New 4.8-hectare Bukit Gombak Park to open by end-2019

Toh Ting Wei Straits Times 11 Sep 18;

SINGAPORE - Residents in Bukit Gombak can look forward to a new park in the area by end-2019, in addition to the other existing parks in the area.

Construction of the 4.8ha Bukit Gombak Park, which is almost the size of seven football fields, is expected to start by the end of 2018 and will be completed by the end of 2019.

It will be located on an empty field along Bukit Batok West Avenue 5, opposite Bukit Batok Driving Centre.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, South West District Mayor Low Yen Ling said that the new park will enlarge the green recreational space in Gombak.

The plot of land is about 1.6km away from the picturesque Little Guilin in Bukit Batok Town Park, and about 3.1km away from Bukit Batok Nature Park. All three parks will be linked by the Choa Chu Kang Park Connector.

"We are fortunate to have the beauty of Little Guilin anchoring this area's verdant attractions. This expanded recreational space close to nature will enhance our iconic status as a lush and green oasis, and nature lovers' spot," said Ms Low.

"Many of our residents here are drawn to Bukit Gombak by the distinct benefit of being able to live close to nature, especially in a built-up urban city like Singapore."

In the light of Singapore's ageing population, the park will be designed for inter-generational activities to encourage young and old to bond, and for older Singaporeans to keep active with family and friends.

The facilities include a cafe, outdoor fitness areas, a dog run and a hill trek through a nature zone.

Ms Kartini Omar, group director of parks development at National Parks Board (NParks), told ST in a statement that the new park will complement Little Guilin and Bukit Batok Nature Park, and bring the community closer to nature. NParks is working with Ms Low and grassroots leaders to gather feedback from residents on the park's design.

Residents said the park will be a welcome addition to the area.

Student Mikhail Razip, 18, said he hopes the new park will have more accessible areas, compared with Little Guilin, which has some parts blocked off by dense vegetation.

Housewife Amy Cheung, 45, who lives next to the proposed site of the new park, said she is looking forward to having more space for the community to enjoy gardening.

The Bukit Gombak Park will have a community garden and a seedling garden.

Said Ms Cheung: "The last time we held a ballot for the gardening plots in our estate, there were almost 300 residents balloting for over 30 plots. So, of course, it is good that more residents get an opportunity to try gardening."

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Indonesia: Four people named suspects in C Kalimantan`s land fires

Antara 11 Sep 18;

Sampit, C Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - Police in East Kotawaringin district, Central Kalimantan, have named four suspects in land and forest fires in a number of areas in the district.

"We have been investigating six cases. Four people have been named suspects. The frequent rains (falling in the district) does not discourage us to investigate land fire cases," Chief of the East Kotawaringin District Police Adjunct Chief Commissioner Mohammad Rommel said here on Tuesday.

However, he stopped short of revealing the four suspects in land fires.

He said the police had investigated the cases of land fires in Ujung Pandaran, Samuda, Baamang and Mentawa Baru Ketapang.

One of the suspects has begun to stand trial. But the suspect is only accused of violating a regional regulation.

"He set fire to trash but the fire spread to empty land, which led to land fires. The other cases are still being investigated. May the suspect stand trial.

Only one of the four suspects has been detained. The suspect is believed to get involved in land fires in Samuda.

That other suspects have not been detained did mean that the investigation of their cases are stopped.

The police are also investigating the case of large land fires in Mentaya Hilir Selatan district, he said.

Romel said the police would not tolerate any land arsonist.

Land fires have a far-reaching impact on the people at large, he said.

He called on the public to help prevent and mitigate land and forest fires. *


Reporting by Norjani
Editing by Suharo
Editor: Andi Abdussalam

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Indonesia: Extreme dry season hits East Nusa Tenggara

Antara 12 Sep 18;

Kupang, E Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA News) - The Kupang Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) office has said long days without rain have hit most areas of East Nusa Tenggara province.

"Most areas in the province are hit by long days (21-31 days) without rain and very long days (31-60 days) without rain. Some even are hit by extreme drought of more than 60 days," head of the Kupang meteorology office Apolinaris Geru said here on Wednesday.

Areas hit by extreme dry season include the districts of Nagekeo (around Rendu), Rote Ndao (around Olafulihaa), Kupang (around Hueknutu and Kupang) and Belu (around Weluli), Apolinaris said quoting the result of a survey.

The people, therefore, have to be more efficient in using water as currently NTT is being hit by worst dry season resulting in worst shortage of clean water, he said.

He called on the government to take the necessary steps to provide clean water in drought hit areas .

"The same condition happens every year , therefore, I believe the government already anticipates and has made preparation," he said.

Reporting by Bernadus Tokan
Editing by A Saragih, suharto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf

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'Climate change moving faster than we are,' says UN Secretary General

Matt McGrath BBC 10 Sep 18;

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said that if the world doesn't change course by 2020, we run the risk of runaway climate change.

Mr Guterres said he was alarmed by the paralysis of world leaders on what he called the "defining issue" of our time.

He wants heads of government to come to New York for a special climate conference next September.

The call comes amid growing concerns over the slow pace of UN negotiations.

Mr Guterres painted a grim picture of the impacts of climate change that he says have been felt all over the world this year, with heatwaves, wildfires, storms and floods leaving a trail of destruction.

Corals are dying, he said, the oceans are becoming more acidic, and there are growing conflicts over dwindling resources.

Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are at their highest level in three million years.

Despite the fact that the world agreed on a plan to tackle climate change in Paris in 2015, Mr Guterres said the world is way off track to achieve the modest goals of the pact.

'Hogwash'
Despite the dire situation, the world could still tackle climate change effectively, he said. Saying it was too expensive to do so was "hogwash".

"For every dollar spent restoring degraded forests, as much as $30 can be recouped in economic benefits and poverty reduction," Mr Guterres said.

The world has the tools, and the ability. Renewables are cost-competitive with coal and oil, he said. By 2030, wind and solar could power more than a third of Europe.

But the lack of decisive political leadership was hampering everything, he said.

Calling for global leaders to meet with him at a special summit in New York in September next year, Mr Guterres argued this would give the world the push it needs at a critical moment.

It comes just before the countries that have signed the Paris agreement will review and increase their commitments to cut carbon.

Progress on that road is currently stalled. UN negotiators met in Bangkok last week to try and push the process forward. But arguments between rich and poor nations over money have seen tempers rise and ambition decline.

Delegates will meet again in Katowice in Poland in December to try to finalise the rule book for the Paris pact, but the omens are not good.

In his speech Mr Guterres warned that "we cannot allow Katowice to remind us of Copenhagen," referencing the infamous failed meeting in the Danish capital in 2009.

Many observers believe that the influence of US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement and his general scepticism towards climate change and multilateralism has soured the atmosphere in the UN talks.

"The US attempts to slow down this process should come as no surprise," said Jesse Bragg from the non-governmental organisation, Corporate Accountability.

"It has a long history of watering down and undermining multilateral agreements. But, in leading the charge to block practically every discussion on finance for the Paris guidelines, the US administration is threatening the future of the agreement and multilateralism itself."

Mr Guterres says he is committing himself and the UN to the effort of transforming the political landscape to tame the threat of climate change. He pointed to the forthcoming report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on how to keep the world from warming by more that 1.5 degrees C, which he says will be a sobering assessment.

"We are careering towards the edge of the abyss," Mr Guterres said. "Our fate is in our own hands."


Fossil fuel dependence poses 'direct existential threat', warns UN chief
A rapid global shift to clean energy is needed to prevent runaway climate change, says António Guterres
Associated Press The Guardian 11 Sep 18;

United Nations secretary general António Guterres has warned that the world is facing “a direct existential threat” and must rapidly shift from dependence on fossil fuels by 2020 to prevent “runaway climate change”.

Guterres called the crisis urgent and decried the lack of global leadership to address global warming.

“Climate change is moving faster than we are,” Guterres said on Monday. “We need to put the brake on deadly greenhouse gas emissions and drive climate action.”

He said people everywhere are experiencing record-breaking temperatures and extreme heatwaves, wildfires, storms and floods “are leaving a trail of death and devastation”.

As examples, Guterres pointed to Kerala, India’s worst monsoon flooding in recent history, almost 3,000 deaths from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico last year, disappearing Arctic sea ice, some wildfires so big that they send ash around the world, oceans becoming more acidic threatening food chains, and high carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere threatening food security for billions of people.

Guterres said scientists have been warning about global warming for decades, but “far too many leaders have refused to listen, far too few have acted with the vision the science demands”.

When some 190 nations signed the 2015 Paris agreement on climate change they agreed to limit the global temperature increase by 2100 to less than 2C and as close as possible to 1.5C.

“These targets were the bare minimum to avoid the worst impacts of climate change,” Guterres said. “But scientists tell us that we are far off track.”

“According to a UN study, the commitments made so far by parties to the Paris agreement represent just one-third of what is needed,” the secretary general said.

Guterres said the mountain that needs to be climbed is very high but not insurmountable.

“We need to rapidly shift away from our dependence on fossil fuels,” he said. “We need to replace them with clean energy from water, wind and sun. We must halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and change the way we farm.”

He appealed for leadership “from politicians and leaders, from business and scientists, and from the public everywhere” to break what he called the current “paralysis” and act now.

“If we do not change course by 2020, we risk missing the point where we can avoid runaway climate change, with disastrous consequences for people and all the natural systems that sustain us,” Guterres warned.

The alternative to moving to green energy, he said, “is a dark and dangerous future”.

Guterres said that when he addresses world leaders at their annual general assembly gathering in two weeks, he will tell them “that climate change is the great challenge of our time” and what is missing is leadership and a sense of urgency to respond.

He said an international meeting in Bangkok that ended on Sunday made some progress on negotiations to help reach an agreement in December in Poland on guidelines for implementing the 2015 Paris accord “but far from enough”.

“Nothing less than our future and the fate of humankind depends on how we rise to the climate challenge,” Guterres said. “Keeping our planet’s warming to well below 2C is essential for global prosperity, people’s wellbeing and the security of nations.”

He said that is why he will convoke a climate summit for world leaders in September 2019 “to bring climate action to the top of the international agenda”.

Guterres said technology is on the side of those seeking to tackle climate change.

He cited the rising use of renewable energy, saying “today, it is competitive with and even cheaper than coal and oil, especially if one factors in the cost of pollution”. And he singled out innovative programs in China, Sweden, Morocco, Scotland and Thailand.

Guterres also pointed to other signs of hope including oil-rich Saudi Arabia investing heavily in renewable energy and oil-rich Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the largest in the world, moving away from investments in coal, as well as in palm and pulp paper companies because of the forests they destroy.

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Global hunger levels rising due to extreme weather, UN warns

Progress made in the past decade has been reversed, with climate extremes such as droughts and floods identified as a main cause
Fiona Harvey and Karen McVeigh The Guardian 11 Sep 18;

Global hunger has reverted to levels last seen a decade ago, wiping out progress on improving people’s access to food and leaving one in nine people undernourished last year, with extreme weather a leading cause, the UN has warned.

Hunger afflicted 821 million people last year, the third annual rise since 2015, with most regions of Africa and much of South America showing worsening signs of food shortages and malnutrition. More than half a billion of the world’s hungry live in Asia.

The reversal of progress made in slowing malnutrition in the first half of this decade has caused serious concern among international agencies. Climate shocks, such as droughts and floods, were identified by the UN as “among the key drivers” for the rise in 2017, along with conflict and economic slowdowns. Nearly 100 million people were left dependent on humanitarian aid during the year.

The UN report covers last year, and does not take account of 2018’s extreme weather which has brought heatwaves and high temperatures to much of the northern hemisphere, accompanied by droughts in some parts of the globe and floods in others. However, the changing climatic trends are likely to spell trouble for years ahead.

Robin Willoughby, head of food and climate policy at Oxfam GB, said the last few months were likely to have made the situation even worse, and called on governments to commit funds to help poor countries adapt to the effects of global warming. “The extreme weather we have seen this year is likely to have exacerbated the crisis,” he said. “A hotter world is proving to be a hungrier world.”

According to the report, there are more undernourished people in areas of the world that are highly exposed to extremes of climate. The authors note that there have been more frequent spells of extreme heat in the last five years, and that the nature of rainfall is changing in some areas, with rainy seasons starting earlier or later. Staple crops such as wheat, rice and maize are particularly at risk from climate extremes.

“It is shocking that, after a prolonged decline, this is the third consecutive year of rising hunger,” said Willoughby. “The inescapable fact is that climate change is now leaving people around the world without enough to eat.”

Adapting to climate change can be a matter of switching to less thirsty crops in some areas, and selectively breeding varieties for drought-resistance, or diversifying crops and using natural methods to make the best use of rainfall. Giving farmers access to transport to take their produce to market, and modern technology, such as weather forecasting communications, can also help.

The UN’s State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018 report, released on Tuesday, is the joint work of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Unicef, the World Food Programme and the World Health Organisation.

The heads of the agencies combined to warn of a worsening future, if action is not taken to help people adapt to climate change. “If we are to achieve a world without hunger and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030 [as the sustainable development goals state] it is imperative that we accelerate and scale up actions to strengthen the resilience and adaptive capacity of food systems and people’s livelihoods in response to climate variability and extremes,” they wrote in the foreword to the report.

Cindy Holleman, a senior economist at the FAO and editor of the report, said: “What is alarming about this analysis is that climate variability and climate extremes now are contributing to the rise in hunger. Not just emergency levels of hunger, but chronic hunger.

“We see this report as an early warning call that we need to accelerate and scale up climate resilience especially in countries in Africa and Latin America that are most vulnerable.”

She added: “This is the beginning of a very serious situation. We have a target to end hunger by 2030, and we are not going to do that unless we are going to tackle new challenges and the new challenges are climate extremes and variability.”

The analysis also showed that one in eight of the world’s adults – 672 million people – are now obese. This is increasingly regarded as a form of malnutrition associated with poverty, as poor people often lack access to good quality food.

Other effects of malnutrition noted include 151 million children under five too short for their age owing to malnutrition, a fall from the 165 million recorded in 2012, with Asia accounting for 55% of the total. One in three women of reproductive age around the world have anaemia, which can also affect the development of their children, and only 40% of babies are breastfed exclusively to six months.

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Best of our wild blogs: 11 Sep 18

Punggol shore clinging on to life
wild shores of singapore

15 Sep (Sat): A chat with Bernard on Estuarine Crocodiles at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
Celebrating Singapore Shores!

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Scuffle between crocodile and otters captured on video in Sungei Buloh not a rare sight: Nature observers

Toh Ting Wei Straits Times 11 Sep 18;

SINGAPORE - What happens when a well-known tailless crocodile gets into a fight with a group of six otters? The otters win, it seems. And such scuffles are not rare, said nature observers.

In a video uploaded on Facebook on Sunday (Sept 9), a group of six otters is seen fending off the crocodile in the waters of the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

The clips show the otters bobbing up and down in the water before approaching the crocodile, nicknamed Tailless by nature watchers because it has a stump where its tail should be.

The crocodile snaps unsuccessfully at the otters, as they circle around it.

The 1min 16sec clip was posted on the Ottercity Facebook page by veteran otter watcher Jeffery Teo, who said the face-off lasted about 10 minutes before the crocodile eventually swam away.

The video has since garnered at least 15,000 views and more than 200 shares online.

While many netizens were in awe of the fight, Mr Teo, who has been observing wildlife at Sungei Buloh for around 15 years, said he has seen such scuffles occur around five times in the past few years.

Mr Teo, 47, who works in the financial services industry, said: "While crocodiles can be hard to spot sometimes, you can (detect) their presence by the reactions of otters and monitor lizards. They will be on alert when they sense a crocodile."

National University of Singapore (NUS) biology lecturer N. Sivasothi, who heads the OtterWatch group, said the action of the otters bobbing up and down in the water is called periscoping. They do this to monitor their surroundings above the water, such as the threat of a crocodile in this case.

Mr Sivasothi, who is known as the Otterman, said he is also aware of similar encounters between crocodiles and otters that have happened here.

He added: "Otters and crocodiles, both fish eaters, are unable to drive each other out of an area so they have to co-exist.

"From time to time, they will encounter each other. Otters, being the more agile and busy species, are the ones which will initiate contact with a crocodile."

Mr Teo estimates that there are two otter families in Sungei Buloh, and said that these otters have previously been spotted challenging feral dogs and monitor lizards.

He added that Tailless has been in the reserve for at least 12 years, since it was a small crocodile.

While the otters have strength in numbers, Tailless and other crocodiles in Sungei Buloh have come out tops in some face-offs.

Mr Teo said: "There is not really a clear winner every time, it depends on which family of otters is involved and the strength of the otters."

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Malaysia: Rain brings up veggie prices

The Star 11 Sep 18;

PETALING JAYA: Weeks of stormy, wet weather have affected vegetable yields from farms in some states, causing prices of vegetables to increase by as much as 20%.

Traders in Penang and Johor are seeing a drop in supply and this has pushed up prices of leafy greens in the market.

But in other places such as Perak and the Klang Valley, prices are still stable while some selected vegetables have actually come down due to oversupply.

Over in Sarawak, a drought for the past two months had resulted in a hike for several types of vegetables.

“Monsoon season is supposed to be during year-end but the weather is not very predictable these days.

“So if the rain is prolonged, production will be affected because there will be less harvest.

“But right now, heavy rainfalls are just happening for the past two to three days. So it is still early to gauge the situation,” said Chong.

He added that aside from the prices of red chilli, leafy vegetables were still very affordable.

“Normally, leafy vegetables are the first to go up if there is a problem with harvesting, but until today, it’s still below market price,” he said.

Chong said they would try their best to keep prices stable in order not to burden consumers.

“Fluctuations are not in our interest, as there are many members with long-term supply contracts and commitments.

“You can’t afford to raise prices one day and lower them the next, especially if you’re supplying to places like government canteens or retail outlets,” said Chong.


Prices in Johor to increase if rain continues in next two weeks
The Star 11 Sep 18;

JOHOR BARU: Prices of vegetables in Johor will increase if the heavy downpour continues over the next two weeks.

Vegetable seller Khairul Moha­mad, 39, said leafy vegetables such as bayam, kangkung, kailan and sawi would be affected due to the ongoing heavy rainfalls.

“Many vegetable traders who depend on suppliers will likely increase their prices as a result.

“But my employer has his own vegetable farm in Kempas where all our produce are planted.

Another vegetable trader, K. Ragu, 36, said his supplies had not been affected yet despite Johor experiencing heavy rainfall in the last couple of days.

He said currently, leafy vegetables were sold at RM2 for three bundles but the prices might increase, depending on the weather.

Housewife Mariana Abdullah, 54, said rain was just an excuse, adding that prices of vegetables would still go up, regardless of the weather.

“During the rainy season, the price will increase. Even if there is a dry spell, the price will also go up.

“We still need to eat but if the price becomes too expensive, then I will buy less,” she said.

Johor Consumers Movement Association president Md Salleh Sadijo urged the authorities such as Federal Agriculture Marketing Agen­cy and Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry to help protect both consumers and sellers.

“Prices of vegetables are influenced by supply and demand. During bad weather, vegetable supply will be affected and this will cause prices to surge.

“Both agencies should monitor closely and find a proper solution to ensure prices of vegetables remain affordable to the people,” he said.


Price hike due to wet weather, say traders
The Star 11 Sep 18;

GEORGE TOWN: Weeks of wet weather have affected vegetable yields from farms outside Penang, causing prices of leafy greens to increase by as much as about 20%.

A check by The Star found that various types of vegetables from Cameron Highlands cost more compared to a week ago.

Traders met at a popular market in Taman Lip Sin attributed the price hike to poor weather conditions at the highlands.

Vegetable seller Yaneki Gan, 26, said prices for vegetables from Cameron Highlands increased between 10% and 20% this week.

“The bad weather has affected vegetable yields. Hence, prices of vegetables went up,” she said.

Another trader Annie Tan, 46, said although the prices of vegetables had increased, it was “not that much”.

“Vegetable production was affected because of the cold and wet weather.

“Therefore, a little price increase is unavoidable,” she said.

Tan also said the price hike this week could be due to the increase in labour charges in view of the long weekend holiday.

“Suppliers may have to hire foreign workers to work during the holidays in place of locals.

“This may cause extra labour costs, hence causing the suppliers to slightly increase their prices,” she said.

The long weekend was due to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V’s official birthday on Sunday and Awal Muharram today.

Company supervisor M. Santha, 51, was one of the many shoppers, spotted selecting fresh vegetables.

“I buy my vegetables here but sometimes, I go to the Bayan Baru market as well. It depends on where is more convenient for me.

“I can understand if the traders increase the prices of vegetables as the weather is quite unpredictable these days.

“So far, I didn’t notice that much difference in the prices,” said Santha.

Another market-goer, who only wished to be known as Ong, 50, said he did not mind the slight price increase as long as the vegetables were fresh.

“It is understandable for prices to go up because of the rainy weather.

“I come here regularly to do my grocery shopping and find that the produce here are good and fresh,” he said.

Penang Island Vegetable Whole­salers Association chairman Tan Ban Ben said there was no significant increase in the prices of locally grown vegetables.

“The rainy season did not really affect vegetable yields here on Penang island and mainland because there was no high tide. Hence, there were no floods at the farms here.

“In fact, local vegetables like cucumber, lady’s fingers, long beans, kangkung and bayam are sold at a lower price at markets now due to oversupply.

“However, if there is continuous rain in the next few days, there may be a hike in the prices,” he said.

Tan agreed that prices of vegetables from Cameron Highlands such as tomato and cabbage had increased.

“The wet weather over there caused the yields to drop and prices of vegetables to go up.

“If vegetables from Cameron Highlands are slightly expensive in the markets, then choose the local ones for now,” he said.

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Indonesia braces for prolonged drought

Fardah Assegaf Antara 11 Sep 18;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Hydro-meteorological disasters have over many years dominated natural disasters in Indonesia, which is often flooded during rainy season and very dry and even extremely dry in certain regions during dry season.

Located on the equator line and between Asia and Australia, Indonesia has only two seasons -- rain and dry. The dry season is usually between March and September, while rainy season between September and March.

September is usually transitional period where rains begin to fall across the country. But, up to September 10 this year, many regions remain very dry as rains have not come for months.

Currently, drought hits some regions in Indonesia, especially on the islands of Java and Nusa Tenggara. The drought hit 4,053 villages in 888 sub-districts located in 111 districts and cities in 11 provinces.

Some 4.87 million people in the country are affected by this year`s drought, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

"The dry season is forecast to last until September 2018 and reach its peak during the August-September period. Those islands are hit by the drought almost every year," BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho noted on Sept 7, 2018.

The drought has also affected the agriculture sector, as farmers had to spend additional funds of some Rp800 thousand to rent water pumps and buy diesel fuel to water their paddy fields.

"Some farmers have modified their water pumps by replacing diesel oil with LPG and saved some Rp100 thousand to Rp150 thousand," he remarked.

Last August, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto warned the people of possible prolonged drought, which has triggered forest fires on Kalimantan and Sumatra islands.

The government has intensified efforts to prevent forest fires with the support of the military and local people.

"Compared to last year, the forest fires are now less, because we have been all out in anticipating and preventing them," said Wiranto.

The authorities have built more reservoirs and dykes, provide water pumps, and set up special task forces to patrol areas prone to forest fires.

Furthermore, President Joko Widodo recently held a meeting with a number of cabinet ministers and chief of the Board of Logistics (Bulog) to see what has to be done and what were already done to forestall possible damaging impact of prolonged drought.

The meeting was attended by among others Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution, Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman, Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita, and Minister of State Enterprises Rini Sumarno and Bulog chief Budi Waseso.

"The dry season is a bit extreme that the President considered it necessary to check our readiness especially in rice stock," Nasution told reporters after the meeting.

Bulog Chief Budi Wasesa said Bulog has been well prepared in facing the dry season.

"From the beginning we have gone to the market to raise stock. Now we have granaries full of stock especially in Java," he said.

In East Nusa Tenggara Province, which is the worst affected by drought, extreme dry weather has hit the districts of East Suma, Negekeo, Lembata, and Rote Ndao.

The four districts had not have rains for the last six months, according to Apolinaris Geru, head of the Kupang climatology station.

The areas had received no rain for over 60 days, he remarked.

Extreme weather has affected Temu/Kanatang and Kawangu in East Sumba; Danga in Nagekeo; Wulandoni in Lembata; and Feapopi in Rote Ndao.

Other parts of the province have received rain but with low precipitation of between 0 and 50 mm.

In West Java, drought has affected 22 districts and cities since August this year, causing water shortage.

In fact, the West Java provincial administration has declared a drought emergency alert from August to October 2018.

"Based on data as of Sept 5, a total of 286,802 households face water shortage," Budi Budiman, an official of the local disaster mitigation office (BPBD), stated in early September 2018.

The local BPBD has, so far, distributed a total of 4,307,915 liters of clean water to those affected by the drought.

The affected districts and municipalities are Bogor District, Bogor Municipality, Puwarkarta, Sukabumi District, Sukabumi Municipality, Bekasi District, Karawang, Cianjur, West Bandung, Bandung, Cimahi, Garut, Tasikmalaya, Sumedang, Indramayu, Tasikmalaya Municipality, Cirebon District, Cirebon Municipality, Kuningan, Banjar, Ciamis, and Pangandaran.

The prolonged dry season has also affected farming areas measuring 41,946 hectares in the province.

In Central Java, the district of Banyumas is among areas facing the threat of severe dry season.

Eight sub-districts - Tambak, Sumpiuh, Banyumas, Somagede, Kalibagor, Cilongok, Purwojati, and Kebasen, are facing clean water shortage.

The local authorities have supplied clean water to ease suffering of those affected by drought.

Hopefully, as forecast by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), rains will fall next October in many parts of the country.

Editing by Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Heru Purwanto

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Bangkok meet fails to finalize draft on climate change rules

KAWEEWIT KAEWJINDA Associated Press Yahoo News 9 Sep 18;

BANGKOK (AP) — An international meeting in Bangkok fell short of its aim of completing fruitful preparations to help an agreement be reached in December on guidelines for implementing the 2015 Paris climate change agreement.

The six-day meeting, which ended on Sunday, was scheduled to step up progress in the battle against rising global carbon emissions by adopting a completed text that could be presented at the COP24 conference in Katowice, Poland, three months from now.

A primary objective of the 2015 Paris agreement, to which 190 nations subscribe, is to limit the global temperature increase by 2100 to less than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and as close as possible to 1.5 degrees, which is vital to the survival of island nations threatened by rising seas. But the absence of guidelines for meeting that goal has led to fears that not enough action is being taken.

There have been notable disagreements over fair financing for implementation of the rules by developing countries, and the technical details of their reporting on progress.

Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, said Sunday at the closing press briefing for the Bangkok meeting that progress was made on most issues but nothing was finalized.

The meeting was attended by representatives of most of the countries party to the Paris agreement, as well as the United States, which has announced that it is pulling out of the pact.

Espinosa said there was "limited progress" on the issue of contributions from developed nations to developing countries, adding that she is "hopeful" that future discussions will be productive because of the importance of the issue.

"On the core issues of forward-looking climate finance and the degree of flexibility developing countries should be given on the information and reporting requirements for national commitments under the Paris Agreement, negotiators were stalemated in Bangkok," said a statement from Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists, a U.S.-based activist group.

"It's now up to the incoming Polish presidency and officials leading negotiations to find ways to bridge the deep differences on these issues and to secure agreement in Katowice on a robust, comprehensive package of rules to implement the Paris Agreement," he said.

Harjeet Singh, climate policy manager for ActionAid International, said Sunday that a vital component of the Paris agreement is for wealthy nations to provide financial assistance to developing countries as they fight natural disasters brought by climate change.

But he said wealthy and developed countries "led by the United States and including countries such as Australia, Japan and even the European Union" refused to clearly show "how much money they are going to provide and how that is going to be counted."

Advocacy for the developing countries was led at the meeting by China, said Meyer, but was also supported by others, including India, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia.

Activists were critical of Washington's lobbying at the meeting, especially because President Donald Trump has announced plans to have the U.S. withdraw from the Paris pact, which had been heavily promoted by his predecessor, Barack Obama.

"The U.S. has announced its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement but still negotiates as if it is a Party, weakening international cooperation by not contributing to finance and technology transfer to developing countries," Meena Raman, legal adviser at Third World Network, said in an emailed statement.

Climate change is a polarizing issue in the United States, and some states and local communities have announced policies supporting the Paris agreement.

Thousands of governors, mayors, company CEOs and civil society leaders are expected to gather this week in San Francisco for the Global Climate Action Summit.

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New El Niño weather event likely this winter says WMO

Matt McGrath BBC 10 Sep 18;

There's a 70% chance of a recurrence of the El Niño weather event before the end of this year, according to the World Meteorological Organisation.

The last El Niño occurred in 2015-16 and impacted weather patterns around the world.

Researchers say they are not expecting this new one to be as intense as 2015-16.

According to the WMO, climate change is influencing the traditional dynamics of these weather events.

The El Niño/Southern Oscillation, to give its proper title, is a natural event that involves fluctuating ocean surface temperatures in the Pacific, which influence the weather all over the world.

The 2015-16 El Niño was one of the strongest ever recorded, and had an impact on global temperatures, which saw 2016 enter the record books as the warmest year.

As well as heat, the event also led to drought in Africa that saw food production plummet in many countries across the continent. South America saw floods across Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

This year started with the opposite to El Niño, the so-called La Niña phase. This saw cooler than average sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific.

That has now faded and, according to the WMO models, there's a 70% chance of another El Niño developing by the end of this year.

However, it is expected to have less impact than in 2015-16.

"WMO does not expect the anticipated El Niño to be as powerful as the 2015-2016 event, but it will still have considerable impacts," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

"The advance prediction of this event will help save many lives and considerable economic losses," he added.

Climate change influence

For the first time, the WMO has coupled the El Niño update with a global seasonal climate outlook for the September-November period.

The forecast says that above normal surface temperatures are forecast in nearly all of the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, North America, Africa and much of coastal South America.

While El Niño events normally occur every five to seven years, the recurrence of the event so close to the previous one, suggests that climate change may be having an impact.

"Climate change is influencing the traditional dynamics of El Niño and La Niña events as well as their impacts," said Petteri Taalas.

"2018 started out with a weak La Niña event but its cooling effect was not enough to reduce the overall warming trend which means that this year is on track to be one of the warmest on record."

Separately, Japan's weather bureau said there is a 60% chance the El Niño weather pattern emerging during the northern hemisphere autumn from September to November.

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Great Barrier Reef Showing ‘Signs of Recovery’

After a mass coral bleaching in 2016, the world’s largest living structure is showing signs of a comeback.
Colin Bertram Bloomberg 7 Sep 18;

Following dire warnings of reef die-off after massive coral bleaching in 2016 and 2017, Tourism and Events Queensland has issued a “positive update” on the status of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, reporting that some affected areas are showing “substantial signs of recovery.”

The Reef & Rainforest Research Centre (RRRC), a nonprofit organization, has reported signs of recovery due to a milder 2017-18 summer, as well as cooperation among science, industry, and government in supporting the reef’s recovery, according to the report issued on Wednesday by the Queensland State Government.

Stretching more than 1,430 miles along Queensland’s spectacular coastline, the Great Barrier Reef is the longest coral reef in the world and the first coral reef ecosystem to be awarded Unesco World Heritage Status.

Coral bleaching occurs when coral experiences stress from heightened water temperatures or poor water quality. In response, the coral ejects a photosynthetic algae called zooxanthellae, which removes the coral’s distinctive color. If the stress conditions persist, the coral will die, the report says, but if conditions return to acceptable levels, some coral can reabsorb the substance and recover.

The RRRC, in cooperation with the Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators, conducted detailed surveys at key tourism dive sites around the city of Cairns in 2016 and 2017 and says certain reefs that were strongly affected in the bleaching event are showing significant signs of improvement.

Coral bleaching occurs in multiple stages, according to RRRC Managing Director Sheriden Morris, ranging from the equivalent of a mild sunburn to coral mortality.

“When a reef is reported as ‘bleached’ in the media, that often leaves out a critical detail on how severe that bleaching is, at what depth the bleaching has occurred and if it’s going to cause permanent damage to the coral at that site,” Morris said in the statement, adding that the Barrier Reef “has significant capacity to recover from health impacts like bleaching events.”

Reports that the entire reef is dead due to severe bleaching are “blatantly untrue,” Morris said. Still, he warns that the recovery is “contingent on environmental conditions” and that the reef “may suffer further bleaching events as the climate continues to warm.”

The full impact of the 2016 bleaching, which damaged or destroyed 30 percent of the reef’s shallow water coral, has not yet fully been assessed, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Nature Research Journal.

Deeper reefs are often considered a refuge from thermal anomalies such as those experienced in 2016 and 2017, but the report argues that both shallow and deep reefs are threatened by mass bleaching events; even when the upwelling of colder water (which replaces warmer water pushed offshore by winds) stopped at the end of summer, temperatures at depth rose to record-high levels. Researchers found bleached coral colonies as far down as 131 feet beneath the ocean’s surface, according to the report.

News of the recovery comes only two months after the RRRC co-hosted the Great Barrier Reef Restoration Symposium in Cairns, which convened more than 300 scientists, engineers, and marine tourism representatives from 14 countries to focus on the restoration and recovery of coral reef systems under threat from warming climates.

In April, the Australian Federal Government announced a A$500 million ($379 million) funding grant for the Great Barrier Reef in order to tackle challenges such as climate change, coral-eating starfish, and water quality affected by agricultural runoff.

Deloitte Access Economics valued the reef at A$56 billion in 2017, basing it on the fact that the reef supports tens of thousands of jobs and contributes A$6.4 billion annually to Australia’s economy.

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