Focus on Forests
+ Zero Deforestation when?
+Love & DNA Fingerprinting
+Riding the Biological Cycle
+Exposing the Timber Mafia
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The Art of Travel
+ Singapore Writers Festival
+ Shakespearen Farce at SRT?
+ Singapore Book Reviews
+Carbon Neutral Cruising
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Special Issue: ABC Carbon Express |
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COP26 - or is it all just a cop out? |
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While we promised to give our readers more around this time with our Focus on Forest and The Art of Travel, we can't resist giving you a quick run down of highlights from the first week of COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow. Just in case you are not getting the news on tv, or from your local newspapers, or from your usual online sources:
- There was a strong - but slightly watered down - commitment to cut back drastically on coal fired power. But some of the biggest coal producers and emitters have not come on board. Only worth half a tick. Read The Guardian report.
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Zero deforestation came across as a meaningful move, as countries like Indonesia signed up for it. But it didn't take long for that Southeast Asia nation - the biggest ASEAN emitter by far - to wonder what it agreed to. Read this report.from Aljazeera.
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There's a lot of money being offered up for climate change solutions. Led by the former head of UK's national bank, Mark Carney, investors have come up with grants and loans to help developing countries. Here's the view from the Financial Times.
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India went to some trouble to spell out how it plans to wean itself off fossil fuels and make the transition - however slowly - to renewables and get to Net Zero by 2070. See what the New Scientist says about it.
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On the sidelines of COP26, we learn that Exxon, Chevron, and Toyota are listed as the top three corporate bad actors, who are lobbying against any and all measures designed to keep the Earth from overheating. Read the rest from CleanTechnica.
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We cannot resist a little reminder from James Lovelock, "Beware: Gaia may destroy humans before we destroy the Earth". Read the rest in the Guardian.
That will give you a taste of what's cropping up at COP26. There's more to come, so we will keep you posted. - Ken Hickson
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A New Dawn for Clean Energy in Asia |
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Climate Governance Comes to Singapore |
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The Singapore Chapter of the global Climate Governance Initiative was launched at Singapore Management University (SMU) on 28 October in a move to bring discussions on climate change into boardrooms. Channel News Asia reported the unveiling of the initiative by Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, which aims to get board directors to play an informed role when dealing with the risks and opportunities associated with climate change. We were on hand to witness this and made the most of the opportunity to ask important questions at a rare live event. We asked Esther An of CDL and Winston Chow of SMU what more could be done to address embodied carbon in buildings and how Singapore can manage the Urban Heat Island effect. The Singapore Institute of Directors (SID) will play an important role in promoting the Climate Governance Initiative, while SMU will curate a new content library on the subject and embark on a training programme for directors. Read more.
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Focus on Forests: Seven News Highlights |
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ONE: PEFC on the Crucial Contribution of Forests in Tackling Climate Change
“Nature-based solutions such as those provided by sustainable forest management are powerful allies in addressing societal challenges like climate change, delivering benefits for both the environment and human well-being,” stressed Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC. “COP26 must recognise the vital role of forests and forest products in climate change mitigation and adaptation to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement, including limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C. Leaders must also recognise the crucial contribution that non-state actors such as PEFC are already providing in ensuring their sustainable management”. Read more.
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TWO: Love in a Molecular World with DNA Fingerprinting to Halt Forest Crime
Love at first microscopic sight. That’s definitely one way of describing how Dr Arif Malik felt about getting his first job. “I’ve always dreamed of having a job where I could apply all the molecular techniques that I've learned to something that could actually make a difference in the world.” He’s now intimately involved in a project, announced by the University of Adelaide in September - in partnership with Double Helix Tracking Technologies and InterpreData - to develop scientific origin verification tools for global timber supply chains, drawing on a A$500,000 grant from the Australian Government’s Global Innovation Linkages Program. Read the rest of it here.
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THREE: Riding the Biological Cycle for Forest Fibre to Drive the Circular Economy
If it sounds like we’re going around and around in circles, we are! What keeps us going around that is safe for the planet and people? All materials which have a future. That don’t go to waste. Take fibre from the forest. Trees not only grow well in nature, they act as carbon sinks. That means they store carbon. Trees stop CO2 from clogging up the atmosphere and contributing to global warming.Then we can see what Asia Pacific Rayon (APR) is doing in Indonesia, as the first fully integrated viscose rayon producer in Asia. From tree plantation to viscose fibre. Read Ken Hickson’s article published in Retail Asia magazine.
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FOUR: Kevin Hill & the James Turrell Skyspace
Kevin Hill suggests we take a look at the IGBC's Webinar on Green Construction, Technology, Products & Appliances where Venturer Timberwork’s Maldives project is featured. With the world focused on climate change, building with traceable renewable resources has never been more compelling. Besides completing over 100 luxury villas (both on land and over-water) for this 5-star resort in the Maldives, Venturer produced the remarkable James Turrell Skyspace. Not only was this a PEFC certified project, but the timber sourcing and supply chain was managed and monitored by Double Helix Tracking Technologies utilising Sourcemap. See the James Turrell Skyspace here.
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FIVE: Sarawak Report Comes to Glasgow to Expose the Timber Mafia.
World leaders and activists reveal how the brutal and corrupt logging industry is destroying the planet's future—and how to stop them. We are on track to cut down every tree on our planet by 2099. Pictured is a view of a timber depot in Sarawak. An AFP photo in ASEAN Post. Despite desperate pleas by both indigenous and international communities, logging companies are hacking away at the world’s most precious rainforests at an incredible rate. Governor of Oro Province, Gary Juffa, and exiled Sarawakian activist, Mutang Urud, join journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown (of Sarawak Report fame) and Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s Leader of the Opposition, for a thrilling panel discussion. Go to this COP26 event.
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SIX: Getting DNA Tracking Cherry-Ripe for Forests
A new phase has commenced of an ITTO project that has helped create a test-and-trace system to cut illegal exports of African cherry bark. The science of DNA testing used to combat crimes such as murder and assault is being increasingly used against the illegal wildlife trade. A recent focus of attention is the endangered African cherry (Prunus africana), the bark of which is used by pharmaceutical companies in the treatment of prostate disorders. Read ITTO”s Tropical Forest Update.
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SEVEN: Global Forests Need Global Gocvernance
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Billed as a “call to action” from the global private sector involved in forest management and timber production, the Tropical Timber Accord – “Global Forests need Global Governance“, developed in concert by the UK Timber Trade Federation (TTF), was launched at COP26. It highlights that strong, inclusive legal frameworks are essential for the sustainable management of tropical forests and that this underpins all other climate policy ambitions. A coalition of timber industry associations is collectively hosting the ‘World of Wood Festival’ from 25 October to 3 December at the Building Centre in London, online, and virtually. The six-week celebration of global timber and global forests coincides with COP26. Prince William drew attention to the work of Restor - a finalist for the Royal Foundation’s 2021 Earthshot Prize - which was founded by ETH Zurich’s Crowther Lab and developed in collaboration with Google. Restor is an official partner of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Read more here.
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The Art of Travel: Seven of the Best. |
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i. Carbon Neutral Cruising with Aurora and South Pole
Australia's adventure cruise company Aurora Expeditions has been certified 100% Carbon Neutral as part of its long-term and far-reaching sustainability strategy. This key milestone—achieved in partnership with South Pole, a leading emission reductions project developer and global climate action expert—is the latest step in Aurora's ongoing commitment to help protect and preserve the planet. “For more than 30 years, Aurora Expeditions has been deeply committed to responsible and respectful travel,” says CEO Monique Ponfoort. “As one of the world's leading polar expedition operators, we are always seeking ways to innovate, educate and create a positive impact for our planet, and we will continue our active sustained efforts to help preserve the beauty and majesty that Mother Nature possesses,” she adds. Read more on Asian Journeys.
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ii. What's on at the Singapore Writers Festival 5 - 12 November 2021.
With the theme, Guilty Pleasures, this year’s Singapore Writers Festival, got underway on Friday 5 November. Festival Director Pooja Nansi has this to say to The Art of Travel: “We are leaning into this (theme) and boldly celebrating the things we love as we challenge the very notion of what belongs in a literary sphere. Through this year’s programmes, we want festival-goers to reconsider what they know as literary and explore unexpected ways of storytelling as we gravitate even more towards the things we enjoy during these periods of change and discomfort.”
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iii. Shakespeare Re-Worked on Stage in Singapore
“The play’s the thing” or “Music to my ears”? What would Shakespeare - or lovers of its plays - make of this? A complete farce or a complete disaster?
None of that!. “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s a large slice of theatrical fun, which is what we all need at this time. Read Ken Hickson's review here. So stop working from home and go to the theatre for a change. For fun. For a laugh. Yes, there are three performers on stage – with an occasional appearance by a fourth (or is he just a stage hand?) – presenting bits from 37 plays. All in 97 minutes. You can certainly – as the Singapore Repertory Theatre bills it – “experience Shakespeare like never before”. Go to SRT to check the dates and to get your ticket
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iv. Wood in Art & Dream Designs for the Home
It starts with a dream sequence about a designer's unique take on a piece of purposeful furniture. Then Ken Hickson got to thinking about furniture designers and artists, many of whom definitely show a preference for wood. "Many are also leading the trend towards capitalising on what might otherwise go to waste. Call it recycling or repurposing — discarded pieces of wood and also bio waste and plastic are being put to good use."
You'll see that Dave Hickson's beautiful wood construction of a plover bird gets pride of place and also find the connection between furniture designers the world over and the recent London Design Festival. See and read the rest in the latest issue of Panels and Furniture magazine.
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V. Shakespeare Five Meaningful Books Reviewed
Here are five very meaningful books which I’ve received and read in recent weeks. All produced in Singapore and with wide international appeal. There’s a personal connection, too, with the authors and/or the publishers. If that means there’s favouritism or even bias in my reviews, so be it:
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Let’s start with Dr Ranjani Rao and “Rewriting my Happily ever after”.
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A very different book – and a short take on a very different life – is “Zero Visibility” by Douglas Dylan Yeo with Floyd Cowan.
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A walk in the park with Joanne Flinn, who introduced me to her book “Karma” and told me a lot more about what she sees as her role in life.
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“Rice” by Alice Flinn Stilwell is another book Joanne introduced me to. It involves “Cherished stories of the world’s favourite grain”.
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“Energise. Electrify. Empower: 20 Years and Beyond” is published by Singapore’s Energy Market Authority and was launched at Singapore International Energy Week last month.
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vi. Global and Local Awards for Writers
The news that journalist Maria Ressa has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize was been greeted with joy by defenders of human rights in the Philippines. She became the first Filipino journalist to be awarded the prestigious prize, which she shared with Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov. Then there's the Nobel Prize for Literature, awarded to the novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah, born in Zanzibar and active in England, followed by the Booker Prize, which went to Damon Galgut for The Promise. Then if you feel the need for a bit more local colour, how about seeing who's been shortlisted for Singapore's prestigious Epigram Books Fiction Prize. Read all about it.
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vii. Writers as Visionaries for 2030 & Beyond
Stories of restlessness, disruption, conflagrations, faraday tents, myth-makers, bubble-worlds, local nomads, transformation, resilience and the power of the exponential. Following on from John O’Brien’s visionary 2100 work, he now has Visions 2030 ready to launch at COP 26 in Glasgow on 10 November. With 82 contributors, this book has a selection of very important people who are driving the critical actions of this decade. Ken Hickson’s contribution can be read here. But go to Visions 2020 to see more. Read all about it and get your copy here.
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Protiotype Design Future Build |
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Like many other cities in the world, Singapore faces a problem of high temperatures arising from a combination of:
- The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, which can be in excess of 7˚C between urban and rural areas in Singapore, and
- Greenhouse gas emissions driving global climate change that affects long-term mean temperatures + 1.4 to 4.6˚C by 2100.
One giant contributor to the UHI effect: The reliance on air-conditioners. Housing blocks and office buildings effectively end up ejecting hot plumes that heat up the surroundings. Protiotype Design Future Build has taken the UHI effect in account in designing its six storey shophouse, which featured in the virtual exhibit at the London Design Festival in September. Read all about UHI and more on the Protiotype Design Future Build exhibit/website.
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Partners for Protiotype Design Future Build 2021: |
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