Leading scientists express rising concern about 'microplastics' in the ocean

Science Daily 10 Jul 14;

Microplastics -- microscopic particles of plastic debris -- are of increasing concern because of their widespread presence in the oceans and the potential physical and toxicological risks they pose to organisms.

This is the view of two of the world's most eminent authorities on the subject, Professor Kara Lavender Law, of Sea Education Association (Woods Hole, MA), and Professor Richard Thompson of Plymouth University (UK).

In an article published today in the journal Science, the two scientists have called for urgent action to "turn off the tap" and divert plastic waste away from the marine environment.

Microplastics have now been documented in all five of the ocean's subtropical gyres -- and have even been detected in Arctic sea ice -- with some of the highest accumulations occurring thousands of miles from land. These plastic bits have been found in organisms ranging in size from small invertebrates to large mammals, and are known to concentrate toxic chemicals already present in seawater. This raises concern about the potential consequences to marine organisms.

"Our scientific understanding of this environmental problem is accelerating rapidly, with many new research efforts that go well beyond simply documenting the presence of plastic in the ocean," said Professor Law, who led a 2008 paper in Science describing widespread plastic contamination in the North Atlantic Ocean from more than 25 years of data collected by Sea Education Association faculty and undergraduate students during SEA Semester study abroad voyages.

Most studies of ocean microplastic focus on the debris that floats at the sea surface, but this leaves other potential collections of plastic unaccounted for.

"Major unanswered questions remain about the amounts of microplastic debris that might be accumulating on the seafloor," said Professor Thompson, whose 2004 paper in Science first coined the term 'microplastics'. "We also know very little about where, geographically, are the largest inputs of plastic to the marine environment."

Despite open questions such as these, the authors say that microplastics are already something to worry about, and that efforts are needed to divert the source of this debris away from the ocean, or to "turn off the tap." This was the message that Professor Thompson delivered to Senator John Kerry last month at the US State Department's Our Oceans Conference: Marine Pollution. Both say that plastic waste should be viewed as a valuable resource to be captured and re-used, which would simultaneously reduce the amount entering the environment.

Policy initiatives have been gaining momentum at municipal, state, and national levels in the U.S. In June this year Illinois passed legislation banning microbeads (microplastics used in cosmetic products that enter the environment through wastewater), with similar legislation pending in New York and California, and recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. In April this year the European Parliament voted to reduce the consumption of single use plastic carrier bags and phase out bags that fragment rather than degrade.

"We have been conducting an unintended experiment with the addition of large amounts of this human-made material into the environment," said Law. "But this is a solvable problem. By each of us making small changes in our daily habits -- by carrying reusable water bottles and coffee mugs, for example -- we can collectively reduce our dependence on 'disposable' items that might ultimately be lost to the environment."

Journal Reference: Kara Lavender Law, Richard C. Thompson. Microplastics in the seas. Science, 2014 DOI: 10.1126/science.1254065

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'Bee-harming' pesticides also hit bird populations

AFP Yahoo News 9 Jul 14;

Paris (AFP) - Already suspected of killing bees, so-called "neonic" pesticides also affect bird populations, possibly by eliminating the insects they feed upon, a Dutch study said on Wednesday.

The new paper comes weeks after an international panel of 29 experts found that birds, butterflies, worms and fish were being harmed by neonicotinoid insecticides, although details of this impact were sketchy.

Studying areas of the Netherlands where surface water had high concentrations of one such chemical, imidacloprid, it found that the population of 15 bird species tumbled by 3.5 percent annually compared to places where the pesticide's level was far lower.

The fall, monitored from 2003 to 2010, coincided with rising use of imidacloprid, noted the study led by Caspar Hallmann of Radboud University in Nijmegen.

Authorised in the Netherlands in 1994, annual use of this neonicotinoid increased more than ninefold by 2004, according to official figures. Much of the chemical was found to have been sprayed at excessive concentrations.

By wiping out insects -- a crucial source of food at breeding times -- it affected the birds' ability to reproduce, the authors suggested, cautioning that other causes could not be ruled out.

Nine of the 15 bird species monitored are exclusively insectivore.

"Our results suggest that the impact of neonicotinoids on the natural environment is even more substantial than has been reported in the past," declared the probe, published in the journal Nature.

"Future legislation should take into account the potential cascading effects of neonicotinoids on ecosystems."

Neonics are widely-used as a seed treatment for arable crops. They are designed to be absorbed by the growing seedling and be toxic for the nervous system of crop-munching pests.

In a commentary carried by Nature, Dave Goulson, a biologist at Britain's Sussex University, said neonicotinoids may well have a long-term impact on insect populations.

Only about five percent of the pesticide's active ingredient is actually absorbed by the crop, he said.

Most of the rest enters the soil and soil water, where it can persist for months and even years -- it can take more than 1,000 days for concentrations to fall by half.

- Accumulative -

As a result, the chemicals build up over time if fields are sprayed seasonally or annually, he said.

The chemical may also be taken up by the roots of hedgerows and follow-on crops, and be washed from soils into lakes, canals and rivers, where it could affect aquatic insects, a food for birds and fish, Goulson said.

He saw a similar knock-on process to that of DDT, a notorious pesticide whose environmental damage came to the fore in 1962 thanks to Rachel Carson's investigation "Silent Spring."

The debate over neonics has raged since the late 1990s, when French beekeepers blamed them for the collapse of honeybee colonies.

In 2013, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) declared that neonic pesticides posed an "unacceptable risk" to bees.

This was followed by a vote by the European Union in favour of a two-year moratorium on the use of three widely used neonic chemicals on flowering crops, which are visited by bees.

But the measure does not affect barley and wheat, nor does it cover pesticides used in gardens or public areas.

Last month, the White House ordered the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to carry out its own review of the effect of neonicotinoids on bees.

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Coastal flooding has surged in U.S., Reuters finds

Ryan McNeill and Deborah J. Nelson Reuters Yahoo News 11 Jul 14;

(Reuters) - Coastal flooding along the densely populated Eastern Seaboard of the United States has surged in recent years, a Reuters analysis has found.

During the past four decades, the number of days a year that tidal waters reached or exceeded National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration flood thresholds more than tripled in many places, the analysis found. At flood threshold, water can begin to pool on streets. As it rises farther, it can close roads, damage property and overwhelm drainage systems.

Since 2001, water has reached flood levels an average of 20 days or more a year in Annapolis, Maryland; Wilmington, North Carolina; Washington, D.C.; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Sandy Hook, New Jersey; and Charleston, South Carolina. Before 1971, none of those locations averaged more than five days a year. Annapolis had the highest average number of days a year above flood thresholds since 2001, at 34.

The analysis was undertaken as part of a broader examination of rising sea levels Reuters plans to publish later this year.

As many Americans question the causes and even the reality of climate change, increased flooding is already posing a major challenge for local governments in much of the United States.

“Chronic flooding is a problem our coastal managers are dealing with every day,” said Mary Munson, executive director of the Coastal States Organization, a Washington nonprofit representing 35 states and territories. “Flooding causes the quality of life in these communities to decrease along with the property values, while the flood insurance rates go up.”

In Charleston, for example, a six-lane thoroughfare regularly becomes impassable when high tides block rainwater from emptying into the Atlantic Ocean, restricting access for half of the city to three hospitals, four schools and police headquarters. The city, which has more than 120,000 residents, has $200 million in flood-control projects underway.

Laura Cabiness, director of public service for Charleston, said street flooding has always been a problem in the low-lying city. But more recently, she said, “it’s deeper than usual and higher than usual, and the tide has remained higher longer.”

For its analysis, Reuters collected more than 25 million hourly tide-gauge readings from nearly 70 sites on the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts and compared them to NOAA flood thresholds.

Reuters then narrowed the analysis to include only the 25 gauges with data spanning at least 50 years. Nineteen gauges were on the Eastern Seaboard, three on the West Coast, and three on the Gulf Coast. Comparing the years prior to 1971 to the years since 2001, the average number of days a year that readings exceeded flood thresholds had increased at all gauges except two: those in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

The trend roughly tracks the global rise in sea levels. The oceans have risen an average of 8 inches in the past century, according to the 2014 National Climate Assessment. Levels have increased as much as twice that in areas of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts where the ground is sinking because of subsidence – a process whereby natural geological forces or the extraction of underground water, oil or gas cause the ground to sink.

The most dramatic increases in annual flood-level days occurred at 10 gauges from New York City to the Georgia-South Carolina border, a stretch of coast where subsidence accounts for as much as half the rise in sea level in some locations, according to U.S. Geological Survey studies.

Charles Chesnutt, a coastal engineer with the Institute for Water Resources, a policy and planning arm of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said the evidence “is very compelling and suggests we ought to be looking more seriously at the problems that are coming at us now.” The Corps of Engineers is the lead federal agency on coastal flood control projects.

The Reuters findings are supported by a pair of soon-to-be-published studies from scientists at NOAA and Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Reuters adapted its methodologies from those scientists and sought their input.

Old Dominion University researchers Tal Ezer and Larry Atkinson found in their study that the U.S. East Coast is “a hotspot of accelerated flooding,” and that flooding outside of storm events has increased in frequency and duration.

They found that changes in the Gulf Stream may be contributing to increased flooding from rising sea levels. The current off the Atlantic Coast pulls water away from the shore as it flows northeastward from Cape Hatteras. The researchers said that as the climate has warmed, the current has weakened, so it’s not pulling as much water away.

The NOAA study examines flooding at 45 tide stations around the United States. It is expected to be released this summer.

Flood thresholds are indicators, not confirmation, of flooding, but scientists say the tide gauge readings are a reliable measure of increased flooding.

When seas hit the flood threshold in Annapolis, the 306-year-old city that is home to the U.S. Naval Academy, forecasters expect water to start ponding in the historic city dock area. A few inches more, and water begins reaching backyards and the tops of storm drains in some areas.

During high tides on April 30 and May 1, and again on May 16, more than six inches of water swamped restaurants and shops in historic buildings along the city dock. Makeshift flood walls of boards and garbage cans blocked doorways. People removed their shoes and rolled up their pants to wade to work.

(Edited by John Blanton)

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Natural disaster costs down so far in 2014: Munich Re

Maria Sheahan PlanetArk 10 Jul 14;

Floods, storms and other natural disasters claimed more than 2,700 lives and caused around $42 billion in damage worldwide in the first half of 2014, but this was well below the first half of last year and a 10-year average, reinsurer Munich Re said on Wednesday.

The world's biggest reinsurer said landslides and flash floods in Afghanistan were the deadliest disasters, claiming more than 650 lives, while snow storms in Japan were the costliest, with insured losses of more than $2.5 billion.

Storm "Ela", which hit parts of western Europe in early June, is expected to cost insurers about 1.8 billion euros ($2.5 billion), Munich Re said. In Germany alone, insured losses from the storm came to 650 million euros.

But the $42 billion bill in the first half and the $17 billion in claims paid by insurers were below the average of the last 10 years of $95 billion and $25 billion, respectively, Munich Re said in its six-monthly review of natural disasters.

The number of deaths worldwide fell to a fraction of the 53,000 seen on average over the last 10 years and the 9,100 recorded in the first half of 2013.

"Of course, it is good news that natural catastrophes have been relatively mild so far," Torsten Jeworrek, Munich Re's board member responsible for the global reinsurance business, said in a statement.

"But we should not forget that there has been no change in the overall risk situation."

Munich Re's assessment echoed other warnings that it currently looked as though El Nino - a warming of sea temperatures in the Pacific Ocean - would develop in the autumn.

El Nino affects wind patterns and can trigger both floods and drought in different parts of the globe, hitting crops and food supply. Munich Re said a strong El Nino would make it more likely that there will be La Nina system in the following year, which tends to cause an increase in hurricane activity.

Reinsurers such as Munich Re and rival Swiss Re help insurance companies to cover the cost of heavy damage claims from disasters such as floods, hurricanes or earthquakes in exchange for part of the premiums the insurers charge their customers.

Munich Re is expected to say what its own share of losses was in the first half when it publishes financial results on Aug. 7.

(Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Kirsti Knolle and Jane Merriman)

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Global warming requires more frequent rethink of 'normal' weather: U.N.

Alister Doyle PlanetArk 10 Jul 14;

The baseline for "normal" weather used by everyone from farmers to governments to plan ahead needs to be updated more frequently to account for the big shifts caused by global warming, the U.N.'s World Meteorological Organization said on Wednesday.

The WMO's Commission for Climatology believes rising temperatures and more heatwaves and heavy rains mean the existing baseline, based on the climate averages of 1961-90, is out of date as a guide, the WMO said in a statement.

"For water resources, agriculture and energy, the old averages no longer reflect the current realities," Omar Baddour, head of the data management applications at the WMO, told Reuters.

A government trying to decide where to build river flood defenses or a hydroelectric dam based on average rainfall could be misled by the 1961-90 data, for example, while a farmer studying average temperatures might plant crops that wilt in warmer conditions, he said.

Under current rules, the 1961-90 baseline is due to be updated in 2021, with the data from 1991-2020. The Commission for Climatology wants to see rolling updates every decade, making the current baseline 1981-2010 and the next period 1991-2020.

Some weather services have already adopted new baselines, which just causes confusion, the WMO said.

"Different researchers and weather services are using different baselines, which results in inconsistent comparisons," it said.

Baddour said the WMO also wants to retain the 1961-90 benchmark to judge long-term trends in climate change.

Last year, the U.N.'s panel of climate scientists raised the probability that human activities, led by the use of fossil fuels, are the main cause of global warming to at least 95 percent from 90 in a previous assessment in 2007.

(Reporting by Alister Doyle; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

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Best of our wild blogs: 10 Jul 14

Only three more days to go now, Festival of Biodiversity 2014
from News from Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum

Singapore Power Shift this weekend!
from Green Drinks Singapore

Butterflies Galore! : Chestnut Bob
from Butterflies of Singapore

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Singapore to independently assess impact of Johor reclamation projects

Monica Kotwani Channel NewsAsia 9 Jul 14;

SINGAPORE: Malaysia has provided Singapore with some general information on the two reclamation projects along the Straits of Johor, said Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Masagos Zulkifli in Parliament on Wednesday (July 9), and the Government will assess the information and conduct its own studies to see how the projects will impact Singapore.

Singapore had raised concerns on the potential transboundary impact, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan highlighting the issue with their Malaysian counterparts.

The concerns come amidst reports that no environmental impact assessments were conducted. Mr Masagos said Singapore was not given prior information on these reclamation projects, and he highlighted some concerns.

The projects could increase the strength of the currents in the Straits of Johor, potentially affecting navigation safety. It could also result in the erosion of the seabed and foreshore defences that support the infrastructure of the Second Link between Singapore and Malaysia. It may also affect the water quality along the Straits, impacting the coastal and marine environment as well as the fish farms in the area.

Mr Masagos said Malaysia provided some preliminary information on the two projects on June 30. It also promised to share all other information, including environmental impact assessments, once internal processes are completed.

"Malaysia has stated that no reclamation works are currently being undertaken on these projects and that it remains committed at fulfilling its obligations under international law and will take all necessary matters to avoid any adverse transboundary impact," he said, adding that Singapore is seeking clarification on some of the information provided and waiting for more to come through.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak, MP for Nee Soon GRC, asked if there would be changes in the boundary lines of the two countries after reclamation is completed, and what the course of action would be if Malaysia decided to go ahead with the projects even if they had a potential environmental impact.

Mr Masagos said it was premature to talk about any development at this stage. He said consultation and information exchange must be allowed to go forward before hypothesising, and that the boundary lines between the two countries do not change with any reclamation by either of the countries.

- CNA/xy

KL provides data on Johor Straits reclamation projects
LAURA ELIZABETH PHILOMIN Today Online 10 Jul 14;

SINGAPORE — Malaysia has provided Singapore with some preliminary general information on the two reclamation projects along the Strait of Johor, Senior Minister of State (Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs) Masagos Zulkifli said yesterday.

He told Parliament that Singapore was not given prior information on the projects and noted that under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and general international law, Malaysia’s obligations include not permitting “reclamation activities of this scale and nature ... so close to the international boundary with Singapore without first conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)”.

In their communications with Malaysia, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan had requested relevant information on all reclamation and construction work, including the EIA reports and projected timelines for their completion.

Singapore also raised concerns over the projects’ possible adverse environmental impacts, such as the increase in current velocity in the Strait of Johor, which could affect the safety of navigation in the area.

The projects could also result in changes in the morphology and water quality, affecting Singapore’s coastal and marine environment, as well as fish farms in the area.

Malaysia, which is committed to its obligations under international law, has promised to share all other information and suspended all reclamation work on the projects until Singapore has received and studied all the relevant information.

“In the meantime, we will study the information provided and conduct the necessary studies to ascertain how this project will impact Singapore,” Mr Masagos added.

Welcoming Malaysia’s cooperation on the matter, he said: “We have proposed to hold consultations with Malaysia so that both sides can further discuss and exchange information on these projects.”

Singapore gets assurance on reclamation
The Star 11 Jul 14;

SINGAPORE: Malaysia has assured Singapore that no reclamation is currently taking place for two controversial projects near the Johor Strait, according to Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Masagos Zulkifli.

“Singapore is very concerned about the potential transboundary impact on Singapore from reclamation projects in Malaysia that are in close proximity to Singapore,” he said in response to questions from Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Nee Soon GRC) and Ang Wei Neng (Jurong GRC).

The republic conveyed its concerns on a number of occasions to Malaysia, asking for more information on the reclamation and construction works, he added.

Malaysia responded on June 30 to Singapore’s request for the projects to be temporarily suspended until the republic received and studied information on them.

The Malaysian Foreign Ministry then sent a diplomatic note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 1.

Malaysia had also given Singapore preliminary general information on the projects and promised to share all other information once ready, Masagos said.

The major reclamation works first attracted controversy last month, with concerns over their possible impact on Singapore and the environment. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

KL has reassured Singapore over reclamation concerns: MFA
Charissa Yong The Straits Times AsiaOne 12 Jul 14;

SINGPOARE - Malaysia has assured Singapore that no reclamation is taking place for its two controversial projects near the Johor Strait, said Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Masagos Zulkifli yesterday.

It remains committed to fulfilling its obligations under international law and will take all necessary measures to avoid any adverse transboundary impact, he said in Parliament.

"Singapore is very concerned about the potential transboundary impact on Singapore from reclamation projects in Malaysia that are in close proximity to Singapore," he said in response to questions from Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Nee Soon GRC) and Mr Ang Wei Neng (Jurong GRC).

The Republic has conveyed its concern on a number of occasions to Malaysia, asking for more information on these reclamation and construction works, he added.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke and wrote to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on the matter in May.
National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan, who co- chairs the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia, also wrote to his Malaysian counterpart the same month.

The issue was also discussed in May at a meeting of the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment in Malaysia.

Malaysia had responded on June 30 to Singapore's request for the projects to be temporarily suspended until the Republic receives and studies information on them. The Straits Times understands that Malaysia's Department of Environment was responding to a letter sent by the National Environment Agency.

The Malaysian Foreign Ministry then sent a diplomatic note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on July 1.

Malaysia has also given Singapore preliminary general information on the projects and promised to share all other information once ready, Mr Masagos said.

Singapore is seeking further clarifications on some of the information provided, and will study the projects' impact.
"We have proposed to hold consultations with Malaysia so that both sides can further discuss and exchange information on these projects," he added.

The major reclamation works first attracted controversy last month, with concerns over their possible impact on Singapore and the environment.

The first project, a luxury home complex on a man-made island three times the size of Ang Mo Kio, is located near the Second Link. Dubbed Forest City, it is developed by China's Country Garden Holdings and a Johor state company.
The second is a residential project by China developer Guangzhou R&F Properties named Princess Cove.

Singapore was not given prior information on either project, and it is concerned about the effect on the coastal environment and infrastructure, among other problems, said Mr Masagos.

Under international law, Malaysia is obligated to "not permit reclamation activities of this scale and nature to take place so close to Singapore without first conducting an environmental impact assessment", he said.

If damage to the environment has been caused or is imminent, Malaysia has a duty to immediately notify Singapore, he added.

Under a 2005 settlement agreement following a reclamation case, both countries must monitor their environments in the Johor Strait, share information and address any adverse impacts.

According to a Johor official, Forest City developers had voluntarily stopped work for about a week while awaiting approval from the Department of Environment. But a Straits Times check on June 25 found that work on a sandbank was still ongoing, as the developers had asked for more time to wind down operations.

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Malaysia: Johor Government To Table State Environment Act In 2015

Bernama 9 Jul 14;

JOHOR BAHARU, July 9 (Bernama) -- Come next year, the Johor Government is expected to table the state environment enactment to hasten the process of studying nature and determining development in the state.

State health and environment committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat said the enactment, however, was still under discussion and studies were being carried out by the Johor Department of Environment and Johor Economic Planning Unit.

Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Ismail Sultan Iskandar has spoken about Johor needing its own environment enactment.

"We are getting the legal adviser's opinion to gauge its suitability with the Malaysian Constitution and laws before Johor implements its own act," he told reporters after hosting a breaking of fast event here last night.

Ayub said the state environment enactment is more on the need for environmental impact assessment (EIA) and detailed environment impact assessment (DEIA) on a land development project that might be implemented. Ayub said any suggestion or application for EIA and DEIA were previously sent to the Federal Government for approval, and was said to cause delay to the point of disrupting the development process.

"So, the proposal to create a state environment enactment hopes to allow the Johor Department of Environment and state government to study the potential of EIA or DEIA and determine whether a project can or cannot proceed," he said.

The Johor Sultan, when officiating the second term of the 13th Johor State Assembly sitting last May, suggested that a state environment corporation be formed under the Johor Environment Enactment as was done in Melaka, Sabah and Sarawak.

-- BERNAMA

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No haze yet? Thank favourable winds and recent rains

David Ee The Straits Times AsiaOne 10 Jul 14;

If you have been holding your breath for the haze to hit Singapore and wonder why it has not, it is because of favourable wind conditions and recent rains.

Over the last two weeks, prevailing winds have blown largely from the south south-west or the south south-east, instead of south-west, which would have transported the haze from Sumatra to Singapore.

Satellite images on the National Environment Agency's (NEA) haze portal showed that winds last month carried a plume of haze caused by fires in Sumatra, Indonesia, north towards the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, giving Singapore a miss. This caused unhealthy levels of haze on June 24 in several areas, including Selangor and Putrajaya.

Recent rains also lowered the number of fire hot spots in Sumatra, the NEA haze portal showed.

Weather researcher Winston Chow of the National University of Singapore's geography department said recent rains were normal for the ongoing south-west monsoon, but these could end once the El Nino weather phenomenon - linked to drier weather - kicks in later this year as forecast.

"The prevailing winds are also rather variable for now. They should get more south-westerly as we progress into July, August, September," he said. If so, and if fires are present in Sumatra, the haze may hit Singapore, he added.

In Parliament yesterday, Nominated MP Nicholas Fang asked Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan if the recent weather would prompt a change in the ministry's haze assessment. But Dr Balakrishnan said Singaporeans are well aware that the haze can arrive "unpredictably and very quickly".

"It takes about six hours from the onset of the plume in Riau to be brought across... the narrow straits to us," he said.

The Government has warned that the haze could be imminent for several reasons. The dry season from June to September in Sumatra generally leads to burning as farmers clear land to grow crops. This season's low rainfall could be worsened by El Nino. And the period coincides with the onset of the south-west monsoon, which is likely to carry smoke plumes from Sumatra.

Yesterday, six hot spots were detected in Sumatra. Thundery showers are expected this morning, as well as tomorrow and Thursday. Air quality is expected to be in the moderate range.

Key amendments made to draft Transboundary Haze Pollution Bill

Fine of up to $100,000 for each day, or part thereof, that haze affects Singapore (for a continuous 24 hours or more), up to a cap of $2 million. An additional fine of up to $50,000 a day, or part thereof, for entities that ignore requests by Singapore to prevent, reduce or control haze pollution.

Provides a more specific definition of such entities, which also includes those with agreements or arrangements with landowners or occupiers relating to farming or forestry operations to be carried out on that land.

To avoid being fined when charged, entities have to prove that they had no control over or knowledge of fires on their land started by persons unconnected to them and that they have put in all reasonable measures to prevent such conduct by these persons.

Courts given the authority to prevent individuals from leaving Singapore if they have been served notice.

They could be fined up to $5,000 or jailed for up to a month if they fail to comply with the notice.

A clearer definition provided for the term "condone" in the Bill. Entities would be considered to have condoned the causing of haze if they failed to prevent, stop or reduce burning started by another person.

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Malaysia: Haze returning to Klang Valley

New Straits Times 10 Jul 14;

KUALA LUMPUR: The haze is slowly but surely coming back, with some areas in the Klang Valley showing Air Pollutant Index readings (API) ranging from moderate to unhealthy.

Most of the API readings displayed at the Department of Environment showed air quality rising from moderate to unhealthy levels.

As of 3pm yesterday, Batu Muda recorded an unhealthy API reading of 126 while other areas in the Klang Valley and nationwide recorded good and moderate readings.

API readings in hot spots like Shah Alam recorded 88, Port Klang (86), Cheras (80),
Banting (71), Kuala Selangor (79), Petaling
Jaya (76) and Putrajaya (70).

Other locations classified as moderate were Nilai (61), Kampung Air Putih, Taiping (60), SK Jalan Pegoh, Ipoh (60), Port Dickson (59), Tanjung Malim (57), Bakar Arang (Sungai Petani) (56), Bintulu (55), Kemaman (55), Seremban (54), Balok Baru, Pahang (54) and Jerantut (54).

Malaysian Meteorological Department commercial and corporate services director Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said the haze yesterday was a result of local activities, such as smoke from vehicles and factories, and local burning.

Only Batu Muda in KL records unhealthy API level
The Star 9 Jul 14;

PETALING JAYA: Only one area in the Klang Valley recorded an unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) reading although the haze was visible in several areas.

Batu Muda in Kuala Lumpur recorded unhealthy reading from 1pm to 4pm, with readings as high as 126 at 3pm.

However at 5pm, the levels dropped to a moderate 96.

All other areas nationwide recorded healthy and moderate levels.

As of 8am yesterday, 40 areas recorded good air quality readings and 12 areas recorded moderate air quality readings.

An API reading between 0 and 50 is considered good; 51 to 100, moderate; 101 to 200, unhealthy; 201 to 300, very unhealthy; and 301 and above, hazardous.

In a statement, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said the satellite images on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Tuesday detected only one hotspot each in Sumatra and Sarawak.

The ministry, however, said the satellite images would not be able to detect the actual number of hotspots due to heavy cloud coverage.

“All the hotspots traced will be investigated and action will be taken accordingly,” it said yesterday.

The statement added that from January to Tuesday, 4,365 cases of open burning were detected with that in agricultural land being the highest with 1,433 cases.

“This is followed by 1,001 cases of bushfires, 897 cases in forest areas, 132 cases in construction areas and 34 in industrial areas,” said the ministry.

It added that 43 investigation papers were opened and compound notices were sent out to those involved in 299 open burning cases.

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Malaysia: Green turtle senselessly killed on Kijal beach

New Straits Times 9 Jul 14;

KEMAMAN: A police report has been lodged after an endangered Green Turtle was found brutally killed and tens of its immature eggs scattered in a leased turtle nesting area of the Kijal beach near here.

Terengganu Fisheries Department director Abdul Khalil Abdul Karim said today the report was made after the lease-holder found the dead turtle at about 11 pm last Monday.

"We believe it to be the work of an irresponsible individual who had ambushed the turtle as it came ashore to nest. The person senselessly slashed the turtle to get at the eggs," he said when contacted by Bernama.

Abdul Khalil said the lease-holder had noticed a Green Turtle coming ashore and had kept watch from afar to wait for it to lay its eggs.

However, after more than 30 minutes, the lease-holder was surprised to find that the turtle did not return to sea and checked only to find that the reptile was dead.

"A closer examination showed that the carapace had been hacked and the immature eggs were scattered all over the sand," he said.

Abdul Khalil said the inhumane act reflected the greed of some people who would go to the extent of killing the innocent animals which were protected under the Fisheries Act to fulfil their objective.

The Fisheries Act provides for a fine of up to RM3,000 or a maximum jail term of three months, or both, for offences of this nature, he said.

Abdul Khalil said this was the third incident of its kind in Terengganu, the first having occurred in 2005 in Geliga, Kemaman, and the second in 2007 on Redang Island. - Bernama

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U.N. climate talks more advanced second time around, says former head

Ben Garside PlanetArk 9 Jul 14;

U.N. climate negotiations have made greater progress towards agreeing a 2015 deal to bind all nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions than the lead-up to the previous attempt in 2009, former U.N. climate chief Yvo de Boer told Reuters.

Envoys from almost 200 nations are aiming to agree this year on the main elements of a text to be signed by their leaders in Paris in late 2015 to tackle the emissions from 2020 that U.N.-backed scientists say are causing more severe droughts, flooding and a rise in sea levels.

"The process is definitely further advanced a year before Paris than it was a year before Copenhagen (in 2009)," de Boer said in an interview in London on Tuesday.

The Dutch diplomat was the public face of the negotiations from 2006 but stepped down shortly after the Copenhagen talks almost broke down despite the attendance of more than 130 world leaders late into the final night.

Late on Monday, the U.N. published several documents on its website meant to help guide negotiators towards agreed wording for the Paris deal, including on what countries need to include in their individual contributions and how richer nations will make good on a commitment to mobilise $100 billion a year to help poorer states.

"There is now greater clarity on the way forward on many of the substantive areas," one document said.

For de Boer, who has led the Global Green Growth Institute advising developing countries since March, December's summit in Lima, Peru, will indicate whether the world will be able to come together on the issue.

LITMUS TEST

"For me, Peru will be the litmus test. Having a clear negotiating text on the table ... will give everyone a much clearer understanding of what the definition of success or failure is.

"One of the major handicaps of Copenhagen was that so many people had so many different definitions of success," he said, adding that in the lead-up to the conference it was clear that a fully-fledged treaty would not be struck.

"Small island states and the European Union were negotiating towards an international legally binding treaty that would contain obligations for pretty much everyone... whereas others, notably the United States and China, were just looking for a political agreement."

Ahead of Paris, nations have agreed that all countries should contribute, but it remains unclear what legal weight any pact will carry, or which should make the strictest contributions.

De Boer said a meaningful Paris deal would require every country to convert their contributions into national law, both to ensure they are met and to help companies raise investment in cleaner technologies.

Rather than the aim of some in Copenhagen to lock in adequate targets from the outset, countries will need to review their initial contributions, including cash from richer nations, every three years or so.

This would ensure they are in line with their previously agreed goal of limiting global temperature rises to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.

"I do not expect Paris in one fell swoop to take us to 2C. More steps will be needed," he said.

The U.N. negotiations resume for a week in October in Bonn, Germany before the two-week Lima session in December.

(here)

(Editing by Louise Heavens)

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