Wednesday May 21, 2008

Singapore pulls a Trantor : power stations, warehouses, reservoirs going underground

channelnewsasia.com :

Land-scarce Singapore is already storing some of its military munitions in this way. And work is underway on similar storage facilities for crude oil and oil products. Now, the Government wants to look at building power stations, warehouses, incineration plants, airport logistics centres and reservoirs all below ground. Industrial landlord Jurong Town Corporation (JTC) last Friday [9 May 2008] called a tender for a "underground rock cavern usage feasibility study" to see how subterranean grottos could be used to maximise land use.

Last July [2007], TODAY broke the story of how government agencies including the JTC were exploring the feasibility of creating caverns for living. In March [2008], the Ministry of Defence opened caverns under the disused Mandai Quarry to store ammunition such as bullets, bombs and missiles. The JTC is constructing the $2-billion Jurong Rock Cavern beneath Jurong Island, for use by petrochemical companies. The first caverns under Phase 1 should begin operations in 2010.

- Singapore is already making as much use as it can with the 3rd dimension, with HDB (public apartment housing) flats going to 40 floors and beyond, and skyscrapers in the city area reaching over 60 storeys. Due to airplane flight path restrictions, they are unable to build any higher than that, so perhaps the logical next step is to go underground.

Building caverns to store ammo and crude oil may be a good idea, but I'm not so sure about actually living underground. It sounds like Singapore is trying to pull a Trantor here. The more we try to cram people into a limited land area with virtually no resources, the more we are going to be dependent on outside inputs for food, water and practically everything else. For as long as the country is still relatively wealthy and there are supplies to be had, we could continue in this direction, but things can change quickly, especially as we are approaching an era of resource scarcity ("peak everything").

See also :

1. Singapore to start work soon on $1 billion oil storage cavern
2. Asean mulls joint oil stockpile

(2008-05-21 10:48:00 SGT) [Env] Permalink

Tuesday May 06, 2008

Large swathes of Myanmar completely flooded after cyclone, rice exports to be affected

This article belongs to the Global food crisis story arc.

channelnewsasia.com :

The deadly cyclone that struck Myanmar devastated its main rice-growing region, and could threaten exports meant to ease shortages in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the UN food agency said Tuesday [6 May 2008]. Flooding, which poured damaging salt water into paddy fields, could create long-term food insecurity for Myanmar and other poor Asian countries, World Food Programme spokesman Paul Risley warned. Before the cyclone hit, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) had forecast that Myanmar would export 500,000 tonnes of rice this year. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, which will not produce enough rice to meet their own needs this year, had clinched rice deals with Myanmar as world prices have soared. Part of Bangladesh's rice shortage stemmed from destruction of its own crops by Cyclone Sidr last November. Some countries, including major exporters such as Vietnam and India, have slapped limits on exports to ensure their own domestic supply. That had made even relatively small exporters like Myanmar all the more important to countries seeking to buy the grain.

- The NASA satellite images above show the Myanmar Irrawaddy river delta before and after the cyclone. The entire coastal plain is flooded after the area took a direct hit from the cyclone. The city of Yangon (red rectangle) is almost completely surrounded by floods. Another story from CNA tells us about the sweeping devastation in the region :

channelnewsasia.com :

Large swathes of southwestern Myanmar are under water after a devastating cyclone struck at the weekend, killing at least 15,000 people, satellite images showed. Tropical cyclone Nargis slammed into Myanmar late Friday [2 May 2008], wiping away entire villages in the Irrawaddy delta region and wreaking destruction on a country that is already one of the poorest on the planet. NASA pictures taken on Monday showed the entire coastal plain under water, with fallow agricultural areas of the delta - the country's main rice-growing region - particularly hard hit by flooding.

- This could not have come at a worse time, when worldwide rice supplies are already tight to the point of snapping. Just a day ago, the Philippines had to cancel a 675,000 metric ton rice tender due to a lack of offers. Remember earlier when they were trying to buy 500,000 tons on the American markets and fell short by over 100,000 tons because they had basically bought up the entire American rice market? And they said they would have to increase the amount to over 600,000 tons the next round to make up for it? Well, that next round has come and gone and they GOT NOTHING THIS TIME !! This is serious.

At the same time, Bangladesh, which being a poorer country than the Philippines, decided they couldn't compete on the American rice markets and opted out, even though they themselves were severely in need of supply. Apparently, according to the article above, they had gone and tried to make a deal with Myanmar to get what little supply they could. And now even that small amount of rice exports that could have helped the Bangladesh people has in all likelihood been wiped by the flood.

See also :

1. Thai rice price at new record high of US$1000 a tonne as Asian food crisis worsens
2. Global food crisis looms as Asia's rice bowl empties and world price soars
3. High food prices seen leading to strikes, protests in Asia 4. NY paper reports food rationing appearing in US
5. Rationing of rice hits UK Chinese and curry restaurants

(2008-05-06 23:38:26 SGT) [Env] Permalink

Saturday April 26, 2008

Colorado river may hit 500-year low due to global warming

bloomberg.com :

The Colorado River may drop to the lowest levels in at least 500 years because of global warming, threatening water supplies to much of the U.S. Southwest, researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey said. Warming of a "modest" 0.86 degree Celsius (1.5 degrees Fahrenheit) may reduce the average flow of the river - the primary water supply for residents in seven states - to the low end of the range seen between 1490 and 1998, USGS scientist Gregory McCabe said yesterday [16 Apr 2008]. The Colorado River is the primary water supply for residents in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the two main reservoirs on the river at Lake Powell and Lake Mead, last year developed guidelines on how to cut supplies to users in the event of a shortage.

- It's an emerging disaster. Some time ago I heard about the Colorado River not being able to reach the ocean - here's a photo. Other reports came in of how the Himalayan glaciers are melting and potentially affecting the water supply to 2 billion Chinese and Indians.

Investors are already gearing up to take advantage of the water issue, with a number of water ETF's already launched which make investments in water-related companies, typically water infrastructure, desalination plants and the like. But if and when actual water futures are launched to trade and hedge water as a commodity directly (such as the one proposed by Australia's ASX), then you will know that we are in trouble.

See also :

1. Global warming could bring hunger, melt Himalayas
2. Global warming 'is three times faster than worst predictions'

(2008-04-26 17:50:46 SGT) [Env] Permalink

Tuesday April 22, 2008

Singapore on track to hit 60% recycling rate by 2012

channelnewsasia.com

Singapore is on track to achieve the recycling rate of 60% by 2012, says the National Environmental Agency (NEA). Last year, Singaporeans generated 5.6 million tonnes of trash. But they also recycled about half or 3 million [tonnes] of it. And the recycling rate among Singapore households climbed to 63% - about four times higher than that in 2001. Even though more Singaporeans are recycling, some are still placing objects in the wrong bins. NEA says about 10-20% of the objects found in the recycling bins are actually un-recyclable trash.

- That is not too bad for a country where recycling was virtually unheard of just a few years ago. The government's initiative (perhaps with some prodding from people like me) to put one recycling bin at the foot of every 2 or 3 HDB apartment blocks has helped tremendously in this regard, since over 80% of the population lives in HDB flats. Recycling bins have also been rolled out for residents of private landed property as well as condos.

The only rubbish I throw away nowadays are organic (food) waste from the kitchen and small bits and pieces of packaging materials or other stuff too small to recycle properly. Now that the government has gotten the people to achieve a good recycling rate, the next step would be to get the people to sort the recyclables properly into different bins.

See also :

1. Singapore government conducts environmental survey
2. All HDB estates to have recycling depositories by 2007
3. Recycling made easier with more recycling bins at HDB estates

(2008-04-22 12:54:57 SGT) [Env] Permalink

Wednesday April 09, 2008

Peak Gold : Newmont says gold discoveries getting tougher

news.yahoo.com, canada.com :

Discovering the next mother lode is not as easy as it used to be, the world's second-largest gold producer, Newmont Mining Corp said on Wednesday [2 Apr 2008], as it plans to spend nearly a quarter of a billion dollars on exploration this year. There has been a shrinking number of gold finds above five million ounces, Newmont's general manager for Australia Adriaan van Kersen told a gold mining conference in Perth. Only 4% of gold deposits in the world hold more than five million ounces in reserves. "Newmont depletes its reserves at 10 ounces a minute and needs a replacement discovery rate of near 14 ounces a minute," van Kersen said. Newmont counts about 86 million ounces of gold in reserves at its mines worldwide and has earmarked between $220-230 million for exploration in 2008.

Van Kersen cited Newmont's lack of a big discovery recently as indicative of the plight of the gold industry as the whole. "As an industry, we are spending more and more on exploration but even in a high demand and high price environment, and more drilling happening, the gold sector is not discovering the same ounces as it used to," van Kersen said. At the same time, costs for everything from buying trucks and fuel to hiring workers, up 24% in the last year, are biting into operations, he said.

- The remaining concentrations of natural resources are dwindling at a rapid pace. During the California gold rush in the 1840-1850's period, gold was a lot more readily available. People were panning for gold in rivers and digging near the surface. Today, gold mines go deep underground, down to 2 miles (3 km) for some South African mines. And gold ore concentrations are now measured in terms of grams per ton (g/t). If you were to think about it, what gold mining executives and resource investors are talking about is parts per million. Barely detectable levels. And yet there are companies working on these ores and there are commodity investors investing money in the companies working on these ores. At some point something has to give way, and resource investors like myself are betting that it will be resistance levels on prices of gold miners and of the gold price itself.

See also :

1. Peak Gold?
2. Peak Copper
3. Earth's limited supply of metals raises concern
4. Japan has huge 'urban mines' of recyclable metals : report
5. Digital waste worth more than gold, copper ore

(2008-04-09 15:23:05 SGT) [Env] Permalink

Tuesday April 01, 2008

NEA confirms it was raining hailstones in Singapore

channelnewsasia.com :

The sudden downpour on Thursday [27 Mar 2008] afternoon brought more than just heavy rain. Hailstones were raining down in some parts of Singapore, according to callers to Channel NewsAsia's hotline. The National Environment Agency later confirmed that hailstones were reported in central Singapore between 3.15pm and 3.45pm. Callers said the hailstones were the size of 5 cent coins. They were seen mainly in Bishan, Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio. It's believed the hailstones fell for about 20 minutes before subsiding. The last hailstone incident was reported in July 2007.

Hailstones form in intense thunderstorm clouds. Such clouds develop when there is strong convection, which occur all year round in the tropics. Generally, the hailstones would have been melted before they reach the ground. However, in the presence of a strong downdraft in an intense thunderstorm, the hailstones can be brought to the ground rapidly without melting.

- Nice. After hailstones, the next thing to watch out for would be snow in Singapore. How's that for climate change?

(2008-04-01 06:59:20 SGT) [Env] Permalink

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