Blue Skies Above!
Butterflies of Singapore
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PUB, NEA investigating black discharge in Potong Pasir canal
Channel NewsAsia 20 Jan 19;
SINGAPORE: National water agency PUB and the National Environment Agency (NEA) on Sunday (Jan 20) said they were investigating black discharge which was seen in a canal at Potong Pasir.
"PUB received a report of discharge in an outlet drain at Potong Pasir Ave 1 at 10.20am on Jan 19, 2019," said a PUB spokesperson in a reply to Channel NewsAsia's queries.
A video uploaded by Facebook user Adam Teeoo showed the black liquid streaming into the canal.
PUB officers and contractors went down to investigate immediately, said the spokesperson.
However, there was no discharge found onsite, as it might have been diluted with the water in the canal, he added.
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Businesses must ensure a liveable and sustainable planet, not just focus on profits: Ho Ching
Vanessa Lim Channel NewsAsia 19 Jan 19;
SINGAPORE: While businesses pursue profits and financial returns, they must invest in training for their people and also fulfil their obligation to ensure a liveable and sustainable planet for all, said Temasek Holdings CEO Ho Ching on Saturday (Jan 19).
Speaking at the St Gallen Symposium 2019 Singapore Forum, Mdm Ho said businesses have a stake in meeting the needs of society and helping to make lives better.
"For businesses, profits are just a shorthand notation for financial strength and viability. Businesses can thrive only if they succeed in meeting the needs of their customers as their primary mission, but that alone is not enough for longevity," said Mdm Ho.
"If all of us try to extract the maximum amount of grass to feed our own sheep, the village green will soon be bare – we end up with no grass to feed our sheep, and we may even starve."
With climate change posing an existential threat to humans, Mdm Ho urged businesses and organisations to rethink the purpose of their capital so that they can help society and take urgent action on climate change.
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Keep calm and carrot on: how agritech could transform farming in Singapore
What agritech entails, why investors are sitting up, and how it could transform farming in Singapore
CLAUDIA CHONG Business Times 19 Jan 19;
THINK fast: which countries come to mind when you hear "agriculture"? China? Yes. Japan? Probably. Singapore? Not so much. The country has never had a large role to play in agriculture. Yet in the past two years, the authorities cannot seem to stop waxing lyrical about the potential of Singapore as an agrifood tech hub for the region, almost as if to say: There's so much we can do. Lettuce grow together.
But jokes asides, agritech is becoming serious business here. Just earlier this week, Enterprise Singapore (ESG) investment arm Seeds Capital appointed seven co-investment partners to pump more than S$90 million into Singapore agrifood tech startups. The last year also saw notable movements within the private sector as well. Catalist-listed Trendlines announced plans to open an innovation centre to develop agrifood technologies here, and wants to raise a US$40 million venture fund. Global agrifood tech accelerator network The Yield Lab rode into town too, basing their regional operations in Singapore.
And yet when it comes down to it, most of us in Singapore might go our whole lives never being in the presence of a crops farm or livestock. A single mysterious wild cow on Coney Island - which has since died - was novel and exciting enough to gather a religious following.
So what does Singapore have to do with agriculture technology, and why is the buzz getting louder? Here's why you should even carrot all.
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The impact of the haze on caterpillars
Straits Times 19 Jan 19;
While there are studies on the impact of haze on human well-being, its effect on other species and ecosystems is rarely explored.
A study led by Associate Professor Antonia Monteiro from the Department of Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore's Faculty of Science has revealed that toxic chemicals in haze can affect the survival and development of butterflies, said the university.
Insects are very sensitive to changes in air quality because air reaches their inner cells directly through valve-like openings known as spiracles on the sides of their bodies. The diffusion of gases then takes place close to each cell via very fine tracheal tubes that transport the air from the spiracles to the inside of the body. In humans, the air first diffuses into the blood system in the lungs before reaching cells.
The researchers discovered that when the caterpillars of the Squinting Bush Brown Butterfly (Bicyclus anynana) were exposed to artificially generated smoke from burning incense coils, a large proportion did not survive to adulthood. Those that did survive took longer to reach adulthood, and were smaller. A smaller size usually leads to lower egg production.
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Indonesia: Bali requires foreign tourists to pay US$10 - Let's preserve nature
Ni Komang Erviani The Jakarta Post 18 Jan 19;
While battling against the plastic that has besieged its waters, Bali is preparing a bylaw that will impose a US$10 levy on foreign tourists.
The Bali administration has drafted a bylaw on tourist contributions for the environment and cultural preservation, which has been discussed with the Bali Legislative Council since December.
Bali Governor Wayan Koster said the revenue from the tourist tax would be allocated to fund programs on preserving the environment and Balinese culture.
“This will give us better fiscal space to support the development of Bali,” Koster said at the Bali Legislative Council building.
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MP Louis Ng urges Government to ban shark’s fin from public service events
NICHOLAS KHONG Today Online 17 Jan 19;
SINGAPORE — Shark’s fin dishes should be banned from events organised by or for the public service, Member of Parliament (MP) Louis Ng said.
Mr Ng, who is MP for Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency, submitted a parliamentary question on the issue earlier this week, asking whether shark’s fin — traditionally considered a delicacy and a staple at Chinese weddings and formal banquets — is still being served at public service events and if it will be on the menu at future events.
In a written response, Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said that government agencies decide on their respective menus based on what is “prudent and appropriate for the occasion”.
“We do not have policies specific to the serving of shark’s fin,” Mr Chan said, adding that public agencies abide by the procurement principles of fairness, transparency and value-for-money.
Speaking to TODAY, Mr Ng said that these principles would rule out serving shark’s fin dishes.
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Malaysia: Soldiers foil attempt to smuggle 310 magpies to Indonesia
Bernama New Straits Times 17 Jan 19;
KUCHING: Soldiers yesterday foiled an attempt to smuggle 310 magpies to Indonesia via a 'lorong tikus' (illegal route) near the Malaysia-Indonesia border in Tebedu, about 100 km from here.
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Indonesia: Fires burn 124.5 hectares of land in Riau since early January
Antara 17 Jan 19;
Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - Some 124.5 hectares of land and forests in Riau Province caught fires since early this year due to low rainfall, coupled with strong winds, according to the Riau Provincial Disaster Mitigation Board (BPBD).
The land and forests are located in Rokan Hilir, Bengkalis, Kampar, Dumai, and Kepulauan Meranti districts and Pekanbaru and Dumai municipalities, Edwar Sanger, acting chief of BPBD Riau, stated here on Thursday, Jan 17.
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Best of our wild blogs: 17 Jan 19
26 Jan (Sat): FREE Guided Pasir Ris Mangrove Walk
Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs
Celebrate World Wetlands Day 2019 from 26 Jan - 3 Feb
celebrating singapore shores
Singapore dismisses politician's call to ban shark fin from public sector events
eco-business.com
Open Electricity Market: Your Green Options
Green Drinks Singapore
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