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	<title>EcoWalktheTalk &#187; S.E.Asia/Australasia</title>
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	<description>Asia&#039;s Environmental Community featuring Eco News, Insights, People and Living Tips</description>
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		<title>Save Bukit Brown</title>
		<link>http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2012/03/10/save-bukit-brown/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2012/03/10/save-bukit-brown/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 10 Mar 2012 10:21:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Green Action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green Cities]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[S.E.Asia/Australasia]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[bukit brown]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[singapore heritage society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SOS Bukit Brown]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/?p=10027</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Keeping these sites the way they are is about who we are and want to be as Singaporeans, about what we value and how we connect to our nation. -  CHAH KAH TIM writing in Today Online Bukit Brown is more than a cemetery. It is symbolic of so many things at so many levels. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em><strong>Keeping these sites the way they are is about who we are and want to be as Singaporeans, about what we value and how we connect to our nation.</strong></em></p>
<p>-  <a href="http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120310-0000018/Important-not-to-trivialise-Bukit-Brown-debate" target="_blank">CHAH KAH TIM writing in Today Online</a></p>
<div id="attachment_10054" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 210px"><a class="highslide" onclick="return vz.expand(this)" href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2012/03/10/save-bukit-brown/walking-in-bukit-brown-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-10054"><img class="size-medium wp-image-10054" title="Walking in Bukit Brown 2" src="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Walking-in-Bukit-Brown-2-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Exploring Bukit Brown</p></div>
<p><em>Bukit Brown is more than a cemetery. It is symbolic of so many things at so many levels. The fact that it is one of the last few remaining patches of wilderness in an island state of barely 710 sq km in area, should multiply its worth, especially with the documented biodiversity value, but economic decisions seem to override this, to make way for a 8-lane highway across it.  </em></p>
<p><em>To many, Bukit Brown is a memory of their ancestry &#8211; it lays to rest 100,000 forefathers, many of whom helped shaped the nation. For a young country like Singapore, visible reminders of history are critical for current and future generations to connect with their past, their culture and their collective memories. As James Burke said, &#8221; If you don&#8217;t know where you come from, you don&#8217;t know where you are.&#8221;</em></p>
<p><em>This article has two parts. An introduction is made by <strong>Cuifen</strong>, a Singaporean who shares her thoughts and feelings about Bukit Brown as her awareness of its beauty and importance grew since she first saw it.  The second part by <strong>Erika</strong> of <a href="http://sosbukitbrown.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">SOS Bukit Brown</a> gives an overview of the factual arguments in support of retaining Bukit Brown, and petitions that you can sign in its favour.</em></p>
<h2><span style="color: #808000;"><strong>What Bukit Brown means to me</strong></span></h2>
<p><em>By Cuifen </em></p>
<div id="attachment_10057" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px"><a class="highslide" onclick="return vz.expand(this)" href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2012/03/10/save-bukit-brown/nature-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-10057"><img class="size-medium wp-image-10057" title="Nature" src="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Nature1-300x179.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="179" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Nature at Bukit Brown</p></div>
<p>My first visit to Bukit Brown was in May of last year.  Bukit Brown is a cemetery, and it took me quite a long time to overcome my inertia to check out the place.  I finally did, though I didn’t know what to expect. I tagged  along  with Nature Society Singapore (NSS)  on one of their guided walks.  The place was totally abandoned.  Then it struck me how amidst the buried dead, life was  teeming. Majestic rain trees stretched out on all sides, filled with activity- ferns, orchids, climbers, insects, bats and birds. We were pleasantly surprised to see horses strolling by.  I remember thinking, “This place is so beautiful, and so close to MacRitchie reservoir. Yet MacRitchie is full of people, and Bukit Brown is so quiet. This feels like our little secret garden.”</p>
<p>Just as my curiosity was getting piqued, it started pouring. I couldn’t explore much more that day. I wanted to come back…</p>
<p>And return I did, not once, not twice, but at least 10 times &#8211; sometimes with a guided tour, sometimes with a few friends exploring the place on our own.</p>
<p>Through various walks, I learnt that this is home to many uncommon plants and birds. Some are forest species or species that are only found in maturing secondary forest areas, indicating some colonisation of species from the neighbouring MacRitchie forest. Dr Ho, a bird expert of NSS shared with us that Bukit Brown, being a large patch of greenery just next to MacRitchie was a likely stepping stone for forest birds to fly to other forested areas of Southern Singapore, including the Southern Ridges and Labrador Nature Reserve.</p>
<div id="attachment_10049" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a class="highslide" onclick="return vz.expand(this)" href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2012/03/10/save-bukit-brown/jennifer-teo-and-tan-hang-chong/" rel="attachment wp-att-10049"><img class="size-medium wp-image-10049" title="Jennifer Teo and Tan Hang Chong" src="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Jennifer-Teo-and-Tan-Hang-Chong-300x179.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="179" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Enjoying Bukit Brown</p></div>
<p>Each time I went to Bukit Brown, I’d observe how other ordinary people were enjoying the space.  Some came to enjoy the scenery.  At some places the view is simply breathtaking, with valleys in the foreground and the tall forest trees of MacRitchie in the background. Some came to jog or cycle with their family and friends.  Yet others came to appreciate the area’s historical, cultural and spiritual aspects. And there are others still, like Raymond and Claire (of <a href="http://bukitbrown.com/main/">All things Bukit Brown</a> blog)  who dedicate their free time to locating and cleaning graves of pioneers unrelated to them, simply because of their passion for heritage.</p>
<p>I remember my shock on reading the news that the government had plans to build an 8-lane highway right across Bukit Brown, to ease the congestion off Lornie Road. The government had, out of goodwill, funded a documentation project headed by the Singapore Heritage Society, for graves that would be directly impacted by the construction.</p>
<p>Questions were racing through my mind.<em> How could the government do this? Have they consulted the public? Have they considered all the environmental and societal issues before making the decision? Do we even need an additional highway? Surely there are alternatives. Can we allow something to disappear forever, when we are only just beginning to discover its value?</em></p>
<p>A sense of urgency overcame me. I had to do more. Time is short. But what can I do as an individual?</p>
<div class="mceTemp" style="text-align: left;"><a class="highslide" onclick="return vz.expand(this)" href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2012/03/10/save-bukit-brown/tombstone-of-chew-boon-lay/" rel="attachment wp-att-10052"><img class="size-medium wp-image-10052 alignright" title="Tombstone of Chew Boon Lay" src="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Tombstone-of-Chew-Boon-Lay-300x179.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="179" /></a>In January 2012, Raymond and Claire had organised an informal training session for guides, focusing on the historical and cultural aspects of Bukit Brown. It was  the most valuable course I had ever taken. I had difficulty reading Chinese characters on the graves, but with Raymond’s patient assistance, I improved. For once, I understood that there’s a lot one can learn about a place’s history by reading the tombs, and connecting the dots together.  It allowed me to get a clearer grasp of Singapore’s history in its early days. It helped me connect with it in a much more profound way than through my textbooks when I was at school. For example, I learnt there was a municipality next to Bukit Brown in the late 1910s. The town was filled with people of all backgrounds, and the municipality commissioners decided to buy over the area from the Hokkien clan, to ensure sufficient burial grounds for ordinary people.</div>
<div class="mceTemp" style="text-align: left;">
<div id="attachment_10048" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a class="highslide" onclick="return vz.expand(this)" href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2012/03/10/save-bukit-brown/heritage-guide-training/" rel="attachment wp-att-10048"><img class="size-medium wp-image-10048" title="Heritage Guide Training" src="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Heritage-Guide-Training-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Heritage Guide Training</p></div>
<p>I found the courage to initiate walks. I invited various friends to Bukit Brown with me as their guide. It has been an amazing experience for me as most of my friends are unsure of what to expect, except what they see in my photos on facebook. They go away happy that they have seen another side of Singapore that is not on the tourist map.</p>
</div>
<p>I come back today feeling a sense of fulfilment after a morning of exploration at Bukit Brown. Armed with a GPS, I had assisted Von Bing, a plant expert with Nature Society Singapore (NSS) to mark the locations of interesting and rare plant species. Along the way, we occasionally ventured off the roads, to check out the tombs of prominent early pioneers, like Mr Cheang Hong Lim and Mr. Chew Boon Lay, after whom many public places are named in Singapore today.</p>
<p>As Jane Goodall once said, <em>“Only if we understand can we care. Only if we care will we help. Only if we help shall they be saved.”</em></p>
<p>Can we save Bukit Brown? I think we can. I hope we can. But it means that we must all show we care for it enough. And to care, we must first understand what it means to all of us, inside our hearts.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2><span style="color: #808000;"><strong>Why Bukit Brown should be saved</strong></span></h2>
<p><em>By Erika of  <a href="http://sosbukitbrown.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">SOS Bukit Brown</a></em></p>
<p><a class="highslide" onclick="return vz.expand(this)" href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2012/03/10/save-bukit-brown/tombstones-at-bukit-brown/" rel="attachment wp-att-10053"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-10053" title="Tombstones at Bukit Brown" src="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Tombstones-at-Bukit-Brown-300x179.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="179" /></a>Located in the central part of Singapore off Lornie Road, Bukit Brown Cemetery is the largest Chinese cemetery outside of China. With a land area of 230 hectares, it is almost half the size of Sentosa Island (500 hectares).</p>
<p>Initially a burial ground for the Ong clan, the land was acquired by the government and officially opened in 1922 as a cemetery for the Chinese community. The oldest grave dates back to 1833 while the largest tomb covers an area equivalent to ten 3-bedroom Housing Development Board (HDB) flats.</p>
<p>Today, Bukit Brown has approximately 100,000 graves and is the last remaining cemetery of its kind in Singapore. Closed for burial since 1973, the area has become a verdant woodland much loved by hikers, runners, horse riders and bird watchers for its beauty and serenity.</p>
<p><strong>Developments</strong></p>
<p>In May 2011, the government announced that Bukit Brown would eventually make way for housing. In September 2011, they announced plans to build an 8-lane highway through the cemetery to alleviate the peak hour traffic congestion along nearby Lornie Road and the Pan Island Expressway (PIE). Meanwhile, anticipating future developments, a shell station for a future Bukit Brown train stop has been constructed at the edge of the cemetery.</p>
<p><strong>Issues</strong></p>
<p>Civil society groups that oppose the authorities’ plans stress that Bukit Brown’s destruction is unnecessary. They have raised several concerns, with the main ones as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li>There are alternatives to easing the Lornie Road congestion without having to build a destructive new road. In its <a href="http://www.nss.org.sg/documents/Nature%20Society's%20Position%20on%20Bukit%20Brown.pdf" target="_blank">position paper on Bukit Brown</a>, the Nature Society offers suggestions for dealing with the traffic problem, including the expansion of existing roads in the area. There are also concerns that the new road could inadvertently exacerbate traffic woes by creating additional bottlenecks along other sections of the PIE.</li>
<li>As part of its nation-building efforts, Singapore has to value and preserve important heritage sites, especially since many have already been lost. Bukit Brown, home to the remains of pioneer Singaporeans from all walks of life, can play a significant part in local efforts to evolve a unique Singapore Story.</li>
<li>In light of growing environmental awareness about climate change, Singapore should step up efforts to protect existing greenery. Singaporeans are already experiencing the effects of warmer temperatures and increased flooding, and the clearing of land in green areas like Bukit Brown could worsen these problems.</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p>
<p>In addition to offering alternative solutions to the Lornie Road problem, civil society groups are recommending that Bukit Brown be gazetted as a heritage park for public enjoyment. And if Bukit Brown must be developed, then a comprehensive impact assessment ought to be conducted first. As the Nature Society puts it, <em>“We should not be in a hurry to build the expressway – given that so much is at stake at Bukit Brown, which once destroyed cannot be resurrected.”</em></p>
<p><strong>Action</strong></p>
<p>To learn more about Bukit Brown Cemetery, visit <a href="http://www.bukitbrown.com" target="_blank">Bukit Brown.com</a></p>
<p>Read the position papers of <a href="http://www.nss.org.sg/documents/Nature%20Society%27s%20Position%20on%20Bukit%20Brown.pdf" target="_blank">Nature Society</a> and <a href="http://www.singaporeheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/SHS_BB_Position_Paper.pdf " target="_blank">Singapore Heritage Society</a></p>
<p>Join Save Bukit Brown Cemetery &#8211; the roots of our nation on<a href="https://www.facebook.com/bukitbrown"> Facebook </a></p>
<p>To download and sign a petition to save Bukit Brown, click <a href="http://sosbukitbrown.wordpress.com/action/sign-our-petition/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<p><a class="highslide" onclick="return vz.expand(this)" href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2012/03/10/save-bukit-brown/save-bukit-brown-once-lost-lost-forever/" rel="attachment wp-att-10056"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-10056" title="Save Bukit Brown Once Lost Lost Forever" src="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Save-Bukit-Brown-Once-Lost-Lost-Forever.jpg" alt="" width="672" height="447" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Pictures Courtesy: Cuifen </em></p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #808000;"><em>Further links you may be interested in:</em></span></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Online Citizen</strong>:  <a href=" http://theonlinecitizen.com/2012/02/sos-bukit-brown-sorry-to-hear-tan-chuan-jins-priorities/" target="_blank">Sorry to hear Tan Chuan Jin&#8217;s priorities</a></p>
<p><strong>Wild Singapore:</strong> <a href="http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2011/10/bukit-brown-hope-springs-eternal.html" target="_blank">Hope springs eternal </a></p>
<p><strong>Today Online</strong>:<a href="http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120310-0000018/Important-not-to-trivialise-Bukit-Brown-debate" target="_blank"> Important not to trivialise Bukit Brown debate </a></p>
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		<title>Indigenous tribe in Borneo lose land to Bakun Dam</title>
		<link>http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2011/09/08/indigenous-tribe-in-borneo-lose-land-to-bakun-dam/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2011/09/08/indigenous-tribe-in-borneo-lose-land-to-bakun-dam/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Sep 2011 14:13:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity & Ecosystems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Malaysia/Thailand/Myanmar/Cambodia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[S.E.Asia/Australasia]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/?p=8068</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Members of an indigenous tribe in Borneo lost a case in Malaysia&#8217;s top court Thursday challenging the state&#8217;s seizure of land to build a massive dam. The verdict capped a decade-long legal struggle by a group of villagers who claim authorities in Malaysia&#8217;s eastern Sarawak state unlawfully wrested away land occupied by [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia</em></p>
<p><a class="highslide" onclick="return vz.expand(this)" href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2011/09/08/indigenous-tribe-in-borneo-lose-land-to-bakun-dam/bakun-dam/" rel="attachment wp-att-8069"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-8069" title="Bakun Dam Photo: Sarawak Report.org" src="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Bakun-Dam.jpg" alt="Bakun Dam   Photo: Sarawak Report.org " width="300" height="171" /></a>Members of an indigenous tribe in Borneo lost a case in Malaysia&#8217;s top court Thursday challenging the state&#8217;s seizure of land to build a massive dam.</p>
<p>The verdict capped a decade-long legal struggle by a group of villagers who claim authorities in Malaysia&#8217;s eastern Sarawak state unlawfully wrested away land occupied by their ancestors for generations.</p>
<p>Land rights are a key concern for Malaysia&#8217;s indigenous people, many of whom say they have been pushed from their homes with insufficient compensation by state governments to make way for development.</p>
<p>The Federal Court dismissed an appeal by tribal villagers who said the Sarawak administration violated their constitutional rights by taking over land in the late 1990s to construct the Bakun Dam, a 7 billion ringgit ($2.3 billion) hydroelectric project that created reservoir roughly the size of Singapore.</p>
<p>Read more <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2016140149_apasmalaysiaindigenousrights.html?syndication=rss" target="_blank">here</a></p>
<p>&#8220;The Bakun Dam triggered wide criticism from the start from environmentalists because it displaced thousands of people and flooded an area of at least 260 square miles (680 square kilometers) &#8221; according to Seattle Times.</p>
<p>Sarawak Report.org, a citizen onlooker group, concerned by the situation in East Malaysia had earlier reported on <a href="http://www.sarawakreport.org/2011/04/bakun-dam-unsafe-exclusive-evidence-on-corner-cutting-and-sloppy-construction-practices/" target="_blank">sloppy construction practices. </a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Better labelling of GM foods in Singapore essential</title>
		<link>http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2010/06/16/better-labelling-of-gm-foods-in-singapore-essential/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2010/06/16/better-labelling-of-gm-foods-in-singapore-essential/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Jun 2010 03:20:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Agriculture/Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[S.E.Asia/Australasia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Singapore]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/?p=3342</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by Bhavani Prakash The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) is the main regulatory body in Singapore, responsible for setting food safety and food labelling standards. Last week on June 9th, 2010,  The Straits Times (Singapore&#8217;s national newspaper), published an interview with former chief, Dr. Ngiam Toh Tau entitled &#8221;Ensuring Singaporeans don&#8217;t go hungry&#8221; which is reproduced here by WildSingapore News. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>by Bhavani Prakash</em></p>
<div id="attachment_3351" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 260px"><a class="highslide" onclick="return vz.expand(this)" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/illuminating9_11/3553723626/"><img class="size-medium wp-image-3351   " title="GM Corn" src="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/GM-Corn-300x300.jpg" alt="GM Corn from Flickr Illuminating 9_11's" width="250" height="250" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">GM Corn from Flickr Illuminating 9_11&#39;s</p></div>
<p>The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) is the main regulatory body in Singapore, responsible for setting food safety and food labelling standards.</p>
<p>Last week on June 9th, 2010,  <strong>The</strong> <strong>Straits Times (</strong>Singapore&#8217;s national newspaper), published an interview with former chief, <strong>Dr. Ngiam Toh Tau </strong>entitled &#8221;<strong>Ensuring Singaporeans don&#8217;t go hungry</strong>&#8221; which is reproduced <a href="http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2010/06/ensuring-singaporeans-dont-go-hungry.html" target="_blank">here</a> by WildSingapore News.</p>
<p>The interview discusses Singapore&#8217;s plans to become food resilient, by setting up a vast agri-zone in China&#8217;s Jilin city. Dr. Ngiam Toh Tau has actively lobbied to purchase farmland overseas, though unsuccesfully so far, in Argentina and Australia.</p>
<p>The specific part that I responded to was this:</p>
<blockquote><p><strong>Question by Straits Times interviewer:</strong>  <em>Speculation is rife as to whether Singapore allows in genetically modified (GM) foods and why. Care to explain?<br />
</em></p>
<p><strong>Dr. Ngiam Toh Tau:</strong> Yes, it does, mainly corn and soya beans and products made from them. I think most Singaporeans accept GM produce here is safe.</p>
<p>So far we have not seen any reports pointing to GM foods causing harm to human beings; in the United States, people have been eating such crops for 20 years.</p></blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_540867.html" target="_blank">My letter to the Straits Times </a>that came out today in the papers is as follows (<em>the portion in italics have been edited out)</em></p>
<blockquote><p>I REFER to the interview with former Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority chief  Ngiam Tong Tau (&#8216;Ensuring Singaporeans don&#8217;t go hungry&#8217;; June 9) and his remarks on genetically modified (GM) foods.</p>
<p>Dr Ngiam said he thinks most Singaporeans accept GM produce here is safe, ( <em>perhaps he is referring to the <a href="http://www.gmac.gov.sg/News/Upcoming/Recent_Upcoming_GMAC%20Student%20Reporters%27%20Challenge%202009.html" target="_blank">survey</a> done by 130 school students from 20 schools in Singapore who had interviewed heartlanders in 2009?  What was the sample size of the people surveyed and profiles? Isn’t it possible that a lack of knowledge of GM foods and insufficient labelling here, could be a reason for acceptability?)</em> and added that so far, &#8216;we have not seen any reports pointing to GM foods causing harm to human beings; in the United States, people have been eating such crops for 20 years&#8217;.</p>
<p>There are sufficient studies to show that GM foods do cause harm. That is why 30 other countries around the world, which include Japan, Australia and all the European Union countries, have significant restrictions or outright bans on the production of GM foods &#8211; because they are not considered proven safe. It is a different story in the US, as the approval for production of GM foods is based on studies conducted by the very firms which created them and profit from their sale.</p>
<p><em>India earlier this year put on hold the commercial cultivation of Bt Brinjal (eggplant) due to overwhelming public concerns.</em></p>
<p>Nearly 90 per cent of US soya and 75 per cent of US corn are genetically modified. Singapore definitely needs better labelling of GM foods so that consumers can decide what is best for them.</p>
<p><strong>Bhavani Prakash(Ms)</strong></p>
<p> </p></blockquote>
<p>I had written on the same topic to The Straits Times last year entitled <a href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2010/01/04/super-rice-or-monster-rice-why-gm-crops-cant-feed-the-world/" target="_blank">Super-Rice or Monster rice: Why GM crops can&#8217;t feed the world </a> where I argued against the creation of  genetically modified rice.</p>
<p>Certainly the lack of clear labelling standards for GM foods in Singapore, and in many parts of Asia is worrying.  Slowly but surely, efforts are being made to make consumers more aware. </p>
<p>Greenpeace India had issued a <a href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2010/04/27/safe-food-guide-gmo-free-food/" target="_blank">Safe Food Guide: A Consumer&#8217;s Guide to GMO Free Food</a> last year. It was quite an eye-opening study that revealed the presence of GM ingredients in many well known labels in India. Such guides need to be made available for every Asian country, so consumers can choose what is safe for their health and the health of the planet.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Further links you may be interested in:</em></p>
<p>EWTT: <a href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2010/01/04/super-rice-or-monster-rice-why-gm-crops-cant-feed-the-world/" target="_blank">Super-Rice or Monster rice: Why GM crops can&#8217;t feed the world  </a>(This post has a lot of reference links on GM foods that you may find useful)</p>
<p>EWTT: <a href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2010/04/27/safe-food-guide-gmo-free-food/" target="_blank">Safe Food Guide: A Consumer&#8217;s Guide to GMO Free Food</a></p>
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		<title>What can shore lovers do about the oil spill in Singapore?</title>
		<link>http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2010/05/29/what-can-shore-lovers-do-about-the-oil-spill-in-singapore/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2010/05/29/what-can-shore-lovers-do-about-the-oil-spill-in-singapore/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 29 May 2010 02:55:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity & Ecosystems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[S.E.Asia/Australasia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Singapore]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ACRES]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[changi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chek jawa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[clean up oil spill]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marine biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[national parks board]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oil spill singapore]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pulau ubin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ria tan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tanah merah]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[volunteers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild singapore]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/?p=3045</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Just as the Gulf Coast of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana, USA is grappling with a major oil spill from the BP operated offshore rig, the hard reality of an oil spill hit home in Singapore. Two oil tankers collided to spill 2,500 metric tons of crude oil in the Singapore Strait, 13 kms off the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em><br />
Just as the Gulf Coast of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana, USA is grappling with a <a href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2010/05/03/gulf-of-mexico-oil-spill-does-industry-care-more-for-than-the-environment/" target="_blank">major oil spill from the BP operated offshore rig</a>, the hard reality of an </em><a href="http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2010/05/what-is-being-done-about-oil-spill-25.html" target="_blank"><em>oil spill hit home in Singapore</em></a><em>. Two oil tankers collided to spill 2,500 metric tons of crude oil in the Singapore Strait, 13 kms off the eastern coast of Changi, Singapore on 25th May, 2010</em>.</p>
<p><em><strong><a href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/guest-writers" target="_blank">Ria Tan</a></strong>, who has been writing about marine biodiversity in Singapore for many years, shares <a href="http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2010/05/what-can-shore-lovers-do-about-oil.html" target="_blank">her thoughts and  feelings</a> here about this terrible oil spill reaching Chek Jawa, a marine reserve and wetland on the offshore Singapore island of Pulau Ubin.  The mudflats of Pulau Ubin have several different ecosystems, and plants and animal species that are no longer found in mainland Singapore. Despite this, Ria offers a message of hope, and that each one of us can help in some way. </em></p>
<div id="attachment_3046" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-3046" title="Hang Chong Oil spill Pulau Ubin" src="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Hang-Chong-Oil-spill-Pulau-Ubin-300x199.jpg" alt="Oil spill reaches Chek Jawa, Pulau Ubin, Singapore  Photo: Hang Chong" width="300" height="199" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Oil spill reaches Chek Jawa, Pulau Ubin, Singapore Photo: Hang Chong</p></div>
<p>A sense of deep helpless outrage is what I feel as the oil spill affects the marinelife on our shores. I just heard that the spill has hit <a href="http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2010/05/oil-spill-spreads-to-chek-jawa-changi.html">Chek Jawa as well as Changi beach</a> between Carpark 6 and Carpark 7.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s impossible to save all the creatures. What should a shore lover do about the situation?</p>
<p>It is wonderful to see large numbers of volunteers wanting to do something about the situation.</p>
<div id="attachment_3053" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-3053" title="Ria TAn Hermit crab writhing in the oil" src="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Ria-TAn-Hermit-crab-writhing-in-the-oil-300x220.jpg" alt="Hermit Crab mired in oil   Photo: Ria Tan" width="300" height="220" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Hermit Crab mired in oil Photo: Ria Tan</p></div>
<p>But &#8216;cleaning&#8217; sea creatures is almost impossible to do without stressing them. And once the oil clogs gills, the animals are probably doomed even if the oil is cleaned off externally. And if we want to &#8216;clean&#8217; marine life, we need to use seawater. Freshwater kills marine life, in fact the <a href="http://cjproject.blogspot.com/">mass deaths at Chek Jawa in 2007 </a>was probably due to high freshwater input due to long and heavy rains in Johor.</p>
<p>The most beautiful and delicate of marine creatures are impossible to wash or relocate quickly: hard corals, sea anemones, sea fans. Some animals that don&#8217;t seem worthy of &#8216;saving&#8217; such as worms, are actually among the important elements of the shore ecosystem, forming the base of the food chain. </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #000000;"> </span></span></p>
<div id="attachment_3054" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-3054 " title="Ria Tan worms writhing in the sand" src="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Ria-Tan-worms-writhing-in-the-sand-300x146.jpg" alt="Peanut worms writhing or laying still on the sand  Photo: Ria Tan" width="300" height="146" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Peanut worms writhing or dead on the sand Photo: Ria Tan</p></div>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">So what is a shore lover to do?</span></span></span></p>
<p>In my opinion, we should document as much as we can. Focusing not just on the distress and death to marine life, but also the amazing diversity life on our shores (from worms to fishes, corals to seagrass) and how the spill is affecting them.</p>
<p><a href="http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2010/05/crude-cruelties-oil-spill-victims-on.html" target="_blank">Share the photos and observations </a>as widely as possible, and quickly.</p>
<p>In this way, perhaps more people will realise the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>That we do have wonderful marine life, even in unlikely places such as reclaimed shores and man-made seawalls.</li>
<li>That these shores are precious and we should care for them.</li>
<li>While we may be helpless in the face of the oil spill, there are MANY other threats to our shores that <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">we CAN manage</span>. We need to control such threats to make sure our shores are in the best of health, so that they can better survive incidents such as the oil spills.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Existing threats include: litter than poison and kill our marine life. Abandoned driftnets and fish traps that perpetually kill until they are removed from the shore. Sedimentation that affects water quality and thus the health of our marine animals. Thoughtless construction and works on our shores. Uncontrolled collection of marine life on our shores. Careless recreational use of our shores. More about <a href="http://iyor08singapore.blogspot.com/2008/07/faq-about-our-reefs.html">threats to our marine life</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3048" title="Ria Tan Our shores in Danger" src="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Ria-Tan-Our-shores-in-Danger.jpg" alt="Ria Tan Our shores in Danger" width="500" height="355" /></p>
<p>Hopefully also, more people will realise:</p>
<ul>
<li>We need to <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">protect more shores</span> so that if some shores are hurt, other shores can act as a source of new animals which can settle on and eventually restore the damaged shores.</li>
<li>We need to <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">learn more</span> about our shores. The more we know, the better we can care for them.</li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">What other ways can we help?</span></span></span></p>
<div id="attachment_3047" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-3047 " title="Hang Chong NParks Volunteers clean up" src="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Hang-Chong-NParks-Volunteers-clean-up-300x199.jpg" alt="National Parks Board staff and volunteers clean up" width="300" height="199" /><p class="wp-caption-text">National Parks Board staff and volunteers clean up Photo: Hang Chong</p></div>
<p>Besides documenting and sharing your photos and stories of the impact of the oil spill, I feel we can help by going down to sites that may be but are not yet affected. Keep an eye out for first signs of oil or distressed marine life. Alert the authorities if you do spot oil.</p>
<p>From <a href="http://app2.nea.gov.sg/news_detail_2010.aspx?news_sid=20100527945759447144">NEA media release</a>, 26 May, also on <a href="http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2010/05/oil-spill-off-changi-east-singapore_26.html">wildsingapore news</a>:</p>
<p>Members of the public &#8230; can contact our 24-hour call centre at 1800-CALL NEA (2255632) , email: <a href="mailto:Contact_NEA@nea.gov.sg">Contact_NEA@nea.gov.sg</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I&#8217;m rather concussed from predawn low tide trips, so I&#8217;m not very eloquent in this post.</p>
<p>If you have other and better ideas about how we can make a long term difference for our shores and make the best of out this situation, please do leave a comment.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>The Animals Concerns Research and Education Society(ACRES) is appealing for volunteers to help them.  Those interested can call the ACRES hotline at 9783-7782.  Volunteers are to bring containers to place the animals, trash bags and to wear boots.</p>
<p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Further links you may be interested in:</span></em></p>
<p>Latest information on the spill being posted on the Facebook Page : <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Singapore-Changi-East-Oil-Spill-25-May-2010/122043691162433?ref=ts" target="_blank">Singapore Changi East Oil Spill (25 May 2010)</a></p>
<p><a href="http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2010/05/crude-cruelties-oil-spill-victims-on.html" target="_blank">Crude realities: Oil spill victims of Tanah Merah   </a>Ria Tan shows photographs of the affected marine life at Tanah Merah, Changi.</p>
<p><a href="http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2010/05/oil-spill-on-chek-jawa-whats-impact.html" target="_blank"><em>Oil spill on Chek Jawa. What&#8217;s the impact?</em></a></p>
<blockquote><p>While the scale of the pollution was &#8216;minor&#8217;, he (Prof. Ng, Director, Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research) cautioned that any amount could upset the fragile ecosystem in Chek Jawa.</p>
<p>With most of the oil patches along the wetlands cleaned up yesterday evening, he said the next step will be to monitor the long- term effects of the pollution. As this is the first major pollution in the area, it is unclear how the ecosystem there will react.</p></blockquote>
<p><a href="http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2010/05/what-is-being-done-about-oil-spill-29.html" target="_blank"><em>What is being done about the oil spill: 29th May</em></a></p>
<blockquote><p>At East Coast Park, the oil-slicked sand had been largely cleared from the 7.2km of shoreline covered earlier this week. The 19.6 tonnes of contaminated sand that was shovelled up was sent to the Semakau landfill site.<br />
Beyond the conventional methods, MPA experimented with imbiber beads which are usually used by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) to clean up chemical spills on land. Imbiber beads are spherical plastic particles that absorb organic liquids. MPA said results have been encouraging and with support from SCDF, it is deploying more imbiber beads to supplement other efforts.</p></blockquote>
<p><a href="http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2010/05/what-is-being-done-about-oil-spill-28.html" target="_blank"><em>What is being done about the oil spill: 28th May</em></a></p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;The oil slick <a href="http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2010/05/oil-spill-spreads-to-chek-jawa-changi.html">has hit Chek Jawa</a> today at about 2pm, and Changi Beach between car parks 6 and 7. Some 700 metres are affected.</p>
<p>Oil has also <a href="http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2010/05/singapore-oil-spill-spreads-to.html">hit Johor shores</a>. A 1,600-metre long and 960-metre wide slick, was also 960 metres off Tanjung Ayam in Pengerang, Johor yesterday. By today, some of the oil that had turned into tar balls has also reached the shores of Tanjung Ayam and has spread further to Teluk Ramunia.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p><em><a href="http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2010/05/what-is-being-done-about-oil-spill-27.html" target="_blank">What is being done about the oil spill: 27th May</a></em></p>
<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;</em>Out at sea, efforts were ramped up to clean up the initial 4 sq km area of oil slick from spreading inland. As part of the containment efforts, some 19 craft and 120 personnel used bio-degradable dispersants to break up the oil slick into smaller globules and some 3,300 metres of containment booms used to contain the spill.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p><a href="http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2010/05/what-is-being-done-about-oil-spill-25.html" target="_blank"><em>What is being done about the oil spill: 25th May</em></a></p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;The MT Bunga Kelana 3 spilled 2,500 metric tons of crude oil after a collision with the bulk carrier MV Waily at 6:03 a.m. today in the Singapore Strait, 13 kilometers southeast of Changi East, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said in a statement. That’s equivalent to three days of leakage from BP Plc’s damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
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		<title>Nestlé buckles to Greenpeace pressure on Unsustainable Palm Oil</title>
		<link>http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2010/05/18/nestle-buckles-to-greenpeace-pressure-on-unsustainable-palm-oil/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2010/05/18/nestle-buckles-to-greenpeace-pressure-on-unsustainable-palm-oil/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 May 2010 15:35:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity & Ecosystems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green Events/Campaigns]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[S.E.Asia/Australasia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Endangered species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[greenpeace]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[greenpeace campaign against Nestle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indonesian rainforests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kit kat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nestle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[orangutans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sinar mas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[unsustainable palm oil]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/?p=2759</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Greenpeace&#8217;s two month long campaign against the multinational food and consumer goods giant, Nestlé&#8217;s use of unsustainable palm oil sources has shown results. Nestlé announced in a press release that they will partnering with the non-profit organisation, The Forest Trust, to systematically identify and exclude companies owning or managing high risk plantations or farms linked to deforestation. According [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="mceTemp">Greenpeace&#8217;s two month long campaign against the multinational food and consumer goods giant, Nestlé&#8217;s use of unsustainable palm oil sources has shown results. Nestlé announced in a <a href="http://www.nestle.com/InvestorRelations/Events/AllEvents/Nestle_open_forum_on_deforestation_Malaysia.htm" target="_blank">press release </a>that they will partnering with the non-profit organisation, <a href="http://www.theforesttrust.org/" target="_blank">The Forest Trust</a>, to systematically identify and exclude companies owning or managing high risk plantations or farms linked to deforestation.</div>
<p>According to Greenpeace International&#8217;s <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/Food-and-drinks-giant-to-stop-using-products-from-rainforest-destruction/" target="_blank">Press release</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>Pat Venditti, Greenpeace International Forest Campaign Head said “We are delighted that Nestlé plans to give orang-utans a break and we call on other international retailers, such as Carrefour and Wal-mart, to do the same. Since the beginning of our campaign, hundreds of thousands of people have contacted Nestlé  to say that they will not buy products linked to rainforest destruction.”</p>
<p>Under its new policy, Nestlé commits to identify and exclude companies from its supply chain that own or manage &#8216;high risk plantations or farms linked to deforestation’. This exclusion would apply to companies such as Sinar Mas, Indonesia’s most notorious palm oil and pulp and paper supplier,if it fails to meet the criteria set out in the policy. It also has implications for palm oil traders, such as Cargill, which continue to buy from Sinar Mas.</p>
<p>“Nestlé&#8217;s move sends a clear message to Sinar Mas and to the rest of the palm oil and paper industries that rainforest destruction is not acceptable in the global marketplace. They need to clean up their act and move to implement a moratorium on rainforest destruction and full peatland protection. Greenpeace will closely monitor and push for the rapid implementation of Nestlé&#8217;s plan,” said Venditti.</p>
<p>Global demand for both palm oil and paper is increasing, with the Sinar Mas corporation expanding into Indonesia&#8217;s forests and peatlands. As a result, the country has one of the fastest rates of forest destruction on the planet and is the world&#8217;s third largest greenhouse gas emitter, after China and the United States. <a href="#Note3"> </a>Palm oil is used in a huge range of products &#8211; from chocolate, toothpaste and cosmetics to so-called &#8216;climate friendly&#8217; biofuels.</p></blockquote>
<p>As the note also said, &#8220;Sinar Mas has a long history of breaking its environmental promises, both in the palm oil and the pulp and paper sectors. It currently has 406,000 hectares of oil palm plantations and <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/id/press/reports/new-evidence-sm-agm-Singapore" target="_blank">plans to develop another 1.3 million hectares for plantations in Papua and Kalimantan.</a>&#8221;</p>
<p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-2770" title="Orangutan Camp leakey" src="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Orangutan-Camp-leakey.jpg" alt="Orangutan Camp leakey" width="300" height="225" />Rainforests are one of the most rapidly disappearing ecosystems in the world. South East Asian rainforests are home to many endangered species, such as the Sumatran rhinoceros and the orangutans which are found in pockets of Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.mongabay.com/" target="_blank">Mongabay</a>, &#8220; Indonesia is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world due largely to deforestation. Between 1990 and 2005, Indonesia lost more than 28 million hectares of forest, including 21.7 hectares of virgin forest. The country&#8217;s forest cover has declined from 82 percent in the 1960s to less than fifty percent today.&#8221;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Greenpeace&#8217;s campaign success shows what new media is capable of. It started off with this YouTube video showing Nestlé&#8217;s use of palm oil in its products and its contribution to rainforest deforestation. Nestlé removed this for copyright infringement for use of its logo, and that&#8217;s when it all boomeranged.</p>
<p><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="560" height="340" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1BCA8dQfGi0&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0&amp;color1=0x5d1719&amp;color2=0xcd311b" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="340" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1BCA8dQfGi0&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0&amp;color1=0x5d1719&amp;color2=0xcd311b" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object></p>
<p>The campaign went viral on facebook and twitter, with Nestlé&#8217;s facebook page turning quite nasty due to an explosion of user comments. To make matters worse, Nestlé&#8217;s facebook administrators handled the situation quite tactlessly in their replies. It was a <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-20000805-36.html" target="_blank">PR fiasco for Nestle</a>.</p>
<p>All this goes to show that with social media tools and online campaigns, concerned consumers can indeed make a dent on even the biggest of multinationals to make them improve their environmental behaviour.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Photo courtesy: Orangutan : <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/romeral/3953095510/" target="_blank">Marina &amp; Enrique on Flickr</a></p>
<p><em>Further links you may be interested in:</em></p>
<p>EWTT: <a href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2009/11/04/how-to-find-hidden-palm-oil-in-supermarkets/" target="_blank">How to find Hidden Palm Oil in Supermarkets</a></p>
<p>EWTT: <a href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2009/04/09/engaging-local-communities-in-seasian-peat-swamp-regeneration/" target="_blank">Engaging local communities in S.E.Asian Peat Swamp Regeneration</a> </p>
<p>EWTT: <a href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2009/10/15/part-1-blog-action-day-social-media-and-climate-change-activism/" target="_blank">Social Media and Climate Change Activism</a></p>
<p>Mongabay: A new world? <a href="http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0320-hance_socialmedia.html" target="_blank">Social media protest against Nestle may have long standing ramifications</a></p>
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		<title>Climate Change in Asia: Who cares if Bangladesh drowns?</title>
		<link>http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2010/05/04/climate-change-in-asia-who-cares-if-bangladesh-drowns/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2010/05/04/climate-change-in-asia-who-cares-if-bangladesh-drowns/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 04 May 2010 04:02:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Climate Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[S.E.Asia/Australasia]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/?p=2401</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[South Asia comprises three percent of the world&#8217;s land mass, yet it is inhabited by one-fifth of the world&#8217;s population. Of the region&#8217;s population 60% live off or near coastal areas, and are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and rising sea levels. According to the UNEP  South Asia Environment Outlook 2009  Climate Change [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_2451" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 250px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2451" title="Bangladesh Floods" src="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bangladesh_floods_3column00_nospace_landscape-300x168.jpg" alt="bangladesh_floods_3column00_nospace_landscape" width="240" height="134" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Photo Courtesy: www.cafod.org.uk</p></div>
<p>South Asia comprises three percent of the world&#8217;s land mass, yet it is inhabited by one-fifth of the world&#8217;s population. Of the region&#8217;s population <a href="http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/websites/retiredsites/natdia_pdf/3hinrichsen.pdf" target="_blank">60% live off or near coastal areas</a>, and are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and rising sea levels.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="http://www.roap.unep.org/publications/SAEO%202009.pdf" target="_blank">UNEP  South Asia Environment Outlook 2009 </a> Climate Change could be the biggest threat for Asia. The report says:</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;South Asian countries have started to face the effects of climate change and are particularly at risk. Intense floods, droughts and cyclones have impacted on the economic performances of South Asian countries and the lives of millions of poor, it also puts at risk infrastructure, agriculture, human health, water resources and the environment.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>Veteran Journalist <a href="http://www.drishtipat.org/activists/Afsan/index.html" target="_blank">Afsan Chowdhary </a>has prepared this documentary: <em>Who cares if Bangladesh drowns?</em></p>
<p>60% of people in Bangladesh depend on agriculture. Coastal areas have already started experiencing salinity and sea level rises, whereas western parts of the country are facing droughts. Thousands are losing their homes, their livelihoods, year after year.</p>
<p>The poor are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, though they have done little to contribute to it. The world needs to wake up to the fact that Climate Change is not something that&#8217;s going to happen in the distant future. It&#8217;s happening now, it&#8217;s happening quickly and it&#8217;s already a day-to-day reality for millions of people.</p>
<p><strong>Part 1</strong><br />
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<p>You may watch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NMB4xU2ppE&amp;feature=related" target="_blank">Part 2</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfP0AiY6Sx8&amp;feature=related" target="_blank">Part 3</a> here.</p>
<p>Afsan Chowdhary concludes that climate change is not an environmental problem but a social and economic problem, it is a result of overconsumption and greed.  If we don&#8217;t solve it, it will kill us and our children.</p>
<p>How much does the world really care that millions from developing countries like Bangladesh and coastal areas of countries like Maldives, India, Indonesia, Phillipines and others will be drastically affected by the impacts of climate change?</p>
<p>At the COP15 Copenhagen Climate Change Summit, the proposal was to mobilise US$10 billion per year between 2010 and 2012, and up to US$100 billion by 2020 annually. This represents only 0.8% to 8% of developed countries’ national defence budgets, respectively. In contrast, about US$2 trillion was spent on the financial bailout, and over US$1 trillion for the Iraq war.<a href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2010/04/27/what-does-a-billion-dollars-mean-for-the-planet/" target="_blank"> Does the world have its priorities right?</a></p>
<p>South East Asian countries continue to oil their economic engine of growth. The transition to a  low carbon future is a huge challenge, given the <a href="http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover.asp?foldername=20100430&amp;filename=news&amp;sid=23&amp;sec_id=9" target="_blank">energy intensity of industries </a>in countries like India.  According to an <a href="http://www.iwlearn.net/News/iwlearn/economics-of-climate-change-in-southeast-asia-adb-report-multimedia-toolkit" target="_blank">ADB report</a> last year, the region is likely to suffer economically at twice the global average. It is estimated under Business As Usual, it will cost SE Asia about 6.7% of its GDP  by 2100.  The <a href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2009/11/14/high-stakes-a-movie-on-the-economics-of-climate-change-in-se-asia/" target="_blank">stakes are high</a>, and if the world took action now, much of the distress and impact can be averted.  </p>
<p><em></em></p>
<p><em></em><br />
<em>Further links you may be interested in:</em></p>
<p>Stories of 4 women: <a href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2010/05/04/climate-change-in-bangladesh-videos/" target="_blank">Climate Change in Bangladesh (Videos)</a></p>
<p>Challenge to Change.Org :  Document showing impact and vulnerabilities to <a href="http://www.challengetochange.org/docs/climate_change_asia.pdf" target="_blank">Climate Change in Asia</a></p>
<p>BBC:  &#8221;<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8646289.stm" target="_blank">Is Climate Change South Asia&#8217;s deadliest threat?</a> </p>
<p>Reuters: <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE55G22T20090617" target="_blank">Climate change will have &#8220;severe&#8221; impact on Asia: U.N</a> </p>
<p>Treehugger: <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/03/global-warming-hits-worlds-women-hardest.php" target="_blank">Global Warming hits world&#8217;s women hardest- especially when they don&#8217;t have equal rights</a></p>
<p><em>What can individuals do?</em> I borrow words from the earlier blog <a href="http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2010/01/28/climate-refugees-a-new-eco-movie/" target="_blank">Climate Refugees: A new Eco-Movie</a>:</p>
<p>Take action in your lives – at home, in your community, at your workplace to reduce your footprint on this planet, and never for a moment doubt whether it will make a difference. There are lots of ideas in this website on steps to create these changes, big and small;  the important thing is to actually take those steps.</p>
<p>Simplify your lives, scale down your consumption of goods, energy, water and resources of the world, and spread the word around. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE55G22T20090617"></a></p>
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