Urban residents living near parks are healthier and less depressed

Hannah Devlin, Times Online 16 Oct 09;

City dwellers living near parks are healthier and suffer fewer bouts of depression, a study has revealed.

The study was adjusted to take into account socio-economic background and found that the effect of green surroundings was greatest for people with low levels of education and income.

The study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, found that in urban zones where 90 per cent of the area was green space the incidence of anxiety disorders or depression was 18 people per thousand. In areas with only 10 per cent greenery the incidence was 26 per thousand.

The annual rates of more than a dozen disease types, including cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, digestive and mental disorders, were also lower for those living near parks.

The impact on health was most marked in people who spent a lot of time in their green surroundings, especially children and people aged 45 to 65.

The findings are based on health records in the Netherlands for nearly 350,000 people registered with 195 family doctors in 95 practices across the country.

“The role of green space in the living environment should not be underestimated,” the study concludes.

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Timor Sea oil spill monitoring could last years

WA Today 15 Oct 09;

The operators of an oil well leaking into the Timor Sea for more than seven weeks could be monitoring the site for years, a scientist says.

Oil has been leaking into the ocean near PTTEP Australasia's West Atlas rig since August 21, at a rate initially estimated to be up to 400 barrels a day.

Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett on Thursday announced a deal had been struck with the Thai-based company for it to pay for environmental monitoring in the Timor Sea for at least two years.

Two attempts to plug the well in the last week have been unsuccessful and another bid is planned for Saturday.

PTTEP has appointed Australian environmental scientist John Wardrop to manage the immediate and long-term monitoring programs.

Mr Wardrop said the monitoring program was one of the biggest in Australia in response to an oil spill.

"It really depends on how the studies go, some of them may last for one year," Mr Wardrop told AAP.

"For example, if we find with our water quality sampling, there is no simply no residual oil ... there's probably little chance of that being required in subsequent years.

"Some of these studies I'm sure will go for a number of years."

The leaking facility at PTTEP's Montara oilfield is more than 200 kilometres off Western Australia's Kimberley coast.

Conservationists have been critical of the company and the federal government's response to the oil spill, which occurred in an area that's home to a number of endangered species.

West Australian Greens senator Scott Ludlum said on Thursday PTTEP had been keen to downplay the impact of the spill.

Senator Ludlum said a two-year monitoring program was not long enough to monitor the life cycles of some fish species.

"It needs to be at least six years," Senator Ludlum told AAP.

Reports of dead fish and dolphins in Indonesian waters were concerning, Senator Ludlum said.

"This pollution does not respect international marine boundaries," he said.

Mr Wardrop said issues surrounding the monitoring of Indonesian waters would be dealt with by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and the Department of Foreign Affairs.

He said he would be surprised if fish stocks in the Timor Sea were adversely affected by the oil spill.

"I would be surprised if there was an impact on the fisheries as such, that tends not to be that case when you have spills, even very large spills in open bodies of water," Mr Wardrop said.

"Where we've seen damage it's been very large spills in shore, in shallow waters."

Mr Wardrop said there was minimal risk of the oil, which he describes as "relatively light", leaving any residual on the seabed.

But it was possible it could leave a residual on reefs in the area, which were being monitored.

PTTEP said it was on track to make a third pass on Saturday to intercept the leaking well, which it plans to plug with mud.

The company is utilising electro-magnetic equipment that it says has never failed in similar relief efforts.

The company is paying for the costs of clean-up efforts and spill control by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which has been spraying dispersant to break up the oil slick and monitoring it on a daily basis.

AAP

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Lake Chad facing humanitarian disaster

FAO 14 Oct 09;

Shrinking water resources are threatening people and livelihoods - FAO calls for urgent interventions

15 October 2009, Rome - The humanitarian disaster looming at the shrinking Lake Chad in central Africa should be urgently addressed, FAO said today.

The lake, which is surrounded by Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, was once one of the world's largest water bodies. Due to climatic variability, climate change and population pressure over recent decades, the lake has shrunk by 90 percent, from 25 000 square kilometers in 1963 to less than 1500 square kilometers in 2001.

If water continues to recede at the current rate, Lake Chad could disappear in about twenty years from now, according to NASA climate forecasts.

Together with the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), FAO will organize a special event ("Saving Lake Chad: A System under Threat") in Rome during World Food Day on October 16, 2009. The event is aimed at raising awareness about the disastrous situation of Lake Chad and mobilizing funds to replenish the lake and improve overall food security in the region.

The 30 million people living in the Lake Chad region are being forced into sharper competition for water. The drying-up of the lake and deterioration of the production capacity of its basin have affected all the socio-economic activities. Overuse of water and land resources is also a major cause of migration and conflicts.

In addition to an approximately 60 percent decline in fish production, there has been degradation of pasturelands, leading to a shortage of animal feed estimated at 45 percent in certain places in 2006, reduction in livestock and biodiversity.


"The humanitarian disaster that could follow the ecological catastrophe needs urgent interventions," said Parviz Koohafkan, Director of Land and Water Division of FAO. "The tragic disappearance of Lake Chad has to be stopped and the livelihoods of millions of people living in this vast area should be safeguarded."

FAO closely collaborates with the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), founded in 1964. Lake Chad Basin countries are meeting regularly to regulate and control the utilization of water and other natural resources in the Basin. They are actively seeking new models of Adaptive Water Management that take account of traditional agricultural techniques as well as the need to ensure food security for the people of the region.

According to the Lake Chad Basin Commission, the diminished flow of water into the lake requires a radical change in water management techniques and a scheme to replenish Lake Chad.

The flow of the two main sources of replenishment for the lake, the Chari and Logone rivers have decreased significantly in the last 40 years. The feasibility study for an ambitious programme to divert water flow from the Oubangui, the major tributary of the Congo River, into the Chari river system will be presented at the meeting in Rome.

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Carbon emissions must peak by 2015: UN climate scientist

Richard Ingham Yahoo News 15 Oct 09;

PARIS (AFP) – The UN's top climate scientist on Thursday urged a key conference on global warming to set tough mid-term goals and warned carbon emissions had to peak by 2015 to meet a widely-shared vision.

Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Nobel-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said the talks in Copenhagen in December must focus on 2020, a far more important target than mid-century.

"Strong, urgent and effective action" is needed, Pachauri told a meeting of ministers of the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris.

"It is not enough to set any aspirational goal for 2050, it is critically important that we bring about a commitment to reduce emissions effectively by 2020," he said.

Pachauri added that over the last two years he had witnessed "a massive explosion of awareness and therefore willingness to take action" in climate change.

But, he said, the deal in Copenhagen had to be consistent with the findings of scientists, who say greenhouse gases that trap heat from the Sun are already affecting the climate system, and grave potential problems lie ahead.

The Group of Eight (G8) and other countries have endorsed the target of pegging warming to no more than two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times.

Pachauri said this target "is not without some fairly serious impact."

"If this path of mitigation is to be embarked on, to ensure stabilisation of temperatures at the level that I mentioned (2 C, 3.6 F), then global emissions must peak by 2015," he said.

The December 7-18 Copenhagen talks are taking place under the 192-nation UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The objective is a treaty that will tackle carbon emissions and their impacts, and encourage a switch to cleaner energy after 2012, when the current Kyoto Protocol pledges expire.

But UN talks have been bogged down by what is largely a divide between rich and poor countries, complicated by the US position.

President Barack Obama is sweeping away many of George W. Bush's legacy climate policies but has been unable to satisfy demands for deep, swift cuts in US carbon emissions.

He also faces a race against the clock to steer cap-and-trade legislation through Congress before the Copenhagen conference opens.

Pachauri told a press conference that it might take until next year for Washington to formulate its commitments on 2020.

"A reasonably good agreement" could emerge in Copenhagen, Pachauri said, adding though that he would not be dismayed by a delay if this provided a better outcome.

"If we are not getting a good agreement, then the global community really has the option of meeting again six months later or three months later or whatever," he said.

"I think we really have to keep at it until we can hammer out an agreement that meets the requirements of what science has clearly placed before us. It means a delay, it means some degree of disappointment all around, but who knows in the end you might get a much better agreement six months later."

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Blog Action Day special: 15 Oct 09 - Singapore posts about climate change

The secret to fighting climate change: Mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes from teamseagrass

Birds and climate change
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Rising seas and Singapore, on Blog Action Day
from wild shores of singapore

Blog Action Day – Climate Change
from isn't it a wonder, how life came to be

B.A.D.
from talfryn.net

Climate Change
from Simply Singapore

Shout About it!
from Green Drinks Singapore

Blog Action Day: Acting for Climate Change
from Midnight Monkey Monitor

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Best of our wild blogs: 15 Oct 09

Anything New @ TPTP?
from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature

Croc
from Biodiversity Singapore

Shades of green: Beijing (13-27 Sep 09)
from Water Quality in Singapore

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Why should we care about a new climate agreement?

Reuters 13 Oct 09;

Oct 14 - The global economy is still is bad shape, people are worried about their jobs and just paying the bills is a major challenge, hardly the right environment to get people focusing on climate change.

With so much to worry about, it can be hard to understand all the fuss about reaching a tougher U.N. climate deal in December in the Danish capital Copenhagen.

Following are some questions and answers on the importance of crafting a new agreement from 2013.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME?

A new deal will change the way energy is used, priced and created. In short, it will change the global economy.

Scientists say rich nations must find ways to make deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from power stations and steel mills to refineries and transport to prevent dangerous climate change.

For you and me, this will most likely mean higher fuel and electricity bills, while catching a plane will also become more expensive, as will buying imported food and drink. Insurance premiums covering storm damage or other natural disasters are also likely to rise.

In short, we'll be forced to make tougher lifestyle choices.

The flip side is that governments will help make renewable energy and greener transport more attractive, allowing people to make the switch to cleaner alternatives. Wind farms, solar, plus geothermal, wave and tidal power along with hybrid and fuel cell cars should become more commonplace as costs come down.

Financing from rich nations could also drive a green revolution in developing countries, boosting investment, creating jobs and cutting emissions.

HOW WILL THIS WORK?

It all hinges on putting a price on every tonne of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, produced by industry, transport or through deforestation, or saved from being emitted, such as building wind farms or saving tropical forests that soak up CO2.

Emissions trading through cap-and-trade schemes that give industries incentives to clean up will also be essential. Europe already has such a scheme, while Australia and the United States are working on their own versions.

Key to these schemes are tougher 2020 emissions reduction targets under a new climate treaty. The tougher the targets, the greater the financial incentive for industries to act.

WHAT'S THE URGENCY? CAN'T WE WAIT?

The world has already warmed on average 0.7 degrees Celsius over the past century through the burning of fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and gas. Prior to the latest financial crisis, emissions growth was increasing annually at a rate beyond past projections, driven largely by soaring coal and oil consumption in big developing nations, such as China and India.

Scientists say that the world is on course to pump enough carbon dioxide into the air to raise global temperatures by at least 2 deg C in the next few decades, a level they say will lead to more chaotic weather, rising seas, melting glaciers, water shortages and falling crop yields.

Such disruption poses major security threats because the world's population is expected to keep rising. Pollution and health problems are also growing risks.

Even if you don't believe in climate change, the world has only about 41 years of oil left based on proven reserves and 2008 consumption levels of nearly 31 billion barrels a year. As reserves fall and oil becomes harder to extract, prices of crude will continue to rise, making greener energy more attractive.

WHAT CAN JUST ONE PERSON DO?

A lot. Switch to compact fluorescent lighting in the home and office, use public transport, buy locally produced food and recycle your rubbish. Take re-useable bags when shopping and switch off unused appliances at home.

Every little bit helps because it entrenches behavior and gets people talking.

(Writing by David Fogarty; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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Global run to highlight water crisis: Singapore one of the hosts

Singapore one of 13 cities hosting events in April to raise awareness
Straits Times 15 Oct 09;

ONE in eight people in the world do not have access to clean, safe drinking water. Many who do have to walk an average distance of 6km a day to get to it.

To raise awareness about the world's water crisis, a series of runs - of a symbolic distance of 6km - will be held across the globe over a 24-hour period, organised by the same people who were behind the 2007 Live Earth rock concerts.

Singapore is one of the 13 cities that will host The Dow Live Earth Run for Water, together with concerts and education events on April 18 next year. Other cities include Buenos Aires and London.

Participants can join the main event at a location to be confirmed next month by local organiser Tribob, or set up their own event by registering online.

Tribob will also set up a water village at the race site to help inform people about water scarcity issues and solutions.

The event aims to raise awareness about the global water crisis, encourage water conservation and trigger a global movement and engagement with the issue which affects more than 1 billion people.

Local NGO Lien Aid is the events partner and main beneficiary here. The organisation runs water and sanitation projects in Cambodia, China and Vietnam. Senior manager of resource development Ko Siew Huey said: 'Fund raising is not the only focus. We get a platform to tell people about the global water crisis and raise awareness about Lien Aid and the work we do in the region. Any amount of money raised will be put to good use.'

Mr Kevin Wall, founder of Live Earth, said that celebrities who have already lent their names to the cause include Pete Wentz of American band Fall Out Boy, and actress Jessica Biel.

Commenting on why Singapore was chosen as a venue, general manager of Dow Water and Process Solutions Ian Barbour said: 'Having travelled to the city state, I know Singapore is buzzing when it comes to sustainable water management...it is already a model in helping to energise people and get them engaged.'

Runners are also invited to sign the Live Earth petition to add water as a basic human right to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.

The event is organised by Live Earth with sponsorship from The Dow Chemical Company.

For more information, visit www.liveearth.org

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First public housing devt in Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city reaches milestone

Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid, Channel NewsAsia 14 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE: The first public housing development in the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city has reached a significant milestone.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Wednesday. Singapore's Senior Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu officiated at the event.

The Eco-city is designed to promote social harmony, create economic vibrancy and environmental sustainability.

One of its key performance indicators is to have at least 20 per cent of its housing units in the form of public housing.

The first phase of the public housing development is located in the four-square-kilometre start-up area (SUA) of the Eco-city. It will have 569 units spread out in seven blocks.

The project is expected to be completed by mid-2011. In all, some 3,000 public housing units will be build in the start-up area.

- CNA/ir

Eco friendly homes for Tianjin
China will use some of Singapore's experience to build low-cost flats
Grace Ng, Straits Times 15 Oct 09;

TIANJIN: Officials from China and Singapore yesterday broke ground for a new town of environmentally friendly homes for low-income Chinese.

The first public housing project in the Tianjin Eco-City will showcase some 570 units, each 55 sq m large and sporting features such as solar panels and clean drinking water straight from the tap.

China will draw on some of Singapore's experience in building, maintaining and upgrading HDB flats in the joint venture, said Ms Grace Fu, the Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education.

'The emphasis is not just on the economic and commercial development,' she told Singapore reporters yesterday. 'It will be a place where economic activities and the community...are in a harmonious relationship.'

Ms Fu - who visited the Eco-City in June - was back here in the coastal city for two days, to lend a hand in the ground-breaking festivities and to 'understand the progress of the project'.

The project was designed by Surbana International Consultants and developed by the Tianjin Eco-City Administrative Committee.

Singapore hopes to contribute its strengths to bring out the best in a project that may serve as a model for others in future, said Ms Fu. During her Tianjin trip, which ends today, she will visit a secondary school, university, hospital, childcare centre and library to 'see how we can incorporate such facilities into the Eco-City', she said.

While there are dozens of green cities across China, the Eco-City is daring to be different by emphasising public housing innovations that promote social harmony. It aims to offer at least one-fifth of its units in the form of public housing partially subsidised by the Chinese government.

Over time, 3,000 naturally lit units - with solar panels that will reap energy savings of 70 per cent and heat 60 per cent of the units' water -�will be built in the 4 sq km start-up area of the project.

Sales will likely start next year but the pricing and eligibility criteria of low-income buyers are still being evaluated.

The ultimate aim is to transform a 30 sq km barren plot of land here in this northern port city into an environmentally friendly community of 350,000 residents, and create up to 60,000 jobs over the next decade.

The Eco-City also looks to deepen collaboration between Singapore and Tianjin in areas such as education.

An exhibition centre featuring technology related to energy, water and waste collection used in the Eco-City has been proposed.

There are also plans for collaboration between Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore with Tianjin institutions on research and development.

The Eco-City is also seeking special incentives and grants from the Chinese government that would attract more green companies to set up shop and to offset the higher costs related to activities such as waste management, said Ms Fu.

She met Vice-Minister Qiu Baoxing of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development in Beijing on Tuesday.

'We understand from our Chinese counterpart that progress is being made on incentives and grant and policy support for Tianjin Eco-City,' she said.

Ms Fu expressed hopes of some progress on the matter by April or May next year, when Premier Wen Jiabao and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong are expected to visit the Eco-City together.

Both leaders had repeatedly emphasised 'the importance and significance of this project' when they met in Dalian during the World Economic Forum last month, Ms Fu noted during her meeting with Tianjin deputy party secretary He Lifeng yesterday.

Ms Fu leaves for Beijing tonight and returns to Singapore tomorrow.

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New Singapore-Thai group to tackle green issues

Cai Haoxiang, Straits Times 15 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE and Thailand have expanded the areas of cooperation for their civil service, with a new focus group dealing with environmental issues.

In the next few months, it will work on a proposal for a joint project to tackle pollution caused by, among others, the haze and vehicle emissions, said Mr Eng Tiang Sing, international relations director of Singapore's Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.

The new group formalises a relationship of the two environment ministries that goes back about 15 years, marked by mutual visits, Mr Eng told The Straits Times yesterday during a meeting of the two countries' top civil servants.

The latest addition, announced in a joint statement, brings to 13 the fields of cooperation between the two countries, which include education, health, sports as well as science and technology.

These joint efforts come under the Civil Service Exchange Programme (CSEP), a yearly meeting that began in 1998, alternating between Thailand and Singapore.

This year's meeting in Singapore also saw the introduction of cross-sector talks, where officials from different ministries come together to discuss challenges like managing the spread of infectious diseases.

About 90 civil servants from the two countries attended the one-day meeting at the Shangri-La Hotel.

In their opening address, the foreign ministers of both countries underlined the longstanding relations between them in areas ranging from economic cooperation to defence.

Foreign Minister George Yeo said institutional ties like the CSEP created bonds of personal friendship and increased the effectiveness of joint responses in such areas as maritime security, terrorism and climate change.

He noted that Thailand, as Asean chair, had ensured the progress of the regional grouping's agenda despite its domestic difficulties.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Mr Yeo will attend a summit of Asean leaders and the bloc's six regional dialogue partners in Hua Hin, Thailand, next weekend.

Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, in his speech, said he hoped his colleagues could draw on Singapore's knowledge in technology, coordination among various agencies and urban planning.

He cited, in particular, Singapore's experience in beautifying the city, cleanliness and community involvement.

He said: 'There was always this feeling from our side of that sense of purpose on the side of the Singaporean Government and the people, that once a project has been decided, the whole population moves together in unison and becomes very efficient and very effective.'

Mr Kasit also called on PM Lee at the Istana. They reaffirmed the importance of CSEP as a key institutional link that underpinned the 'excellent state of bilateral relations', exchanged views on their respective economies and talked about the priorities for the Apec Economic Leaders' Meeting in Singapore next month.

Mr Lee also reiterated Singapore's commitment to work closely with Thailand to push ahead with Asean's economic integration agenda.

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Climate change threatens national security: Indonesian Ministers

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post 14 Oct 09;

Climate change could pose a threat to national security with thousands of small islands that border the country at risk from rising sea levels.

National Development Planning Agency’s (Bappenas) chairman Paskah Suzetta said if these small islands disappeared, international borders could shift and change maritime traffic routes.

“Changes in traffic routes will put national security at risk making the country more prone to illicit activity including illegal logging and fishing, piracy and natural resource exploitation,” he said.

He said another threat to national security as a result of climate change was likely a food, energy and water crisis.

“It is crucial to consider climate-change issues with national security affairs,” he said.

A study predicts the sea level could increase by 0.4 meters by next year in Indonesia, which could wash away approximately 7.4 square kilometers of coastal areas. By 2100, the sea level is predicted to reach 1 meter and could cover about 100,000 square kilometers of land and about 2,000 islands.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi said Indonesia had already lost about 29 islands due to a rising sea level, from 2007.

There are currently about 17,504 small islands.

“The rising sea level threatens millions of people,” Freddy said.

Bappenas is currently drafting a road map focusing on climate change in national development planning.

The road map based on scientific evidence and assessment will become a guideline to allocate the state budget to each ministry between 2010 and 2030.

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Indonesia 'should ratify haze pact'

It may get aid if it shows will to tackle burning: UN official
Straits Times 15 Oct 09;

INDONESIA needs to ratify a seven-year-old regional haze agreement to prove its commitment in tackling climate change, a top United Nations official said at a conference in Singapore yesterday.

As negotiations on a new climate change treaty in Copenhagen draws nearer, international financial aid to help coastal populations cope with the threat of rising sea levels, for example, will be more forthcoming if the treaty was ratified, said Mr Bakary Kante, director of the division of environmental law and conventions at the United Nations Environment Programme.

Asean nations, except Indonesia and the Philippines, signed the agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution in 2002.

Mr Kante said ratifying the agreement was of 'paramount importance' as it would demonstrate a 'political will' as well as a moral obligation to combat forest burning.

He was speaking to The Straits Times on the sidelines of a three-day conference here that brought together environment agencies from 14 countries in Asia, discussing how environmental protection laws can be better enforced.

The meeting was jointly organised by the Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network (Aecen) and National Environment Agency.

'The problems you are dealing with are on the top of the agenda for the international community,' said Mr Kante.

'Soot particles emanating from slash-and-burn farming...are having a major impact on the melting of Himalayan glaciers and slowing down the monsoon season, which is threatening food security and rice yields.'

Deforestation, through burning gases released from deforested soil and smouldering peat, accounts for 80 per cent of Indonesia's emissions, making it the world's third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases that exacerbate global warming.

But Indonesia has constantly pointed to a lack of technical expertise and financial muscle to tackle illegal slash-and-burn farming practices effectively.

Mr Kante added that comments by Indonesia's Forestry Minister, Mr Malam Sambat Kaban, that the government would take action on the issue only if its regional neighbours complained, were 'worrisome'.

'If one understands how damaging the haze is for the region, particularly considering how it affects the monsoon season, he would be careful with his words.

'This is a serious matter that no single country can solve by itself. It is through cooperation that governments will find a solution,' Mr Kante said.

Dr Supat Wangwongwatana, chairman of the Aecen executive committee, said tackling the haze had to go beyond a 'carrot and stick' approach to sharing best practices with fire-starters.

'Sometimes, polluters are willing to curb their farming methods but they do not know what to do. They need help.'

Delegates at the three-day forum, which ended yesterday, agreed that environment ministers from the Asia-Pacific region would meet in Japan next September to further diplomatic efforts.

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