Many climate change costs seen avoidable

Nina Chestney, Reuters 14 Sep 09;

LONDON (Reuters) - Climate change could cost some countries up to 19 percent of their gross domestic product by 2030, a panel including major insurance, banking and consulting companies as well as the European Commission said on Monday.

Developing nations will be most vulnerable to the effects of climate change but a lot of their economic loss could be avoided, a report by the Economics of Climate Adaptation (ECA) Working Group said.

Together with prevention and mitigation measures, risk transfer like insurance or catastrophe bonds can play an important role by capping losses from catastrophic events, increasing willingness to invest and providing price signals to financial markets, the working group said.

The ECA working group is a partnership between reinsurance group Swiss Re, consulting firm McKinsey & Co., the Global Environment Facility, ClimateWorks, the European Commission, the Rockefeller Foundation and Standard Chartered Bank.

Current adaptation measures like sea barriers, improved drainage and building regulations could prevent 40 to 100 percent of risk to 2030, from current and future climate conditions, the working group said.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has estimated that the world will spend an extra $36 billion to $135 billion each year by 2030 to address the impact of climate change.

"If current development trends continue to 2030, the locations studied will lose between 1-12 percent of GDP as a result of existing climate patterns," the report said.

When future threats and the effects of economic growth are taken into account, the total potential loss rises to as much as 19 percent of GDP.

The group's research focused on vulnerable areas in northern China, Georgetown in Guyana, Maharashtra in India, Mopti in Mali, the island of Samoa, Tanzania's central region, Hull in Britain and South Florida in the United States.

The group calculated that Maharashtra alone could lose between $370 million and $570 million a year from drought by 2030, but climate resilience measures could reduce that by 80 percent.

Hull could suffer an annual loss of over $50 million from flooding, storms and rising sea levels. This could be partially avoided by new engineering and policy measures, as well as insurance.

(Reporting by Nina Chestney; Editing by Anthony Barker)

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Best of our wild blogs: 14 Sep 09

Of blogs, newsletters, magazines, journals and books
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Anything Interesting @ Daily Farm Nature Park?
from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature

On wings of wax
from The annotated budak and The weevil that will not die

Black Spitting Cobra
from Ubin on sgkopi.com

Many Faces of Olive-Backed Sunbird
from Manta Blog

Plaintive Cuckoo’s nictitating membrane
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Tropical Tulips
from Life's Indulgences

Guided walk at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
from Urban Forest and crocodile

High tide walk at Kranji Nature Trail
from wild shores of singapore and Wild party at the Heritiera trees

Monday Morgue: 14th September 2009
from The Lazy Lizard's Tales

What Caused Most of Planet's Extinction Events? Leading Expert Says "Global Warming" from The Daily Galaxy: News from Planet Earth & Beyond

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Native species in Singapore may be wiped out by acid rain

NUS study finds stream in nature reserve more acidic after downpour; NEA says rain no more acidic than in the 90s
By Amresh Gunasingham, Straits Times 14 Sep 09;

ACID rain could be driving Singapore's remaining native species to extinction.

Twenty species of animals plentiful in the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in the 1980s, including frogs, crabs and fish, are slowly being wiped out.

Preliminary findings by the National University of Singapore (NUS) are pointing to the acidity of a stream in the 80ha nature reserve, which is rich in plant and animal life. A four-year study led by Associate Professor David Higgitt of the university's geography department has noted that the stream, which covers 5ha of land, is more acidic after rainstorms.

The acidity or alkalinity of fluids is expressed as a pH value, with pH 7 being neutral. Values lower than seven indicate acidity, and above seven, alkalinity.

Researchers have found the water in the stream on the nature reserve to have a pH value of 4.4 to 4.7. Prof Higgitt believes it is more acidic now than 20 years ago.

Earlier studies have found that although animal species have evolved and adapted to the increasingly acidic environment, they are likely to be under stress. The animal population has come down and some crabs, for example, have developed harder shells.

Professor Peter Ng, director of the Raffles Museum for Biodiversity Research at the NUS, said a change of one unit in the water's pH represents a tenfold change in its acidity. This may be beyond the ability of the animals' bodies to cope with.

The acidity of the water comes from sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere - from industrial pollutants and lightning, for example - that dissolve in rain water, which then falls into streams and other bodies of water.

The National Parks Board (NParks) is working with the NUS to find out how badly the water quality is affecting the diversity of the plant and animal life in Singapore's last remaining primary forest. Its assistant director of centre nature reserves Sharon Chan agreed that the changes in the pH of some streams make a closer study necessary, so freshwater habitats in the nature reserves can be better managed.

The pH level of rain water in some parts of the United States and western Europe was as low as two in the 1980s. But since then, with regulations curbing pollution and the use of cleaner fuels, their acidity levels have fallen.

Dr Erik Velasco, a post-doctoral fellow in the NUS' geography department, said the presence of acid rain here is to be expected, given the level of industrialisation and the presence of aerosols. Aerosols are tiny air particles that occur naturally and are caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

The National Environment Agency, however, said the acidity of rain water here - at pH 5 - is no different from that of urban cities around the world; it also said rain water is no more acidic now than in the 1990s.

Prof Higgitt suggested that one way to protect the biodiversity in the stream would be to add limestone - a naturally occurring alkali - to slow down acidification. But he cautioned that more studies are needed as this could affect the environment in other ways.

Data doesn't back conclusion on acid rain
Straits Times 24 Sep 09;

WE REFER to the report, 'Native species may be wiped out by acid rain' (Sept 14).

We are puzzled by the report's suggestion that 20 species of animals in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve may be wiped out by acid rain. We have spoken to Associate Professor David Higgitt from the National University of Singapore, and he equally does not share the article's conclusion.

Some tropical streams are naturally acidic. The National Parks Board has embarked on a collaboration with Prof Higgitt to study the cause of acidification of the streams in our nature reserves and to help us better manage the freshwater habitats.

However, the study is in its early stages and it is premature to suggest that acidity of the streams is caused by acid rain, and whether biodiversity has been affected.

The National Environment Agency's monitoring also does not show any increasing trends in rainfall acidity.

We hope this clarifies the facts in this matter.

Sharon Chan (Ms)
Assistant Director
(Central Nature Reserve)
National Parks Board

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Computer users learn energy-saving tips at Nee Soon East event

Gladys Ow, Channel NewsAsia 13 Sep 09;

SINGAPORE : A campaign to educate the public on proper energy-saving practices was launched at Nee Soon East on Sunday, as part of the Energy Challenge Week.

Known as the "PC Goes Green @ North West - Click & Save" programme, it is jointly organised by the National Environment Agency, North West CDC, and Nee Soon East Constituency.

The standby power on a computer is said to take up about 10 per cent of an average household electricity bill. One way to save energy is to turn off the hard disk when the computer is idle.

But a poll conducted last month showed that 58 per cent of respondents did not know how to do so, even though 94 per cent of them were aware that they should.

Most people also do not know that the hibernate mode instead of the stand-by mode saves more energy.

But a vast majority - 95 per cent of those polled - said they would like to learn more energy efficient tips.

Organisers hope to reach out to some 200,000 households and 70 schools in the North West district by June next year.

It is hoped that the campaign will support the national 10 per cent Energy Challenge campaign, which aims to reduce household energy consumption by 10 per cent from 2008 to 2012.

Under the Sustainable Development Blueprint announced by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development in April 2009, Singapore has targeted to achieve a 35 per cent reduction in energy intensity (consumption per dollar GDP) from 2005 levels. - CNA/ms

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Raising awareness on littering: SIM Canoeing Club cleans Singapore's waterways

The Business Times 14 Sep 09;

The SIM Canoeing Club takes the plunge in cleaning up Singapore's waterways. By SARAH NG SHU ZHEN

FOR all canoeists from the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), the Marina Reservoir has always been a sacred home away from home, where practice sessions are held twice a week and where the team gears up for its numerous competitions.

But lately, our home has become 'desecrated' with litter. Aside from fallen twigs and leaves that hog the shores of the river, an increasing amount of human-generated trash has compromised the charm of the reservoir, rendering it an eyesore.

Sadly, the beautiful facade along Boat Quay has also not been spared. Like the Marina Reservoir, it too has fallen prey to flagrant acts of littering into the Singapore River - a historic landmark and choice venue for events.

For those of us who frequent these waterways, we are both angered and baffled at the sorry state of affairs. Clearly, the culprits involved chose to ignore the environmental effects of littering and perhaps there is a lack of social pressure to do the right thing.

Something had to be done. The members of the SIM Canoeing Club put their heads together and decided to embark on a clean-up expedition. We started publicising our plans in July, designing flyers to raise awareness for the event. And we also shared our expedition idea with interested parties at SIM Global Education's school-wide co-curricular activity recruitment drive.

Response rates were initially low with less than 10 participants. However, posters on the SIM student portal helped boost awareness and towards the final week of the event, we received 40 signups.

We rallied a lot of corporate support for our initiative. Ngee Ann Canoeing Club and NUS Canoe Club loaned us canoes, paddles and life jackets for the expedition while over 15 organisations - including the Public Utilities Board, the Ministry of Defence and Marina Bay Sands - granted us permits to paddle in areas normally closed to the general public.

The team was also assisted by SIM, which provided funds for the safety boat and public liability insurance. Also, staff from SIM's Student Life and Services provided advice on our expedition. The expedition aimed not only to serve as a platform to make new friends but empowered us to make a small change for a big change!

On Aug 16, we met at Kallang Basin and launched our canoes. Enthusiasm and energy levels were at a contagious high as we told ourselves that this was going to be a canoe expedition like none other.

The team comprised of a fleet of 20 kayaks. We paired up, moving in groups of two, taking care to keep together along the 10 km route (from Kallang Basin to Boat Quay and back). As we paddled along, we kept our eyes peeled for rubbish, chancing on plastic bottles, plastic bags, cans, twigs, straws and cigarette butts.

The gentle pace meant we had time to soak up the breathtaking views of our surroundings as we passed by the Merlion, Singapore Flyer, Marina Bay floating platform and cityscape of Raffles Place. Everything took on such a different perspective when viewed from the water.

Throughout the expedition, our mood remained positive and the energy level high. But towards the end of the day, we became energy-sapped. The heat took its toll and the paddling for hours on end to scavenge for trash was tiring.

But we perked up at the end when we realised that we had scooped up nearly 3 kg of floating rubbish. Small as it may have seemed, it was nonetheless a significant moment for us.

We hope that as an advocate of the 'Saving Gaia' Movement and through the clean up expedition, we have somehow made a tangible difference.

Through this event, the club hopes there will be an increased awareness about the need to keep Singapore clean and green. As a result of the success of executing this event, the SIM Canoe Club now plans to look into other social responsibility events on an annual basis.

Much of our future plans will be focused on keeping the waters of Singapore clean. We are now setting our sights on our next expedition, which could either be at Punggol or Changi beach.

The writer is currently pursuing a SIM-Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Bachelor of Business Management degree. She is also the president of the SIM Canoeing Club.

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Rich nations' sea catch: It smells fishy

Nayan Chanda, The Straits Times 14 Sep 09;

MENTION the words 'global governance' and you can expect yawns. But despite all the scorn and neglect it garners, collective management remains the only effective means of running an interconnected and chaotic world.

Earlier this month in Rome, largely unnoticed by the mainstream media, an important step in global governance was taken. Ninety-one countries - including China, India and those in the European Union (EU) - reached an agreement to halt illegal fishing by denying such unlawful catches the possibility of being landed in ports. If enforced, the agreement to stop illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing could prevent the robbing of poorer nations and the dangerous erosion of the world's fish stocks, and possibly ensure the livelihoods of some 400 million people around the world.

When the treaty is ratified by the end of the year, signatory countries will designate ports where vessels can enter for landing their catches or refuelling. They will be able to do so after making an advance application to enter the port and allowing inspection. Inspectors can determine where the catch was from and whether it was within the legal bounds.

If it is determined that the catch was illegal, the vessel will be turned away. Faced with the costs of barred access to world markets, owners of such unlawful hauls may finally be convinced to abandon their operations. The success of the treaty will not only depend on its honest implementation, but also cooperation among countries so that ships denied entry in one port do not simply seek haven in a neighbouring country's ports.

Marine products provide a significant proportion of the protein intake in 26 of the world's poorest nations. But the waters in which their citizens can get their catches are open to the modern fishing fleets of rich and developing nations. The 1992 Law of the Seas' demarcation of the 320km exclusive economic zone has no value to poor nations who do not have the means to patrol their exclusive economic zone.

There have been occasional and well-publicised incidents, but the high cost of patrols has basically left the modern-day pirates free to roam. The more sophisticated fishing trawlers and refrigeration ships of wealthier countries, often flying third-country flags to disguise their identities, operate with impunity, stealing the fish that could have fed coastal countries or at least provided them with exportable produce.

A recent Canadian study estimates that the current IUU catch worldwide is between 11 million and 26 million tonnes, and valued at between US$10 billion (S$14 billion) and US$23 billion annually. The EU alone is estimated to import half a million tonnes of IUU fish worth ? 1.1 billion (S$2.3 billion). It is estimated that illegal fishing by EU vessels has taken out of Somalia more than five times the value of EU aid to the country every year.

The impact of such robberies on the high seas has been evident in Somalia, where piracy of one kind begat another. In the chaos that has engulfed Somalia since the collapse of the Siad Barre regime in 1991, unlicensed foreign fishing vessels have moved in large numbers into the country's fish-rich waters. In 2005, a United Nations agency estimated that 700 foreign fishing vessels were operating in Somali waters, many employing illegal and destructive fishing methods.

A recent Australian study reported that vessels from France, Spain, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Egypt, Kenya, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Belize and Honduras have exploited Somalia's fish stocks with virtual impunity.

Many Somali fishermen, unable to make a living by fishing, have identified a more violent - and more lucrative - business in hijacking cargo ships and demanding ransoms for kidnapped crew members. It is no small irony that the very nations which protected their pirate fishing vessels have now become vociferous defenders of the freedom of the sea, and dispatched their warships to the Horn of Africa.

While vessels from EU countries - the largest consumers of fish - have been the main perpetrators of illegal and unregulated fishing, South Korean and Taiwanese ships too have been involved. They and China, another major fish consumer, have been criticised for turning a blind eye to illegally caught fish that have been landed in their ports.

The recent agreement in Rome offers all the possibility to act as responsible nations. The hypocritical governments in Europe, in particular, will have an opportunity to put their legally imported fish where their mouths are.

The writer is director of publications at the Yale Centre for the Study of Globalisation, and editor of YaleGlobal Online.

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From coal to gas: The future is hazy

Michael Richardson, Straits Times 14 Sep 09;

THREE of the world's biggest energy companies are expected to give the go-ahead this week for a giant natural gas project off the north-western coast of Australia that will meet Asian demand for the fuel for decades to come.

The formal decision by Chevron, ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell to invest in the Gorgon field and convert the gas into liquefied form for export in tankers will follow the announcement last week of long-term sales contracts worth around US$60 billion (S$86 billion) with Japanese and South Korean customers.

Earlier, the joint venture signed agreements to sell liquefied natural gas (LNG) to China and India. Those deals were worth more than US$60 billion. The four consuming countries combined have committed to buy well over half of the 15 million tons a year of LNG that Gorgon will produce by 2016. Under the contracts, buyers have agreed to take large quantities of gas for periods of 20 years or more to underpin the high development costs of the Gorgon project, estimated to be around US$42 billion. In return, they are assured of reliable supplies.

Asia is already the mainspring of international trade in LNG. Market leaders Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are now being joined by China and India. All want greater energy security and a cleaner burning fuel than coal.

Gorgon's proven and probable reserves are estimated to be 17.2 billion cubic feet. But if other fields in the vicinity were brought into production, it would nearly treble the amount of gas available to 46.2 billion cubic feet.

As more gas in the Asia-Pacific region becomes available for export, local users can reduce their energy reliance on the politically volatile Middle East. This will also strengthen the web of economic interdependence in Asia.

The web is being reinforced by trade and investment. This has geopolitical implications. It will buttress stability and underpin community-building in the region.

At present, the top three LNG exporters are Qatar, Malaysia and Indonesia. Energy consultants Wood Mackenzie are forecasting that as Gorgon and other large gas reserves are tapped in Australia, it will become the world's second largest supplier by 2014, and possibly overtake Qatar by 2020. In 2014, Australia - currently the world's number six exporter of LNG - will be producing nearly 30 million tons a year.

After announcing the deals with Japan and South Korea last week, Chevron said it would sign further sales agreements for Gorgon LNG in coming months. Will Singapore be among the buyers?

Construction of the country's first LNG terminal, on Jurong Island, is due to start in January. The aim is to diversify gas supplies, now piped from Indonesia and Malaysia. When completed in 2013, the terminal will have a capacity of 3 million tons of LNG per annum. There is provision for expansion to 6 million tons a year.

The BG group based in London was appointed last year as sole buyer of Singapore's LNG. It has indicated that the Australian state of Queensland will be a key source of supply.

Queensland, in north-eastern Australia, has big reserves of underground coal seam gas that can be converted to LNG. The BG Group, Shell, ConocoPhillips and Malaysia's Petronas are all involved in major projects in the state to tap coal seam gas for export as LNG.

In the United States, where new technology has led to the discovery of extensive onshore gas reserves, prices of the fuel have plummeted in the past year.

But gas prices in Asia are higher than in the US because demand is stronger and sales contracts are usually tied to the price of oil, which is substantially higher than the price of gas in America.

Those who worry about the link between fossil fuels and climate change are in two minds about Asia's swing to gas.

On the one hand, natural gas emits about half as much carbon dioxide as coal. It emits even less of other pollutants, such as sulphur and nitrous oxides, soot and dust.

As a result, gas is often seen as 'bridge' fuel, providing a lower-carbon alternative to coal while zero-carbon technologies, chiefly wind and solar power, are scaling up capacity and, hopefully, reducing their costs. Nuclear and hydro power are also zero-carbon technologies. All these alternative sources currently provide electricity that is significantly more expensive on a total-cost basis than coal-fired power.

If utilities and other big consumers in Asia and North America decide to switch from coal to gas, where will it leave renewable energy, which is nearly always more expensive than gas, especially without subsidies?

And how will it affect already faltering international negotiations to curb global warming emissions and prevent potentially dangerous climate change?

There are no easy answers, just tough choices, facing policymakers.

The writer is a visiting senior research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

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Thai coral reefs under serious threat from humans

Apinya Wipatayotin, The Bangkok Post 14 Sep 09;

Thailand's splendid diving spots could become a thing of the past as coral reefs, especially in the Gulf of Thailand, have been severely damaged by human activity.

Andaman's corals are in better condition than those in the Gulf, the Marine and Coastal Resources Department says.

Human activity can upset the marine ecology and are considered a major cause of coral degradation.

"Setting up industrial parks and city expansion activities in coastal areas are the main factors causing coral destruction," said Niphon Phongsuwan, chief of the Phuket Marine Biological Centre's marine and coastal biology and ecology unit.

The department found in a survey of 771km along the Andaman and the Gulf coastline that Satun had the most fertile reefs with 47.8% of the coral in very good condition, followed by Ranong with 25.6% and Krabi with 24.1%.

All three provinces are on the Andaman coast.

The provinces with the lowest number of pristine coral reefs are all in the Gulf. Only 6.3% of coral in Chon Buri was found to be in good condition, while 14.9% in Chumphon and 19.3% in Trat was still fertile.

"While the coral numbers in the Andaman Sea are increasing by around 5% each year, no such growth has been seen in the Gulf," Mr Niphon said.

In fact, the level of coral damage in the Gulf had jumped from 12.9% in 1995 to 22.4% last year.

Thailand's coral reefs cover 96,000 rai, or less than 0.001% of Thai waters. They are crucial feeding grounds for marine animals and help generate income from eco-tourism.

The depletion of coral could affect the country's food security as marine products are a staple in the Thai diet.

In a bid to increase food sources for marine species, the department has created over 30 artificial reefs in the Gulf and the Andaman Sea.

However, marine experts say the artificial reefs cannot help restore marine fertility as the problem needs to be tackled at its root.

"The artificial reefs may not be a sustainable way of coral rehabilitation. We need to tackle the causes of coral reef illnesses, such as water pollution, flows of sediment from the land to the sea, and destructive diving activities," said Pinsak Suraswadi, director of the marine conservation and rehabilitation division.

A pilot project for sustainable management of coral will start on Koh Tao in Surat Thani, where the reefs have been badly affected by tourism.

The department plans to launch a Reef Watch project to monitor human activity at popular dive sites along the Gulf and Andaman coasts. Professional divers from 20 companies specialising in marine environmental protection activities will be recruited.

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Terrapins up for adoption in Malaysia

Sean Augustin, The New Straits Times 13 Sep 09;

KUALA TERENGGANU: Wanted: "parents" for 99 river terrapins.

The Turtle Conservation Centre (TCC) is offering three-year-old terrapins raised in captivity for adoption as part of its inaugural "Terrapin Independence Day" celebration on Nov 9. TCC hopes to raise funds for the RM2.5 million complex in Setiu.

The objective of the 3.2ha complex is the conservation of the species as well as providing a site for research and outreach programmes.

TCC also aims to restore the depleted wild population of fresh water, terrestrial and marine turtles in the country, especially in northern Terengganu.


The complex will have an open-air hatchery, ponds and tanks for freshwater turtles, breeding ponds and outdoor exhibits.

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin is poised to become its patron.

For RM99, you can adopt a terrapin that has been micro-chipped so researchers can monitor their growth and movement.

The "parents" will be given the chip number and will receive regular updates on "their" terrapin.

The adoption programme will go on until all 99 terrapins have been adopted.

"One way to give these terrapins a better chance for survival is by setting up the centre. I hope the public can help us realise this dream," said TCC co-founder Prof Chan Eng Heng.

Those interested can contact Prof Chan at chan@turtleconservationcentre.org

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Moving out monkeys from park in Malaysia

New Straits Times 7 Sep 09;

MUAR: The Tanjung Ketapang recreational park here will be closed temporarily to allow the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) to relocate a growing population of monkeys.

About 1,500 monkeys inhabiting a 2ha mangrove swamp will be moved to the Bukit Maokil forest reserve, 120km away near Pagoh.

The monkeys have become the main attraction at the seaside park, but their growing numbers have led to litter left by those who feed them and complaints they are stealing food from nearby housing estates.

Council deputy whip Fong Soh Lan said at the start of the exercise on Friday that a plan to sterilise the monkeys was scrapped because of the cost of RM80 per monkey.


She said the council and Perhilitan hope to trap at least half of the monkeys in the next two weeks.

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Smugglers in Malaysia caught with 12 tonnes of exotic animals

Smugglers' boatload of wildlife
New Straits Times 14 Sep 09;

ROMPIN: Marine police foiled an attempt to smuggle out about 12 tonnes of exotic animals using a fishing boat in Tanjung Gemuk near here on Saturday.

Two suspects, in their 40s and 50s, were arrested while they were busy transferring 18 boxes containing live and dead animals from a lorry onto a boat at an old jetty about 3am. Among the animals and their parts seized were sunbear, monitor lizards and owls.

Marine police Region 3 Operation division head Deputy Superintendent Mohd Hassan Hasyim said investigations showed the suspects had brought the exotic animals from Tanjung Malim.

"They planned to load the animals into the fishing boat before transferring the consignment into another vessel at sea.


"We believe that the animals were destined for a neighbouring country to be sold at restaurants there," he told a press conference here yesterday.

Hassan said it was the first of such case this year and the Marine police would hand over the seized animals and parts to the Wildlife and National Parks Department.

Malaysian police seize smuggled bear parts, owls
Associated Press Yahoo News 15 Sep 09;

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysian police say they have seized more than $100,000 worth of dead owls, bear paws and live monitor lizards and arrested two men on suspicion of trying to smuggle them abroad.

Mohamad Hassan Hashim, a marine police official in eastern Terengganu state, says two Malaysian men were caught Sunday loading the protected wildlife into a boat.

He says police found 33 sun bear parts, 264 dead owls and 4,800 live monitor lizards, worth some 350,000 ringgit ($100,300) in all. The lizards will be released into the wild.

Mohamad Hassan said Monday the men could face up to three years in prison if charged with and found guilty of possessing protected wild animals.

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Green light for coal-fired power plant in Sabah

The Star 14 Sep 09;

TAWAU: The Government has given the green light for the controversial coal-fired power plant to be set up in the Felda Sahabat scheme about 100km from Lahad Datu.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the power plant was necessary to overcome the serious electricity supply problem in Sabah.

“It was planned for Lahad Datu and Sandakan but they did not want it (situated there), so as the minister-in-charge of Felda, we will do it in Felda Sahabat or Sabahans will not get enough electricity supply,” he said at a breaking fast ceremony with some 15,000 people at Masjid Al Kauthar here.

“I am curious that there are constant power cuts in Tawau,” he said, adding that such interruptions were not only an inconvenience but it caused losses as well.

Najib said that the Government was keen to resolve the people’s electricity woes in Sabah and promised that steps would be taken to resolve the problem.

The move to initially set up a 300MW coal plant in Silam near Lahad Datu was rejected by the state government following protests. It was then proposed that it be situated in Sandakan, but this was also met with protest, urging the government to use green technology or other alternative power sources.

Najib said as an immediate measure, a generator owned by Sime Darby would be sent by the end of the year as a short-term solution. A gas-powered plant would also be built.

He said that unlike the Opposition who made promises they could not keep, the Barisan government would deliver on the promises they made.

Citing the Kg Buah Pala controversy in Penang, he said the Pakatan Rakyat had promised the Indian community there before the elections that they could stay on at the settlement, but when the developer moved in, the opposition leaders were nowhere to be seen.

Coal-fired power plant may be built
The New Straits Times 14 Sep 09;

TAWAU: The government is considering building a coal-fired power plant for Sabah at the Felda Sahabat Scheme in Lahad Datu.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said this yesterday when attending a breaking of fast function with the people at the district mosque.

He said when he took over as the prime minister, one of the key targets he set was to ensure infrastructure development in Sabah and Sarawak.

"In Tawau there are frequent power disruptions. If need be, we will buy a new generator," he said, but noted there had been plans to build a coal-fired power plant in the east coast but it was rejected in Sandakan and in Lahad Datu.


"But the people still need power and we will ensure that the problem is resolved as it is our responsibility to the people.

"As the minister in charge of Felda, I will propose to build a coal-fired power plant in the Felda Sahabat area."

At a meeting with Chinese community leaders, Najib was handed a seven-point memorandum on the needs of the people in the district.

Former state cabinet minister and Merotai state assemblyman Tan Sri Liew Yun Fah, who arranged the meeting, said: "The Tawau Chinese Chamber of Commerce president Datuk Yap Yiw Sin handed over the memorandum."

He said issues mentioned in the memorandum included lack of infrastructure, need for more institutions of higher learning and water supply problems.

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