Animal acoustic activity decline shows forest fire pollution wreaks havoc on wildlife

University of Kent Science Daily 20 Sep 17;

Forest fires in Southeast Asia during the El Niño droughts of 2015 caused considerable disruption to the biodiversity of the region due to the smoke-induced 'haze' they created, according to new research.

Forest fires in Southeast Asia during the El Niño droughts of 2015 caused considerable disruption to the biodiversity of the region due to the smoke-induced 'haze' they created, according to new research led by Benjamin Lee at the University of Kent and the National Parks Board in Singapore.

In the first study of its kind Benjamin, who completed his PhD at the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) at Kent, monitored wildlife acoustic activity in Singapore before, during and after the major forest fires that hit the region in 2015.

The data showed there was a dramatic drop in acoustic activity by as much as 37.5% during the haze as animals were affected by the pollution. It took a further 16 weeks after the haze had dissipated before acoustic levels showed even a partial recovery.

Furthermore, the researchers said it is highly likely the damage to wildlife was even greater in locations closer to the fires, where air pollution levels were 15-times higher than those in Singapore.

Tropical Asia experiences fires and haze annually, which cause significant human health problems and economic damage across the region. The 2015 event was one of the worst on record.

The findings indicate that large-scale air pollution events, such as those caused by forest or peatland fires, have a far greater impact on biodiversity that previously thought and that preventing such events occurring is paramount.

Benjamin was assisted in his research by Dr Matthew Struebig and Dr Zoe Davies from DICE.

Journal Reference:

Benjamin P Y-H Lee, Zoe G Davies, Matthew J Struebig. Smoke pollution disrupted biodiversity during the 2015 El Niño fires in Southeast Asia. Environmental Research Letters, 2017; 12 (9): 094022 DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/aa87ed


Haze in 2015 disrupted S’pore’s wildlife: Study
NEO CHAI CHIN Today Online 21 Sep 17;

SINGAPORE — Just as human lives were affected by the record levels of transboundary haze in 2015, birds and other animals here faced upheaval, a new study has found.

Measuring sounds made by wildlife (mainly birds) at the Ecolink over the Bukit Timah Expressway over 16 months, researchers found their acoustic activity dropped “dramatically” during the haze episode from September to October 2015 — by up to 37.5 per cent, on average.

Soundscapes are an indicator of the abundance and diversity of wildlife and the study accounted for sounds generated by human activity.

Sixteen weeks after the haze had passed, only a partial recovery to pre-haze levels was made, reported Dr Benjamin Lee, Dr Zoe Davies and Dr Matthew Struebig of the University of Kent in the United Kingdom.

Their study, Smoke pollution disrupted biodiversity during the 2015 El Nino fires in Southeast Asia, was published on Wednesday in the Environmental Research Letters journal. Dr Lee is director of Singapore’s National Parks Board’s (NParks) Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology Research, and the study was part of his doctorate thesis.

The trends uncovered could have “far reaching implications for biodiversity if realised across pollution-stricken Asia”, and the authors called for further research into the effects of air pollution on tropical biodiversity. The disruption to wildlife is likely to have been greater closer to the source of fires, they said. Pollutant levels in some parts of Borneo were 15 times higher than Singapore during the 2015 haze.

The researchers recorded the “dawn chorus” of wildlife on 78 mornings between January 2015 and March last year. The greatest acoustic activity was pre-haze, and levels “were particularly low when air pollution reached levels deemed unhealthy for humans”.

Bird abundance was “substantially impacted” by the haze episode but recovered within four months. However, the diversity of species – going by an index that quantifies the number of unique sounds at unique frequencies – showed “little sign of recovery”.

Several reasons could explain the findings, said the authors. Ecological activity such as singing – many bird species establish territories during the dawn chorus – could have temporarily halted during the episode. The haze could have killed some birds directly as well as indirectly, by reducing their fitness or success in finding food. It could also have reduced the abundance of their prey.

At least 55 bird species have been identified at the Ecolink, where camera traps have also captured macaques and small mammals. The acoustic data collection was part of a monitoring programme on the wildlife overpass, which links the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment nature Reserve.

The study is also novel in using acoustic indices to investigate the impacts of air pollution on biodiversity; previous studies have focused more on responses of particular species to air pollution.

Speaking to TODAY, bird expert David Tan said the study is important because quantifying the effects of haze is “notoriously difficult in vertebrates, especially in wild animals that aren’t often observed all the time”. Mr Tan leads forest walks for the public in the nature reserves and finds that birds are less active on hazy mornings. “But most of our observations are largely anecdotal and so it’s good to see that (the study) has quantified this,” he said.

Mr Tan suggested that the researchers could run control experiments during the same period in haze-free years, as the annual variation in dawn chorus activity here is not well established. “While most birds will call in the morning to establish territory, it’s not entirely clear whether this varies depending on the presence of (migratory birds),” he said. September and October are months with the highest volume of migratory birds.

While the dynamics of dawn choruses are complex, some scientists believe reduced bio-acoustic activity could affect birds’ ability to establish large territories. This may result in them having to forage in a smaller effective territory or outside of it, increasing exposure to aggression by other birds, said Mr Tan.

Conservationist Yong Ding Li of Birdlife International said he noticed a diminished dawn chorus during the 1997 haze episode, but was not aware of any study on what causes birds to call less.

Birds are visual foragers so scientists believe that if visibility is low, they may call less to conserve energy. Species regularly found at the Ecolink include the Little spiderhunter, Pinstriped tit-babbler, the Crimson sunbird and Olive-winged bulbul, said Dr Yong.

The 2015 haze, caused by extensive plantation and forest fires, affected tens of millions of people and cost Indonesia up to 475 trillion rupiah and Singapore, about S$700 million. The Pollutant Standards Index levels breached 2,000 in Central Kalimantan while in Singapore, the PSI crept to hazardous levels (above 300).

The study was supported by the Wildlife Reserves Singapore Conservation Fund and NParks.

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Malaysia: High tide phenomenon: Fishermen, residents, authorities move into alert mode

DAWN CHAN and FALIQ LAJIM New Straits Times 20 Sep 17;

SHAH ALAM: Fishermen have been told to put on life jackets when they head out to sea during the high tide phenomenon, which is expected to being anytime now and last till December this year.

Fisheries Development Authority of Malaysia (LKIM) chairman Datuk Seri Irmohizam Ibrahim said the phenomenon is expected to hit the Selangor coastlines as well as several areas in Perak.

"I would like to advise fishermen to wear life jackets while they are out at sea during the high tide phenomenon. Apart from that, I ask that fishermen be alert of the instructions given by the authorities and to have the K3M app (Maritime Community Security and Safety Awareness) if they meet with any accidents at sea.

"I have also instructed LKIM's Fishermen Safety Group (Kumpulan Keselamatan Nelayan) to be prepared to render any assistance to the authorities if needed. LKIM has also set up a disaster committee to assist fishermen who may be affected by the phenomenon," said Irmohizam.

Over in Klang, Kalmi Yusuf, 59, a resident at Kampung Tok Muda is shaking with fear when she heard that there will be another episode of the high tide phenomenon.

"I lost RM5,000 during the flood last year, " she said.

The high tide phenomenon, which will go on until December, this year is expected to cause flooding at five districts in Selangor, including Kampung Tok Muda in Klang.

This has forced residents, apart from the fisherman community in the area, to be on alert and take precautionary measures to face the possibility of flooding.

Kalmi said she has rearranged her belongings and stored important items and documents high up. She is fully prepared to evacuate if the water level rises.

"I have also asked two of my children to rearrange and pack their stuff. We have packed our clothes and personal belongings.

"We lost many of our household items, including a washing machine, refrigerator, two motorbikes and a Proton Iswara vehicle in the flood, last year.

"I could no longer use my car due to its rusty condition and I would have to fork out a huge sum to repair it," said the single mother.

Kalmi said the family stayed at one of the relief centres in Klang, the Dewan Orang Ramai Kampung Tok Muda, for a week during the flood, last year.

Checks at the Jeti Pengkalan Kampung Tok Muda, showed fishermen and residents preparing for the worse.

One resident, Baharin Ibrahim, 49, said he had also taken necessary steps.

"Water levels were knee high during a flood episode two years ago. I do not want to go through that again. Hence, this time around, I have placed my belongings and valuables at a higher place."

Fisherman, Mohd Rahim Mahani, 59, said he and his friends would always ensure their boats were properly secured.

"This is to ensure our boats stay in place and not be swept away by tides. We will take turns to monitor our boats during this time," he added.

Selangor told to prepare for big waves due to high tides over next three months
wani muthiah The Star 20 Sep 17;

SHAH ALAM: Residents in coastal areas here have been cautioned to be prepared for possible flooding due to a rise in sea levels caused by big waves due to high tides.

Selangor Disaster Management Unit head Ahmad Fairuz Mohd Yusof (pic) said the large waves were expected to occur between Sept 21 and Dec 5.

"The occurrence in the coastal areas in Selangor such as the Klang district, Kuala Langat, Sepang, Kuala Selangor and Sabak Bernam are expected to be affected," Ahmad Fairuz told a press conference at the state secretariat on Wednesday.

He said the waves are expected to be the highest in October and November with a forecast reading of between 5.5m to 5.6m.

Ahmad Fairuz said the situation can worsen if there was rain and strong winds during the waves.

"If the wave is accompanied by rain and heavy winds, there is a possibility of sea water overflowing the coastal banks.

"This will erode the banks, causing them to break and if this happens the increased level of sea water flowing into land will flood high risk areas such as fishing villages and jetties," he added.

He said, as opposed to rain water flooding, sea water flooding will cause more damage due to the salt content.

He said evacuation centres will also start operations a day before the wave dates.

According to Ahmad Fairuz, all the necessary satellite information has already been given to the state's district authorities.

"So it is now the responsibility of the district disaster committees to prepare for what could happen based on the past records,'' said Ahmad Fairuz, adding that the Selangor government had spent RM4.3mil in 2016 and RM8mil this year to repair and strengthen river and coastal banks.

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry's Minerals and Geoscience Department also presented slope hazard and risk maps to Hulu Selangor District Council, Selayang Municipal Council, Ampang Jaya Municipal Council, Kajang Municipal Council, Sepang Municipal Council and the Selangor Town and Country Planning Department.

The maps will provide information on landslide-prone areas to companies undertaking construction and infrastructure projects in high-risk areas.

Coastal residents urged to be wary of high-tide phenomenon
The Star 21 Sep 17;

SHAH ALAM: Residents in coastal areas have been cautioned to be prepared for possible flooding due to a rise in sea levels due to the high-tide phenomenon.

Selangor Disaster Management Unit head Ahmad Fairuz Mohd Yusof said the tidal waves were expected to occur from now until December.

“Coastal areas in Selangor such as the Klang district, Kuala Langat, Sepang, Kuala Selangor and Sabak Bernam are expected to be affected,” Ahmad Fairuz told the media at the state secretariat yesterday.

He said the waves were expected to be the highest in October and November with a forecast reading of between 5.5m and 5.6m.

“When the wave is at its maximum height and if there is rain and heavy winds at the same time, there is a possibility of water from the sea overflowing coastal banks.

“This will erode the banks causing them to break and if this happens, the increased level of sea water flowing inland will flood high-risk areas such as fishing villages and jetties,” he said.

He added that compared to rain water flooding, seawater flooding would cause more damage due to the salt content.

He said evacuation centres would also start operations a day before the high tide dates.

According to Ahmad Fairuz all the necessary satellite information has already been given to the state’s district authorities.

He added that the Selangor government spent RM4.3mil in 2016 and RM8mil this year to mend and strengthen river and coastal banks to prevent flooding.

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Malaysia: Fire breaks out at Lotte Chemical Titan plant in Johor

OOI TEE CHING New Straits Times 20 Sep 17;

KUALA LUMPUR: A fire broke out at one of Lotte Chemical Titan Holding's plants in Johor, a senior company executive and the local fire department, Nikkei Markets reports today.

The fire, which has since been extinguished, caused “minor” damage to the company's plant in Pasir Gudang, the executive said, declining to be identified as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

A spokesperson with the local Fire Department told Nikkei Markets no injury was reported onsite and authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire.

At the close of Bursa Malaysia today, Lotte Chemical Titan lost 20 sen to RM5.29.

Last month, the group's share price dived as low as RM4.65 after it reported second quarter earnings ended June 2017 had plunged 72 per cent to RM113.62 million from RM404.03 million.

Lotte Chemical Titan said profits fell after it was forced to shut down for several days in April, due to a water disruption. The shutdown resulted in a 75 kilotonne decline in production volume.

Lotte Chemical Titan's share price has since recovered above the RM5.00 mark, partly on expected higher selling prices for its products.

An increase in ethylene prices due to recent refinery shutdowns in the US following Hurricane Harvey is expected to spill over to product prices.

Two months ago, Lotte Chemical Titan raised about RM4 billion from its initial public offering, debuting at RM6.50 a share.

Lotte Chemical Titan, the Malaysian unit of petrochemical giant Lotte Chemical Corp, counts Permodalan Nasional Bhd as one of its major shareholders.

Its listing was the biggest Malaysian public offering since 2012.


Fire at Pasir Gudang chemical plant brought under control
mohd farhaan shah The Star 20 Sep 17;

PASIR GUDANG: Thick smoke coming from a chemical factory here caused thousands working and living around the industrial area here to panic.

However, Pasir Gudang Fire and Rescue station chief Ibrahim Omar said the fire was believed to have started from the factory's quench water treatment tanker.

He added that the fire was prevented from spreading to other parts of the factory due to quick action by the department.

"The fire only damaged about five percent of the whole factory area and we managed to control it within 43 minutes," he said.

Ibrahim pointed out that the department received a distress call at around 2.35pm and immediately deployed three fire engines with 15 firemen to the scene.

"There were no injuries or loss of life during the incident as we able to put it out before the fire cause any serious damage," he said.

Ibrahim also said that the department was investigating the cause of fire and the total damage.


Fire Breaks Out At Lotte Chemical Titan Holding Plant In Malaysia
Alexander Winifred and Gho Chee Yuan Nikkei Review 18 Sep 17

KUALA LUMPUR (Sep 18) -- A fire broke out at one of Lotte Chemical Titan Holding's plants in Malaysia's southern state of Johor on Wednesday afternoon, a senior company executive and the local fire department said.

The fire, which has since been extinguished, caused 'minor' damage to the company's plant in Pasir Gudang, the executive said, declining to be identified as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

A spokesperson with the local Fire Department said no injury was reported onsite and authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire.


Minimal losses in Lotte Chemical fire incident
p. aruna The Star 26 Sep 17;

KUALA LUMPUR: Lotte Chemical Titan Holding Bhd said the damage caused to its new TE3 Project due to the recent fire incident was minimal and estimated losses of not more than RM50,000 to replace burnt cables.

In an announcement to the stock exchange, the company said it had completed its assesment of the fire incident that occured at its PP3 expansion plant in Pasir Gudang, Johor on Sept 20.

Last week, Lotte Chemical shares were hit following news of the incident, with the share price going as low as RM5.04 a share.

The share price improved to close at RM5.25 on Monday.

“The fire was due to contact between residual vapor from the Quench Water drain pit and the steam line.

“There is no damage to the other plants and they are running normally,” the company said in the filing.

It said it had resumed the preparation of the TE3 Project for commissioning and the commercial startup is on target by the fourth quarter 2017.

The company said the incident was not expected to have a material effect on the earnings, net assets and gearing of the company and the group for the financial year ending December 31, 2017.

Maybank Investment Bank Research maintained its Buy call on the counter, as well as its earnings forecasts and target price of RM7.85 following the update from the company.

It said the market would be comforted by the revelation of the announcement and look beyond the incident.

“The focus will resume to the recent surge in crude oil prices and the likelihood for petrochemical prices to track crude oil prices.

“We believe the share price will react positively as the company is a direct beneficiary of higher petrochemical prices,” it said.

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Indonesia: New 'ghost' orchid species discovered on Java

Aman Rochman The Jakarta Post 20 Sep 17;

The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) office at the Plant Conservation Agency (BKT) of the Bogor Botanical Gardens in Pasuruan, East Java, revealed on Monday the discovery of a new orchid species endemic to Java, the Gastrodia bamboo, in Phytotaxa, an international scientific journal.

The publication was jointly written by LIPI-BKT scientist Destario Metusala and University of Indonesia (UI) conservation biology scientist Jatna Supriatna.

“The discovery of this new orchid species was an invaluable gift for LIPI’s 50th anniversary, which fell on Aug. 23,” LIPI-BKT dissemination and partnership supervisor Lia Hapsari said on Wednesday.

Destario said the Gastrodia bamboo was part of the holomikotropic orchid group, the orchids of which were often called “ghost orchids” by the world’s scientists. He said he and other researchers named the new orchid species Gastrodia bamboo to refer to bamboo as its specific habitat.

Destario further said the Gastrodia bamboo was an endemic orchid found only on Java Island, especially in West Java and Mount Merapi in Yogyakarta. The population of the ghost orchid was declining due to habitat destruction, he added.

Destario further explained that the Gastrodia bamboo grew in a dark and moist habitat, always close to thick and old bamboo clusters. Like other holomikotropic orchids, the Gastrodia bamboo has no chlorophyll, so it does not carry out the photosynthesis process. The orchid species is also not parasitic.

“Its life cycle depends on organic nutritional supply through a symbiosis with mycorrhiza fungus,” he said.

“It is hoped the discovery strengthens biodiversity conservation in the future,” said Lia. (ebf)

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Huge sea turtles slowly coming back from brink of extinction

SETH BORENSTEIN Associated Press Yahoo News 21 Sep 17;

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sea turtles are lumbering back from the brink of extinction, a new study says.

Scientists found more populations of the large turtles improving than declining when they looked at nearly 60 regions across the globe. That's a big change from a decade or two ago, experts said.

Long-living sea turtles have been pushed to endangered levels by hunting, accidentally being caught in fishing nets, habitat loss, plastics pollution and climate change, experts say.

But massive efforts to save the egg-laying turtles by changing fishing nets and creating protected and darkened beaches are working, said study lead author Antonios Mazaris, an ecology professor at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece.

"There's a positive sign at the end of the story," Mazaris said. "We should be more optimistic about our efforts in society."

The research was published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.

There are seven different species of sea turtles, all but one endangered. The slow creatures live for several decades with some species weighing about 100 pounds and others well over 1,000 pounds.

Mazaris pointed to Hawaiian green sea turtles, once in trouble 40 years ago, as story of success. Maybe too much success.

"They have more turtles than they know what to do with," said Roderic Mast, a sea turtle advisory group co-chairman at the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which determines the global list of endangered species.

Tourists seeking sea turtles create traffic problems and fishermen complain the creatures get in the way, said Mast, who wasn't part of the study and is president of the Oceanic Society advocacy group. He added: "It's a good problem to have."

Mazaris and colleagues looked at 299 sets of turtle populations over different lengths of time around the globe, finding 95 of them increased, while 35 went down. The rest didn't change or there wasn't enough data.

There were increases in North and South America on the Atlantic coast but setbacks in the Asia Pacific region.

"The evidence is widespread and convincing," said Selina Heppell, head of Oregon State University's department of fisheries and wildlife, who wasn't part of the study.

Mast pointed to Kemp's ridley sea turtles as a good example of what's happening, especially in the United States. In the 1940s, there about 40,000 of them, mostly in the southern U.S. and Mexico. By the 70s, there were only 1,200 left.

The U.S. and Mexican governments changed laws, fishing practices and set aside dark, quiet areas for turtles to nest. That population is increasing by about 10 to 15 percent annually, Mast said. That's good, but he said they remain critically endangered.

"Sea turtles are bellwethers. They're flagships that we use to tell the story of what's going on in the oceans," Mast said. "And that's why people should care about turtles."


Sea Turtles Are Coming Back From The Brink of Extinction, Well Done Everybody
MICHELLE STARR Science Alert 22 Sep 17;

It's not often humanity gets to pat itself on the back for a positive effect on the environment, but researchers are hailing sea turtles as a "global conservation success story" as population numbers climb.

Six of the seven species of sea turtle are at varying threat levels on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. But research shows significant improvements that show promise for the future.

Humans have not been kind to turtles. They have been killed for their shells and meat, and their eggs harvested for food. Their nesting and foraging habitats have been destroyed, and they get tangled in fishing nets, or caught accidentally.

The hawksbill turtle and the Kemp's ridley turtle are both critically endangered, the green turtle is endangered, the loggerhead turtle, the leatherback turtle and the olive ridley turtle are all vulnerable. Only the flatback turtle isn't listed as threatened, but there's insufficient data for an assessment.

To gauge turtle numbers, the research team studied data on 299 nesting sites, monitored between 6 and 47 years. They found that 95 of those nesting sites had significantly increased numbers of nests, compared to just 35 that had significant decreases.

The team isn't 100 percent sure what's causing the upward population trend, but believes it's linked to protection of eggs - harvesting them is illegal in many countries, and heavily restricted in others.

There's also been a reduction in sea turtle bycatch, thanks to initiatives such as the development of a fishing hook that is much less likely to be swallowed by the turtles.

However, that doesn't mean the sea turtle is out of the woods, or even close. The researchers found that leatherback turtles continue to decline.

There are other factors that need to be taken into account, too. Counting the nesting sites before the eggs hatch will not include potential disasters affecting juvenile turtles.

Rising sea levels at Raine Island in Australia, the world's largest remaining green turtle nesting site, has killed many eggs before they could hatch, since the eggs can't survive underwater.

Many loggerhead turtle hatchlings died at Mon Repos in Australia earlier this year when sand temperatures became too hot for survival.

Sea turtles take a long time to reach sexual maturity, too. Hawksbill turtles take 3 years, loggerhead turtles take 12 to 30 years, and green turtles take anywhere between 30 and 50 years to sexually mature, so population rises we're seeing now could be thanks to conservation efforts some time ago.

Saving the sea turtles will continue to be an ongoing effort.

"Our findings highlight the importance of continued conservation and monitoring efforts that underpin this global conservation success story," the researchers wrote in their paper.

The research was published open access in the journal Science Advances.

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San Francisco, Oakland sue major oil companies over rising seas

Kurtis Alexander SF Gate 20 Sep 17;

Rising seas are expected to test San Francisco’s infrastructure along the bay. Already parts of the Embarcadero experience flooding during high tides.

The cities of San Francisco and Oakland are suing some of the world’s largest oil companies over climate change, joining an emerging legal effort to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for the damages wrought by rising seas.

The suits, filed separately in Superior Court in San Francisco and Alameda County and announced Wednesday, claim that a slate of oil, gas and coal producers not only caused the heat-trapping gases that drove sea level rise but knowingly did so, a challenge akin to litigation against big tobacco companies in the 1990s.

Both cities are asking the companies, which include Bay Area-based Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Shell and BP, to pay billions in compensation for past and future flooding, coastal erosion and property damage resulting from climate change.

“The bill has come due,” said San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera. “It’s time for these companies to take responsibility.”

The lawsuits, filed Tuesday, come two months after the counties of Marin and San Mateo, as well as the San Diego County city of Imperial Beach, filed similar challenges amid a growing push to use the courts to go after individual corporations for their contribution to global warming.

Earlier legal attempts to tie specific companies to the problem have been scant and largely ineffective. But as scientific advancements make it increasingly possible to pinpoint the causes of climate change, and with the Trump administration sidelining the issue, law experts say both the number of suits against the fossil fuel industry and their chances of success are bound to grow.

“With the federal administration pulling back, it doesn’t surprise me that more people are turning to the courts,” said Sean Hecht, co-executive director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the UCLA School of Law. “It’s possible that the courts will be more sympathetic to claims when there isn’t concurrent federal regulatory action moving forward.”

Representatives from the oil industry, including Chevron officials, said the legal action was not productive.

“Chevron welcomes serious attempts to address the issue of climate change, but these suits do not do that,” said company spokeswoman Melissa Ritchie in an email. “Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a global issue that requires global engagement and action.”

Eric Wohlschlegel, a spokesman for the American Petroleum Institute trade group, said the oil and natural gas industry had already made climate change a priority and will “play a leading role in driving down U.S. greenhouse gas and other emissions.”

Like the challenges in Marin and San Mateo counties, the lawsuits in San Francisco and Oakland argue that the oil producers constitute a public nuisance.

The suits claim the extraction and development of fossil fuels prompted a significant increase in global warming, which melted ice sheets and heated sea water so that it expanded, raising ocean levels nearly eight inches in California over the past century. As much as 10 additional feet of sea level rise may occur by 2100, according to the suit.

“As a city surrounded by water on three sides, San Francisco would be devastated,” Herrera said.

In the short term, San Francisco officials expect to pay $500 million to fortify the 3-mile seawall along the Embarcadero to prevent roads, homes and businesses from being submerged. Long-term upgrades are projected to cost $5 billion.

City officials also anticipate paying $350 million to safeguard the city’s sprawling sewer and storm-water system, much of which is housed near Ocean Beach, where shoreline erosion and lapping ocean water threaten to undermine underground treatment and pumping facilities. If the pipes and plants need to be moved, the costs will be even greater.

All told, about $10 billion of public property and as much as $39 billion of private property are at risk, according to the city.

In Oakland, officials are worried about high water at several points along the city’s bay shore, including Jack London Square and Oakland International Airport. Already, the city is planning major floodwall and dike projects to the tune of $56 million. A disproportionate number of people living in these low-lying areas, officials say, are lower-income, minority residents.

“The harm to our cities has commenced and will only get worse,” said Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker.

Both the San Francisco and Oakland lawsuits argue that the oil companies have known since at least the early 1980s that their business was causing this type of damage, yet sought to convince the public it wasn’t.

“Defendants stole a page from the Big Tobacco playbook and sponsored public relations campaigns, either directly or through the American Petroleum Institute or other groups, to deny and discredit the mainstream scientific consensus on global warming, downplay the risks of global warming and even to launch unfounded attacks on the integrity of leading climate scientists,” the San Francisco suit reads.

A similar case was filed by the Alaskan village of Kivalina in 2008. It targeted about two dozen energy companies for their purported role in causing flooding through greenhouse gas emissions, while claiming they conspired to distance themselves from the problem. A federal judge ruled that the public nuisance argument didn’t apply because government regulations, in this case the federal Clean Air Act, already existed and took precedent.

The cases in California, however, are proceeding in state court, where legal experts say judges are less inclined to dismiss lawsuits because of other laws on the books. At the state level, public nuisance cases have been more common and successful.

“I don’t think there’s any question that these state law claims are going to be valid,” said Hecht at UCLA. “The question is whether the courts will conclude that there is causation, and that the harm outweighed the benefits provided to the public.”
Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.

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Melting Arctic ice cap falls to well below average

* This summer’s minimum is the eighth lowest on record
* Shrinking ice cap increasingly linked to extreme weather events around the world, say scientists
Damian Carrington and agencies The Guardian 20 Sep 17;

The Arctic ice cap melted to hundreds of thousands of square miles below average this summer, according to data released late on Tuesday.

Climate change is pushing temperatures up most rapidly in the polar regions and left the extent of Arctic sea ice at 1.79m sq miles at the end of the summer melt season.

This is the time when it reaches its lowest area for the year, before starting to grow again as winter approaches. The 2017 minimum was 610,000 sqmiles below the 1981-2010 average and the eighth lowest year in the 38-year satellite record.

Scientists from the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC) said the rate of ice loss this summer had been slowed by cool mid-summer weather over the central Arctic Ocean. The record minimum came in 2012, when the ice area fell to 483,000 square miles below the 2017 extent.

Ted Scambos at NSIDC said the Arctic sea ice had set a record for the smallest winter extent earlier in 2017 and was on track to be close to the 2012 record minimum until July. But a cloudy and cooler than normal August slowed the melting.

“Weather patterns in August saved the day,” Scambos said. The fast shrinking Arctic ice cap is increasingly thought to have major impacts on extreme weather patterns much further south, due to its influence on the jet stream. Floods, heatwaves and severe winters in Europe, Asia and North America have all been linked to the Arctic meltdown. “It’s bound to have an impact on global climate,” Scambos said.

The 2017 sea ice level fits with an overall steady decline over the decades, but one that varies from year to year, Scambos said. “It’s not going to be a staircase heading down to zero every year,” he said. “[But] the Arctic will continue to evolve towards less ice. There’s no dodging that.”

Rod Downie, head of polar programmes at WWF, said: “From space, the loss of Arctic sea ice is the clearest and most visible sign of climate change, and human beings are responsible for most of it. We are engineering our planet and its climate.”

“That’s not good for the people of the Arctic who depend upon sea ice for their traditional way of life and for people across the world who depend on a stable climate,” he said. The Arctic could be virtually free of ice in summer within people’s lifetimes, he warned, and called for more action on climate change by reducing carbon emissions.

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Climate Change Is Already Making People Sicker

Alexandra Sifferlin, Time Yahoo News 21 Sep 17;

Climate change is a central issue at this year’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), with multiple high-level meetings on the issue happening amid several devastating natural disasters. Hurricane Irma recently swept through the Caribbean and into Florida, only to be quickly followed by Hurricane Maria.

“Climate change casts a long shadow over the development efforts of our country,” said Darren Henfield, the minster of foreign affairs of the Bahamas, during a UNGA meeting on Hurricane Irma. “The implications of rising sea levels and atmospheric temperatures signal dire consequences for low-lying island states like the Bahamas.” Henfield said that the costs of rebuilding after Irma will be “exorbitant, in the tens of millions,” and he estimates similar damage related to Hurricane Maria.

The impact of climate change on global health is also becoming increasingly clear. At the end of last week, the United Nations released a report showing that global hunger is on the rise; 38 million more people were affected in 2016 than in 2015. Climate change and the spread of violent conflicts are responsible, the report says. Other research has linked climate change to increased respiratory problems, poor nutrition, the spread of infectious disease and even anxiety.

Leaders at the UN say that while more countries are explicitly calling out these risks to health now than in the past, there’s still more work to do. “I think it’s clear quite a few countries, particularly in the developing world where air pollution is high, see that there is an opportunity to reduce climate change and improve health,” said Nick Nuttall, spokesperson for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) during an interview Wednesday. “But the issue still has a ways to go.”

The recent tragic weather events have provided an opening for those conversations. “These hurricane or flooding events have huge implications for water quality,” says Nuttall, citing the risk for things like sewage and other chemicals to get into floodwater and spread. The risk for mosquito-borne diseases ranging from dengue fever to Zika can increase as floods recede, leaving breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other insects.

“Major health benefits come from acting on climate change, both direct and indirect,” says Nuttall. Preventing deforestation limits flooding, which cuts back on the number of pests like mosquitoes that can accumulate and spread diseases, he says.

The issue affects the oceans, as well. “If we lose our coral reefs, we lose revenue for countries, but also fish, which is an important source of protein,” says Nuttall.

Climate change has been a popular subject at this year’s UNGA, and many leaders have publicly reaffirmed their commitment to tackling the problem. But the U.S.’s position on the issue has changed from last year. In June, President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Other U.S. leaders, including California governor Jerry Brown and former vice president Al Gore, took part in UNGA meetings about climate change and assured attendees that other leaders are still addressing the issue.

“We are a country of diverse power centers, and mobilizing those power centers that are not controlled by the President is still a very worthwhile goal and very powerful,” said Brown during a high-level stakeholder meeting on climate change on Monday. “Mayors, governors, presidents and CEOs of companies: they have real power.”

“It would be great if the President would join in the movement,” Brown said, but “he’s not there yet. He believes this whole thing we’re talking about, all the scientists publishing thousands of papers, is all a hoax.”

There are signs that UN leaders are open to engaging with other leaders beyond the U.S. federal government. “The decision [by the U.S.] to withdraw was disappointing for many, including people in the United States,” says Nuttall. “But so many people are moving on this.”

“Now, time is the constraining factor,” he adds. “We need to move very, very fast.”

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A BYO campaign kids can happily get stuck on

Samantha Boh Straits Times 20 Sep 17;

Seven-year-old Emmalyn Jonatan makes it a point not to take a plastic bag when she buys a fishcake - her favourite snack during recess.

It is a habit she has picked up at her school, which gives pupils a sticker each time they avoid using disposable packaging, be it a plastic bag or straw.

"I will tell the aunty (who runs the canteen stall) that I don't want a plastic bag. I've already collected two stickers," the Primary 1 pupil at Bukit Panjang Primary School told The Straits Times excitedly.

Pupils will get a certificate of achievement once they collect 10 stickers, and stand the chance to win one of three sets of tickets to visit the S.E.A Aquarium at Sentosa.

This initiative is part of green group Zero Waste SG's new Bring Your Own Schools campaign, which was launched at the school last week, and will last a month.

So far, the initiative has been launched at one other primary school, with 11 more schools, including two secondary schools, to follow next year.

"We hope to inculcate good (bring your own) habits among the young and encourage them to reduce (the use of) plastic disposables and protect the marine environment," said Zero Waste SG's executive director, Mr Eugene Tay.

He said the programme aims to help schoolchildren find out more about plastic disposables and marine litter through assembly talks and exhibitions, and to encourage them to bring their own reusables, such as bottle, container, utensils or bag.

Mr Bucktha Seelan, Bukit Panjang Primary School's principal, said: "The kids love the stickers. Sometimes you need to incentivise as we educate, because educating kids takes a while. While a number of them are excited about the prizes, we want to spread the message beyond that."

Currently only Primary 1 and 2 pupils get to participate in the programme. Mr Seelan said he will assess the results of the programme before he considers expanding it to the other levels.

The programme is part of a wider effort to go green at the school, which already encourages its pupils to recycle newspapers, drink cans and plastic bottles. This year it also held its first flea market, where it sold old clothes contributed by its pupils and their families.

"We don't think about just educating kids, we also use kids to educate their parents," added Mr Seelan.

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NParks opens two more healing gardens

TOH EE MING Today Online 20 Sep 17;

SINGAPORE — Two new therapeutic gardens — designed to provide respite and improve the mental well-being of visitors, especially seniors — were opened yesterday at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park and Tiong Bahru Park.

With three such gardens, including the first one at HortPark, and a fourth slated to open in Choa Chu Kang Park next year, the National Parks Board (NParks) said the network of such gardens is one of the key initiatives under the Action Plan for Successful Ageing announced by the Ministerial Committee on Ageing in 2015.

The 900 sq m therapeutic garden at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park has different plant zones, such as a fragrance zone, colours and textures zone, and a biodiversity zone, to help slow down the progression of dementia in elderly people.

For instance, fragrant-smelling herbs, such as lemongrass, have been picked to evoke memories in the elderly; brightly coloured plants like creeping daisies to help uplift their moods; and ixora and lantana plants attract butterflies and bees.

The garden also has raised planter beds of different heights, so that wheelchair users can interact with plants and flowers at a lower height. For seniors who find it difficult to bend down, they can use the planter beds which have been raised higher to do their gardening.

NParks has also developed customised therapeutic horticulture programmes to help increase social interaction among seniors and improve their well-being, such as propagating edible plants, making scent bags, leaf collages, as well as flower and leaf pressing on cards.

Speaking at the launch of the garden at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee said that he knew of many seniors who would “love to get back to the soil and grow plants, vegetables and fruit trees”.

Currently, eight in 10 households in Singapore live within a 10-minute walk from a green space, and the Government hopes to raise this to nine in 10 by 2030.

“These green spaces are wonderful areas for recreation, relaxation and enjoying the peace of mind that only verdant and green spaces can provide … The journey to create a city in a garden for Singaporeans of all ages is one that we have to take together,” said Mr Lee, who is also the Second Minister for National Development.

Retiree Loy Boon Ngeow, 71, who spends more than five hours doing gardening daily at the herb and community gardens at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, said that he contributed some herbs, such as Indian borage and coleus plant, to the new therapeutic garden.

“I (love gardening) because it helps me pass the time, and you feel happy doing it,” he said.

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Malaysia: Empurau - The fish which could save our sharks

AVILA GERALDINE New Straits Times 19 Sep 17;

KOTA KINABALU: Empurau fish is set to become the most sought-after item for those who take pride in serving lavish dishes at special occasions such as weddings and banquets.

Priced at RM2,000 per kilogramme, the freshwater fish — native to Borneo, particularly Sarawak — will be a tough contender for the old-school shark fin soup.

Currently, it is the most expensive fish in Malaysia.

Not many have the opportunity to taste empurau but for those who have an acquired taste for such a gastronomic delight, it will surely show off one’s status.

On Nov 11, skilled professional chefs from 16 hotels and restaurants will convene to create their signature dishes featuring the finest empurau fish at the Alternative To Shark Fin Soup Exhibition at Imago Mall, here.

Co-organised by the Sabah Shark Protection Association (SSPA) and Go Seafood Sdn Bhd which owns the Royal Empurau brand, the exhibition is a move to shift the demand for shark fin to more sustainable patterns.

The event is supported by the Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environmental Ministry.

Go Seafood chief executive officer Mikhail Razak Harris said the company came up with the idea to work with executive chefs from five-star hotels and restaurants to create a suitable soup which can serve as a better alternative to shark fin.

“We care about shared community values and sustainable development. We’d like to lead by example by taking an economic approach to conservation.

“We are offering the Royal Empurau brand and raising awareness of its culinary versatility in an effort to attain the overall goal of diverting demand for shark fins in a way that it is culturally appropriate and sustainable.

“We are actively engaging with people and organisations in pursuit of improving our understanding of what influences the choices that they make so we can effectively fight the demand for shark fin.

“We are coming up with something that will surprise a few people. However, we will only reveal that during the exhibition,” he said.

What makes empurau a special fish is its unique diet. The fish has a pallet for fruits and Sarawak’s ‘engkabang’ fruit or illipe nut gives it a rich taste.

Go Seafood executive director Chua Hua Beng, whose family has been farming empurau fish in Sarawak for 11 years, said farmed empurau taste better than wild ones as they are fed with illipe nuts all year long.

“In the wild, these fruits are seasonal but we collect these fruits from natives and in that way, we are helping the community. So, we go to long houses across Sarawak and ask the community to collect ‘engkabang’ fruits.

“We purchase the fruits from them to feed the empurau fish in a controlled environment,” he said, adding that the farm has been adopted by the Sarawak Agriculture Department.

According to a report, an engkabang tree bears fruit every four to five years. The Forest Research Institute of Malaysia describes the fruit as “butter from the rainforest” as it has a buttery texture when cooked in bamboo.

Chua claimed that even though the empurau can be found from Borneo up to Nepal, the ones from Sarawak are the best to be used in dishes.

He said the empurau fish population in the rivers are decreasing but the farming programme helps to repopulate by releasing them back into the wild.

Empurau, he said, should be an icon of Borneo just like the orang utan, proboscis monkey and hornbill bird among others.

“The only difference is that this (empurau) is the icon of Borneo that you can take home and eat because we farm it in a sustainable manner,” he said.

Meanwhile, SSPA chairman Aderick Chong said he hoped the exhibition would be successful in convincing shark fin soup lovers into shifting their consumption behaviour.

“Now that empurau is available, it will make the people think about having empurau as an alternative to the usual shark fin,” he said, adding that SSPA was continuously trying to encourage people to stop consuming shark fin soup.

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