Archive for August, 2011
All govt offices to keep air-cond temperature at 24ºC from now
-The Star- PUTRAJAYA: All government offices have been ordered to set their air-conditioner temperature no lower than 24 degrees Celsius to give nature a helping hand and to cut electricity bills.
The new regulation is expected to be implemented immediately although the circular on the matter will only be issued by the office of the Chief Secretary to the Government later this month.
Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin said the order would be extended to the private sector by 2013.
He said a new Bill on energy conservation was being drafted to compel the private sector to follow suit.
“It will be tabled in Parliament soon and we are looking at 2013 as the implementation date for the private sector.
“For now, the secretaries-general of all the ministries who are also the officers-in-charge of the buildings under their ministries must ensure that the air-conditioner temperature is set at 24 degrees Celsius and above unless under special circumstances,” he told a press conference after attending a Green Technology and Climate Change Council meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
It was also attended by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas.
Chin said certain places like the ICUs and operation theatres in hospitals were, however, exempted from the ruling.
He said the meeting agreed that 24 degrees Celsius was a comfortable temperature for Malaysian climate.
“It is neither too cold nor too hot. In some countries, like China, they are required to set their (air-conditioner) temperatures at 26 degrees Celsius which is too hot (for Malaysia).
“So gone are the days when the ladies have to bring their shawls to the office,” he said, referring to the common scene in many government offices where women staff covered their upper bodies with shawls due to the cold temperature.
Chin explained that for every degree dropped in air-conditioning temperature, the power usage would increase by between 4% and 7%.
He was unable to provide exact estimates on how much the Government could save with the move.
Cool plan: Najib chairing the Green Technology and Climate Change Council meeting in Putrajaya yesterday while Chin (on his right) looks on.However, he said the ministry’s Malaysia Green Technology Corporation building in Bangi which had already imposed the condition saved an estimated RM600,000 to RM700,000 annually on its energy bills.
“Offices in Putrajaya spend between RM30,000 and RM80,000 a month on electricity and about 40% of it is for air-conditioning,” he said.
He added that the meeting also agreed that all bulbs in government buildings that need to be changed must be replaced with energy-efficient CFL bulbs or LEDs.
On Malaysia’s commitment to reduce carbon emission intensity by 40% in 2020, Chin said the country has passed the halfway mark.
“To date, we have reduced intensity by 29.7 million metric tonnes and to meet the 40% target, we need to reduce it by 40 million metric tonnes,” he said.
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Policy over temperature limit gets warm reception
-The Star-
PETALING JAYA: The latest policy to set a temperature limit on air-conditioners in government offices has received the thumbs up from various organisations.
Consumers Association of Penang president S.M. Mohamed Idris lauded the move but called for the policy to be implemented in the private sector immediately instead of in 2013.
“There is no need to wait. The policy should be extended to industries and the commercial sector while individuals should also practise energy-saving steps on their own accord,” he said.
He added that the people should also learn to switch off electrical appliances such as televisions and lights when they were not needed to avoid depleting the country’s energy resources.
Water & Energy Consumers Association Malaysia secretary-general Soon Weng Lian said the move was timely as there was a need to reduce energy consumption.
Soon said the construction of future buildings must also take into consideration the need for natural ventilation and shade if the energy-saving move was to be further extended.
Malaysian Employers Federation executive director Shamsuddin Bardan said the Government had to be mindful that there were certain operations, such as a company’s server room, that required the room temperature to be lower than 24C.
He hoped the Government would study the policy carefully before implementing it to ensure companies were not penalised unnecessarily.
Fomca president Datuk N. Marimuthu said individual consumers could also play a role by switching off electrical appliances when not in use instead of putting the items on stand-by mode
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )SAM:Save frogs from being eaten to near extinction
Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) calls on the Department of Veterinary Services of Malaysia and the Department of Wildlife and National Parks to end the relentless slaughtering of frogs by the roadside daily, in the markets of Penang.
SAM has many times expressed concern over this skinning of live frogs which has gone unchecked for years, despite our drawing it to the attention of the authorities. To this date no action has been taken to ban this trade in live frogs.
SAM is appalled by the cruelty when live frogs are skinned and cut up alive. Skinning is one of the most cruel acts that can happen to any animal. The little creatures struggle in agony as their skins are literally ripped off from their flesh. While the skinning is over in a few seconds, the creatures remain alive and fully conscious, squirming in pain.
Many people eat frog flesh because of a belief that it will cleanse their body system. Frog legs are served by restaurants as delicacies.
Huge quantities of these frogs are collected to fill the plates of gourmands. The two species of frogs mostly in demand as food are the fejervarya cancrivora (formerly called rana cancrivora) known by its local name of crab-eating frog and the limnonectes blythii (ambiguously called “giant frog”).
The former occurs in a range of habitats including coastal plains, marshes, mangroves and in padi fields near the coast; while the latter is found in primary and secondary forest, streams and river banks.
The uncontrolled collection of these two species has led to drastic depletion of their populations. These creatures also face destruction by forest clearance. The limnonectes blythii is listed as near threatened under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This species is in significant decline because it is being over-harvested for food and because its habitat is shrinking, making the species close to qualifying for Vulnerable.
The common green frog or green paddy frog usually found in padi fields and swamps is well known amongst the residents of Kelantan. Usually found in padi and swampland it is among the top items on the menus of Chinese restaurants in the state.
Frog breeders have resorted to the setting up of frog breeding farms to meet the demands of food lovers. The concentration now is on American bullfrogs (known by the scientific name of lithobates catesbeianus which are larger in size and yield more meat. They are native to the United States and Canada.
Apart from the cruelty to frogs and the loss of species, the other area of concern is the role frogs play in the ecosystem.
Frog populations around the world have shown increasing signs of stress in recent years. Some species have disappeared, and others are no longer found where they used to be. Scientists are concerned about what is happening to the frogs, because the health of frogs is closely linked to the health of the environment. Since the frog lives in water its whole life, the health of frogs can be used to help determine the health of the water system.
Frogs are sensitive to pollution because they live at the meeting of two environments – land and water – and they can easily absorb pollutants through their skin. An increase in deformities may be a sign that something is seriously wrong.
Frogs are crucial to the ecological system because of the role they play in the control of bugs and they help keep the ecosystem in balance. They also play a crucial role in the control of the insect population, for example mosquitoes, and are of great help to farmers in the control of insect pests. Their disappearance has necessitated the use of expensive and dangerous pesticides.
Just as miners used canaries in the mines to alert them to poisonous gases, frogs may alert us to problems in our environment.
SM Mohd Idris is president of Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM)
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )M’sia govt offices to keep air-con temp at 24 degrees
Friday, Aug 12, 2011
By Zuhrin Azam Ahmad
PUTRAJAYA, Kuala Lumpur – All government offices have been ordered to set their air-conditioner temperature no lower than 24 degrees Celsius to give nature a helping hand and to cut electricity bills.
The new regulation is expected to be implemented immediately although the circular on the matter will only be issued by the office of the Chief Secretary to the Government later this month.
Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin said the order would be extended to the private sector by 2013.
He said a new Bill on energy conservation was being drafted to compel the private sector to follow suit.
“It will be tabled in Parliament soon and we are looking at 2013 as the implementation date for the private sector.
“For now, the secretaries-general of all the ministries who are also the officers-in-charge of the buildings under their ministries must ensure that the air-conditioner temperature is set at 24 degrees Celsius and above unless under special circumstances,” he told a press conference after attending a Green Technology and Climate Change Council meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
It was also attended by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas.
Chin said certain places like the ICUs and operation theatres in hospitals were, however, exempted from the ruling.
He said the meeting agreed that 24 degrees Celsius was a comfortable temperature for Malaysian climate.
“It is neither too cold nor too hot. In some countries, like China, they are required to set their (air-conditioner) temperatures at 26 degrees Celsius which is too hot (for Malaysia).
“So gone are the days when the ladies have to bring their shawls to the office,” he said, referring to the common scene in many government offices where women staff covered their upper bodies with shawls due to the cold temperature.
Chin explained that for every degree dropped in air-conditioning temperature, the power usage would increase by between 4% and 7%.
He was unable to provide exact estimates on how much the Government could save with the move.
However, he said the ministry’s Malaysia Green Technology Corporation building in Bangi which had already imposed the condition saved an estimated RM600,000 to RM700,000 (S$242,000 to S$282,600) annually on its energy bills.
“Offices in Putrajaya spend between RM30,000 and RM80,000 a month on electricity and about 40% of it is for air-conditioning,” he said.
He added that the meeting also agreed that all bulbs in government buildings that need to be changed must be replaced with energy-efficient CFL bulbs or LEDs.
On Malaysia’s commitment to reduce carbon emission intensity by 40% in 2020, Chin said the country has passed the halfway mark.
“To date, we have reduced intensity by 29.7 million metric tonnes and to meet the 40% target, we need to reduce it by 40 million metric tonnes,” he said.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )No lower than 24 degrees Celcius at govt offices
-The Star- PUTRAJAYA: Putrajaya has ordered all government offices to set their air-condition temperature no lower than 24 degrees Celcius.
Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui said a new Act would be tabled in Parliament to enable the private sector to follow suit.
He said for now the prime minister has agreed that all government buildings set their temperatures at no lower than 24 degrees unless under certain circumstances such as the hospitals.
The measure will be implemented as soon as the Chief Secretary issues a circular to the government offices, Chin told a press conference after a Green Technology and Climate Change Council meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
He said that in every office, at least 40% of energy consumed goes to air-conditioning.
For every degree dropped in air-conditioning temperature, he said, the government can slash its energy bill by between four and seven per cent.
“And 24 degrees is a comfortable temperature – it’s neither too cold nor too hot. In some countries, like in China, they are required to set their temperatures at 26 degrees, that is too hot,” he said.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Nearby project may have caused landslide
-Free Malaysia Today-
Speculation is rife that a development project opposite Kampung Sungai Ruil may have contributed to the landslide.
CAMERON HIGHLANDS: The villagers of Kampung Sungai Ruil in Tanah Rata are scratching their heads over the cause of Sunday’s landslide which swallowed three homes and snatched seven lives from their community.
The century-old village is the oldest Orang Asli settlement in Cameron Highlands with about 145 houses scattered over the rolling hills.
The area is used to being battered by torrential rain but few of the 1,200-odd Semelai Orang Asli who live there recalled seeing signs of loosening earth. Even more puzzling was that there was no downpour preceding the landslide as previously reported.
A plainclothes policeman, who asked to remain anonymous, told FMT that the weather had been good on Sunday evening and it was a “complete mystery” as to how the tragedy had occurred.
Then he glanced furtively over his shoulder at a construction site behind him and softly said, “Maybe it’s because of them.”
He was not the first to point a discreet finger at LBS Bina Group Bhd which is in the midst of developing the land directly opposite the village.
A prominent businessman familiar with the area said that when earthworks began four months ago the developer had blocked off certain sections of the river and redirected its flow towards the slope.
“It may not be the sole reason for the landslide but it is definitely a big contributing factor,” he said.
No details of developer
The policeman agreed and added, “LBS wants to build a township here but the saddest part is that this village will have to make way for it. And with the landslide there will be more reason to relocate them.”
Research assistant from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’ Academic Heritage, Aishah Mohamed Yusoff, visited the village four months ago as part of a field trip and raised concerns over the development site.
“I am told that the land is supposed to be an Orang Asli land reserve and there were recent smaller landslides at the site that blocked the road leading to the village,” she said via text message. “The villagers are not happy about the construction at all.”
Earthworks were still ongoing when FMT visited the village yesterday evening. The road leading to the area was slick with mud and there was no official signboard with details of the development or developer.
Cameron Highlands MP, SK Devamany, however, said that he had not heard of such claims as yet but assured that action would be taken against the developer if it were true.
“Let the Geological Department and the District Office conduct investigations first,” he said. “From what I know there are many rivers and small streams running through the terrain which tend to get clogged by rotting trees and other debris. The earth in that area is also soft.”
“During a downpour the stagnated water can cause the soil to loosen which is why I’ve constantly pushed the Drainage and Irrigation Department to regularly clear this debris to facilitate water flow.”
‘Land belongs to Orang Asli’
“But I do know that the project has caused an inconvenience to the villagers because the workers haven’t been diligent in washing the mud off the road.”
Devamany, however, dismissed allegations that LBS intends to take over the village, saying that the developer had no right to the land.
He clarified that some of the villagers had been previously asked to relocate because their houses were too close to the stream.
“The land belongs to the Orang Asli and their sanctuary must always be left to them,” he said. “And if it is true that LBS wants that land, I will personally prevent them from having it.”
“What we plan to do is redevelop it by building more solid houses but still retaining their cultural heritage. And they will be part of this redevelopment plan.”
FMT contacted LBS but has not received a response.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Head-on collision between palm oil certifications
Commodities Talk- by Hanim Adnan- The Star
TALKS about Malaysia introducing its own sustainable palm oil certification scheme have surfaced many times. But now they could become a reality following the recent directive by the Government for local oil palm authorities to work together to formulate a draft on the Malaysia Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification.
The proposed MSPO will see Malaysia joining Indonesia, which has launched its own palm oil certification body the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) in the middle of last year.
Indonesia has put in place over 100 ISPO requirements that were compulsory for all palm oil growers since January this year.
While the MSPO may unlikely be introduced within the next one to two years, industry observers said the formation of the ISPO and the MSPO would indeed challenge the role of pioneering “voluntary” palm oil certification body – the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
Why would Malaysia and Indonesia, the world’s two largest producers of crude palm oil (CPO), take matters into their own hands by setting up their own certification body when there is the RSPO?
Does the world really need three palm oil certification bodies – the RSPO which is said to be the most balanced in terms of multi-stakeholder representation while ISPO and MSPO are initiated by the Governments of major palm oil producing nations?
The main complaint among oil palm producers was over the certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) by the RSPO that was not getting good uptake or better premium in the major consuming nations.
To make matters worst, palm oil producers have become the constant target of NGOs some of which are members of the RSPO.
Many green activists blamed Malaysian and Indonesian plantation companies for deforestation, destroying the wildlife habitat and planting on peat land; thus increasing greenhouse gas emission in the environment.
In short, palm oil producers said the RSPO had not been successful in deflecting allegations of environmental groups on the palm oil industry.
Another claim is that the RSPO is still not globally recognised as its CSPO certification is based on a voluntary basis by the producers.
Furthermore, the RSPO certification has coverage limited only to palm oil in food-based products while other items including biodiesel which also uses palm oil is a big issue in Europe.
As for Malaysia’s proposed MSPO, it is believed that the Malaysian Palm Oil Board will be spearheading the task.
There will be many criteria to consider in the formulation of the MSPO certification body given the broad section involving big plantation companies – those under government schemes like Felda, Risda and Felcra, independent palm oil estate owners and independent smallholders.
While the MSPO criteria will be made mandatory for the oil palm planters, one thing is for sure many of them do not want to be saddled with the high cost of certifying their operations in the past like the RSPO certification.
As it is, deputy news editor Hanim Adnan is having difficulties in trying to remember the many acronyms for certifications like the RSPO, ISPO, MSPO and CSPO!
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‘Tainted’ money: WWF partner denies endorsing Ta Ann
-Free Malaysia Today-
A WWF partner says that the controversial timber concessionaire had ‘made progress’ in order to remain in its ‘sustainable conservation’ programme.
PETALING JAYA: A WorldWide Fund For Nature (WWF)-linked organisation has denied that it is endorsing a globally blacklisted timber concessionaire’s operations in Sarawak.
The Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN) said that it had nothing to do with Chief Minister Taib Mahmud-linked Ta Ann Holdings Bhd’s forestry operations in Sarawak.
GFTN chief George White said his organisation’s relationship to Ta Ann was confined to a trade participation understanding involving two of the concessionaire’s mills in Sarawak.
“We are not involved in its forestry operations. Our ties (with Ta Ann), which began in 2009, has led to the improvement in chain of custody (CoC) and high conservation value forest (HCVF) assessments of the concessions that are supplying the mills.”
CoC and HCVF are concessions granted to industries which comply with standards on sustainable development.
“And to date, the two mills have made sufficient progress in order to remain as participants in our programme,” White said in an e-mail to FMT.
He added that under its assessment formulae, Ta Ann was required to use a well-established mechanism to eliminate any illegal or “unwanted” material in its supply chain.
He said Ta Ann had also volunteered to apply for CoC and HCVF concessions for its Ta Ann Plywood and the Lik Shen sawmill.
GFTN’s ties with Ta Ann is its first effort to operate in Sarawak.
“The mills, with their commitment to GFTN, had given us an opportunity to try and engage other timber industries in Sarawak,” said White.
Abusing connections
On July 25, a whistleblower group, Global Witness, accused WWF of supporting timber companies which were causing destruction to rainforests in several countries.
In a globally syndicated report titled “Pandering to the Loggers”, the whistleblowers claimed WWF Malaysia had recruited Ta Ann Holdings into GFTN, a company which it claimed was clearing forests the size of 20 football fields daily in Sarawak.
GTFN, a 20-year-old organisation, was formed to support the trade of legal and sustainable timber products.
This is achieved by moulding the global market “into a positive force to save the world’s most valuable and threatened forests”.
But Global Witness argued that GFTN is failing in its efforts to clean up dirty companies, such as Ta Ann, by allowing them to abuse their connections with GFTN.
In Ta Ann’s case, Global Witness noted that it was “cutting rainforests in Borneo, including forests within the Heart of Borneo, an ambitious conservation campaign in Sarawak, headed by WWF.”
Knowing that Ta Ann is one of the companies clearing forests in the Heart of Borneo, it is puzzling how WWF could partner with the logging company under GFTN.
Earlier this year, the Swiss-based Bruno Manser Fund had blacklisted the Ta Ann Group identified as one of 49 Taib-linked companies across eight countries.
Poor management
Ta Ann, which is helmed by Taib’s cousin Hamid Sepawi, has been accused of deforestation, among others.
Although Taib has denied the allegation, Ta Ann Group however has in its formal application for a licence for reforestation stated that there is little remaining natural forest in Sarawak.
For instance, in its Environmental Impact Statements in 2006, Ta Ann pointed out that “most of the natural forests of Sarawak have been logged at least once” and “the sustainability of such logging activities has become questionable”.
In 2008, the Auditor-General report further confirmed the company’s statement. The report criticised Sarawak, noting that it is one of the four states in Malaysia with “poor management of forests, leading to river pollution, erosion, landslides and destruction of flora and fauna”.
Meanwhile, White, when asked if WWF was receiving fundings from Ta Ann, said : “As a member of GFTN, Ta Ann had paid RM15,000 for being a trade participant and the amount is calculated based on its annual sales turnover.”
He added that the fee helps WWF in recovering costs for the training programmes provided to its participants to ensure they meet the criterias set by GFTN.
Mosti continues to monitor Japanese nuclear situation – Ongkili
-Bernama
(Bernama) — The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) continues to actively monitor the post-nuclear accident situation in Japan and its impact on Malaysia through several agencies, said its minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili.
He said the agencies involved are the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB), Malaysian Nuclear Agency and the Meteorological Department which will be cooperating with Malawakil Vienna, Malawakil Tokyo and Wisma Putra.
“The AELB using standard operating procedures will continuously monitor the level of environmental radiation nationwide through the Environmental Radiation Monitoring System (ERMS) at seven locations namely Chuping, Ipoh, Senai, Melaka, Kuantan, Sri Aman and Kudat.
“The readings show that radiation levels are normal and safe for the public,” he said in a statement today.
Ongkili said routine checks using the Radiation Portal Monitor (RPM) at four international airports in Malaysia have not detected any pollution so far.
He said according to the Meteorological Department, environmental emergency response centres under the World Meteorological Organisation predicted movement of radioactive materials from the Fukushima nuclear plant towards the north and northeast of Honshu Island and to the Western Pacific Ocean.
Besides that, samples of rain water, sea water, tap water and land in several areas around Malaysia revealed no radioactive pollution.
Ongkili said the AELB will also continue monthly sampling, especially sea water around the country in Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu, Kuantan, Mersing, Kuching, Labuan and Kudat.
He said industry players needing verfication done on imported Japanese products (not food) to certify that they were not contaminated, can contact the Malaysian Nuclear Agency at 03-89251201/019-3877609 (Iberahim Ali) or 03-89256270/019-3888031 (Dr Zulkifli Hashim).
For enquiries on travel to Japan, the public can contact Wisma Putra directly at 03-88874570/03-88892746 or its website, www.kln.gov.my or Malawakil Tokyo.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )WWF-Malaysia Wants Terengganu Government To Widen Turtle Sanctuary
KEMAMAN, Aug 6 (Bernama) — World Wildlife Fund-Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia) wants the Terengganu Government to increase the turtle sanctuary area in Ma’Daerah Kerteh to make it an effective conservatory centre for turtles.
Its state head of conservatory programme for turtles and sea terrapins, Rahayu Zulkifli, said the gazetted 23.65 hectares needed to be extended to 70 hectares.
He said this was to cover lowland sea areas on the beach, as well as the edges of Bukit Labohan Kecil and Labohan Besar.
“Both Bukit Labohan Besar and Kecil act as the critical buffer for the turtle sanctuary by protecting it from the sun, noise pollution and other disturbances.
“By gazetting both hills under the Terengganu State Land Enactment 1986, it will help ensure the buffer zone is permanently preserved and Ma’daerah remains protected as a vital turtle sanctuary centre in the country,” she told Bernama Saturday.
She said the entire state coastal area needed to be gazetted to prevent turtles from being trapped in the fishing nets.
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Environmental Development in Malaysia 