in the last month has reached dangerous levels, an official has warned.

Head of the provincial environment agency, Dedi Gusriadi, said Tuesday the latest air-quality reading in three areas in Riau’s capital city showed dust pollution levels ranged from 120 to 404.30 microns per cubic meter, or above the tolerable mark of 100.

Throughout July the city only experienced two days with healthy air levels, compared to 19 days of unhealthy and one day of dangerous air quality, Dedi said.

“The number of days with poor air quality is the worst seen in the past two years,” he said.

Recently, there were indications the air quality would improve, but since Monday conditions have worsened significantly.

Dedi said his office had asked the public to minimize outdoor activities and requested schools consider suspending lessons due to the dangerous pollution levels.

Meanwhile the thick smog triggered a number of flight delays at Sultan Sarif Kasim airport in Pekanbaru over the past few days. Airport duty manager Ibnu Hasan said three flights were postponed and a plane was advised to reposition its landing to Polonia airport in Medan due to limited visibility.

Satellite discovers 90 hotspots in South Sumatra
Khairul Saleh, The Jakarta Post 4 Aug 09;

The South Sumatra forestry agency said satellite footage had shown the existence of 90 hotspots across the province.

The agency’s head of forest and land control Hasanuddin said 23 of the hot spots were located in Musi Rawas regency, 13 each in Ogan Komering Ulu and Muba regencies, 11 in Muara Enim, 10 in Ogan Komering Ilir and the rest in Lubuklinggau, Lahat, Prabumulih, South Ogan Kemering Ulu and Banyuasin.

“So far, the fires were set to clear land and have not sparked prolonged haze. The fires commonly cease after two or three hours,” Hasanuddin said.

The agency, however, has intensified its patrolling in the areas most prone to forest and bush fires, particularly in peatland areas.

He said locals had been informed about the danger of clearing land using fire, but they had ignored the government’s warningl.

“They said they had no other methods that were cheaper and faster than burning their land,” Hasanuddin said.

Read more!

Sarawak cities shrouded in haze

George Francis, Brunei Online 4 Aug 09;

MIRI - Hundreds of hotspots in Kalimantan, Indonesia and 21 in Sarawak, Malaysia in the past 24 hours have shrouded bigger cities such as Kuching and Miri, as well as Bintulu town in a veil of smog, a meteorological official said.

"These hotspots and the wind blowing from southwesterly direction at the moment plus the dry weather condition are causing the haze, and if the dry weather persists, the situation may get worse with the number of hotspots increasing," he told the Bulletin.

A satellite image from the north of Sarawak, he said, showed a concentration of hotspots in the Miri-Bintulu border region, which could have contributed to the haze in Miri.

Miri city secretary Antonio Galis said the hazy condition has been brought on by scattered wildfires over the past days in the outskirts of the city, and some people were burning grass at their backyards or farming illegally on vacant land along certain roads.

Meanwhile, Malaysia Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah reportedly said in Miri that taking concrete actions were essential as haze seemed to be making its annual return to the region.

He said there seemed to be more hot spots in Kalimantan and Sumatra, most of which were due to wildfires and uncontrolled burning of farms.

He confirmed hotspots are also spotted in Sarawak, as well as in Peninsula Malaysia.

Haze worsens
Florence A. Samy, The Star 4 Aug 09;

PETALING JAYA: The haze has worsened with five areas hitting the unhealthy mark as hotspots in Indonesia continue to rage intensely due to the prevailing dry weather.

According to satellite images, the number of hotspots in Borneo swelled to 877 yesterday, with 383 detected in Sumatra Tuesday.

However, some hotspots in Sumatra were not detected as it was under cloudy conditions.

The smog smell was also quite distinct Tuesday in some parts of the Klang Valley given the deteriorated air quality.

The transboundary haze had also reduced visibility levels in some parts of the country to as low as 1km in Bintulu and Miri, Sarawak, 2km in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, 3km in Petaling Jaya and Alor Star and 4km in Subang and Butterworth respectively.

The number of areas with an unhealthy air pollutant index (API) increased from one on Monday evening to five as of 5pm Tuesday, mainly in Sarawak, according to the Department of Environment website.

Four areas in Sarawak - Bintulu, Miri, Samarahan, Sibu - recorded unhealthy readings of between 110 and 153 while Port Klang became the first unhealthy area with a 113 reading.

Another four areas were heading towards the unhealthy mark with its an API of at least 90.

(A good reading is from 0-50, moderate 51-100, unhealthy 101-200, very unhealthy 201-299 and hazardous 300 and above).

As of 5pm Tuesday, 41 areas in the country or 83% recorded moderate air quality. Readings in the Klang Valley were mostly between the 70 to 79 API range except for Kuala Selangor which recorded a 91API.

Only three areas had good readings, namely Langkawi with an API of 36, Kangar, Perlis (48) and Sandakan, Sabah (49), compared to 13 at 11am on Monday.

According to the Singapore Meteorological Services website, clusters of hotspots emitted moderate to dense smoke haze in Sumatra includign Riau.

“In Borneo, moderate to dense smoke plumes were observed to be emanating from large clusters of hotspots in West Kalimantan and Sarawak,” the website stated.

According to the Malaysian Meteorological Services website, poor visibility levels were recorded in most parts of Sarawak.

Most areas recorded moderate readings while 11 locations registered normal visibility levels of above 10km.

Read more!

Illegal sand dredging in Sabah

Cooperation sought to curb sand dredging
New Straits Times 5 Aug 09;

ILLEGAL sand dredging continues in parts of Sabah because of a lack of enforcement and cooperation from the general public.

Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister's Department Datuk Nasir Sakaran said: "We need the people to report these activities to the Drainage and Irrigation Department and the police."

Nasir was replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Abdul Rahim Ismail (BN-Pantai Manis) during question time.

Nasir said he did not know how many illegal sand dredgers had been fined, nor how much they had to pay.

He said sand dredging puts riverine communities at risk because it could cause erosion, flooding and other environmental damage.


Earlier, he had told the house that the state government was strengthening enforcement through the Land and Survey Department to prevent illegal sand dredging.

"We are training the staff in the regulations and legal enforcement. Village heads, community leaders and members of the public are also being taught their role in helping us to solve this problem," he said in reply to a question by Datuk Arifin Mohd Arif (BN-Membakut).

On Aug 12, the Land and Survey Department will propose to the resources technical committee to seek areas along the state's rivers suitable for sand extraction so that it can be legalised.

Designated zones for sand dredging in Sabah
The Star 5 Aug 09;

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will set up specific zones along rivers for sand dredging in efforts to overcome illegal and haphazard dredging activities, said Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Datuk Nasir Tun Sakaran.

The Land and Survey Department will be proposing specific areas along rivers for the purpose of sand mining.

“Any application for temporary occupation lease for sand mining will only be permitted at the designated areas,” he told the state assembly yesterday.

Nasir said a special committee was expected to meet on Aug 12 to decide on the areas to be zoned.

State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun, in responding to problems of river pollution, urged the public not to treat rivers as rubbish dumps.

He called on elected assemblymen to educate the public to love the rivers, citing the rubbish strewn in Sungai Petagas here as an example of the lack of civic consciousness.

Asked about dead fish appearing in Sungai Segaliud, where a new water intake point was scheduled to be commissioned soon, Masidi said the cause was not necessarily due to pollution from oil palm mills.

“We have to investigate to determine what caused the death,” he added.

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Fishermen in bid to save mangroves in Johor, Malaysia

Chuah Bee Kim, New Straits Times 4 Aug 09;

PONTIAN: The hive of activity at Sungai Perpat in Pengkalan Perpat, Tanjung Bin near here, on Saturday made it look like a fiesta.

However, the gathering of local fishermen was to get the government to save the mangrove forest, covering 913ha, at Tanjung Bin.

It was organised by the "save the mangrove action committee" and comprised representatives from seven villages in Mukim Serkat.

They were supported by three non-governmental organisations -- Save Our Seahorses (S.O.S.), Friends of Nature and Peninsular Malaysia Inshore Fishermen Association (PMIFA).

The event was held to protest the proposal to build a petrochemical and maritime hub at the site.

There was a banner which read "We Love Mangrove, Please Don't Cut Them Down".

Action committee chairman Shamsuddin Aziz said the group would soon submit a memorandum to the menteri besar and the office of the prime minister to highlight their request.

PMIFA president Jamaluddin Muhamed said the hub could adversely affect the eco-system and also disrupt the livelihood of some 500 traditional inshore fishermen.

S.O.S. programme coordinator Choo Chee Kuang said it would damage the environment and pose health hazards to residents.

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Indonesia may lose natural forest by 2015, says enviro expert

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post 30 Jul 09;

Indonesia may lose its status as the world’s third-largest forest nation by 2015 as the country’s natural forests are likely to disappear due to deforestation and lax efforts to replant logged forest areas.

Rinekso Soekmadi, a forestry expert from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) said the government should take tough action to force forest concession holders (HPH) to replant logged forest areas.

“Otherwise, all natural forests will be lost by 2015. This is the worst case scenario based on current rates of deforestation,” he said.

The government has allocated 64 million hectares of natural forests, out of the country’s 120 million, as forest concession areas that can be legally logged.

Rinekso, IPB’s director of international cooperation, said that much of the total 120 million hectares of natural forests, were located in forest concession areas.

“The declining trend of deforestation from 2.8 million hectares in the 1990s to the current level of about 1 million hectares is not due to improved forestry management,” he said.

“It is because we don’t have enough existing forests anymore.”

Rinekso said the government’s forestry management gave too many benefits to concession holders as there was no clear policy requiring them to take responsibility for severely depleting the country’s forests.

“Many HPH holders then leave concession areas without replanting trees there,” he said.

The forests are the natural habitats of wild animals and plants that make Indonesia’s biodiversity so rich. Indonesia is world renowned for its biodiversity, with nearly

3,700 species, or 15 percent of the world’s total fauna found within the archipelago.

With the severe impact of climate change, calls for forest nations to preserve forests continue to grow in order to prevent the emission of carbon dioxide retained in tress.

The Guinness Book of World Records claims that Indonesia’s rate of deforestation is the highest in the world, with the equivalent of three soccer fields cleared every hour.

Around 1.8 million hectares of rainforest were cut down in 1997, with figures jumping to 2.8 million hectares per year between 1998 and 2000.

Since then, clearance rates have remained high, at 1.8 million hectares.

Executive director of Greenomics Indonesia, Elfian Effendi, said that concession holders should uphold their obligation to replant trees as stipulated in their logging licenses.

“If they fail to uphold their business plans to preserve the concession areas they work in, the management of those companies could be sent into jail,” he said.

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Stimulus money pays fishermen to snare lost nets

Patrick Oppmann, CNN 3 Aug 09;

ON PUGET SOUND, Washington (CNN) -- When commercial diver Kenny Woodside takes to the depths, he enters a world of murky low light and dangerous currents.

Until recently Woodside and about 100 hundred other divers searched Puget Sound for sea cucumbers and urchins to sell to buyers in Asia, where the items are considered delicacies.

But demand for the fishermen's catch dried up with the worldwide economic crisis and left many of these divers without a reason to go out on the water. "The fishing industry has slowed from a full-time job to just a couple months a year," said Doug Monk, the captain of the boat from which Woodside dives. "The red sea urchin market is almost non-existent."

But thanks to a small piece of the federal stimulus recovery plan, Monk, Woodside and about 40 other fishermen will get back to work hauling in a very different catch: lost fishing nets.

While many stimulus projects have come under fire as pork barrel spending, backers of the nets program say it is a model for helping those battered by the economic downturn while completing needed public works.

Thousands of the large nets stretch across the floor of Puget Sound, where they create an environmental hazard. Some of the nets were lost by fishermen to the rocky coastline decades ago but continue to catch and kill.

According to the Northwest Marine Conservation Initiative, the nets are responsible for killing tens of thousands of marine life, mammals and birds every year.

The nets, some of which extend larger than a football field, can also tangle the propellers of boats and pose a danger to scuba divers.

After struggling to find funding, the group received $4.6 million in stimulus funds to recover most of the nets that litter the unique Puget Sound ecosystem.

The only reason the nets have remained underwater for so long, said Ginny Broadhurst, director of the Northwest Marine Conservation Initiative, is because the damage they are doing to the environment is invisible from the surface.

"If you had nets strung along the streets that are catching bunny rabbits and squirrels, we wouldn't be discussing whether we should be removing them. We would be pulling them. It would be immediate," said Broadhurst. "When those threats are underwater it's so much harder to know what impacts they are having."

But pulling those nets is no easy task.

Divers swim close to 100 feet down to an environment that is anything but friendly. Instead of using scuba equipment, they breathe through air hoses running from the boat above. When the divers find the fields of nets, they begin the labor of cutting them free piece by piece and all by hand. Removing one net can take days. Video Watch the divers at work »

The nets are then pulled to the boat waiting on the surface. In just a few hours on the water, the divers can pull free about 1,000 pounds of nets. Inside are the bones of countless fish and birds, along with several species of protected sharks and crabs. Anything still alive is cut free and thrown back in the water. Then, biologist Jeff June notes what they have brought up. So far, he says, the group has identified 112 distinct species trapped in the nets.

The fishing nets themselves are considered toxic after the years of catching so much sea life. The divers seal them in heavy duty plastic bags and, once on shore, take the nets to a landfill. But biologist June said the group is working on a plan that would have the nets burned, creating energy from lost fishing nets.

Over the next 18 months the group expects to pull some 3,000 nets from Puget Sound. And in that time the fishing industry could bounce back from its slump, allowing Doug Monk and his crew to return to catching urchins and sea cucumbers.
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But, the boat captain said, recovering the fishing nets has greater meaning than just riding out a rough economy.

"We feel we are doing a good thing," he said. "[With] harvest diving we are taking from the resources; here we are giving them back."

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