Tests on treasured maize ignite fears in Mexico

Sophie Nicholson Yahoo News 29 Oct 09;

MEXICO CITY (AFP) – As scientists race the clock to increase food production worldwide, new trials to plant genetically-modified maize have stoked anger in Mexico, the cradle of corn.

Many here are sensitive about meddling with maize, which dates back to pre-Hispanic times, when mythologies held that people were created from corn.

Some fear Mexico could one day lose the wealth of native varieties it still produces, including red and blue, to a few, tough breeds of GM maize, as well the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of subsistence farmers.

The government this month granted its first 22 permits to agribusinesses Monsanto, Dow AgroSciences and Pioneer to carry out tests on GM maize on farms in north and west Mexico.

Mexico is the number one producer of white maize, which is used to make its famous flat tortillas, but it imports increasing amounts of yellow maize from the United States, mainly for cattle feed.

The tests are part of efforts to help the country return to maize self-sufficiency and keep food prices down.

The price of maize has more than doubled since 2007, which prompted tens of thousands to protest the price of tortillas in Mexico last year.

"No country should be dependent for its food from other countries," Ariel Alvarez Morales, head of the Bi-Secretarial Commission on Biosecurity of Genetically-Modified Organisms, told AFP.

"We can take advantage of this biodiversity we have in maize, and part of that can also be through this (GM) technology," Morales said.

The United States, China and India are among countries that already grow GM crops, while six European countries have banned them.

GM crops, also including soya and cotton, are highly controversial, with critics underlining potential risks to health and the environment.

Greenpeace has led efforts to protect Mexico's maize after GM traces have turned up in samples of native varieties in the past decade, despite a moratorium on planting GM maize.

The new test permits cover more than 10 hectares (25 acres) in northern border states and the western top corn-producer of Sinaloa, and the government has pledged to prevent them from contaminating native varieties.

But Greenpeace claims they risk polluting 31 of more than 50 native seeds and is filing court motions to withdraw the permits.

"The final goal is not to experiment. It's to open the door for these kind of crops which only benefit the companies, not the producers nor Mexican consumers," Greenpeace campaigner Aleira Lara told AFP.

The government should spend more money helping small farmers and protecting native corn, Lara said.

Of the country's 1.9 million corn farmers, some 85 percent have less than five hectares (12.5 acres) of land, according to government figures.

As the GM debate rages on, much of Mexico's treasured maize diversity is for now protected in a giant seed bank in central Mexico, which keeps tiny grains of different colors and sizes at freezing temperatures, holding 27,000 maize samples from across the Americas.

"It's a repository of potentially useful genes for future breeding and response to problems ... for example in response to climate change," said maize expert Kevin Pixley, at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Texcoco, where the bank lies among fields of maize.

Scientists also cross-breed grains and advise on more efficient farming techniques to help them survive challenges, such as this summer's severe drought.

They say that, in the current climate, Mexican farmers need all the help they can get.

"If conserving diversity in the field actually conserves poverty of the farmers by having them grow varieties that are far inferior to those that are available, then I think it's a debatable issue," Pixley said.

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Electricity That's Cheaper Than Free

Marc Gunther, PlanetArk 29 Oct 09;

Would you believe that there are places and times when power companies generate so much renewable energy that they give it away?

In west Texas and Illinois, when the wind blows at night and nuclear plants run around-the-clock, power generators produce more electricity than people need. This oversupply "has forced electricity prices into the negative range," an expert explains-meaning that some customers are paid to use electricity.

The expert is Terry Boston, and he knows what he's talking about. Boston is the CEO of PJM, the company that manages the electricity grid that serves 51 million people in 13 mid-Atlantic states and Washington, D.C. It's not an everyday occurrence but when demand exceeds supply, "cement manufacturing plants can get paid to take electricity," he says.

It sounds crazy, but there's a perverse economic logic at work. Owners of the wind turbines collect a production tax credit of 2.1 cents per kilowatt hour when they generate electricity, so they don't want to shut the turbines down. So long as they pay customers less than the subsidy to consume power, they make money. Put simply, taxpayers dollars pay the wind companies who pass along a portion to their customers.

"It is not sustainable to have large negative prices for long periods of time," says Boston. No kidding. Think about how you would behave if you were paid to use electricity. You can be sure no one at the cement company is chasing around turning the lights off.

One solution to this problem (aside from fixing the incentives) is energy storage, which would deliver other benefits as well. Ever since Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, people have been looking for cost-effective ways to store lots of electricity. One approach is a technology called Compressed Air Energy Storage, or CAES, and Boston came to the National Press Club in Washington to talk it up. He was joined by Stephen Byrd, who is the CEO of a startup company called Energy Storage & Power that is seeking to develop next-generation compressed air storage plants.

Energy Storage & Power is a joint venture of PSEG Global, a $13.3-billion a year New Jersey power generation company and utility, and Dr. Michael Nakhamkin, an energy-storage pioneer who holds patents for the technology and led the design and construction of North America's only compressed air plant, in McIntosh, Alabama, back in 1991.

Stephen Byrd, the CEO of Energy Storage & Power, says the CAES technology serves two key purposes. It helps match supply and demand on the electricity grid, serving as a buffer or shock absorber between producers and users of electricity. More important, it enables electricity generated by wind and solar plants, which run intermittently, to be stored and then sold to customers when they need it.

You can think of energy storage as an arbitrage play. The owner of the storage plant buys wind-powered electricity at night, when the price is cheap (because there's ample supply and light demand) and sells it back into the grid during the day (when demand is greater and supplies limited).

As Boston explains it:

We like renewables, but we have to recognize that they do present a challenge to the grid operator. They're intermittent. The wind falls off during peak hours. The solar is up and down with cloud cover.

Byrd said compressed air energy storage costs far less than the alternatives, which include batteries, pumped hydro, flywheels, magnetic storage or super-capacitors. "From what we can tell, our product is about six or seven times cheaper than current battery technology, and it lasts 20 or 30 years," Byrd said. Plug-in hybrid cars could also provide distributed storage-with car owners, in effect, becoming day traders of electricity, buying from the grid at night, storing electricity in their car battery and selling it into the grid during the day. Of course, that scenario requires a smart grid and many thousands of electric cars.

Certainly the need for storage is there. Boston said that the PJM Interconnect along has 42,000 MW of proposed wind generation in its pipeline. Pacific Gas & Electric, the forward-thinking California utility, has applied to the Department of Energy for a $25 million stimulus grant for a large CAES project; if it gets funding, PG&E would be the first customer of Energy Storage & Power.

PG&E's excellent blogpost on the topic says:

PG&E plans to pump compressed air into an underground reservoir, using mainly wind energy produced during non-peak hours, and then release it to generate electricity during periods of peak demand. The project has an output capacity of 300 megawatts-similar to a mid-sized power plant-for up to 10 hours. It will take an estimated five years to design, permit and build.

The cost of the storage plant would be roughly $250 million, estimates provided by Energy Storage & Power indicate. That's not cheap but since the cost of "fuel" for wind turbines is close to zero, it's less expensive than building a new gas-fired power plant to meet peak demand. The CAES technology uses natural gas to heat the compressed air, but less than a conventional gas plant.

The PG&E blog also notes that other utilities are developing energy storage:

Ohio-based AEP is installing utility-scale batteries on its network and says it plans to install a total of 1,000 MW of storage in its system over the next decade. Beacon Power Corp. was awarded $43 million in loan guarantees from the DOE to complete a 20 MW storage project for National Grid in New York state using flywheels....and Southern California Edison just requested a DOE grant to partner with A123 Systems to build the world's biggest lithium-ion battery assembly-32 megawatt-hours in capacity-to help balance out intermittent wind power in the Tehachapi Wind Resource Area.

The government plans to announce grants or loans for storage projects before the end of the year. Byrd said Energy Storage & Power would like to see federal investment tax credits and loan guarantees made available for storage projects. "This is a very capital intensive business," he said. "Financing is difficult in this market."

Then again, taxpayer subsidies keep those wind turbines spinning at night when they're not needed. Subsidize anything and the risk is that you get more than you need.

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U.S. Lags Behind World with Its Patchwork Approach to Curbing E-Waste

One of the world's largest producers of electronic refuse, the U.S. imposes no federal restrictions on what materials can be used to make electronic devices or how they can be discarded

Larry Greenemeier, Scientific American 29 Oct 09;

Lurking behind the introduction of each new touch-screen computer, high-definition television and digital music player is the stark reality that some once-prized electronic gadgets from a previous techno-generation will get kicked to the curb, ending up in a toxic trash heap thousands of miles from its former owner. The reasons for this digital dumping are many, including ignorance of recycling options and indifference to the environmental impact.

The remedy is straightforward—stricter governmental oversight, by the U.S. federal government in particular, of what goes into making these devices and how and where they are discarded, a team of University of California researchers posit in a study to be published Friday in Science.

Although the U.S. is one the world's largest producers of electronic waste (e-waste), it is hardly a leader in addressing this problem, given that the country has "no legally enforceable federal policies requiring comprehensive recycling of e-waste or elimination of hazardous substances from electronic products," the researchers say. Instead, the U.S. government has largely delegated e-waste decision making to the states, where only 19 have e-waste laws (rules are pending in 14 others).

"When you have different states having different policies, it's very difficult to give manufacturers guidance regarding how to design their products or create take-back programs," says Oladele Ogunseitan, chair of the University of California, Irvine's Department of Population Health and Disease Prevention and a researcher on the project. The National Science Foundation awarded Ogunseitan and his colleagues a five-year, $1.5-million grant in 2005 for their work.

Deteriorating Conditions
The researchers express concern that without a cohesive national policy, the e-waste problem will get worse. They estimate that obsolete devices in U.S. households add up to 747 million pieces of potential e-waste—more than 1.36 million metric tons. They are destined for countries such as Africa, China and India, where markets thrive for second-hand electronics and the devices' valuable source materials (such as copper and iron). Recycling of the components, however, is typically not done properly, exposing many people to toxic chemicals.

In Europe several laws govern the use and disposal of toxic materials in electronics. The European Union's (E.U.) Restriction on the Use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) bans new electronics containing more than agreed-to levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, and polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) as well as polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants. The European Community's Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) program addresses manufacturers' responsibilities to manage risks from chemicals in their products. And the E.U.'s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directs e-waste management. China has its own WEEE regulations scheduled to take effect in 2011.

Late Start for U.S.
Both the Senate and House are only now considering versions of a proposed federal law to fund electronic device recycling research, development and demonstration projects. Called the Electronic Device Recycling Research and Development Act, it is "the first real attempt by Congress to address the situation," Ogunseitan says.

Laws are important because they add substance to otherwise vacuous claims that technology is "green," Ogunseitan adds. "Unless it's a uniform standard, it hurts because it confuses everyone."

Meanwhile, the U.S. is the only member country of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development that has not ratified the Basel Convention, which regulates the movement of hazardous wastes across international borders and has the support of 169 of the 192 United Nations member countries.

The U.S. is a linchpin to worldwide e-waste prevention and management efforts. "When we say you can't sell a product in the U.S. that contains toxic components," Ogunseitan says, "that has a big economic impact."

States Lead the Way
More successful have been state efforts to address e-waste. California, in particular, has enacted the RoHS-like Electronic Waste Recycling Act, and the broader, REACH-like, California Green Chemistry Initiative. Regulation, however, works better at the federal level, says Jean-Daniel Saphores, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California's Institute of Transportation Studies who worked with Ogunseitan on the project. Otherwise, manufacturers have to adhere to a patchwork of requirements, which would drive up costs and create an inconsistent set of rules.

Although a successful policy must include a combination of calling for manufacturers to use more environmentally benign materials and for consumers to recycle these products, the steps that manufacturers take to eliminate toxic chemicals from their products is the more important of the two, Saphores says.

Saphores doesn't accuse technology companies of maliciously placing toxic materials in their products. "It's been a learning process," he says. "We were slow to learn about the impact of our choice of materials."

Safer materials may not initially perform better than proved, albeit toxic, materials, which means electronics-makers will have to innovate to keep delivering faster, smaller and cheaper products, Saphores acknowledges. This goal shouldn't be a stretch though, he adds, given that innovation is how these companies manage to stay in business in the first place.

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Methane’s impact on global warming far higher than previously thought

Mark Henderson, Times Online 30 Oct 09;

The effects of a critical greenhouse gas on global warming have been significantly underestimated, according to research suggesting that emissions controls and climate models may need to be revised

Methane’s impact on global temperatures is about a third higher than generally thought because previous estimates have not accounted for its interaction with airborne particles called aerosols, Nasa scientists found.

When this indirect effect of the potent greenhouse gas is included one tonne of methane has about 33 times as much effect on the climate over 100 years as a tonne of carbon dioxide, rather than 25 times as in standard estimates.

Drew Shindell, of the Nasa Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, who led the study, said that the findings added to the importance of measures to contain methane emissions, as well as those of carbon dioxide, which will be discussed at the Copenhagen climate summit in December.

As methane breaks down much more quickly than carbon dioxide, the impact of cuts on climate would also be faster. “For long-term climate change there’s no way around dealing with CO2 — it’s the biggest thing and it lasts hundreds of years,” Dr Shindell told The Times. “But if we were to have a concerted effort to deal with non-CO2 we could have a very large impact on the near term.

“Substantial reductions in methane, carbon monoxide and black carbon: that’s the way to make a big difference. I think it should be more of a priority [for Copenhagen].”

Dr Shindell’s results, published in the journal Science, also raise the possibility that global warming forecasts may be too optimistic. The most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, published in 2007, predicts that global temperatures will rise by between 1.1C and 6.4C during the 21st century.

The study has further implications for emissions trading schemes, which currently focus only on carbon dioxide. For these to be effective the warming effects of methane need to be pegged to those of carbon dioxide at the right “exchange rate”.

Dr Shindell said: “We undervalue methane. The whole point of having a scale is to relate different gases together, to enlarge the pool of mitigation options. But if you’ve got the wrong value for one, clearly you don’t have maximum efficiency.”

The researchers wrote in Science: “We found that gas-aerosol interactions substantially alter the relative importance of the various emissions. In particular, methane emissions have a larger impact than that used in current carbon-trading schemes or in the Kyoto Protocol.”

The exchange rate between carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is generally calculated according to global warming potential (GWP), which measures the effects of one tonne of a gas on warming over 100 years in comparison to one tonne of carbon dioxide.

Keith Shine, of the University of Reading, one of the originators of the GWP concept, said that Dr Shindell’s work would help to refine this. “It does change the picture quite significantly,” he said. “GWP is an exchange rate between different gases and this does potentially change the rate to make methane more valuable, giving more encouragement to reduce methane emissions.”

He said, however, that emissions controls should continue to focus chiefly on carbon dioxide. “The long-term effects of carbon dioxide are so strong that if you take the eye off the ball you will be storing up problems for the future.”

Methane is acknowledged as the second most important greenhouse gas produced by human activity after carbon dioxide and is responsible for about a fifth of warming effects. Its chief sources are landfill sites, fossil fuel energy and agriculture, particularly rice and livestock farming.

In the study Dr Shindell used computer models to investigate how methane, carbon monoxide and other greenhouse gases besides CO2 interacted with aerosols — airborne particles such as sulphate molecules.

Sulphate molecules, produced when sulphur dioxide is oxidised in the atmosphere, have a cooling effect on the climate as they reflect heat but, while their direct effects are included in climate models, their indirect effects in combination with methane and other gases are not.

Methane and carbon monoxide reduce levels of sulphate aerosols, because they use up oxidants such as hydroxyl in the atmosphere. Fewer oxidant molecules are thus available to oxidise sulphur dioxide to produce sulphate.

“What happens is that as you put more methane into the atmosphere, it competes for oxidants such as hydroxyl with sulphur dioxide,” Dr Shindell said. “More methane means less sulphate, which is reflective and thus has a cooling effect. Calculations of GWP including these gas-aerosol linkages thus substantially increase the value for methane.”

Chris Huntingford, of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, said: “This is an excellent analysis demonstrating that methane emissions have the potential to add more to future warming than hereto realised. This new research complements the well-established result that carbon dioxide emissions have been responsible for a large fraction of the global warming observed since pre-industrial times.

“There is a requirement to distil this more complete understanding of how the many different atmospheric gases interact, both between themselves and with humans. Policy decisions must account for such interactions and links to emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and atmospheric aerosols.”

Read more!

Best of our wild blogs: 29 Oct 09

Green Drinks: All about food, permaculture
and applying what we know about it to business! from Green Drinks Singapore

Two Blues Make it 290
from Butterflies of Singapore

Butterfly Garden Along Pang Sua Park Connector
from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature

Puffballs
from Life's Indulgences

Yellow-vented Bulbul feeding on neem fruits
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Why we shouldn't pick up sea stars
from wild shores of singapore

October 24: International Day of Climate Change Action
from Green Drinks Singapore

Kuala Gula Teeming with Birds and Wildlife
from Nature Is Awesome

Green Porno Season 3: sexy shrimp, squid and more!
from wild shores of singapore

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Ubin for inspiration

No TV, no Internet, but plenty of creative energy when writers get together on a five-day island retreat
stephanie yap, Straits Times 29 Oct 09;

On a sweltering Monday afternoon, while the rest of Singapore was cooped up in air-conditioned offices battling food comas, a dozen of us were herded to a quiet offshore island. Among our number on the bumboat bound for Pulau Ubin were winners of the Singapore Literature Prize and other assorted literary awards, prolific authors with double-digit bibliographies, Singapore literary pioneers and one Straits Times journalist.

We were the guinea pigs of the first Catalyst Creative Writing Residential Retreat, organised by non-profit organisation The Literary Centre in collaboration with the British Council and supported by the National Arts Council. The pilot for what is intended to be a continuing series of writing retreats open to anyone interested, last week's camp was modelled on Britain's renowned Arvon Foundation creative writing courses.

But where Arvon's courses are held in the majestic Scottish highlands or the bucolic English countryside, this retreat saw us sequestered at a solar-powered Ubin chalet compound, beside a beach strewn with litter thrown up by the busy Johor Straits.

With no TV, Internet access or - gasp - air-conditioning, for five days we were freed from all distractions so that we could get cracking on the Great Singapore Novel. Nudging us on our literary way were daily group writing workshops and personal sessions conducted by our intrepid and patient tutors, British writer Courttia Newland and Singaporean writer Suchen Christine Lim.

This will seem odd coming from a journalist, but one of the things the workshops taught me is how much you can actually write when facing a deadline.

During the workshops, conducted in an open-air pondok or hut, we were tasked to write short pieces based on various stimuli, ranging from something as intangible as a childhood memory to the physical prop of an empty chair placed in the middle of the pondok.

In one memorable exercise, we paired up and took turns walking around blindfolded so that we would be forced to experience our surroundings with our other senses. (We were kind to each other: Newland said that when he does the exercise with kids, they usually end up making the blindfolded ones fight each other.)

Though what we wrote was ostensibly fiction, naturally some personal details crept into our works, which is why we, the self-proclaimed Ubin 12, have this pledge: What happens on Ubin stays on Ubin.

In between our daily activities of writing, swatting mosquitoes and making illegal phone calls home, we were also expected to take turns cooking for the group.

You have not supped unless you have tasted instant noodles made by three poets and a novelist. My guess is that none of them will be coming out with a cookbook anytime soon.

And during the long afternoons, the scorching sun having dried up what little creative juices we had to begin with, we would sneak out of the compound to explore the rest of the island.

Salvation from each other's cooking came from the nearby village and its motley assortment of restaurants, including a seller of ice-cold Thai coconuts and a former opium den-turned-coffee shop.

The more adventurous among us even rented bicycles and ventured into the jungle, which holds enough histories, secrets and wild boar to fill several epic novels.

Once, three of us stumbled upon a Taoist shrine devoted to a German girl who died after World War I, when she fell into a quarry while fleeing the British soldiers who wanted to imprison her family.

Now a deity with the power to bestow 4-D numbers on her loyal worshippers, she is represented by a blonde Barbie doll in a glass case, who smiles beatifically amid offerings of pressed powder, face creams and lipsticks.

Another day, a group of us checked out Chek Jawa, one of Singapore's last wetlands. As planes from all over the world flew overhead on their descent into Changi Airport, we cast our eyes downwards and spotted jellyfish, mudskippers and fiddler crabs with monstrously giant claws which they wave to attract females and intimidate rivals.

But in truth, we did not even have to venture far from our beds to encounter wildlife. Back at the chalets, the compound was ruled by a pack of stray dogs, led by an alpha male and his favourite companion, a female who managed to coax chunks of our dinner from our plates, thanks to her heart-meltingly liquid eyes.

But it is the nights around the barbecue pit that I remember most fondly. With the sun down and a breeze coming in from the sea, we would stuff ourselves with roasted meat and alcohol, then sit around and read each other our stories.

In Singapore, few writers are full-time wordsmiths, most having to hold day jobs to make a living. Among us on the island were practitioners in the fields of law, finance, education, arts management and the media.

Our varied experiences came to play in our stories, which featured student riots, school bullies, flashers, courtroom dramas, gerontophiles, army days, magic stones and tigers roaming HDB corridors.

Some works were in a raw state, others already highly polished. But in the diversity of offerings, it was clear how much the Singapore literary scene has to offer, if only writers are given the time and opportunity to write.

At the ongoing Singapore Writers Festival, alongside a host of international and regional stars, I look forward to home-grown literature being celebrated in symposiums, readings and book launches.

But I am also grateful for programmes such as Catalyst, which recognise that before audiences can be grown, writers must be nurtured. And there is no better way to help them develop their craft than by giving them some space, time and good company.

ysteph@sph.com.sg

Some of the participating writers will talk about their experiences at the retreat in The Creative Writing Experience at The Arts House, The Hall, on Saturday at 6pm. Admission is free.

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Singapore Strait can handle 75% growth in traffic

Straits Times 29 Oct 09;

A STUDY has found that the busy and narrow Strait of Singapore can safely take a 75 per cent increase in shipping traffic without needing any changes to its infrastructure or operations.

But should the volume of traffic double, as it is expected to by 2024, it will take vessels an extra hour - eight hours instead of seven - to get through the waterway. It will also become less safe.

This was one of the preliminary findings of the six-month study which the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) completed last month.

It assessed the potential impact of the doubling of vessel traffic on travelling time and safety in the Strait of Singapore and the Strait of Malacca north of it.

In 2007, there were 257,000 vessel movements through the strait, which washes Singapore's southern shore.

The study noted the waterway's numerous anchorages and pilot boarding points, and that its narrowest point, 2.2km wide, lay south of St John's island.

MPA's group director for policy and planning Yee Cheok Hong said of the first-of-its-kind study here: 'It will give us a clear and accurate picture of the carriage capacity and enable us to enhance capacity while maintaining safety.'

Safety in the maritime world is sometimes measured by the number of 'interactions', that is, the number of manoeuvres or adjustments a vessel has to make every 10 nautical miles.

At the moment, vessels have one interaction over that distance in the strait. If shipping traffic doubles, the number of interactions will go up to 15.

'These projections are still acceptable but we will look at how we can improve these numbers,' said Mr Yee, noting that collisions in the strait happened mostly due to human error, not congestion.

Industry players - including shipping lines, shipping associations and academics - voiced concern when they were presented the findings yesterday.

Shipping line APL's vice-president of technical services Tey Yoh Huat said vessels plying the strait are getting larger and this needs to be factored into the equation.

MPA said it would note their concerns as it continues with the rest of the study, which will examine how navigational safety in the strait can be improved through physical, operational and technological adjustments.

Malacca, Singapore straits can handle rise in vessel traffic
Singapore Strait traffic could be boosted by at least 75%: study
Vincent Wee, Business Times 29 Oct 09;

(SINGAPORE) The critical straits of Malacca and Singapore have sufficient capacity to handle the projected increase in vessel traffic for the next 15-20 years, a study commissioned by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has found.

The preliminary finding from the straits of Malacca and Singapore capacity study done by SimPlus showed that there is still substantial room for vessel traffic growth in the straits without affecting either efficiency or navigational safety.

The study used a computer simulation model and, based on 2007 data of 257,000 ship movements a year in the Singapore Strait, found that a doubling of vessel traffic movements would increase transit time by 13 per cent and raise the number of interactions by 15 times through the Singapore sector of the straits, which is the busiest part.

MPA said that the current traffic level in the Singapore Strait could be increased by at least 75 per cent based on the safety and efficiency indicators, assuming that the existing processes and operations remain unchanged and there are no advances in technology. The capacity of the straits can be expected to be further enhanced over time with improved traffic management measures and technological advances, MPA added.

The second phase of the study will examine possible measures that can enhance the carriage capacity of the Singapore Strait while at the same time maintaining navigational safety. These include electronic navigation and the Marine Electronic Highway (MEH).

The Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) that runs along the straits of Malacca and Singapore, between One Fathom Bank off Port Klang in the west and Horsburgh Lighthouse in the east, is about 250 nautical miles long.

The narrowest point in the TSS, along which international shipping travels through the straits, lies just south of St John's Island within the Singapore Strait and measures 530m westbound, 1,617m eastbound and 2,150m overall in width.

The study also found that there would be minimal impact in the Strait of Malacca sector of the TSS from a doubling of traffic. Since the biggest gains can be made in improving the Singapore sector as it has the narrowest point in the whole system, efforts will be focused on this area.

'As part of our long-term planning, MPA regularly conducts studies on various maritime issues and trends. In line with this, we felt it was timely to conduct a study of the traffic levels and utilisation, including the potential carriage capacity, of the straits of Malacca and Singapore. A clear and accurate picture of the carriage capacity of the straits of Malacca and Singapore will allow MPA to work with the littoral states as well as other interested stakeholders to identify strategies to enhance capacity while maintaining navigational safety,' said MPA policy and planning group director Yee Cheok Hong.

Concerns were, however, raised about the assumptions about acceptable levels of interactions and types of vessels using the TSS. Intertanko Asia-Pacific regional manager Tim Wilkins highlighted the fact that even the five interactions per 10 nautical miles deemed as acceptable by the MPA might not be considered so by mariners.

Meanwhile, APL technical services vice-president Tey Yoh Huat questioned whether in order to enhance performance of the TSS, it needs to be revamped in the first place to take into account the difference between newer, bigger deeply laden vessels with draft and manoeuvrability constraints and smaller vessels.

The findings were shared with MPA's counterparts in Indonesia and Malaysia at a meeting in Singapore earlier this month, which was also attended by a number of user states and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Singapore has also offered to work with the two states through the Tripartite Technical Experts Group and, where appropriate, the Co-operative Mechanism, as well as the IMO on further aspects of the study, in particular, traffic management measures.

Sufficient capacity in Singapore Strait to handle growth in traffic: MPA
Channel NewsAsia 28 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE: A study commissioned by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said the Singapore Strait has sufficient capacity to handle growth in maritime traffic.

All things being equal, the current traffic level in the strait could be increased by at least 75 per cent without comprising safety and efficiency.

The finding from the Straits of Malacca and Singapore capacity study was presented to the shipping industry on Wednesday.

MPA shared the finding with their counterparts in Indonesia and Malaysia earlier this month.

The second phase of the study will examine possible measures that can enhance the capacity of the Singapore Strait while at the same time maintaining navigational safety.

The waterway is used for international navigation and supports the bulk of the maritime trade between Europe, the Middle East and East Asia. - CNA/vm

Safer Strait transit
Marcus Hand, Llyods List 28 Oct 09;

WITH growing concerns over congestion in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, the Singapore authorities have come out and said traffic could grow by 75% in the Singapore Strait under current systems.

These conclusions are somewhat at odds with a Maritime Institute of Malaysia study, which found the Malacca Strait — which is wider and connects into the Singapore Strait — would reach capacity 2024.

Whichever is the case there can be no doubt these key sealanes are set to get ever busier as a result of the growth of Asian trade.

While technically the number of vessels transiting the two straits may remain at a safe level it will undoubtedly become more difficult for mariners, with more vessels meaning more incidents to be avoided. More incidents to be avoided will translate into a greater chance for human error – the main cause of marine accidents.

At present movements in the strait are co-ordinated by vessel traffic information systems, which advise ships on the courses they should take. But at the end of the day these systems are just advisory and the coastal authorities have no responsibility should something go wrong.

Maybe as traffic volumes do grow it is time for this system to change and become more mandatory in nature, much like air traffic control. No system will ever completely eliminate problems but by providing greater structure at key choke points it could help to cut down the number of incidents and near misses.

WORKING PAPER FOR “CARRIAGE CAPACITY OF THE STRAITS OF MALACCA AND SINGAPORE”
Full paper by SimPlus Pte. Ltd., Singapore, Commissioned by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore on the SG Press Centre website.

Related posts
Shipping congestion in Singapore waters? on the wild shores of singapore blog.

Read more!

New council set up to speed up development of green buildings in Singapore

Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia 28 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE : Singapore has set up a new council to help accelerate the "greening" of buildings in Singapore.

Buildings in the city-state are the second largest guzzlers of electricity - after the industrial sector. But this is also the area where energy use can be easily reduced.

A UN study has concluded that energy consumption in new and old buildings can be lowered by 30 to 50 per cent without significantly increasing investment costs.

Trane, an exhibiting company that cools about half of the buildings fronting Orchard Road said an average investment of S$2 million to reduce energy use in buildings is usually recouped within eight months to three years.

Speaking at the inaugural International Green Building Conference on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean said: "This is not rocket science but it does require steady and consistent policies and effort.

"We plan to 'green' 80 per cent of our buildings by 2030 to reduce energy intensity by more than 30 per cent. Government and public buildings will also have to achieve higher green building standards."

For now, the new Singapore Green Building Council will lead and coordinate the efforts of the industry, hand-in-hand with the government, to speed up the development of green buildings in Singapore.

For a start, it plans to set up a system for certification within the next six to 12 months.

Lee Chuan Seng, president, Singapore Green Building Council, said: "One of the things that hold back the development of green buildings in Singapore is that we don't (have certification) - we have some green labelling system for products but it is not comprehensive now, so what we are trying to do now is start up some product directory. That product listing will then move into certification."

The industry has already raised 10 times the S$100,000 seed funding it received from the government to get on with its work. Still, the council feels it has its work cut out.

Mr Lee said: "(This involves) getting the owners and end users of existing buildings to take it up early enough. Everyone says it is a tough job, and it is because in buildings, you upgrade the building and change the equipment only once in 15-20 years."

In the long term, the council also hopes to work with authorities to develop Singapore as a hub for green buildings in the tropics, as most of the designs today have been developed for temperate climates.

Mr Teo said: "In the longer term, we plan to establish a Centre of Excellence in sustainable buildings and construction in Singapore - a regional hub to share experiences in green buildings in the tropics." - CNA/ms

Making Singapore a green building hub
New council to boost green construction; deal with UN unit to promote best practices
Jessica Cheam, Straits Times 29 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE took two major steps yesterday in its drive to position itself at the forefront of the increasingly vital field of 'green' construction practices and technologies.

A Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC) has been set up to promote sustainable construction. This includes driving efforts to green at least 80 per cent of buildings here by 2030.

And the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Environment Programme to collaborate on promoting best building practices across Asia.

The move fits in with the Government's aim to set up a Centre of Excellence in sustainable building and construction in the future to cement Singapore's ambition to be the green building hub of the tropics. Details will be released later, said the BCA.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean announced the new council at the opening ceremony of the inaugural three-day International Green Building Conference held at Suntec convention centre yesterday.

Mr Teo noted that even as the world tackles the global economic downturn, 'we are faced with a policy imperative... that of ensuring sustainable development for our current generation, so that our future generations will have a future'.

Economic growth can go hand in hand with environmental sustainability, but the right structures have to be put in place to encourage sustainable growth, he added.

The minister cited the example of retrofitting existing buildings. This can be a growth area where investments in new technology will bring benefits such as green jobs, reducing energy use and increasing savings for building owners and occupiers.

Greening existing buildings in Singapore is the most immediate challenge for the local industry.

The target of 80 per cent of buildings achieving a minimum Green Mark standard - a building rating system - by 2030 was outlined earlier in April.

A $600 million incentive fund has been set aside by the Government to spur owners into making the changes.

The new council, which is made up of industry members, will also play a key role. Its first task is to set up a directory of green products for the building industry and a certification system in the next 12 months, said its president, Mr Lee Chuan Seng.

Funds have been raised from founding members and the Government to carry out its work, but its greatest challenge will be getting building owners to adopt green practices early, said Mr Lee.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan, who was also at yesterday's event, is the council's patron.

The World Green Building Council awarded the SGBC 'emerging status', with full status likely in a few months.

Mr Tony Arnel, chair of the world body, commended the local industry for its speed in embracing green construction: 'There's a lot of momentum in the Asia-Pacific region for green buildings at the moment, and there are a lot of low-hanging fruits for energy efficiency in existing buildings across the region.'

The conference attracted 1,000 delegates from 23 countries.

New council set up to promote green buildings
Private-public sector initiative will help spearhead building industry's efforts
Uma Shankari, Business Times 29 Oct 09;

(SINGAPORE) Singapore has set up a new council to speed up the development of 'green' buildings in Singapore.

The new unit, the Singapore Green Building Council, is expected to increase collaboration between the private and public sectors in Singapore and push the building and construction industries towards environmental sustainability.

The council was set up with seed funding from Building and Construction Authority (BCA), but has also raised more than 10 times that amount from its private sector sponsors and members. The council has 141 founding members, including 'diamond' sponsors City Developments, CapitaLand and Keppel Land.

It aims to promote green building design as well as green practices and technologies, said its president Lee Chuan Seng.

Targets set out in the Singapore Sustainable Blueprint, which was released earlier this year, call for 80 per cent of all buildings in Singapore to achieve at least the basic Green Mark Certification by 2030. This is expected to reduce energy intensity by more than 30 per cent.

Buildings in Singapore are the second largest users of electricity after the industrial sector

'The 'greening' of buildings will require concerted effort,' said Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean yesterday. Mr Teo announced the formation of the Singapore Green Building Council at the launch of a green building conference and exhibition.

He added that the government will work in partnership with building owners to raise awareness on the energy efficiency of their buildings, and achieve savings in their electricity bills.

On its part, the Singapore Green Building Council will help lead and co-ordinate the industry's efforts, in collaboration with the government, to accelerate the development of green buildings and improve energy efficiency in Singapore's built environment.

It will also tap into an international community of green building experts through the World Green Building Council. The World Council has granted 'emerging member' status to the new Singapore Council.

The Green Building Council also aims to become a leader in exploring how tropical countries can embrace sustainable development. Mr Lee told reporters that most of the designs today have been developed for temperate climates.

But for a start, the Council plans to set up a system for certification within the next six to 12 months.

'One of the things that hold back the development of green buildings in Singapore is that we don't have certification; we have some green labelling system for products but it is not comprehensive,' said Mr Lee. 'So what we are trying to do now is start up some product directory. That will then move into certification.'

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Singapore in joint varsity studies to build better cities

Jermyn Chow, Straits Times 29 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE will study how to improve city living and transport in two research agreements the Republic has signed with two universities.

The first area of research, agreed by the National Research Foundation (NRF) with ETH Zurich, a top Swiss university, will look at how to plan and build cities conducive for growing urban populations.

The second, also announced yesterday by the NRF, is with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and will focus on planning, designing and operating future transportation systems.

The new areas of focus would be valuable for Singapore, as the city-state's population approaches five million.

Announcing them yesterday, NRF chairman Tony Tan called the projects 'valuable building blocks to address these issues'.

He said: 'We are forced, within a small area with a population of over four million, to create a condition under which we can live comfortably here and not be overwhelmed by cars, pollution and energy needs.'

Singapore's tie-up with the Swiss university, after three years of talks, will also involve the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University.

It will begin with the Future Cities Laboratory - to be based here - where researchers will come up with solutions and tools to build environmentally friendly cities, even as urban populations soar.

'Cities must now be seen as systems instead of silos, where we learn to break down and integrate everything from communication systems, water, energy and transport providers,' said Professor Gerhard Schmitt, ETH Zurich's senior vice-president for international relations and institutional affairs.

The Future Urban Mobility study by the NRF-MIT partnership will test and roll out innovations that can improve transport services.

The aim is for cities not to have to spend more money to build new roads or railways when space runs out, said the MIT engineering school's associate dean for academic affairs, Professor Cynthia Barnhart.

MIT already has three research groups here working with Singapore scientists on infectious disease, environmental sensing and modelling, and biosystems and micromechanics.

The two studies to improve the lives of urbanites are useful and relevant to Singapore, said Permanent Secretary (National Research and Development) Teo Ming Kian.

Besides solving Singapore's problems, the knowledge and expertise built up will be useful to the world, added Dr Tan. Home-grown companies have exported clean water technologies and solutions to China and the Middle East, for example.

He said: 'That is how we make our living...We develop solutions for our own needs, but we also have scalable solutions and turn them into an industry.'

NRF, Swiss university set up global environmental sustainability centre
Channel NewsAsia 29 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE : The National Research Foundation (NRF) has partnered a top university from Switzerland to set up a global environmental sustainability centre in Singapore.

The collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology is the third under the NRF research centre initiative.

It will undertake cutting-edge research in disciplines ranging from environmental technology to developing new materials, with the aim of developing solutions and guidelines towards sustainable developments of buildings, districts and regions.

Professor Gerhard Schmitt, senior vice president for International Relations and Institutional Affairs at the Swiss university, said: "The knowledge that can be gained and the different materials that are developed, they can then be produced and exported in Singapore and in Switzerland to other countries, where an even greater need is for developing new cities.

"There are probably more than a billion people moving into cities in the next 30 years that do not even exist yet, and this is a real challenge."

At the same time, NRF has also started a fourth research programme with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The cooperation on Future Urban Mobility will enhance research on network computing, transportation control and urban studies.

Professor Cynthia Barnhart, Associate Dean of Engineering at MIT, explains some of the practical solutions the programme hopes to develop: "We can develop personalised real time transportation services for individuals.

"So if you travel to work every morning and you take the bus followed by the train, we can provide you alerts saying that today, there is a problem with the bus. We will provide guidance with what is the optimal trajectory for you."

The new collaborations were announced by NRF's chairman, Dr Tony Tan, on Wednesday.

He said the NRF is on the right track to building up Singapore's capability for cutting-edge research and establishing Singapore as a vibrant centre for research and development.

Dr Tan said: "With these and other initiatives that are already underway, we can expect to see in the years ahead many research breakthroughs and innovative technologies that will make Singapore a hotbed for innovation and enterprise." - CNA/ms

Swiss university setting up research centre here

Together with NUS, NTU, it will focus on growing challenges of urbanisation
Teh Shi Ning, Business Times 29 Oct 09;

A TOP Swiss university has agreed to set up a centre under the National Research Foundation's (NRF) Create initiative - the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise.

Focusing on global environmental sustainability, the new Singapore-ETH Centre (SEC) will see the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Zurich (ETH Zurich) partner the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to develop solutions to the growing challenges of urbanisation, NRF said yesterday.

SEC will start with a Future Cities Laboratory programme that will develop solutions and guidelines for the sustainable development of buildings, districts and regions.

Before ETH Zurich, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology were the first two to set up centres at Create. Create's $360 million complex at NUS's new University Town is currently being built and is expected to be ready in 2011.

Yesterday, NRF also announced a new research programme to examine ways to make urban transport sustainable without continually scaling up infrastructure. It is the fourth of five inter-disciplinary research groups MIT proposed to set up at the Smart Centre.

The first three were on infectious diseases, environmental sensing and modelling and the development of new technologies for critical medical and biological problems.

NRF chairman Tony Tan said: 'With the addition of these two significant programmes, we are on the right track to establish Singapore as a global player in the research and innovation landscape.'

New technologies developed by SEC's Future Cities Lab, for instance, could provide solutions to urban challenges such as maintaining a clean and reliable water supply and clean air, or meeting energy demands.

These are expected to be in demand and hugely marketable as Asia's cities undergo unprecedented urbanisation in coming years, representatives from the universities said.

A Swiss, Singapore tie-up
Global research centre set up; another project with MIT
Today Online 29 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE - The National Research Foundation (NRF) has partnered a top university from Switzerland to set up a global environmental sustainability centre in Singapore.

The collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology is the third under the NRF research centre initiative.

It will undertake cutting-edge research in disciplines ranging from environmental technology to developing new materials.

This, with the aim of developing solutions and guidelines towards sustainable developments of buildings, districts and regions.

"The knowledge that can be gained and the different materials that are developed can then be produced and exported in Singapore and in Switzerland to other countries where an even greater need is for developing new cities," said Professor Gerhard Schmitt, senior vice-president for International Relations and Institutional Affairs at the Swiss university.

At the same time, NRF has started a fourth research programme with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).The cooperation on Future Urban Mobility will boost research on network computing, transportation control and urban studies.

Professor Cynthia Barnhart, Associate Dean of Engineering at MIT said practical solutions the programme hopes to develop include "personalised real-time transportation services". "So if you travel to work every morning and you take the bus followed by the train, we can provide you alerts saying that today there's a problem with the bus," she added.

The tie-ups were announced by NRF's chairman Tony Tan. 938LIVE

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JTC going green with plants on roof trellises

Uma Shankari, Business Times 29 Oct 09;

(SINGAPORE) JTC Corp is pushing the idea of sky-rise greenery even further. The industrial landlord is looking at constructing roof trellises between adjacent buildings and covering them with plants.

Among other things, the project, which is set to be tested next year, could cut energy consumption in buildings by reducing heat radiation.

'Singapore is trying to do more sustainable developments and JTC is trying to play its part,' said the director of JTC's engineering planning division Koh Chwee.

There will be benefits all round, he said. The shaded ground will make it cooler to walk in the area and the plants will help improve air quality and be aesthetically pleasing.

Selected buildings will have their columns extended one storey higher.

Steel cables will then be tied to the columns and steel wire mesh will be suspended from the cables, forming an overhead canopy.

After this, climbing plants will be grown from planter boxes along a building's roof edges to the mesh structure. Over time, the plants will cover the mesh and provide shade.

JTC aims to test the idea in the second half of next year between two buildings at its upcoming Clean Tech Park in Jurong. It hopes to be ready to roll out the idea on a larger scale in 2011.

If all goes well, other kinds of developments, such as residential and commercial buildings, could also adopt green roof trellises, Mr Koh said.

A creepy cool idea
Esther Ng, Today Online 29 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE - Forest canopies keep temperatures in our nature reserves cooler, so could a similar concept have the same effect in our business parks?

Singapore's leading industrial landlord intends to find out, and if it works, industrial clusters here are set to turn a shade of green.

The Green Roof Trellis concept by JTC Corporation aims to lower temperatures in these parks by 2-3°C - which would reduce energy consumption and, hence, electricity bills.

"Climber plants will grow from planter boxes along roof edges of buildings, to a wire mesh structure supported by cables from columns across the rooftops of two buildings," explained JTC senior planner Mr Yio Yang Huat, who came up with the idea. "Over time, plants will grow to cover the entire mesh and provide shade."

This trellis will provide better coverage than conventional awnings or eaves, he added. Besides less power needed for air-conditioning, the benefits include improved air and aesthetics, and a more pedestrian-friendly industrial park.

JTC will pilot the project at its Clean Tech Park in mid-2010. If successful, "there are plans to extend the concept to all buildings," said JTC director of engineering planning Koh Chwee, adding that it will work with the National Parks Board and the Urban Redevelopment Authority.

Ms Valerie Teo, chief executive of car retailer Pinnacle Motors which is located in industrial parks in Sin Ming and Ubi, said:

"Everyone is going in the green direction, so if this saves business cost and reduced carbon emission, it's a win-win. But if it's going to cost tenants, I'm not so sure." The project's cost is still being worked out, said Mr Koh.

Standard Chartered, a tenant of JTC's Changi Business Park, told MediaCorp the green project will transform the operating landscape for firms.

"Having a green building will become a way of doing business and companies will need to look into efficient and sustainable buildings in their portfolio," it said.

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Research facility set up to test for hardier grass species

Quest for green, green grass of home
Research facility set up to test for hardier species to be used here
April Chong, Straits Times 29 Oct 09;

THE grass may be greener on this side if the National Parks Board's (NParks) plan to develop new lawns takes root.

The ubiquitous cow grass that covers about half the Republic's green spaces gets trampled too easily and does not tolerate shade well, said Dr Kenneth Marcum, a senior researcher at NPark's Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology (Cuge). The high rainfall here also adds to waterlogging woes.

But a new $100,000 research facility is set to find a green solution to the bare muddy patches that commonly turn up in grassy areas.

The 1,200 sq m facility located at HortPark, off Alexandra Road, will study a dozen species of grasses and different soil types.

The grasses will be subjected to all manner of tests, simulating conditions such as being trampled on, their response to light and shade and how well they deal with being waterlogged from heavy downpours.

Research results are expected within a year.

Said Dr Tan Puay Yok, deputy director of Cuge Research: 'We want to encourage the use of lawns in parks...Instead of sitting on a lawn that is wet or worn out, the landscape will be more inviting to use.'

Dr Marcum said that aesthetics and usability aside, grass has been shown to clean the air, absorb dust, filter water runoff and reduce ambient temperature.

While typical cow grass is easy to maintain and has been in use here since colonial times, it thins out easily after being trampled upon and forms muddy patches, he said.

Said 22-year-old student Jane Lee, who often goes on picnics: 'Sometimes when you want to put your mat under the tree, you find that there is no grass there and it is wet.'

A Landscape Industry Association spokesman said: 'If the species of grass is more hardy and can withstand different conditions, it will definitely be beneficial. If the grass dies too fast, we will have to spend more money replacing it and it is not cost-efficient.'

Besides improving the turf areas under its management, Cuge will share the findings with town councils and the Singapore Sports Council.

There is no plan to replace every blade of cow grass here, but new construction projects or turf grass due for replacement can adopt the new grass varieties, said Dr Tan.

The board is also organising a two-day international turf grass seminar, which starts today. Sixty participants from eight countries will share information on current trends and innovations in managing green spaces.

A memorandum of understanding will be signed with the Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries in Australia to work on projects involving urban landscapes and turf management in both places.

A tougher turf breed?
Today Online 29 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE - The grass will get greener, and sturdier.

Twelve different varieties of turfgrass (picture) are being studied at the HortPark - in the first such research programme here by the Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology - to see if they are suitable for our climate.

Almost all parks and streetscapes here are currently planted with cowgrass, which is easily maintained but does not stand up to extensive foot traffic and trampling. High rainfall and temperatures have also led to barren patches and waterlogging.

The new varieties being tested are lusher in colour and have greater trampling tolerance.

The National Parks Board will share the findings with the likes of Town Councils and the Singapore Sports Council. 938LIVE

Greener, lusher species of turfgrasses being tested - NParks sets up new turfgrass research facility at HortPark
NParks media release 28 Oct 09;

Singapore, 28 October 2009 - Twelve different species and new varieties of turfgrasses are undergoing research at a new facility at HortPark, the gardening hub. The first such research programme in Singapore, this aims to investigate new types of turfgrasses and their planting conditions to assess if they could be implemented in our tropical climate.

This research programme is carried out by the Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology (CUGE), an initiative by the National Parks Board (NParks), as a regional centre of excellence to advance urban and green living environment. CUGE is also a one-stop training and knowledge hub in urban greenery and ecology, offering a comprehensive range of skills training programmes for all levels of the landscape industry workforce

Turfgrass is a key component of our Garden City since it is the most extensive plant type used in Singapore. It also has many environmental benefits as it reduces ambient temperatures, controls soil erosion, and cleans water run-off.

Currently, almost all parks and streetscapes in Singapore are planted with cowgrass (Axonopus compressus) as it is easily maintained. However, cowgrass does not stand up to extensive foot traffic and trampling. In addition, Singapore's high rainfall and high temperature have posed challenges such as wet soils, which result in soil compaction, barren areas, loss of drainage and waterlogging. Another issue is shade, as turfgrasses are generally planted beneath trees and buildings. This results in thin turf, which is further exacerbated by trampling.

Besides using the results for turf areas under its management, NParks will be sharing research findings with other organisations, such as Town Councils and Singapore Sports Council so as to improve the quality of green spaces in parks and other public areas.

Mr P Teva Raj, Director (Industry/CUGE) of NParks, said, "This research programme is part of ongoing efforts by NParks to develop new and sustainable frontiers in urban greenery and ecology. Currently, turfgrass research has been underway for a number of years in temperate regions of the world, but not in tropical areas such as Singapore. With our living environment becoming denser, it is essential for us to embark on such research programmes so that we can realise Singapore's vision of being a 'City in a Garden'."

A new generation of turfgrass varieties will be tested for adaptability to Singapore's tropical climate. They are native to Southeast Asia and may be more suited to local use because they have dense, fine leaves, lusher colour and greater trampling tolerance. They include the native Zoysias, which include species Matrella, Tenuifolia, and Japonica. Other important species tested include Paspalum, Stenotaphrum (St. Augustine grass), Eremochloa (centipede grass), native Digitaria (serangoon grass), and Axonopus (carpet grasses and cowgrasses).

First international Turfgrass Seminar

In line with above efforts, NParks is organising the first international turfgrass seminar on 29-30 October at HortPark, in line with Clean and Green Singapore this year. About 60 participants from eight countries will be participating. Speakers from Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and United States will also be sharing their knowledge of current trends and innovations, and challenges involved in managing community green spaces with participants.

Among the speakers is Professor M.C. Engelke, a leading authority in the world on tropical grass research. His contributions to turfgrass breeding, development and management are well known internationally. He has published hundreds of publications and developed numerous new turfgrass cultivars (a particular kind of a plant that is being cultivated) worldwide.

NParks signs MOU with QPIF Centre in Australia

NParks has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries (QPIF) of Brisbane, Australia to work in closer collaboration on research and development pertaining to urban greening and sustainable turf management.

Other collaborations include management of greenery in public open spaces, development of skyrise greenery such as green roofs and green walls; and investigating into the benefits of urban greening, such as reducing the build-up of heat in urbanised areas and improvement in air quality.

Through this MOU, NParks and QPIF aim to develop close collaboration and leverage each other's strengths, expertise and resources to develop applications that are relevant and useful to both parties. This will shorten the learning process, and also help achieve the aim of CUGE as the regional platform for the development and exchange of knowledge on urban greenery and ecology.

New landscape standards for industry

CUGE is also rolling out a series of written guidelines for adoption in the landscape and horticulture industry, in areas such as planting media, skyrise greenery and landscape design and turfgrass. The first two standards to be launched are specifications on Soils for General Landscaping Use and Specifications for Composts and Mulches.

They are crafted through consultation with relevant bodies such as Singapore Institute of Landscape Architect, Landscape Industry Association of Singapore, and Workplace Safety and Health Council and part of NParks' efforts to further professionalise Singapore's landscape industry. These standards would be incorporated into NParks' landscaping contracts.

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China, Singapore may beat Sydney in carbon-hub race

Bruce Hextall, Reuters 28 Oct 09;

GOLD COAST, Australia (Reuters) - Asian cities are likely to beat Australia in the race to become a carbon-trading hub, despite Australian plans to set up the region's first cap-and-trade market, industry experts said on Wednesday.

Sydney believes it is on pole position to become a hub, but the experts said Australia's most populous city was likely to be brushed aside as Hong Kong, Beijing and Singapore also staked claims to be Asia's main center for carbon trading.

So far, Europe is home to the world's only major carbon exchange and it dominates the $118 billion annual trade in carbon. Australia aims to become the second market, provided its lawmakers approve plans to usher in carbon-trading by mid-2011.

But China is likely to overtake Sydney as a base for trading carbon futures and other environmental products, as Beijing moves to greener policies, according to industry executives and experts attending a carbon-trading conference on Australia's Gold Coast.

Even Australian carbon banker John Marlow, global head of environmental financial products for Macquarie Group, said many firms would prefer to put staff into China rather than Sydney.

"The question is, where would my headcount be? Sydney has an advantage for me as Macquarie is headquartered there, but if I was coming in blind I would be scratching my head to set up there," Marlow told Reuters on the sidelines of the conference.

"I think in another two or three years you will probably see Hong Kong or Beijing as a hub."

China is already a major international source of carbon offsets -- tradeable credits that are used as a hedge by carbon polluters -- and is destined to play an even bigger role as more and more countries force their polluters to pay for emissions.

Typically, foreign investors plough money into green projects in China, then sell off the carbon offsets that are produced.

Singapore is also seen as a contender to become an Asian hub as it is near and has easy access to these Clean Development Mechanism projects, the main source of Certified Emission Reduction certificates that can used as carbon credits.

It is already a top Asian financial and oil trading hub, which offers complementary infrastructure to carbon trading.

Martijn Wilder, a partner in legal firm Baker & McKenzie, said Australia might use tax incentives to attract firms to set up carbon-trading businesses, but this was unlikely to succeed.

The European Climate Exchange, the world's dominant carbon market, voiced some skepticism on Wednesday about Asian ambitions to develop an international hub, saying the region was an important source of supply for carbon credits but not demand.

Asian centers would continue in Europe's shadow until they developed major cap-and-trade markets in their own right, which was still a way off, European Climate Exchange Chief Executive Patrick Birley told Reuters on the conference sidelines.

"Markets exist where the buyers are, not where the supply side is. Farmers always take their produce to market, the market doesn't come to them," he said.

In terms of cap-and-trade systems, Sydney might even find itself overtaken by Japan if Australia's planned scheme continued to suffer delays and political opposition, Birley added.

Japan's new government wants to introduce a compulsory cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas emissions as early as the year to March 2012, the Nikkei business daily said last month.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has outlined a goal to cut such emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020.

(Editing by Mark Bendeich)

Hong Kong, Beijing May Become Asia-Pacific Carbon Trading Hubs
Ben Sharples, Bloomberg 28 Oct 09;

Oct. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong or Beijing may become the hub for carbon trading in the Asia-Pacific region within the next three years, with Australia needing to pass climate change laws to be a potential contender.

“I think in another two or three years we will see either Hong Kong or Beijing as the hub,” John Marlow, London-based global head of environmental financial products for Macquarie Bank, told the CarbonExpo Australasia conference on Queensland state’s Gold Coast today. Australian states are competing against each other to be the hub, rather than working together, he said.

Governments from around the world will meet in Copenhagen starting Dec. 7 for the final round of talks on a climate accord to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. The negotiations are being run by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Australia’s houses of parliament are expected to vote on domestic carbon legislation by the end of November.

“I think if Australia really wants to be a leader or a hub, then it better get its act together and do something quickly, including passing” the climate change bill, Geoff Sinclair, London-based global head of carbon sales and trading for Standard Bank, said today. Singapore and Hong Kong are working aggressively to become the regional center, he said.

China already has several carbon trading exchanges which have started up, said Mina Guli, Beijing-based vice chairman of Peony Capital. There is involvement from the U.S. to help them grow and expand, she said.

“I think you will see China become increasingly involved in this space,” Guli said.

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