22 Apr is Earth Day 2018: End Plastic Pollution
wild shores of singapore
22 Apr (Sat): Kayak to St John's Island with Kayakasia
Celebrating Singapore Shores!
Love MacRitchie Walk with NUS Senior Alumni by Cicada Tree Eco-Place – a Photo Essay
Love our MacRitchie Forest
Severianus Endi The Jakarta Post 9 Apr 18;
Eleven rare sea turtles were found dead among plastic litter on Paloh beach in Sambas regency, West Kalimantan, between Saturday and Monday, prompting the provincial administration to declare an "extraordinary event".
Autopsies conducted by local authorities on five of the turtles found plastic and asphalt sludge in their digestive systems.
The asphalt sludge had caused food blockage, resulting in inflammation and eventual death, Dwi Suprapti, the marine species conservation coordinator at World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Indonesia, said at a press conference in Pontianak on Monday. Dwi did not rule out the possibility of other waste having caused the deaths.
West Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency head Sadtata Noor Adirahmanta said the turtles' death constituted an extraordinary event. He added that he would deploy his staff to investigate and prevent further deaths.
The 63-kilometer long Paloh coastline is Indonesia's longest sea turtle nesting beach. According to WWF data, five green, two hawksbill and three olive ridley sea turtles were found dead between February and March. The 11 latest deaths included one critically endangered hawksbill.
The 21 sea turtle deaths is the highest number the WWF has recorded in the nine years it has worked in the area. (evi)
Join us for an exhilarating experience – plant a tree (or three) at Chestnut Nature Park, Sat 19 May 2018
Toddycats!
Singapore's starry seagrass meadows
Celebrating Singapore Shores!
Our island heritage: Pilgrimage to Kusu Island
Celebrating Singapore Shores!
Lined Nerite (Nerita balteata) @ Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
Monday Morgue
The Jakarta Post 9 Apr 18;
International environmental group Greenpeace has demanded that state oil and gas company Pertamina take full responsibility and come up with a transparent and comprehensive plan to address a recent oil spill in Balikpapan Bay, which has killed five people and posed health and environmental hazards in the area.
The government reported that the spill had spread across around 12,900 hectares of fishing waters, larger than the size of Bogor city in West Java.
On April 4, Pertamina admitted that the spill came from its leaked undersea pipelines, connecting the Lawe-Lawe Terminal to their refinery unit in Balikpapan.
“The statement alone is not enough. As a priority, Greenpeace urges Pertamina to take full responsibility and be held accountable for the oil spill and all its impacts. The Indonesian government must now prioritize recovery efforts, as well as implement long-term measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future,” Greenpeace Southeast Asia oceans campaigner Arifsyah Nasution said in a release made available over the weekend.
Yudi Tobs from Coalition Against Oil Spills (KMPTM) said his group regretted the "poor action" taken by Pertamina. "The company failed to warn authorities and communities when the incident happened," he said in the same release.
The coalition planned to take legal action, he added. "According to Indonesian Law No. 32 on environmental protection and management, Pertamina should take full responsibility. Polluters should pay!” Yudi said.
The government has come to Pertamina's defense, saying that there was no human error on the part of Pertamina, as the event was triggered by the action of a foreign coal vessel that illegally passed through and dropped anchor in the bay.
Pertamina has been cleaning the bay and the Makassar Strait since last week. On April 8, Balikpapan environmental agency official Suryanto said the cleaning process had reached 90 percent toward completion. (evi)
Bay almost cleaned after oil spill: Balikpapan official
N. Adri The Jakarta Post 18 Apr 18;
On the sixth day after a large amount of crude oil was spilled in Balikpapan Bay, East Kalimantan, the cleaning efforts are almost done, the head of the Environmental Agency in Balikpapan, Suryanto, said Sunday.
He claimed that the cleaning process had reached 90 percent and that the remaining oil was still in the coastal areas.
Suryanto added that the clean-up would end next week, vowing that the coastal and residential areas would be clean. “I’m sure we will finish this in a week at the maximum.”
Since Friday, the waters around Semayang Port have returned to its bright green color and there were no black spots.
“There is actually a thin film of oil. We have localized it with an oil-boom,” said an officer with state-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina who requested anonymity.
The cleaning personnel corralled the oil between Semayang Port and Pertamina’s jetty where there is a small bay.
The cleaning process involved vacuuming the oil slick into a truck and transferring it to drums. The thin film of oil will be hosed down with a dispersant to make it dissolve.
The same method was applied in Kampung Atas Air Margasari, where oil covered mangrove trees and the columns of residents’ stilted houses.
Pertamina has deployed 21 ships to clean the bay, Makassar Strait in Balikpapan and Penajam Paser Utara. “We have deployed 234 people,” Pertamina Balikpapan spokesperson Alicia Irzanova said.
The ships are working in four designated zones: Pertamina’s Jetty 1 to Kampung Baru, including Kampung Atas Air Margasari; Semayang Port pond; Monpera Beach and the waters of Makassar Strait to the north. The last zone is the estuary in Balikpapan Bay.
The cleaning operation is a joint effort by Pertamina, private oil companies Chevron Indonesia and Petrosea.
On March 31, an oil spill caused a fire that killed five people. After the spill, Pertamina denied responsibility, saying that the spill was marine fuel oil and not crude oil.
Pertamina’s general manager for Refinery Unit V, Togar MP, said on the day of the spill and the fire that Pertamina had checked their undersea pipes connecting the Lawe-Lawe terminal and the Refinery Unit V and had found no leakage.
On April 4, at a press conference along with the police, Togar changed his statement and said the oil spill was in fact crude oil from a leakage in the pipelines connecting the Lawe-Lawe terminal and their refinery unit.
On April 5, Jakarta came to Pertamina’s defense, saying that the burst undersea pipe had not been Pertamina’s fault.
“The pipe was allegedly dragged by an anchor dropped by a vessel, though no vessel was permitted to drop anchor or even pass through the bay,” Djoko Siswanto, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry’s oil and gas director general, told reporters. (evi)
Pertamina strives to tackle remains of oil spill
The Jakarta Post 10 Apr 18;
State-owned oil and gas company Pertamina continues to monitor the waters of Balikpapan Bay, East Kalimantan, to detect any remains of a recent oil spill.
Pertamina is concentrating on six areas of the bay in its cleanup: the jetty area, Semayang to Balikpapan Plaza, Kampung Atas Air to Kampung Ulu Baru, Penajam, Balikpapan Bay and Kariangau.
"Pertamina has three patrol boats in zones 1, 2 and 3," Kalimantan regional communication manager Yudy Nugraha said on Monday as quoted by Tempo.co. "Several boats are also on standby, consisting of seven tugboats, three barges and four aluminum boats."
On March 31, a burst undersea Pertamina pipe - connecting the company's Lawe-Lawe Terminal to its refinery in Balikpapan - caused an oil spill across 12,900 hectares of the bay. An ensuing fire resulted in the deaths of five people.
(Read also: Police question 22 witnesses in relation to Balikpapan oil spill)
Yudy claimed the Balikpapan waters appeared to be clean. "We still need to clean remaining layers of oil," he said. "We also need to clean oil-covered plants near residential areas."
Of the six locations, the jetty area was almost completely clean by Sunday, he said. "But we are still conducting patrols and cleaning the remaining pockets of oil and the thin layers."
According to Yudy, the waters and coastal areas in the Semayang-Balikpapan Plaza area looked clean. A film of oil remains in Kampung Atas Air while the Kariangau coast cleanup was in progress.
Pertamina claims that the Penajam and Balikpapan Bay areas have been clean since Friday. "However, boats will continue to patrol four times a day," Yudy said. (kmt/ebf)
Singapore got dolphins and sea turtles
wild shores of singapore
Butterfly Photography Series - Part 2
Butterflies of Singapore
Join me for an exhilarating experience – plant a tree (or two) at Chestnut Nature Park, Sat 19 May 2018
Otterman speaks
Chew Hui Min Channel NewsAsia 7 Apr 18;
SINGAPORE: A dolphin that wandered to Bedok Jetty on Saturday (Apr 7) morning was injured after it became entangled in an angler's fishing line, a witness said.
Mr Daniel Sim told Channel NewsAsia that he was jogging at about 7.40am when he saw a crowd of people gathered at the end of the jetty.
When he got close, he saw the dolphin struggling in the water. It was entangled in a fishing line and the angler was "reeling in" the mammal, he said.
"Many people were asking him to cut the line but he continued," Mr Sim, 38, said. "I think everyone was surprised and concerned."
The businessman then called the Animal Concerns Research & Education Society (ACRES). Two minutes after the call, the angler cut the line, he said.
But even after the line was cut, the dolphin, which was alone, swam away slowly.
"I think it was exhausted," Mr Sim said. Photos and videos showed that it was bleeding at the tail.
"We were alerted to this case and responded but the dolphin was nowhere to be seen," said Mr Kalai Vanan, deputy chief executive officer of Acres.
"We are monitoring the situation for now and urge members of the public to call our hotline at 97837782 should you spot the dolphin."
Source: CNA/hm
Dolphin 'caught in fishing line' at Bedok Jetty
Lydia Lam Straits Times 7 Apr 18;
SINGAPORE - A dolphin was reportedly entangled in a fishing line at Bedok Jetty on Saturday morning (April 7).
The incident drew a crowd of about 70 people, Lianhe Wanbao reported on Saturday.
An eyewitness who gave his name only as Mr Chia told The Straits Times that he was cycling at Bedok Jetty when he took a rest at the end of the jetty at about 7.30am.
"Looking out at the sea, I saw this thing that was floating," said the 55-year-old architect. "I thought it was a stingray, but it was drifting towards the jetty and I realised that it was a dolphin. It was struggling, the tail looked like it was entangled in some string. There was a hook on the string, attached to a fisherman's line at the jetty."
Mr Chia said a crowd started to gather when they realised there was a dolphin near the jetty.
"Somebody behind me was talking to some authority asking them to come down, but shortly after, the fisherman cut the line and the dolphin drifted away," he said. "The dolphin looked very weak and drifted out to sea."
He said the entire episode lasted about 15 minutes and there was no blood or any sound from the dolphin.
Dolphin's tail caught on fishing hook at Bedok Jetty
"I've never seen dolphins before at the jetty. I've seen wild dolphins only in Malaysia," he said.
Mr Chia said a crowd started to gather when they realised there was a dolphin near the jetty. PHOTO: MR CHIA
Mr Kalai Vanan, deputy chief executive officer of Animal Concerns Research & Education Society (Acres), told ST that Acres received a call about the incident and responded, but the animal had left when its staff arrived.
"The animal was sighted again a while ago but has since disappeared," he said. "We suspect it might (still) be entangled in something, we are trying to get more details and attempt to free the dolphin from the entanglement if possible."
Dolphins are not uncommon in Singapore's waters. In 2016, a dolphin carcass washed ashore at East Coast Park. It was identified as an Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphin, or pink dolphin, the most commonly sighted dolphin species in Singapore waters.
In sightings reported to the National University of Singapore's Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI), at least 169 dolphins were spotted between 2008 and 2011 in the waters between Singapore and Batam, near St John's Island and Pulau Semakau, and as close to shore as the Marina Barrage.
Melody ZaccheusH Straits Times 7 Apr 18;
SINGAPORE – Hawker heritage, pilgrimages to Kusu Island and Malay weddings are among 50 items that feature in Singapore’s first intangible cultural heritage inventory.
Comprising traditions, rituals, crafts, expressions, knowledge and skills, it was released by the National Heritage Board (NHB) on Saturday (April 7).
It is hoped its publication will start a conversation about what the Republic’s nomination should be for its first attempt at making Unesco’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Malaysia’s Mak Yong theatre from the villages of Kelantan, Belgium’s beer culture and Italy’s Neapolitan art of pizza twirling already feature on the almost 400-strong Unesco list which sets out to demonstrate the diversity of world heritage.
Singapore’s bid, which comes after the Botanic Gardens was inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2015, is aimed at raising the profile of the country’s rich cultural heritage.
Items on the inventory were selected by the NHB’s Heritage Advisory Panel from an ongoing intangible cultural heritage survey, started in 2016.
Elements are grouped under six categories, with some entries overlapping.
The categories are: oral traditions and expressions; performing arts; social practices, rituals and festive events; knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe; traditional craftsmanship; and food heritage.
The pilgrimage to Kusu Island falls under several categories and is arguably a truly Singaporean experience as it is location-based.
The island’s history as a place of worship dates back to at least 1813, before Sir Stamford Raffles arrived in Singapore. In modern times, people visit the island’s Tua Pek Kong temple to worship. They pray for fertility at a tree or stroke the temple’s stone turtle statues for luck.
Worship on Kusu Island is also linked to the Malay keramat (or shrine) on a nearby hill.
Malay weddings here, meanwhile, are typically held at HDB void decks, instead of the traditional arrangement with a reception is held at the family home’s courtyard.
Another entry, xinyao, is a repertoire of Mandarin songs composed, written and performed by young Singaporeans. It can be traced to the late 1970s.
The board said the inventory will be progressively updated in batches.
The Singapore National Commission – chaired by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Ms Grace Fu – will submit the country’s nomination after consultations, and feedback from the public and NHB’s panel. It is not yet known when this will take place.
It takes about two years for Unesco to officially list an element.
Could hawker heritage be Singapore’s Unesco entry?
At Jurong Town Hall on Saturday, Ms Fu launched both the Singapore Heritage Festival, and the Our SG Heritage Plan – the first holistic masterplan for the Republic’s heritage and museum sector, which the inventory comes under.
On the Unesco nomination, she said the eventual element that is listed “should reflect our multicultural and multiracial make-up”, adding: “It should also resonate with Singaporeans from all backgrounds, and help in building a greater sense of our national identity.”
The $66 million Our SG Heritage Plan also includes a survey of places of architectural, historical, cultural, social or educational significance, and sites or structures completed before 1980. The findings have yet to be released but are expected to be factored into future land planning decisions.
The masterplan comes as citizens are paying more attention to the island’s history, heritage and identity. The goal is to develop a long-term strategic plan for heritage issues, and to enhance the country’s capabilities in research, documentation and commemoration.
In her speech, Ms Fu said the food heritage category was a recent addition following “significant enthusiasm and interest” among Singaporeans. In a NHB poll this year, food resonated most strongly with the 3,000-plus respondents.
The NHB said countries often share similar intangible cultural elements and the inventory will include elements that can be found in other countries. However, the NHB said it will highlight unique features of how these elements are expressed and, or practised in Singapore, and show how they have evolved to suit the local context.
Other entries in its inventory include silambam – a form of martial arts using a long staff typically made of bamboo. It is believed to have originated from the southern part of India.
Ayurveda, wood-fired pottery and the cuisine of ethnic groups here, also feature .
The NHB added that languages and dialects are not defined as intangible cultural heritage under the Unesco convention.
The public can weigh in and contribute information and resources to the inventory at: www.roots.sg/ICH
Rachel Au-Yong Straits Times 8 Apr 18;
SINGAPORE - A series of dialogues to capture the views of young Singaporeans kicked off on Saturday (April 7) with 150 tertiary students and working adults discussing climate action, racism and job security.
The three topics were part of the Youth Conversations, announced during this year's Budget debate, and in the same vein as 2012's Our Singapore Conversations.
These dialogues aim to inform the young about important national issues, as well as help them work out their differences by listening, negotiating and finding solutions together and with the Government, said Minister for Community, Culture and Youth Grace Fu, who attended the event on Saturday.
Ms Fu said she hoped that such dialogues would connect youth who are passionate about certain causes with others who have local knowledge about where these solutions could be implemented.
"We want to see how we can help the youth scale up their projects," she said. "We can provide them with resources, but they will still take charge... They would feel more empowered."
Ms Fu acknowledged that participants at such events may be self-selecting, since they are often already passionate about certain causes, but added that there is still diversity in the mix.
Participants, she noted, come from various schools or workplaces - diverse enough to "allow activation for that partnership to see more youth-initiated projects on the ground", she said.
The Youth Conversations are targeting about 2,000 young people at conferences and roadshows at schools or parks, and thousands more through its social media channels, by the end of the year.
The National Youth Council is conducting an ongoing online survey to get a sense of the topics youth are passionate about. It is also using different engagement models, such as video game simulations and longer workshops, to get them interested.
Saturday's conversations were part of a larger Singapore Youth Conference organised by the National Youth Council and the People's Association.
Among the participants was Mr Sujandren Alaghimanvalan, 21, a soon-to-be undergraduate. He decided to sign up for the workshop on racism to share his experiences and listen to others.
In a few hours, he and his teammates came up with suggestions on how to tackle racism in Singapore, including raising funds for lectures and training themselves to facilitate conversations among races.
"I have a strong passion about this, and I want to see how I can help my friends and neighbours tackle any misconceptions they may have," he said.
Another participant, community intern Elizabeth Tan, 18, attended a climate change workshop. While she found the duration too short to make an immediate change, she said she was inspired to join an organisation to combat food wastage and raise awareness about climate change.
27 Apr (Fri): Treasures Of Our Shores - Panel Discussion
Celebrating Singapore Shores
Indonesian conservation bill is weak on wildlife crime, critics say
mongabay.com
Aqil Haziq Mahmud Channel NewsAsia 6 Apr 18;
SINGAPORE: Owners of motorcycles registered before Jul 1, 2003 will get up to S$3,500 if they choose to de-register their motorcycles over the next five years.
About 27,000 motorcycles will meet the criteria for this incentive, which comes as the Government steps up efforts to meet air quality targets by 2020.
"Over the years, we have been trying to reduce the number of older vehicles on the road to ensure that our air quality is something that’s healthy for everyone to breathe," Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli told reporters as he announced the incentive on Friday (Apr 6).
The incentive consists of two components: S$2,000 for eligible owners and an additional S$1,500 if they do not renew their motorcycles’ Certificate of Entitlements (COE). Owners will also get a rebate for unused COE periods.
The breakdown means that eligible owners who choose to renew their motorcycles’ COEs on or after Apr 7 before de-registering their motorcycles within the next five years will only get S$2,000.
Owners of motorcycles that are on five-year COEs, or the Classic, Vintage (Restricted) and Revised Vintage Vehicle Schemes as of Apr 6 are not eligible for this incentive.
Eligible owners will receive a letter from the National Environment Agency (NEA) by the end of this month informing them of the incentive.
"This (incentive) is one way for them to evaluate and compare the cost-benefit of having the vehicle on the road versus cashing it out and using hopefully public transport, or even if they have to, change to better standard motorcycles," Mr Masagos said.
"This will incur cost for themselves, but the S$3,500 they can cash out will lower the burden of doing so."
OLDER MOTORCYCLES FACE TIGHTER EMISSIONS STANDARDS, TO BE PHASED OUT EVENTUALLY
After the incentive scheme ends on Apr 6, 2023, NEA will tighten the in-use emission standards of such older motorcycles. The agency said it will release details in due course.
After Jun 30, 2028, these motorcycles will not be allowed on the roads.
However, motorcycles on the Classic, Vintage (Restricted) and Revised Vintage Vehicle Schemes are exempted as they are already subjected to restricted usage.
Motorcycles are tested for their emissions at the Vicom inspection facility in Sin Ming.
Meanwhile, NEA said it will look at measures to reduce pollution from foreign motorcycles, without elaborating further. Last month, it nabbed 197 motorcyclists at the land checkpoints for smoke and excessive noise emission offences.
NEA is targeting motorcycles as they contribute 53 per cent to local sources of carbon monoxide (CO), even though they make up 15 per cent of vehicles on the road.
In addition, older motorcycles registered before Jul 1, 2003 emit up to 30 times more pollutants than new motorcycles. They also contribute 40 per cent of the total CO emitted by motorcycles on the road.
“Motorcycle emission is a public health concern because it contains hydrocarbons and CO, which are precursors to ozone,” NEA said in a release. “CO and ozone are known to impair respiratory functions.”
Channel NewsAsia understands that NEA does not have plans to roll out this incentive for older cars as they only make up 1 per cent of the car population.
In contrast, motorcycles that are 15 years old and beyond make up 21 per cent of motorcycles on the road. Some of the oldest bikes on the road are more than 65 years old.
IMPACT ON COE PRICES
Channel NewsAsia also understands that the incentive was designed to run over the next five years to avoid causing an increase in COE premiums for motorcycles.
In addition, some owners might decide that they do not need a new motorcycle after taking up the incentive, reducing the demand for COEs.
However, Mr Masagos said he expects the incentive to have an initial impact on COE prices, albeit not a long-term one.
"There will probably be an immediate impact on reaction," he said. "But because we are giving at least five years for people to make a decision to cash in on de-registering their motorcycles, and also another five years for them to actually use it, we think that it will even out the impact over the years."
Singapore Motor Cycle Trade Association secretary-general Norman Lee told Channel NewsAsia that he expects a short-term dip in COE prices as dealers cash in on surplus stocks of older motorcycles that buyers don't want.
"If such an exercise in the short term is magnified, we should have more unused bikes or old COEs return to the system and appearing by the next quarter to push the prices down," he said.
Motorcycles that are three years old and older have to be inspected every year.
GOOD VALUE FOR RIDERS?
While Mr Lee expects dealers to take advantage of the incentive, he said riders will be less enthusiastic.
"S$3,500 gets you nothing in the market today," he said. "Compared to today's COE value, it is worth less than five years of usage, and we haven’t factored in the machine price (of a new motorcycle)."
Explaining this, Mr Lee gave the example of an eligible owner who in 2013 renewed his motorcycle's COE for 10 years based on the premium then, which was about S$2,000. If he were to take up the incentive by de-registering his bike now, Mr Lee said he would only get S$3,500, plus less than S$1,000 in COE rebates.
"You can barely buy a COE (with that)," he added. "If you do not touch the bike now, the opportunity cost is only S$1,000 to use the bike for the next five years."
In the last COE exercise, motorcycle premiums closed at S$7,114.
Mr Amri Sidik, who owns a rare Italian-made Vespa scooter registered in 2001, said the S$3,500 incentive might not be enough for riders who own older motorcycles that have a bigger engine capacity and are thus more expensive.
"For smaller bikes it's fine," the 30-year-old said. "But I'm not sure if there should be a tiered thing. S$3,500 for all classes of motorcycles might be unfair to some."
Mr Amri has developed an affinity for his scooter and wants to hold on to it for as long as he can. The self-employed worker intended to keep renewing his scooter's COE, which expires in 2021, every 10 years. But because his bike will not be allowed on the roads beyond 2028, he's had to rethink his plan.
"If we maintain our engines, go for regular servicing and pass the inspections yearly, what's wrong with that?" he said. "I'm not really keen on the incentive. The part where I can't use it beyond 2028 bugs me more."
This incentive is the latest in a slew of measures aimed at reducing vehicular emissions, which NEA said is a “key source” of air pollution here.
Mr Masagos said in Parliament last month that the Government would be reviewing how to reduce vehicular pollution from older, more polluting vehicles.
The minister also said last year that new emission standards for petrol vehicles and motorcycles on the roads would kick in from Apr 1 this year.
The new standards, which are comparable to those in Europe and Japan, would reduce emissions due to “vehicle defects or poor maintenance”, he added.
NEA figures show that Singapore has some way to go in meeting its air quality targets. Last year, the eight-hour mean measurement for ozone was 191 µg/m3. The target is 100 µg/m3 by 2020.
When asked if Singapore is on track to meet the targets, Mr Masagos said: "This and all the initiatives, including how we tighten up our road and industrial emissions, all tie up to meet our WHO (World Health Organization) standards for 2020."
Source: CNA/nc
Cash incentive to encourage deregistration of older motorcycles
TOH EE MING Today Online 6 Apr 18;
SINGAPORE — To cut air pollution and meet air quality targets for 2020, motorcyclists will be given a cash incentive of up to S$3,500 to deregister their older, more pollutive vehicles over the next five years, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) on Friday (April 6).
Motorcyclists who registered their vehicles before July 1, 2003 will receive S$2,000 if they deregister them on or before April 5, 2023, said the NEA in a press release.
If the motorcycle’s Certificate of Entitlement is not renewed on or after 7 April 2018, the owner will receive an additional S$1,500 upon its de-registration. The owner will also receive a rebate for the unused COE period, upon its de-registration.
Around 27,000 motorcycles aged 15 years old or older will meet the criteria for the incentive.
Motorcycle owners holding five-year non-renewable COEs, as well as those on Classic, Vintage (Restricted), and Revised Vintage vehicle schemes as of April 6 will not be eligible.
“The new initiative addresses the large contribution to air pollution by motorcycles,” said the NEA, adding that while motorcycles make up 15 per cent of the local vehicle population, they contribute around 50 per cent of carbon monoxide (CO) from vehicles.
The agency added that older motorcycles are also more pollutive. “Those registered before July 1, 2003 (i.e. before the introduction of Euro I emission standards for motorcycles) emit up to about 10 times more CO and 30 times more hydrocarbons compared to a Euro IV motorcycle today,” it said.
Such older motorcycles make up around 20 per cent of Singapore’s motorcycle population, but account for about 40 per cent of CO emitted by motorcycles.
Speaking to reporters at Vicom vehicle inspection centre on Friday, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli said the cash incentive may have an “immediate impact” on COE prices.
“But because we are giving at least five years for people to make a decision to cash in on de-registering their motorcycles… We think this would even out the impact,” he said.
Owners of motorcycles registered before July 1, 2003 will receive a letter from NEA by end-April to inform them if they are eligible for the incentive.
Separately, the NEA and the ministry will also tighten in-use emission standards for older motorbikes from April 6, 2023, before they are phased out after June 30, 2028. More details will be shared later.
Motorcycles on the Classic, Vintage (Restricted) and Revised Vintage Vehicle Schemes are exempted as they are already subject to restricted usage.
Motorcycle owners said the NEA’s move would hit their pockets and called for the authorities to tackle pollution by foreign-registered vehicles here.
A civil servant who wanted to be known as Mr Nor, 30, said he was dismayed by the move to phase out these older motorbikes by 2028.
The owner of a 1979 Vespa scooter said cash incentives “do not appeal to him” because of the “sentimental value and memories” attached to his ride, which he bought with his first paycheck from a friend in 2012 for about S$2,500.
Mr Nor said he would wait for more details on the tightened in-use emission standards from April 6, 2023, before deciding whether to renew the COE on his Vespa, which has about two years left on its COE.
Buying a new bike would cost at least four times more, which would defeat the purpose of “cutting down on transport costs”, he said.
In the “worst case scenario”, Mr Nor said he would deregister the motorcycle and reassemble the parts into an armchair.
Another motorcyclist who wanted to be known as Mr Wee, 48, said the move would leave him “with no choice” but to fork out a hefty sum to even switch to a second-hand motorbike, given the high motorcycle COE premiums. Some could be “forced to give their motorbikes up and take up public transport”, he said.
Mr Norman Lee, honorary general secretary of the Singapore Motor Cycle Trade Association, welcomed the new incentive scheme but hoped that after 2028, “iconic and legendary” motorcycle models which currently do not qualify for the Classic and Vintage Schemes would be considered for conservation in Singapore.
Mr Lee felt it was unfair that emission requirements do not apply to some 45,000 foreign-registered motorcycles that enter Singapore on a daily basis.
TODAY understands the NEA is looking at measures to curb pollution by foreign motorbikes.
Other Government schemes to tackle air pollution by vehicles include the Vehicular Emissions Scheme and the Early Turnover Scheme for commercial vehicles.
Tighter exhaust emission standards for petrol vehicles and motorcycles also took effect from April 1, with CO limits lowered for newer petrol vehicles and motorcycles, and hydrocarbon limits introduced for all petrol vehicles and most motorcycles.
Kanupriya Kapoor, Fergus Jensen Reuters 6 Apr 18;
JAKARTA (Reuters) - An Indonesian plan to curb the commercial use of peatlands, by swapping nearly 1 million hectares of forestry concessions on carbon-rich peat, risks simply displacing environmental destruction to other parts of the archipelago, green groups say.
Indonesia was blamed for one of the worst ever peat and forest fire crises that blanketed much of Southeast Asia in thick haze in 2015, and since then has sought to take back and protect vast tracts of peatlands from corporations.
But environmentalists say a new ‘land swap’ policy - which will affect an area the size of Lebanon - may undermine those efforts if relatively undamaged land is given to companies that in the past have been criticized for unsustainable practices.
An Indonesian environment ministry official said under the deal companies will be evaluated over the course of this year to assess how well they have restored damaged peatland on existing concessions before receiving new land elsewhere.
“For this land swap, we will look for empty land that is non-productive,” said Hilman Nugroho, a senior official at the environment ministry.
An alliance of 10 environmental organizations said in a joint statement this week that the government was not being open about what land would be exchanged.
“We fear that vast areas of natural forest, especially in Kalimantan, Sumatra (island), and Papua will be designated for land swaps and converted into pulpwood plantations in the name of peatland restoration,” the environmental organizations said. Kalimantan is the Indonesian portion of Borneo island.
“The policy will also threaten the livelihoods and cultures of indigenous peoples,” said the statement, which was issued by groups including the World Wildlife Fund Indonesia and Eyes on the Forest.
To estimate where potential land concessions would be given away, the alliance compared satellite imagery of forested area with known government allocations of land suitable for plantations and inactive land.
“With this analysis, we found that 971,900 hectares of potential land swap locations are on natural forest area,” said Syarul Fitra of Auriga, one of the NGOs in the alliance.
The government has not made public the locations of the new concessions that will be given as part of the swap.
An environment ministry document seen by Reuters showed companies set to receive new land include several companies linked to Singapore-based Asia Pulp and Paper (APP).
One of those companies, PT Bumi Mekar Hijau, was in 2016 found guilty by an Indonesian court of illegally setting fires on its concession land in South Sumatra. bit.ly/2IA9NYr
A spokesman for APP declined to comment. Bumi Mekar Hijau could not be reached for comment.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo approved last year a two-year extension to a moratorium on issuing new licences to use land designated as primary forest and peatland.
The country has suffered one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world - often cleared for palm oil and other plantations or pulp and paper mills.
In the last half century more than 74 million hectares of Indonesian rainforest - representing an area twice the size of Germany - have been logged, burned or degraded, according to Greenpeace.
Reporting by Kanupriya Kapoor and Fergus Jensen; Additional reporting by Tabita Diela; Editing by Ed Davies and Gopakumar Warrier
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