Coral reef scientist slams Brumby over 'reckless vandalism'

Melissa Fyfe, The Age 9 Nov 09;

One of the world's leading coral reef scientists has slammed the Brumby Government's proposal to export Victoria's brown coal to India as "reckless vandalism".

John "Charlie" Veron, who discovered a quarter of the world's identified coral species, said any move to export the state's vast reserves of brown coal would only further endanger the Great Barrier Reef.

"It's reckless vandalism. Brown coal would have to be the dirtiest, nastiest form of energy there is. It is absolutely essential that it remains in the ground. That is obvious," he told The Age.

The Sunday Age revealed in September that Energy Minister Peter Batchelor had championed in a Cabinet committee a 40-year proposal to export 12 million tonnes of brown coal to India. Mr Brumby has said that, given environmental approval processes, there is no reason why Victoria should not export its coal. "Australia exports oil, Australia exports gas, Australia exports black coal and Australia exports uranium," he said. "So why you would single out brown coal and say you can't export that?"

But Dr Veron, the Townsville-based author of the three-volume Corals of the World, said that avoiding every tonne of carbon dioxide was now crucial to save the world's reefs. Moreover, he said science had now shown that corals will struggle to survive with the carbon dioxide levels already in the atmosphere.

High levels of carbon dioxide - the world is currently at 378 parts per million of carbon dioxide - have two impacts on corals. As the globe warms, so too does the sea, which sparks coral bleaching. But scientists now understand that the bigger problem is ocean acidification, when the chemistry of the ocean changes because of the large amounts of carbon dioxide they absorb from the atmosphere. These changes reduce the ability of reefs to form and regrow after bleaching events.

Mr Veron, who recently gave a talk on climate change and corals at the Royal Society introduced by Sir David Attenborough, said the current targets the world's politicians are talking about - 450 and 500 parts per million - would leave only "a very small band of ocean left in which corals can live".

"They will struggle just to exist, let alone build reefs," said Dr Veron, who has clocked 7000 hours of diving research on coral reefs.

Brown coal, which drives 90 per cent of the state's power supply, has been unsuitable for export because it is unstable and flammable. But proponents say recent developments in technology will allow them to dry the coal, making it less polluting - equal to black coal - and safe to transport.

The company behind the plan to export brown coal to India, Exergen, is hopeful the Government will give it access to a new release of brown coal. The company expects to earn $700 million a year in export income for Victoria.

Read more!

Britain unveils nuclear energy expansion plans

Daniel Fineren, Reuters 9 Nov 09;

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain set out plans Monday to speed up the planning process for big wind farms and new nuclear power plants and named 10 sites where reactors could be built.

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said new nuclear plants, combined with cleaner coal plants and more renewable energy, would help Britain to secure its energy supplies and cut its greenhouse gas emissions.

About 20 percent of Britain's electricity was generated from existing nuclear power reactors in the second quarter of 2009, but all except one of them is due to shut by 2025.

Previous attempts to build new nuclear plants have been delayed by the exhaustive planning process. It took six years and cost 30 millions pounds ($50.33 million) to secure planning consent to build the Sizewell B reactor in southern England.

Under the new proposals, decisions on plants bigger than 50 megawatts, or 100 megawatts for offshore wind, will be cut to one year.

"The current planning system is a barrier to this shift (to low carbon)," Miliband said.

"It serves neither the interests of energy security, the interests of the low carbon transition, nor the interests of people living in areas where infrastructure may be built, for the planning process to take years to come to a decision."

The list of possible new nuclear power stations includes Kirksanton, a site in Cumbria, northern England, proposed by German utility RWE which is not close to any existing nuclear facilities and overlaps a small wind farm.

The government rejected EDF Energy's Dungeness power station on the south coast of England as a possible site for new reactors because of environmental and flooding concerns.

But it approved EDF sites at Hinkley Point in Somerset and Sizewell in Suffolk where the French energy giant plans to build four reactors.

"It means we can prepare to take the next steps in our plan for a multi-billion pound investment in the UK," EDF Energy Chief Executive Vincent de Rivaz said in a statement.

"It is in the public interest for the UK to build at least 15 gigawatts of new nuclear capacity which would be sufficient to meet at least 30 percent of our electricity demand by 2030."

Britain currently has about 11 GW of nuclear power plants.

EDF plans to get its first new reactor in Britain running by the end of 2017, but said the multi-billion pound new build program remained subject to the "right investment framework being in place."

Ten of the 11 sites which had been proposed by some of Europe's biggest utilities for building new nuclear power plants are next to existing atomic installations.

But they want significant and long-term charges on rival climate-warming power plants to support their multi-billion pound investments in low-carbon nuclear because current carbon emissions prices are not high enough.

Miliband told journalists Monday there would be no "specific" public subsidy for nuclear. A stronger carbon price would support nuclear and renewable energy development over dirtier coal plants.

THREE SITES

Three other sites, at Kingsnorth, southern England and Owston Ferry and Druridge Bay, both in northeast England, may be suitable for new nuclear plants to be built after 2025, Miliband said.

The opposition Conservative Party, expected to win an election due by June 2010, said the announcement had come 10 years too late to replace existing capacity before it closes.

"What we have heard...is a declaration of a national emergency for our energy security," Conservative energy spokesman Greg Clark told parliament. "Why did they leave it so late to act?"

The Trades Union Congress, an umbrella body which represents Britain's unions, said the new nuclear plants and other energy measures would create up to half a million jobs at a time of fragile economic recovery.

"It will create many new job opportunities and a more streamlined planning process will avoid lengthy delays," said TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber.

The government also announced plans to fund the development of new technology to capture climate-warming carbon from coal fired plants.

For reaction to the energy proposals, click on

(Writing by Peter Griffiths, editing by Anthony Barker and Sue Thomas)

FACTBOX: Reaction to British energy proposals
Reuters 9 Nov 09;

(Reuters) - The British government on Monday unveiled its plans for a new energy infrastructure, including 10 possible new nuclear plants and funding for four trials of carbon capture and storage technology.

Here is a round-up of reaction to the plans:

CONSERVATIVE ENERGY SPOKESMAN GREG CLARK

"Every one of the measures contained in this statement should have been brought forward 10 years ago when they had the chance to secure the investments that are so desperately needed to keep the lights on, keep prices down and cut carbon emissions."

LIBERAL DEMOCRAT ENERGY SPOKESMAN SIMON HUGHES

"A new generation of nuclear power stations will be a colossal mistake regardless of where they are built.

"New plants in the UK have never been built without massive cost to the taxpayer and a lethal legacy of toxic waste."

NUCLEAR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION CHIEF EXECUTIVE KEITH PARKER

"This is a key step forward in the drive to de-carbonize our economy. A streamlined planning process will help the development of an array of low-carbon technologies, including nuclear, which in turn can do so much to combat climate change."

RWE NPOWER CHIEF EXECUTIVE ANDY DUFF

"The closure of old coal and nuclear plant, and a likely return to growing demand in the next decade, means major modernization of the energy system is still needed.

"This will require billions of pounds of investment to tackle carbon dioxide emissions, keep the lights on and keep energy prices manageable."

BRITISH CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE POLICY DIRECTOR ADAM MARSHALL

"Decisions involving nuclear power are never easy. Yet British business is clear that nuclear power will be a crucial part of a more sustainable future energy mix.

"A faster, more streamlined planning process is also required to safeguard the UK's energy supply in the decades to come."

CONFEDERATION OF BRITISH INDUSTRY DEPUTY HEAD JOHN CRIDLAND

"These planning statements will help reassure companies that the government has a clear strategy for delivering new nuclear power, clean coal and renewable energy plants, and that this will be reflected in planning decisions."

GREENPEACE NUCLEAR CAMPAIGN HEAD BEN AYLIFFE

"Our lawyers will be examining this announcement very closely.

"You can't justify building more nuclear power stations when there is no solution to radioactive waste and when international regulators are saying there are huge uncertainties surrounding the basic safety of new reactor designs."

DIRECTOR OF THE GREEN ALLIANCE STEPHEN HALE

"Nuclear power will always cost more and deliver less than its advocates claim.

"We require a national plan and locations for carbon capture and storage, not for nuclear power."

(Compiled by Peter Griffiths; Editing by)

FACTBOX: UK's 10 approved new nuclear power sites
Reuters 9 Nov 09;

(Reuters) - The British government has approved 10 new nuclear power plant sites out of a previous 11 nominations. The new units could be built by 2025.

The rejected site was EDF's Dungeness nomination on the south coast of England.

Many of Europe's biggest utilities plan to build nuclear power plants in Britain, often in joint bids.

The approved sites announced by the Department of Energy and Climate Change on Monday are:

Hartlepool in north east England, nominated by EDF Energy

Heysham in north west England, nominated by EDF Energy

Sellafield in north west England nominated by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Kirksanton in Cumbria, north west England, nominated by RWE

Braystones in Cumbria, nominated by RWE

Wylfa Peninsula in Wales, nominated by the NDA and RWE

Oldbury in south west England nominated, by NDA and EON

Hinkley Point in south west England, nominated by EDF Energy

Bradwell, south east England, nominated by the NDA

Sizewell in Cumbria, nominated by EDF Energy

(Reporting by Kwok W. Wan; editing by Sue Thomas)

Read more!

Maldives anger at climate inertia

Charles Haviland, BBC News 9 Nov 09;

The president of the Maldives has strongly criticised the world's rich countries for doing too little to stem climate change.

Mohamed Nasheed said there was so little money offered to vulnerable nations that it was like arriving at an earthquake with a dustpan and brush.

He was opening a high-level two-day gathering of countries deemed especially at risk from global warming.

The Maldives government says the islands face disaster if oceans rise.

This was an outspoken attack on the G8 rich countries by the leader of a country so low that rising sea levels threaten to submerge most or all of it by 2100. The Maldives stands about 2.1 metres (7ft) above sea level.

President Nasheed said the wealthy nations had pledged to halt temperature rises to 2C, but had refused to commit to the carbon targets that would deliver this.

Glaciers melting

Even with a 2C rise, he added, "we would lose the coral reefs… melt Greenland, and… my country would be on death row".

"I cannot accept this," he said.

The Maldives wants the countries at this gathering to follow its own example in aiming to go carbon neutral, switching to renewable energy and offsetting aviation pollution.

Such a bloc of developing countries could change the outcome of next month's climate change summit in Denmark, the president said, making it morally harder for rich countries not to take action themselves.

The Maldives is hosting about 10 nations vulnerable in different ways - African countries threatened by desertification, mountain ones whose glaciers are melting, large Asian ones affected by floods and typhoons, and other small islands like itself.

Maldives urges small states to go 'carbon neutral'
AFP Yahoo News 9 Nov 09;

MALE (AFP) – The Maldives, which is one of the nations most vulnerable to rising sea levels, on Monday asked fellow endangered states to go carbon neutral and lead a drive to reduce global warming.

Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed opened a two-day conference here on climate change urging smaller countries, which are faced with the prospect of being wiped out, to adopt environmentally-friendly energy.

"A group of vulnerable, developing countries committed to carbon neutral development would send a loud message to the outside world," Nasheed said, adding that they needed to make a commitment to carbon neutrality.

Nasheed, 52, called the meeting of 11 of the world's least polluting smaller states, including Kiribati and Barbados, in a bid to hammer out a common stance ahead of the United Nations climate summit in Copenhagen in December.

"If those with the least (pollution) start doing the most, what excuse can the rich have for continuing inaction?" he asked. "We know this is not an easy step to take, and that there might be dangers along the way.

"We want to shine a light, not loudly demand that others go first into the dark."

Last week, the Maldives flagged off construction of a 200-million-dollar wind farm as part of efforts to make the low-lying archipelago carbon neutral by 2020.

The wind turbine facility on a small islet just north of the capital Male is expected to be completed within 20 months, an official said, adding that it would supply more than half the nation's electricity needs.

Nasheed, whose cabinet met underwater last month in a stunt aimed at highlighting the Maldives' vulnerability to rising sea levels, said he wanted the country to be a showcase for renewable and clean energy.

Being carbon neutral normally means reducing emissions of greenhouse gases where possible and offsetting or compensating for any others that cannot be eliminated.

In 2007, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that an increase in sea levels of just 18 to 59 centimetres (seven to 24 inches) would make the Maldives virtually uninhabitable by 2100.

More than 80 percent of the tiny nation, famed as a tourist paradise because of its secluded beaches, coral reefs and white-sand beaches, is less than a metre (about three feet) above sea level.

Copenhagen failure would be 'suicide': Maldives
Yahoo News 9 Nov 09;

MALE (AFP) – The president of the Maldives has warned that a failure to agree a deal on limiting greenhouse gas emissions in Copenhagen next month would be an act of "collective suicide".

"At the moment every country arrives at climate negotiations seeking to keep their own emissions as high as possible," President Mohamed Nasheed said here. "This is the logic of the madhouse, a recipe for collective suicide.

"We don't want a global suicide pact. We want a global survival pact."

More than 190 nations are to meet for UN talks in Copenhagen from December 7-18, aiming for a post-2012 accord to slash emissions from fossil fuels that trap solar heat and drive global warming.

But after nearly two years of haggling, deep rifts remain over apportioning emissions curbs between rich economies and fast-growing developing nations and on the accord's architecture and legal status.

Nasheed opened a two-day forum for 11 countries considered the most vulnerable to climate change, urging them to go carbon neutral to show the rich world the way forward.

"A group of vulnerable, developing countries committed to carbon neutral development would send a loud message to the outside world," Nasheed said, adding that they needed to make a commitment to carbon neutrality.

Nasheed, 52, called the meeting of the world's least polluting smaller states, including Kiribati and Barbados, in a bid to hammer out a common stance ahead of the Copenhagen summit.

"If those with the least (pollution) start doing the most, what excuse can the rich have for continuing inaction?" he asked. "We know this is not an easy step to take, and that there might be dangers along the way.

"We want to shine a light, not loudly demand that others go first into the dark."

Being carbon neutral normally means reducing emissions of greenhouse gases where possible and offsetting or compensating for any others that cannot be eliminated.

Some 85 delegates were taking part in the conference at the Bandos island resort, a short boat ride from Male, the capital of the archipelago which is best known for its upmarket tourism.

Last week, the Maldives flagged off construction of a 200-million-dollar wind farm as part of efforts to make the low-lying archipelago carbon neutral by 2020.

The facility on a small islet just north of the capital Male is expected to be completed within 20 months, an official said, adding that it would supply more than half the nation's electricity needs.

Nasheed, whose cabinet met underwater last month in a stunt aimed at highlighting the Maldives' vulnerability to rising sea levels, said he wanted the country to be a showcase for renewable and clean energy.

In 2007, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that an increase in sea levels of just 18 to 59 centimetres (seven to 24 inches) would make the Maldives virtually uninhabitable by 2100.

More than 80 percent of the tiny nation, famed as a tourist paradise because of its secluded beaches, coral reefs and white-sand beaches, is less than a metre (about three feet) above sea level.

China, Britain, Denmark, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia and the United States sent observers for the conference, called the Climate Vulnerable Forum, officials said.

Threatened Maldives urges joint action at climate talks
Maryam Omidi, Reuters 9 Nov 09;

MALE (Reuters) - The Maldives, threatened by rising sea levels because of global warming, on Monday pleaded with developed nations to reduce carbon emissions and said developing nations could change the outcome at climate talks in Copenhagen.

The appeal by the Indian ocean archipelago came at a climate change summit grouping Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam, Kiribati, Barbados, Bhutan, Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania before next month's global climate change summit in Copenhagen.

Despite being among the world's lowest emitters of greenhouse gases, the countries share the worst impacts of climate change including desertification, drought, floods and storm surges.

"We are vulnerable because we have modest means with which to protect ourselves from the coming disaster," Maldivian President Mohammed Nasheed told the conference.

Nasheed, who in March outlined ambitious plans to make the world's first carbon-neutral nation within a decade, said developing nations could change the outcome of Copenhagen, blaming developed nations for the global warming.

"They never make commitments, unless someone else does first. This is the logic of the madhouse, a recipe for collective suicide. We don't want a global suicide pact. And we will not sign a global suicide pact, in Copenhagen or anywhere.

"I think a bloc of carbon-neutral, developing nations could change the outcome of Copenhagen. At the moment every country arrives at the negotiations seeking to keep their own emissions as high as possible."

The summit comes three days after hopes of a legally binding treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol were dashed during talks in Barcelona.

Nasheed last week said Maldives could achieve its aim of becoming carbon neutral well before its 2020 target, the Indian Ocean island nation's president said on Monday.

(Writing by Ranga Sirilal; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Read more!

Yangtze warned to prepare for more droughts, floods and storms

WWF 10 Nov 09;
• First-ever large-scale report on the Yangtze and climate change adaptation released in Beijing
• Experts recommend taking “no-regrets” adaptation strategies

Beijing, China－ Temperatures across the Yangtze River Basin could increase from 1.5 - 2 Degrees Celsius over the next 50 years, while extreme weather events will also become more frequent, according to the largest river basin climate vulnerability assessment yet done.

The Yangtze River Basin Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation Report, released today in Beijing, not only describes the impact of climate change but also offers specific adaptation strategies for the Yangtze.

“Extreme climate events such as storms and drought disasters will increase as climate change continues to alter our planet,” said Professor Xu Ming, the report’s lead researcher.

“Given the complexities and uncertainties associated with climate change, adaptation should firstly consider a ‘no-regrets’ strategy,” which does not require additional cost. If we take the right steps now, adaptation measures will pay for themselves.” he said.

Specific adaptation measures discussed in the report include strengthening existing infrastructure, such as power supply, transportation as well as river and coastal dike reinforcement. Other steps involve promoting Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM), switching to more flexible cropping systems, and reducing human impact on fragile ecosystems.

Data collected from 147 monitoring stations across the 1.8 million km2 river basin points to a 0.33℃ temperature rise during the 1990s. This hotter weather led to a spike in extreme climate events and flooding across the Yangtze basin, a trend that is expected to become increasingly dire over the next 50 years.

Other findings show that from 2001 – 2005, the basin’s climate grew even hotter, increasing by an average of 0.71℃.

According to the new report, wetlands will be the hardest hit. Lower water levels will reduce the number of aquatic birds in the Central and Lower Yangtze while climate change strips wetland ecosystems of important resources.

Other impacts that could affect the 400 million people whose livelihoods depend on the basin include more frequent snowstorms and drought.

‘The Yangtze Vulnerability Assessment is an important symbol of China’s commitment to fighting climate change,” said Mr. James Leape, Director General of WWF-International.

“Beyond setting out the vulnerabilities, the Yangtze assessment also underlines how investment in climate change adaptation is a prudent investment in safeguarding the continuing functioning of a landscape vital to many millions”

Extreme weather will be seen on Yangtze
Tini Tran, Associated Press Google News 10 Nov 09;

BEIJING — Increased droughts, floods and storms will hit China's Yangtze River Basin over the next few decades, the result of rising temperatures globally, according to a report released Tuesday.

Climate change will trigger extreme weather conditions along the country's longest river, but strategies can be taken to control it, said the report, issued by the environmental group WWF-China.

In the past two decades, the temperature in the river basin area has risen steadily, which has led to a spike in flooding, heat waves and droughts, the report said. It is the largest assessment yet on the impact of global warming on the Yangtze basin area, which is home to 400 million people.

Data collected from 147 monitoring stations along the 700,000-square-mile (1.8 million-square-kilometer) area showed temperatures rose by 0.59 degree Fahrenheit (0.33 degree Celsius) during the 1990s. Additional findings show that between 2001 and 2005, the basin's temperature rose on average another 1.28 degrees Fahrenheit (0.71 degree Celsius).

"Extreme climate events such as storms and drought disasters will increase as climate change continues to alter our planet," said Xu Ming, the lead researcher on the report, which included expert contributions from the China Academy of Sciences, the China Meteorological Administration and other academic institutions.

The report identifies key areas that will be affected: from agriculture to various ecosystems such as forests, grasslands, wetlands and coastal regions.

Crops such as corn, winter wheat and rice will see clear declines in production, with rice crops alone dropping between 9 percent to 41 percent by the end of the century, it said. Natural habitat such as grasslands and wetlands have receded steadily in recent years while rising sea levels triggered by global warming will make coastal cities such as Shanghai more vulnerable.

Countermeasures include strengthening existing infrastructure, such as river and dike reinforcements, transport and power supply systems, the report said. Other steps include adjusting cropping systems and switching to hardier strains.

"Adaptation is a must for large developing nations" such as China, which is particularly vulnerable to climate change because of its large population and relatively low economic development, said James Leape, director general of WWF-International.

"The report is a reminder that while the whole world rises to meet the challenge of climate change, we must prepare for impacts that are already inevitable," he said.

Read more!

Western Australia sea level rising fast

Phil Mercer, BBC News 9 Nov 09;

New figures have revealed that sea levels along the coast of Western Australia are rising at a rate double that of the world average.

Statistics from Australia's National Tidal Centre show levels have increased by 8.6mm a year off the coast of the state capital Perth.

That compares to a global average of just over 3mm.

Scientists have said that man-made climate change has played a significant role in the rise.

Climatologists have said that a combination of natural variability and man-made pollution have caused sea levels to rise around the world.

Double trouble

For much of the past century there were average increases of 1.7mm per year, while that rate doubled after 1993.

Some regions, however, have suffered more than others.

New figures show that the sea level rose off Perth in Western Australia and in the Kimberley region to the north by more than 8mm.

Dr John Church, from Australia's government-funded science and research body, the CSIRO, says these are worrying signs.

"Man's role is making a significant contribution to this global average rise," he said.

"I think the fact that sea levels are rising is a major reason for concern and it's a combination of the global average rise together with the natural variability leading to larger regional rises over certain periods and extreme events as in storm surges which will have the most impact…and, of course, sea level rise will not stop in 2100, it will continue for many centuries," he added.

About 80% of Australians live in coastal areas.

There are fears that vulnerable low-lying communities may have to be abandoned in years to come because of flooding and erosion.

CSIRO scientists have said that warming temperatures, which cause water to expand, have been a major trigger for sea-level rises in the 20th Century.

They have also blamed the melting of the world's icecaps and glaciers.

Read more!

Stop selling out science to commerce

Stuart Parkinson and Chris Langley, New Scientist 9 Nov 09;

DO COMMERCIAL pressures have a negative impact on science? This debate has been raging for so long that it usually raises little more than a shrug of indifference.

That is no longer a defensible response. A new report from our organisation, Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR), exposes problems so serious that we can no longer afford to be indifferent to them.

The report looks at the impact of five commercial sectors on science and technology over the past 20 years. The damaging influence of two of these, pharmaceuticals and tobacco, has been noted before. But we also looked at the oil and gas, defence and biotech sectors, which have been subjected to less scrutiny.

We found a wide range of disturbing commercial influences on science, and evidence that similar problems are occurring across academic disciplines.

Over the past two decades, government policy in the US, UK and elsewhere has fundamentally altered the academic landscape in a drive for profit. Universities have been pushed to adopt a much more commercial mindset, from taking out patents to prioritising research that promises short-term economic gains. The rapid spread of partnerships between businesses and universities has led to some disciplines becoming so intertwined with industry that few academics are able to retain their independence.

Chemical engineering and geology are strongly linked to oil companies, for example, and it is hard to find an engineering department in the UK which does not receive funding from the arms industry. And many life sciences departments have extensive links with the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

This creates enormous potential for conflicts of interest. The problem has long been recognised in medical research, and journals are starting to crack down on it, but in other disciplines the problems are rarely even discussed, let alone acted upon.

Such problems are a major concern because they can undermine the quality and reliability of research. This is perhaps best illustrated by "sponsorship bias", where research generates results that suit the funder (The Journal of the American Medical Association, vol 290, p 921). Another well-documented problem is the failure to report results unfavourable to the funder.

Research is also undermined by misleading messages put out by industry-funded lobby groups. Again, these tactics are well known from the tobacco and oil industries, with their deliberate questioning of health research and sponsorship of climate sceptics. Less attention has been given to the funding of some patient groups by pharmaceutical companies and the (sometimes covert) use of PR companies by the biotechnology industry in the debate over genetically modified crops. This does not bode well for public discussions on the risks of synthetic biology.

Another cornerstone of science that is being eroded is the freedom to set the public research agenda so that it serves the public interest. Governments are increasingly focused on delivering competitiveness, and business interests are able to exert pressure on funding bodies through representatives on their boards. As a result, environmental and social problems and "blue-sky" research commonly lose out to short-term commercial gain.

For example, genetics now dominates agricultural science, not least because genetic technologies are highly patentable. This not only dominates privately funded research, but also steers publicly funded research away from work that takes a different approach or explores low-tech solutions.

As a result, "low-input" agriculture, which requires minimal use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides and is cheaper and more useful to poorer farmers, is largely overlooked. Similarly, research on how to improve food distribution receives inadequate support.

Another example is research on security issues, which is overwhelmingly focused on new military technology. Research into understanding the roots of conflict, or to support negotiation and reconciliation programmes, receives a tiny fraction of the tens of billions of dollars spent globally on developing military hardware. And most of that is public money.

Put bluntly, much publicly funded science is no longer being done in the public interest. Despite this, policy-makers are complacent and argue that any damaging effects of commercial influence are minor.

In contrast, many scientists are noticing the effects and becoming discomfited by them. Some are starting to speak out. For example, staff at the Open University in the UK are pushing for new ethical standards for business partnerships following the university's involvement in a major military contract.

However, these campaigns are few and far between. There is a strong incentive for scientists not to make a fuss if their department receives industry funds. This is strengthened by contractual requirements for secrecy that often come with industry partnerships.

To defend independent science, reform is needed, from the level of government policy down to that of the research study. To this end, SGR is making recommendations. These include: the open publication of all funding arrangements between academia and business; ethical standards for business-university partnerships; proper handling of conflicts of interests by journals; more involvement of the public in setting research priorities; and a change in government policies which prioritise research with short-term commercial priorities above all else.

Scientists must now voice their concerns publicly in order that policy-makers hear them. They could do worse than follow the example set by campaigners at the Open University.

Stuart Parkinson and Chris Langley are authors of the SGR report Science and the Corporate Agenda, which can be downloaded from sgr.org.uk

Read more!

India 'arrogant' to deny global warming link to melting glaciers

IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri accuses Indian environment ministry of 'arrogance' for its report claiming there is no evidence that climate change has shrunk Himalayan glaciers
Randeep Ramesh, guardian.co.uk 9 Nov 09;

A leading climate scientist today accused the Indian environment ministry of "arrogance" after the release of a government report claiming that there is no evidence climate change has caused "abnormal" shrinking of Himalayan glaciers.

Jairam Ramesh, India's environment minister, released the controversial report in Delhi, saying it would "challenge the conventional wisdom" about melting ice in the mountains.

Two years ago, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN agency which evaluates the risk from global warming, warned the glaciers were receding faster than in any other part of the world and could "disappear altogether by 2035 if not sooner".

Today Ramesh denied any such risk existed: "There is no conclusive scientific evidence to link global warming with what is happening in the Himalayan glaciers." The minister added although some glaciers are receding they were doing so at a rate that was not "historically alarming".

However, Rajendra Pachauri, the chairman of the IPCC, told the Guardian: "We have a very clear idea of what is happening. I don't know why the minister is supporting this unsubstantiated research. It is an extremely arrogant statement."

Ramesh said he was prepared to take on "the doomsday scenarios of Al Gore and the IPCC".

"My concern is that this comes from western scientists … it is high time India makes an investment in understanding what is happening in the Himalayan ecosystem," he added.

The government report, entitled Himalayan glaciers (pdf), looks at 150 years' worth of data gathered from the Geological Survey of India from 25 glaciers. It claims to be the first comprehensive study on the region.

Vijay Kumar Raina, the geologist who authored the report, admitted that some "Himalayan glaciers are retreating. But it is nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing to suggest as some have said that they will disappear."

Pachauri dismissed the report saying it was not "peer reviewed" and had few "scientific citations".

"With the greatest of respect this guy retired years ago and I find it totally baffling that he comes out and throws out everything that has been established years ago."

In a remarkable finding, the report claims the Gangotri glacier, the main source of the River Ganges, actually receded fastest in 1977 – and is today "practically at a stand still".

Some scientists have warned that the river beds of the Gangetic Basin – which feed hundreds of millions in northern India – could run dry once glaciers go. However, such concerns are scotched by the report.

According to Raina, the mistake made by "western scientists" is to apply the rate of glacial loss from other parts of the world to the Himalayas. "In the United States the highest glaciers in Alaska are still below the lowest level of Himalayan glaciers. Our 9,500 glaciers are located at very high altitudes. It is completely different system."

"As long as we have monsoons we will have glaciers. There are many factors to consider when we want to find out how quickly (glaciers melt) … rainfall, debris cover, relief and terrain," said Raina.

In response Pachauri said that such statements were reminiscent of "climate change deniers and school boy science".

"I cannot see what the minister's motives are. We do need more extensive measurement of the Himalayan range but it is clear from satellite pictures what is happening."

Many environmentalists said they were also unconvinced by the minister's arguments. Sunita Narain, a member of the Indian prime minister's climate change council and director of the Centre for Science and Environment, said "the report would create a lot of confusion".

"The PM's council has just received a comprehensive report which presents many studies which show clear fragmentation of the glaciers would lead to faster recession. I am not sure what Jairam (Ramesh) is doing."

India environment minister under fire over glaciers
Yahoo News 10 Nov 09;

NEW DELHI (AFP) – India's environment minister came under fire Tuesday from scientists for denying climate change was causing Himalayan glaciers to melt and disputing the work of the UN's top global warming body.

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said Monday there was no "conclusive scientific evidence" linking global warming to the melting of the glaciers and questioned work by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The IPCC, a UN body regarded as the world's top authority on climate change, has warned Himalayan glaciers are receding faster than in any other part of the world and could "disappear altogether by 2035 if not sooner".

Shresth Tayal, a glaciologist with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Delhi, rejected a new report from an Indian scientist presented by Ramesh that denied the link between rising temperatures and receding ice.

"This report is incomplete. It has been written with a biased approach," said Tayal, who labelled the findings "self-contradictory."

"Do you think any scientist needs to prove that warming causes melting of ice? If there is heat, ice is bound to melt."

Tayal criticised the Indian government for endorsing the report by geologist Vijay Kumar Raina, saying it should have analysed the results before making it public.

IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri also blasted the research by Raina, calling it "unsubstantiated" and said Ramesh's support of it was "arrogant."

"I cannot see what the minister's motives are. We do need more extensive measurement of the Himalayan range but it is clear from satellite pictures what is happening," he told Britain's Guardian newspaper.

Ramesh admitted some glaciers were receding but said the rate was not "historically alarming" as projected by the IPCC, the Hindustan Times daily reported.

"The health of the Himalayan glaciers is poor, but according to the (research) paper the doomsday prediction of the IPCC and Al Gore is also not correct," Ramesh said, referring to former US vice president and climate campaigner Al Gore.

Raina, who authored the research, echoed Ramesh, saying "nothing abnormal is happening to Indian glaciers."

"There's no evidence of climate change," said Raina, according to the Hindustan Times newspaper.

Pachauri likened the explanations to "climate change deniers and schoolboy science".

India's attitude to the IPCC and other international findings on Himalayan glaciers has been marked by nationalist sentiment, with Ramesh repeatedly stressing that most research on the subject is done by non-Indians.

Ramesh has expedited plans to establish indigenous environmental research institutes, such as a national Himalayan glaciology institute, to counter what he says are biased findings ahead of UN talks in Copenhagen in December.

The Copenhagen meeting aims to establish a post-2012 global accord to slash emissions from fossil fuels that trap solar heat and drive global warming.

The IPCC has warned that the rivers of the Gangetic Basin, which supply hundreds of millions in northern India, could run dry once glaciers high in the Himalayas disappear.

The research backed by Ramesh was called "Himalayan Glaciers, a state-of-art review of glacial studies, glacial retreat and climate change" which is based on 100 years of data on 25 glaciers from the Geological Survey of India.

Shakil Ramsoo, an associate professor of geology at Kashmir University who released a study last month on rising temperatures and shrinking glaciers, said there was "no doubt in the fact that global warming is affecting our glaciers."

The Kolahoi glacier -- the largest in Indian Kashmir -- has shrunk by 2.63 square kilometres (one square mile) in the past three decades to just over 11 square kilometres, said Ramsoo's report.

Ramsoo told AFP the glacier was shrinking at "an alarming speed".

But M.N. Koul, one of Indian Kashmir's leading glacier experts who contributed to Raina's report released Monday, accused scientists of sounding a "false alarm."

"Himalayan glaciers are retreating at a very slow rate contrary to what has been said," Koul told AFP.

Shyam Saran, the Indian prime minister's special envoy for climate change, told the India World Economic Forum on Tuesday that the government could not make policy based on inconclusive scientific evidence.

Read more!

Best of our wild blogs: 9 Nov 09

Hunting across Southeast Asia weakens forests' survival:
An interview with Richard Corlett from Mongabay.com

Trekking After Rain in the Nature Reserves
from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature

Throw In Two Crocs
from Life's Indulgences

Great Day Out At Our Nature Places
from colourful clouds

Neurothemis fluctuans; Trithemis aurora
from Creatures Big & Small

Juvenile male Oriental Magpie Robin moulting
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Monday Morgue: 9th November 2009
from The Lazy Lizard's Tales

From 3 Nov: "Under the Sea 3D" now screening at Omni-Theatre from wild shores of singapore

Read more!

Struggle to keep divers' code afloat in Singapore

Straits Times 9 Nov 09;

Three people have died while scuba-diving this year. Teh Joo Lin and Kimberly Spykerman look at the state of the leisure diving industry and its practices

FOR three years, a 55-page code of practice for the leisure diving industry here has been gathering moss.

It was an attempt by the Singapore Underwater Federation (SUF) to make sure dive instructors abide by certain guidelines when they take their clients out to sea.

But even the grouping, formed in 1973 to promote safe diving and other underwater activities, has been floundering.

It has not held an annual general meeting since 2006. In the following years, it has received no funding from the Singapore Sports Council as, the council's spokesman said, its plans were 'not detailed enough for proper assessment'.

Its last bulletin to members was for an event in June 2007. Its listed number is no longer in use. Its membership has sunk from 60 to just five or so. It has no actual office-bearers now; five of the seven quit before their term ended in 2007.

The last president, Mr Stephen Beng, and his deputy, Mr Gideon Liew, are left to keep the federation afloat.

Given the swell in the number of people taking to underwater sports, the moribund state of the industry's governing body is cause for concern. By industry estimates, there are 30 dive shops providing instruction and organising trips to popular dive spots in Malaysia and elsewhere, and 200 instructors. About 10,000 people go on diving trips every year.

Since 2000, at least 10 people have died while diving, including three so far this year. These are numbers that concern interim SUF president Mr Beng. 'We need to make a point of zero tolerance for dive fatalities,' he said.

Different people have different takes on what is causing the federation to sink, but the push to adopt the code of practice appears to have been a major sticking point.

Dive operators believe they would drown from the cost of implementing it.

The code, which raises points about safety, professionalism and service, lays down minimum industry standards. Among other things, it calls on dive operators to conduct extensive reviews of inactive divers before allowing them back underwater; arrange for doctors to be on standby over radio or phone when diving at remote locations; and routinely test their first-aid equipment.

The SUF's former honorary secretary, Mr Ricky Koh, said: 'To completely abide by the code, overheads would go up as there would be a minimum standard when it comes to equipment. Given a choice, who would want to raise costs?'

The code lays down recommendations. No penalties are listed for breaches, but in theory, the federation can discipline members who break the code.

Mr George Lee, the former sports officer of the SUF who has been in the industry for 32 years, said members would have been obliged to implement the recommendations or face censure. But non-members could get away with ignoring the code because the grouping has no power to compel membership.

'If you are a member of the SUF, basically you are putting a rope around your neck,' said Mr Lee. 'If anyone complains about you, SUF will take action against you based on the code. But non-SUF members will get off scot-free. So who's going to use it first?'

Dive operators here are already certified by international training agencies, such as the Professional Association for Diving Instructors (Padi), which is based in the United States with regional offices worldwide.

A Padi spokesman said its regional managers conduct regular training for Padi-certified dive centres, among other quality-control measures. Members have to adhere to the Padi Standards Compliance Agreement, which specifies training rules such as the ratio of instructor to students.

The spokesman said: 'When compliance is not gained, or the matter is of a serious safety issue, the member may be required to retrain, or the member's membership in Padi may be terminated.'

But a local code of practice can supplement the guidelines of various international training bodies, said its proponents.

International guidelines do not take into account a country's laws, said Mr William Ong, the SUF's former national diving officer. 'The guidelines are non-specific to any geographical location. So even if you follow Padi's standards, Padi cannot help defend you if you have breached any local laws. The code will then act as a safeguard for dive operators here, so that they operate correctly.'

Mr Beng, who owns his own dive outfit, hopes government agencies like the National Water Safety Council can help the SUF get back on its feet.

Dr Teo Ho Pin, who heads the council, said he was aware of the uphill task the SUF faces because 'not all (dive) operators would like to join it'.

'We would like to work with the federation and come up with something that all operators can abide by,' he said, adding that the council was reviewing the SUF's code of practice.

In Australia, the Maritime Union of Australia recently called for strict government regulation of the industry after a fatal scuba-diving accident.

After the death of a 58-year-old American diver due to a 'pre-existing medical problem', the union's spokesman said it was time for the diving industry, the government and unions to develop professional training and safety standards.

To some dive operators here, practices that should be imposed include compulsory dive insurance, medical check-ups before divers can go underwater, regular equipment maintenance and overhaul, and the use of automated external defibrillators, which can restart stopped hearts.

Doctors The Straits Times spoke to go further, saying that the pre-dive medical assessment is particularly important.

Dr Soh Chai Rick, director of the hyperbaric and diving medicine centre at the Singapore General Hospital, said: 'Each condition is potentially problematic. Only a dive physician with careful assessment can tell you if it's safe.'

Dr Gregory Chan, a visiting consultant at the centre, felt it was a good idea for operators to have an emergency response plan, which includes mapping out the nearest hospitals and hyperbaric chambers, as many popular dive spots are in remote areas.

Dive operators interviewed all maintain that they take safety seriously. But they also have stories of those who do not.

Waikiki's managing director John Lee recalled how he had to lend his oxygen tank to another operator who needed to treat a casualty on board the boat they were sharing.

The other operator's oxygen tank was empty, he said.

'If there are regulations, it's actually good. Currently, it's self-regulatory. So where's the benchmark?'

Some operators even use dive equipment that had seen better days, he said.

Mr Ong agreed that a code would be useful. 'In court, the code could be used in judgments as there is no other means of measuring if an operator behaved responsibly.'

As Mr George Lee sees it, the problem is that membership in the SUF is voluntary. While people may laud the setting of standards, they baulk at having to pay the price of sticking to a code when non-members can get away with cutting corners.

Said Mr Beng: 'The SUF needs empowerment. We've already got the documents in place but there's no compulsory membership.'

Short of that, carrots - not just the stick - are what may draw operators back to the fold.

Mr John Lee said: 'Members need some kind of support when they join the federation, rather than being slapped with the code. As a member, you must enjoy certain benefits, then it'll balance out the code.'

Read more!

Public need to know the facts on climate change

Straits Times Forum 9 Nov 09;

IN HER letter last Friday, 'Don't promote fence-sitting on global warming', Mrs Sylvia Lee responded to Dr Andy Ho's commentary, 'Reasons for Singapore to be cool on global warming' (Oct 30). She states that we do not need to 'encourage more fence-sitters or buy time by asking for such revisits of the scientific evidence'.

I applaud Dr Ho for his commentary. He is correct to state his doubts regarding human-driven climate change and request a full public hearing of the scientific evidence.

The global warming issue has not had a public debate or any properly construed scientific debate. Much rhetoric emanates from a variety of 'green heralds' and others with strong vested interests in the proposed carbon tax scheme.

I do not wish to see 'fence-sitters' either. I want a fully informed Singapore public jumping off the fence in search of the truth in the climate-change debate.

Singaporeans are generally intelligent, and all they need is exposure to real evidence on the issue of climate change. They will then be able to decide what the truth is.

Mrs Lee says the Singapore Government has done many things to combat global warming. She believes these are testimony to Singapore's belief that global warming is due to human activities.

The investments by the Government in gas power generators, incentives for buildings with green features and so on are laudable. They are not, however, proof that Singapore believes global warming is caused by human activities; rather, they are a sign that Singaporeans want to live in a clean, energy-efficient environment.

As a geologist with about 45 years' interest in the role of the Sun and the Earth's geological evolution, I have a keen interest in the climate-change issue. To most geo-scientists, the public side of the global warming saga is a sorry affair of apparently deliberate media and scientific misinformation.

Rising global temperatures, which former United States vice-president Al Gore believes in, are nowhere to be seen; in fact, they are falling. The present facts point more to a case of climate cooling, rather than climate warming.

Geologists are used to the facts of climate change and planetary eras of either extreme heat or cold. The Earth's last 4.5 billion years of this often violent climate evolution involved no input from humans, and little from any other form of life. Human activity is now responsible for about 1 per cent of climate change; the other 99 per cent is the result of planetary volcanic activity, and solar emission of both heat and electrical energy.

It is essential that Singaporeans acquire the facts in this climate-change debate. Facts can be acquired via an Internet search, and they may surprise those who have been fed only on media green hype over the past few years.

Perhaps we could arrange a public event in Singapore where several papers are delivered by recognised experts during the day, followed by an evening debate and a vote. I would be happy to help organise such an event next year.

Harry Mason

Not the time to go soft against global warming
Straits Times Forum 11 Nov 09;

I REFER to Mr Harry Mason's letter on Monday, 'Public need to know the facts'. His willingness to organise a public climate change event is both admirable and sincere.

However, by organising yet another presentation or debate, are we simply dragging our feet, or worse, falling into the hands of those who simply refuse to acknowledge the possibility that man's pollution is hurting and going to kill the earth's ecosystem if we fail to do something now?�

The hurting is obvious. The melting of the polar ice caps, glaciers and shrinking of the ice sheet along Greenland's southeastern shoreline are all cause for concern. Do we still need a round-table debate?

Further scientific studies and public debate is all very academic. I am not advocating a stop to this, but there is enough evidence for us to act now before it is too late.

Then Kim See

Read more!

Dead fish under steel 'coffin' at Boat Quay eatery

Straits Times Forum 9 Nov 09;

I WAS walking along Boat Quay last Monday at about 1pm when I noticed what appeared to be a steel 'coffin' in front of a seafood restaurant.

It was clearly a security device covering the fish and crab tanks underneath. What drew my attention was a large dead fish lying against the glass. I then noticed other dead fish and others barely alive, clearly distressed and gasping for air. When I touched the steel tank lid, it was very hot. This meant the fish inside were not only deprived of oxygen, but were also being slowly 'broiled' to death.

No one was around, so I went inside and found a woman, kitted out as a cook. When I drew her attention to the problem, she became very defensive and said: 'I must speak to the boss.' She went to the next restaurant, I assumed, to fetch her 'boss', but several Chinese men appeared instead.

I pointed out the horrific situation to them, telling them of the cruelty and hygiene issues involved. When I took out my mobile phone to take a photo of the tank, everyone became agitated, shouting that I could not do so. One man, in particular, became aggressive, and he and another man pushed me away as I tried to take a photo.

When one of the men unlocked and removed the tank lid, there were several dead fish and seemingly dead crabs inside. He immediately removed them and shooed me away. I refused to leave and took a couple more photos. The tank water was disgusting. Not only were there the dead and dying fish, but the water stank, was stagnant and polluted with fish faeces.

My concerns are these:

- The poor fish were clearly kept in cruel and insanitary conditions.

- What happened to the dead animals? Did they subsequently appear in some unsuspecting person's lunch?

- If conditions in a tank on public display were so appalling, and the owners clearly did not care, what were conditions like in the kitchen, which customers do not see?

- When I tried to find a phone number of a health and hygiene authority to call to complain, I could not find one and still cannot.

I sit as a member of the management committee of the Institute of Service Excellence at Singapore Management University. I am part of the management group that supervises the Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore. After last Monday's experience, I am not surprised customer satisfaction scores have declined.

Mark Grieves

Dead fish in eatery's tank due to air supply failure: NEA
Straits Times Forum 20 Nov 09;

WE REFER to the Forum Online letter "Dead fish under steel 'coffin' at Boat Quay eatery" (Nov 9).

We thank Mr Mark Grieves for his feedback. Our investigations into the feedback revealed that the air pumps to the fish tanks used to keep live fish and crabs had failed due to an electrical fault. This resulted in a few fish dying and the water turning murky.

When informed, the operator of the eatery quickly disposed of the dead fish and cleaned up the tanks. When our officers visited the outlet, the fish tanks were found to be clean and well kept.

S. Satish Appoo
Director
Environmental Health Department
National Environment Agency

Read more!

Bird smuggling bid in Malaysia foiled

Christina Chin, The Star 7 Nov 09;

THE Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) swooped in on a suspected bird smuggler and seized 385 birds worth RM30,000 in Kepala Batas.

Department director Noor Alif Wira Osman said the birds, believed to have been smuggled from neighbouring countries, were seized by the department’s enforcement unit on Wednesday.

“We raided a house in Kampung Selamat at about 6.30pm and found several species of birds kept hidden in a secret storeroom in the premises.

“The premises owner, who is in his 30s, was detained and released after his statement was recorded,” he said, adding that the species seized were the Red-whiskered Bulbul, Common Hill Myna, Sun Parakeet and Blue Crowned Hanging Parrot.

He said the man was believed to have smuggled the birds into the country by land and selling them to pet store owners and individuals in the state.

All birds seized are protected under the Protection of Wildlife Act 1972.

If found guilty, the premises owner could be fined a maximum of RM12,000 or spend 12 years in prison, or both, for the offence.

“The birds will be sent to the Malacca Zoo as soon as possible,” he said.

Read more!