I was randomly looking through Singapore news and noticed that LED lights will be installed in the flats in my neighbourhood! LED lights stand for light emitting diode. This type of lights are very energy saving and can help reduce the electrical bills incurred by my estate. Although there will not be a dip in the electrical bills my parents have to pay, I think that the government is finally moving in the correct direction to save the Earth.
I have been taught the benefits of using LED compared to normal fluorescent lights since elementary school. However, I never understood why Singapore didn't use much of LED lights. I suppose the cost of having to change all the lights in the neighbourhood seems too high for the government. But just imagine the amount of energy they could have saved if they implemented this long ago.
Nevertheless, I praise the government for putting in efforts. Hopefully, one day Singapore would not only be known for its modernity and cultural diversity. It will be known for being the world leader in energy saving.
Please refer to the following link to find out more:
http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20100526-218497.html
http://home-electrical.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_benefits_of_led_lighting
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Giant Bluefin Tuna
Previously I was reading an article on Treehugger that Japan has ignored the ban on Bluefin Tuna, and they remarked that the fish is not that endangered.
Japan eats approximately 80% of the world's bluefin tuna, and contribute as the biggest consumer for this fish. The bluefin tuna can be found in the Mediterranean and Atlantic waters. However, it is currently being fished to extinction because of massive and high-tech commercial fishing fleet and illegal fishing.
There have been numerous calls for the ban on the fishing of bluefin tuna to allow their numbers to recover. Such extensive unsustainable methods of fishing is not going to benefit Japan, nor the rest of the world.
Japan is adamant about not participating in any agreement to ban international trade of bluefin tuna under the United Nations treaty on endangered species. This is because, majority of the Japanese population love this fish, and any restriction on its consumption is going to hurt them.
According to scientists, if the current method of fishing continues, coupled with the seemingly unwavered demand, it is estimated that the population of bluefin tuna will be totally extinct within the next 3 years. Japanese have tried to seek other solutions. A collaboration between Japan's Kinki University and Australia's Clear Seas Tuna Ltd have tried to breed bluefin tuna in captivity. This method albeit new, is a possible way of reducing the impact. However, more research still needs to be done.
With such a forecast, it is bewildering why the Japanese fisheries negotiators are not concerned, or willing to make any compromise to acknowledge the situation. While I can understand their reasons for not participating in the total banning of the trade of bluefin tuna, what I would expect to see from such a mature nation is active support to maintain the population of bluefin tuna to ensure sustainability. Perhaps there could be greater support from the general population through wider food selection and reduced reliance on just eating bluefin tuna. With reduced demand, the supply would naturally drop, thereby giving the Japanese more number of years to enjoy the freshness of such delicacy. Otherwise, their future generations are not going to be able to savour such traditional Japanese culture.
Possible references:
www.treehugger.com
www.washingtonpost.com
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/smart_fishing/sustainable_fisheries/bluefin_tuna/
Japan eats approximately 80% of the world's bluefin tuna, and contribute as the biggest consumer for this fish. The bluefin tuna can be found in the Mediterranean and Atlantic waters. However, it is currently being fished to extinction because of massive and high-tech commercial fishing fleet and illegal fishing.
There have been numerous calls for the ban on the fishing of bluefin tuna to allow their numbers to recover. Such extensive unsustainable methods of fishing is not going to benefit Japan, nor the rest of the world.
Japan is adamant about not participating in any agreement to ban international trade of bluefin tuna under the United Nations treaty on endangered species. This is because, majority of the Japanese population love this fish, and any restriction on its consumption is going to hurt them.
According to scientists, if the current method of fishing continues, coupled with the seemingly unwavered demand, it is estimated that the population of bluefin tuna will be totally extinct within the next 3 years. Japanese have tried to seek other solutions. A collaboration between Japan's Kinki University and Australia's Clear Seas Tuna Ltd have tried to breed bluefin tuna in captivity. This method albeit new, is a possible way of reducing the impact. However, more research still needs to be done.
With such a forecast, it is bewildering why the Japanese fisheries negotiators are not concerned, or willing to make any compromise to acknowledge the situation. While I can understand their reasons for not participating in the total banning of the trade of bluefin tuna, what I would expect to see from such a mature nation is active support to maintain the population of bluefin tuna to ensure sustainability. Perhaps there could be greater support from the general population through wider food selection and reduced reliance on just eating bluefin tuna. With reduced demand, the supply would naturally drop, thereby giving the Japanese more number of years to enjoy the freshness of such delicacy. Otherwise, their future generations are not going to be able to savour such traditional Japanese culture.
Possible references:
www.treehugger.com
www.washingtonpost.com
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/smart_fishing/sustainable_fisheries/bluefin_tuna/
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Iceland volcanoes
Previously, the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland created a huge ash cloud which disrupted air traffic throughout Europe. This resulted in millions of dollars of loss when aircrafts were grounded in numerous countries like Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Irish Republic and Croatia.
According to scientists, the volcano eruption appears to be part of a huge buildup of volcanic eruptions in the region for the next few decades. Scientists have constructed a timeline of 205 eruptions in Iceland, spanning the past 1,100 years and found that they occurred in regular intervals. The quiet phase for the past 5 years is coming to an end, marking the start of more volcano eruptions in Iceland for the coming years. There is evidence that the cycle is coming to a peak.
Other geologists have warned of more volcano eruptions from four other volcanoes in Iceland. They are Grimsvotn, Hekla, Askja and Katla. All of them are bigger than Eyjafjallaokull. Katla lies 15 miles east of Eyjafjallaokull. And there is evidence to support that it is near failure (close to eruption). The other volcanoes are also nearing eruption because the snow has been rising on them, suggesting magma movement below.
According to Thor Thordarson, a volcanologist from Edinburg University, the behaviour of the volcanoes is linked to movements in the earth's crust which creates massive subterranean stresses over wide areas.
For Iceland and other countries in Europe, it is probably the best time to step up monitoring of the volcanic activities because the possible amount of loss incurred from another volcano eruption is going to far exceed the costs it takes to monitor the volcanic activity and further research.
Dr Richard Waller, senior lecturer in physical geography at Keele University believes that should Katla erupt, the problem for Iceland would not just be ash clouds. Massive flooding could occur because the crater is filled with ice, more than 2,000ft thick, which will all melt when it erupts.
My take on this entire article is that so many volcanologist and geographical experts have given their take on such matters worldwide. But when will governments and people really begin to start listening to the experts and heed their advice?
As I learnt in Taxation, we should always try to minimize cost now. Money outflow later is always better than later because cashflow is so important to any company, and the board has to appease the shareholders. If the shareholders are unhappy, then the company is not going to do well. A country, is somewhat similar to a company. If the government decided to pour in a huge amount of resources to tackle the problem of volcanic activities, are the citizens happy that the money is being spent in this manner? The citizens are probably going to be happier if the government can utilize the same amount of resources to generate better economic results, compared to researching on volcanic activity.
However, I feel that the above would be more true when there are no threats from the volcanoes in Iceland. Now that the threat is probably imminent, it would probably be the only time that the government and people would start listening to the warnings of scientists, and start taking ownership of the problem.
Having said that, it is such a shame that people would only start listening when a problem exists. Instead we always learnt that we should try to ward off any problem before it occurs.
According to scientists, the volcano eruption appears to be part of a huge buildup of volcanic eruptions in the region for the next few decades. Scientists have constructed a timeline of 205 eruptions in Iceland, spanning the past 1,100 years and found that they occurred in regular intervals. The quiet phase for the past 5 years is coming to an end, marking the start of more volcano eruptions in Iceland for the coming years. There is evidence that the cycle is coming to a peak.
Other geologists have warned of more volcano eruptions from four other volcanoes in Iceland. They are Grimsvotn, Hekla, Askja and Katla. All of them are bigger than Eyjafjallaokull. Katla lies 15 miles east of Eyjafjallaokull. And there is evidence to support that it is near failure (close to eruption). The other volcanoes are also nearing eruption because the snow has been rising on them, suggesting magma movement below.
According to Thor Thordarson, a volcanologist from Edinburg University, the behaviour of the volcanoes is linked to movements in the earth's crust which creates massive subterranean stresses over wide areas.
For Iceland and other countries in Europe, it is probably the best time to step up monitoring of the volcanic activities because the possible amount of loss incurred from another volcano eruption is going to far exceed the costs it takes to monitor the volcanic activity and further research.
Dr Richard Waller, senior lecturer in physical geography at Keele University believes that should Katla erupt, the problem for Iceland would not just be ash clouds. Massive flooding could occur because the crater is filled with ice, more than 2,000ft thick, which will all melt when it erupts.
My take on this entire article is that so many volcanologist and geographical experts have given their take on such matters worldwide. But when will governments and people really begin to start listening to the experts and heed their advice?
As I learnt in Taxation, we should always try to minimize cost now. Money outflow later is always better than later because cashflow is so important to any company, and the board has to appease the shareholders. If the shareholders are unhappy, then the company is not going to do well. A country, is somewhat similar to a company. If the government decided to pour in a huge amount of resources to tackle the problem of volcanic activities, are the citizens happy that the money is being spent in this manner? The citizens are probably going to be happier if the government can utilize the same amount of resources to generate better economic results, compared to researching on volcanic activity.
However, I feel that the above would be more true when there are no threats from the volcanoes in Iceland. Now that the threat is probably imminent, it would probably be the only time that the government and people would start listening to the warnings of scientists, and start taking ownership of the problem.
Having said that, it is such a shame that people would only start listening when a problem exists. Instead we always learnt that we should try to ward off any problem before it occurs.
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