WWF Campaign: “Love Your Forests”,  But Not to Death!

News reports about rampant deforestation in Indonesia often refer to alleged corruption, poor law enforcement and the greed of logging and palm oil interests. But sometimes, the reviled companies are also victims, as Bruce Gale reports, and WWF benefitted from the creative work of Leo Burnett, with its cartoon tree character Harry Ficus to promote its “Love Your Forests” campaign.

Bruce Gale in The Straits Times (16 September 2011):

News reports about rampant deforestation in Indonesia often refer to alleged corruption, poor law enforcement and the greed of logging and palm oil interests. But sometimes, the reviled companies are also victims.

Take Singapore-listed Golden Agri-Resources (GAR), a palm oil plantation company in the Sinar Mas group which has recently been working hard to shed its negative image among environmentalists. In June, when environmental watchdog Greenomics Indonesia issued a press statement denouncing a sustainability report issued by GAR, it seemed that the company had been caught red-handed.

The report asserted that none of GAR’s concessions involved forest land. Greenomics disagreed. To prove its point the organisation referred to a map of Central Kalimantan province issued by the minister of forestry on May 31. By this measure, it said, almost all of the company’s concessions in the province involved protected forests. It said GAR was thus in clear violation of Indonesian law and should withdraw its report in order to avoid being accused of misleading the public.

A GAR spokesman told The Straits Times recently that the report was ‘not based on complete information’.

A brief look at the history of palm oil regulation in the province is certainly enlightening. What Greenomics did not say was that the company had become the victim of a power struggle between the central and provincial governments over the conversion of forest land for other uses.

The story begins in 1993, when the provincial government issued a land use decree based on its interpretation of a 1982 decree by the ministry of agriculture.

In September 2000, a letter from the planning department in Jakarta’s ministry of forestry and plantations appeared to legitimise the process. The letter, a copy of which has been obtained by The Straits Times, seemed to accept forest land use maps issued by the provincial government the previous year. Crucially, it noted that land set aside for development, residential and other purposes as determined by the provincial authorities could be used without the need to obtain forestry relinquishment permits from the ministry that would enable the land to be used for other purposes.

In subsequent years, the provincial government encountered little opposition from the forestry ministry when using these maps in the process of awarding important plantation concessions to companies such as GAR.

At the time, Indonesia was still struggling to come to terms with decentralisation laws passed by Parliament in 1999. Repeated Cabinet reshuffles in Jakarta left forestry officials in Jakarta with no strong leadership. In later years, the forestry ministry also experienced a reorganisation after it lost its authority over plantations.

However, the situation changed dramatically in September 2006, when Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban informed the provincial governor that his ministry did not recognise the province’s decisions, and he was revoking the 2000 letter. Mr Kaban also insisted that companies that had acquired concessions on what the ministry regarded as forest land between 2000 and 2006 must obtain permits from Jakarta.

The provincial government has put up a stout defence of its rights, and the status quo has so far remained unchanged. The latest maps referred to by Greenomics nevertheless show that the dispute is ongoing, and that the forestry ministry remains determined to assert its authority.

Unlike Greenomics, most environmentalists I spoke to in Jakarta last month expressed sympathy with GAR. Even Greenpeace, which published a major report in July last year denouncing the company’s environmental track record, conceded that the confusing legal situation in Central Kalimantan is primarily the result of bad governance.

Greenpeace spokesman Joko Arif believes that the saga is a good illustration of why the national moratorium on forest conversion announced in May this year does not go far enough. ‘There should be a review of all concessions given on forest and peat land,’ he said. ‘The aim should be to determine which have been obtained legally and which illegally, and what the circumstances are’.

Lauded by many environmental groups for its positive response to criticism of its environmental record, GAR now boasts one of the most comprehensive forest conservation policies in the industry. ‘If they implement it properly, it will be very good indeed,’ one environmental activist told me.

Source: www.eco-business.com

WWF Report:

Leo Burnett Sydney has launched a spot for WWF that introduces cartoon tree character Harry Ficus, a ‘responsibly made’ tree that can turn into tables, chairs and tissues.

The campaign, which kicks off WWF’s ‘Love your forests’ initiative, includes prints executions and a children’s book – printed on Forest Stewardship Council certified paper – called The Adventures of Harry Ficus.

Lawrence Hennessy, head of marketing for WWF Australia, said: “We know that people want to make the right environmental choices, but often don’t know how. As soon as Leo Burnett presented Harry Ficus we fell in love with him and what he stood for. The Adventures of Harry Ficus is a simple, engaging idea that will educate and encourage people to think about their everyday purchases’.

Love Your Forests is an unique campaign – we are asking business, NGOs and you to come together to ensure our forests survive. Beginning this year the United Nations (UN) in the UN International Year of Forests will be raising awareness of sustainable forest management.To support this WWF and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) along with leading businesses in the forest industry are working to provide a solution to reduce our forest footprint and to love our forests. Starting this year we will be actively promoting and supporting the FSC eco-label.

The FSC is an international network to promote responsible management of the world’s forests – it brings people together to find solutions to the problems created by bad forestry practices and to reward good forest management.

How can I love my forests? WWF believes that you can Love Your Forests in many ways…by recycling, buying recycled, reducing over use of paper and timber and importantly, buying forest friendly timber and paper products. It’s easy! When buying timber and paper products just look for the FSC eco-label. The FSC eco-label is your assurance that the timber and paper product that you bought did not come from illegally logged forests and that it supports well-managed forests.

WWF understands that there is a confusing range of eco-labels out there for you to choose from – we will try to help you find FSC in two ways:

The WWF logo will appear next to the FSC logo on some products that are FSC-certified. Look for us next to the FSC logo.

We will work with businesses to help them provide you with information about timber and paper product choices. See our Love Your Forests Partners

The WWF Love Your Forests campaign has been launched in 2011 to coincide with the UN International Year of Forests. In the past 10 years more than 1.3 million square kilometres of the world’s forests have been destroyed – an area roughly the size of Tasmania every six months. Most of these forests were biologically-rich tropical forests and home to such animals as orang-utans, tigers, and gorillas. Some of this logging is also illegal – it has been estimated that Australia imports more than $400 million worth of illegal timber and wood products each year.

Love Your Forests is a way for you to help stop this destruction. Australians are major consumers of forest products and we use around 6.6 million cubic metres of solid timber and 4 million tonnes of paper every year, or about 550 kg per person. Because we import major quantities of pulp and paper as well as sawn timber, our forest ‘footprint’ extends to over 31 countries. In a number of these countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific there are serious concerns about the legality and sustainability of forestry.

Love Your Forests is a way for all of us to help reduce the amount of forest resources we consume and switch to more environmentally sustainable forest products. See how you can make a difference…How can I help love my forest?

Source: www.theinspirationroom.com and www.wwf.org.au

FiTs Promote Solar in Japan, China, Germany & Spain

Feed in Tariffs (FiTs) make it attractive for investors, entrepreneurs, engineers and scientists to devote their time and effort seriously to renewables. While a desire to showcase renewables is good, often it is not enough to create confidence in the sector, says energy expert Dennis Posadas. Even without FiTs, the largest property developer in Singapore – the Housing Development Board (HDB) – has unveiled an innovative solar project that will soon power 45 residential blocks with the sun’s energy.

By Dennis Posadas, for the Straits Times (6 September 2011):

FORMER Japanese prime minister Naoto Kan’s insistence on passing Japan’s feed-in tariff (FiT) on renewable energy before his resignation on Aug 26 underscores the importance of sustaining renewable energy’s momentum. Japan’s Parliament finally passed the measure on Aug 23.

China’s decision to implement a FiT of 1 yuan per kilowatt hour (kwh) for solar systems is another welcome boost to the renewables sector. A similar FiT in the Philippines is encountering some resistance because of its impact on electricity prices.

In Spain and Germany, FiTs have led to significant growth in installed renewables, particularly for wind systems.

Most Singaporeans will probably agree with the rationale for shifting energy from fossil fuels to renewable sources like wind and solar in the light of concerns about climate change, health issues and crude oil price swings.

However, the hard work of determining how to pay for that shift needs to be discussed. For many countries around the world, the means to encourage a shift to renewables is the FiT.

FiTs are higher prices per kwh assigned to renewable sources, in recognition of their higher cost compared with fossil fuel sources.

In other words, to justify renewable investments, often there is legislation that mandates electricity utility companies to purchase increasing percentages of renewable energy in the total energy mix supplied to the grid.

So if coal costs only a few cents, to attract the solar and wind (and other renewable technology) investors, the price per kwh is set so that it is attractive to investors.

If a renewable source already matches the cost of fossil fuel power, then it is said to be at grid parity, which negates the need for FiTs.

Depending on the prevailing cost of electricity in a particular country, FiTs may tend to raise the average price of electricity as you are mixing currently expensive low carbon sources with cheap fossil fuel ones.

But this can be managed by various means, including a power price regulatory body or open electricity markets, by derating the FiT over time, and an offset by carbon credits, among others.

FiTs are efficient compared with other means to spur adoption of renewables. Instead of simply awarding tax exemptions or R&D grants, FiT payments are made to providers of renewable energy selling to the grid, and requires no government subsidy. Tax exemptions or R&D grants may be given to prospective investors, but there is no guarantee that their plant will actually operate and generate electricity.

FiTs make it attractive for investors, entrepreneurs, engineers and scientists to devote their time and effort seriously to renewables. While a desire to showcase renewables is good, often it is not enough to create confidence in the sector – remember the solar panels installed in the White House during the Carter administration that were eventually taken down during the Reagan years when oil became cheap?

In contrast, FiTs are long-term contracts (whose price can be revisited on a regular basis) to insulate renewable power plants from oil price swings.

However, once economies of scale and technology move forward from this initial market, we should see better, more efficient and cheaper renewables, which means that FiTs can eventually be scrapped. Coal and oil-powered energy systems have been around since the 19th century, and to expect that renewables will instantly catch up is unreasonable.

An excellent analogy is the PC and chip industry – while free competition and innovation may have driven us to US$100 (S$120) tablet PCs, it was the United States military that first had to jump-start a market for the fledgling semiconductor industry many decades ago.

FiTs are needed now. Waiting for renewables to become cheap without supporting the current renewables market is wishful thinking. For many decades the renewable sector and the people working in it have been courted, ignored and jilted, and this cycle repeated.

Experts and investors will not risk their time and money trying to create better renewable technologies if the market demand is constantly dependent on the price of oil.

The writer is an energy consultant who writes on clean energy issues.

Source: www.greenbusinesstimes.com

Jessica Cheam in Straits Times (16 September 2011):

The largest property developer here has unveiled an innovative solar project that will soon power 45 residential blocks in Punggol with the sun’s energy.

The Housing Development Board (HDB) yesterday inked a ‘solar-leasing’ agreement with local solar manufacturer Sunseap Enterprises, which will design, install and maintain the $11 million system.

The 2MWp (megawatt peak) solar photovoltaic set-up converts sunlight into electricity, which will then power common-area facilities such as corridor lights and lifts in the 45 blocks. A watt peak is a measure of power output used in relation to photovoltaic solar energy devices.

It will be the biggest solar installation here to date, and the first solar-leasing project.

The Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council will take out a 20-year lease on the system from Sunseap Leasing, a unit of Sunseap Enterprises.

The town council will thus be spared the cost of the panels and their installation, but instead of buying power from the national grid, it will do so from Sunseap Leasing. The electricity will be priced at the current tariffs, with a 1 per cent discount thrown in.

HDB chief executive Cheong Koon Hean yesterday described the solar-leasing model as a ‘win-win’ one.

If the arrangement takes off, it could pave the way for more solar projects across the island, marking a turning point in Singapore’s growing solar industry.

As this is a test-bed project, HDB will cover 30 per cent of the cost, or $3.28 million; Sunseap will foot the rest.

Sunseap Leasing director Frank Phuan said the company has obtained financing from overseas banks to cover the cost, and will make its money by selling electricity to the town council over the next 20 years.

Up till now, the HDB has bought and installed its own solar panels – for 40 blocks in 10 towns.

With the solar-leasing model, it taps private enterprise to grow the solar programme, said Dr Cheong. She added that the HDB could look into doing the same for another 70 blocks, although their locations have yet to be identified.

We are going to learn about solar power generation through this test bed – what works, what doesn’t work… The solar-leasing model enables us to ramp up more quickly the introduction of solar power into HDB towns,’ she said.

Punggol, as Singapore’s first eco-town, is the ideal location for the HDB to start, she added. The agreement comes under the HDB’s $31 million, five-year scheme to test-bed solar energy at 30 of its precincts.

Three companies had bid for the contract, and Sunseap won due to its price and technical abilities, said the HDB.

The 11-year-old Sunseap has 35 staff and a factory in Boon Lay where it manufactures its solar panels. Most of its output is exported to Germany, which has a thriving solar industry.

Dr Thomas Reindl, a director at the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, said solar leasing, though popular in countries such as the United States, is new in Asia.

The benefits of this system are that building owners can buy green power without having to pay upfront costs; and they also do not have to pay more than the prevailing electricity tariffs.

‘However, this concept works out for the leasing company only when electricity prices are not subsidised, such as in Singapore,’ he added. In countries where electricity costs are subsidised, it will not work because the leasing company will incur losses.

HDB’s Dr Cheong said she hoped the test-bed project will contribute to Singapore’s search for solar power generation technologies and develop the regional solar industry.

The installation of the solar panels will be completed by the middle of next year.

This article was originally published in The Straits Times.

Source:  www.eco-business.com

You too Can Contribute to Singapore’s Climate Change Strategy

The National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) has launched a nationwide feedback exercise which will be used to draft the country’s first National Climate Change Strategy 2012, setting out how Singapore can reduce its carbon emissions and prepare against effects such as sea level rises. And the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) has finally found a new executive director – former journalist Jose Raymond, who was press secretary to Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Mr Vivian Balakrishnan.

By Jessica Cheam in Straits Times (8 September 2011):

Feedback portal launched to help draft nation’s climate change strategy

HAVE an idea you are burning to share about how to make Singapore greener? Here’s your chance.

The National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) has launched a nationwide feedback exercise which will be used to draft the country’s first comprehensive climate change strategy.

Speaking at the launch of the new feedback portal yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said the National Climate Change Strategy 2012, as it is called, will set out detailed plans on how Singapore can reduce its carbon emissions and how it can prepare against effects such as sea level rises.

Carbon emissions are widely considered to be the cause of climate change, which affects long-term weather patterns and can result in extreme weather events.

Acknowledging that the concept of climate change may be too abstract for the average person, DPM Teo said the consultation also aimed to raise awareness.

‘The purpose of this is to firstly create awareness… among people, and we want to seek ideas from people on how they can contribute to solving the climate change problem, and to motivate action,’ he told reporters.

The new feedback portal at www.nccs.gov.sg/consultation is the first of a series of initiatives led by the NCCS to gather ideas and feedback from citizens. The NCCS will conduct focus groups and community forums to reach out to the public in the next few months. The four areas it will focus on are households, transport, industries and clean technology opportunities.

The document, due to be released in the middle of next year, will build on the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint, a five-year plan launched in 2009 to help Singapore become greener and more energy efficient.

Industry observers such as Associate Professor Simon Tay, chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, welcomed the public consultation. ‘There are times where the Government is looking for a variety of ideas, having set a macro target… It’s a good example of consultative government, (where) different sectors of society can contribute ideas,’ he said. \

Ms Olivia Choong, founder of the Singapore chapter of Green Drinks, an environmental movement, said she was looking forward to giving her views.

‘I think we need more incentives to drive greener transportation, such as taking buses or switching to electric vehicles,’ she said.

DPM Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, yesterday also gave prizes to winners of the inaugural National Climate Change Competition at a ceremony held at the Environment Building.

Two teams, from the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, tied for the top prize, which is a trip to Durban, South Africa, at the end of the year to attend the United Nations climate change summit.

The NUS team won for their initiative to remove rubbish bins on the campus for a day to raise environmental awareness, and the NTU team won for their idea of a green mobile application that will help households monitor their energy usage.

The competition, which drew more than 140 entries, invited students and young people to contribute ideas on how they could address climate change.

Source: www.nccs.gov.sg

Jessica Cheam in Straits Times (11 September 2011):

The Singapore Environment Council (SEC) has finally found a new executive director – former journalist Jose Raymond, who was press secretary to Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan.

SEC chairman Isabella Loh confirmed that Mr Raymond, 39, will start work at the SEC this Thursday, capping an almost six-month search for a new chief.

Former executive director Howard Shaw, who was at the SEC for 15 years and helmed it for the past eight years, left in April to join the private sector.

In a letter circulated to SEC advisers and seen by The Sunday Times, Ms Loh said: ‘We welcome him (Mr Raymond) warmly on board embarking on this journey with us, bringing SEC to greater heights of the environment cause.’

Mr Raymond told The Sunday Times that he was looking forward to the new full-time appointment and ‘will continue to maintain its (the SEC’s) standing as Singapore’s most recognised green organisation’.

Mr Raymond joined the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) in 2007 after more than a decade in journalism at Singapore Press Holdings and MediaCorp. While at SSC, he led a team of sports performance managers in the sports development group before he was appointed the head of communications and IT for the first Asian Youth Games held in Singapore in 2009.

He recently served as Dr Balakrishnan’s press secretary while on a three-month secondment to the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources from the SSC.

Mr Raymond, who is currently doing part-time studies for a degree in communications, conceded that he may not have much experience in the environmental sector. But he said he believed the role required someone with strong organisational skills with a good network who could lead it.

He said he comes into frequent contact with nature as an open sea diver, and has always ‘appreciated nature and am aware of how the ecosystem is at risk because of climate change’.

‘I’m quite excited about the role, especially as there is a growing national emphasis and awareness of environmental issues,’ he said.

Mr Raymond will manage SEC’s team of 15 full-time staff. The local environmental non-governmental organisation was set up in 1995 and is independently managed by its executive director and staff. It has a board of directors comprising members with a diverse range of relevant expertise drawn from the private sector, academia and government.

Its vice-chairmen are Professor Leo Tan from the National University of Singapore and Dr Teo Ho Pin, Mayor of North West District.

SEC is an approved charity that can offer tax exemption to donors.

Under Mr Shaw’s leadership, SEC grew from a small organisation to an established one driving many environmental initiatives in Singapore, including the Bring Your Own Bag Day, now a weekly affair in supermarkets. It also runs programmes such as the Green Label project, which certifies firms whose products meet global eco-friendly standards.

Mr Shaw, who is now senior vice-president of corporate social responsibility at investment holding firm Halcyon Group, said he was confident that Mr Raymond will fill the role at the council and take it to the next level.

When asked if Mr Raymond’s lack of experience in the environmental sector would be an issue, Mr Shaw said what was more important were strong leadership skills, which he believed Mr Raymond has, and that technical support on specific issues can be provided by the organisation.

‘I look forward to working with SEC from the private sector to drive further partnerships,’ said Mr Shaw.

Source: www.newpropertyforsale.sg/news

Capital Value Up & Operating Costs Down after Energy Retrofits
A new study shows that retrofitting commercial buildings can lead to an increase in their property value, with average expected savings in operating expenses of 10%, and an increase in capital value of about 2%. And companies that want to retrofit their buildings to make them greener but cannot afford to pay upfront will be given a helping hand, in a new initiative by Singapore’s building authority, offering 15 loans of up to S$5 million each to commercial property owners, condominium managements and energy services firms.

By Jessica Cheam, The Straits Times (15 September 2011):

COMPANIES that want to retrofit their buildings to make them greener but cannot afford to pay upfront will be given a helping hand, in a new initiative by Singapore’s building authority.

Fifteen loans of up to $5 million each will be made available for commercial property owners, condominium managements and energy services firms.

These will help them carry out work such as installing more energy-efficient air-conditioning or lighting systems or improving their recycling facilities.

Meanwhile, those who go ahead with the retrofitting will have to meet higher environmental standards and conduct compulsory energy audits once every three years under planned amendments to Singapore’s building laws.

The measures were unveiled yesterday by Minister of State for National Development Tan Chuan-Jin.

He said that while the upfront cost of meeting these standards might be high, it would be covered by the eventual energy savings.

Singapore is ‘probably one of the first few countries in the world which mandates energy efficiency standards for existing buildings’, he added.

The new financing scheme by the Building and Construction Authority will initially disburse the loans over two years. It will work with United Overseas Bank and Standard Chartered, which will set the interest rates at a minimum of 3.5 per cent.

The loans will last between 11/2 and seven years, and the authority will share the risk of any default with the banks. It will also consult the building industry about the proposed changes to legislation.

Mr Tai Lee Siang, president of the Singapore Green Building Council, an industry association, told The Straits Times that he welcomed the new initiative. ‘Nothing speaks more than real funds committed to assist the transformation of our existing assets.’

He said that although the bigger developers might not see this ‘as the biggest carrot’, the scheme would attract small and medium- sized businesses in particular, as it was not easy for them to secure such loans.

Mr Tai also welcomed the proposed changes to building codes. ‘I’m a fan of legislation if it’s for a good purpose,’ he said. Not many countries can do this… Singapore has the political will, industry support and maturity of market.’

Standard Chartered Bank’s head of medium enterprise, Mr Lam Kum Weng, said the bank was pleased to embark on this landmark financing scheme.

‘We are glad to be able to support the segment of customers and buildings to fund the cost of making buildings energy efficient,’ he said.

‘The reduction in electricity bill and cost savings will be substantial and we foresee this will be a major breakthrough for the industry.’

Mr Vincent Leow, vice-president of business development for local energy services firm G-Energy Global, said it was thinking of applying for the new financing scheme with a client which owns a building. ‘This will encourage many of our clients to do retrofits, as cost is a big factor,’ he said.

The Building and Construction Authority said the new initiative complements its existing $100 million Green Mark Incentive Scheme, which provides grants to building owners who carry out retrofits.

Brigadier-General (NS) Tan added that this scheme was being reviewed to see how building owners could be further encouraged to do so. He was speaking to a 700-strong crowd of industry experts at the opening of the International Green Building Conference.

The three-day event at Suntec City is part of the Singapore Green Building Week, now in its third year. It gathers policymakers, businesses and experts to discuss green building related topics.

Source: www.greenbusinesstimes.com

BCA-NUS study shows that greening existing buildings can increase property value, Singapore (16 September 2011):

Retrofitting commercial buildings can lead to an increase in their property value. With an average expected savings in operating expenses of 10% resulting from the retrofitting, commercial buildings could reap an increase in capital value of about 2%.

This is one of the key findings of a joint study, by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Department of Real Estate (DRE) in National University of Singapore (NUS) in collaboration with the top six real estate consultancy firms – CB Richard Ellis, Chesterton Suntec, Colliers International, DTZ Tie Leung, Jones Lang LaSalle and Knight Frank, on how green buildings can impact their property value.

“There is now greater awareness in the industry that the upfront cost of retrofitting energy inefficient buildings can be recovered in about 4 to 7 years,” said Mr Quek See Tiat, Chairman, BCA, at the Breakfast Talk for CEOs on the last day of the 2011 International Green Building Conference today. “However, many do not realise that another potential economic benefit is the potential enhancement in the property value for green and energy efficient buildings.”

Initiated by BCA and the Department of Real Estate, National University of Singapore in February 2011, the study aimed to evaluate whether Green Mark-rated commercial buildings have an impact on commercial property valuation. A sample of 23 commercial properties from office, retail, hotel and a mix of these uses were used in the study. Key factors considered included the tenure and age of the property, its location (district code), the Gross Floor Area and Net Lettable Area, the BCA Green Mark award rating and year awarded, energy consumption figures (before and after retrofit) and the capital expenditure for the retrofit project.

In addition to the key finding that property value can indeed increase by greening and retrofitting existing buildings to be more energy efficient, the study found that:

• Retrofitting to achieve the standard BCA Green Mark certification can result in a significant reduction in energy consumption. The average savings from the buildings sampled after retrofitting is about 17% of the total building’s energy consumption compared to before retrofitting. If measured by the area of the buildings where the owners are responsible for paying for the utilities, the average savings is even higher at nearly 30%.
• The effort to achieve Green Mark certification need not be costly. If the retrofit cost is expressed as a percentage of the current market value of property, it is 0.5% for retail and 1% for offices. There is also no significant disruption to both owners and users in their continuous occupation and operations.

As a next step, the Department of Real Estate in NUS is developing a valuation guideline for green commercial properties that will take into account the cost and benefit of newly developed and retrofitted green commercial properties. This will be done in collaboration with representatives from the six real estate consultancy firms and BCA. Additionally, BCA is working with the Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers (SISV) to incorporate guidelines on green building valuation.

Eight leading developers and building owners also signed the Green Pledge to show their commitment to attain higher energy efficiency of their existing buildings through the BCA Green Mark certification by 2020. They are Allgreen Properties Ltd, Ascendas Land (Singapore) Pte Ltd, CapitaLand Limited, City Developments Ltd, Frasers Centrepoint Limited, Furama Hotels International, Keppel Land Limited and Lend Lease.

Source: www.bca.gov.sg

New York Times Thomas L. Friedman has some wise words of advice for Presidential candidates, all politicians and business people in the US and elsewhere. See here:

• Texas had the distinction of experiencing the warmest summer on record of any state in America, with an average of 86.8 degrees F. Dallas residents sweltered for 40 consecutive days of grueling 100-plus degree temperatures.
• Remember the first rule of global warming. The way it unfolds is really “global weirding.” The weather gets weird: the hots get hotter; the wets wetter; and the dries get drier. This is not a hoax.
• There is still much we don’t know about how climate change will unfold, but it is no hoax. We need to start taking steps, as our scientists urge, “to manage the unavoidable and avoid the unmanageable.”
• There is only one effective, sustainable way to produce “green jobs,” and that is with a fixed, durable, long-term price signal that raises the price of dirty fuels and thereby creates sustained consumer demand for, and sustained private sector investment in, renewables. Without a carbon tax or gasoline tax or cap-and-trade system that makes renewable energies competitive with dirty fuels, while they achieve scale and move down the cost curve, green jobs will remain a hobby. Read More

Is It Weird Enough Yet?

By Thomas L. Friedman in New York Times  (13 September 2011):

Every time I listen to Gov. Rick Perry of Texas and Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota talk about how climate change is some fraud perpetrated by scientists trying to gin up money for research, I’m always reminded of one of my favorite movie lines that Jack Nicholson delivers to his needy neighbor who knocks on his door in the film “As Good As It Gets.” “Where do they teach you to talk like this?” asks Nicholson. “Sell crazy someplace else. We’re all stocked up here.”

Thanks Mr. Perry and Mrs. Bachmann, but we really are all stocked up on crazy right now. I mean, here is the Texas governor rejecting the science of climate change while his own state is on fire — after the worst droughts on record have propelled wildfires to devour an area the size of Connecticut. As a statement by the Texas Forest Service said last week: “No one on the face of this earth has ever fought fires in these extreme conditions.”

Remember the first rule of global warming. The way it unfolds is really “global weirding.” The weather gets weird: the hots get hotter; the wets wetter; and the dries get drier. This is not a hoax. This is high school physics, as Katharine Hayhoe, a climatologist in Texas, explained on Joe Romm’s invaluable Climateprogress.org blog: “As our atmosphere becomes warmer, it can hold more water vapor. Atmospheric circulation patterns shift, bringing more rain to some places and less to others. For example, when a storm comes, in many cases there is more water available in the atmosphere and rainfall is heavier. When a drought comes, often temperatures are already higher than they would have been 50 years ago, and so the effects of the drought are magnified by higher evaporation rates.”

CNN reported on Sept. 9 that “Texas had the distinction of experiencing the warmest summer on record of any state in America, with an average of 86.8 degrees. Dallas residents sweltered for 40 consecutive days of grueling 100-plus degree temperatures. … Temperature-related energy demands soared more than 22 percent above the norm this summer, the largest increase since record-keeping of energy demands began more than a century ago.”

There is still much we don’t know about how climate change will unfold, but it is no hoax. We need to start taking steps, as our scientists urge, “to manage the unavoidable and avoid the unmanageable.” If you want a quick primer on the latest climate science, tune into “24 Hours of Reality.” It is a worldwide live, online update that can be found at climaterealityproject.org and will be going on from Sept. 14-15, over 24 hours, with contributors from 24 time zones.

Not only has the science of climate change come under attack lately, so has the economics of green jobs. Here the critics have a point — sort of. I wasn’t surprised to read that the solar panel company Solyndra, which got $535 million in loan guarantees from the Department of Energy to make solar panels in America, filed for bankruptcy protection two weeks ago and laid off 1,100 workers. This story is an embarrassment to the green jobs movement, but the death by bankruptcy was a collaboration of the worst Democratic and Republican impulses.

How so? There is only one effective, sustainable way to produce “green jobs,” and that is with a fixed, durable, long-term price signal that raises the price of dirty fuels and thereby creates sustained consumer demand for, and sustained private sector investment in, renewables. Without a carbon tax or gasoline tax or cap-and-trade system that makes renewable energies competitive with dirty fuels, while they achieve scale and move down the cost curve, green jobs will remain a hobby.

President Obama has chosen not to push for a price signal for political reasons. He has opted for using regulations and government funding. In the area of regulation, he deserves great credit for just pushing through new fuel economy standards that will ensure that by 2025 the average U.S. car will get the mileage (and have the emissions) of today’s Prius hybrid. But elsewhere, Obama has relied on green subsidies rather than a price signal. Some of this has really helped start-ups leverage private capital, but you also get Solyndras. The G.O.P. has blocked any price signal and fought every regulation. The result too often is taxpayer money subsidizing wonderful green innovation, but with no sustainable market within which these companies can scale.

Let’s fix that. We need revenue to balance the budget. We need sustainable clean-tech jobs. We need less dependence on Mideast oil. And we need to take steps to mitigate climate change — just in case Governor Perry is wrong. The easiest way to do all of this at once is with a gasoline tax or price on carbon. Would you rather cut Social Security and Medicare or pay a little more per gallon of gas and make the country stronger, safer and healthier? It still amazes me that our politicians have the courage to send our citizens to war but not to ask the public that question.

A version of this op-ed appeared in print on September 14, 2011, on page A35 of the New York edition with the headline: Is It Weird Enough Yet?

Source: www.nytimes.com