Indonesia: Number of hot spots down in first half of 2019

Kharishar Kahfi The Jakarta Post 27 Jun 19;

The Environment and Forestry Ministry has reported a drop in the number of hot spots across the country during this year’s first half from the equivalent period last year.

According to observation using the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite, 508 hot spots were detected in forest areas in Indonesia between Jan. 1 and June 25, marking a 25 percent drop from 685 detected in the same period of 2018.

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Indonesia: Houses in Aceh destroyed after 12 elephants go on rampage

Antara 27 Jun 19;

A house at Tuwi Meuleusong Village, Seunagan Timur Sub-district, Nagan Raya District, Aceh Province, is damaged after an elephant attack. (ANTARA/Istimewa)

Suka Makmue, Aceh (ANTARA) - A herd of 12 elephants recently ran amok in the villages of Blang Lango and Tuwi Meuleusong in Seunagan Timur Sub-district, Nagan Raya District, Aceh Province, destroying a house and plantations.

"Alhamdulillah (Thank God), (the attack) claimed no lives," Seunagan Timur Sub-district Head Teuku Mukhsin stated on Thursday.

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Big energy discussion 'scrubbed from record' at UN climate talks

Patrick GALEY, AFP Yahoo News 27 Jun 19;

Bonn (AFP) - Hours of discussions over whether the United Nations climate process needs protecting from big energy interests were "scrubbed" from official conclusions at a conference in Germany this week, AFP has learned.

Talks between nations over how to implement the Paris climate goals wrap up in Bonn Thursday, when summaries of discussions and decisions will be presented to delegates and observers.

Among those allowed to participate in UN climate talks are representatives of trade organisations who count among their members energy giants such as ExxonMobil and Shell.

Industry representatives say their presence as observers at climate negotiations is crucial as it will be the private sector that is tasked with implementing change in the global economy.

Critics question why lobby groups tied to fossil fuel companies should be allowed inside a process that specifically aims to slash the planet-warming emissions those fuels cause.

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Record-breaking heat wave cooks Europe

Mark Kaufman, Mashable Yahoo News 27 Jun 19;

The heat has arrived.

As predicted, a potent heat wave settled over Europe this week, bringing abnormally high June temperatures to vast swathes of France, Spain, Germany and beyond — home to hundreds of millions. Already, the highest ever recorded June temperatures have toppled in Germany, France, and Poland, reaching into the triple digits on Wednesday.

Radzyń, Poland hit nearly 101 degrees Fahrenheit, a region outside of Berlin reached 101.5 degrees, and the average max June temperature in France hit its highest point ever, at nearly 95 degrees. On Thursday, France peaked at over 107 degrees. And there's more heat to come.

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3 ways for Singapore to stretch land options: Lawrence Wong

Tee Zhuo Straits Times 26 Jun 19;

SINGAPORE - Land-scarce Singapore has three ways to stretch its land options: going upward, downward and seaward.

National Development Minister Lawrence Wong detailed these different ways in a blog post on Wednesday (June 26).

"Land is a critical factor in any country's development, more so for a little red dot like Singapore," he wrote.

"But through human ingenuity, we can come up with innovative ways to stretch our land options... That's how we can overcome our natural constraints, and continue to succeed over the long-term," he added.

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New Aquaculture Innovation Centre seeks to work with other players on joint research

Shabana Begum Straits Times 26 Jun 19;

SINGAPORE - Food and beverage outlets providing food waste that can be used for fish feed is an example of partnership that the new Aquaculture Innovation Centre (AIC) is looking for. It is seeking urban fish farms, tertiary institutes, government agencies and other industries that can come together to help increase Singapore's seafood production.

The country's 10th centre of innovation is the first to be run as a consortium so that various players from academia and industries can research jointly to strengthen the aquaculture sector.

The AIC, headquartered in Temasek Polytechnic and supported by Enterprise Singapore, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Wednesday (June 26) to collaborate with eight partners including other polytechnics, the National University of Singapore, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, and the Singapore Food Agency.

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Crabs reared sustainably to help boost Singapore's food security

Project ongoing to grow crustaceans in lab amid efforts to increase local food production
Shabana Begum Straits Times 27 Jun 19;

Inside a lab in Temasek Polytechnic, dozens of mud crabs are scuttling, feeding and breeding - to meet Singaporeans' insatiable appetite for chilli crab and black pepper crab.

Due to overharvesting and bad weather conditions brought on by global warming, the mud crab populations in countries like the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, where Singapore imports crabs from, have dwindled by 30 per cent.

Many crabs are also harvested before they reach maturity, which is an unsustainable farming practice.

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Malaysia: Call to protect Sungai Johor

zazali musa The Star 27 Jun 19;

JOHOR BARU: Johor government is urged to be more proactive in monitoring the quality of Sungai Johor as the river is the main source of raw water supply in south of the state.

Green Earth Society Johor president P. Sivakumar said based on incidents over the years, contamination in the river caused inconvenience to hundreds of thousands of consumers.

He said the main cause of pollution in Johor’s longest river was the high content of ammonia in the water due to effluents discharged by oil palm mills upstream.

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Malaysia, Johor: Cabinet told no link between Pasir Gudang and Sg Kim Kim cases

Azura Abas New Straits Times 26 Jun 19;

PUTRAJAYA: The Cabinet was briefed that the recent air pollution incident in Pasir Gudang had nothing to do with earlier pollution of Sungai Kim Kim.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said this was the briefing provided by the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry, which said that after investigating all possible indicators, found no indication of any link between the two incidents.

Dr Wan Azizah said the relevant authorities had conducted tests on the victims’ urine and blood samples as part of the investigation.

She also noted that National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) officers were currently in Pasir Gudang conducting investigations.

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Malaysia busts attempt to smuggle over 5,000 terrapins

AFP 26 Jun 19;

Malaysian customs officers arrested two Indian men attempting to smuggle over 5,000 terrapins through the country to be sold as pets, officials said Wednesday.

The Southeast Asian country, home to rare animals such as orangutans and tigers, has become a hub for wildlife trafficking.

The men were detained at Kuala Lumpur's main airport last Thursday after they arrived from China with 5,255 red-eared terrapins.

The creatures -- packed into plastic containers inside two suitcases -- were worth 52,550 ringgit ($12,700), senior customs official Zulkurnain Mohamed Yusuf said.

Some died on the journey, although a large number survived.

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Indonesia: Military joins efforts to halt forest fires in South Sumatra

Antara 26 Jun 19

Palembang, S Sumatra (ANTARA) - The Indonesian military will join efforts to halt recurrences of land and forest fires in South Sumatra Province during this year's dry season by regularly conducting public awareness campaigns in several districts.

The campaigns regarding the importance of taking precautionary measures have been conducted in districts such as Banyuasin and Ogan Komering Ilir, Chief of the 044/Garuda Dempo Military Resort Command, Major Binsar J Simanjuntak, said on Wednesday.

Speaking to local journalists here, Simanjuntak said precautionary measures were also taken by the land and forest fire task force by monitoring vulnerable areas.

The same preventive measures have also been taken by the Banyuasin district military command.

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Greenpeace sounds alarm over shark overfishing in North Atlantic

AFP Yahoo News 27 Jun 19;

Madrid (AFP) - Thousands of endangered sharks are killed each year in the North Atlantic due to a lack of protection against overfishing in international waters, Greenpeace said Thursday.

Fishing vessels dedicated primarily to catching swordfish in the area collectively caught four times more sharks than swordfish by weight with their long lines loaded with thousands of hooks, the environmental group said in a report based on findings from Greenpeace ship Esperanza which visited the region earlier this year.

"It is absolutely immoral to kill sharks and other wildlife with these terrible fishing practices," said Will McCallum, of Greenpeace’s Protect the Oceans campaign, in a statement.

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