4 Mar: Registration opens for Sisters Islands Intertidal walks in Apr 2018
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Cyrene with special snail
wild shores of singapore
The Giant Forest Ant (Dinomyrmex gigas), an Asian Icon
Entomological Network of Singapore
Audrey Tan Straits Times 2 Mar 18;
SINGAPORE - A mussel calamity has befallen the Republic's northern shores.
Since 2016, a new species of mussel that could have come from as far away as the Americas has been spreading rapidly along Singapore's northern coast, clogging up nets in fish farms and displacing the Asian green mussel native to Singapore, as they compete with the local molluscs for space.
Observed in clumps of up to 10,000 individual shellfish, the invasive American brackish-water mussel has also been forming dense mats in the Kranji mudflats - home to rare horseshoe crabs - to the dismay of nature groups here.
Studies on the impact that the invasive mussels have on local ecology, including how it will affect the ancient horseshoe crabs, are ongoing. But there is concern the appearance of the mussels in the horseshoe crabs' habitat in such dense numbers has made it difficult for the latter to burrow into the sand where the creatures lay their eggs.
This is the first time the mussel Mytella strigata has been recorded in Singapore waters, said National University of Singapore (NUS) scientists studying the phenomenon during a media briefing on Friday (March 2).
The research was led by Dr Serena Teo and Dr Tan Koh Siang, both senior research fellows at the Tropical Marine Science Institute under NUS.
According to the research paper by the six NUS scientists, the mollusc could have come from Brazil, Colombia or Ecuador - countries where these animals are naturally found - or from the Philippines, where they have been introduced since the 19th century.
Larvae from the mussel, which can grow up to 5cm in length, could have been transported to Singapore by ballast water in ships, usually taken on board to provide stability, noted the study, which was published last month in the science journal Molluscan Research.
According to the United States' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), invasive species are animals or plants from another region of the world that do not belong in their new environment.
"They can be introduced to an area by ship ballast water, accidental release, and most often, by people. Invasive species can lead to the extinction of native plants and animals, destroy biodiversity, and permanently alter habitats," said the NOAA on its website.
Invasive species such as the American mussel could hurt also Singapore's status as a top transhipment hub globally. The Republic, like many coastal cities with urban harbours, is vulnerable to invasions by such shellfish.
When invasive mussels attach to hard surfaces, they form clumps in places such as on seawater intake pipes and vessels. Such undesirable marine growth on man-made surfaces is known as biofouling.
These clumps can reduce vessel speeds by more than 10 per cent due to drag, and increase fuel consumption of ships when they power up to overcome it. Such marine pests can also damage engines and propellers.
Findings from the NUS researchers' study suggest that the foreign mussels could muscle out their native counterparts in fish farms here.
The researchers placed nylon sheet netting underwater at a floating fish farm off Changi. The netting was first put out in September 2014 and renewed every month between October 2014 and February last year.
Before February 2016, the only mussel species found on the netting was the native Asian green mussel. But since March 2016, the invasive Mytella strigata was observed in rising numbers, and the number of Asian green mussels decreased.
The National Parks Board (NParks), custodian of Singapore's nature areas, told The Straits Times that it was first made aware of the mussels early last year, and that it is currently collaborating with experts from NUS on research to better understand the mollusc.
Dr Karenne Tun, director of the marine division at NParks' National Biodiversity Centre, said the board will be working with experts from NUS to assess the presence and potential movement of the mussels within Singapore's waters using eDNA techniques.
"This would enable us to develop a holistic science-based management plan for the species. At the same time, NParks and the Tropical Marine Science Institute will be working with volunteers from the Marine Conservation Group of the Nature Society (Singapore) on a mussel removal programme at areas most impacted by the mussels," said Dr Tun.
Mr Stephen Beng, chair of the Nature Society’s marine conservation group, said the invasive mussels have “devastated” the Kranji mudflats, an ecologically important habitat.
“We’ve noted their encroachment since end of 2015 but only received confirmation that it was an invasive species much later,” he told ST.
He said parties involved need to strengthen collaborative efforts and tighten communication loops in dealing with apparent threats.
“For now, the horseshoe crab rescue and research volunteers are willing to clear the mussels even if it’s a short term strategy but we want to focus on ecological studies to understand how the species lives and interacts. This will help us develop interventions that may help to manage the spread and hopefully eradicate the problem.
Muscled out: Singapore's native green mussels face competition from foreign species
Fann Sim Channel NewsAsia 2 Mar 18;
SINGAPORE: Singapore's native green mussels are at risk of being displaced by a competing species from the Atlantic waters near South America.
The Mytella strigata, commonly known as charru mussels, was first discovered in our shores by accident in 2016.
In the year since, these foreign mussels have reproduced rapidly, with sightings reported last year at eight other locations including Sungei Buloh, Sungei Jurong and Pulau Ubin, said a team of researchers at the National University of Singapore's Tropical Marine Science Institute.
MUSCLED OUT
At a research site at Changi fish farms, the researchers found that the charru mussels - which grows on hard surfaces such as seawalls and boulders as well as soft sediments like mudflats and mangrove floors - displaced native green mussels by taking over their space.
As part of their study, the researchers placed sheets of nets underwater and reviewed them on a monthly basis.
"What we see on our fishnets is that it's recruiting much, much faster than the green mussels. It'll reproduce. Once you sit first, and you occupy all the space then the other one cannot go in," said Dr Serena Teo, a senior research fellow at the research institute.
"They (green mussels) have less space to settle and grow bigger ... We know that the Mytella Strigata can choose to settle in many places and that also includes the spaces that the green mussels also likes to dominate," said research associate Lim Chin Sing.
"We do not know when it arrived in Singapore but what we have now is a detection when it has spread. Invasive species can come by many, many different routes. Through shipping, aquaculture, people also carry things around. There are a number of ways species can travel," Dr Teo added.
Dr Teo urged the public to not collect or consume charru mussels found in the wild.
Mussels are filter feeders that obtain nutrients by processing large amounts of water they live in.
"While they are consumed in some countries, I think it's important in Singapore that people are a bit more cautious about what they want to collect. Wild collected food carries risk of environmental contaminants whereas what you buy from the market has gone through Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA)," said Dr Teo.
In the next phase of the study, the researchers will look into the life history of these mussels, such as their reproduction rate and environmental tolerance.
The researchers will also look at the larger impact of their invasive presence on fish farmers and the shipping industry .
HOW DID THEY GET TO SOUTHEAST ASIA?
The earliest record of the charru mussel appearing in the region was logged from a specimen collected from the Philippines in 1800s.
"They could have travelled through the Spanish galleons, maybe like an attachment to the boat or maybe through aquaculture or things that they bring over. These Spanish galleons travelled from America to Philippines in the 16th to 19th century so it could have followed them there and established in the local estuaries in the Philippines," said Ms Lim Jia Yi, an NUS graduate who worked on the study.
The findings were published in the Molluscan Research journal.
Source: CNA/fs
Alien mussel species could hurt local fish farmers
SIAU MING EN Today Online 3 Mar 18;
SINGAPORE — An alien species of mussels spotted here since 2015 has raised alarm among environmental activists and could impact local fish farmers.
Charru mussels, or Mytella strigata, are native to Central and South America. Closer to home, they were established in the Philippines in the 19th century.
The steady growth of the non-native mussels, which have been sighted at multiple locations here such as Sungei Buloh, Pasir Ris, Pulau Ubin and Sembawang, has led to concerns that they could out-compete native Asian green mussels and horseshoe crabs.
At least one fish farmer who also grows shellfish has been affected by the invasive mussels. Ah Hua Kelong co-owner Bryan Ang, 29, first noticed Charru mussels about two years ago at both his farms in Sembawang and Pasir Ris.
“They suddenly just appeared (and) kept growing till the green mussels cannot survive. It’s quite damaging,” he said.
Although not the main source of his business, his farms harvest about five tonnes of Asian green mussels a year. Now, Charru mussels make up about 70 to 80 per cent of his mussel harvest at the Sembawang farm, and about 25 per cent over at Pasir Ris.
“We can’t do anything about it. We can’t sell (the Charru mussels because) nobody is going to buy it, (they’re) so small. They (also) keep growing, like weed. You can clear them but they come back again,” he added.
Asian green mussels, which are bigger than Charru mussels, sell for S$8 per kg on Ah Hua Kelong’s website.
Some other fish farmers here grow Asian green mussels to filter harmful particles from the water around their farmed fish and do not sell the molluscs.
Mr Stephen Beng, chairman of the Nature Society Singapore’s marine conservation group, has seen a steady growth of the invasive mussels at the Kranji mudflats – home to horseshoe crabs – since late-2015.
The invasive species could out-compete the horseshoe crabs for space or strip the mudflats of life-supporting nutrients and cause a shift in the base of the food web, upsetting the ecosystem.
As an immediate response, Mr Beng and fellow volunteers plan to clear the non-native mussels that they find. In the longer term, they hope to conduct ecological studies to understand the interactions between the invasive and native species, he said.
Researchers here, who published a study on the Charru mussels last month, first discovered them on a routine field trip to the shores along the Johor straits in March 2016. It is the first time these mussels have been reported in the Malay Archipelago, said Dr Serena Teo, senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Tropical Marine Science Institute.
The researchers have been studying mussels since September 2014 by placing nets underwater, which are inspected every month.
While it is not known how exactly the Charru mussels arrived at Singapore’s shores, they could have travelled via ballast water in ships or by aquaculture, said Dr Teo.
After the researchers’ first sighting of the Mytella strigata, they noticed the increase in their numbers, while that of the Asian green mussels – the only species previously found on the nets – fell. It meant the invasive species was reproducing much faster and occupying space on the nets, leaving no room for the Asian green mussels, said Dr Teo, who co-led the study.
To identify the new species, the researchers had to examine the interior surfaces of the shells, conduct genetic sequencing and examine museum specimens.
Their presence here could have various implications, said Dr Teo. “With this infestation, farmers may need to consider new ways to efficiently farm (Asian green mussels),” she said.
Besides causing drag in the movement of ships, the species may also find its way to other countries. In places with strict biosecurity laws, the presence of invasive pests can result in penalties for ship owners, she said.
And while Charru mussels can be eaten, Dr Teo cautioned against eating those collected in the wild as they may carry environmental contaminants.
The researchers plan to do further studies in areas such as the species’ growth rates, settlement patterns and how it interacts with other organisms in the ecosystem.
Invasive species are a concern worldwide because they have the potential to destroy biodiversity, alter habitats or cause native species to go extinct.
The Mytella strigata is not the only invasive mussel species here. Another, the Mytilopsis sallei, was introduced in the 1980s.
Other species non-native to Singapore that have found their way into the wild – possibly through the pet trade and abandonment by pet owners – include the Red-eared Slider (a turtle) and the Javan myna (which has become Singapore’s most abundant bird).
Related links
On wild shores of singapore
* Invasive mussels on Singapore's northern shores
* Kranji Clamity Continues, Jan 2018
* Clams and clear water at Kranji, Mar 2017
LOUISA TANG Today Online 1 Mar 18;
SINGAPORE — Singapore’s total population is likely to be below 6 million by 2020, and “significantly” below 6.9 million by 2030, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Josephine Teo on Thursday (March 1) in Parliament.
The number of working-age Singaporeans (aged 20 to 64) is expected to peak at 2.2 million around 2020 and decline thereafter.
Immigrants are needed to prevent the population from shrinking in the long term, said Mrs Teo, who oversees the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD), at the Committee of Supply debate for the Prime Minister’s Office.
At current rates of immigration, Singapore is “close to achieving the same effect as if we had full-replacement Total Fertility Rate (TFR, of 2.1)”, she said. “Therefore, we do not expect any major changes to our immigration policy presently.”
As of June last year, the population of 5.61 million included 3.44 million citizens and 527,000 permanent residents, according to the Department of Statistics. Mrs Teo said 22,076 citizenships and 31,849 permanent residencies were granted last year.
The NPTD had said in the population White Paper in Jan 2013 that the Republic’s total population could range between 5.8 million and 6 million by 2020, and 6.5 million to 6.9 million by 2030. The 6.9 million figure sparked a public outcry and the Government said it was a not a forecast or target, but for planning purposes.
Today, total population growth has slowed considerably to 1 per cent per year over the last five years, compared to 3 per cent every year for the five years before that, said Mrs Teo.
Revealing that last year’s TFR fell to a 1.16 – the lowest since the rate of 1.15 in 2010 – after hovering around 1.2 in recent years, she explained the “apparent contradiction”, given the higher number of births in recent years.
Many children of baby boomers are about 20 to 30 years old today and are included in the denominator used to calculate the TFR. But compared to earlier cohorts, more of them are not yet married or have not started having children.
“When they do, we can expect the numerator, which is the number of births to increase further. TFR could then also increase,” said Mrs Teo.
Workforce growth will slow to about 1 to 2 per cent every year from now till 2020 – significantly less than in the past but “a more sustainable pace going forward”, she said.
The Government will continue to support higher participation in the labour force among Singaporeans, and “balance these efforts with a calibrated flow of foreign workers that complements our local workforce”.
“We are selective about the profile of our immigrants, because it affects how we grow a strong national identity,” Mrs Teo said. “This is why we prioritise not only those who can contribute, but those who are also prepared to sink roots in Singapore, and can integrate well here.”
The Government is also working on strengthening integration, she added. One in three marriages today are between a Singaporean and non-Singaporean.
Over the past three years, the National Integration Council has supported more than 320 ground-up integration projects by 150 organisations that encourage immigrants and locals to bond over interests such as sports and volunteerism.
muguntan vanar The Star 3 Mar 18;
KOTA KINABALU: The move to translocate a herd of protected Borneo pygmy elephants marauding farmlands and plantations in Telupid to other forest reserves is being met with resistance from residents near the reserves where the elephants will be moved to.
As the standoff between wildlife officers and the herd enters its 38th day, Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said people living in plantations near the Imbak canyon forest reserve and those in Kalabakan are asking us not to send the (Telupid) elephants there.
“We’ve sent (the animals) to the Dermakot forest reserve but found that they came back as the reserve is very close to Telupid,” he said in an interview.
“We are now looking at other options to resolve the problem,” he said.
The herd created panic recently when an elephant wandered into a school canteen and a few others went to the Telupid police station to forage for food.
On Thursday, a ranger chasing away the elephants was injured after he fell while the team faced a range of problems, including vehicle breakdown, as they tried to locate the herd which had split into groups of three or four.
Tuuga said a long-term solution would be to create a larger reserve area for the elephants within Telupid and put up electric fences to stop them from entering the villages.
“Such an area will contain the problem and can be used as a tourism attraction,” he said, adding that he would be bringing this up with the state Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry.
Rangers from the Wildlife Rescue Unit, he said, had so far captured five elephants, including a calf, from the herd of 20.
“Three of them are bulls and another, a female.
“Our rangers are trying to capture one or two more aggressive bulls and work towards shooing back the remaining herd into the Telupid forest reserve,” he said, adding that two of the animals caught were fitted with satellite collars and translocated to a neighbouring forest.
There are an estimated 1,500 to 2,500 pygmy elephants left in Sabah’s wild.
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Channel NewsAsia 1 Mar 18;
SINGAPORE: Microsoft said on Thursday it will buy solar power from the Sunseap Group in Singapore, the technology company's first renewable energy deal in Asia.
Microsoft will purchase 100 per cent of the electricity generated from Sunseap's 60 megawatt-peak solar power project for 20 years for its Singapore data operations, the software company said in a statement. Sunseap's project consists of an array of solar panels on hundreds of rooftops across the city-state.
"This deal is Microsoft's first renewable energy deal in Asia, and is our third international clean energy announcement, following two wind deals announced in Ireland and the Netherlands in 2017," said Mr Christian Belady, general manager, cloud infrastructure strategy and architecture at Microsoft.
Microsoft said it is on track to exceed its goal of powering 50 per cent of its global data centre load with renewable energy this year.
"Once operational, the new solar project will bring Microsoft's total global direct procurement in renewable energy projects to 860 megawatts," Mr Belady said.
The solar project is under construction and will be operational by the end of the year, the companies said.
(Reporting by Florence Tan; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
Source: Reuters
Gwyneth Teo Channel NewsAsia 1 Mar 18;
SINGAPORE: Showering and flushing make up nearly half of the water used in homes, national water agency PUB said on Thursday (Mar 1).
In a study done with 400 households in 2016 and 2017, PUB found that showering remained the largest guzzler of water in homes at 27 per cent. This was followed by flushing at 18 per cent, kitchen use at 16 per cent and laundry at 15 per cent.
The numbers are similar to its findings in a 2004 study, where showering accounted for 29 per cent of water usage in homes, while flushing made up 16 per cent.
In addition to water usage, the latest study also included information on water-efficient fittings in households.
In 2009, PUB introduced the Mandatory Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme (MWELS), which requires suppliers to display the water-efficiency ratings of appliances of fittings. This allows customers to make informed purchasing choices. At the same time, minimum water efficiency standards for the products were introduced.
Products under MWELS include taps and mixers, low-capacity flushing cisterns, urinal flush valves and waterless urinals, and washing machines.
PUB found in its latest household water usage survey that more than half of the water fittings in toilets, kitchen sinks, showers and washing machines were efficient.
The water agency said this indicates a high penetration of water-efficient appliances and fittings in Singaporean households, and also shows a preference for water-saving devices.
Mr Ng Joo Hee, Chief Executive of PUB, said: “We are heartened that MWELS has helped people make more informed purchasing decisions. We will certainly continue to work with suppliers and retailers to bring equipment that are even more water efficient to market, so consumers can save even more water."
The PUB has implemented several programmes over the years to help households save water.
In 2017, it launched the three-year Water Closer Replacement Project, replacing inefficient nine-litre water closets in 1,100 eligible households on community assistance with efficient ones for free.
Those households saw an average 10 per cent reduction in monthly water usage. The project will reach about 7,000 households in total.
It also previously announced that it will embark on the Smart Shower Programme in 10,000 new homes to tackle the household area with the highest water consumption.
In this programme, a non-electrical, hydro-powered smart device provides users with real-time feedback on water consumption during showers.
A trial of the programme saw 500 households save 5 litres per person per day on average, resulting in an overall saving of 3 per cent on monthly water usage.
PUB hopes to prove the effectiveness of the device on a larger scale, and will bear the cost of the devices.
PUB will be kicking off its annual month-long water conservation campaign this Saturday.
President Halimah Yacob will join more than 4,000 participants in taking the inaugural "I Save" pledge to declare their commitment to saving water and fighting climate change.
To date, 4,700 pledges have already been taken to conserve water using five specific water saving tips. PUB expects to collect about 50,000 pledges during the month-long campaign.
There will also be more than 50 roadshows across the island, which makes this year's campaign the largest to date.
Source: CNA/aj
AFP Yahoo News 1 Mar 18;
Singapore (AFP) - Malaysia will press the European Union not to ban palm oil in biofuels during talks this week, the country's trade minister said Thursday, warning the move would hit the rural poor.
The European Parliament earlier this year voted in favour of a draft law on renewable energy that calls for the use of palm oil in biofuels to be banned from 2021, amid mounting worries about its impact on the environment.
Malaysia and Indonesia will be hard hit as they are the world's top exporters of palm oil.
Malaysian Trade Minister Mustapa Mohamed said he will raise the issue when he meets with EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) trade ministers' meeting in Singapore.
The two-day meeting began Thursday and includes talks with Malmstroem, who is heading an EU delegation. ASEAN is a regional bloc of 10 Southeast Asian nations.
"This is a subject that is very important to us. Of course, I will raise the subject with her when I see her later," Mustapa told reporters.
"We've been in communication and they've been providing assurances that this is not final yet," he said, adding that the European Parliament vote is not yet binding.
He said the livelihoods of more than 650,000 smallholders living in rural Malaysia would be affected by any ban.
"You cannot discriminate against the poor people of Malaysia and Indonesia," he said.
Palm oil, also a major ingredient in products from food to cosmetics, has long been controversial as environmentalists say it drives deforestation, with huge swathes of rainforest logged in recent decades to make way for plantations.
The use of the commodity in food and cosmetics had already dropped in Europe, partly due to pressure from green groups on major corporations, but has been increasing in biofuels.
stephanie lee The Star 1 Mar 18;
KOTA KINABALU: The unexpected appearance of an elephant caused panic among teachers and students of SMK Telupid when it sauntered through their school canteen on Thursday morning.
Beluran police chief Supt V. Shivananthan said the incident, which happened at 6am, was the second case this year involving elephants trespassing into inhabited areas in Sabah's interior Telupid district.
"This morning, an elephant went into the SMK Telupid canteen in search for food, shocking students and teachers," he said.
On Feb 28, about 10 elephants entered the compound of the Beluran police station after the herd got through the fence, he added.
Meanwhile, wildlife rangers have their hands full trying to locate the elephants following reports of them wandering into the police station and school.
Wildlife Rescue Unit veterinarian Dr Diana Ramirez, who is part of the team trying to relocate the elephants back into the forest, said they have been trying to keep the herd away from humans and residential areas for the past month.
"We are still trying to capture more and get the herd away from humans," she said.
She said they managed to capture four elephants – believed to be the more aggressive ones – about a week ago and these would be translocated soon.
It is estimated that there are about 20 elephants which are terrorising villagers and wildlife rangers as well as destroying plantations and property.
Sabah Wildlife employee pursued by elephants falls into ravine
HAZSYAH ABDUL RAHMAN New Straits Times 2 Mar 18;
TELUPID: An employee of the Sabah Wildlife Department fell into a ravine when chased by elephants yesterday.
The 30-year-old victim was injured but is now stable after treatment.
Department director Augustine Tuuga said he was trying to get rid of the elephants roaming around the district police station and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Telupid here but fell into the ravine when trying to escape from the elephants.
He added that the human-elephant conflict here involved more than 20 elephants has been going on for a year
“All had been captured and translocated to the Deramakot Forest Reserve.
"However, the herd came back here again from Dec 18,” Augustine said, adding the department had despatched many of its personnel from other districts to address the issue.
He added they also sought help from the youth in several villages here, Civil Defence personnel, and non-governmental organisations.
However, they only captured five elephants and translocated them to Imbak Canyon forest reserve.
NSTP had yesterday reported that students and teachers of SMK Telupid here were shocked when an elephant strolled into their school in the morning.
The unexpected 6am visit saw the lone pachyderm enter the school premises before heading for the canteen, apparently in search of food.
The herd had also gone into district police station after damaging the fence.
17-18 Mar: 'The Fun Odyssea' - community launch for kids and the family
Celebrating Singapore Shores!
Audrey Tan Straits Times 28 Feb 18;
SINGAPORE - A national recycling effort collected just 2 per cent of the total amount of waste generated by the domestic sector here in 2016, falling far behind other waste collection efforts.
The informal recycling sector, which includes rag-and-bone men, for instance, collected almost nine times more.
The figure was derived from calculations done by The Straits Times, after Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor on Wednesday (Feb 28) revealed figures for the National Recycling Programme in Parliament- the first time such data was revealed publicly.
She was responding to a question by Mr Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC), who had asked for the cost and tonnage of recyclables collected under the National Recycling Programme.
Dr Khor said the public waste collectors collected about 44,200 tonnes of recyclables in 2016, but did not say how much the programme has cost the Government.
The 44,200 tonnes collected by public waste collectors work out to about 2 per cent of the 2.1 million tonnes of waste generated by the domestic sector in 2016.
In total, only 435,600 tonnes of waste were recycled.
Recyclables from the domestic sector, which includes public and private estates, schools, army camps, petrol kiosks, places of worship and shophouses, are picked up by public waste collectors under the National Recycling Programme, or collected by the informal recycling sector.
On Wednesday, Dr Khor told the House that the Ministry for the Environment and Water Resources (Mewr) is looking at how it can improve recycling rates in the domestic sector.
"In recent years, we have been enhancing recycling infrastructure to make it even easier for Singaporeans to recycle," she said.
For example, from April 1 this year, all new non-landed private residential developments will need to provide dual chutes for refuse and recyclables.
All existing condominiums will also have to provide one recycling bin per block from Aug 1 this year.
"We will also use regulatory measures to complement the new recycling infrastructure. For example, we will introduce a new framework to make it easier for Singaporeans to recycle their e-waste," Dr Khor added.
The new measures follow other strategies that NEA has already taken in hopes of boosting Singapore's lacklustre domestic recycling sector.
For example, since 2014, every HDB block has been provided with a blue recycling bin - up from one bin for every five blocks. That year, the Government also announced that all new public housing projects will be fitted with recycling chutes with throw points on each floor.
Still, overall domestic recycling rate - which includes recyclables collected under the National Recycling Programme and the informal recycling sector - has hovered around 20 per cent since 2012.
In comparison, Taiwan has a household recycling rate of 55 per cent. Germany's recycling rate for municipal waste is 64 per cent and that of South Korea is 59 per cent, according to statistics from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Where the announced carbon tax rate at Budget 2018 has seen a downward revision from a previously mentioned range, two experts discuss the merits of an entry-level carbon tax.
Allan Loi and Melissa Low Channel NewsAsia 1 Mar 18;
SINGAPORE: There was a sigh of relief during Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat’s announcement at Budget 2018 that a carbon tax of S$5 per tonne of greenhouse gas emissions will be imposed from 2019.
In doing so, Singapore joins more than 67 other jurisdictions in implementing carbon pricing as a tool to reduce carbon emissions.
Since the 1990s when it was first implemented in most Nordic countries, a carbon tax has been progressively accepted as a transparent and accountable way of pricing in the cost of the negative externalities of producing energy, and collecting revenue from the large emitters of harmful greenhouse gases (GHG).
However, to most businesses and individual consumers, a carbon tax is a new and additional expense. They will have to integrate this new cost burden into their operating budget constraints.
Environmentalists may see the landing price point as marginal compared to the prices set in other countries such as Sweden and Norway, where rates go as high as S$186 per tonne of emissions.
Where it had been announced previously that the carbon tax might land at S$10 to S$20 per tonne of emissions, the price point announced at Budget 2018 was a downward revision.
What might be the reasons for this? More importantly, will it still achieve its intended impact in shaping business decisions and consumer behaviour?
OPPORTIUNITY TO ENHANCE CLIMATE CHANGE EFFORTS
Regardless of the imposed amount, Singapore’s carbon tax presents several opportunities to enhance national efforts in tackling climate change, including through more robust data collection and revenue recycling to help companies become more energy efficient.
Companies will be required to submit a verifiable emissions report by Jun 30, 2020. Monitoring plans indicating how each company ensures the quality of data used for computation in the emissions report, which may have to be verified by an independent third party, will have to be submitted by the preceding Dec 31 each year.
Some of these guidelines were earlier introduced as part of enhancements to the Energy Conservation Act.
How carbon tax revenues are reallocated to the economy will be important.
A key question is how should these be allocated among the goals of driving further green investments and energy efficiency? In addition, how much revenue will be directed at fostering industry and job growth in the clean energy sector or in aiding companies working on sustainable urban solutions?
As Mr Heng mentioned, revenue collected from this scheme will be used for two existing funds designed specifically to support further green initiatives for the industry, going some way to help make progress in Singapore’s goal of sustainable development - one that manages our carbon footprint and does our part to combat climate change.
It is unclear if all revenue will be channelled indefinitely to these funds, but the option to use some revenue to drive other productive aspects of the economy such as infrastructure or education could potentially be open.
STARTING SMALL
S$5 per tonne of emissions may sound trivial to some. However, many countries that charge high carbon taxes often include exemptions to avoid the economy being struck too hard by carbon prices.
According to a literature survey of carbon pricing in 2016 by academic journal Energy Policy, Switzerland exempts the transportation sector, whereas France excludes the fishing industry in their system. Singapore, for now, does not view it necessary to employ such exemptions.
Other jurisdictions such as British Columbia and the Nordic countries are less affected by a carbon tax for electricity generation because they are almost entirely fuelled by cleaner renewable electricity sources such as wind and hydropower.
Like some of the more recent adopters of the carbon tax, such as Japan, Chile, Colombia, and Latvia, Singapore is starting with a low initial carbon tax rate. The S$5 per tonne of GHG emissions serves as an entry-level price to allow the economy time to adjust before the tax is increased after review by 2023.
As Joseph Aldy, an associate professor of public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, mentioned in a recent paper that the immediate implementation of a large carbon tax in general will “shock the energy system” and destabilise longer-term plans to attract support for the tax.
As a small open economy that has a sizable dependence on foreign direct investments and fossil fuels, Singapore must ensure that the cost from a carbon tax does not unduly increase the cost of doing business in Singapore, risking driving companies away or costing the economy jobs.
Currently, electricity generation for Singapore is still predominantly driven by fossil fuels, even though we’ve moved toward using cleaner burning natural gas. This means unlike some other developed countries, most sectors in the economy will be impacted by the tax.
DOES NOT RULE OUT CARBON TRADING SYSTEM
Looking at the draft Carbon Pricing Bill released late last year and to be read later this year, Singapore’s carbon tax is to be operated as a fixed price credit-based system, where covered entities purchase allowances from the regulator NEA and surrender the amount equal to their respective emissions during the compliance period.
Such a move allows authorities the flexibility to move towards a carbon trading scheme in the future, where Singapore imposes a cap on the total level of emissions, and allow companies with low emissions to sell their excess allowances to larger emitters.
Singapore’s 2030 target of reducing emissions intensity by 36 per cent compared to 2005 levels could act as a cap in such a trading scheme, where emissions based on this are expected to stabilise at 65 million tonnes of GHG emissions by 2030.
IMPACT ON MONTHLY HOUSEHOLD UTILITY BILLS
What looks certain is that household welfare is unlikely to be adversely affected – given that the resulting electricity and gas expenses from the carbon tax will only rise by about 1 per cent on average and additional Utilities-Save rebates will be provided by the Government to eligible households.
Another offsetting factor may be Singapore’s move towards full retail contestability in its electricity market by the second half of 2018.
Singapore residents could be looking at further discounts off their electricity bills compared to Singapore Power tariffs should they switch to a suitable alternative tariff plan or electricity provider, based on publicly available price offers and assuming oil prices and households’ electricity consumption remain similar.
In addition, consumers may be allowed to switch to providers who use renewable sources of energy such as solar power in the future, further reducing their carbon footprint.
ROAD TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
The new carbon tax is intended to price in the costs of climate change and our carbon footprint into energy consuming activities, making them more salient to businesses and consumers.
This complements existing educational and financing schemes in place to reduce our carbon emissions and combat climate change in Singapore.
Putting a price on carbon has proven reasonably successful in most countries that have implemented it. The carbon tax is thus an essential step in Singapore’s climate change efforts, and necessary if we are to meet our international climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Companies and consumers must use the next few years wisely to get a head start before authorities review the carbon tax rate with the intention of increasing it to between S$10 and S$15 per tonne of emissions by 2030.
We must aim to become more energy efficient and factor in the cost of climate change cost into our everyday lives, until it becomes part of our habitual nature to be mindful of our actions and how they impact the environment.
Allan Loi is a research associate at the Energy Studies Institute at the National University of Singapore. Melissa Low is a research fellow at the same institute.
Source: CNA/sl
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