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Do Singaporeans know the extent of the resources needed to fuel their plastic bag usage, and the amount of bags that is wasted? Talking Point explores the issue.
Derrick A Paulo and Peh Yuxin Channel NewsAsia 5 Apr 18;
SINGAPORE: If each person in Singapore uses 1.6 plastic bags a day, the country would guzzle enough petroleum in a year to drive 8,555 cars round the world.
That is not a hypothetical situation.
It takes 37 million kg of crude oil and 12 million kg of natural gas to produce three billion plastic bags – the amount the Republic was already consuming in a year by 2011.
And the 1.6 bags that comes to per person per day is twice as many as the average Malaysian uses and thrice the figure in Australia.
“A lot of Singaporeans see plastic bag usage as a right, not a privilege,” said Ms Jessica Cheam, the founder of online publication Eco-Business. “The problem is that people take far more bags than they need.”
This issue of wastage came up in Parliament last month when the Government said that imposing a charge or ban on disposable plastic bags and substituting them with other types of disposable bags is unlikely to improve environmental outcomes.
But as Talking Point discovered, people are still shocked when they hear how many plastic bags are being disposed of: About 420 tonnes every day last year, or 2,640 bags every three seconds. (Watch the episode on Channel 5 tonight, April 5, at 9.30pm.)
NOT RECYCLED
Worldwide, a plastic bag is used, on average, for 12 minutes before being discarded. And this is damaging the environment.
“Many of them just go into the incinerators, and worse, they end up in oceans,” said Ms Cheam.
If we don’t do anything about it, then there are going to be more plastics than fish in the ocean by 2050.
While plastic bags have many uses, from carrying groceries to bagging up refuse, they add to the mountain of rubbish Singapore produces.
Last year, 94 per cent of plastic waste was not recycled, and plastic bags are estimated to constitute around a fifth of this.
But even most of the bags sent for recycling are typically discarded. For example, shredding and recycling company Impetus Conceptus ends up recycling about 30 to 40 per cent of the bags it receives because the rest would be contaminated.
“Food contamination, oil contamination, stuff like that,” said its business development director Thomas Wong.
Once it’s contaminated, we’re not able to do anything else because it deteriorates the quality of the pellets.
He advises those who want to recycle plastic bags to fold them in old clothing, books or glass containers, which can all be put in the blue recycling bin at every public apartment block and, from August, every condominium block.
Most of all, he urged: “Don’t ask for a plastic bag. Bring your own bag.”
WASTE IN THE MAKING
To begin with, the production of plastic bags not only requires a huge amount of resources, but also entails wastage in the process.
Over at Union Packaging Industries, which supplies 30 tonnes of bags monthly to retailers in Singapore, about 20 per cent of the plastic resins are wasted because of the adjustments needed in the different stages of manufacturing.
“There’s a lot of manpower and hard work involved (at each stage),” said its director Lam Chun Seng.
With supermarkets holding off on imposing a plastic bag levy, and the government not planning to make them do so, the ball is in the consumer’s court.
In 2013, the Singapore Environment Council found that some 26 per cent of households have more than 20 bags lying around at home. And non-profit organisation Zero Waste SG wants to reduce this kind of “excessive” usage.
While its call for a mandatory charge for plastic bag use has been rebuffed, Zero Waste SG manager Pek Hai Lin hopes that will change in future, even as she stressed that her group is not pushing for a ban.
“The government is dealing with other environmental issues as well: It’s increasing the water price; it’s implementing the carbon tax,” she said.
“So it’s looking at different aspects of responsibility to the environment. And I hope it’ll look at this sooner rather than later.”
Samantha Boh Straits Times 5 Apr 18;
SINGAPORE - Singapore, a sunny island set in the sea as a song goes, may soon have "energy islands" made up of solar panels floating in the sea.
These "islands" will supply electricity to nearby industrial zones or living areas, under a project by the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (Seris) housed at the National University of Singapore.
It is one of three projects launched on Thursday (April 5) as Seris marks its 10th anniversary at an event at the NUS Shaw Foundation Alumni House.
The "energy islands" project comes as the Government looks to expand the world's largest floating photovoltaics (PV) testbed at Tengeh Reservoir - run by Seris, PUB and the Economic Development Board - to other reservoirs in the next few years.
In another project, Seris will work on developing more efficient solar cells with Nanyang Technological University and the National Research Foundation's Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise. The aim is for the cells to convert 30 per cent of the sunlight it absorbs into energy - surpassing the current world record efficiency of 26.6 per cent.
As for its third project, the institute is looking to develop cheaper and more efficient solar panels that can be integrated into buildings to overcome land constraints.
In a statement congratulating Seris on its 10th anniversary, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean noted that solar energy is presently the best alternative energy option for Singapore, in terms of economic and technical viability.
For instance, the costs of solar energy have been reduced by about 85 per cent in the last decade, and are now competitive with fossil fuel-based power in many countries, including Singapore.
By 2020, Singapore aims to put in place enough solar PV systems to supply 350MWp of electricity - about 5 per cent of projected peak electricity demand here.
Mr Teo said there is a global shift towards renewable energy and Singapore is in a good position to trial cleantech solutions, which can be scaled for other cities in the Asia-Pacific, particularly as they seek options to tackle energy and sustainability challenges.
He said research initiatives and supporting services have helped to anchor a new ecosystem of more than 100 clean energy companies here, an effort that Seris has played a large role in.
With several breakthroughs under its belt, research funds flowing and an elite team of researchers, the Seris has had a good run this past decade, said Seris’ chief, Professor Armin Aberle.
Today, it has a team of 220, including scientists, engineers and technicians. It has also groomed 110 PhD students, of whom 52 have graduated and join the solar power industry.
Seris has also garnered $30 million in funds from the industry over the last decade.
Among its breakthroughs is a real-time monitoring system with high reliability and availability. The monitoring system provides the backbone for the well-known "Live irradiance map of Singapore", which provides data that can be used to develop ways to overcome the intermittency of solar energy, due to factors like cloud cover.
The institute is also a forerunner in developing new solar panels, including the TwinPeak panels, which have at least 7 per cent more power than standard panels.
The future for solar technologies is bright, said Prof Aberle.
Solar energy is progressing rapidly and expected to gain an increasing share of the power generation mix.
"This in turn will help Singapore to achieve its carbon emission targets, and at the same time will provide a clean, green and healthy environment for future generations," he said.
Singapore's solar capabilities to be strengthened through 3 new research projects
Gwyneth Teo Channel NewsAsia 5 Apr 18;
SINGAPORE: Three flagship research and development projects, aimed at diversifying the industrial uses of solar power, are set to be spearheaded by the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) in its efforts to propel Singapore in the sector.
SERIS CEO Professor Armin Aberle announced this on Thursday (Apr 5) during the institute's 10th anniversary celebration.
Housed in the National University of Singapore (NUS), the institute was founded in 2008 as a government initiative to stimulate the establishment of clean technology as a future pillar of the economy.
To achieve its aim, the institute has planned three new flagship R&D projects for its next decade of research into clean technology.
For the first project, SERIS will collaborate with Nanyang Technological University and the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise to develop a 30 per cent efficient thin-film-on-silicon tandem solar cell.
Such a solar cell will improve the current practical efficiency of silicon solar cells, which is limited to around 28 per cent under natural sunlight.
The second project will aim to develop photovoltaic modules (or solar panels) that can be integrated on building surfaces apart from roofs, such as the facade.
SERIS will be working on making the photovoltaic modules lightweight, highly efficient and low cost.
According to the institute, the success of the project will open up commercial opportunities and export potential.
Meanwhile, the third project will look to expand the institute's current achievements in "floating solar" and develop a multi-purpose floating system of photovoltaic modules that will be suitable for off-shore use.
This could lead to the development of "energy islands" which would supply energy to nearby industrial zones or residential areas.
SERIS currently operates the world's largest such testbed at Tengeh Reservoir. It is also writing the world's first guidebook on floating solar, commissioned by the World Bank.
In the past ten years, more than 80 solar companies have set up shop in Singapore.
A S$2.5 billion factory in Tuas generates 1.5 per cent of global production, producing as many solar panels each year as there are inhabitants in Singapore.
Last year, solar energy accounted for more than 40 per cent of new installed energy capacity globally - the top contributor for the first time.
NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye said the university aims to help Singapore achieve greater sustainability.
"In this endeavour, SERIS plays a key role by developing novel technology solutions to make the harnessing of solar power more efficient and economical, as well as working closely with public and private sector partners to address the challenges of optimising solar power systems to local conditions."
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The new burial facility will be built along the shoreline in Tanah Merah, with a boardwalk that extends into the sea to allow the scattering of ashes.
Jasia Shamdasani Straits Times 5 Apr 18;
SINGAPORE - Families of deceased could soon opt to scatter the ashes of their loved ones at sea without having to travel by boat.
A new burial facility will be built along the shoreline in Tanah Merah, with a boardwalk that extends into the sea to allow the scattering of ashes.
The facility is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of next year, Lianhe Zaobao reported on Thursday (April 5).
It will have four pavilions, each of which can accommodate seven people, and a shelter for 28 people, among other features.
The facility will be open to any member of the public, regardless of race and religion.
Currently, ashes can be scattered at a designated site located about 2.8km south of Pulau Semakau. Those who choose sea burial will have to rent a boat to get to the site.
With the new facility, the National Environment Agency (NEA) hopes to make it more convenient for people to conduct their sea burial ceremonies and to protect the dignity and decorum of the proceedings.
Prior to construction, comprehensive consultancy studies and a study on the impact on the environment will have to be conducted .
Mr Ben Tay, 39, funeral director of Teck Hin Undertaker Funeral Services, said: "This facility will provide one more option for a larger ritual and will make it safer and more convenient for people with disabilities to attend the ritual."
Scattering of ashes at sea can cost about $100 without any ritual, or $400 to $480 with rituals, according to undertakers whom The Straits Times spoke to.
It would cost at least $1,200 to place the ashes in a niche at a columbarium, they said.
Undertakers have seen an increase in the number of sea burial requests, with the majority coming from Buddhists and Hindus.
"In general, there is an increase in the number of people who opt for sea burial of about 20 per cent," said Mr Roland Tay, 71, funeral director of Direct Funeral Services.
This increase could be due partly to the deceased not wanting to put a burden on their family members during the annual Qing Ming Festival, and the lower cost of sea burial.
"If a place can be dedicated for sea burial, many Hindus will be able to conduct burial ceremonies for their loved ones and I think many Hindus will appreciate it a lot,"said Mr Swami Vimokshananda, 69, president of Ramakrishna Mission Singapore.
NEA is also considering the feasibility of a land-based ecological burial service as an additional option for the placement of cremated remains.
This will be confirmed by the end of this year.
Jakarta to assess pulp and paper companies as part of land-swop move to curb the haze
Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja Straits Times 6 Apr 18;
Indonesia's government will apply strict environmental and fire readiness testing to pulp and paper firms before they will be granted new concessions under a land swop scheme that aims to get the companies off carbon-rich deep peatlands, a senior official said yesterday.
The controversial scheme is part of efforts to curb fires and the haze as well as cut carbon emissions blamed for driving climate change.
Last year, Jakarta passed a regulation under which pulp and paper company concessions on deep peatland must be allocated non-peatlands as compensation. Under the scheme, the firms, such as Singapore-based Asia Pulp and Paper and Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited, must halt replanting on deep peatland concessions once the current rotation is harvested. These are swopped for non-peatland elsewhere.
Dried-out peatlands are prone to fire and were a major source of the choking, toxic haze that enveloped the region in 2015. Jakarta has a wider programme to protect peatlands to cut fire risk and emissions, and the initial aim is to restore 2.1 million ha of deep peatlands, mostly in company concessions.
Mr Hilman Nugroho, a director-general at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, said any swops will have conditions attached. "Let's see how this year. Is there fire on their land? If there is still fire, we will hold," he told reporters, saying companies must be equipped with adequate fire-fighting personnel and equipment and possess good environmental management.
Field teams were checking if such equipment had been deployed by the firms, he said. "If they have all that, it means they are in good faith. And we will see this year whether they 'play' (are involved in slash-and-burn) or not... whether the water level (in the peatland) rose, canals are blocked properly."
He was responding to a statement by a coalition of Indonesian civil society groups, which yesterday urged the government to reveal more details about the land swop scheme.
The determination of the areas for the land swop has been carried out without transparency or public input, according to the coalition, which includes WWF Indonesia, Auriga and Wetlands International.
It said: "We fear that vast areas of natural forest, especially in Kalimantan, Sumatra and Papua, will be designated for land swops and converted into pulpwood plantations in the name of peatland restoration."
Mr Hilman dismissed these worries, saying non-productive forest concessions will be reallocated to qualified pulpwood firms. He also said officials will prepare and make public maps of land swop locations.
The coalition also appealed to the government to hold public auctions for firms to select concessions. Mr Hilman said: "We will find the (land) allocations first. The amount of land swop will follow the amount of those restored and remedied."
The ministry last year said about 920,000 ha of non-productive forestry areas and areas requested by plantation firms but not yet given permits might be suitable.
Pulp and paper companies have expressed concerns over the land swop scheme, saying there is little clarity on where the land is, that it is likely to be far from their mills, and that they will have to protect the deep peatland concessions from encroachment, fires and illegal logging for the life of the concessions. Some concession areas have leases of 60 and even 99 years.
Scientists find an estimated 30% drop in plastic bags on the seabed in the same timeframe as charges were introduced in European countries
Juliette Jowit The Guardian 5 Apr 18;
A big drop in plastic bags found in the seas around Britain has been credited to the introduction of charges for plastic bags across Europe.
Ireland and Denmark were the first two countries to bring in levies for plastic bags from shops in 2003, followed by slew of other European countries. England was the last UK nation to introduce one, in 2015.
In the first such study of its kind, scientists have found an approximately 30% drop in plastic bags on the seabed in a large area from close to Norway and Germany to northern France, and west to Ireland.
The authors of the study, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, claim the drop in plastic bag pollution, measured from 2010 – about the mid-point of charging policies coming into force – showed the power of such levies.
“The fewer bags we use, the fewer we can lose, the fewer we can put into the environment,” said Thomas Maes of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, lead author of the paper.
“If we all work together towards a better environment, we can make changes. A lot of people live in doom, but … don’t give up yet.”
The results could also be used by campaigners for other charges aimed at reducing public problems, such as pollution, obesity, smoking and congestion. The UK is already consulting on a refundable charge for bottles and cans.
“These findings have reminded us of one of the fundamentals of policy – incentives matter,” said Robert Colvile of the Centre for Policy Studies, a rightwing thinktank.
“When it comes to the environment in particular, pricing in external costs is better than heavy-handed regulation,” he said.
Globally around 8m tonnes of plastics enters the marine environment every year – the weight of more than 80 of the largest aircraft carriers. They are blamed for ensnaring sealife and birds, and have been found in the guts of dozens of species.
A UK levy of 5p per bag introduced in 2015 has already reduced single-use plastic bags given out by major retailers by 85% – down from 140 to 25 bags for the average person each year.
The policy applies only to major retailers, but government is consulting on extending it to almost all shops.
The marine pollution study has been trawling the seabed for 25 years, recording the number of items of pollution found in each square kilometre. Two-thirds of all trawls have found at least one item of plastic, and while the number of plastic bags has fallen, other plastic pollution has increased, especially fishing gear.
Mass coral spawning 2018
wild shores of singapore
First Autumn Raptor Migration Count in Singapore
Singapore Bird Group
The Star 5 Apr 18;
KOTA KINABALU: The male of the elusive orb-weaving spider species Opadometa sarawakensis has finally been seen and recorded in the Kinabatangan district.
This species, known for its striking red and blue colours, was previously only identified through its females.
The finding was made by students during a two-week ecology field trip organised by the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre and Leiden University, and hosted by Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC).
Spider taxonomist Dr Jeremy Miller from Holland’s Leiden University said mystery had long shrouded the Opadometa genus, where the males and females look nothing alike.
The males are so elusive that scientists are still unsure whether the sexes are correctly linked to each other even in the best-known Opadometa species.
Such is the case with Opadometa sarawakensis, which has been identified only from female specimens till now, Miller said.
He said that while remarkable with their red and blue colours and large size, the females did not give the slightest hint about the likely appearance of the male.
Nevertheless, students taking part in the trip found a mature male spider hanging on the web of a red and blue female, he said.
He said the male was also quite striking in appearance, with its colour a blend of orange, grey, black and silver.
He said during the initial discovery of the male spider, researchers were unable to immediately ascertain the species as molecular DNA-based analysis was not an option since the necessary equipment was not available at DGFC.
However, using all their expertise and experience from previous field surveys in the area, the team concluded that the male’s observation on that particular female’s web, in addition to the fact that no other Opadometa species were found in the area, was enough to prove they were indeed representatives of Opadometa sarawakensis.
A manuscript was later compiled and submitted to the open-access Biodiversity Data Journal.
Goh Pei Pei New Straits Times 4 Apr 18;
KUCHING: A 16-year-old female orangutan which was last spotted on March 22 returned to the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre with a “little surprise.”
The orangutan named Sadamiah was seen at the feeding platform with a baby clinging onto her on Thursday (March 28).
Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) in a statement here said Sadamiah was last spotted at the feeding platform on March 22 at about 2.30pm.
“Five days later, she returned with a baby and brought joy to the centre. We are proud and glad to announce that we have a new resident.
“However, we couldn’t confirm its gender yet. Both mother and baby looks healthy,” SFC said in the statement.
It is believed that the baby orangutan was born on March 22 and is Sadamiah’s second child.
She gave birth to a female orangutan named Ruby five years ago.
SFC also said the newborn orangutan was spending most of the time with its mother.
With the new birth, Semenggoh has 30 orangutans, roaming freely within the centre and the surrounding 740- hectare forest reserve.
The 46-year-old female orangutan Seduku is currently the oldest orangutan there.
The centre together with its sister facility at Matang Wildlife Centre, offers a Orangutan Adoption Programme, where the public can adopt an orang utan.
They can adopt a specific orang utan for a year by contributing RM200 annually. For companies, it is RM10,000 a year.
Proceeds from the programme will be used to fund conservation activities and the rehabilitation of wildlife.
The Star 5 Apr 18;
PETALING JAYA: The environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) has been approved by the Department of Environment (DoE).
MyHSR Corporation Sdn Bhd said the report was approved subject to conditions during the construction and operational phases of the HSR project.
Its chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Nur Ismal Mohamed Kamal said the approval was a significant development for the project.
“We have developed the necessary measures to address and minimise the potential impacts throughout the life cycle of the project, which consists of pre-construction, during construction, and operations,” he said.
The final report submitted to the DoE consolidated the feedback from all stakeholders, including the public, government agencies and the DoE.
The 350km HSR is a strategic project between the Malaysian and Singaporean governments to reduce land travel time between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to 90 minutes.
It is expected to enhance business linkages and bring the people of both countries closer together.
The iconic project includes domestic services within Malaysia that would improve intercity connectivity and promote economic agglomeration under the Socio-economic Development Programme intended to benefit local communities along the corridor.
The governments of both countries signed a bilateral agreement on Dec 13, 2016, which captured the key points of the agreement on the project.
These included the technical parameters, commercial model, Customs, immigration and quarantine clearance, safety and security matters, regulatory framework and project management approach.
Eight stations were planned for the HSR, namely Bandar Malaysia, Sepang-Putrajaya, Seremban, Melaka, Muar, Batu Pahat and Iskandar Puteri in Malaysia and Jurong East in Singapore, with operations of the HSR service between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore targeted for commencement by Dec 31, 2026.
N.Adri The Jakarta Post 4 Apr 18;
State oil and gas company Pertamina said on Wednesday a burst pipeline -- which it used to transfer crude oil from the Lawe-lawe Terminal in North Penajam Paser regency, East Kalimantan, to an oil refinery facility in Balikpapan -- caused the oil spill that polluted Balikpapan Bay on Saturday.
“The pipeline is located 25 meters under the sea,” said Pertamina Refinery Unit (RU) V general manager Togar MP in Balikpapan on Wednesday.
He added that the pipeline was still wrapped in a cement casing to prevent it from rusting and to make it withstand water pressure. The crude oil distribution pipeline was installed in 1998.
Divers dispatched to investigate the incident reported that the pipeline had moved around 120 m from its initial location. “We are still investigating the cause of the burst pipeline,” said East Kalimantan Police’s special crime director Sr.Comr. Yustan Alpian.
Pertamina was still calculating the volume of oil leaked into the sea, Togar said.
“When the leakage was first detected, we closed the distribution line of crude oil from Lawe-lawe to Balikpapan straightaway to prevent it from getting worse,” he added.
It was only after Pertamina checked the 10th oil spill sample that it confirmed that it was crude oil and not Marine Fuel Oil (MFO) it had first suspected.
Following the finding, Pertamina dispatched a team of divers to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the oil pipeline from Lawe-lawe to Balikpapan. (ebf)
Deadly Indonesia oil spill caused by burst pipe: company
AFP Yahoo News 4 Apr 18;
Balikpapan (Indonesia) (AFP) - An oil spill off Borneo island that led to five deaths and the declaration of a state of emergency was caused by a ruptured undersea pipe, Indonesia's national oil company Pertamina said Wednesday.
The leakage, which started in waters near Balikpapan city early Saturday, has spread at least 26 kilometres (16 miles) and coated large areas of the coast in thick black sludge.
Five fishermen died in a fire sparked by workers who were trying to clear the spill by burning it off the water's surface, a local search and rescue agency spokesman said.
"They were a group of men who were on vacation together and went fishing," said Octavianto, a senior official of the East Borneo search and rescue agency, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.
State-owned Pertamina, which had initially denied responsibility, said Wednesday that one of its pipes used for transporting crude oil, laid about 25 metres below the sea surface, was the source of the huge leak.
"Since it was first detected, we have closed the crude oil supply from Lawe-lawe to Balikpapan as a precaution," Pertamina spokesman Togar MP told reporters.
Police and Pertamina are investigating the source of the pipe fracture but initial inspections by divers show that it has shifted about 120 metres from its initial location on the seabed.
A state of emergency was declared Tuesday in Balikpapan as local officials warned residents not to light cigarettes in the area and distributed gas masks because of the acrid fumes and smoke.
Dramatic aerial photos showed masses of crude oil spread across the surface of the ocean and black blobs covering beaches.
The precise impact on sea life is not yet clear, but one endangered Irrawaddy dolphin has washed ashore dead.
Several oil booms have been deployed to try contain the spill with about 69,300 cubic metres having been collected as of Tuesday evening, the environment ministry said in a statement.
"We have asked the team as well as Pertamina to prioritise the cleaning of oil spills in residential areas due to the stench and other potential risks," said Environment Minister Nurbaya Bakar.
Ministry investigates impacts of Balikpapan oil spill on sea ecosystem
The Jakarta Post 5 Apr 18;
The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry’s research and human resources agency head Zulficar Mochtar said the oil spill in Balikpapan Bay, East Kalimantan had become a complicated problem as the ministry had received reports that the incident had caused pollution in other areas such in Bintan, Riau Islands and Jakarta Bay.
“This sea pollution cannot be solved alone [by the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry]. All ministries and related parties need to contribute to preventing this problem from worsening, with each party having their own function,” said Zulficar as quoted by kompas.com on Thursday.
Zulficar said the ministry was researching and collecting data on the impacts of the oil spill, especially on the sea ecosystem. “We will be paying attention to protocols or standard operating procedures in handling the problem,” he said.
Zulficar further said the oil leak problem could not be solved quickly because the impacts of the oil spill could expand and there would be a continuation of the problem. Hence, this case must be handled thoroughly and sustainably.
“We must first check the possible correlation of the incident with the patterns of the sea currents, the rise and fall of the tides, and oceanography factors. We also must assess specific organisms affected by the pollution and the extent of the damage, as well as the impacts of the problem on the country’s economy,” said Zulficar.
State oil and gas company Pertamina said on Wednesday a burst pipeline had caused the oil spill that polluted Balikpapan Bay on Saturday. (ebf)
N.Adri from Balikpapan contributed to this story
Pertamina makes headway in cleaning Balikpapan spill
Novi Adri The Jakarta Post 6 Apr 18;
On the fifth day after Saturday's oil spill in Balikpapan Bay, the pollution has begun to clear, the waters off East Kalimantan's Semayang Port returning to a deep green with no visible oil slicks.
“We dispatched no less than 1,000 people to clean the oil spill. We also had the support of volunteers from various civil society groups, students, community members and environmental activists,” Yudi Nugrahastate, Kalimantan regional manager of social responsibility and communications at state oil and gas company Pertamina, said on Thursday.
Yudi added that Pertamina had also deployed 15 vessels to tackle the polluted area in four predetermined zones. The first zone stretches from Pertamina's Jetty 1 to Kampung Baru. The second zone covers the waters off Semayang Port, while the third covers Monpera Beach, and the fourth covers Balikpapan Bay.
He said Pertamina had utilized a variety of techniques and equipment for cleaning the oil spill, from vacuum trucks, to oil booms and to oil spill dispersant (OSD). “To clean the waters of the beach, we used oil skimmers and tug boats,” Yudi added.
The residents of Kampung Atas Air Margasari have also helped by collecting thousands of liters of oil by hand, which Pertamina’s clean-up teams picked up for hazardous and toxic waste treatment.
Read also: Balikpapan declares emergency status after oil spill
“We have been cleaning up the spill since Monday afternoon, when the Balikpapan administration declared emergency status,” said Ride, the head of Margasari subdistrict. (ebf)
Balikpapan oil spill widening: Ministry
The Jakarta Post 17 Apr 18;
The area affected by an oil spill in Balikpapan Bay, East Kalimantan, has widened although it remains unclear what exactly is causing the spread, an official has said.
Widodo Pranowo, the head of the marine and coastal area data laboratory of the Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Ministry, said on Friday that the area polluted by the oil spill in had widened to 20,000 hectares from 12,987 hectares.
“There is a possibility that the source of the leak has not been perfectly sealed. But also there is a possibility that the spill has been thinning and drifting away with the currents,” he said as quoted by Kompas newspaper.
The oil spill reportedly came from a broken pipe belonging to state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina.
Widodo, who examined the oil spill area through satellite imaging, said more thorough research was needed to determine the cause of the spread.
Pertamina says it has deployed four cleaner teams and 15 cleaner ships to clean up the bay.
Yudi Nugraha, Kalimantan regional manager of social responsibility and communications at Pertamina said the company had utilized a variety of techniques and equipment for cleaning the oil spill, from vacuum trucks, to oil booms and oil spill dispersant (OSD).
“To clean the waters of the beach, we’re using oil skimmers and tug boats,” Yudi added.
“We’ve dispatched no fewer than 1,000 people to clean up the oil spill. We also have the support of volunteers from various civil society groups, students, community members and environmental activists,” he said.
MR Karliyansyah, director general of pollution control in the Environment and Forestry Ministry, said Pertamina promised to have the spill cleaned by April 9. (gis/ahw)
Friends of the Earth demands the oil firm move away from fossil fuels to comply with Paris deal
Jonathan Watts The Guardian 4 Apr 18;
The global flurry of legal campaigns against “big oil” has widened, with Royal Dutch Shell being threatened with legal action unless it steps up efforts to comply with the Paris climate agreement.
Friends of the Earth Netherlands on Wednesday demanded the Anglo-Dutch company revise plans to invest only 5% in sustainable energy and 95% in greenhouse-gas emitting oil and gas.
The environmental group said this business strategy would increase the impact of climate change, especially on the world’s poorest people and those most prone to flooding. It has given Shell eight weeks to shift to a cleaner tack, after which it says it is prepared to invoke international obligations, human rights treaties and laws on hazardous negligence.
Heading the group’s legal team is Roger Cox, who led and won a climate case in 2015 that insisted the Dutch government should set more ambitious emissions targets.
“This is the first case we know of in the world that seeks preventive action from a company over climate change,” Cox told the Guardian. “We are not asking for damages. We want Shell to steer away from its current course and to get in line with the Paris agreement.”
Shell is one of the world’s 10 biggest carbon emitters. In its annual last year, the company publicly declared support for the Paris climate deal. It has also outlined “” to , but environmentalists are frustrated at the glacial pace of change and the weak investment in renewables and carbon capture technology.
Friends of the Earth says the company should be held to account for the approximately 2% of the historical emissions of carbon dioxide and methane it has added to the atmosphere between 1854 and 2010. It has previously taken the company to court for the damage it caused around oil fields in Nigeria.
“Currently Shell and companies like it are acting like big tobacco in decades past by failing to take responsibility for the harm that they cause,” said Craig Bennett, chief executive of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. “Shell must now move on from its history of Earth-damaging fossil fuel extraction and play a major part in the transition to a sustainable future, to keep temperature rises to near 1.5C.”
A spokesperson for Shell said the company strongly supported the Paris agreement, “but we believe climate change is a complex societal challenge that should be addressed through sound government policy and cultural change to drive low-carbon choices for businesses and consumers, not by the courts.”
Given the vast discrepancy in financial resources, any legal battle between Friends of the Earth and Shell would be a challenge of David and Goliath proportions.
But Dutch courts have produced surprises. Arguably the biggest victory for climate litigators anywhere in the world was the 2015 that the Dutch government’s plans to cut emissions by just 14-17% compared to 1990 levels by 2020 were unlawful, given the scale of the threat posed by climate change. The court in The Hague ordered the government to raise targets to at least 25% within five years, although the government is appealing against the decision.
If the Friends of the Earth case goes ahead, Cox said it will depend on the legal duty of everyone in the Netherlands to prevent harm to others when it is reasonably preventable. The duty of public care was easier to prove against the government. It will be tougher against a private company, but Cox said the plaintiffs will emphasises that Shell has specific responsibilities because it has contributed to greatly to the problem of climate change.
Courts in other countries are increasingly a climate change battleground.
According to the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia law school in New York, there are now more than 1,000 cases in the world. Most are claims for damages in the US.
In January, New York city plans to sue five fossil fuel firms – BP, Exxon Mobil, , ConocoPhillips and Shell – for their contribution to climate change, which has caused flooding and erosion in the city. Local governments in and elsewhere have launched legal actions, alongside private citizens. Last month, a group of 21 young plaintiffs overcame a major hurdle when a judge rejected moves to dismiss their lawsuit, which argues the US government’s failure to curb CO2 emissions violated their generation’s constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property.
In the most prominent UK case to date, a high court heard the first climate challenge last month against the British government, brought by 12 citizens through a legal group called which has the support of , Prof Sir David King.
Nasa scientist-turned activist James Hansen has called for a wave of litigation alongside political mobilisation because, he says, judges are less likely than politicians to be in the pocket of oil, coal and gas companies.
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