Need incentives for oil palm industry in Sabah - What A Joke!

By MUGUNTAN VANAR

KOTA KINABALU: Policies and incentives are needed for the harnessing of renewable energy from Malaysia’s massive oil palm industry.

State owned POIC Sabah Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Dr Pang Teck Wai said there was insufficient incentives for oil palm players to consider renewable energy.

Agreeing that there was enough empty fruit bunches (EFB) for the harnessing of renewable energy, Dr Pang said there was no deterrence to compel oil palm players to reduce their carbon footprints.

Dr Pang cited the example of Eco Biomass Energy Sdn Bhd, a Korean investor in the Lahad Datu palm oil industrial cluster which has encountered great difficulties in accessing biomass for their proposed biomass power plant.

“It’s been more than two years now and the eco-biomass company is to secure sufficient long-term supply of EFB to enable them to start building their plant.

“The potential suppliers were wavering in their prices and terms, waiting to take advantage of the situation. There’s no urgency because selling EFB has never been a major part of an oil palm mill’s income.

‘’There is no serious enforcement of laws to compel them to dispose of their EFBs, which is a major contributor of methane gas when they rot and methane gas is 20 times more harmful than carbon dioxide,” he added.

Statistics show that Sabah produces over 30% of Malaysia’s palm oil but little of the oil palm biomass was being commercially utilised, he noted.

He said POIC Sabah had intended the EBE’s plant to produce power and steam to supply the various palm oil-related industries at POIC Lahad Datu, which todate has 24 investors in refinery, bio-diesel, fertilisers and logistics.

Dr Pang was commenting on reports quoting Malaysia Palm Oil Board (MPOB) chairman Datuk Sabri Ahmad as saying that Sabah can tap its power-generating potential from oil palm biomass, including methane gas from what is known in the industry as palm oil mill effluent that is about 65% methane.

Dr Pang said a biomass policy that, among other issues, spells out government incentives and strict environmental requirements, is necessary not only for the production of renewable energy but also for the country to be able to take advantage of the huge volume of oil palm biomass.

“For example, the estimated RM6mil needed for mills to install biogas-capture structure - unless there are incentives or legislative requirement or both, not many mills will bother to capture their POME gas,” he added.

He also pointed out the numerous difficulties faced by players in claiming for carbon credits and complying with the Clean Development Mechanism principles.

“We have received feedback that the auditing process is very cumbersome, and a disincentive for millers to try for some of the money to fund their carbon-saving activities,” he said.

Article Source

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Na­­jib Tun Razak hopes that Malay­sians, regardless of faith, will be ge­nerous and compassionate enough to help those in ne

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Na­­jib Tun Razak hopes that Malay­sians, regardless of faith, will be ge­nerous and compassionate enough to help those in need.

In a posting to mark Christmas Day, the Prime Minister in his blog www.1malaysia.com.my said that those who required aid included the infirm and the poor.

“In this spirit of generosity, we ought also to demonstrate kindness towards our natural environment.”

He said a greener Christmas was possible, for example, by passing on unwanted gifts, packaging presents in recycled wrapping paper and using Christmas lights sparingly.

“This festive season, as enjoyable as it is, can produce excesses, even in these financially less liberating times,” Najib said.

However, he believed that for the Christians, this season marked a time to spread goodwill and cheer, particularly among the less fortunate.

He said Christmas also offered the people yet another opportunity to unwind in the company of family, friends and neighbours.

Christmas, he said, also gave an opportunity to Christians to reach out to other communities.

“Like the Hari Raya before it, why not use the occasion to bring together guests from different backgrounds under one roof? On this note, I wish all those celebrating this most special day a joyous, peaceful and harmonious Christ—mas,” he said. — Bernama

Article Source

COPing With the Stars: The 13 Biggest Players to Emerge from Copenhagen

The last two weeks have been the moment the whole world has been waiting for: the gathering of world leaders in Copenhagen for the UN Climate Change Conference held some real hope, at least for awhile, that climate change could finally start being addressed on an international, and cooperative, level. But the conference is just about over, and not a whole lot came of it except stalled meetings and frustrated hands thrown in the air.

The rift between developed and developing nations has proven greater than any compromise offered by leaders, and the biggest agreement from the talks might just be to... come to an agreement later.

On a brighter side, however, a few major players have emerged from the talks—some expected leaders on climate change, some names you might be surprised to see were even in Denmark for the talks, and other names you may never have heard of. Find out who's leading the way on climate change when the most powerful elected leaders in the world aren't necessarily doing so.

In no particular order...

1. Bolivian President Evo Morales

Photo above-right

By some measures, he made the most ambitious statement to come out of Copenhagen when he demanded not only that world leaders agree to limit the global temperature increase over the next century to 1 degree C, but that rich countries should pay climate change 'reparations,' and proposed a climate court of justice, where countries could be prosecuted for climate 'crimes.' Morales said, "Our objective is to save humanity and not just half of humanity. We are here to save mother earth. Our objective is to reduce climate change to [under] 1C. [above this] many islands will disappear and Africa will suffer a holocaust."

2. Mohamed Nasheed

Sipa via AP Images

He rose to global environmental fame when he held an official Maldives cabinet meeting underwater in October to bring attention to the devastating impact that climate change will have on low-lying coastal and small island nations such as his. Now he's part of the global climate change conversation, a major player at Copenhagen, and an eco-rock star.

3. John Kerry

Sipa via AP Images

You all know who he is. But you may not have expected him to put out one of the best quotes of the conference: "If (former Vice President) Dick Cheney can argue that even a 1 percent chance of a terrorist attack is 100 percent justification for preemptive action, then surely, when scientists tell us that climate change is nearly a 100 percent certainty, we ought to be able to stand together...and join in an all out effort to combat a mortal threat to the life of this planet."

4. Thom Yorke

Photo by Getty Images

Creating a most surprising presence at Copenhagen, the Radiohead frontman can be a little less diplomatic—and he was. He asked world leaders to "get their shit together" on climate change, and since he's earned a little street cred when it comes to environmental activism, we hope they were listening.

5. Hillary Clinton

AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus

The sometimes controversial figure has spearheaded some of the real (if sparse) progress in Copenhagen, according to Oxfam International, who had this to say earlier this week: "We are heartened by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's commitment to significant financial resources of $100 billion dollars a year by 2020 to help developing countries weather the negative impacts of climate change."

6. Naomi Klein

AP Photo/Bernd Kammerer/HA

Less pleased with Hillary Clinton was Naomi Klein, the journalist who brought activism to the mainstream with her book No Logo and has been pumping reports out of Copenhagen since before the conference started.

7. Tom Vilsack

AP Photo/ Haraz N. Ghanbari

Part of the U.S. delegation to Copenhagen, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack gave a keynote speech on how clean energy investments are creating opportunities for rural economies, and championed perhaps one of the only solid achievements of the conference, the pledge to fight deforestation.

8. Bill McKibben

AP Photo/Toby Talbot

McKibben, the man who made 350 a world-famous number that we all (except the deniers) can agree on, has carried his message from the grassroots into the official discussions at Copenhagen.

9. Kumi Naidoo

Janette Pellegrini/WireImage/Getty Images

The (very recently appointed) executive director of Greenpeace has emphasized the role that activists have played in bringing climate change to the public eye, and has tirelessly called for a "Fair, Ambitious and Binding 'treaty.' Not a 'deal' or 'agreement' but a 'treaty' that will set us on the path to averting catastrophic climate change.

10. Nnimmo Bassey

Matthew McDermott

Chair of Friends of the Earth International and Nigerian environmentalist Nnimmo Bassey brought the perspective of less-developed countries to bear by saying things like, "the impression that we came to COP 15 to beg for money is wrong, no we came to ask for climate justice, since Africa in particular has been put in a critical crisis situation we did not cause." He was refused entry into the Bella Center, which sparked outrage about the restricted access in general, but was eventually allowed in, only to be disappointed by the week's end that "nothing new" had come of the conference.

11. Lula da Silva

AP Photo/Heribert Proepper

Always a ruckus-causer, the Brazilian President kept the pressure on in Copenhagen to keep pushing for progress. He vowed that Brazil would contribute to a medium-term financing pool for developing countries if a final climate agreement can be reached, but he was skeptical—even a little sarcastic—about what good can come from procrastinating on reaching that agreement. "I'm not sure if some angel or some wise man will come down to this plenary and will put in our minds the intelligence that we lacked up until now," said Lula. "I don't know if that's going to be possible."

12. Pablo Solon

AP Photo/Keystone, Salvatore Di Nolfi

Bolivia's ambassador to the UN was less than pleased with the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's suggestion of allowing a global temperature increase of 2 degrees C. (Small island states and other vulnerable nations want the target set at 1.5 degrees C, with the more ambitious calling for 1 degree C.) Following Ki-Moon's announcement at Copenhagen, Solon said, "The scientists tell us that 2C offers a 50-50 chance of avoiding dangerous climate change. That is not good enough."

13. Activists

AP Photo/Jens Dresling/POLFOTO

They've gotten some of the most attention in the press—though not always positive, as Bill McKibben predicted months before the conference even started. Yes, it's a simpler way for media to cover the conference without actually covering it, but if you dig deeper, the activists on the streets, outside of the highly-policed (so much so that the chair of the conference even had trouble getting inside) Bella Center, have brought some of the most important issues to bear.

Article Source

The bright side of 'Flopenhagen'

Both environmentalists and U.N. officials agree ... COP15 was a 'failure.' But the 'Copenhagen Accord,' though flawed could mark the messy beginnings of a post-carbon age.

Sat, Dec 19 2009 at 11:09 AM EST

Photo: Karl Burkart

A haggard but surprisingly relaxed Yvo de Boer just held the concluding press conference for the COP15 climate talks, answering some of the questions that have been plaguing the minds of every journalist (and probably a whole lot of U.N. delegates) on the heels of the unprecedented gathering of over 120 heads of state from around the globe yesterday.

Questions like ... What's an "accord?" How does it fit in with the U.N. agreements that have been in negotiation for two years now? Does it matter that the Conference of U.N. officials (the COP) is "taking note" of the accord when basically their bosses' bosses' bosses have all come in at the 11th hour to finish (or start, rather) their work for them?

In the 18 hours or so since President Obama's announcement of the Copenhagen Accord, "chaos" has ensued. Yvo said an event like this has never transpired before nor will it likely occur again. So there simply aren't procedures in place yet to reconcile the tiny, weeny three-page document I'm holding in my hands — a document which, though scant and enormously controversial, will likely go down in the history books as THE defining moment, the official birth certificate if you will, of the post-carbon economy.

Here are some clarifications I've gleaned on the Copenhagen Accord.

• It is not binding legal agreement.
• It is not a binding political agreement.
• The Copenhagen Accord is now signed by 25 countries and provides an open invitation for other nations to join.
• The accord emerged from a meeting between the U.S. and the BASIC group — China, India, Brazil, South Africa + 20 additional "friendly nations" representing 80%+ of total carbon emissions.
• The accord establishes the target of max 2 degree Celsius rise in mean global temperature but it does not give a "by when."
• Surprisingly AOSIS (the Island Nations) agreed to back it in exchange for initial fast-start funding pledged by the U.S and the EU.
• According to Yvo, joining the accord is voluntary for each nation and is NOT a U.N.-sanctioned consensus document.
• The U.N. has officially moved to "take note" of the agreement, which basically means it MAY be considered in future COP's as the framework for the legally binding agreement.
• The accord calls for some form of third party "consultant" process for accounting carbon emissions of each of the participating nations.
• The U.S. delegation made it clear this morning that the accord agreement was made "far above" the level of U.N. officials and cannot be modified by the U.N.

Sweden has called it a "disaster." The ALBA nations call it a capitalist conspiracy. Many in the G77 call it a "suicide pact." These and many other epithets have led some in the journalistic community to rename the Copenhagen climate talks "Flopenhagen" and some are now saying Obama is worse than President Bush. At least Bush just ignored the U.N. said Nnimmo Bassey of FOE, "Obama is torpedoing it."

I've been grappling like many in the environmental community with a sense of depression over the whole thing. Thom Yorke of Radiohead expressed it well last night when he said, "We're f***g f**d."

But today I've been working hard to see past the blizzard of negative e-mails and tweets to try and find the silver lining in this whole thing. And thanks to Dan of the Climate Community for pointing out the positive in the tumultuous conclusion of COP15:

Copenhagen has been a major disappointment ………….. and yet …

This week, China, India, Europe and the United States all stated clearly that the risks posed by climate change are unacceptable to the global community. The leaders of China and the leaders of the United States have agreed in concept to work together towards a binding agreement that would both lower CO2 emissions and also provide more meaningful tracking of regional emissions.

This week (a seemingly tired) president of the United States - hung around - gathered other world leaders back in one last effort at an agreement - and he succeeded (sort of…)

Copenhagen should give us hope.

These sentiments were echoed almost verbatim by Yvo de Boer just a few minutes ago, and as I walked past a completely disheveled Bjorn Lomborg on the way out, and then recalled the hilarity of a German newscaster calling Inhofe "ridiculous" to his face, or the awesomeness of climate skeptic Lord Monckton being caught red-handed lying to the press — all of these things made me realize something ...

Though Hopenhagen could rightfully be called Flopenhagen, life for politicians and activists alike will be very, very different in 2010. When Obama crashed the two-year COP stalemate, he removed any doubt about the importance and validity of the struggle to solve the climate crisis.

Putting meat on the premature skeleton that is the Copenhagen Accord will be messy, very messy, and everyone is going to lose something in the process of forming a binding treaty (except maybe the Chinese). But like it or not, it will move forward and it will remain at the top of every leader's national priority list henceforth.

So climate skeptics, you can finally pack up your things. The "climate debate" is over.

Article Source

Malaysia Announces Conditional 40 Per Cent Cut In Emissions (from 2005 level)

From Mokhtar Hussein

COPENHAGEN, Dec 17 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has agreed to reduce its carbon dioxide emission to 40 per cent by the year 2020 compared to the 2005 levels subject to assistance from developed countries.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the cut was conditional on receiving the transfer of technology and adequate financing from the developed world.

"I would like to announce here in Copenhagen that Malaysia is adopting an indicator of a voluntary reduction of up to 40 per cent in terms of emissions intensity of GDP (gross domestic product) by the year 2020 compared to 2005 levels," he said in his speech at the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 here, on Thursday,

United Nations data shows Malaysia's carbon emissions in 2006 stood at 187 million tonnes or 7.2 tonnes from each Malaysian.

Najib also said that Malaysia was committed to ensure at least half of its land area remained as forests as pledged at the Rio Summit.

"Currently our national natural forests and agriculture crop plantations cover 75 per cent of the country's land area," he said during the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15).

Stressing the importance of the Kyoto Protocol, Najib said developed countries which were not party to it should take steps in reducing carbon emissions as agreed to in the Bali Action Plan.

"Malaysia calls on the developed countries to collectively commit in Copenhagen to an aggregate reduction of 49 per cent by 2017 compared to the 1990 levels," he said.

Describing the task to combat climate change as a "Herculean endeavour," the Prime Minister said the key element to future cooperation was to recognise, adopt and work out the realisation of the fair principles of equity to the atmospheric space and resource.

"At the same time, we must have ambitious environmental aspirations.

Combining these two factors will be essential for success.... in Copenhagen and thereafter," he said.

Najib also said there should be transparency and fairness and that any decision or outcome must arise from the negotiations in which all countries participated.

"Any document that is placed into the process in a unilateral manner would be counter productive and risks the failure of Copenhagen. This would be a catastrophe that our mother earth can ill afford," he said.

Najib also described the proposed US$10 billion fast track funding as "mere pittance" and inadequate saying that studies had revealed that developing countries required long-term financing of at least US$800 billion a year for purposes of adaptation and mitigation of climate change.

He then called on the developed nations to commit US$200 billion per year by 2012 on the way to the US$800 billion per year required thereafter.

He said if a more accurate temperature rise target of 1.5 degrees centigrade was to be adopted, the funding required by developing countries could be as high as US$1.5 trillion annually.

"Indeed, if we think about it, this is not too high when compared to the many trillions of dollars recently used in bailing out banks and companies," he said.

Najib also suggested that the developed nations should commit to cut their emissions by well over 100 per cent compared to the proposed 80 percent cut.

He said if developed countries cut their emissions by 80 per cent, it would imply a cut of 20 per cent by developing countries in absolute terms and a cut of 60 per cent per capita because of population growth.

"This was an almost impossible task given the imperative of high economic growth. Therefore the developed countries have to commit to cut their emissions by well over 100 per cent.

"In other words they need to have negative emissions so that the developing countries will still have some carbon space," he said.

Najib also expressed concern on the threat of trade protection under the guise of addressing climate change.

"For Copenhagen to succeed there must be a clear statement that developed countries shall not take trade related measures such as carbon tariffs and border adjustment measures against the product, services and investments of developing countries.

"Otherwise, we would have a totally unacceptable situation where developed countries give one dollar with one hand and remove 10 dollars with the other," he said.

More than 100 world leaders are attending the summit which saw demonstrations outside the Bella Centre, the venue of the conference which began Dec 7.

Najib had earlier said that he hoped world leaders would at least give their political commitment in the efforts to save the Planet if a legally-binding agreement could not be achieved during the Copenhagen talks which will end Friday.

-- BERNAMA

article source

Walk about COP15

A video walkabout inside the premises of COP15, the Bella Center in Copenhagen. Do watch it in HD =) (embedded is the fantastic video)



More to come on our newly revamped ECO Singapore YouTube channel here

Live from COP15
Ping
ECO Singapore

Article Source