India, China, European and USA are important in new climate change issues

China and the US sign deal on monitoring emissions
The US will cooperate with China on methods to collect data on China’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Marianne Bom 19/11/2009 16:05
China and the US this week signed an agreement designed to improve China's ability to monitor its greenhouse gas emissions.

The two nations will cooperate on developing an inventory of China's greenhouse gas emissions, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday, according to the Washington Post



Germany calls for binding climate deal in 2010
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Thursday for all countries to fix binding climate change targets next year at the latest, acknowledging that no such deal is likely at global talks in Copenhagen next month.

Grand Mufti introduces green pilgrimage
A Muslim Seven Year Plan will turn Medina into a green model city and make the journeys of millions of worshippers to Mecca sustainable.
Muslim Association for Climate Change Action (MACCA).

Morten Andersen 20/11/2009 16:20
During the Islamic Hajj season alone, between two and three million pilgrims visit Mecca in Saudi Arabia. A Muslim Seven Year Plan introduced by Sheikh Ali Goma’a, Grand Mufti of Egypt, aims at “transforming the experience into an environmentally-friendly pilgrimage” the Environmental News Network reports.
Another key element of the plan is to transform Medina, Islam’s second most important city, into a model green city.

"We believe that all of us, all of us, not just Muslims, Muslims, Christians, Jews, everybody lives on this earth, we are in the same boat, so we have to care about this earth. All of us. Because the climate change – it will affect all of us.", Dr Akef, Director, Earth Mates Dialogue Centre."

All must involve and plan to reduce climate change and global warming problems.

Copenhagen climate change conference 2009: timeline

Here is a timeline of key dates in the climate change negotiations:
June 1992: Rio World Summit - Following years of lobbying by environmentalists on the potential danger of global warming, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is set up. The primary objective is the stabilization of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere to stop temperatures rising. Some 192 countries have signed up so far.
Dec 1997: The Kyoto Protocol - Developed nations agree to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least five per cent by 2012 but the US later refuses to take action. Developing nations, like China, have no formal binding targets.
1998: Warmest year in warmest decade in warmest century for at least a thousand years, according to environmental group WWF.
2003: European heat wave kills more than 30,000 people. Scientists later claim it is the first extreme weather event definitely attributable to human-induced climate change.
2006: The most comprehensive economic assessment of climate change, by Lord Stern of Brentwood for the British Government, concludes that climate change could damage global GDP by up to 20 per cent if left unchecked - but curbing it would cost about one per cent of global GDP.
2007: The UN’s scientific committee the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concludes it is more than 90 per cent likely that humanity's emissions of greenhouse gases are responsible for modern-day climate change.
2007: Al Gore and IPCC win Nobel Peace Prize "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change".
Dec 2007 Bali: UN talks to decide the next stage in climate change targets after the Kyoto Protocol. The Bali Road Map sets out a two-year process to finalizing a binding agreement in 2009 in Copenhagen. Issues that must be decided on include targets for cutting emissions, money to help poor countries adapt to climate change, sharing of green technology and the future of forests.
Nov 2008: UK passes the Climate Change Act committing the country to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050
Nov 2008: President Obama comes to power, prompting hope that the US will take a greater part in climate change negotiations.
Dec 2008 Poznan: Little progress on UN negotiations as many wait for the new Obama administration to declare its hand.
2009: China overtakes the US as the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitter - although the US remains well ahead on a per-capita basis.
Nov 2009: Barcelona – In the latest round of UNFCCC negotiations officials admit a legally-binding treaty is unlikely by the end of the year because rich and poor nations cannot agree on targets.
Dec 2009: Copenhagen – The UNFCCC is due to meet to agree a treaty on climate change. Rich countries must sign up to carbon cuts while developing nations like China also take action to reduce their growing emissions. The world will also have to set up finance mechanisms to stop deforestation, move to a green economy and help vulnerable countries adapt to climate change.
June 2010: Bonn and Dec 2010 Mexico – The failure of Copenhagen to come to a legally-binding agreement means there will be subsequent meetings under the UNFCCC next year.
Dec 2012: The Kyoto Protocol will come to an end.
Jan 2013: The implementation period of any new deal on tackling climate change begins…

What is the Copenhagen climate change summit?

From 7 to 18 December 2009, the leaders of the world's 180 countries -backed by a 20,000-strong army of officials, advisors, experts and journalists - will attend a United Nations meeting in Copenhagen to thrash out a new international deal to tackle climate change. Whatever is agreed at Copenhagen will come into force on 1st January 2013, and supersede the last attempt to save the environment, the Kyoto protocol.

In the long term, wealthy countries are under pressure to agree to emission cuts of greenhouse gases of up to 80 per cent by 2050 (Britain has already signed up to this) and limit global climate change to 2C.
Copenhagen must bring the USA on board. Its 250-million strong population (less than 5 per cent of the world total) gorges itself on energy producing up to 30 per cent of all emissions.

If we do nothing, scientists predict climate change will rise by 6C by the end of the century triggering a catastrophe including: extreme weather, sea level rise, water shortages, food shortages and the extinction of up to a third of known plant and animal species.

Summit in Copenhagen is one of the most important meetings in human history. It’s the best chance we’ve ever had to agree a deal to slash emissions and face down the threat of warming the planet, but the politicians seem determined to blow it.

We Malaysian also can do something IF we want! But how and when?

SIMBIOMAS 2009

Simbiomas 2009 (Symposium Biology Malaysia 2009) was succesfully organised by the Department of Biology, Universiti Putra Malaysia 17 & 18 November 2009, 9 days after Prof Ahmad Birthday. The Symposium was opened by the Vice Chancelor Prof Datuk Dr. Nik Mustapha R. Abdullah and closed by Deputy Vice Chancelor (R&I) Prof Dr. Abu Bakar Salleh. More than 120 partipants were attended in the symposium, 38 oral,94 posters and 5 plenary papers were presented. Majority of the participants were young scientists and have a great potential in their own fields. It is a trend now the conferences and symposium like this usually attended by young scientists.The seniour scientists should follow this trend and give some feed back to the outcomes of the presentations so that the continuity of reseach in basic biology is significant. The papers presented in this symposium were equally distributed among basic biology fields including biosystematic, genetic, physiology and biochemistry, and ecology. Research in basic biology is very important because there a lot more unknown species, information and knowledge on flora and fauna, as Malaysia is important in the world's biodiversity.Beside that active research in biotechnology, natural products, medicines, environment and engineering demand more research in basic biology. Grant provider and related government agencies should monitor the symposium and conference like this so that they follow the progress. They can appoint the professors in relevant fields to assess and comment what the authorities should do to improve the research and findings.At the same time we can indentify active and quality laboratories and the experts.

Night Herons Under Threat

This is the second issue after first news in Star Metro on Thursday 14 May 2009. Prof Dr. Ahmad Ismail highlighted the issue and attracted Perhilitan, local leaders and Star Journalist Lim Chia Ying. More awareness programme needed and local government must sensitive and support the programme together with positive action such as providing space for the birds
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Friday November 13, 2009
Night herons under threat
By LIM CHIA YING
Photos courtesy of Dr AHMAD ISMAIL


BLACK-crowned night herons are in danger of disappearing if the authorities do not act fast enough to do something for the birds.

These herons can be seen flying and roosting by the thousands at a plot of private land in Kuala Garing, Rawang.

Earlier, the birds had nested at a nearby site but were forced to move after sand-mining were carried out at the initial nesting ground.

A recent visit to the site by the Selangor Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) and Associate Professor Dr Ahmad Ismail from Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Biology Department, however, showed that there was a cause for concern.

Disturbing sight: A pair of legs jutting out from the ground is a stark reminder that the birds are still being hunted.

A group of Ahmad’s students who had visited the site to carry out research had been shocked to discover the mutilated carcasses of some of the birds.

Photos taken by the students prompted Ahmad and Perhilitan law and investigation unit head Ab Jalal Kasim to visit the site for themselves.

In May, StarMetro reported that three Vietnamese poachers had been caught stealing the eggs and chicks of the night heron, which is a totally protected wild bird under the Protection of Wildlife Act 1972 (Act 76).

They were found guilty of three charges and were fined RM5,000 each.

Ahmad said despite Perhilitan’s efforts, there were still people bold enough to slaughter the birds.

“Perhilitan is doing what it can to raise awareness among the locals. However, after seeing what had happened, we hope that a permanent location for the birds to nest would be found.

“Areas like those under electric cables can be preserved and maintained as a habitat for the birds and we can later develop this as an eco-tourism and educational site,” Ahmand said, adding that this would help safeguard the birds.

Ab Jalal said this was the second breeding season of the year for the birds and a lot of people were out to steal the eggs and kill the birds.

“Our men are monitoring the situation, but we cannot be here throughout the day,” he said.

“We have also enlisted the help of local people we can trust, like M. Sadasivam who lives nearby, to tip us off if he notices suspicious characters trying to prey on the birds.

“Sadasivam has been a great help and we need more such people.

“We also hope that the state government will help identify a breeding site for the herons so that they do not need to continuously migrate as their breeding grounds are disturbed by human activities,” he added.

Selangor state environmental committee chairman Elizabeth Wong said she was open to suggestions and advice on how to move the birds to an appropriate location.


New home: A black-crowned night heron perching in a tree at the new nesting site.

“Space is not an issue, as we have plenty of land at the various forest reserves and state parks. The only problem is the technical and logistic side of it, as the birds might not want to move to the new site.

“It depends on the kind of habitat they need and it should not be too far away, so the birds would feel more comfortable,” Wong said, adding that she hoped Perhilitan would step up its monitoring of the site.

Wong was also ready to discuss the matter with the relevant parties to see if land under electric cables could be provided for the birds.

“I welcome any kind of feedback that the interested parties can give me so that we can start discussing the issue,” she said.

Ahmad, however, reiterated that the state government should take the lead by showing its commitment to the issue so that other related agencies would act accordingly.

“It is good if Perhilitan, the forestry department and the land office can come together for this project.

“Birds like herons are very sensitive to disturbances.

“Proper management is a must. There are also many other birds like migratory shorebirds and hornbills in various parts of the state that we hope the government can look into,” he said.

Kenapa mereka berani menambah cemar perairan kita?

KEGIATAN pemindahan minyak secara haram yang berlaku di perairan Johor dilihat semakin serius meskipun pihak berkuasa maritim negara meningkatkan penguatkuasaan sejak akhir-akhir ini.

Ini terbukti apabila 12 buah kapal ditahan di perairan Pengerang hanya dalam tempoh lapan hari atas pelbagai kesalahan termasuk memindahkan minyak kotor dari kapal ke kapal.

Hasil operasi Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia (APMM) Wilayah Selatan kelmarin, dua buah kapal asing yang sedang memindahkan minyak kotor secara haram ditahan di perairan Tanjung Piai, di Pontian, Johor.

Apa kita perlu buat?

1. Permonitoran yang berkala dan data yang lengkap.
2. Meningkatkan kualiti data, teknologi analisis, tenaga mahir dan peruntukan kewangan.
3. Publisiti kepada dunia yang kita prihatin kepada pencemaran dan kita mahu Selat Melaka bebas dari pencemaran luar. Kita tahu lebih 5000 kapal minyak melintasi Selat Melaka setiap tahun dan tersibuk di dunia. Kita mempunyai data lengkap dan tahu daripada mana pencemaran perairan kita datang atau berasal. Kita ada kepakaran untuk menilai status dan sumber pencemaran perairan kita. Persekitaran pantai sangat penting untuk sumber perikanan dan kesihatan rakyat Malaysia.
4. Kekuatan, kepakaran, undang-undang dan Penguatkuasaan maritim. Tahniah pasukan berkaitan.

global warming, threatening the livelihood of many

KOKONOGI, Japan: A blood-orange blob the size of a small refrigerator emerged from the dark waters, its venomous tentacles trapped in a fishing net.
Scientists believe climate change - the warming of oceans - has allowed some of the almost 2,000 jellyfish species to expand their ranges, appear earlier in the year and increase overall numbers, much as warming has helped ticks, bark beetles and other pests to spread to new latitudes.
Increasingly polluted waters - off China, for example - boost growth of the microscopic plankton that "jellies" feed upon, while overfishing has eliminated many of the jellyfish's predators and cut down on competitors for plankton feed.
Agricultural and sewage runoff are spurring plankton growth, and fish catches are declining. The waters of the Yellow Sea, meanwhile, have warmed as much as 1.7 degrees C (3 degrees F) over the past quarter-century.
Addressing the surge in jellyfish blooms in most places will require long-term fixes, such as introducing fishing quotas and pollution controls, as well as capping greenhouse gas emissions to control global warming.

How much basic science can contribute to the global warming, ecological changes and their effects on the biodiversity. Malaysia as one of the top biodiversity country in the world should be quick enough to support knowledge in basic science. More money needed for research and capacity building. Without basic information on ecology and biota, to application and solution in managing natural disasters become inefficient.