Consider Nuclear Energy as a Solution to Climate Concerns and Energy Security

As public opinion shifts and many more governments around the world consider nuclear energy as a solution to climate concerns and energy security, it is time to ask why it has become a more attractive option. The Institute of Physics (IOP) ran two sessions at this year’s Euroscience Open Forum (ESOF 2008) to hold a public discussion about the future for both nuclear fission and fusion as sources of electricity. The six speakers and the seminars’ chair, Fritz Wagner, President of the European Physical Society (EPS), provided the audiences with an update on why power derived from nuclear fission has become one of the key solutions to baseload electricity and climate change concerns and how fusion, a very attractive source of virtually limitless electricity, that mimics the processes inside Sun to produce energy on Earth, can be made available to mankind.

If the nuclear plants currently generating electricity in Europe were shut down and replaced with fossil fuel-derived power plants, 700 million more tonnes of carbon dioxide would be emitted each year, equivalent to doubling the number of cars on European roads. Although there are greenhouse gas emissions associated with the mining, enrichment and fuel fabrication of uranium, and the construction of nuclear power plants, they are very small in comparison with the emissions of stations burning fossil fuels and comparable with the emissions from renewable electricity sources like wind, wave and solar.

Over the life time of a nuclear power plant or a wind farm, both emit approximately five grams of CO2 for every kilowatt hour of energy produced, whereas coal can produce more than 1,000 grams and gas typically produces approximately 500 grams. As Adrian Bull, UK stakeholder manager for Westinghouse, a global nuclear company, said during the fission session, “Comparing the greenhouse gas emissions of nuclear power plants with those from renewables is like comparing the calorie content of cucumbers and lettuces.”

International energy security and the rising cost of energy were also discussed by all three speakers in the fission session. The world’s uranium supplies are fairly evenly spread across the globe so a relatively constant supply of uranium can be guaranteed without political implications and as the main cost of nuclear power plants is the capital investment required for nuclear build, it is possible to predict the cost of nuclear energy up to 60 years in advance.

After the seminar, discussion ensued with the audience, who asked questions about the problem of nuclear waste and other issues. On nuclear waste, Bill Nuttall, Senior Lecturer in Technology Policy at the University of Cambridge, said, “The fact is that we are only just waking up to the consequences of those wastes which we haven’t managed through the burning of fossil fuels but we can at least manage nuclear waste.”

In the second session, three fusion scientists explained their research into a totally new source of electricity. Electricity derived from fusion stems from the joining, rather than the splitting, of nuclei. The process was achieved in laboratory experiments in the second half of the twentieth century, but has yet to realise its potential as a source of electricity.

One clear advantage of fusion is its inherent safety and that the volume of the radioactive waste produced would be vastly lower than that from fission. Also, the radioactive isotopes would be very short lived so that waste would only need to be stored securely for up to 100 years. Fusion power also has enormous fuel reserves, which could last for several thousand years.

David Ward from UKAEA Culham, the home of UK’s fusion programme, said, “The lithium found in a laptop computer battery would be enough fusion fuel to provide an average European’s lifetime electricity needs.” The main research programme for fusion is ITER, an experimental reactor, under construction in Cadarache, France.

David Campbell, Assistant Deputy Director General for Fusion Science and Technology for the project told the audience that the machine is due to start operating in 2018. It is an international collaboration, including representatives from over half of the world’s nations. ITER is designed to confine a plasma producing about 500MW of fusion power for at least several hundred seconds and to provide the scientific, and much of the technological, basis for the construction of a fusion reactor which could supply electricity to the grid.

During the design phase, an extensive R&D programme has demonstrated much of the technology required to build ITER. One of the main scientific challenges remaining for fusion is the development of materials that can withstand radiation and plasma temperatures ten to twenty times hotter than the centre of the Sun, to line the inner walls of fusion reactors.

Harald Bolt, member of the Board of Nuclear Research Center, Juelich, Germany, explained how physicists are also developing these to minimise the amount of radioactivity arising from the extreme conditions. Discussion with the audience afterwards touched on a number of topics including the cost pressures on ITER from such influences as rising oil and steel prices and the impact of the US Congress’ decision to zero this year’s US contribution to ITER (now partially reversed).

The question of whether some of the coutries in the Far East were likely to accelerate their fusion research programmes to the extent that they, rather than Europe, might build the first fusion power plant was also raised. Many of the 200 visitors to the sessions, including journalists, policy-makers, students and those with just a general interest, commented on the success of the two sessions as thorough and timely overviews of developments in fission and fusion power.

Provided by Institute of Physics/ www.physorg.com/ Reuters Photo via http://www.abc.net.au/

Oil Prices and Climate Change Fuel Green Gold Rush

Modern day prospectors are embarking on a "green gold rush" to invest in renewable energy in the face of rising oil prices and climate change. Fossil fuel prices, rising temperatures, the support of world governments and energy security concerns drove a record-setting year of renewable energy investment in 2007, according to a UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report. Achim Steiner, head of UNEP and UN under-secretary general, said: "Just as thousands were drawn to California and the Klondike in the late 1800s, the green energy gold rush is attracting legions of modern day prospectors in all parts of the globe. "With world temperatures and fossil fuel prices climbing higher, it is increasingly obvious to the public and investors alike that the transition to a low-carbon society is both a global imperative and an inevitability." This is attracting an enormous inflow of capital, talent and technology. "What is unfolding is nothing less than a fundamental transformation of the world's energy infrastructure." More than US $148bn of new money was ploughed into the global sustainable energy sector last year - up 60% from 2006. The startling picture was unveiled in Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment, a report by UK-based firm New Energy Finance for UNEP's Sustainable Energy Finance Initiative. Wind energy drew the most investment last year with US $50.2bn but solar power grew most quickly attracting some US $28.6bn. The report said the sector is also bouncing back in the second quarter of 2008 after being "subdued" by the credit crunch. The sustainable energy sector has to "grow strongly" to meet targets for greenhouse gas reduction, renewable and efficiency increases, but there is huge scope for growth, the report adds. Total 2007 sustainable energy transaction volume was US $204.9bn and is predicted to reach more than US $600bn a year from 2020. Michael Liebreich, report co-author and chief executive officer of New Energy Finance, which provides information to investors in renewable energy, described 2007 as a "a banner year for the clean energy industry". Europe saw most of the new money, followed by America, but China, India and Brazil's share together has almost doubled since 2004. Africa, however, continues to lag behind other regions in the investment stakes. Written by David Gibbs/ www.edie.net/ AFP Photo via YahooNews

Failure Addressing Climate Change Like Spitting in the Wind

The Toyako G8 Summit held from July 7 to 9 with the participation of leaders from 23 other countries exposed the wide rift between the developed and developing worlds and failed to reach concrete agreements on key issues ranging from climate change to surging oil and food prices and the weak dollar. There were several reasons. One obviously was the lack of leadership on the part of the Group of Eight leaders. The purpose of the annual G8 Summit is to make top-down decisions on issues that individual countries will have difficulty addressing. True, the share of the global economy occupied by the G8 major industrialized nations has been declining from the dominant 70 percent they commanded when they launched what was then known as the Group of Five in 1975. But they still account for about 60 percent of total GDP. United, the G8 nations must be able to drive the world forward. However, the G8 leaders at Toyako, who all had weak popular support at home, appeared to prioritize their own national interests even as they discussed global issues. The United States, the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide, bears a major responsibility for the inaction. After withdrawing from the Kyoto Protocol, the U.S. launched its own initiative, the Major Economic Meeting, in an attempt to retake control of the international dialogue on global warming, a move that regrettably disrupted the unity of the G8 on this issue. Although the U.S. repeated its call for a strong dollar, it failed to spell out its plans for reversing the dollar's weakness, which is one of the main reasons behind the climb in oil and food prices. The second reason was irresponsible behavior on the part of fast-growing emerging economies, like China and India. These countries do not realize their own responsibilities as major greenhouse gas emitters. While their combined emissions today account for 42 percent of the world's total emissions, the emerging economies continued to lay the blame on past emissions generated by the industrialized powers. Despite their huge foreign currency reserves and nuclear arsenals, these countries behaved as if they were still poor nations in need of financial help and technology handouts. I wonder if they are really qualified to take part in the creation of a global framework for handling climate change. Meanwhile, France's push to expand the G8 membership to include the emerging economies appears to be linked to its desire to promote its nuclear power business with China. The nations taking part in the annual summit are supposed to share a common set of values and a willingness to contribute to stabilizing the world economy. This issue needs to be discussed along with the question of membership in the United Nations Security Council. The third problem was the host nation, Japan. With its hands tied by a divided parliament that hampers efforts to adopt new policy, Japan is still struggling to achieve the 2012 target it set out for itself under its own Kyoto Protocol and is in no position to propose a bold, long-term plan of action. The administration of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda may have been hoping that diplomatic achievements would salvage his sagging popularity. The government hosted as many as 10 preparatory meetings in the leadup to the summit, including the environment ministers' meeting in March and the Tokyo International Conference on African Development in May. While it is true the image of the prime minister shaking hands with leaders of the 23 countries that took part in the Toyako summit flooded TV news, in the end, he was unable to forge a broad consensus. This resulted in criticism that the event was a huge waste of taxpayer money, and provided only a minor boost to Fukuda's popularity. The Toyako summit served as another reminder that it is increasingly difficult to align the interests of various countries in an era of globalization. There are mounting problems like food and energy crises that have an immediate impact on people's lives, and these tend to relegate international efforts on global warming to the back burner. World leaders must realize that doing nothing about climate change is like spitting in the wind. Some countries are in danger of being submerged from global warming and the world needs to work together on this issue. As Japan's experience with asthma during its rapid postwar industrial growth and Beijing's experience with air pollution today clearly show, the foremost victims of a country's environmental problems are its own citizens. Beijing's air pollution is so serious that some of the athletes in the Olympics are practicing in Japan until the last minute. The leaders of each country need to realize that the biggest victims of their inaction on the environment will be their own people.

TheJapanTimes, written by Teruhiko Mano – a professor at Seigakuin University Graduate School/ Photo: Reuters/ YahooNews

Scientists Fear of Climate Tipping Points

A year ago, James Hansen, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, published a study in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics concluding that just 10 more years of business as usual emissions from the burning of coal, oil and gas will make disastrous global results all but impossible to avoid. The study described various climatic possibilities called tipping points. These tipping points, also called nonlinear events, both accelerate climate change and are accelerated by climate change. Scientists fear these events because they are almost impossible to predict before they occur. Once they are occured they could rapidly outstrip humankind’s ability to adapt.

Scientists describe events as nonlinear when a small cause creates a disproportionately large effect. A simple example of a nonlinear event is unplugging your freezer. After an hour the temperature goes from 20 degrees Fahrenheit to 25 degrees and not much changes with the frozen food. After another hour the temperature goes from 25 degrees to 30 degrees and there still isn’t much change in what is in your freezer. If you didn’t know what to expect, you would be very surprised when just one more hour and five more degrees caused a huge change as all your ice cream melts.

Dr. Robert Steneck of the University of Maine studies natural processes. He told, “I think most complex natural systems behave in nonlinear ways. Invariably they surprise us because we tend to consider things linearly.”

Vanishing Arctic Sea Ice

Climate change has done the equivalent of unplugging the freezer in the deep Arctic, which has no underlying land continent, just a large floating sheet of ice at the top of the world between Canada, Siberia and Greenland. And the Arctic sea ice has declined dramatically over the past 30 years. Scientists believe the critical threshold when ice will completely disappear in the Arctic summer may be between 0.5 to 2 degrees Celsius above the current average global temperature, but could already have been passed.

The albedo effect of the presence of white ice floating in the Arctic Sea reflecting sunlight back into space has a significant cooling effect on the whole planet. When the ice is absent, sunlight hitting the dark ocean causes up to 10 times as much heat to be absorbed. The practical impact is once the Artic Sea’s ice finally melts, the open ocean water will absorb enough additional heat to prevent the summer sea ice from coming back.

Mark Serreze, senior scientist at the University of Colorado’s National Snow and Ice Data Center, told “Once we lose the summer sea ice, we can’t really get it back. Even our earliest climate models, developed 30 years ago, were telling us that the Arctic would be the first to respond to higher levels of greenhouse gases. The changes we are seeing in the Arctic are just what we expected — they are just unfolding a lot faster than we thought possible.”

Burning Tundra

A tundra brings to mind ice and snow, not wildfires, but last summer more than 350 square miles of tundra north of Alaska’s Brooks Mountain Range burned. That’s more acreage burned than the last 50 years combined. And Dr. Philip Higuera of Montana State University believes last year’s burn may be a preview of what is coming.

While tundra fires have been rare, occurring less frequently than once every 250 years, ancient sediment core samples Higuera studied show climate warming causes much more frequent fires.Increased fires in these cold regions are much more than an oddity because about 30 percent of the world’s carbon is currently locked up in tundra and high-latitude boreal forests.

Fires there have the potential to release huge amounts of CO2, further accelerating climate change.

Dr Gaius Shaver, senior scientist at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory, told that these fires are another climate change tipping point. “It is a big deal, and more fires are expected. The major potential impacts are on permafrost and on carbon now stored in peat.”

Collapsing Greenland Ice Sheet

There is enough ice covering Greenland to raise global sea level by 23 feet if it all melts. Scientists’ models predict warming of about 3 degrees Celsius will cause the ice sheet to melt within 300 years.

Scientists see signs the ice over Greenland is melting at an accelerating rate. First, surface temperatures over Greenland are warming more than global averages. And glacier outlets are rapidly losing ice, lowering altitude at their periphery, which further increases surface temperature and further speeds up melting.

Scientists are seeing large rivers and streams forming on top of ice sheets. Instead of running to the ocean, these rivers disappear into holes in the glaciers called moulins. This water is carried down to the base of the glacier, where it lubricates the glacier’s travel and speeds the movement of ice into the ocean.

Experts rate the melting Greenland ice sheet as one of the two tipping points we should be most concerned about. Although the melting will take hundreds of years to complete, once the threshold is passed and the melting starts, there is nothing that can be done to stop it.

West Antarcticice Sheet Collapse

Scientists see the collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet as another climate tipping point, impossible to reliably predict, unstoppable once it starts and with catastrophic consequences. If the ice sheet does collapse, it will raise the sea level by almost 20 feet around the world and speed global warming even more.

Recent gravity measurements show that the ice sheet is losing mass. The West Antarctic ice sheet is at additional risk because of its unique nature. Most of the ice sheet is grounded below sea level with its frozen structure anchored to the bottom of the sea. In some places it dips thousands of feet below sea level. As other climate changes raise sea level, buoyancy forces ice around the edges of the ice sheet to float higher, allowing warmer ocean water under it, further weakening its hold on the bottom and leading to more sea level rise.

Scientists believe the West Antarctic ice sheet is particularly vulnerable to rapid disintegration once this cycle starts.

Other Tipping Points

The February 2008 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences included a summary article, “Tipping Elements in the Earth’s Climate System,” which identified all these and other critical tipping points. A warming of 3 to 5 degrees Celsius could collapse the Atlantic Ocean currents carrying heat from the tropics north. A similar rise in global temperature could lead to “large-scale dieback of the boreal forests” within 50 years.

This vast green swath, encircling the Northern Hemisphere from Siberia to Newfoundland, ties up vast amounts of carbon in trees, soil and permafrost. The Amazon may be approaching a tipping point, where drier conditions caused by deforestation will reduce rainfall enough to transform the humid tropical forest into a giant savanna and releasing perhaps 100 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere — equal to 10 years’ worth of total global emissions.

Manage the Unavoidable; Avoid the Unmanageable

Many of the suggestions to cope with climate change are about humankind adapting to the inevitable; for example, developing new crops more resistant to heat and drought, moving cities and infrastructures away from coasts and relocating populations from areas before they are submerged. These approaches all assume the impacts of climate change will be gradual, almost evolutionary in nature.In Dr. Timothy Lenton’s Natural Academy article he warned that “society may be lulled into a false sense of security by smooth projections of global change.”

The tipping points identified in that research are anything but gradual. They have the potential to create rapid and unmanageable changes — global temperature rises of a dozen degrees, catastrophic release of atmospheric CO2 far in excess of what we are currently generating burning oil and coal, and rapid sea level rises of tens of feet. Climate experts, citing the unpredictable nature of these tipping points, urge that we also focus on climate mitigation to avoid additional global climate change that might trigger tipping points.•

www.kauaiworld.com/ Written by Walt Barnes, a scientist and columnist about the manmade causes of global warming for TheGardenIsland. Photo: Reuters/ YahooNews

Obama on Climate Change: US Needs to Set Example

Pointing out that an effective foreign policy requires building a consensus, the Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama, has said that a country like India will not look at the issue of climate change seriously unless the wealthy nations like the US are also looking at the matter similarly. "An effective US foreign policy will be based on our ability not only to project power, but also to listen and to build consensus," Obama, currently on a high-profile tour of West Asia and Europe, said. "The goal of an Obama administration in foreign policy would be obviously to act on behalf of the interests and the security of the United States, but also to listen carefully enough to our allies that we understand their interests, as well, and we try to find ways that we can work together to meet common goals," he said. Obama was asked about the topic of climate change during a press interaction with the President of France, generally making the point that it is not enough to look at foreign policy issues only through the lens of the security of the US. "The United States is a very powerful country. But, as I said before, an issue like climate change is not one we can solve by ourselves. It's going to require an international effort," he added. "Not only are we going to have to look at what countries like France and Germany are already doing and making some very difficult choices to deal with their carbon emissions and to make energy more efficient, but we're also going to have to talk to countries like China and India," Obama said, adding "and it's going to be very hard for us to ask them to take seriously these issues if they see that wealthy nations are not taking them seriously." "And that's an example of where we have to present a common front and a common agenda in order to get all the countries in the nation -- all the countries in the world involved in what is going to be an enormous undertaking," the Illinois Democrat said. "My goal is just to make sure that, whether it's our European allies, whether it's Muslim countries, whether it's our friends in Asia, that people feel as if the United States is taking their interests, their concerns into account, and that we are interested in the prosperity and peace of ordinary people, and not just seeing our foreign policy only through the lens of our own security," he added. (Agencies/ ExpressIndia/ Photo: Reuters/ YahooNews )

Climate Change Affects on Food Security in Africa

Climate change has a profound and unavoidable effect on food security in Africa, as increasing temperatures and shifting rain patterns reduce access to food across the continent. This transpired at a conference on global warming and climate change that started in Cape Town on July 21 and ended on Thursday. The discussion was organised by South Africa’s Fynbos Foundation, which aims to realise investment in the media, publishing, arts and culture sectors, and the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University in the United States.

The relationship between climate change and food security is complex. Many factors influence food security, which means that often "the link is not even made between failed crops and changing weather patterns", Dr Gina Ziervogel, senior researcher at the Climate Systems Analysis Group at the University of Cape Town, told the conference.

Over the past decade Ziervogel has conducted extensive research on people and the environment in Southern Africa. Climate change affects African food systems in the broadest sense of the word. "It affects the availability of, access to and utilisation of food," she explained.

"Changing weather patterns or extreme weather events, such as floods or droughts, can have negative consequences for agricultural production. As a result people have less access to food, which forces them to buy food products. This affects their financial situation. "It also influences their health as people often buy cheaper food which is frequently less nutritious. Especially for those who need a nutritious diet -- the chronically ill, for instance -- this poses a problem," Ziervogel said.

Increasing temperatures and the change in precipitation and frequency of extreme weather spells also threaten African food systems, Ziervogel added. Changes in precipitation "are not merely about increasing or decreasing rainfall. Rainy seasons that begin later or earlier than normal, or sudden rain spells hitting a region when it is supposed to be dry, have a greater impact on crops failing than a wetter rainy season that starts on time.

"Land lost another scenario where the effects of climate change on the vulnerability of food systems become visible is where arable land is lost. This happens as a result of declining ground-water levels and rising sea levels. It can lead to aridity of the soil or increasing levels of saline. "It reduces the suitability of land for cultivation of crops," Ziervogel said.

Such changes require farmers to alter their agricultural practices. Sorghum, for instance, is more heat resistant and therefore does better than maize in places where rainfall decreases. "However, the question is whether communities that are used to and have a preference for maize will switch to sorghum or another more suitable staple crop," Ziervogel pointed out.

Another consequence of climate change that affects food security in Africa is the increasing frequency of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, hail and heat waves. These can be fatal to crops. "A couple of years ago, I was in Lesotho during December. A sudden spell of frost destroyed much of the country’s maize harvest," Ziervogel told delegates.

"This is unusual for summer."Apart from damaging crops directly, extreme climatological events may damage infrastructure such as roads. "This may prevent people from buying and selling food on the markets and therefore also undermines food security."Pest outbreaksClimate change also leads to pest outbreaks that further weaken food systems. "Climate change induces outbreaks of pests such as the desert locust," Professor Onesmo ole-MoiYoi of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology told the conference.

The centre, which has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, aims to alleviate poverty, ensure food security and improve health in the tropics by developing management tools against harmful insects."In case of an outbreak, locusts are capable of destroying crops. I have seen a locust outbreak. They eat everything they can find, within days," said ole-MoiYoi.

Despite the disastrous effect of locusts on food security in Africa, the world has yet to take action. "That is because outbreaks only occur every seven or so years. But the frequency could change in the future."Climate change not only impinges on the cultivation of crops, Ziervogel stressed. The fishing industry is being threatened as well. "Fish stocks in large lakes across Africa are declining -- not only because of over-fishing but because of declining water levels due to evaporation as a result of rising temperatures."

Written by Miriam Mannak/ Mail&Guardian/

Photo: www.satyamag.com

Asia's Disaster Response in Spotlight at Security Talks

Two years after Asia's top security forum vowed to develop guidelines for joint disaster relief, precious little has been done and hundreds of thousands more have died in calamities around the region.

The Myanmar cyclone, China quake and Philippines ferry sinking have catapulted disaster preparedness back to the top of the agenda of the annual ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) talks in Singapore on Thursday (24/7).

Ministers from the 27-member group -- including the United States, China, Russia, the European Union and the ASEAN countries -- discussed a joint civilian-military disaster relief exercise, among other measures.

Aid workers said that while the forum was essentially a confidence-building talking shop, the recent spate of disasters and the threats posed by climate change should galvanise it into action.

"I'm optimistic that there can be some small steps, and even if it's just about disaster risk reduction and preparing countries in the region, that would be a good thing," said Ashley Clements of international aid group World Vision.

ARF foreign ministers adopted a statement on disaster management and emergency response when they met in 2006, two years after the Asian tsunami killed some 220,000 people. Among other things, the agreement called for "operating procedures" to be drawn up on civilian and military cooperation for humanitarian operations, and an inventory of military transport assets available in emergencies.

Thursday's meeting should show what has been done to follow up on that pact, and how the forum wants to move ahead in the aftermath of the Myanmar and China disasters, which together left more than 208,000 people dead or missing.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was criticised by aid groups for not doing enough to pressure its military-run member Myanmar to open its doors to foreign relief workers after Cyclone Nargis hit in early May.

Its own assessment teams took weeks to arrive in the disaster zone, but the bloc's work to bridge the gap between the secretive junta and the international aid community has since won over many of the critics.

The Post-Nargis Joint Assessment, a report on the humanitarian conditions in storm-hit southern Myanmar by ASEAN, the United Nations and the Myanmar junta, is due to be released Monday at a meeting of ASEAN ministers here. "ASEAN did play a pretty important role in Myanmar in terms of creating the humanitarian space," said World Vision Asia-Pacific spokesman James East.

ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan was the driving force behind the bloc's Myanmar response, describing it as a "baptism" in terms of leading an aid effort. Even so, he said in Manila earlier this month that the region had to do more to be "prepared, coordinated and equipped" to confront the next disaster.

The bloc agreed in 2004 to establish a joint humanitarian relief centre in Jakarta, but that is still not in place. A 2005 pact on disaster management also has not been fully implemented. On the ARF level, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates told reporters in June that disaster management "might be better organised regionally."

A US official said earlier this month that the disaster relief exercise could be held as early as next year if there is agreement in Singapore. But analysts said the ARF could potentially save more lives by simply training local officials and community leaders in basic techniques of emergency response.

"Even where you cannot get large-scale foreign humanitarian assistance into the disaster, it is possible to use existing civil society networks... to distribute food and water," said Australian Council for International Development executive director Paul O'Callaghan.

Written by Stephen Coates of AFP/ AFP Photo via Yahoo!news

Changing the Climate or Balancing the Power?

The main headline from the recent G-8 summit in Tokyo was that the major industrial nations agreed to reduce by half their greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, if the developing nations were also part of any new international climate control effort. The G-8 members are United States, Japan, Russia, Canada, Italy, Germany, France and Britain. Environmentalists were correct to claim that setting such a long time horizon was meaningless, but the real issue is the inclusion of the developing countries in a balanced approach since that question will dominate any short-term efforts made along the way towards the mid-century goal. The Bush Administration has been adamant that the major rising economies join any international environmental effort, since any campaign to slow economic growth that only affects some countries will work to the competitive advantage of those still rolling ahead unencumbered by “green” restraints. Industries forced out of the United States will seek haven in lands that are friendlier. This transfer of wealth, jobs and capacity has already been taking place as a result of asymmetrical trade policies, and would be accelerated by new environmental regulations. Yet, the final joint G-8 statement still held countries to different standards by claiming, “We recognize that what the major developed economies do will differ from what major developing economies do, consistent with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.” Even with this large loophole, the developing countries objected. China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa (known as the Group of 5), who together represent 42% of the world's population - issued a statement declaring their split with the G-8. They rejected the notion that all should share in the 50% target, asserting that the wealthier countries have created most of the alleged environmental damage. “It is essential that developed countries take the lead in achieving ambitious and absolute greenhouse gas emissions reductions,” said the statement. Chinese President Hu Jintao went a step further in separate remarks. While acknowledging that developing nations must act. He said “China's central task now is to develop the economy and make life better for the people,” adding that “China's per capita emission is relatively low.” This last statement is true only because as rapid as Chinese development has been, it has not yet reached even half of its 1.3 billion people. Per unit of output, Chinese emissions are among the highest in the world. According to the OECD, China’s carbon-dioxide emissions per unit of output are five times greater than America’s. Beijing’s posture was consistent with the outcome of the UN Climate Change Conference held in Bali, Indonesia, last December. China, despite have the world’s second largest economy, assumed the leadership of the Group of 77 underdeveloped countries and demanded that the burden of cleaning up the environment fall only on the “rich” developed nations. This is a blatant attempt to use the climate issue (in which it is doubtful that Beijing believes any more than does the Bush administration) to redistribute wealth on a global scale. The United States and Europe are to slow or even reverse their growth while China, India and the rest are to be free to roar ahead and grab increasing shares of global markets. China has ratified the primary international accords on climate change - the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol - but as a developing county, has no binding emission limits under either agreement. This is the main reason the United States has not ratified Kyoto. China’s own climate change plan, released in June 2007, has identified its priority areas as advanced coal technologies, energy efficient building technologies, clean vehicle technology and advanced industrial technologies. The 1st National Climate Change Strategy stressed that the country's top priority remains “sustainable development and poverty eradication.” Ma Kai, chairman of China's National Development and Reform Commission told the world press at the time, “The international community should respect the developing countries' right to develop.” India, Brazil and the other rising countries undoubtedly feel the same way, as they should. They want the same living standards enjoyed by the West. But if there are truly global limits to growth, they are willing to fight for the largest share they can get. Meanwhile, in America the “greens” are on the march against material progress. Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection is trying to cripple the coal industry. The United States has 27% of the world’s coal reserves, which at present rates of use will last over two centuries. The U.S. exports coal, and could easily increase use of this relatively cheap energy source. The country generates half its electricity with coal. The aim of the Alliance is not to provide plentiful, secure energy to improve American living standards, but to reduce the general level of affluence. Thus, blocking new power plants is a high priority for this Luddite group, even as prices for alternative energy sources soar. When I lived in Knoxville, Tennessee, my house was only a few miles from the Bull Run Steam Plant run by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Bull Run generates more than six billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to supply about 430,000 homes. By 2010, TVA will have spent over $5.7 billion on emission controls at its coal plants to ensure power is generated as cleanly as possible, consistent with efficiency. To reduce sulfur dioxide emissions, Bull Run burns a blend of low-sulfur coal. A scrubber is scheduled for completion in 2009. To reduce nitrogen oxides, the plant uses a selective catalytic reduction system as well as combustion and boiler optimization controls. I never saw anything ominous at Bull Run, unlike what I saw in China, where coal is used without regard to emission controls. China generates 70% of its electricity with coal, and plans to build a new coal-fired power plant ever week, on average, until 2012. When I first landed in Beijing, I thought there was a fire nearby because the area was shrouded in gray smoke. In Zhuhai, a coastal resort town next to Macao now designated an economic development zone, I could see the new international airport- but not the planes landing or taking off because of the smog. According to the World Health Organization, China has 16 of the world’s most polluted cities, and clouds of Chinese pollutants are blown across the Pacific into North America. The WHO’s Michal Krzyzanowski said last year, “All of the cities are pretty highly polluted by European standards, but even by the standards of Asia, Chinese cities are pretty highly polluted.” The real problem is respiratory ailments, not the delusion of global warming. Crippling the U.S. economy for the benefit of Chinese expansion will only make the global environment worse as it also shifts the international balance of wealth and power in ways damaging to U.S. national security and prosperity. Americans should be proud of having built the largest economy, with a living standard that is the envy of the world. And they should demand that their leaders defend their achievements. Written by William R. Hawkins/ Accuracy in Media/ Photo: weblog.greenpeace.org

IN MEMORIAM Sumiasih 20 Tahun Lalu Sumiasih (60) dan putranya, Sugeng (44), akhirnya tewas di tangan tim regu tembak Kejati Jatim di Lapangan Tembak Mapolda Jatim, Jl. A. Yani, Surabaya, sekitar pukul 00.20, Sabtu dini hari (19/7). 20 tahun lalu, Sumiasih, yang ketika itu masih berusia 40 tahun, dinyatakan terbukti sebagai otak pembunuhan berencana keluarga Letkol Marinir Poerwanto. Dalam persidangan terungkap, dia mengarsiteki pembantaian sadis pada pagi hari tangal 13 Agustus 1988, bersama suaminya, Djais Adi Prayitno (54); menantunya, Serda Pol. Adi Saputra; anaknya, Sugeng (24); serta keponakannya, Daim dan Nano (27). Atas pembunuhan berlatar belakang hutang-piutang senilai Rp. 36 juta dalam pengelolaan bisnis Wisma Happy di Kompleks Prostitusi Dolly Surabaya itu, PN Surabaya, pada tanggal 19 Januari 1989, mengeluarkan putusan vonis mati terhadap Sumiasih, Djais Adi Prayitno, Serda Pol. Adi Saputra dan Sugeng. Dua komplotan lainnya, Daim dan Nano, cuma divonis masing-masing hukuman 15 dan 12 tahun penjara dan telah dibebaskan beberapa tahun lalu. Eksekusi terhadap Serda Pol. Adi Saputra telah dilakukan terlebih dahulu pada tahun 1992 terkait posisinya waktu itu yang berstatus anggota polisi aktif. Sedangkan Djais Adi Prayitno meninggal sebelum dieksekusi karena usianya yang kian menua dan sakit-sakitan pada tahun 2005. Dalam rekontruksi terungkap, sekitar pukul 10.00 pada pagi hari tanggal 13 Agustus 1988 itu, Sumiasih, Djais Adi Prayitno, Serda Pol. Adi Saputra, Sugeng, Daim dan Nano, mengendarai Suzuki Carry, tiba di rumah Poerwanto, Jalan Dukuh Kupang Timur XVII Surabaya. Kedatangan mereka dianggap kunjungan biasa oleh Poerwanto yang ketika itu menjabat sebagai Kepala Primkopal (Koperasi Angkatan Laut) dan lantas menemuinya di ruang tamu. Maklum kedua keluarga ini telah dikenal sebagai kerabat akrab. Ketika itu, ketiga anak Poerwanto tidak ada di rumah. Haryo Bismoko (siswa kelas 1 SMA Trimurti) dan Haryo Budi Prasetyo (siswa SD kelas VI) sedang bermain di rumah tetangga. Sementara, Haryo Abrianto mengikuti pendidikan taruna AAL di Bumimoro, Surabaya. Sedangkan Sunarsih, isteri Poerwanto yang dalam kondisi hamil, sedang memasak di dapur. Pada kondisi rumah yang sepi itulah, lima tamu tersebut langsung menghabisi Poerwanto. Perwira Marinir itu dipukul menggunakan alu di bagian belakang kepalanya. Pada jenasahnya ditemukan memar di beberapa bagian di tubuhnya serta tulang iganya patah. Mendengar keributan di rumahnya, Bismoko dan Budi Prasetya datang menghampiri. Keduanya lantas disambut oleh Adi Saputra. Sempat melarikan diri sambil berteriak, anak-anak itu kemudian diselesaikan oleh Sugeng. Sunarsih yang mendengar keributan itu, bersama Sumaryatun, keponakannya, langsung bergegas menengok. Namun Prayit dan Sumiasih sudah berjaga-jaga. Adi dan Sugeng langsung menghabisi Sunarsih. Sedangkan Sumaryatun mati di tangan Daim. Kelima korban dalam satu keluarga itu pun tewas seketika. Mayatnya diseret ke garasi dan dimasukkan ke mobil Daihatsu Taft milik korban. Adi dan Sugeng membawa mobil berisi mayat itu ke kawasan Songgoriti, Batu. Mobil beserta kelima jenazah itu dibikin seolah terjadi kecelakaan, dibakar dan kemudian diterjunkan ke jurang. Evakuasi korban terbilang cukup merepotkan karena posisi jurang yang begitu terjal dan curam. Sementara itu, di rumah korban, Prayit telah menyiapkan skenario. Dia membersihkan, menata kursi, dan menyuruh orang-orang mengganti lampu neon. Malamnya, ketika kabar kecelakaan tersebut telah menyebar, sebelum mayat dibawa ke rumah duka, Prayit ikut mempersiapkan rumah Poerwanto untuk para pelayat. Haryo Abrianto, satu-satunya keluarga Poerwanto yang selamat, ketika pulang ke rumahnya pada malam kejadian itu, tampak terpukul. Prayit, sebagai kerabat dekat keluarga itu, terlihat turut menenangkannya. Prayit pun bertindak sebagai orang pertama yang membuka peti mati para korban. Bahkan, dia sempat merekam gambar kedatangan jenazah itu dengan kamera video amatirnya. Pembantaian itu memang dirancang cukup bersih. Namun penyidik berhasil menemukan banyak kejanggalan dan menyimpulkan para korban meninggal bukan karena kecelakaan setelah melihat banyak benturan benda tumpul di kepala. Setelah 20 tahun lamanya, Sabtu, dini hari tadi (19/7), vonis mati terhadap otak pembunuhan itu, Sumiasih, beserta putranya, Sugeng, dilakukan. Masing-masing enam peluru dari tim regu tembak Kejati Jatim menembus jantung ibu dan anak ini. Bukan berarti kisah tentang pembunuhan sadis ini lantas akan turut ikut mati sampai di sini. Kisah tentang peristiwa ini tampaknya akan terus mewarnai sejarah dunia hukum dan kriminalitas di Indonesia. Foto: Doc. Kejati Jatim

Dua Regu Tembak Akhiri Masa Penantian Sumiasih dan Sugeng - Keduanya ditembak dalam posisi duduk berdampingan - Usai sudah masa penantian Sumiasih (60) dan putranya, Sugeng (44). Terpidana mati kasus pembunuhan keluarga Letkol Marinir Poerwanto, 20 tahun silam, ini akhirnya dieksekusi oleh tim regu tembak dari Brimob dan Kejati Jatim di lapangan Mapolda Jatim, Jalan A. Yani, Surabaya, sekitar pukul 00.20, Sabtu (19/7). Adapun jenasah tiba di Kamar Mayat RSUD Dr. Sutomo Surabaya untuk diotopsi pada pukul 00.40. Kedua terpidana mati itu, bersama tim eksekusi, diketahui keluar dari Rutan Medaeng, pada pukul 23.50, dengan masing-masing menumpang Kijang Kapsul yang semuanya bernopol sama, yaitu W 567 MM. Ada enam mobil yang keluar dari gerbang Rutan Medaeng, tempat ibu dan anak itu menginap dalam tiga hari terakhir, semuanya berjenis Kijang Kapsul berwarna hitam, krem, dan silver. Seluruh mobil itu sama-sama berkaca gelap pada sisi penumpang dan disekat antara ruang kemudi depan, tengah hingga ke belakang dan kacanya ditutup kain hitam sehingga tak seorangpun di luar tahu siapa penumpang mobil-mobil tersebut. Masing-masing mobil kemudian berpencar untuk mengelabuhi kejaran pers yang sejak sore sudah menunggu untuk meliput jalannya eksekusi. Empat mobil Kijang di antaranya, yang keluar dari rutan Medaeng itu, belakangan diketahui menuju halaman Mapolda Jatim untuk melakukan eksekusi di lapangan tembak. Dua mobil diketahui masuk lewat pintu gerbang depan Mapolda Jatim dan dua mobil lainnya masuk melalui pintu gerbang RS Bhayangkara Mapolda Jatim dan keempatnya bertemu di lapangan tembak belakang Mapolda Jatim. Tiga orang wartawan yang sejak sore berhasil bersembunyi di ruang humas Mapolda Jatim demi meliput peristiwa ini, sebelum akhirnya kepergok petugas dan diusir untuk kemudian dipersilahkan meliput dari luar Mapolda, melaporkan telah mendengar tembakan sebanyak sekali dari banyak senapan pada sekitar pukul 00.20. Setelah mendengar suara tembakan itu kemudian muncul dua buah ambulan langsung keluar dari Mapolda yang diperkirakan mengangkut jenasah terpidana mati Sumiasih dan Sugeng menuju RSUD Dr Soetomo untuk dilakukan otopsi. Sutedja Djayasasmita, SH, pengacara terdakwa, yang mengikuti jalannya eksekusi, melaporkan, kliennya, Sumiasih dan Sugeng, ditembak dalam posisi duduk berdampingan oleh dua regu tembak pada jarak lima meter, dengan busana serba putih dan kedua matanya ditutup kain hitam. Sebelum ditembak, kedua terpidana mati itu dipersilahkan berdoa terlebih dahulu yang dipimpin oleh masing-masing rohaniawan yang disediakan Kejati. Setelah eksekusi dilakukan, dua dokter tim forensik dari Polda Jatim kemudian menghampiri untuk memastikan keduanya telah meninggal. Sebelumnya, Sumiasih dan Sugeng telah berpesan agar setelah dieksekusi bisa dikubur di dalam satu liang lahat di TPU Samaan, Kota Malang. Keduanya akhirnya dieksekusi Sabtu dini hari tadi setelah selama 20 tahun telah mengajukan grasi sebanyak tiga kali kepada tiga presiden yang berbeda dan semuanya ditolak. Foto: Istimewa

Pesona Kumis Dalam Pilkada

Pemilihan Kepala Daerah (Pilkada) secara langsung membutuhkan politik pencitraan yang kuat. Calon dipilih berdasarkan citranya di masyarakat.

Repotnya, pemilih tak pernah memperhatikan apakah citra masing-masing calon ternyata kerap dimunculkan oleh pencitraan buatan. Persoalannya, para calon telah dengan sengaja memunculkan pencitraannya lewat iklan-iklan yang mengepung kehidupan masyarakat, termasuk melalui media televisi. Akibatnya, masyarakat yang tinggal di Papua, misalnya, juga "dipaksa" menyaksikan berbagai iklan Pilkada di daerah lain. Terlebih, dua stasiun televisi swasta nasional turut menampilkan acara "Debat Pilkada" dalam salah satu programnya, yang didalamnya dipenuhi oleh "politik pencitraan". Salah satu pencitraan itu adalah melalui kumis.

Tercatat, paling tidak terdapat tiga Pilkada yang menampilkan calonnya sebagai "Si Kumis". Pertama, Pilkada DKI Jakarta, 8 Agustus 2007. Saat itu Fauzi Bowo yang kebetulan berkumis sering tampil di hadapan publik dengan jargon "coblos kumisnya!". Kedua, Pilkada di Sulawesi Selatan (Sulsel). Salah satu calonnya, Syahrul Yasin Limpo, yang juga berkumis, lewat beberapa bilboard, dalam berkampanye, sering menonjolkan kumisnya.

Serta yang ketiga adalah Pilkada Jawa Timur (Jatim). Bahkan salah satu pasangan calon berikut wakilnya ada yang sama-sama berkumis, yaitu "Pak De" Soekarwo dan "Gus Ipul" Saifullah Yusuf. Dalam iklan kampanyenya baik melalui liflet, poster, banner maupun televisi, pasangan ini menjual kumisnya dengan meneriakkan jargon "Coblos Brengose!".

Pada acara debat yang menghadirkan masing-masing Cagub Jatim di Hotel Mercure, Surabaya, yang juga ditayangkan oleh salah satu stasiun televisi swasta nasional, Senin (7/7), pengamat komunikasi, Efendy Gazali, sempat bertanya pada pasangan nomor 5 Pilkada Jatim ini, "Apa hubungannya kumis dengan politik?".

Dijawab Gus Ipul bahwa kumis yang dimaksud ada dua: "Kumis yang pertama dimaksudkan untuk mempererat "kumisrahan" dan kumis yang kedua untuk mengurangi "kumiskinan" (baca: kemiskinan)". Tentu saja bekas Menteri Perencanaan Kawasan Daerah Tertinggal ini setengah berseloroh.

Yang jelas, sejak zaman dahulu, kumis telah dilekatkan untuk memperkuat sosok tokoh pemimpin. Ambil contoh Pak Raden, tokoh rekaan dalam film boneka Si Unyil ini diidentifikasi dari kumisnya yang panjang melintang dan lebat untuk memunculkan karakter yang kerap memerintah anak-anak sebagai wujud "yang kuasa" untuk memarahi. Tokoh lainnya, yang lebih realis, adalah Adolf Hitler. Walau kumisnya tak lebat, paling tidak dia sudah terbukti mampu memimpin pasukannya dengan tangan besi.

Terlepas dari itu, dalam dua Pilkada sebelumnya di DKI dan Sulsel telah sukses dimenangkan oleh kandidat berkumis. Keampuhan khasiat kumis ini kembali akan diuji dalam Pilkada Jatim yang akan berlangsung pada tanggal 27 Juli mendatang.

Naskah: Zulkifli/ http://www.kabarindonesia.com/

Karikatur: http://www.parismoustacheclub.com/