ENVIRONMENT: Only practical we go green

PRIYA DASHINEE PURUSOTHAMAN, Shah Alam

IT is not our birthright to destroy what is left of this planet.  We may have, in the past, found difficulty empathising with the concept of environmentalism. But we really don't have much time left to remain ignorant.

Most middle-class homes in the suburbs around Kuala Lumpur have two or even three cars in the driveway. Closer inspection will reveal the blades of air-conditioner compressors whirring and lights turned on even during the day. One wonders whether these homeowners have even heard of the term "carbon emissions".

Carbon emissions are a measure of the amount of carbon as well as GHG (greenhouse gases) that are released into the atmosphere from our daily activities. Carbon and GHG corrode the ozone layer, a coating around the Earth that protects us from harmful radiation from the sun and keeps global temperatures and weather patterns in balance.

A large portion of carbon and GHG comes from the burning of oil for all sorts of purposes, from power generation to driving our vehicles.

Malaysia has consistently ranked poorly in the global ranking of carbon emitters (157th out of 224 countries).

According to several reports and studies done by the US-based International Energy Agency, Malaysia's carbon emissions increased from 3.1 tonnes per capita to 7.2 tonnes per capita over a 16-year period from 1990-2006. This year, this figure is expected to touch eight tonnes per capita, putting Malaysia third behind Vietnam and China in terms of the growth rate of carbon emissions.

Realising this, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak launched the Green Technology Policy under the newly renamed Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water last July. At the launch, Najib said the time had come for Malaysia to go green, citing global concerns to adopt and embrace sustainable and renewable best practices.

Earth Hour was an internationally acclaimed affair, for the noble cause of the globe, which was conveniently forgotten the next morning.

We have been spoilt with low energy costs, so there is less incentive for us to become energy-efficient or look to alternative energy sources.

To awaken environmental consciousness, a swift kick is needed where it hurts most -- not the minds and hearts of the people, but their wallets.

If it costs less to buy and use locally made solar panels that can trap unlimited solar energy 365 days a year compared with fossil fuel-produced electricity that is derived from depleting gas reserves, we will go green.

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President Nasheed: "Our country will not exist."

DiGi to meet green target

SHAH ALAM: DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd is on track to meet its target of reducing the company’s carbon footprint by 50% in 2011 to 2012, said chief executive officer Johan Dennelind.

“Our Deep Green programme that was launched in June last year for that purpose will continue for another three to four years.

“If we can’t reach the target, it will not be a disaster for us as at least, we can change the mindset of people working with us on the importance of this programme,” he said yesterday after the official launch of DiGi’s “Deep Green Challenge for Change” competition.

From left: Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water Malaysia deputy sec-gen Datuk Nor Azmal Mohd Nasir, Johan Dennelind and a DiGi employee at the launch

Dennelind also reaffirmed the company’s commitment to spend RM100mil for its Deep Green Agenda for the next three to four years.

The Deep Green Challenge for Change competition will see teams from Malaysian universities participating in a six-month long programme to develop energy solutions. The competition is part of DiGi’s Deep Green programme that addresses energy efficiency within the company’s business, and broader areas of sustainability with related stakeholders.

“This competition is one of the ways we are engaging with the community as part of our overall Deep Green commitment. It is a positive step forward to challenge young Malaysians to drive the new, green economy,” Dennelind said.

At the event, six teams from four universities were chosen to be in the final round. The winners will be eligible for the cash prize of RM70,000, a study trip as well as the opportunity for management trainee positions with DiGi and the other Challenge for Change programme collaborators.

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Sugar-less world - Food security threat!

Young Activists want action on Global Warming

Tck Tck Tck - It's time for climate justice

The clock is ticking.

In December of this year, the United Nations will meet to decide on the replacement of the Kyoto protocol, a defining agreement that will determine the future of our planet in the face of the climate crisis. People around the world are dying today as a result of climate change and without our collective action, this will continue.

We have a collective opportunity to stop the clock. Become a Climate Ally, by recording and uploading yourself saying 'tck'. This will register you as someone who wants to see climate justice delivered. Our aim is to create the biggest online petition ever, that will be targeted at the world leaders attending the Copenhagen talks, demanding that they make fair and robust decisions that deliver a just climate deal.

Every way you engage registers you as an ally, so get everyone you know involved, pass the message on to your friends and family to do the same. You can get even more involved by purchasing climate tags and other apparel, or simply spreading the message in your area (see our downloads section for more easy ideas).

Together we can deliver justice.

Tck tck tck. It's time for climate justice.

http://timeforclimatejustice.org/

DEFORESTATION & CLIMATE CHANGE: Talk by Alberto Goetzl

Public Talk @ Sun 9 Aug, 3pm

Presented by the American Embassy Kuala Lumpur

Admission Free

The American Embassy Kuala Lumpur presents a talk entitled “Deforestation & Climate Change” by Albert Goetzl.

Alberto Goetzl has thirty years of experience in the field of natural resources and environmental policy. An expert on environmental issues, trade development, agriculture and forestry, wood and paper products, strategic planning, and regulatory economics, he will be on a two week road trip around Malaysia beginning August 1st to August 14th this year. His expertise and practical knowledge would be useful to those who are interested in the areas of environmental management, forest certification, farm and forest business, and commodity markets. He will be delivering talks on “Deforestation and Climate Change” at various venues around Malaysia. Mr. Goetzl has worked with international organizations, forest products companies, landowners, homebuilders, trade associations and government agencies. His talks will shed some light on American deforestation and conservation practices and policies.

Alberto Goetzl

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Youths voice their concern

THIRTY-ODD youths cramped into the home-turned-office of Ukuya to reflect, argue, learn and thrash out ideas on climate change.
Many of them had found out about the Conversations on Climate Change (COC) event on Facebook and took the risk to meet like-minded peers. The organiser, Malaysian Youth Climate Justice Network (myCJN), had intended the series of six COCs to be the platform to "represent the collective youth voice" in climate change debate.The first COC on July 4 turned out to be a success. "It was great. The more people knew how the system worked, the more agitated they became because they feel a lot more can be done at a much faster pace," said Adrian Yeo, one of the founders of myCJN. Barely two months old, myCJN was founded by five friends who felt strongly that the younger generation had been sidelined even though "it is us who will suffer in the future".

"Think about it. Today's decision makers will not be around in 2050 whereas the young people will feel the effects of climate change if nothing is done now."
The COCs, which are held every Saturday, are purposely limited to a group of between 20 and 30 people so that everyone gets a chance to speak.

"We want to engage and allow everyone to have a say."Yeo expressed the hope that the COCs will get people to start talking about climate change and that it will eventually be a topic of conversation at mamak stalls.
"It's funny that people don't talk about climate change when the climate affects us all. We want everybody on the streets to talk about it, to make it a part of our lifestyle. Then, the action will come naturally."

Their strategy is simple: outreach, empowerment and action.

"If all goes well, we hope to have an empowerment symposium in a few months." (MyCJN notes: This symposium is on 28th Aug and application is open for M'sian youth 18-30 years of age, apply today via our facebook page)

But the icing on the cake, said Yeo, would be to send representatives to the COP 15 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December." We're really hoping and working hard for it."

Article Source on NST

The Age of Stupid

Wake Up, Freak Out - then Get a Grip from Leo Murray

Wake Up, Freak Out - then Get a Grip from Leo Murray on Vimeo.

Greenpeace - Not Only A Tree Is Cut Down

Al Gore's new thinking on the climate crisis

In this brand-new slideshow (premiering on TED.com), Al Gore presents evidence that the pace of climate change may be even worse than scientists recently predicted. He challenges us to act.

Hey You- Madonna (YES, you!)

Madonna: 'Hey You'

Earth Hour

Check out Earth Hour.org today!

A Beginner's Guide to Giving a Damn about.... Climate Change

Short film: 'A Beginners Guide to Giving a Damn'

Video from soapbox by searching LiveEarth

Is Global Warming destroying Mount Everest?

In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first people to successfully summit Mount Everest, the highest peak on Earth. Now their sons are warning the world about the damage that global warming is doing to the mountain, one of world's most spectacular natural wonders. Peter Hillary and Jamling Tenzing, in an interview with British newspaper The Independent, lamented that global warming is radically altering the appearance, ecology and climate of Mount Everest and the surrounding area of Tibet. Inaction, they warn, could lead to an environmental disaster.

Mount Everest Image Gallery

Image courtesy © Photographer: Jörg Jahn | Agency: Dreamstime.com Mount Everest still provides breathtaking views and the greatest climbing challenge in the world, but global warming and the proliferation of unstable glacial lakes could radically alter the local environment. See more Mount Everest pictures.

Peter Hillary said that base camp at Everest has slid from an elevation of 5,320 meters, when his father climbed Everest, to 5,280 meters and continues to sink each year. The younger Hillary, who has scaled Everest twice, also warned of the effects of glacial lakes bursting. Glacial lakes that fill up with too much water can breach their natural barriers -- which themselves are frequently made of ice -- unleashing a massive flood. (We recently wrote about a lake in Chile that disappeared because of the same effect.)

In the case of Mount Everest and the surrounding area, tens of thousands of people may be at risk. Forty thousand Sherpas live at the base of the mountain. Already there are 9,000 glacial lakes in the Himalayas, 200 of which face possible glacial outburst floods. A similar flood in 1985 created a torrent of 10 million cubic meters of water. Most of a village, including a local power station, was swept away, with some people and debris ending up 55 miles away. Some lakes now exist that are 20 times the size of the one that burst in 1985. When talking to The Independent, Peter Hillary compared the effects of a glacial outburst flood to an atomic bomb.

If current patterns keep up, most of the glaciers covering the Himalayas could melt within the next 50 years; 80 percent will be gone within 30 years. Some of these glaciers are three miles long. Mount Everest would then appear as an enormous peak of mostly exposed rock with limited areas of ice. The glacier used as Hillary and Norgay's original base camp has moved three miles in 20 years while others have disappeared entirely. Overall, glaciers in the area receded 74 meters in 2006, up from 42 meters a year between 1961 and 2001. The effects are already pronounced: climbers are warned to be on the lookout for rockslides and avalanches caused by increased snowmelt.

Beyond the effects on the immediate area, the glaciers of the Himalayas have worldwide importance. These glaciers contain 40 percent of the world's fresh water, feed nine large rivers and provide one-sixth of the world's drinking water. The fluctuations in the local water supply have caused desertification in some areas, which makes it difficult for farmers to irrigate their crops. Large rivers have appeared in some areas where they did not exist before (and at the expense of other streams).

The global warming claims of Hillary and Norgay are supported by a climate study conducted by an international team of scientists in association with the French Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The study, published in early 2007, confirmed that global warming is adversely affecting Mount Everest. Additionally, many Tibetan people, Sherpas, guides and frequent visitors to the area relate stories of glaciers and ice features such as serac forests -- huge columns of ice formed by glaciers -- disappearing or retreating to higher altitudes.

Click on link to read more. Article extracted from howstuffworks.com

Carbon Footprints

Footprints offer clues about where we came from and where we're headed. Their impressions tell us something about the animals that leave them. But while actual footprints offer details on size, weight and speed, carbon footprints measure how much carbon dioxide (CO2) we produce just by going about our daily lives. A drive to work, a flip of a light switch and a flight out of town all rely on the combustion of fossil fuels like oil, coal and gas. When fossil fuels burn, they emit greenhouse gases like CO2 that contribute to global warming. Ninety-eight percent of atmospheric CO2 comes from the combustion of fossil fuels [source: Energy Information Administration].

© Photographer: Pokerman | Agency: Dreamstime Carbon footprints measure the amount of CO2 you produce in your daily life.

People concerned with the environment and global warming usually try to reduce their carbon output by increasing their home's energy efficiency and driving less. Some start by calculating their carbon footprint to set a benchmark -- like a weigh-in before a diet. A carbon footprint is simply a figure -- usually a monthly or annual total of CO2 output measured in tons. Web sites with carbon calculators turn easy-to-supply information like annual mileage and monthly power usage into a measurable tonnage of carbon. Most people try to reduce their carbon footprint, but others aim to erase it completely. When people attempt carbon neutrality, they cut their emissions as much as possible and offset the rest. Carbon offsets let you pay to reduce the global greenhouse gas total instead of making radical reductions of your own. When you buy an offset, you fund projects that reduce emissions by restoring forests, updating power plants and factories or increasing the energy efficiency of buildings and transportation.

Some companies have started to include footprints on their labeling. Carbon labels appeal to consumers who understand and monitor their own carbon footprints and want to support products that do the same. The labels estimate the emissions created by producing, packaging, transporting and disposing of a product. The concept is similar to life cycle analyses, the more intricate forerunner of carbon footprints. Life cycle analyses or assessments evaluate all of the potential environmental impacts that a product can have during its existence -- they're a more focused version of a carbon footprint.

But life cycle analyses require teams of researchers who plot and compile data from every aspect of production, transportation and disposal. Personal carbon footprints are less precise but still give a quick, general idea of CO2 output. Best of all, they take about five minutes to calculate.

In this article, we'll learn how carbon calculators come up with your personal total, what it means and how to reduce your carbon footprint.

Note: Article extracted from here. Click to read more on what you can do to reduce YOUR carbon footprints.

Ireland announces plan to ban energy wasting lightbulbs

© Greenpeace / Martin Maher

06 December 2007

Dublin, Ireland — The Irish Government, announced today what will be in effect the EU's first ban on energy-wasting incandescent lightbulbs. This simple but historic step comes as governments meet in Bali to discuss next steps on tackling the global climate emergency.

Over the past year, a number of EU countries have talked about similar bans, but Ireland is the first to act.

The UK has preferred to leave the question to retailers, seeking voluntary agreements to take wasteful incandescent bulbs off the shelves by 2011. Last month, French President Sarkozy, declared his support for a 2010 national ban but concrete proposals have not been published yet. The Dutch Environment Minister Cramer, a former Philips employee, announced initial support for a 2011 incandescent lightbulb phase-out, but then reversed her opinion. Cramer now supports the manufacturers' call for a prolonged phase out lasting until 2019.

"Today Ireland has taken a lead in banning energy-wasting lightbulbs, by as early as January 2009," said Greenpeace Campaigner Eoin Dubsky. "We hope that Ireland’s decision will light the way for the EU and the rest of the world."

To read more goto http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/ireland-bans-bulb071206

Melissa Etheridge - I Need To Wake Up

Then...

2005...

-Glacier melt is a proxy for direct temperature measurements. Melting glaciers indicate a warmer environment-

Then...
2004...
note: Images obtained from here.

Global Warming Myths and Facts

MYTH - We can adapt to climate change — civilization has survived droughts and temperature shifts before.
FACT - Although humans as a whole have survived the vagaries of drought, stretches of warmth and cold and more, entire societies have collapsed from dramatic climatic shifts.

The current warming of our climate will bring major hardships and economic dislocations — untold human suffering, especially for our children and grandchildren. We are already seeing significant costs from today's global warming which is caused by greenhouse gas pollution. Climate has changed in the past and human societies have survived, but today six billion people depend on interconnected ecosystems and complex technological infrastructure.

What's more, unless we limit the amount of heat-trapping gases we are putting into the atmosphere, we will face a warming trend unseen since human civilization began 10,000 years ago. (IPCC 2001)

The consequences of continued warming at current rates are likely to be dire. Many densely populated areas, such as low-lying coastal regions, are highly vulnerable to climate shifts. A middle-of-the-range projection is that the homes of 13 to 88 million people around the world would be flooded by the sea each year in the 2080s. Poorer countries and small island nations will have the hardest time adapting. (McLean et al. 2001)

In what appears to be the first forced move resulting from climate change, 100 residents of Tegua island in the Pacific Ocean were evacuated by the government because rising sea levels were flooding their island. Some 2,000 other islanders plan a similar move to escape rising waters. In the United States, the village of Shishmaref in Alaska, which has been inhabited for 400 years, is collapsing from melting permafrost. Relocation plans are in the works.

Scarcity of water and food could lead to major conflicts with broad ripple effects throughout the globe. Even if people find a way to adapt, the wildlife and plants on which we depend may be unable to adapt to rapid climate change. While the world itself will not end, the world as we know it may disappear.

To read more go to http://www.fightglobalwarming.com/page.cfm?tagID=274