Best of our wild blogs: 19 Oct 08

Chek Jawa with TeamSeagrass
on the teamseagrass blog and some sightings on the wild shores of singapore blog

Life History of the Fluffy Tit
from Butterflies of Singapore blog

Crows caching food
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

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Minister says Atlantis shark will be released

Eugene Harnan, The National 18 Oct 08;

DUBAI The minister for the environment, Dr Rashid Ahmed bin Fahad, said yesterday that the whale shark being kept at the Atlantis hotel aquarium will be freed, but not until hotel staff have finished treating it.

The shark, which is four metres long, was caught off Jebel Ali on Aug 27 but the circumstances of the animal’s capture were unclear.

It has been in captivity for about 40 days, sparking protest in part because of the whale shark’s status as a vulnerable species as classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Dr Fahad said ministerial officials had met the Atlantis staff and discussed the animal’s future.

“We had some meetings with the management at the hotel who are taking care of it and, at the moment, it is being kept in for treatment. It is being taken care of, so is not in any danger,” he said.

“It will be released but it will be kept for some time yet and I cannot say when it will be released. It will be kept until it is in good health.”

He said the shark was useful for educating children and that the hotel was looking after it well.

The whale shark has appeared in newspapers around the world. Late last week, the campaign to release it gained momentum when the Emirates Marine Environmental Group (EMEG) and its president, Ali al Suweidi, voiced concern.

The shark is being kept in Ambassador Lagoon, an 11 million-litre tank with marine life from the Arabian Gulf.

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Fewer heading to Kusu this year

Debbie Yong, Straits Times 19 Oct 08;

It could be mistaken for an idyllic beach resort.

At one end of the island, three Caucasian tourists were suntanning in their bikinis.

Elsewhere, pockets of families huddled over packed lunches in wooden shelters while a few children splashed in the sea.

Except for the faint scent of incense wafting from the Chinese Tua Pek Kong temple in the centre of Kusu island, little else indicated it was in the middle of its annual pilgrimage season when The Sunday Times visited yesterday.

The season, which lasts the whole of the ninth lunar month - from Sept 29 to Oct 28 this year - is when it receives most visitors, mostly Taoist devotees.

But it was a slow day for the stalls selling religious trinkets yesterday. The temple and shrines had a steady flow of devotees but were not packed.

According to an owner of one of the 10 makeshift cooked food stalls, who wanted to be known only as Robert, about 5,000 people came on each of the past two weekends, down from the estimated 20,000 on each weekend last year. Some 76,200 visitors turned up for last year's pilgrimage.

He feels the inconvenience of getting to Kusu, due to the construction of the Marina Bay integrated resort, may have put off some.

They have to catch a bus from a stop about a 10-minute walk from Marina Bay MRT station. The bus goes to Marina South Pier, then it is a 15-minute ferry ride to Kusu.

Adult fare for the ride is $14 on weekdays and $16 on weekends, while children pay $12 all week.

Some visitors complained about the dust, trucks and noise from the construction sites while walking to the bus stop.

'Last year, the bus stop was right next to the MRT. But what can we do about it now? It's a once-yearly thing and the season is almost over,' Robert said.

Up on the hill where a holy Malay shrine sits, Mr Hussain Hashim, 61, who has been caretaker since the 1980s, noted this year's smaller crowd too. He observed that with the current financial turmoil, more people were praying for job security and prosperity.

'It's mostly older folk who come now; the younger ones don't know or don't care much about this place,' he said.

He suggested that more information on Kusu be published in magazines or on websites to attract more young visitors.

A food stall owner agreed and felt the authorities should invite local celebrities to perform to entice more to come and spend a day.

One devotee, National University of Singapore student C.L. Chai, 21, who visits with her family of six every year, said the lack of young visitors could be because the pilgrimage season coincides with the examination period in schools.

Her mother, who is in her 50s, was not as enthusiastic about the proposals to entice young visitors.

'Why do you need all these things? The point of coming here is to give thanks to the gods, not entertainment,' she said.

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Wild cat parts trade is growing in Burma

Paul Eccleston, The Telegraph 15 Oct 08;

There is an organised and growing trade in wild cat parts in Burma, wildlife investigators have found.

Skins and body parts from almost 1,200 animals were found openly on sale in markets.

They included parts of at least 107 Tigers and all the eight species of wild cats found in Burma, which is also known as Myanmar.

Of the eight species one is classified as Endangered, four as Vulnerable, and three are considered Least Concern by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species - mainly because not enough is known about their status.

The tiger (Panthera tigris), Leopard (Panthera pardus), Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata) and Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii) should be protected under Burmese law.

The Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverinnus), Leopard Cat (Panthera bengalensis) and Jungle Cat (Felis chaus), are non-protected species.

Burma, run by a military junta, is a signatory to the CITES convention - which governs the trade in endangered species - as well as being a member of the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN), a partnership that seeks to end the illegal cross-border wildlife trade in the region.

But investigators from TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, and WWF found a flourishing trade in big cat parts - claws, teeth, bones and even genitalia - mainly as trophies, trinkets and good luck charms for the tourist trade in south-east Asia.

Parts from the cats that are globally threatened were offered in significantly larger numbers than non-threatened species highlighting the threat posed to conservation efforts.

Dealers at four markets looked at during the survey over a number of years admitted they were operating illegally and even offered suggestions on how the contraband parts could be smuggled across borders.

Three of the four markets were situated on international borders with Thailand and China, catering to international buyers and where there is a flourishing demand for exotic animal parts used in traditional medicines.

The most numerous species for sale was the Leopard Cat, with a total of 483 parts representing at least 443 individuals. The second most numerous was a totally protected species, the Clouded Leopard, with a total of 301 parts representing a minimum of 279 animals. Both are widespread in the wild, and have attractive pelts.

The Tiger and Marbled Cat were offered significantly less than all other threatened cat species combined.

TRAFFIC called on the Burmese authorities to clampdown on the illicit trade by:
# Closing down markets where the parts are on sale and prosecuting the dealers.
# Working with other neighbouring countries to end the international trade.
# Trained staff being more vigilant at airports and border points.
# Regular and systematic monitoring of markets by NGOs working with the authorities.
# Revising existing laws and enforcing all CITES regulations.
# Clarifying the status of the Fishing Cat, Leopard Cat and Jungle Cat.

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Oregon Coast 'dead zone' comes back to life

Keeley Chalmers, KGW.com 17 Oct 08;

PORTLAND - Two years ago scientists made a shocking discovery just off the Oregon Coast. They found a area referred to as a dead zone.

Underwater video showed shocking images of dead crabs and fish. Marine animal carcasses littered the ocean floor. A once breathtaking reef had turned into an underwater graveyard.

Oregon's dead zone had reached record proportions. The water was totally oxygen depleted.

“In 2006 it actually hit bottom we had zero oxygen values,” explained Dr. Francis Chan, a Zoology Researcher at OSU.

Chan studied the dead zone back in 2006 and has been ever since. Said Chan, “We’ve been keeping a really close eye on what oxygen levels.”

Chan and his research team recently returned to the dead zone to answer the looming question: had it come back to life?

Underwater video taken by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife showed the area had started to come back to life, or at least some of it had.

“Things seem to be moving back into an area that was basically void of this large marine life,” said Chan.

But because oxygen levels are still low, Chan says recovery is happening painfully slow and not all creatures are bouncing back. Chan says the once abundant sea cucumber hasn’t been seen in the system since 2006.

The dead zone sits less than a mile off the Oregon coast between Newport and Florence. And Chan says new research shows another dead zone has emerged off the Washington coast. The low oxygen areas are the result, he believes, of global warming.

“When you warn the surface ocean you tend to decrease the amount of oxygen you have,” said Chan.

Which leaves scientists to wonder, as our climate continues to change, will our ocean ever be able to fully recover?

Chan says that’s a hard question to answer, but he and his fellow researchers plan to head back out to sea to try.

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Migrating Alaskan pollock are creating the potential for a new dispute with Russia

The popular fish appear to be moving to higher latitudes as waters warm. A billion-dollar industry is at stake.
By Kenneth R. Weiss, Los Angeles Times 18 Oct 08;

DUTCH HARBOR, ALASKA -- America's biggest catch lands here and at nearby ports every year: more than 2 billion pounds of Alaskan pollock to feed a global appetite for fish sticks, fast-food sandwiches and imitation crabmeat.

The tightly managed Alaskan pollock fishery has been a rare success story in the U.S., which has seen the collapse of species such as New England cod and now imports 80% of its seafood.

Yet the careful management that helped make Alaskan pollock a billion-dollar industry could unravel as the planet warms. Pollock and other fish in the Bering Sea are moving to higher latitudes as winter ice retreats and water temperatures rise.

Alaskan pollock are becoming Russian pollock, swimming across an international boundary in search of food and setting off what could become a geopolitical dispute.

Andrew Rosenberg, former deputy director of the National Marine Fisheries Service, expects the pollock to be a test case in an emerging pattern of fish driven by climate change across jurisdictional boundaries.

"It will be a food security issue and has an enormous potential for political upheaval," said Rosenberg, now a professor at the University of New Hampshire. "We aren't getting along that well with the Russians now."

A warming trend in the Bering Sea has forced fishermen like Jim Summers to motor 360 miles in his 191-foot trawler, the Aurora, to reach profitable fishing grounds. Docked here recently, he gingerly worked a hydraulic lever, unleashing 30,000 pounds of the mottled, pale-bellied pollock onto the deck.

"It feels like every year we're going farther and farther north," Summers said. "It used to be that most of our trips found fish near Dutch Harbor, with an occasional run up toward Russia. Now it has flipped."

While Summers repositioned the net, a pair of 12-inch-diameter hoses vacuumed more than 1 million pounds of fish from the hold of the ship into a dockside processing plant. Once there, the fish coursed through a labyrinth of tanks, conveyor belts, and automated slicing, dicing and washing machines that turned the fish into fillets or fish paste.

This flow of white flesh was then frozen in blocks and stacked in containers on freighters, destined to be breaded and fried at McDonald's and other fast-food restaurants, or shipped to Europe for fish-and-chips platters or to Japan for surimi, the fake crab at the heart of California rolls in sushi bars.

At a fueling dock nearby, Steve Olsen, captain of a stern trawler, pored over the GPS tracks of his trawls in recent years. The lines on the screen moved ever closer to Russian waters.

"When you are towing [the net] and you stop finding fish, you typically turn northwest and you'll find them again," Olsen said.

His finger traced the squiggling line of a successful trawl that took his 112-foot ship, the Western Dawn, next to the border. "We could see the Russian guys fishing the other side," he said. "We see them right on the line. If we see them right on the line, we'll check it too."

Pollock spawn each winter near the Aleutian Islands and then follow their food north as waters warm in the spring. But the food has shifted farther north with receding sea ice, and now pollock, which follow the northwesterly contour of the continental shelf, are shifting their range ever closer to Russian waters.

Scientists who help manage the fishery are confirming what fishermen report: The fish disappear from the Aleutians area each summer and can mostly be found near Russia.

Every June and July, federal scientists trawl a grid pattern in the Bering Sea in an area about the size of California. Counting the fish caught in these trawls and matching them against sonar readings, they estimate the size of fish stocks. These assessments help set limits on the next year's catch to safeguard spawning stock.

An analysis of 25 years of surveys showed that the ranges of most fish are shifting north as the ice and cool water have retreated, said Franz J. Mueter, a fisheries oceanographer at the University of Alaska.

"What we found confirmed the obvious," Mueter said. "As waters warm, a lot of fish on the eastern Bering Sea shelf are moving north."

Not all scientists agree. Some suggest that other factors need further study, including different migration patterns of older and younger fish, whether trawl data provide a complete picture of fish populations, and whether these waters are becoming overfished despite the Marine Stewardship Council's eco-label certifying that the pollock fishery is managed sustainably.

Federal scientists pointed out last week that their sampling showed the Bering waters were colder the last three summers. And yet pollock continue to appear mostly at the northwestern edge of their range.

Mueter's study, published in the journal Ecological Applications, jibes with phenomena other scientists are finding in the Arctic, a region warming twice as fast as the rest of the globe. Their studies have chronicled bizarre subarctic blooms of tiny phytoplankton; massive seabird die-offs; and skinny, malnourished gray whales migrating deep into Arctic waters in search of food.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the range of fish appears to be shifting toward the North Pole two or three times faster than the range of animals on land, studies show.

Salmon have begun to colonize new rivers on Alaska's north coast. The ranges of squid, mackerel and other baitfish are moving poleward, in some cases devastating nesting colonies of seabirds that depend on nearby fish to feed their young.

Some nations may gain a fishery while others will lose one. Norway may benefit from fish in the Atlantic moving away from more southerly waters controlled by Britain and other European nations. Fisheries experts wonder whether such shifts will spark another round of fighting akin to the Icelandic cod wars of the 1950s and 1970s, when fishermen rammed boats, cut nets and exchanged gunfire.

The potential for conflict could be realized in the Bering Sea, which is nicknamed America's fish basket because more than half of all U.S. fish and shellfish are pulled from these waters. Together the U.S. and Russian pollock catches make up the largest human-food fishery in the world.

Already, suspicions are mounting. Russia this summer announced that its pollock catch was up and its stocks were in "good shape," justifying a higher catch in 2009. Meanwhile, U.S. fisheries managers have scaled back on the catch in recent years. This summer's survey, released Oct. 8, showed a drop in pollock stocks, prompting calls for further cutbacks.

Russia has allowed U.S. scientists to extend their annual surveys across the border only occasionally, resulting in uncertainty about how many Alaskan pollock are now in Russian waters.

"We think, depending on the year and conditions, that roughly 10 to 20% of the stock goes over to the Russian side," said James N. Ianelli, a National Marine Fisheries Service scientist in charge of the annual assessment. An independent review suggested the spillover might be as high as 30%.

U.S. scientists can't be sure how many fish the Russians are catching. They worry about lax enforcement and poaching, given the reports of Russian mafia involvement in the fish trade.

Russian officials have been less than reassuring, said Keith Criddle, a marine policy professor at the University of Alaska.

Criddle was shocked at a Russian response when he suggested conducting an academic study of this shared fishery and applying game theory to determine whether the two nations should collaborate or compete.

"This deputy director first said, 'Well, we've never fished up there,' which is patently untrue," Criddle said. Then the Moscow official launched into a lecture about climate change and oceanic conditions, and flatly rejected any notion that the Russian catch could affect the health of the fishery.

"It was weird, weird," Criddle said. "Did I wander into the Twilight Zone or stick my foot into a sensitive international issue?"

If Russians take 20% of the catch, he asked, "do we eat it and reduce our catches to manage conservatively? If we get to the position where Russians are taking 50% of the catch, what are we going to do?"

Such questions are more than academic among fishermen who have been chasing these fish across the Bering Sea in recent years. Some question the restraint that fed their families and much of the world.

"I've heard this time and again," said Summers, the captain of the Aurora. " 'If we don't catch them, then the Russians are going to catch them.' "

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Billions of fish, fish eggs die in power plants

Jim Fitzgerald, Associated Press Yahoo News 18 Oct 08;

BUCHANAN, N.Y. – For a newly hatched striped bass in the Hudson River, a clutch of trout eggs in Lake Michigan or a baby salmon in San Francisco Bay, drifting a little too close to a power plant can mean a quick and turbulent death.

Sucked in with enormous volumes of water, battered against the sides of pipes and heated by steam, the small fry of the aquatic world are being sacrificed in large numbers each year to the cooling systems of power plants around the country.

Environmentalists say the nation's power plants are needlessly killing fish and fish eggs with their cooling systems, but energy-industry officials say opponents of nuclear power are exaggerating the losses.

The issue is affecting the debate over the future of a nuclear plant in the suburbs north of New York City, and the facilities and environmentalists are closely watching the outcome here to see how to proceed in other cities around the country. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule this term in a lawsuit related to the matter.

The issue's scope is tremendous. More than 1,000 power plants and factories around the country use water from rivers, lakes, oceans and creeks as a coolant. At Indian Point plant in New York, the two reactors can pull in 1.7 million gallons of water per minute. Nineteen plants on or near the California coast use 16.3 billion gallons of sea water every day.

Most of the casualties are just fish eggs, and for many species, it takes thousands of eggs to result in one adult fish. The U.S. Environmental Protection Administration, which counts only species that are valuable for commerce or recreation, uses various formulas and says the number of eggs and larvae killed each year at the nation's large power plants would have grown into 1.5 billion year-old fish.

Environmentalists note that even fish that die before maturity contribute to the ecosystem as food for larger fish and birds, and as predators themselves on smaller organisms. But once they've gone through the power plant, they become decomposing detritus on the river bottom and have moved from the top to the bottom of the food chain, said Reed Super, an environmental lawyer specializing in the federal Clean Water Act.

"This is a really significant ongoing harm to our marine ecosystem," says Angela Haren, program director for the California Coastkeeper Alliance in San Francisco.

Technology has long existed that might reduce the fish kill by 90 percent or more. Cooling towers allow a power plant to recycle the water rather than continuously pump it in. New power plants are required to use cooling towers, but most existing plants resist any push to convert, citing the huge cost and claiming that most fish eggs and larvae are doomed anyway.

"We're not killing grown fish," says Jerry Nappi, spokesman for Entergy Nuclear Northeast, owner of Indian Point. "If we were killing billions of grown fish you'd be able to walk across the Hudson on their backs."

And Nappi says the fish population in the Hudson is stable, despite a recent study commissioned by Indian Point opponents that said 10 of 13 species were declining.

He also says an insistence on cooling towers could lead to Indian Point's closing and a sudden power deficit in the New York metropolitan area.

"What you're really talking about is a $1.5 billion hit on the company, and then it becomes an economic decision whether they want to stay here," he says. He believes talk of cooling towers is "a backdoor attempt by some to shut down Indian Point."

A recent ruling dealt at least a small blow to Entergy's efforts. The state Department of Environmental Protection, which is pushing for cooling towers, said the simple fact that so many fish eggs are destroyed each year at Indian Point is proof of an environmental impact, and Entergy can no longer maintain that it's not adversely affecting the river.

There's still months of argument ahead, but the ruling could be influential.

"We'll be very interested to see how that comes out," says Katie Nekola, an attorney for Clean Wisconsin, which failed to force cooling towers at the Oak Creek plant on Lake Michigan but won a $105 million settlement.

State agencies in California also are working on new regulations that should limit the numbers of fish killed, in the Pacific Ocean and other bodies of water.

According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, nuclear plants drink from other familiar bodies of water as the Mississippi River, Chesapeake Bay, Lake Michigan, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Oceans. Water used for cooling does not become radioactive.

Most plants without cooling towers use a system in which water is continuously pumped in, used for cooling, and returned.

Various types of barriers are used to keep adult fish out of the system; Indian Point uses screens with holes measuring a quarter-inch by a half-inch.

However, fish that are blocked by the screen can become caught on the screen by the force of the water intake. To rescue them, the screens rotate, and as they come out of the water a spray of water knocks the impinged fish into a trough, which is directed back to the river.

A California state report says 9 million fish are caught on nets there every year. Even turtles, seals and sea lions are occasionally caught. Environmentalists believe many fish and other creatures are killed in this process, or are injured and die later.

"When you hit a deer in your car, just because it gets up and runs away doesn't mean it's not going to die," Haren said.

But Ed Keating, environmental manager at the nuclear subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc., said that probably only 1 percent of the fish caught get killed on the screens. Dara Gray, environmental supervisor at Indian Point, says there's no reason to believe that any fish are injured or killed by being caught on the screen.

In the process known as closed-cycle cooling, used mostly in newer plants, the number of fish and eggs sucked in or impinged is sharply reduced because cooling towers use so much less water. Even if a power plant draws its cooling water from a river, it uses that water over and over again and rarely needs to replenish.

Some plants with cooling towers don't have to worry about fish at all. PSEG Fossil has plants in New Jersey that now take treated wastewater from sewage plants.

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Green energy is not so much a middle-class conceit, more the only way forward

A Green New Deal is essential if we are to enjoy a sustainable prosperity, argues Geoffrey Lean

The Independent 19 Oct 08;

So that's it, then, choruses the commentariat. Collapsing confidence, crashing stock markets and credit-starved banks spell doom not just for the economy, but for environmental concerns. Saving the planet may be all very well in the good times, but is an unaffordable luxury when things turn bad.

The argument is pervasive, persuasive and gaining ground. Even some environmentalists half-accept it, believing they should mute their message. But it is plain wrong. Never have green concerns and measures been more important.

How so? The second best reason is that this financial crisis is mild compared with the environmentally driven ones ahead. The climate crunch, the Stern report concluded, will cost a staggering 20 per cent of global growth if not averted. Peak oil – when the cheap and abundant fuel that has powered our growth becomes scarce and expensive – is likely to be even worse in its impact, reducing supplies of humanity's main source of energy, for the first time in history, before another can take its place.

And neither can wait. There's a growing consensus that emissions of carbon dioxide must head sharply downwards within a decade if global warming is not to run out of control. And peak oil, a growing number of experts believe, may well arrive even sooner.

But the most important reason is wholly positive. Developing a new green economy is our most promising path out of the present crisis. It is the best available new engine of growth, with the best chance of creating the tens of millions of jobs that will soon be desperately needed.

This Wednesday, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will be making precisely this point, when it launches a new campaign in London. Its multi-million-dollar Green Economy Initiative – already being funded by the German and Norwegian governments and the European Commission – aims to convince the world, that, far from restricting growth, tackling the growing planetary environmental crisis would accelerate it.

UNEP plans to "make and communicate a strong and convincing economic case". As The Independent on Sunday exclusively reported last week, it envisages a Green New Deal to create jobs, revive the international economy, slash poverty and head off environmental disaster.

The launch comes not a moment too soon, for the tide is already flowing strongly in the other direction. Last Thursday it threatened to sweep away the prospects for agreeing a strong successor to the Kyoto Protocol – the best, and last, chance to bring climate change under control.

Eight European leaders – led by Donald Tusk the Prime Minister of Poland, and Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's controversial premier – revolted against ambitious targets for increasing renewable energy adopted at a similar summit just 18 months ago, saying they could no longer afford to meet them. The revolt is serious because it threatens to undermine the authority of the EU, which is leading the drive towards a new climate treaty, and to give other countries the excuse not to act.

It is also shortsighted, for renewables are one of the most important, and fastest growing, parts of the already booming green economy. Worldwide, investment in them grew four-fold, from $33.4bn (£19.3bn) to $148.4bn between 2004 and 2007, Michael Liebreich, CEO of analysts New Energy Finance, will report in the next issue of the UN's environmental magazine, Our Planet.

Renewables' share of Germany's electricity supply has almost tripled to more than 14 per cent over the past 10 years, creating 250,000 jobs. In China 600,000 people are employed in making and installing solar water heaters: they are now used in one in 10 of the nation's homes – a proportion forecast to rise to one in two by 2030. Chinese wind-energy capacity has doubled in each of the past two years, while its production of solar cells soared from virtually nothing in 2005 to the biggest in the world last year. Worldwide, renewables now employ 2.3 million people, a figure expected almost to quadruple by 2030.

The global market for environmental goods and services now stands at $1.37 trillion and this is expected to double within 12 years. Clean technologies attract the third largest amount of venture capital in the US after IT and biotechnology. And a recent UNEP report concludes that the green economy is driving invention and innovation – long acknowledged to be the principal drivers of economic growth – on a scale not seen since the industrial revolution.

If all this has been happening under the old, now failing, economic regime, which has not been at all favourable to green growth, what might happen if the world decided to promote the new green economy? For a start there would be many more jobs. Renewable energy, says Professor Daniel Kammen of the University of California, Berkeley, "has been shown to generate three to five times more jobs per dollar, or yuan, invested, than comparable investments in fossil fuels". Similarly, recycling creates 10 times as much employment as dumping rubbish in landfills, while the International Labour Organisation reports that worldwide move to energy-efficient buildings could create "tens of millions of new jobs".

But the initiative to be launched in London next week goes further, envisaging a massive programme of work – like the huge infrastructure programme at the heart of Roosevelt's original New Deal – to restore the vital natural services that underpin the world economy. UNEP points out that policies that have concentrated on their short-term exploitation, without considering how they should be used to sustain long-term prosperity, have led to the climate and energy crises – and to the rising food prices that have already plunged an extra million of the world's poorest people into severe hunger. World growth has doubled over the past 25 years, but 60 per cent of the natural resources that provide food, water, energy and clean air have been seriously degraded.

"The 20th century economy, now in such crisis, was driven by financial capital," says Achim Steiner, UNEP's executive director. "The 21st-century one is going to have to be based on developing the world's natural capital to provide the lasting jobs and wealth that are needed, particularly for the poorest people on the planet." He cites Mexico, which is already employing 1.5 million poor people to plant and manage the forests that conserve the country's soil and water supplies.

It makes economic, as well as environmental sense. If the world's two billion desperately poor people can be economically enfranchised, they will become a huge new market, helping to create a new world prosperity.

Utopian nonsense, some economist will retort. But these are the very people who told us we should put our faith in a banking system balancing on a basis of toxic debt, that the grotesque greed of the few would cause wealth to trickle down to the poor, and that tackling poverty or environmental crisis would ruin the world's financial system. Who, then, has been living in a fantasy world?

Could the Green New Deal ever take off? It is certainly a million miles from the economic fashion of the past 30 years, but that is now as bankrupt as Lehman Brothers. When one philosophy fails, the world grasps at an available alternative, as it did at monetarism three decades ago when Keynsianism was thought to have run out of steam. And this is the best candidate around.

It also has a surprising amount of, at least verbal, support from business and political leaders. In June the chief executives of 100 of the world's biggest companies called on the world's governments to launch "a green industrial revolution" by adopting tough measures on climate change. At about the same time, David Cameron said that going green was essential for future prosperity. Its time for their money to follow their mouths.

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Best of our wild blogs: 18 Oct 08

Gold-whiskered Barbet and papaya
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Sentosa with TeamSeagrass
on the teamseagrass blog and about the seaweed bloom there on the wild shores of singapore blog

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New book on how Singapore achieved environmental and water sustainability

Little Green Dot
A new book shows how Singapore achieved environmental and water sustainability in just 40 years
Tania Tan, Straits Times 18 Oct 08;

BALANCING two big 'E's - the economy and the environment - will be Singapore's biggest challenge in the years to come. But if history is anything to go by, the little red dot has what it takes to live green and prosper.

A new book, which tells the Singapore story from the viewpoint of the environment, is now out.

Clean, Green And Blue spans the early days when getting clean water to citizens was a challenge, to the cutting-edge water technologies being developed here today.

Singapore has seen it all in the space of 40 short years.

In the coming uncertain times, economic growth may have to take precedence, but not at the expense of the environment, said Mr Tan Yong Soon, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, who penned the book along with his colleagues from the ministry.

'There will be some trade-offs if you want to achieve both,' he added. 'But it's doable.'

Published by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, the book is a 'how-to guide' for anyone interested in replicating Singapore's environmental success, said Mr Tan.

It gives a detailed look at how Singapore went about achieving environmental and water sustainability, which he hopes will 'urge Singaporeans to continue to support the environment'.

And because the green journey is a 'never-ending one', each person has a role to play, said Mr Tan.

The book is also a showcase of Singapore's environment and water achievements that its authors hope will help inspire other countries to achieve green gains.

'That's not to say that we have arrived,' said Mr Tan. 'There's always room for improvement.'

But the nation has always tried to live by the principle of balancing economic growth with liveability.

The 450-page book took about a year to write and is chock-full of examples of the constant struggle between the two.

For example, then prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's bold decision in the 1970s to enforce legislation by the Anti-Pollution Unit, which imposed strict rules on polluting industries, seemed to threaten industrial growth in the fledgling nation.

But the decision to stand firm resulted in minimal smoke pollution - ensuring Singapore enjoyed good air quality alongside industrial growth.

It took foresight and practicality to progress without destroying the natural environment.

Singapore in the 1960s was a cesspool of filthy waterways and rudimentary sewerage systems - a situation many countries still face.

The first step was to bring clean water to people and build proper waste management facilities. Creating jobs by boosting the manufacturing industry without causing pollution was another hurdle that needed to be crossed.

For a nation without its own water supply or other natural resources, water independence was also put high on the national agenda - a move that resulted in the production of Newater some 30 years later.

Cleaning up the country's waterways, keeping industrial air pollution at bay and maintaining public hygiene have been the result of 'hard work and far-sightedness' from top leaders, especially from Mr Lee, now the Minister Mentor.

'We were very fortunate that our leaders had a clear vision, without which I doubt we would be where we are now,' noted Mr Tan.

Another little-known detail is that the country has spent more than $10 billion on major environmental infrastructure works over the past 30 years.

The book will be given to schools and institutions and used as a reference for foreign delegates participating in training workshops here.

Environmental proponents are looking forward to the tome.

The book gives 'interesting insights' into Singapore's environmental experience, especially in solving water problems, said Dr K.E. Seetharam, director of the Institute of Water Policy at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

World-renowned water expert Asit Biswas, founder of the Third World Centre for Water Management in Mexico, also gave Singapore the thumbs up for its environmental journey so far.

But he was quick to add that many improvements could still be made in energy conservation.

'I walk into buildings and I'm frozen solid,' he told The Straits Times. 'The key will be whether this country can maintain its success in the years to come.'

Certainly, the Government is not leaving that to chance.

After the National Environment Agency launched a five-year, 10 per cent Energy Challenge campaign in April, the average household monthly consumption went down almost 4 per cent between May and August, compared to last year.

As Mr Tan wrote in the book: 'Going forward, Singapore needs to do more through setting higher standards for energy efficiency, regulations, and finding the right mechanisms and incentives to achieve the desired improvements in energy efficiency.'

taniat@sph.com.sg

'The expertise, experience and practical wisdom embodied in this report are well worth study and replication on a broad international scale.'

Dr Margaret Chan, director-general, World Health Organisation

'If you have always wanted to know how a government could develop a sustainable water strategy, this is the book to read. It is a remarkable story.'

Dr David Garman, president, International Water Association

'(Mr) Tan Yong Soon and his team at MEWR (Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources) give a comprehensive account of how Singapore turned green before it became the fashion.'

Mr Peter Ho, head of civil service, Singapore

'While other nations talk about climate change and environmental issues such as clean air, water and waste management, Singapore implements sustainable solutions. This little gem of a book explains what they are doing, how and why to preserve their ecosystem.'

Dr Allan Hawke, chancellor, Australian National University (2006-2008)

BOOK REVIEW
From a backwater town to a sparkling metropolis
Straits Times 18 Oct 08;

A book documenting Singapore's environmental journey will be launched next week. Clean, Green And Blue shows how the Republic has grown from a dirty, resource-poor town into a bustling cosmopolitan centre for green technology. Professor Asit Biswas, the 2006 Stockholm Water Prize winner, reviews the book.
I VIVIDLY recall a discussion that I had when Singapore became an independent country in August 1965, at the Faculty Club of the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, where I was teaching then.

The topic of our discussion was the future of Singapore. My four colleagues were somewhat pessimistic.

They did not see how a small state of about 600 sq km at the time, with a population of only about 1.5 million, no natural resources, per capita GDP of around US$1,500 (S$2,220), and no significant manufacturing and industrial base, could have a bright future.

My view was different.

I argued that behemoths such as India and China would find it difficult to turn on a dime.

However, a small nation like Singapore could be nimble, provided it had enlightened and strong leadership and good governance.

Looking back, it turns out that I was closer to the truth.

By 2005 - a period of only 40 years - the country had nearly four million people and a per capita GDP of close to US$27,000, an astonishing increase of 18 times over 1965.

The questions that need to be answered at present are how did Singapore do it, and what were the enabling conditions that made this country a miracle in the history of development?

My view has not changed during these four decades. The main reasons for this remarkable transformation have been enlightened and strong leadership and good governance, from which every strand of development has flowed.

Thus, it is appropriate that the book is dedicated to former prime minister (now Minister Mentor) Lee Kuan Yew, whose leadership ensured this miracle.

In this authoritative book, Mr Tan Yong Soon, who is the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, with the help of his colleagues Lee Tung Jean and Karen Tan, explains objectively and candidly the country's long environmental journey over the past 40 years.

It explains how Singapore made this transformation, as well as the background and the rationale for the policies that were formulated and, what is more important, successfully implemented; as well as the institutional evolutions that occurred which made this possible.

Right from its very independence, its leaders realised that environment and development are two sides of the same coin.

One affects the other and, in turn, is affected by the other.

For example: the Water Catchment Policy that was introduced in 1983 to control developments within unprotected catchment areas.

Less intensive development in these areas, coupled with stringent pollution control measures, helped ensure the good quality of water collected.

MM Lee clearly pointed out as early as 1968 the importance of maintaining 'a clean and green city'.

This was four years before the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Stockholm, when the world started to realise the importance of maintaining a good environment, concurrent with population growth, urbanisation and industrialisation.

The main ingredients which ensured where Singapore is today are:

# Continuous clear vision of its leaders as to where the country should go in the future, and strong endorsement of this vision by its people;

# Transformation of the vision into long-term plans, which have regularly evolved over time as the world and national conditions have so warranted;

# Continuous consideration of management, technological and institutional innovations in the planning process; and

# Ensuring that the vision, plans and programmes are practical and do-able, and can be implemented cost-effectively and within a stipulated time period with the full support of its people.

This approach has worked not only in the area of environment, but also in all aspects of the nation's development.

The book analyses how this overall philosophy was successfully implemented to control and manage air, land and water pollution.

It shows a nation that was transformed from a backwater town into a vibrant metropolis with cutting-edge water technology.

This remarkable and very readable book will not only make all Singaporeans proud of their environmental achievements and heritage, but also provide many valuable and practical lessons to other countries - both developed and developing - as to how their own environment can also be successfully managed.

In a world where gloom and doom stories take centre stage, it is refreshing to see a comprehensive analysis which shows categorically that, given good leadership (both political and professional), environment-development problems can be solved.

For anyone interested in such issues, and even if you read only one book a year, I would have no hesitation recommending that you read this remarkable and uplifting story of Singapore's environmental journey.

There is much to learn from this success story.

The writer is president of the Third World Centre for Water Management, Mexico, and Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School for Public Policy. He won the 2006 Stockholm Water Prize - the highest honour in the water profession. His work has been translated into 32 languages.

All hands on board for cleaner environment

'While investing in 'hardware' such as infrastructure and R&D in technology and policy is important, the challenge of sustainability is ultimately about people. It is anchored in the many individual decisions made every day - in their work and personal lives.

The population at large must want a cleaner and greener environment and prepare to work for it...When Singapore was poor and dirty, the public rallied behind the government and Singapore was able to invest heavily to improve its environment. Singaporeans must not be complacent and believe that they have arrived, or that there is no longer a need to pay for a better environment. The government, the private sector, the civil society, and every individual Singaporean all play an important role in improving the environment.'
Excerpt from Clean, Green And Blue

Book raises $400k for charity
Straits Times 18 Oct 08;

TWENTY organisations and individuals have donated $20,000 each for copies of the book Clean, Green And Blue.

Half the amount will be channelled to this year's President's Challenge fund. The rest will be split equally between local green groups, the Singapore Environment Council and the Nature Society. The book, written by the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tan Yong Soon, recounts Singapore's 40-year environmental journey.

'These aren't even autographed copies,' said Mr Tan. 'We didn't expect such generosity, but we're very thankful for it.'

The donors include US-based water company Black & Veatch, marine company SembCorp Industries and philanthropic group the Tan Chin Tuan Foundation.

Donors will receive their copies of the 450-page book on Tuesday from President S R Nathan at the award ceremony for this year's President's Award for the Environment winners. Copies will be available at all major bookstores from next week.

Read more!

New ways to help businesses cut power bills

Shobana Kesava, Straits Times 18 Oct 08;

NEW initiatives were announced yesterday to help businesses go green, part of a $50 million kitty that includes subsidies for technology, energy-saving equipment and energy audits.

The details come hot on the heels of stiff electricity tariff hikes, which sent companies scrambling to cut costs, and led to a string of complaints sent directly to Singapore Power and to The Straits Times, and posted on blogs.

Many businesses said they would be keen to take up energy-saving measures, at a time when they are bracing themselves for a double blow.

Apart from a near 30 per cent higher power bill from now till December, they are also facing a shrinking demand for products due to the global financial crisis.

The National Environment Agency (NEA), announcing the details of its Sustainable Energy Fund yesterday, said that companies would get help and subsidies to design their premises in the most energy-efficient manner, create a business that would reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the air, train their own energy managers and help pay for energy-efficient equipment.

For example, $6 million is available to train qualified energy managers who will help firms become more energy efficient.

Many companies here are cutting power use by switching to more efficient generators, air-conditioners and light bulbs.

Nine of 15 companies approached said they already had measures in place.

KLA-Tencor has removed one fluorescent tube out of the three in each lamp. It is a symbolic move, said Mr Theo Kneepkens, its vice-president of Asia operations.

'It's to remind staff to save electricity where they can, because this barely cuts under 0.01 per cent in our costs,' he said.

The international precision engineering company has also been able to negotiate a supply of electricity from Senoko Power directly. This saves a few percentage points in fees to SP Services as the middleman.

Such an option is available only to the largest companies, drawing power of at least 10,000 kilowatt-hours a month, the Energy Market Authority said.

Panasonic Refrigeration Devices Singapore said it is in the process of fitting sensors which switch lights off automatically in an already bright room.

Singapore Power raised its charges a clear 22 per cent for the October to December period for households, while the figure could be nearly 30 per cent higher for businesses. The exact hike is not immediately obvious to businesses, which have several components factored into their electricity tariffs. They are already bracing themselves for the fallout.

Sim Lim Square's monthly electricity bill skyrocketed from $135,000 last year to $162,000 in the first half of this year, and could now reach almost $200,000.

A spokesman for Suntec City said he expected the increase to be over 25 per cent, even though management took steps such as replacing inefficient lamps and adding energy-saving devices to ventilation systems four years ago.

Even small companies are trying to slash their power bills.

Travel agency Journeys' head of administration and finance, Ms S. Jeyaletchumi, said staff use just three of the eight air- conditioners at their premises off Lavender Street, which the firm moved to a month ago.

She said: 'The previous tenant here spent $1,000 a month on electricity and water, and we hope to spend just $600.'

She said the company would be glad to adopt any of NEA's schemes, if they help to cut costs.

Companies are hoping for a reprieve in January, following a drop in oil prices. Singapore Power says that tariffs are expected to decrease if oil prices continue to stay down this month.

Aid to go green
FUNDING help for businesses to go green:

# $6 million to train energy managers. The aim is to have 1,000 such professionals by 2012. Training modules drawn up by the Energy Sustainability Unit start next month.

# $2.5 million for green design. Before a facility is built, the NEA can fund either up to 80 per cent of the cost of workshops or up to $600,000 to find the best energy- efficient workplace measures.

# $500,000 in grants to push firms to take on projects that use less fossil fuel or produce less carbon dioxide.

# $10 million to help with energy audits. About $2 million already approved for such audits at 34 industrial facilities, with the potential to save over $13 million.

# Grants for energy-efficient technologies to help industrial companies offset part of their investment cost.

More grants to help industries save energy

NEA scheme will help industrial companies offset investments in energy efficient equipment
Jamie Lee, Business Times 18 Oct 08;

A MULTI-million-dollar grant scheme to help industrial companies offset their investments in energy efficient equipment is expected to be launched next month, a senior executive at the National Environment Agency (NEA) said yesterday.

'The total amount is quite significant,' said NEA chief executive Lee Yuen Hee, adding that this would target investments in new technology.

He said that it would 'definitely be larger' than some current grants such as the $6 million grant to certify professionals in energy management but declined to give the grant size.

He also announced that all cars sold in Singapore must have labels that show the vehicles' fuel consumption and carbon emissions from April next year.

'Currently, we do have a voluntary scheme,' Mr Lee told reporters, adding that about 20 per cent of carmakers have labels for their cars.

He added that having such information on car brochures is not enough.

'It's all hidden in the fine print. It's not really transparent,' he said, adding that having labels would standardise the way information is presented to the buyers.

Mr Lee said that feedback from the distributors was positive. 'They have been quite supportive,' he said.

This would have little impact on sales, said Paul Ng, general manager of Vertex Automobile, which distributes Chery cars from China. 'We're only making the information more visible to consumers,' he said.

The penalties for not having such fuel labels are being drafted and would be 'similar in scope' to the mandatory labels of electrical appliances such as refrigerators and air-conditioners, said Mr Lee.

Since January this year, all household appliance suppliers must indicate the energy efficiency of their products. Under the Environmental Protection and Management Act, suppliers who do not provide labels can be fined up to $2,000.

NEA expects to reduce household electricity consumption by at least 10 per cent over a five-year period through a campaign launched in April this year.

The average monthly consumption fell 4 per cent from May to August, compared with the same period a year ago.

Going green or saving money?
Esther Ng, Today Online 18 Oct 08;

IT COULD be that the environmental message is sinking in, or that Singaporeans are just pragmatic people when it comes to paying their bills.

Whatever the case, recent data from the National Environment Agency (NEA) show that Singapore households are becoming more mindful of energy efficiency.

Following the launch of the NEA’s 10% Energy Challenge campaign in April, the average monthly electricity consumption from May to August was 490 kWH, down almost 4 per cent over the corresponding period last year.

Households in five-room flats also recorded the highest decline in average monthly consumption followed by private apartments.

August, in particular, recorded the sharpest drop of more than 8 per cent over the same month last year.

Is this decrease in electricity expenditure due to the NEA campaign or increases in electricity tariffs?

Amid higher fuel prices, electricity tariffs went up 5.7 per cent from 22.62 cents to 23.88 cents per kWH between April and June. It increased a further 5 per cent from 23.88 cents to 25.07 cents per kWH from July to last month.

NEA’s chief executive officer Lee Huen Yee said: “It’s a bit early to determine the factors that have contributed to this decline ... electricity tariffs have been increasing in the past few quarters and this could have contributed to a reduction in consumption.

“At the same time, we have been actively promoting our campaign. So hopefully, the message that we have been promoting has been getting through.”

And with the latest 21 per cent increase in electricity tariffs, Mr Lee says this should give Singaporeans an added incentive to save more.

As far as big businesses are concerned, there are a number of energy efficient incentives under the Energy Efficiency Masterplan — launched last year to coordinate energy efficiency efforts across various sectors — to choose from.

They include NEA’s Energy Efficiency Improvement Assistance Scheme; the Energy Smart Label; and the Building and Construction Authority’s Green Mark award.

Going forward, Singapore households and businesses can also expect more energy efficient initiatives from the NEA and other government agencies. For instance, from next April, fuel economy labelling will be compulsory for all passenger vehicles and the current mandatory labelling scheme for household appliances will be extended to include clothes dryers.

A public forum will also be held at the end of this month to discuss further measures that can be taken to increase energy efficiency in Singapore.

Read more!

SingPower explains electricity price increase

Straits Times 18 Oct 08;

SINGAPORE Power (SP) said it does not keep any of the tariff increase that has been levied on users.

All of the extra cost goes into paying for the higher cost of fuel, said SP, the sole supplier of power to households and the majority of businesses here.

SP has come under fire since electricity prices began to rise this year.

Blog posts such as that on Tomorrow.sg and on online forums said electricity tariff increases should be absorbed by SP, considering that it posted over $1 billion in profits last year.

Responding to queries from The Straits Times, SP said it does not profit from supplying power to households and businesses.

The charges are set by the Energy Market Authority (EMA) for its services, although SP is allowed to recover the cost through a fee that is regulated by EMA.

SP's online annual report indicated that its profits had come mainly through the sale of assets in South Korea, Taiwan and new acquisitions in Australia.

'SP has to earn a reasonable return so that it can finance the investments in its grid infrastructure needed for replacement, as well as for meeting new demand,' an SP spokesman said.

For example, he said, SP would need to invest about $5 billion in the electricity grid infrastructure over the next five years.

SHOBANA KESAVA

Read more!