Event: Energy Shift in Wastewater Industry: From Mega-Consumer to Energy-Gain Enterprise Open Lecture (23 Dec 2013)

for more information: http://www.polyu.edu.hk/fce/events/20131223_lecture/

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China News: North winds to drive up pollution in Shanghai (12 Dec 2013)

North winds to drive up pollution in Shanghai

Shanghai Daily, December 12, 2013

Pollutants brought by northwest winds and unfavorable conditions mean the city will experience slightly to moderately polluted day today but rain is also forecast for Sunday.

Two foreigners walk in the winter sun in downtown Shanghai yesterday. Pollutants brought by northwest winds and unfavorable conditions will make the city slightly to moderately polluted today but rain is forecast for Sunday.

The Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center has predicted a moderately polluted air quality this morning with the air quality index hovering between 155 and 175.

In the afternoon, the index is expected to drop slightly to 120 and 140, indicating a lightly polluted air quality. The major pollutant will be PM2.5.

Yesterday was slightly polluted with the index standing at 148 at 6pm, with the density of tiny PM2.5 particles at 70.8 micrograms per cubic meter.

Light haze is also forecasted for morning today.

"Haze is quite common in winter," said Wu Rui, a chief service officer of the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau.

Man Liping, another chief service officer at the bureau, said the haze is caused by pollutants brought by the northwestern winds under the influence of a weak cold front, leading to a drop in the visibility.

The temperature should rise slightly to 12 degrees Celsius with strong cloud cover. But it could be as low as 3 degrees in the morning, Man said.

The temperature will be stable the following two days with mostly cloudy and sunny skies. But rains — long absent from the city — are predicted for Sunday and Monday.

The warm and wet air from southwest kept the city dry for a while, leading to nearly 80 percent drop in rains in November compared to the same periods in previous years. The mercury should drop as well.

Rain is forecasted for both Sunday and Monday with temperatures dropping to a low of 6 degrees and high of 10.

But the forecasters weren't willing to guess if the much-delayed arrival of rain will drive away the pollutants.

source from: http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2013-12/12/content_30873337.htm

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Singapore News: Inaugural ASEAN Climate Outlook Forum Launched (5 Dec 2013)

Inaugural ASEAN Climate Outlook Forum Launched

Singapore hosts first-ever regional platform for ASEAN countries to
develop consensus-based regional seasonal climate outlook

Singapore, 5 December 2013 – In a new initiative to improve understanding of climate variability and change relevant to Southeast Asia, and to develop a consensus-based seasonal climate outlook for the region, Singapore hosted the first-ever ASEAN Climate Outlook Forum (ASEAN-COF) from 3 to 5 December 2013 at the Centre for Climate for Research.  The establishment of ASEAN-COF was endorsed in July 2013 by the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Meteorology and Geophysics (SCMG), comprising the National Meteorological Services (NMS) of ASEAN member countries.

2          A total of about 40 experts from the NMS of ASEAN member countries, international experts from China, Japan, South Korea, USA and Europe as well as representatives from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), participated in the three-day event. The meeting was supported by WMO under a project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

3          The Director-General of the Meteorological Service Singapore, Ms Wong Chin Ling, explained the significance of the forum, “This inaugural session of ASEAN-COF brings together expertise from the leading climate modelling and prediction centres around the world, and marks an important milestone in advancing regional capabilities and collaboration in the area of seasonal climate prediction. Long-range forecasts of rainfall, temperature and other weather parameters have numerous useful applications such as risk assessment of transboundary smoke haze occurrences caused by regional land and forest fires during the dry season, as well as flooding caused by heavy monsoon rains during the rainy season.”

4          The inaugural ASEAN-COF saw a fruitful exchange of ideas and plans discussed to improve long-range forecasts for the region. In particular, the participants reached a consensus on the regional climate outlook for the current Northeast Monsoon season from December to February. For southern Southeast Asia, normal to above normal rainfall is expected, while normal to below normal rainfall is expected for northern Southeast Asia during the season[1]. There was also agreement that more scientific research was needed to improve understanding of the predictability of rainfall in the region as well as the key drivers of the region’s climate, such as the El Nino and La Nina phenomena. 

5          Dr Rupa Kumar Kolli, Acting Director of Climate Prediction and Adaptation Branch of WMO said, “For more than 15 years, WMO has been supporting Regional Climate Outlook Forums which now serve more than half the world’s population with climate outlooks of up to three months ahead. Seasonal climate outlooks offer increasingly reliable and accessible decision-support tools for climate-sensitive sectors such as farming, public health, water as well as disaster risk reduction and translate advances in scientific knowledge into practical services for society. The new ASEAN Climate Outlook Forum will enable us to spread the benefits of these climate services to millions more people.”

6          The ASEAN-COF will meet annually in the fourth quarter of every year and will focus on forecasting the Northeast Monsoon season, evaluating end user requirements and putting in place plans for these to be addressed. Another ASEAN-COF will be held in conjunction with the annual ASEAN SCMG meeting in the second quarter every year and will focus on forecasting the Southwest Monsoon season. While ASEAN-COF provides regional climate outlooks, it is the responsibility of NMSs to update and downscale them to shorter time-frames and local levels for their respective countries.          

7          ASEAN-COF is considered to be a key initiative in the context of the implementation of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) in Southeast Asia. For more information on the GFCS, refer to the website www.gfcs-climate.org.                                                                

- See more at: http://app2.nea.gov.sg/corporate-functions/newsroom/news-releases/inaugural-asean-climate-outlook-forum-launched#sthash.wAdz5sNM.dpuf

sourece from : http://app2.nea.gov.sg/corporate-functions/newsroom/news-releases/inaugural-asean-climate-outlook-forum-launched

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Vietnam News: Rural Environmental Protection In Northern Delta (7 Dec 2013)

RURAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IN NORTHERN DELTAThứ bẩy, ngày 30 tháng 11 năm 2013 cập nhật lúc 12:09


1. Overview of natural, socio-economic and environmental conditions

North Delta includes provinces of Hanoi, Hai Phong, Bac Ninh, Vinh Phuc, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Thai Binh, Ha Nam, Nam Dinhand Ninh Binh.

Its natural area is 1,481.2 hectares, accounting for 4.5% of the national area. The population in 2009 was 19.625 million, accounting for 22.75% of the population of the whole country, mainly Kinh people.

The Northern Delta is surrounded by forests, mountains and the Gulf of Tonkin. The highland around the Delta separates the forestsof the Northeast and Northwest mountains. Sea here is shallow without major ocean currents so that people along the coastal areas mainly earn their living by agriculture, salt making and inshore fishing.

2. Traditional economic structure of farmers is mainly: Cultivation, breeding, aquaculture and fishing

The economic structure establishes the balance and maintains the relative stability for the surroundings.

In the economic structure of traditional agriculture, cultivation and breeding are traditional with close relationship. In this traditionalrelationship, breeding not only acts as a plant which processes waste products and crop products into animal protein to meet dailynutritional requirements for people, but also provides traction and organic fertilizer for the cultivation.

As organic agriculture, using manual labour for irrigation, as well as cultivation techniques by the ancestor’s experience, its productis basically clean, has low productivity, and little affects the surroundings.

3. Organizational structure of traditional rural society

The village is seen as a social and cultural unit. In terms of form: Village is a gathering point of residents. In terms of the origin:Village is the expansion and development of a family and line... Village is not an administrative organization but in history plays an important role in the management and organization of all aspects of the farmers. Therefore, the village conventions are established besidesthe State current laws.

Conventions clearly state rules of each village on life, production, organization and social relations, natural environment protection, cultural and spiritual activities etc.

The convention’s contents cover the essential issues of the village such as security protection, livestock wandering prevention, environmental protection, and support in the community.

4. Socio-economic development

Until the 1970s of the 20^th century, the use of chemicals in agricultural production was still very limited in our country in general and in the northern delta region in particular. At that time, the population density was low, the land was fertile, fresh brown and rich in phosphorus and potassium; in agricultural production, the farmers mainly used organic fertilizers and green manure. Accordingly, the characteristic of the agricultural production was still organic agriculture in this period.

Along with the socio-economic development, the population began to increase rapidly. Rapid population growth and mostly no land expansion for agricultural production, thus, the farmland scale per household is very low » 0.24 ha/household. Therefore, income fromtraditionally agricultural production is not enough to meet the needs of people life.

5. Land policy and policy of science and technology application started changing in 1980s.

Starting with the Party Secretariat’s Directive 100 issued on January 13, 1981 on improving contractual work and expanding the piece work system to groups and laborers, (often referred to as Contractual system 100), following by Resolution 10 of the Politburo in 1988, and then the 1993 land law granting the long-term land use rights for peasant households, all have created the initiative in agricultural production.

Thus, in the early 1990s, along with the policy of market-oriented economy development, plant protection chemicals were used with a large volume; the farmers took the initiative in plant and domestic animal restructuring, intensive cultivation, increase in crops, and agricultural product diversification towards goods production that has increased the food output and developed the rural economy.

However, the environmental protection has not been given due attention, the social management is loose, the farmers pursue the enrichment strategy "by all means" despite the harm to the environment and consequently, the environment is heavily polluted.

source from: 

http://www.monre.gov.vn/v35/default.aspx?tabid=675&CateID=58&ID=130695&Code=J5FV130695

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China News: Poor lead battery recycling raises fears (12 Dec 2013)

Poor lead battery recycling raises fears

The government should improve policies and formulate measures to better regulate the network for recycling lead-acid storage batteries, a major source of lead pollution, according to a policy research report released in Beijing on Wednesday.

"China is the biggest producer, consumer and exporter of lead-acid storage batteries in the world. More than 2.6 million metric tons of waste lead-acid storage batteries are generated in China every year, but less than 30 percent are reclaimed and processed under official standards," said Shen Xiaoyue, a senior engineer from the Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy, a think tank affiliated to the Environmental Protection Ministry and the main producer of the report.

The proportion of such batteries reclaimed in developed countries is usually more than 95 percent.

Lead that leaks into the environment without proper treatment poses significant health threats, especially to children, said Pan Xiaochuan, a professor at Peking University’s School of Public Health.

It can destroy children’s nervous systems, leading to cognitive problems, attention deficit disorder and anemia, said Pan.

At least 10 lead poisoning scandals took place across China from 2007 to 2009, with more than 6,000 children suffering excessive blood lead levels.

"A major source of lead pollution some 20 years ago in China was printing, but as the technology has upgraded, the contribution of waste lead-acid storage batteries has become increasingly prominent," Pan said.

Almost 900,000 tons of waste acid containing lead from lead-acid storage batteries entered the environment untreated from 2008 to 2012, polluting the air, water and soil, said Cao Guoqing, deputy secretary-general of the China Battery Industry Association.

There are already tight restrictions on the recycling, storage and disposal of lead-acid storage batteries, one of 49 types of hazardous waste under special regulation. However, poor management results in chaos in practice, the report said.

"Of the 40-some companies qualified to handle hazardous waste nationwide, only five are authorized to transport and dispose of waste lead-acid storage batteries," Cao said. "But more than half of the waste batteries go to illegal dealers, polluting the environment after they are dismantled haphazardly."

Yang Xiaoming, another senior engineer from the Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy, said the main problem is not the small number of legal recyclers, but the huge price difference between legal and illegal dealers, which prompts most waste batteries to be sold to the latter.

"The purchase price offered by illegal dealers can be as high as 7,000 yuan ($1,150) per metric ton, but if my price is higher than 4,000 yuan per ton, I’ll start losing money considering the 200-million-yuan investment I spent on equipment and running costs," said Wan Xuejie, deputy general manager of Shanxi Jitaly Science and Technology Co.

The company is one of the national pilot projects to promote standard recycling of waste lead-acid storage batteries.

The business of collecting waste batteries nationwide and recycling them remains unprofitable, said Wan.

Beijing Eco-island Science and Technology Co, the only qualified battery collector in Beijing, encounters similar problems.

Built to treat 20,000 tons of waste batteries a year, the company can only access 7,000 tons to recycle.

In March 2013, five ministries issued a document that said the rate of standardized recycling of waste lead-acid storage battery would reach 90 percent by 2015.

"With good policy guidance and a legal framework, achieving such a high rate is possible, when everybody in the system is better off. The system in China is not working for anyone right now except for those who operate illegally, so it’s time to act," said David Lennett, senior attorney of the Natural Resources Defense Council, an international environmental NGO headquartered in New York and the other producer of the report

source from: http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2013-12/12/content_30874235.htm

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Worlds News: Why green growth is a necessary goal (6 Dec 2013)

Why green growth is a necessary goal

Martin Wolf

06.12.2013

Speeding up decarbonisation will not happen by itself and needs a push from a higher carbon price and firm regulation

A low-carbon atmosphere is a global public good, argues Martin Wolf (Image by COP19/CMP9) 

 

Last week, it was Warsaw’s turn to host a disappointing meeting on climate change. Over the past two decades, many other cities have had this pleasure. This time, 195 countries painfully agreed to make a “contribution” to combating climate change, in place of a more robust “commitment”. The aim is still to reach a strong agreement in Paris in 2015. The chances of success must be negligible. Experience shows that.

What makes this depressing is that the world could probably eliminate the risks of catastrophic outcomes at limited cost, provided it acted quickly, effectively and in concert. In his new book, The Climate Casino, William Nordhaus of Yale, doyen of climate economists, argues that the cost of limiting the increase in global temperature to 2C would be 1.5 per cent of global output, provided the right action were taken. This is only half a year’s global economic growth. But abatement would be far costlier if countries responsible for half the emissions did not participate: keeping temperature increases to 2C would even be infeasible.

Professor Nordhaus, a moderate voice in this debate, explains why the world should accept the costs of action. The greenhouse effect is basic science. Emissions have risen rapidly. Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide are now more than 400 parts per million – 50 per cent higher than before the Industrial Revolution and well above levels over the last 1 million years. Global temperatures have risen over the past 150 years. The recent temperature plateau is not exceptional. Climate scientists have been unable to find an explanation other than human activities for the increases in temperature.

Climate sceptics argue as if uncertainty means that the right thing to do is nothing. On a foggy road, the number and speed of other cars is particularly uncertain. But this very ignorance makes cautious driving essential. The same applies to climate. Given the uncertainties about the climate system, the wisest course is surely to drive cautiously.

A particularly important aspect of that uncertainty is tipping points. We know that the earth’s climate has changed sharply in the past. It is possible – even probable – that some insufficiently understood process could tip the world into another and perhaps irreversible state: the collapse of large ice sheets is such a possibility; another is large changes in ocean circulation; and yet another is positive feedback processes on warming. Moreover, while humanity might hope to manage the economic effects of such events, the same is not true for their impact on the oceans or on mass extinctions.

It is irrational to play in the climate casino without seeking to eliminate worst-case outcomes. Some people are excited about thepossibility of geoengineering. But that is to add yet another gamble. It is surely more sensible to limit excessive accumulations of greenhouse gases, provided it can be done at less than crippling costs.

Emissions, then, are a negative global spillover of economic activity. We do not know the cost of such externalities. But we can be sure it is greater than zero. Externalities do not fix themselves. In the absence of effective individual property rights they require government action, in this case the action of close to 200 governments. The simplest solution would be for every country to agree on a price. Each country would then levy a tax: Prof Nordhaus suggests this should be US$ 25 per tonne of carbon. The revenue would then stay at home. Negotiations would be only over that price. Meanwhile, high-income countries would focus on investing in research and development of relevant new technologies and in ensuring that the best technologies were available cheaply to emerging and developing countries. Why should they do this? The answer is: because a low-carbon atmosphere is a global public good.

It is by now impossible to be optimistic that anything like this will happen. This is partly because the needed agreement must be long-term and global. That, in turn, raises difficult questions of intragenerational and intergenerational equity. But the likelihood of failure is also because of the (successful) efforts of sceptics to muddy the intellectual waters and the understandable resistance of affected interest groups. Some industries – electric utilities and energy-intensive activities – will complain. But such complaints have to be kept in context. The loss of jobs in the politically powerful US coal industry might be 40,000 over a decade. Against what has happened to the US jobs market since 2008, this would be quite a small potato.

Beyond that, there are the understandable concerns of ordinary people that they would be far worse off if they could not treat the atmosphere as a free sink. It is also clear that low-carbon sources of energy are still expensive and some technologies are not proved at relevant scales. Moreover, a big effort requires an acceleration in the rate of decarbonisation. That will not happen by itself. It needs a push.

The combination of higher prices and support for fundamental research should deliver just such a push. Happily, the evidence suggests that, either because of ignorance or inertia, households and businesses are not currently optimising their energy use. The combination of higher prices for carbon and firm regulation might even deliver some unexpected benefits: lower carbon emissions without any loss in output.

Suppose that, despite all the logic, it proves impossible to achieve a relevant global agreement. Does it make sense for any country or group of countries to take determined action on their own? If the aim is to deal with climate change, the answer is: absolutely not, unless the countries are China or the US. Indeed, even if the countries were China and the US, it would not be enough, since they account together for only a little over two-fifths of global emissions. But it might be possible for a country to demonstrate proof of concept: that it is indeed possible for economies to grow fast while reducing emissions. In the process, such a country might even, as some argue, gain an important lead in some relevant new industries.

In any case, some countries have to try. Otherwise, as everybody hangs back, efforts at effective agreement must fail. We would then end up taking a gamble on the absence of any bad and irreversible outcome.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2013

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Indian News: Breathless? Blame it on temperature, trapped pollutants (12 Dec 2013)

Breathless? Blame it on temperature, trapped pollutants

Neha Madaan,TNN | Dec 12, 2013, 03.56 AM IST
PUNE: People living in Hadapsar, Katraj, Bhosariand Shivajinagar may be more susceptible to respiratory infections such as asthma and chronic bronchitis because the chill the city is currently experiencing has pushed air pollution levels to a new high in these places.

The city continued to shiver with the minimum temperature at 7.4 degrees celsius on Tuesday. The levels of particulate matter less than or equal to 10 micrometer (PM10) has crossed the maximum permissible limits by more than 100% in Hadapsar, Katraj, Bhosari, Shivajinagar.

Data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) shows that on December 10, air quality of Pune had reached 'very low' levels, with some stations recording PM10 levels beyond 200 ug/m3. The maximum permissible limit is 100 ug/m3.

There was a marked difference in the air quality which remained good to moderate on November 30 and on December 10. The minimum temperature on November 30 was close to 22 degrees Celsius and only Shivajinagar, Alandi and Hadapsar recorded PM10 levels a little above the permissible limits.

On December 10, all locations--Pashan, Shivajinagar, airport area, Hadapsar, Alandi, Katraj, Bhosari, Nigdi and Manjari had PM10 levels hitting the roof, ranging from 103 ug/m3 to 221 ug/m3.

The minimum temperature on December 10 was considerably lower, with the city experiencing around 9 degrees celsius as per IITM data. "Hence, the increase in pollution levels," said Gufran Beig, IITM chief scientist and project director of System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

As the temperature drops, the boundary layer or the cape of the surface or the upper boundary of the local environment reduces in height. "It is this boundary layer which traps the pollutants emitted from the surface and near the surface, preventing them from mixing upward and diluting into the atmosphere. On November 30, the boundary layer was 1.5 km. However, within 10 days, from November 30 to December 10, the minimum temperature has gone down to around 9 degrees celsius and the boundary layer has reduced to around 700 meters," said Beig.

Though the same amount of man-made pollutants are being emitted in Pune in winter, weather conditions and cooling have brought the boundary layer down, confining the pollutants to this limited envelope. Air pollution levels have thus been ranging from moderate to very poor in Pune, Beig added.

On December 7, the minimum temperature was between 12 to 13 degrees celsius and PM 10 levels crossed the 100 ug/m3 mark in all areas, shooting to 156 ug/m3 in Shivajinagar, and 168 ug/m3 in Hadapsar.

When the minimum temperature in the city was around 10 degrees celsius on December 8, PM10 levels in Shivajinagar were close to 160 ug/m3, while PM 2.5 here was around 90 ug/m3, which means 'poor' air quality, said Beig. The maximum permissible limit for PM 2.5 is 60 ug/m3.

On December 9, with Pune's temperature falling to around 9 degrees celsius, most polluted areas were Katraj (with PM10 levels close to 163 ug/m3, and PM 2.5 levels around 96 ug/m3), Hadapsar (with PM10 levels close to 220 ug/m3, and PM2.5 levels around 98 ug/m3) and Bhosari (with PM10 levels close to 161 ug/m3).

Forecast of pollution levels by IITM scientists, using the SAFAR model, revealed that the current levels of PM10 and PM2.5 are likely to remain almost at the same level for the next two-three days with temperature dropping further.

The term Particulate Matter (PM) includes both solid particles and liquid droplets found in air. Many man-made and natural sources emit PM emissions directly or emit other pollutants that react in the atmosphere to form PM. These solid and liquid particles come in a wide range of sizes.

PM has two sets of cautionary statements, which correspond to the two sizes of PM that are measured:

Particles up to 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM 2.5)

Particles up to 10 micrometers in diameter (PM 10)

Health Effects:

Health effects have been associated with exposures to PM over both short (such as a day) and longer periods (a year or more).

When exposed to even small levels of PM, people with existing heart or lung diseases-such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart disease, or ischemic heart disease-are at increased risk of premature death and or admission to hospitals or emergency rooms.

The elderly are very sensitive to PM exposure. They are at increased risk of admission to hospitals or emergency rooms and premature death from heart or lung diseases.

Children and people with existing lung disease may not be able to breathe as deeply or vigorously as they normally would, and they may experience symptoms such as coughing and shortness of breath when exposed to levels of PM.

PM can increase the susceptibility to respiratory infections and can aggravate existing respiratory diseases, such as asthma and chronic bronchitis, causing more use of medication and more doctor visits.

(source: SAFAR Pune website)

source from: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/pollution/Breathless-Blame-it-on-temperature-trapped-pollutants/articleshow/27232191.cms

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Indian News: Villagers struggle to save land as islands shrink in Sundarban (12 Dec 2013)

Villagers struggle to save land as islands shrink in Sundarban
PTI | Dec 12, 2013, 02.17 PM IST

Thousands of farmers living on the banks of the islands in Sundarbans are struggling to protect their land.

SUNDARBANS: Imagine buying a plot of land only to see it vanishing into the river gradually after a few years! 

Thousands of farmers living on the banks of the islands in Sundarbans are struggling to protect their land as their villages are shrinking in size due to rising sea levels induced by climate change. 

As a child, 50-year-old farmer Sahadeb Gururecalls how while sitting on the banks of the island in Pathar Pratima he could hear people talking in the nearby island on the opposite side of the river. 

Decades later, the river has widened so much that it now needs a binocular to find the island on the other side. 

All these years, people living on both the islands have lost many acres of land due to heavy erosion, points out Chittapriyo Sadhu, project manager of NGO Save the Children. 

Guru says he had to shift his house thrice in the last few decades and lost few bighas of land as the river keeps on eating into the island on a regular basis. 

The story is the same for thousands of islanders living on the banks of the archipelago comprising over 100 islands. A three-hour drive from Kolkata, it is a complex network of streams, rivers, tidal creeks and channels. 

Spread over an area of 9,630 sq km in India, Sundarbans has the world's largest mangrove forest and also hosts a Tiger Reserve and three wildlife sanctuaries. 



"Coastal erosion which appears to be a product of change in sea level and tidal hydraulics is constantly reshaping the islands of Indian Sundarbans," says professor Sugata Hazra, director of the School of Oceanography Studies in Jadavpur University. 

According to a study done under him, the rate of coastal erosion have been measured to be about 5.50 sq kms per year within the time frame of 2001-2009. 

The total land area of 6402.090 sq kms of Sundarbans in the year 2001 was found to be reduced to 6358.048 sq kms in 2009 registering a land net loss of 44.042 sq kms. 

In the last 30 years approximately 7,000 people have been displaced as a result of erosion. 

Environmentalist Ashish Kumar Ghosh says Sundarbans is an active delta and we do not know how it is going to shape up finally. 

"It is an immature delta as the rivers are still taking its course. Then there is the effect of sea level rise. Due to all these factors the Sundarbans delta is still in its formation stage. So we have to leave it to nature on how it will shape up finally," he says.

According to a report prepared by a group of ecologists led by M Zafar-ul Islam, under the 1 metre sea-level rise scenario, the Sundarbans will lose more than half of its area. 

Sea level is rising due to thermal expansion of the ocean, mountain glacier melting, and discharge from ice sheets as a result of global warming. 

Villagers and experts say embankments have failed to protect the islands from the cycle of twice-a-day floods and cyclonic storm surges while mangrove trees which act as efficient barriers against erosion have decreased

source from: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/global-warming/Villagers-struggle-to-save-land-as-islands-shrink-in-Sundarban/articleshow/27238842.cms

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Indian News: Coal port plan will kill Great Barrier Reef: Activists (11 Dec 2013)

Coal port plan will kill Great Barrier Reef: Activists

AFP | Dec 11, 2013, 06.22 PM IST

Environment minister Greg Hunt gave the green light to the project by India's Adani Group, under what he labelled as "some of the strictest conditions in Australian history" governing environmental protection.

SYDNEY: Conservationists on Wednesday slammed Australia's approval for an Indian firm to expand a major coal port on the Great Barrier Reef coast, warning it would hasten the natural wonder's demise. 

"The Great Barrier Reef is dying and (Prime Minister) Tony Abbott is hastening its death,"Greens leader Christine Milne told reporters. 

"(He) has made it clear that industrialising the reef, giving approvals to coal mines and gas facilities for his big business mates, is a much greater priority for him than protecting the reef and the 63,000 jobs that depend on it," she said Environment minister Greg Hunt on Tuesday gave the green light to the project by India's Adani Group, under what he labelled as "some of the strictest conditions in Australian history" governing environmental protection. 

Adani can now dredge some three million cubic metres from the seabed to allow for freighters to dock at the port in Abbott Point, lifting the facility's capacity by 70 percent to make it one of the world's largest coal ports. 

WWF Australia said the material dredged during the expansion would be enough to fill 150,000 dump trucks that "lined up bumper-to-bumper would stretch from Brisbane to Melbourne", a distance of more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles). 

Greenpeace said Hunt had ignored the "serious concerns of scientists, tourism operators, fishers and Unesco" to approve a development just 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the pristine Whitsunday Islands. 

Unesco's World Heritage Committee is to decide in June whether to list the Great Barrier Reef as being in danger, Greenpeace campaigner Louise Matthiesson noted, "and this decision will cause alarm among the international community". 

"If these plans succeed, and Abbot Point becomes the world's biggest coal port, Australia will be speeding up the climate crisis that threatens our children's future." 

The reef is now formally considered to be in "poor" health by government scientists, with overall coral cover declining by 15 percent since 2009 due to cyclones and floods, pollution and attacks by the coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish. 

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority - whose board is currently under investigation for its links to the mining industry -- must now issue a permit allowing the dredge material to be disposed of within the park. 

It said it would reveal its intentions within the next 10 days. Hunt has also approved a major liquefied natural gas plant and transmission pipeline at Curtis Island, which is also within the reef marine park, for Australian firm Arrow Energy under 53 environmental conditions.

source from: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/developmental-issues/Coal-port-plan-will-kill-Great-Barrier-Reef-Activists/articleshow/27222279.cms

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