High fliers: Flying kites is becoming a serious hobby in Singapore

Flying kites is becoming a serious hobby for some people, who spend lots of time and a fortune to do so
Magdalen Ng, Straits Times 28 Mar 10;

"I have come to an agreement with my wife, that weekends are my 'days off' when I spend time with my other love ? kites... I go where the wind takes me and my kite." MR PETER TEO, 54, a service engineer and serious kite-flying hobbyist. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM

Kite-flying in Singapore has taken flight. More enthusiasts are converging on open fields at Sengkang, Punggol and the Marina Barrage each weekend to go fly a kite.

Regular kiteflyer John Tan, 49, who started going to a field open to the public at Sengkang three years ago, has noticed the rise in participants.

'In the past, there were only a few familiar faces but now, the fields are full of people on weekends,' says the retired businessman. 'More people are taking up kiteflying as a serious hobby.'

These open fields are part of the more than 300 plots of vacant state land designated by the Singapore Land Authority for social and recreational use by the public.

Some of the favourite kite-flying places are in Sengkang and Punggol because there are no trees in the vicinity, which can entangle kite lines.

When LifeStyle visited open fields along Sengkang East Way recently, they started to fill up from 4pm, despite the fact that it was still blazing hot.

Large groups of extended families with young children, dating couples and groups of friends dotted the area, everyone with kites of different sizes and colours.

Some managed to get their kites flying with ease, while others had trouble. But by dusk, there were easily a hundred colourful kites soaring in the sky.

Kites come in many different forms and variations these days. The most common are those attached to a single line, in shapes ranging from the basic diamond to a bat and even an octopus.

Serious hobbyists have stunt kites, which either have two or four lines. Dual- lined stunt kites are usually triangular, and by pulling on the two strings, you can turn the kite left and right to perform acrobatic manoeuvres such as turns and loops.

Quad-lined stunt kites allow you even more control. As well as turning left and right, they can stop in mid-air or hover.

The intricacies of these tricks keep 54-year-old Peter Teo coming back to the field week after week. The service engineer with an aerospace company finds four- lined kites fascinating because of the many different tricks he can do with them.

He says with a laugh: 'I have come to an agreement with my wife that weekends are my 'days off' when I spend time with my other love - kites.'

Online kite shop-owner Patrick Tan says there has been a big increase in interest in recreational kites, which can cost as little as $10, and sports or stunt kites, which can cost hundreds of dollars.

'When I started selling in August 2008, people bought medium to large single-line kites, but by last year, the increase of sales for stunt kites, both dual and quad lines, showed a marked increase,' he says.

There are even kites fitted with LED lights, making them easy to spot in the night sky.

Housewife Tina Cheng, who was at the Marina Barrage with her three-year-old daughter, says such kites sound like a bright idea.

'The sun can be overbearing, so it might be a more enjoyable experience for the two of us if we fly kites at night. I'm sure my daughter will love the lights,' she says.

But for serious hobbyists like Teo, there is no stopping them from kite-flying.

He says: 'I go where the wind takes me and my kite.'

$1,000 lift-off
Straits Times 28 Mar 10;

Seeing people kite-surfing during a visit to Australia piqued the interest of 42- year-old Jeffery Lim.

Kite-surfing is not a practical hobby in surf-less Singapore but after doing more research, he discovered the world of land kite-boarding.

In principle, land kite-boarding works like kite-surfing. A kite-surfer on a surf-style board is pulled over water by a kite.

The landboarder steps on a board, which resembles a skateboard with large wheels and foot straps. The landboarder controls the kite to change the direction of the board.

'The kite and board cost me more than $1,000, which I bought online and imported from overseas,' says the father of four children, aged three to 14.

He adds: 'I have managed to get my wife into this sport, but she joins me only when it is not so hot.'

He took three months to be able to get onto the board and manoeuvre it successfully. His weekly practices resulted in many scars, scrapes, an injured tendon and a twisted knee.

But there is no deterring the aircraft workshop engineer from landboarding.

'It's a good family activity. I do it alone by myself in the afternoon and my family joins me in the evening. We all have fun together,' he says.

Up there for over 80 years
Straits Times 28 Mar 10;

A life-time spanning 86 years is a long time to spend flying kites.

But that is what octogenarian Ng Thang Eng (left) has been doing.

Speaking with a toothy grin, he recalls that the only times he did not go kite- flying were when he was studying, and during the Japanese Occupation.

'Whatever time I had, I would be flying kites,' says the retiree, who has several hundred kites in his four-room flat in Hougang, where he lives alone.

Kite-flying is no mere recreational activity for him. Many of his kites are handmade. He has even made a train of kites from supermarket plastic bags.

Another is a colourful Chinese ba gua that he made to showcase Chinese culture, when he represented Singapore at a kite festival in France.

'It all depends on what designs I like, then I'll source for the materials and put the kite together with my sewing machine,' Mr Ng, the oldest member of the Singapore Kite Association, says in Mandarin.

He has represented Singapore in international kite festivals in Malaysia and France.

But competitions aside, he is content to just be at an open field every weekend, watching his creations take to the skies.

'If I'm not home, I'm probably out flying kites,' he says.

From morning to night
Straits Times 28 Mar 10;

John Tan's passion for flying kites keeps him away from home from morning to night, almost every day, but his wife Irene does not complain.

Not only that, but nearly every day, she delivers lunch from their Tampines home to the Sengkang field where he goes to fly his beloved kites.

'I have enjoyed flying kites since I was a child. I started with single-line kites and now I have moved on to many different types of kites,' says the 49-year-old retiree, who used to run his own business.

He prefers to fly his kites on weekdays because there are fewer people on the field. 'In the evenings on weekends, there are a lot of small kites in the air and the strings might get entangled,' he says.

His kites are doubly precious because almost 50 of his 300 kites are specially made by his 43-year-old wife.

He says: 'She makes the kites and I fly them, and I tell her where to make changes and improvements.'

Materials for the kites are bought from China when he goes there, or are brought back by his friends from there.

'The lightweight polyester material that we need is available here, but the colours are limited. China has a wide variety and it makes the kites more beautiful,' he explains.

His two children, aged 23 and 19, do not share his interest.

'They never fly kites with me, but that's okay. They can develop their own interests,' he says with a smile.

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Indonesia’s Islands Are Buried Treasure for Gravel Pirates

New York Times 26 Mar 10;

Islands in the Indonesian archipelago are literally disappearing as thieves dig them up and sell the sand and gravel for construction projects in China, Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore, The Times of London reports.

At least 24 small islands have disappeared since 2005 as a result of erosion caused by illegal sand mining. Even when remnants of a mined island remain above the waves, the sand mining process can devastate the local fish population. Indonesia, made up of 17,500 islands, more than 7,000 of which are uninhabited, banned the export of its sand and gravel in 2007. But the newspaper says the smugglers are winning thanks to corrupt local officials who sign off on permits.

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Healthy biodiversity is no luxury - it's the foundation of all life on earth

IUCN 23 Mar 10;

IUCN calls for a clear post-2010 Strategic Plan on Biodiversity. We have failed to meet the target adopted through the Convention on Biological Diversity to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010 and we are currently witnessing the greatest extinction crisis since dinosaurs disappeared from our planet 65 million years ago. Urgent action is needed to avoid potentially catastrophic consequences, both for nature and for people around the world.

“Policy and action preventing further biodiversity loss need to be in place by 2020 and biodiversity needs to be conserved and restored by 2050” says Sonia Peña Moreno, Policy Officer at IUCN. “IUCN calls for 20 strong targets to be delivered by 2020, addressing both the direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity loss.”

IUCN is calling for a short, focused and action-oriented Strategic Plan to be adopted at the meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan, in October. It should embrace all components of biodiversity - ecosystems, species and genes. The Plan should also include all three objectives of the Convention: to conserve biological diversity, to use it in a sustainable way and to share its benefits in a fair and equitable manner, and it should clearly highlight the links between biodiversity conservation, human livelihoods and poverty eradication.

Even with incomplete information on biodiversity trends and limited assessment measures, we know enough to conclude that biodiversity is in serious trouble, and that unsustainable human activity is undermining the resilience of both people and nature. According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 60% of ecosystem services worldwide have become degraded in the past 50 years, and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ gives us alarming facts on species extinction rates, which are increasing continuously.

“Simply aiming at halting biodiversity loss is no longer sufficient; we also need to restore and maintain the populations, habitats and ecological cycles that enable biodiversity and ecosystem services - such as food, water or medicine - to persist “ says Jane Smart, Director of IUCN’s Biodiversity Conservation Group. “To achieve this, we need engagement on all possible levels, with the economic sector, the development community through to the public sector and civil society. It is critical that the role of biodiversity as the foundation of life, livelihoods and development is understood by all.”

To meet these goals, perverse incentives, like subsidies that harm biodiversity, need to be removed and new regulations and financial incentives need to be put in place, clearly reflecting the value of natural resources. Greater interaction between science and policy, and cohesion between multilateral environmental agreements and other organizations are also essential for the implementation of the new biodiversity targets, according to IUCN experts.

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Malaysia Concerned About Climatic Variability And Rising Sea Temperature

Bernama 28 Mar 10;

SIBU, MaRCH 28( Bernama) -- Climatic variability and the rising sea temparature due to global warming are two issues of great concern to Malaysia, WWF Malaysia conservation director Dr Arun B. Venkataraman said.

He said climatic variability would cause prolonged periods of drought or heavy rainfall, resulting in floods.

"I think the Malaysian government has already recognised that this variability is a serious challenge with the bad floods in Johor three years ago," he told a candlelight news conference Saturday night after observing the Earth Hour here.

He and a few of his colleagues from the peninsula were invited by the town Barisan Nasional leaders to be part of the event this year.

State Environment and Public Health Minister Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh, Lanang member of parliament Datuk Tiong Thai King and state assemblymen Datuk Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah and Vincent Goh Chung Siong were among those present.

Dr Venkataraman said the WWF Malaysia was particularly alarmed by the temperature rise in the sea which would cause widespread effects like coral bleaching where coral could actually die when the temperature rose above a certain level.

"We are especially concerned because the Malaysian coral eco-system, mainly in the east and north coasts of Sabah and some places in Sarawak, is recognised as one of the best in the world," he said.

The coral eco-system in places like Sipadan in Sabah, which is one of the world top five diving spots, generated a lot of tourist income for the government, and if it was lost, the tourist revenue, jobs and others down the line would be seriously affected, he said.

However, in both Sabah and Sarawak, the coral bleaching problem was still not recognised as a serious problem now, he added.

He commended the organisers for inviting them and especially the children to participate in the event as it would inculcate in the children the importance of observing the Earth Hour which is about community energy conservation to reduce global warming.

-- BERNAMA

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Indonesian Regions Accused of Dragging Heels on UN Development Goals

Dessy Sagita, Jakarta Globe 25 Mar 10;

A lack of commitment by regional governments has hampered efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, the Coordinating Ministry for People’s Welfare said on Thursday.

“Governors and mayors need to be reminded to be more involved in the effort to achieve MDG indicators because they’re the ones who really know their people,” the ministry’s secretary, Indroyono Soesilo, told a news conference.

Indroyono said most regional officials did not have any specific concept that could accelerate reaching the targets.

The MDGs set out eight universal goals for 2015 that correspond with the world’s main development challenges. They are drawn from the targets outlined in the Millennium Declaration, which was adopted by 189 nations and signed by 147 heads of state during the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000.

Arum Atmawikarta, the director of public health nutrition at the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas), said most regional development planning programs did not give MDGs the proper priority.

He said many provinces did not allocate enough money to their health programs and often the central government could not interfere because of their autonomy.

“Theoretically, if we want a program to work well, we need to plan it properly, but in most regional development planning programs, MDGs are not even mentioned,” he said.

Arum said many regions of Indonesia did not deliver the correct information about their areas, making it difficult for the central government to arrange appropriate programs.

Sri Palupi, the director of Ecosoc, a nongovernmental organization focusing on reducing malnutrition in Indonesia, said that most MDG indicators did not work, especially in the poorer provinces.

She said many regional governments in poor provinces were too dependent on foreign donors.

“Instead of empowering their own people to be independent, many regional government rely on the aid provided by international NGOs. It is no wonder it is very hard to achieve the MDG indicators,” she said.

Palupi also said there had been little progress in addressing health problems in many provinces because local governments did not know how to allocate their budgets properly.

“Most of the regional budgets go to improving infrastructure and not to guaranteeing the health of mothers and their babies,” she said.

According to a 2002 nationwide demographic and health survey, Indonesia has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in Asia, with 228 mothers dying from maternity-related causes for every 100,000 births.

Compared to its Southeast Asian neighbors, Indonesia’s maternal mortality rate is 65 times that of Singapore’s, 9.5 times that of Malaysia’s, 8.9 times that of Thailand’s and 2.3 times that of the Philippines.

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Overcrowding claim at orang utan sanctuary baffles Sabah

The Star 28 Mar 10;

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Go­­vernment is baffled over a statement on the supposed overcrowding of primates at the internationally re­­nowned orang utan sanctuary in the east coast Sandakan district.

State Tourism, Culture and Environ­ment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the 4,000ha virgin forest reserve at Sepilok that was part of the sanctuary was more than enough to support the 250 orang utan there.

“There are enough wild fruit trees for the primates, more than they need. To say that Sepilok is congested and does not have enough food to sustain the orang utan population there is like saying 10 mice are dying of hunger in a 400ha unharvested rice field,” he said.

Masidi also reiterated the state’s stand not to provide any of the primates for a proposed orang utan sanc­­tuary near Kuala Lumpur.

Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit said earlier this week that several of Sepilok’s orang utan would be transferred to the proposed sanctuary.

He said the orang utan population at Sepilok had exceeded its capacity which made it difficult for the primates to get enough food.

On Friday, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas said a committee had been set up to carry out a feasibility study on the proposed “semi-artificial” orang utan centre near Kuala Lumpur.

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Oil palm farming sustainable in Malaysia

The Star 28 Mar 10;

KUCHING: Oil palm cultivation in Malaysia is comparatively superior to any large-scale agriculture in the west in terms of sustainability, said Assistant Tourism and Heritage Minister Datuk Talip Zulpilip.

He said that while trees were cut down for oil palm plantations, they did not cause permanent deforestation as planting was done to replace the fallen trees.

He hoped that Sarawakians would not accept the criticisms and baseless allegations made by foreign environmentalists against the state.

Calling the environmentalists “hypocrites”, he said they condemned the state government for destroying forests when their own countries had done so over a hundred years ago.

“After they cut down their own forests for farming, they are telling us not to do so. But if we do not farm our land, we will not progress. Commercial farming leads to better income.

“They (the environmentalist) support traditional farming like shifting cultivation because they say such a practice is eco-friendly but they do not know that shifting cultivation is no better than organised farming,” he said.

Talip, who is also Sarawak Economic Development Cor-poration chairman, was speaking at the AZAM-Petronas Writers Awards 2009 here yesterday.

He said Britain, France, Spain and the United States had cut down their trees long ago to plant wheat, oat and soy but the international environmentalists had never condemned them or boycotted their products.

He said Britain had little forest left as most of the land had been converted for agricultural use, adding that this had resulted in reduced biodiversity and caused the lost of fauna and flora.

“Even the US is cutting down its trees now for agriculture while Spain does not have trees to cut down,” Talip said.

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International Involvement in Breeding Rhinoceros in Indonesia

Kompas 27 Mar 10;

PANDEGLANG, KOMPAS.com - The International Rhino Foundation (IRF) in cooperation with an Indonesian counterpart is to establish a Javanese rhinoceros breeding center near the southern foot of Mount Honja in the Ujungkulon Natonal Park, Banten.

"IRF has stated its preparedness to fund the project which is to be implemented in collaboration with the Indonesian Rhino Foundation (YABI)," the park’s chief, Agus Priambudi, said here Friday.

Preparations to carry out the project had already started, and when the 4,000-hectare reserve was completed, it would be dedicated by Banten Governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah. If everything went well, work to build the center would begin later this year, he said, adding the area would then also serve as a wild life park.

He said the Javanese rhinoceros (rhinoceros sondaicus) population in the Ujung Kulon National Park in Pandeglang district now stood at 50 head. The number had remained relatively small because the animal was multiplying at a slow rate with most of them being studs.

So far, the one-horn rhinoceros in the park had never been killed by hunters and when dead rhinos were found, they proved to have died because of their advanced age or by an illness. The average Javanese rhino had a maximum life span of 40 years which was quite high among animals.

He said the park authority in cooperation with other parties including the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) was conducting periodic head counts on the rhino population.

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Aquatic Ecosystems Threatened by the Size of Non-Native Fish

ScienceDaily 27 Mar 10;

Fish introduced into rivers by human intervention over the past 150 years have modified the average body size of fish assemblages in many areas of the world. A study conducted by researchers from CNRS, the University of Toulouse, IRD and MNHN, as well as the universities of Antwerp (Belgium) and Utrecht (the Netherlands), shows that non-native fish are larger than native species by an average of 12 cm.

This modification in the size structure of fish assemblages poses a serious risk in terms of the alteration of aquatic ecosystems. The results of the project are published in the April 2010 issue of Ecology Letters.

Since the Neolithic era, human beings have been transporting and introducing new species. This practice has accelerated over the past 150 years along with the development of transportation methods and international trade. The phenomenon extends to freshwater fish, several hundred species of which have been introduced throughout the world, either unintentionally or for food or recreation purposes.

By cross-referencing data on the fish present in 1,050 river basins around the world, researchers at the University of Toulouse, CNRS, IRD and MNHN, as well as the universities of Antwerp (Belgium) and Utrecht (the Netherlands), have determined that the fish species introduced by human intervention are an average of 12 cm larger than the species naturally present in these rivers, which increases the average body size of the fish assemblages in a given river by about 2 cm. This modification affects, to a moderate but significant degree, Bergmann's empirical rule. A general rule that applies to most living beings, it expresses the fact that the farther an organism lives from the equator, the greater its body mass. This principle is the result of the joint evolution of species and their environment over millions of years, and, as this research reveals, humankind seems to be in the process of altering its profile.

Beyond these historical considerations, the introduction of species whose ecological characteristics differ from those of the native species can also affect the functioning of the ecosystem. Some of the larger species widely introduced throughout the world are predators (trout, black bass, catfish, etc.) whereas others are detritus feeders or herbivorous (carp, tilapias, etc.). These ecological characteristics are likely to modify the food chain or the recycling of organic matter. Modifications in the average body size of assemblages observed in river basins on a global scale could thus go hand-in-hand with modifications in the functioning of aquatic ecosystems.

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Polynesia's Coral Reefs Wiped out by Cyclone Oli

ScienceDaily 27 Mar 10;

On 3-4 February 2010, tropical cyclone Oli hit western French Polynesia. From 7 February 2010, the Coral Observation Department at CNRS's National Institute of Earth Sciences and Astronomy (INSU), based at the Centre de recherches insulaires et observatoire de l'environnement (CRIOBE, CNRS/EPHE) in Moorea, rapidly undertook an inventory of the cyclone's effects after it had passed over two reference sites. The scientists were soon to discover the extent of the damage: the coral reef, which had already been made vulnerable by the invasion of a starfish that is a coral predator, had been almost completely destroyed.

On 3 February 2010, tropical cyclone Oli passed by the Leeward Islands, to the west of Tahiti. The islands of Bora Bora, Raiatea-Tahaa, Huahine and Maupiti were subjected to waves six to seven meters high and to wind gusts of 170 km/hour. In the evening of 3-4 February, it was the turn of Tahiti and Moorea (Windward Islands), followed by the island of Tubuai (Austral Islands) to undergo the cyclone's impact, with mean wind speeds of 210 km/hour. Four days later, after repairing the facilities, CNRS's INSU Coral Observation Department based at CRIOBE (1) measured the effects of the cyclone after it had passed over the two reference sites on the north coast of Moorea. The results left no room for doubt: cyclone Oli had planed down the coral populations and finished off a reef which was already vulnerable. In fact, Acanthaster, a starfish that preys on coral, had already decimated the coral populations on the outer slopes of Moorea (2). Although this was a cause for deep concern, the physical structure of the reefs, and especially that of the outer slope (which is the most favorable area for reef growth due to the well-oxygenated water) had nevertheless been little affected, since the skeletons of the dead colonies were still in place, holding out the promise of a possible revival.

However, after the cyclone had passed, the physical structure of Moorea's outer slopes (especially on the northern side) were found to be seriously and lastingly affected. Comparison of data before and after the cyclone struck reveals a very significant reduction in the relief of the outer slope. The rugosity indices (linear distance of developed reef/ linear distance of flat reef) have fallen by 50% at all depths down to 30 meters, as shown by statistical tests carried out at the sites studied. A large number of colonies present, even if dead as a result of predation by Acanthaster, were torn off by wave action and broken up by boulders. This time, it was the three-dimensional structure of the reef which was affected. This determines the habitat of much of the fauna associated with the coral, including many species of fish.

The damage varies according to depth. Thus it can be observed that:

* from 0 to 6 meters depth: a critical state of destruction. Most of the scattered live colonies have been broken off at the base. The area is totally covered with a fine pale yellow algal matting indicating an incipient algal bloom (a relatively rapid increase in concentration of algae). The percentage area covered with live coral is zero.
* from 6 to 10 meters depth: many live branched colonies are damaged but their base is still intact, which means that revival is possible.
* from 10 to 15 meters depth: the flanks of this area are in a critical state of destruction. The massive branched colonies (the vast majority of which were already dead following the Acanthaster episode but still intact before the cyclone) are no longer visible, although no algal matting is observed.
* from 15 to 30 meters depth: there is an abnormal covering of coral debris of small size (5 cm on average).
* apart from the coral, associated populations of fish, mollusks and sea urchins have also suffered considerably. For instance, many shellfish are in a state of decomposition between 6 meters depth and the surface.

Other observations carried out on the islands of Raiatea-Tahaa (Leeward Islands) and on Tubuai (Austral Islands) reveal an even more critical situation on the coasts that are most exposed to the action of cyclones.

Although it is still too soon to assess the impact of the cyclone on other species (fish, coral-eating starfish, etc), changes in the diversity and abundance of living organisms are to be expected. More precise data about fish populations are in the process of being collected, which will enable the real impact of the cyclone on these animal populations to be quantified. However, Oli appears to have been one cyclone too many for the reefs of some of the Polynesian islands (including Moorea, Tahiti, Raiatea, Tahaa, and Bora-Bora).

Two different scenarios are now possible: either the algae continue, dominating the system and getting the upper hand over the coral (leading to the death of the reef), which has happened in many reefs all over the world, or else the reef starts from scratch (its current state) and gets going again with assemblages of coral that are likely to be different (with regard to the species present, to abundance, etc), as it has always done before.

Since the 1980s, scientists have observed the resilience of the coral reef (3). Although its past record shows that it has always got going again, the series of stresses which it has recently undergone (coral bleaching, cyclones, local pollution, etc) give less cause for optimism. We shall know ten years from now, which according to scientists is the time needed for its regeneration. In this context, the surveillance and long-term monitoring of reefs is essential in order to take the measure of the resilience of coral reefs in Polynesia today.

(1) For around thirty years, CRIOBE has had access to monitoring data for coral communities and fish populations, regularly collected in the area as part of a Central and Eastern Pacific network of which it is in charge at international level.

(2) The coral was nearly wiped out as a result of predation by Acanthaster, populations of which have exploded since 2006. Percentages of live coral fell by 96.1 ((± 2.0) % on the north coast of Moorea (values at 12 meters depth), leaving coral cover at a mere 1.0 (± 1.1) %.

(3) The resilience of the coral reef was observed after having undergone 7 episodes of massive bleaching (1983, 1987, 1991, 1994, 2002, 2003 and 2007), several cyclones (Orama, Reva and Veena in 1983, Wasa in 1991 and Martin in 1997), and two outbreaks of Acanthaster planci, the starfish that preys on coral. (from 1979 to 1984, and since 2006).

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Abu Dhabi's 'green' city Masdar

Tom Heap, BBC News 28 Mar 10;

The world's first zero-carbon city is being built in Abu Dhabi and is designed to be not only free of cars and skyscrapers but also powered by the sun.

The oil-rich United Arab Emirates is the last place you would expect to learn lessons on low-carbon living, but the emerging eco-city of Masdar could teach the world.

At first glance, the parched landscape of Abu Dhabi looks like the craziest place to build any city, let alone a sustainable one.

The inhospitable terrain suggests that the only way to survive here is with the maximum of technological support, a bit like living on the moon.

The genius of Masdar - if it works - will be combining 21st Century engineering with traditional desert architecture to deliver zero-carbon comfort. And it is being built now.

Masdar will be home to about 50,000 people, at least 1,000 businesses and a university.

It is being designed by British architects Foster and Partners, but it is the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is paying for it. And it will cost between £10bn ($15bn) and £20bn ($30bn).

Renewable energy

The architects are turning the desert's greatest threat - the sun - into their greatest asset.
“ The quality of air will be better than any other street in the Gulf and in the world, and that alone will bring you safety, health and happiness ”
Kaled Awad, director of the Masdar project

They have built the biggest solar farm in the Middle East to power the city and to offset the inevitable burning of diesel and baking of cement in construction.

They are also experimenting. One project involves a circular field of mirrors on the ground, all reflecting towards a tower in the middle.

That, in turn, bounces the light down in a concentrated beam about a metre (3ft) wide to produce heat and drive generators.

But I was told firmly not to wander over and feel the warmth, as it could fry me in seconds.

The international team of engineers have real pride in their work.

This is more than building to them, it is a lab bench with the freedom to get it wrong, and Masdar's chief architect Gerard Evenden loves the concentration of expertise: "What Abu Dhabi is beginning to generate is the Silicon Valley of renewable energy."

Keeping cool

The Emirates have seen one of the world's most spectacular building booms paid for by oil and made tolerable by air conditioners, which also depend on oil to feed their vast appetite for energy.

But Masdar will have to be low temperature and low carbon.

Part of the solution is apparent the moment you walk in. And you do "walk in" because this is a city surrounded by a wall, a defined boundary.

Unlike the upward and outward sprawl of Dubai or Abu Dhabi, Masdar is compact like ancient Arab cities.

Streets are narrow so buildings shade each other, and the walls and roofs of buildings will do their bit to shed heat too.

The vertical faces are dressed with screens which look like a terracotta mesh. They keep the sun out but let the breeze in.

And as architect Gerard Evenden says: "Lunar technology has begun to influence our thinking."

One idea being tested is using a thin foil surface covering, a gas or vacuum blanket, to keep the heat out. It is an idea dreamt up for a moon base.

To encourage a breeze, wind towers are being built, drawing draughts through the streets without using energy.

Masdar will still use electricity for gadgets, some air conditioning and, most crucially, to desalinate sea water but, when it comes to power, the city has a simple mantra: "Only use energy when you have exhausted design."

Driverless vehicles

Conventional cars must be checked in at the city gates and then you can choose between the oldest and newest modes of transport.

At street level, it is all pedestrianised and the planners have done their best to keep the city compact and foot-friendly.

But if fatigue overtakes you, then slip down a level and meet the Personal Rapid Transit or podcars.

These driverless vehicles are guided by magnetic sensors, powered by solar electricity, and they stop automatically if an obstacle appears. They are programmed to go where you ask.

Kaled Awad, director of the Masdar project claims: "The quality of air will be better than any other street in the Gulf and in the world, and that alone will bring you safety, health and happiness."

The future success of the project will be clear to see.

On top of the wind tower, there will be a beacon betraying the city's actual energy use: red for too much, blue for just right.

It will be 45m (147ft) up and visible for miles around so, when Masdar is finished in five to 10 years' time, we will all know if it is in the red.

Costing The Earth: Eco-City Limits will be broadcast on Monday 29 March at 2100 BST on BBC Radio 4 and will be available on the BBC iPlayer .

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Protesters rally against Lake Baikal's mill operations

Reuters 27 Mar 10;

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Small protests took place across Russia Saturday against the reopening of a Lake Baikal paper mill over concerns it was polluting the world's largest freshwater lake.

Around 200 people gathered in St. Petersburg, thousands of kilometers away from the lake, demanding to revoke the government's January decision to restart Baikal Paper Mill.

Another 500 rallied closer to Baikal, which holds a fifth of the world's total surface fresh water, in the city of Ulan-Ude in the Buryat Republic, according to the organizers.

The loss-making Soviet-era factory was shut in October 2008 after the government ordered it to install a system for drainage away from the lake.

Environmentalists and politicians have staged several protests in recent months, saying the waste from the plant contains harmful substances that destroy the lake's rich wildlife of 1,500 species of animals and plants.

"Putin - hands off Baikal" read a banner displayed at the St. Petersburg rally.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signaled in August his willingness to lift the restrictions that prevented the plant from dumping waste into the lake after diving to the bed of the lake and consulting with scientists.

"I worked myself in a paper producing industry," Grigory Borisov, a 45-year-old engineer from St. Petersburg told Reuters. "I know that Baikal is getting polluted and no purifying facility will save the lake."

Several hundred supporters of the factory, which employs 1,600 people, gathered Saturday in the city of Baikalsk, on the shoreline of the lake, which remains sacred for some Siberian tribes, in a rally organized by the mill.

A closure of the mill could lead to another ecological problem for Baikalsk, which would be left without revenues to operate water purifying plants and sewage facilities for the town, the organizers said.

The decision to reopen the Soviet-era mill is seen as part of the government's broader support for Russia's single industry towns, often in remote areas.

The government owns 49 percent of the mill. Tycoon Oleg Deripaska owns a minority stake.

(Reporting by Denis Pinchuk; Writing in Moscow by Lidia Kelly)

Russians rally to save Lake Baikal
Yahoo News 27 Mar 10;

SAINT PETERSBURG (AFP) – Russians on Saturday protested at the reopening of a paper mill on the shore of Lake Baikal which environmentalists say endangers one of the world's largest freshwater reserves.

Nearly 200 people turned out in central Saint Petersburg, Russia's former imperial capital, as environmental organisations including Greenpeace warned of turning the scenic Siberian lake into a sewer.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in January gave the go-ahead for the reopening of the Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill which has been shut since 2008 and is owned by billionaire oligarch Oleg Deripaska.

Demonstrators were planning to send a collection of toilet paper to Putin whose decision they argue would lead to discharging tonnes of sewage into the lake and incinerating waste on the lakefront.

"If authorities are in dire need of paper and need to destroy the Baikal, we're giving them paper," said Dmitry Artamonov, the local Greenpeace chief.

Lake Baikal, the world's deepest freshwater lake and a UN World Heritage site, is renowned for its unique flora and fauna and contains about 20 percent of the planet's freshwater reserves.

"The attitude toward the Baikal shows the pervasive ecological arbitrariness in the country," said 37-year-old demonstrator Yevgeny Kozlov.

WWF Russia representative Yevgeny Schwartz has warned that reopening the mill is dangerous "because they are going to resume the production of white cellulose with chlorine", which is a toxic gas.

About 100 people rallied in a similar protest in the eastern Siberian city of Ulan-Ude, Russian news agencies reported.

Nearly 700 people turned out to back Putin's decision in the town of Baikalsk where the mill is located.

Agencies said the plant employs about 1,600 people.

An official said in late January that the factory's closed water circulation system, built to avoid pollution to the lake, had not been put back into service.

The high cost of operating the system had led to the plant's closure in 2008.

Critics say the reopening of the mill also is an obstacle to the development of alternative economic activities for the region, mainly in tourism and ecology.

Russian protesters say factory to pollute world's oldest lake
Yahoo News 28 Mar 10;

MOSCOW (AFP) – Hundreds of people protested on Sunday in Moscow against the reopening of a factory environmentalists say will lead to waste being dumped into the world's oldest lake, a Greenpeace activist said.

"The fate of (factory) workers must be decided while taking into account the fate of (Lake) Baikal -- and not that of the oligarchs," Russian writer Valentin Rasputin said in a message read out during the protest.

Greenpeace activist Evgeny Usov put the number of protesters at nearly 1,000.

The cellulose factory, on the shores of Lake Baikal in Siberia, was closed in October 2008, but Prime Minister Vladimir Putin authorised its reopening earlier this year.

It was controlled until recently by Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, but he announced in February that slightly more than a quarter of his capital was transferred to one of his partners, making him a minority shareholder.

The state holds a 49 percent stake.

Cellulose is used to manufacture a range of products, including paper.

Environmentalists say its reopening will allow waste water to be dumped into the lake and rubbish to be burned on its shores.

Lake Baikal, a UN World Heritage site, is believed to be 25 million years old. It is the world's deepest and contains 20 percent of the globe's total unfrozen freshwater reserves, according to UNESCO.

On Saturday, nearly 200 people turned out in central Saint Petersburg as environmental organisations warned of turning the lake into waste water.

Nearly 700 people turned out to back Putin's decision in the town of Baikalsk, where the mill is located.

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