Best of our wild blogs: 15 Jul 17

Singapore’s last surviving Malkoha
Singapore Bird Group

Garden Stories: Our Kampong Farm Rooftop Community Garden
The Tender Gardener

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Thailand: Female dugong's death 'caused by illness'

METHEE MUANGKAEW Bangkok Post 14 Jul 17;

TRANG - A female dugong found on a beach in Kan Tang district this week later died as a result of various ailments, veterinarians said Thursday.

The endangered mammal was the third dead dugong reported in the southern province this year.

A forensic examination revealed the mammal was about 50 years old, weighed around 300kg and was suffering from various chronic ailments, veterinarians from the Phuket Marine Biological Centre said.

The symptoms included lung infections, swollen lymph nodes, parasitic infections in the air passage and the nose, a well as inflammation of the intestines, womb, ovaries and urinary bladder, said Prachuap Khosarat, director of the marine resources conservation section at the Seventh Marine and Coastal Resources Administration Office in Trang.

The dugong's intestines contained gas that caused the body to swell and float before being washed ashore in Ban Pak Khlong Ban Phrao in tambon Koh Libong on Tuesday, he said.

The dugong wasn't pregnant as was first suspected, he added.

Although it was still alive when it was found on the beach, the dugong appeared very sick and frail, according to Mr Prachuap.

Despite attempts by a veterinary team to save its life, the animal died after an operation that took around 15 hours.

The team did everything it could to save the animal, Mr Prachuap said.

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Cook Islands creates huge Pacific Ocean marine reserve

AFP Yahoo News 14 Jul 17;

Wellington (AFP) - The Cook Islands has created one of the world's largest marine sanctuaries, protecting a vast swathe of the Pacific Ocean more than three times the size of France.

Legislation setting up the 1.9 million square kilometre (735,000 square mile) reserve passed through the tiny nation's parliament late Thursday.

Environmentalist Kevin Iro, who first proposed the idea more than five years ago, said it was a landmark achievement that would help preserve the ocean for future generations.

"It's a historic time, particularly because everyone supported it, including our traditional leaders who spearheaded the whole thing," he told AFP.

The Cook Islands has a population of just 10,000 and its 15 islands have a combined landmass of 236 sq km, barely the size of Washington DC.

But its isolated position in the Pacific, about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii with no near neighbours, means it has a huge maritime territory.

Iro said Cook Islanders had an affinity with the ocean and viewed it as sacred but overfishing and pollution had damaged the marine environment, including the coral reefs that once ringed all the islands.

He said the marine reserve, known as Marae Moana, would give the environment a chance to heal, allowing the islanders to protect their legacy.

"When I moved back here (from New Zealand) about 16 years ago I saw what was happening to the lagoons and reefs and really wanted to protect them for my kids," he said.

"I want them to have the same experience I did as a boy growing up."

The idea is not to ban commercial fishing or mineral exploration outright, but to ensure it is carried out in a sustainable manner.

However, there will be a core no-fishing zone totalling about 320,000 sq km, extending 50 nautical miles from the coastline of each island.

Prime Minister Henry Puna said Marae Moana provided a blueprint for managing ocean environments worldwide.

"Together we had a vision to turn our little country into the cleanest and greenest tourism destination in the whole wide world," the Cook Islands News quoted him as telling parliament.

"We not only recognise that the ocean brings us revenue in terms of fishery and tourism and potentially sea bed minerals -– it also provides us with clean air, clean water, and clean food to nourish and sustain us."

Puna's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Floods, reef loss and migration: Asia's future on a hotter planet

Thin Lei Win Thomson Reuters Foundation 14 Jul 17;

BANGKOK, July 14 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A new report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) outlines the dramatic changes Asia-Pacific nations would face if measures to curb climate change and adapt to its effects are too slow and unambitious to keep global warming within agreed limits.

If the world carries on emitting greenhouse gases as now, and international cooperation to limit climate change fails, average temperatures will rise by over 4 degrees Celsius (4C) compared with preindustrial times by the end of the century, the report warned.

Here are some of the potential impacts it projects:

All coral reef systems in Asia-Pacific would collapse due to mass coral bleaching with a 4C rise. This could lead to losses of almost $58 billion in reef-related fisheries in Southeast Asia between 2000 and 2050.

Even if global warming is limited to 2C as pledged in the Paris climate pact, almost all coral reefs are expected to experience severe bleaching.

Sea level may rise by 1.4 metres (4.6 ft) if temperatures increase by 4C.

Nineteen of the 25 cities most exposed to a 1-metre sea-level rise globally are located in Asia-Pacific, seven of them in the Philippines alone.

Indonesia would be the Asian country worst-affected by coastal flooding, with about 6 million people expected to be hit each year until 2100.

With a 4C temperature rise, annual precipitation is expected to increase by up to 50 percent over most land areas in the region, while some nations like Pakistan and Afghanistan may experience a 20-50 percent decline in rainfall.

Of the top 20 cities with the largest projected increase in annual flood losses between 2005 and 2050, 13 are in Asia - located in China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan.

Rice yields in some Southeast Asian countries could decline by up to 50 percent by 2100 if no climate change adaptation efforts are made.

Heat-related deaths among people aged over 65 could rise annually by 52,000 cases by 2050.

The six places particularly prone to future migration linked to climate change are Bangladesh, Philippines, China, the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, the Indus Delta in Pakistan and small island states in the Pacific.

Sources: ADB, PIK, World Health Organization

(Reporting by Thin Lei Win, editing by Megan Rowling; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, corruption and climate change. Visit news.trust.org)

A region at risk: The human dimensions of climate change in Asia and the Pacific
ReliefWeb 14 Jul 17;

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (14 July 2017) — Unabated climate change would bring devastating consequences to countries in Asia and the Pacific, which could severely affect their future growth, reverse current development gains, and degrade quality of life, according to a report produced by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).

Under a business-as-usual scenario, a 6 degree Celsius temperature increase is projected over the Asian landmass by the end of the century. Some countries in the region could experience significantly hotter climates, with temperature increases in Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the northwest part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) projected to reach 8 degree Celsius, according to the report, titled “A Region at Risk: The Human Dimensions of Climate Change in Asia and the Pacific.”

These increases in temperature would lead to drastic changes in the region’s weather system, agriculture and fisheries sectors, land and marine biodiversity, domestic and regional security, trade, urban development, migration, and health. Such a scenario may even pose an existential threat to some countries in the region and crush any hope of achieving sustainable and inclusive development.

“The global climate crisis is arguably the biggest challenge human civilization faces in the 21st century, with the Asia and Pacific region at the heart of it all,” said Bambang Susantono, ADB Vice-President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development. “Home to two-thirds of the world’s poor and regarded as one of the most vulnerable region to climate change, countries in Asia and the Pacific are at the highest risk of plummeting into deeper poverty — and disaster — if mitigation and adaptation efforts are not quickly and strongly implemented.”

"The Asian countries hold Earth's future in their hands. If they choose to protect themselves against dangerous climate change, they will help to save the entire planet,” said Professor Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, PIK Director. “The challenge is twofold. On the one hand, Asian greenhouse-gas emissions have to be reduced in a way that the global community can limit planetary warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, as agreed in Paris 2015. Yet even adapting to 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature rise is a major task. So, on the other hand, Asian countries have to find strategies for ensuring prosperity and security under unavoidable climate change within a healthy global development. But note that leading the clean industrial revolution will provide Asia with unprecedented economic opportunities. And exploring the best strategies to absorb the shocks of environmental change will make Asia a crucial actor in 21st-century multilateralism."

More intense typhoons and tropical cyclones are expected to hit Asia and the Pacific with rising global mean temperatures. Under a business-as-usual scenario, annual precipitation is expected to increase by up to 50% over most land areas in the region, although countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan may experience a decline in rainfall by 20-50%.

Coastal and low-lying areas in the region will be at an increased risk of flooding. Nineteen of the 25 cities most exposed to a one-meter sea-level rise are located in the region, 7 of which are in the Philippines alone. Indonesia, however, will be the most affected country in the region by coastal flooding with approximately 5.9 million people expected to be affected every year until 2100.

Increased vulnerability to flooding and other disasters will significantly impact the region — and the world — economically. Global flood losses are expected to increase to $52 billion per year by 2050 from $6 billion in 2005. Moreover, 13 of the top 20 cities with the largest growth of annual flood losses from 2005-2050 are in Asia and the Pacific: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Zhanjiang, and Xiamen (PRC); Mumbai, Chennai-Madras, Surat, and Kolkata (India); Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam); Jakarta (Indonesia); Bangkok (Thailand); and Nagoya (Japan).

Climate change will also make food production in the region more difficult and production costs higher. In some countries of Southeast Asia, rice yields could decline by up to 50% by 2100 if no adaptation efforts are made. Almost all crops in Uzbekistan, meanwhile, are projected to decrease by 20-50% by 2050 even in a 2 degree Celsius temperature increase (Paris Agreement scenario). Food shortages could increase the number of malnourished children in South Asia by 7 million, as import costs will likely increase in the subregion to $15 billion per year compared to $2 billion by 2050.

Marine ecosystems, particularly in the Western Pacific, will be in serious danger by 2100. All coral reef systems in the subregion will collapse due to mass coral bleaching if global warming increases by 4 degree Celsius (global business-as-usual scenario). Even with a 1.5 degree Celsius temperature increase, 89% of coral reefs are expected to suffer from serious bleaching, severely affecting reef-related fisheries and tourism in Southeast Asia.

Climate change also poses a significant risk to health in Asia and the Pacific. Already, 3.3 million people die every year due to the harmful effects of outdoor air pollution, with the PRC, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh being the top four countries experiencing such deaths. In addition, heat-related deaths in the region among the elderly are expected to increase by about 52,000 cases by 2050 due to climate change, according to data from the World Health Organization. Deaths related to vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue may also increase.

A business-as-usual approach to climate change could also disrupt functioning ecosystem services, prompting mass migration — mostly to urban areas — that could make cities more crowded and overwhelm available social services.

Moreover, a warmer climate for the region could endanger energy supply. Climate change can exacerbate energy insecurity through continued reliance on unsustainable fossil fuels, reduced capacities of thermal power plants due to a scarcity of cooling water, and intermittent performance of hydropower plants as a result of uncertain water discharges, among other factors. Energy insecurity could lead to conflicts as countries compete for limited energy supply.

To mitigate the impact of climate change, the report highlights the importance of implementing the commitments laid out in the Paris Agreement. These include public and private investments focused on the rapid decarbonization of the Asian economy as well as the implementation of adaptation measures to protect the region’s most vulnerable populations. Climate mitigation and adaptation efforts should also be mainstreamed into macro-level regional development strategies and micro-level project planning in all sectors, in addition to the ongoing renewable energy and technology innovation efforts in urban infrastructure and transport. The region has both the capacity and weight of influence to move towards sustainable development pathways, curb global emissions, and promote adaptation, the report concludes.

ADB approved a record $3.7 billion in climate financing in 2016 and has committed to further scale up its investments to $6 billion by 2020.

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, ADB is celebrating 50 years of development partnership in the region. It is owned by 67 members—48 from the region. In 2016, ADB assistance totaled $31.7 billion, including $14 billion in cofinancing.

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Best of our wild blogs: 14 Jul 17

Changi seven months after the oil spill
wild shores of singapore

6-8 August: Catch Dr. Jane Goodall in Singapore
Green Drinks Singapore

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Artificial structures help reefs bloom again

NUS study shows that fibreglass units placed underwater can nurture life in the long term
Audrey Tan Straits Times

A structure which looks like an overturned flower pot could help degraded coral reefs bloom again.

Called a reef enhancement unit, the fibreglass structure, which is covered in holes, provides nooks and crannies for free-floating coral larvae - each barely the size of a grain of salt - to settle down and grow.

A new study by marine biologists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has shown that these artificial reefs are capable of nurturing life in the long term.

Published in science journal Aquatic Conservation: Marine And Freshwater Ecosystems, the study examined the marine life on the units at six sites around Singapore's southern islands in 2014 - more than a decade after they were first placed underwater. The results showed that coral cover - the average percentage of hard coral on each unit - went up across all six sites.

Scientists also recorded some 119 species of marine life which had made the units their home, including corals, lobsters and cuttlefish.

Examinations of coral tissue showed the corals growing on the units were sexually mature, and had likely taken part in mass coral spawning - a yearly event where corals release eggs and sperm bundles in a spectacular fashion to reproduce.

NUS marine biologist Lionel Ng, 33, who did the study, said the results were significant, as it showed that reef enhancement units could be used to help restore Singapore's reefs even though the water is heavily sedimented. Sedimentation is normally the bane of coral growth.

Corals reproduce by releasing their eggs and sperm, where they join to form free-floating larvae, which float in the water column until they find a suitable home, usually a hard surface to latch on to. With fewer suitable places on degraded reefs ravaged by climate change or development works, the larvae become vulnerable to being eaten by predators such as fish, or smothered by sediment stirred up by currents.

While there are many studies showing the short-term benefits of installing artificial reef structures, few have been done to look at how the structures fare over time.

"But data from long-term monitoring is important in gauging the success of an artificial reef, especially as corals are slow-growing animals," explained lecturer Toh Tai Chong, 32, who also worked on the study.

Added Mr Ng: "Other than measuring coral cover, it is also important to determine if the corals eventually attain sexual maturity and participate in mass spawning events for a better understanding on the effectiveness of reef restoration."

The study also showed that while coral cover improved at all sites, some had better coral growth. The highest coral cover was recorded off Pulau Satumu - the Republic's southernmost island. Coral cover on the units there went up from 3.2 per cent in 2004, to 36.7 per cent in 2014. In comparison, units at the site at Lazarus Island recorded the lowest coral cover, from 0.6 per cent in 2004, to 1.2 per cent in 2014.

Coral expert Chou Loke Ming, an adjunct research professor at NUS who supervised the latest study, said this could be due to the way coral larvae disperse in Singapore waters. The dispersal patterns, he said, are influenced by various factors, such as currents and hydrodynamics.

"The study shows that reef enhancement units are a good starting point to encourage coral larvae to settle down in an area that was initially not conducive for them. Once they begin to grow and colonise the area, natural recruitment could help to expand the reef cover," noted Professor Chou, 70.

The study was funded by the Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) Conservation Fund. Dr Sonja Luz, director for conservation, research and veterinary services at WRS, said the study had practical implications for conservation of local coral reefs.

"Its findings emphasised the importance of conducting long-term monitoring and assessment of coral reef restoration efforts... The results also demonstrated the feasibility of deploying fibreglass artificial reef units on Singapore's reefs to boost the recruitment and establishment of reef fauna, thereby enhancing their conservation," she said.

WATCH THE VIDEO
Cuttlefish make their home in an artificial reef str.sg/4R8o

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Best of our wild blogs: 13 Jul 17

Pasir Ris with signs of dugong
wild shores of singapore

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Probability of 2015 haze repeat much lower this year: Asia Pulp and Paper official

Chan Luo Er Channel NewsAsia 12 Jul 17;

SINGAPORE: The probability of a repeat of the 2015 haze is "much lower" this year, the newly appointed managing director for corporate affairs and sustainability for Indonesia's largest pulp and paper group, Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), said on Wednesday (Jul 12).

Former Singapore military general Bernard Tan - who is also Singapore country president for Sinar Mas, APP’s parent company - outlined the preparations the company have taken at a press conference to announce his appointment.

"The haze issue is a matter of deep concern to all of us, in Singapore, in Indonesia, as well as throughout the region," he said.

He said APP has invested more than US$80 million since 2015 to strengthen its fire management strategies.

This includes exploring new technologies such as infra-red cameras and mini-satellites to better monitor the ground situation, training and equipping more than 2,700 firefighters (up from 1,500 in 2015), investing in large-scale helicopters to act as water-bombing aircraft to contain fires until ground teams arrive and the setting up of a fire audit team to review the company’s and its suppliers’ concessions.

Internal data from APP has shown that 2017 is expected to be a drier season compared to the previous year.

Mr Tan said he could not predict the haze outlook for the coming year. “Having seen the efforts, and the effects, of our programmes on the ground, there is reason to be cautiously optimistic about the haze this year."

Mr Tan's appointment comes a few months after the National Environment Agency said it was still investigating four Indonesian suppliers of the company which have been linked to the forest fires that caused severe haze in Singapore in 2015.

Major retailers in Singapore removed APP paper products from their shelves in 2015, after the Singapore Environment Council and the Consumers Association of Singapore asked retailers to declare they had not procured or used wood, paper and/or pulp materials from companies accused of causing fires in Indonesia.

NEA said at that time that information provided by APP had been "limited".

When asked about NEA's statement, Mr Tan said that while he was unable to comment on the issue as investigations were ongoing, engagement with authorities is continuing and APP has been cooperative.

He said the company looks at Singapore as an important market for its brand.

“The first step is to show tangible action that has been taken and to reassure Singaporeans that the production of goods is done in a responsible and sustainable way."


Ex-army general lands dual role with paper giant
SIAU MING EN Today Online 13 Jul 17;

SINGAPORE — Retired army general Bernard Tan has joined Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) as its new managing director for corporate affairs and sustainability.

The 50-year-old has taken on the role concurrently alongside being the country president for the Singapore office of APP’s parent firm Sinar Mas Group.

APP, one of Indonesia’s largest paper and pulp companies, has been linked to the worst haze episode in the region in 2015.

The firm is working to set up a new fire audit team, which would be tasked, among other things, with reassessing the readiness and effectiveness of APP’s haze combat programmes.

Speaking to the media after a press conference yesterday, Mr Tan — who officially took up the positions on June 1 — said the two new roles were created to tackle the complex work involved in corporate affairs and sustainability, and to manage the brand and “issues on the ground”.

He said: “You are very aware that Sinar Mas still has issues, APP still has issues in Singapore ... (Given that) the commitment has been so much on the ground, in Indonesia ... I think the issues need to be resolved. And a lot of that requires upfront engagement, and perhaps … a different style of communication.”

Mr Tan served 22 years in the Singapore Armed Forces before retiring with the rank of Brigadier-General. Between 1998 and 2001, he also served in the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta and is fluent in Bahasa Indonesia.

Before joining APP, he was the chief marketing officer at defence and engineering group ST Engineering.

In 2015, APP was questioned by the authorities as to whether it was linked to fires responsible for a haze episode.

Wielding Singapore’s Transboundary Haze Pollution Act for the first time that year, the NEA served notice to APP to provide information on its subsidiaries here and in Indonesia, as well as the measures taken by its suppliers there to put out fires in their concessions.

The Singapore Environment Council then restricted the use of APP’s Singapore Green Label certification, which saw supermarkets here pulling APP’s products such as tissue paper and toilet rolls off their shelves.

In March this year, the NEA said that information given by APP has been limited and it has asked for more details.

Asked about this, Mr Tan, who is also the deputy president of the Football Association of Singapore, said yesterday that engagement with the NEA is ongoing. “We are scheduled for a meeting very shortly ... we will leave that comment till after the engagement has concluded, and when investigations are resolved satisfactorily on both sides,” he added.

One of his main priorities, he said, is to look into remarketing APP’s products here.

“We are doing all the right things in terms of fire prevention, haze prevention, sustainability. I see no reason why the goods should not return to the shelves in Singapore,” he said.

APP spent a large part of the press conference yesterday explaining its integrated fire management programme, which has cost the company more than US$80 million (S$110 million) since it was introduced in 2015.

It includes preparation plans, such as the use of large helicopters to carry out water-bombing operations when needed. There have also been trials using infrared technology to identify hot spots, and a roll-out of a response regime for the 2,700 firefighters on the ground. SIAU MING EN

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New online platform for electricity retailers set to jolt energy market

JOEY CHUA XUE TING Today Online 13 Jul 17;

SINGAPORE — From the second half of next year, domestic consumers here will be able to compare electricity plans online and pick one that best suits their needs from a website.

The recently launched Singapore start-up Electrify.Sg is the first marketplace for electricity retailers here, allowing consumers to compare the prices and packages on offer.

The portal is now available only to businesses and non-domestic consumers using more than 2,000 kWh a month. So far, 15 companies have used it to buy an electricity plan.

As the Government fully opens up the energy market in the second half of next year, all consumers in Singapore — including all 1.3 million households and more than 200,000 small business users — will be eligible to switch from Singapore Power, the national electricity provider.

They will be able to buy electricity from third-party retailers regardless of their minimum consumption.

Mr Martin Lim, 46, co-founder and chief operations officer of Electrify.Sg, told a press conference yesterday: “For the first time, we are going to have every household being able to choose the kind of power they want to buy, at the rate they want to buy and, very much on their terms, how they want to buy it.”

Consumers can enjoy a 10 to 30 percent discount off Singapore Power’s regulated tariff with prices offered by retailers on the platform, he added.

To date, there are 25 licensed electricity retailers, but just 16 are active.

Of the 16, eight — including Best Electricity Supply, Red Dot Power, and Sunseap Energy — have joined Electrify.Sg.

It plans to get seven more retailers on its platform by the end of this month.

Talking about some of the difficulties that consumers face, Mr Julius Tan, 28, co-founder and chief executive officer of Electrify.Sg, said: “With 25 retailers, including both independent retailers and power-generation companies in the market, there is confusion over price plans and still some misinformation and ambiguity about electricity liberation.”

On top of that, many retailers operate in silos, forcing customers to make multiple enquiries through many levels on Web pages to get generic prices.

Finalising a contract can also be a laborious exercise, with most retailers still relying on manual submissions on paper, which can prolong the process to days or weeks.

Electrify.Sg aims to shorten the process for consumers to five to 10 minutes with just four steps.

First, consumers must provide basic information such as their electricity provider, and their consumption levels.

Next, they have to create an account, then choose their preferred electricity package generated by Fibonacci — a pricing engine — based on their consumption profile.

Finally, they make payment online and upload the required documents.

Retailers can publish their raw pricing data and electricity package details on the platform, which uses Fibonacci to generate more than a million price permutations per electricity plan.

The platform also provides retailers with data-driven analytics on customers’ buying patterns, allowing them to deliver tailor-made plans to each client, including bundled deals and electricity plans powered by sustainable energy sources.

Noting that Singapore has “a very dynamic energy market space”, Mr Lim said: “We are not here to fight with anybody, we are here to work with everybody.

“With that, everybody can benefit — consumers as well as retailers.”

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Indonesia: 570 orangutans still in rehabilitation centers

N. Adri The Jakarta Post 12 Jul 17;

Some 570 orangutans are undergoing treatment at rehabilitation centers across East Kalimantan after losing their natural habitat to the conversion of rainforests, conservation group has said.

Conservation group Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) said a rehabilitation center it operated in Samboja Lestari currently held up to 170 orangutans, while another rehabilitation facility in Nyaru Menteng was caring for 400 others.

“The foundation is currently housing the most orangutans that need to be rehabilitated. We want that number to decrease, until there are no more of these animals in our rehabilitation centers,” BOSF chief executive officer Jamartin Sihite said at an event to mark the release of seven orangutans into the wild on Tuesday.

The event was the group’s 14th release, with the latest conducted last month to return a 30-year-old East Kalimantan orangutan named Romeo back to his natural habitat after spending 24 years in the BOSF rehabilitation center. (kuk/ebf)

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Want to fight climate change? Have fewer children

Next best actions are selling your car, avoiding flights and going vegetarian, according to study into true impacts of different green lifestyle choices
Damian Carrington The Guardian 12 Jul 17;

The greatest impact individuals can have in fighting climate change is to have one fewer child, according to a new study that identifies the most effective ways people can cut their carbon emissions.

The next best actions are selling your car, avoiding long flights, and eating a vegetarian diet. These reduce emissions many times more than common green activities, such as recycling, using low energy light bulbs or drying washing on a line. However, the high impact actions are rarely mentioned in government advice and school textbooks, researchers found.

Carbon emissions must fall to two tonnes of CO2 per person by 2050 to avoid severe global warming, but in the US and Australia emissions are currently 16 tonnes per person and in the UK seven tonnes. “That’s obviously a really big change and we wanted to show that individuals have an opportunity to be a part of that,” said Kimberly Nicholas, at Lund University in Sweden and one of the research team.

The new study, published in Environmental Research Letters, sets out the impact of different actions on a comparable basis. By far the biggest ultimate impact is having one fewer child, which the researchers calculated equated to a reduction of 58 tonnes of CO2 for each year of a parent’s life.

The figure was calculated by totting up the emissions of the child and all their descendants, then dividing this total by the parent’s lifespan. Each parent was ascribed 50% of the child’s emissions, 25% of their grandchildren’s emissions and so on.

“We recognise these are deeply personal choices. But we can’t ignore the climate effect our lifestyle actually has,” said Nicholas. “It is our job as scientists to honestly report the data. Like a doctor who sees the patient is in poor health and might not like the message ‘smoking is bad for you’, we are forced to confront the fact that current emission levels are really bad for the planet and human society.”

“In life, there are many values on which people make decisions and carbon is only one of them,” she added. “I don’t have children, but it is a choice I am considering and discussing with my fiance. Because we care so much about climate change that will certainly be one factor we consider in the decision, but it won’t be the only one.”

Overpopulation has been a controversial factor in the climate change debate, with some pointing out that an American is responsible for 40 times the emissions produced by a Bangladeshi and that overconsumption is the crucial issue. The new research comes a day after researchers blamed overpopulation and overconsumption on the “biological annihilation” of wildlife which has started a mass extinction of species on the planet.

Nicholas said that many of the choices had positive effects as well, such as a healthier diet, as meat consumption in developed countries is about five times higher than recommended by health authorities. Cleaner transport also cuts air pollution, and walking and cycling can reduce obesity. “It is not a sacrifice message,” she said. “It is trying to find ways to live a good life in a way that leaves a good atmosphere for the planet. I’ve found it really positive to make many of these changes.”

The researchers analysed dozens of sources from Europe, North America and Japan to calculate the carbon savings individuals in richer nations can make. They found getting rid of a car saved 2.4 tonnes a year, avoiding a return transatlantic flight saved 1.6 tonnes and becoming vegetarian saved 0.8 tonnes a year.

These actions saved the same carbon whichever country an individual lived in, but others varied. The savings from switching to an electric car depend on how green electricity generation is, meaning big savings can be made in Australia but the savings in Belgium are six times lower. Switching your home energy supplier to a green energy company also varied, depending on whether the green energy displaces fossil fuel energy or not.

Nicholas said the low-impact actions, such as recycling, were still worth doing: “All of those are good things to do. But they are more of a beginning than an end. They are certainly not sufficient to tackle the scale of the climate challenge that we face.”

The researchers found that government advice in the US, Canada, EU and Australia rarely mentioned the high impact actions, with only the EU citing eating less meat and only Australia citing living without a car. None mentioned having one fewer child. In an analysis of school textbooks on Canada only 4% of the recommendations were high impact.

Chris Goodall, an author on low carbon living and energy, said: “The paper usefully reminds us what matters in the fight against global warming. But in some ways it will just reinforce the suspicion of the political right that the threat of climate change is simply a cover for reducing people’s freedom to live as they want.

“Population reduction would probably reduce carbon emissions but we have many other tools for getting global warming under control,” he said. “Perhaps more importantly, cutting the number of people on the planet will take hundreds of years. Emissions reduction needs to start now.”

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Giant iceberg breaks off Antarctica

Nina Chestney Reuters 12 Jul 17;

LONDON (Reuters) - One of the biggest icebergs on record has broken away from Antarctica, scientists said on Wednesday, creating an extra hazard for ships around the continent as it breaks up.

The one trillion tonne iceberg, measuring 5,800 square km, calved away from the Larsen C Ice Shelf in Antarctica sometime between July 10 and 12, said scientists at the University of Swansea and the British Antarctic Survey.

The iceberg, which is roughly the size of the U.S. state of Delaware or the Indonesian island of Bali, has been close to breaking off for a few months.

Throughout the Antarctic winter, scientists monitored the progress of the rift in the ice shelf using the European Space Agency satellites.

"The iceberg is one of the largest recorded and its future progress is difficult to predict," said Adrian Luckman, professor at Swansea University and lead investigator of Project MIDAS, which has been monitoring the ice shelf for years.

"It may remain in one piece but is more likely to break into fragments. Some of the ice may remain in the area for decades, while parts of the iceberg may drift north into warmer waters," he added.

The ice will add to risks for ships now it has broken off. The peninsula is outside major trade routes but the main destination for cruise ships visiting from South America.

In 2009, more than 150 passengers and crew were evacuated after the MTV Explorer sank after striking an iceberg off the Antarctic peninsula.

The iceberg, which is likely to be named A68, was already floating before it broke away so there is no immediate impact on sea levels, but the calving has left the Larsen C ice shelf reduced in area by more than 12 percent.

The Larsen A and B ice shelves, which were situated further north on the Antarctic Peninsula, collapsed in 1995 and 2002, respectively.

"This resulted in the dramatic acceleration of the glaciers behind them, with larger volumes of ice entering the ocean and contributing to sea-level rise," said David Vaughan, glaciologist and director of science at British Antarctic Survey.

"If Larsen C now starts to retreat significantly and eventually collapses, then we will see another contribution to sea level rise," he added.

Big icebergs break off Antarctica naturally, meaning scientists are not linking the rift to manmade climate change. The ice, however, is a part of the Antarctic peninsula that has warmed fast in recent decades.

"In the ensuing months and years, the ice shelf could either gradually regrow, or may suffer further calving events which may eventually lead to collapse – opinions in the scientific community are divided," Luckman said.

"Our models say it will be less stable, but any future collapse remains years or decades away."

For graphic, 'Giant iceberg breaks off Antarctica', click http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/ANTARCTICA-LARSEN/010041GT36Y/ANTARCTICA-LARSEN-RIFT.jpg

(Editing by Toby Chopra)

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