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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on October 22nd, 2008 U.S. agrees to debt-for-nature swap to preserve Peru rainforests. In a bid to preserve some of Peru’s biologically diverse rainforests, the United States agreed this week to a $25 million debt-for-nature swap with the country, Peru’s second since 2002. Over the next seven years, in exchange for erasing millions of their debt, Peru will fund local non-governmental organizations dedicated to protecting tropical rain forests of the southwestern Amazon Basin and dry forests of the central Andes. “This agreement will build on the success of previous U.S. government debt swaps with Peru and will further the cause of environmental conservation in a country with one of the highest levels of biodiversity on the planet,” said Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. Other debt-for-nature agreements have already been brokered with Bangladesh, Belize, Botswana, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay, and the Philippines.
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on September 5th, 2008 IOM Press Briefing Notes INDONESIA – Religious Teachers Carry Ramadan Message of Community Policing to Aceh - IOM is working with the Ar-Raniry State Islamic Institute and the Aceh Provincial Police (Polda NAD) through the Holy month of Ramadhan to promote community policing in the Indonesia’s northernmost province through the use of Islamic cultural values unique to the area. The 15-day Safari Kemitraan Ramadhan (Ramadhan Partnership Road show), which kicks off today, is funded by the European Commission and the Royal Netherlands Embassy, and aims to inform villagers about the value of community policing using religious messages. IOM is providing logistical support, transport and printed materials for the team of religious teachers from the Institute and police officers implementing the scheme. “Communities in Aceh will benefit from all the positive values embodied in community policing. The roadshow will help to endorse the program and will be an effective tool to build partnerships with Acehnese across the province,” says Dr. Abdul Rani, Msi, a professor of Ar-Raniry. Aceh Senior Police Commissioner Setyanto says he supports the use of a culturally sensitive approach to informing a public that is deeply suspicious of the police. Aceh was the scene of a violent, decades-long separatist conflict that drew to a close in 2005, with the signing of a peace agreement between rebels and the central government. {As it happens, Aceh is also home of large oil fields with international oil companies having had involvement here. Aceh once was sponsored from the outside in its attempt of becoming independent from Indonesia - thus the announcement and the backing are quite interesting.} IOM is in the midst of a two year programme to training more than 7,200 of the roughly 9,200 police officers in Aceh in community policing and human rights. The trainings aim to reduce conflict and underpin a return to peace and security in the province. For further information, please contact Jihan Labetubun at IOM Jakarta. Tel. +62 8111907028. Email: jlabetubun at iom.int Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on August 16th, 2008 WIP on our website means WORK (WRITING) IN PROGRESS - or simply unfinished article. When finished the WIP will be taken off but the article will stay in place without the UPDATED designation. Nevertheless, theses introductory lines will remain as a reminder that the article had a long birth. *** The meeting, August 15, 2008 was chaired by the Ambassador For Palau. Present were also the Ambassadors from Nauru and from Fiji. Many other Missions were represented - some of these missions have representatives on the working committee. Involved are also some of the active NGOs. At present the sponsors of a resolution to be brought before the UN General Assembly are 11 from among the 14 Pacific Small Island Developing States - Fiji, Marshall Islands, The Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu; the Maldives and Seychelles from non-Pacific SIDS; Canada, the Philippines from among larger States. But these 15 States will pick up many more co-sponsors. Mentioned were Turkey, the EU, Austria and Iceland that have expressed their eagerness to join. There is no opposition we were told - but only some hesitation because it is seen as a new approach to the problem of the humanitarian impact of climate change that goes on already - this while in major UN institutions the debate has not led yet to action. The inhabitants of the small islands of the Pacific are the first to lose their habitat - and what we see is the eradication of UN Member States by this predictable catastrophe. On our website we announced this encounter between the proponents of the resolution and the NGOs: Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on August 15th, 2008
by Pincas Jawetz (PJ@SustainabiliTank.com)We also pointed out the topically relevant event at the Lincoln Center’s “Mostly Mozart Festival” when Lemi Ponifasio’s REQUIEM had its two evenings before a New York audience.The history of this special effort by the Pacific SIDS started on February 15, 2008, in a speech by Ambassador Stuart Beck of Palau, before the UN General Assembly:http://www.palauun.org/news_archive.cfm?news_id=189 NEW YORK, NY, www.islandsfirst.org February 15, 2008 — Addressing the General Assembly of the United Nations at the High Level Debate on Climate Change, H.E. Stuart Beck, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Palau, citing the “life or death” nature of sea-level rise for the world’s island nations, urged the Security Council to utilize its powers under Chapter VII of the UN Charter to address this threat to member states by imposing mandatory greenhouse gas emission standards on all member states, and utilizing the power to sanction, if necessary, to encourage compliance with such standards. He said:
The full text of Ambassador Beck’s remarks at the UN Climate Change debate is as follows: “Mr. President, esteemed colleagues, friends: The waters continue to rise in Palau, and everywhere else. Salinization of fresh water and formerly productive lands continues apace. The reefs, the foundation of our food chain, experience periodic bleaching and death. Throughout the Pacific, sea level rise has not only generated plans for the relocation of populations, but such relocations are actually in progress. Though this litany of disasters has become well known in these halls, no action with remedial consequences has been taken. Larger countries can build dikes, and move to higher ground. This is not feasible for the small island states who must simply stand by and watch their cultures vanish. Is the United Nations simply powerless to act in the face of this threat to the very existence of many of its member states? We suggest that it is not. Last April, under the Presidency of the United Kingdom, the Security Council took up the issue of climate change. At that time, while there were some expressions of discomfort with the venue of the debate, a discomfort which we decidedly did not share, there was general agreement with the notion expressed by the President of the Security Council, UK Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett that climate change is a threat to “our collective security in a fragile and increasingly interdependent world”. Islands are not the only countries whose existence is threatened. Ambassador Kaire Mbuende of Namibia characterized climate change as a “ a matter of life or death” for his country, observing that “ the developing countries in particular, have been subjected to what could be described as low-intensity biological or chemical warfare. Greenhouse gases are slowly destroying plants, animals and human beings.” Speaking on behalf of the Pacific Island Forum at last years Security Council debate Ambassador Robert Aisi, of Papua New Guinea observed that climate change is no less a threat to small island states than the dangers of guns and bombs to larger countries. Pacific Island countries are likely to face massive dislocations of people, similar to flows sparked by conflict, and such circumstances will generate as much resentment, hatred and alienation as any refugee crisis. Ambassador Aisi observed then, and we reiterate now, that it is the Security Council which is charged with protecting human rights and the integrity and security of States. The Security Council is empowered to make decisions on behalf of all States to take action on threats to international peace and security. While we applaud the efforts of the President of the General Assembly and the Secretary General to shine a light on this awful problem, we take this opportunity to respectfully call upon the Security Council to react to the threat which we describe. Would any nation facing an invading army not do the same? Under Article 39 of the Charter, the Security Council “shall determine the existence of any threat to peace…and shall make recommendations…to maintain or restore international peace or security”. We call upon the Security Council to do this in the context of climate change. Under Articles 40 and 41 of the Charter, it is the obligation of the Security Council to “prevent an aggravation of the situation” and to devise appropriate measures to be carried out by all States to do this. While we Small Island states do not have all the answers, we are not unmindful of the scientific certainty that excessive greenhouse gas emissions by states are the cause of this threat to international security and the existence of our countries. We therefore suggest that the Security Council should consider the imposition of mandatory emission caps on all states and use its power to sanction in order to encourage compliance. We further propose that under Article 11 of the Charter, the General Assembly is empowered to call to the attention of the Security Council “situations which are likely to endanger international peace and security” and, at the appropriate time, we will call upon this body to do so. In the event that the General Assembly chooses not to avail itself of this right, then we will call upon the countries whose very existence is threatened to utilize Article 34 of the Charter, which empowers each Member State to bring to the attention of the Security Council any issue which “might lead to international friction”. Our Charter provides a way forward. Our Security Council has the wisdom and the tools to address this situation. And while we debate, the waters are rising. Thank you.” Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on August 16th, 2008 http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20… Saturday, Aug. 16, 2008 Cabinet trio visit Yasukuni. By KAZUAKI NAGATA, Staff writer, Japan Times online. Cabinet ministers and at least 53 Diet members visited Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on surrender day Friday while Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and two key ministers opted to keep their distance from the contentious landmark, which served as Japan’s spiritual pillar during the war.
The 63rd anniversary of Japan’s surrender, Former nationalistic Prime Ministers Junichiro Koizumi and Shinzo Abe also paid their respects Friday. Koizumi was notorious for making annual visits to the shrine while prime minister from 2001 to 2006, including on surrender day in his final year. Each visit provoked harsh outcries from China and South Korea. Joining them Friday were farm minister Seiichi Ota, Justice Minister Okiharu Yasuoka, consumer affairs minister Seiko Noda and nationalist Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara, who went for a ninth year in a row. Noda, often regarded as having the best chance of becoming Japan’s first female prime minister, previously visited the shrine when she was posts minister. When asked if she felt awkward about coming to the shrine while Fukuda did not, Noda said his decision was based on his opinion and the Cabinet was not told to refrain. “People have different religious views, so (going to a shrine) should be freely allowed,” said Lower House member Yoshinobu Shimamura, who heads a nonpartisan group that visits the shrine together. Shimamura led 52 other Diet conservatives on the annual visit. Despite the scorching weather, the shrine attracted a myriad of visitors, many there to witness the lawmakers’ visit. The shrine served as the backbone for the Shinto fervor that drove Japan’s war. Dead soldiers were enshrined there as gods who protected the country, and many relatives of the war dead still go to Yasukuni to remember loved ones even 63 years after the end of the war. A 56-year-old man from Ishikawa Prefecture who requested anonymity said Yasukuni’s supporters and detractors both have their points, and it is difficult to say what’s right regarding the politicians’ visits. The prime minister and other ministers may need to be careful about expressing their views too much because “it is a fact that visiting Yasukuni has caused problems,” he said. On the other hand, while asserting an understanding of other countries’ viewpoints, he said they should not be so critical of a “domestic” issue. ————– Fukuda sticks to neutral venues: Prime minister honors nation’s war dead at nonreligious Budokan, Chidorigafuchi ceremonies. Friday marked the 63rd anniversary of the public radio address made by Emperor Hirohito, posthumously known as Showa, announcing Japan’s surrender, ending World War II. Fukuda, echoing several of his predecessors, expressed “deep remorse” to all of the war dead, adding that Japan caused “tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations.” Fukuda, widely known for his relatively dovish stance toward Asia, did not visit the contentious war-linked Yasukuni Shrine, which many parts of Asia in particular regard as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism. Instead, he attended the war dead commemoration ceremony and visited the religiously unaffiliated Chidorigafuchi war memorial, near Yasukuni, dedicated to unknown Japanese service members.
“The government should seriously consider establishing a memorial facility that is not based on a particular religion and one where everyone can unite and pay tribute,” Kono said. “Our nation and our neighboring countries still have unresolved issues related to history that have become a thorn and are causing friction.” Meanwhile, at a news conference Friday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said the government “does not need to take action” immediately to push for the alternative memorial facility.
Every year, the spotlight shines on the shrine and whether the prime minister and any of his Cabinet ministers will pay a visit. —————- War widow - now 94-year old - goes to first ceremony. Her husband was killed in the Philippines. Kyodo News, Over the past 63 years, Yotsu Iimura had not joined the annual national memorial ceremony on Aug. 15 to commemorate the war dead. But this year, the 94-year-old decided to come although she is in a wheelchair, becoming one of the oldest relatives of the war dead attending the ceremony, which is seeing fewer and fewer participants as the survivors pass away with the years. “My heart is too full to talk. I’m really happy,” she said, entering Tokyo Budokan Hall. This year, 4,579 surviving kin of deceased Japanese soldiers attended the Budokan ceremony. A decade ago, the number was 5,662. Iimura had hesitated to attend because “many bereaved families had been attending the ceremony,” she said. “But not much time is left for me, either. I feel lonely since fewer families are attending,” she said. Iimura’s husband, Shoji, was killed in action on Luzon Island in the Philippines at age 31. He had been a refrigerator maker before being drafted in 1944. Iimura learned in 1947 that her husband was dead. ———————– Bunce served as chief of the Religious and Cultural Resources Division at the general headquarters of the Allied Forces, working to separate militarism and nationalism from Shinto to promote the demilitarization of Japan under orders from the Allied commander in chief, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the paper said. But Bunce allowed Shinto, stripped of its nationalism, to continue and believers to worship privately, it said. A native of Ohio, Bunce earned a master’s degree in history from Ohio State University in 1933 and taught English at a Japanese junior college during the 1930s, according to the Washington Post. After the Occupation, he became a diplomat and served at embassies in India and South Korea before retiring in 1971. Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on August 15th, 2008 The 14 UN Member States belonging to the group of PACIFIC SIDS, have really had it with the UN Security Council that just talks about climate change being a security issue in the abstract, while these Island-States are getting lost to the sea-rise effect of global warming. The people of Kiribati are already abandoning their homeland and moving to New Zealand. Many islands are in danger of similar extinction. The PACIFIC SIDS are appealing now directly to the NGOs and there will be a meeting, at the UN, Friday August 15, 2008 10 am. To be allowed into the UN compound - one can call the Mission of Tonga at 917-369-1025. The 14 States are: Cook Islands, Federated State of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, The Kingdom of Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu. The 14 States, backed also by Canada, Maldives, Philippines, and Seychelles, have prepared a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly, thus by-passing the UN Security Council. The title of the resolution is: “THE THREAT OF CLIMATE CHANGE TO INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY.” Thirteen out of the 14 States are in the following map - missing is Palau, that became independent in a special Compact relationship with the US after this map was prepared. Palau is Located South-West of Micronesia - North of Papua New Guinea - a little off this map.
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on August 4th, 2008 Israeli startup turns Asia’s three-wheelers green. A snazzy green Yamaha RS100T motorcycle with a sidecar will be the greenest taxi in the Philippines in the near future. The vehicle will be fitted with three compact cylinders of natural gas, using technology developed by Israeli-American company, Energtek.
With oil prices skyrocketing, and increased concern about pollution, Energtek’s proprietary ANG technology is a breakthrough for countries where two and three-wheeled vehicles predominate. During the past year, Energtek has successfully entered three Asian markets - the Philippines, India, and Indonesia.
* * * Ban on polluting vehicles Tricycles or vespas are relatively low-cost to buy, but - and this is a big drawback — they emit high levels of smoky pollution when powered by gasoline. In a drastic measure to try to control pollution, the Philippine government is about to put a ban on the use of highly polluting two-stroke vehicles, powered with gasoline. “Energtek’s technology provides a solution for two million tricycle drivers to continue to operate their vehicles, preventing them from suffering a significant loss of livelihood…” says Ariel P. Lim, the Philippine President’s Special Advisor for Public Transport Affairs. Last Wednesday, Energtek signed an agreement with the Philippine National Oil Company to convert half a million three-wheeled vehicles to natural gas within three to four years. Energtek will buy the gas from stranded wells in the province of Isabela, and use its technology in a multi-phase conversion project, dubbed “the world’s first commercial ANG project.” It hopes to convert 50,000 tricycles within 18 months. This initiative is expected to generated revenues of $20 million in vehicles equipment sales and $40 million in annual gas sales. Inventive contributions: He’s not the only well known name at the company. Prof. Yuri Ginzburg, the company’s CTO, is a world expert in the automotive industry, and a specialist in alternative fuel systems. Eliezer Sandberg, chairman of the board, is a former Israel Minister of National Infrastructure. Investors in the company include a major Swiss bank, a UK Fund, and an Austrian investment company that specializes in the energy field. Energtek is the first company to produce a cost-effective Adsorbed Natural Gas (ANG) system. ANG technology is a storage system that adds solid nano-porous activated carbon material (like the kind used as filters in fish tanks) to adsorb (not absorb) natural gas (NG). Molecules of methane stick close together on the material becoming a dense film. These molecules are then compressed into less space while using a third less pressure than typical Compressed NG systems. With more gas power capacity in each tank, driving ranges are increased. Three cylinders (which look like scuba diving tanks), with eight liters each, contain enough fuel for 100-120 kilometers of driving. In the past, alternative storage systems have proved more expensive than the vehicles, and Energtek’s unique ANG technology application is the first that has passed road tests in the Philippines and India. “Natural Gas is abundant but often ’stranded,’ not easily accessible,” explains Zaidenberg. “Our innovative technology is not dependent on pipelines. Unlike oil, natural gas does not have to be refined.
“The cost of natural gas using our ANG technology and Fast Interchangeable Tanks (FIT) is about half the cost of gasoline,” says Zaidenberg. Retrofitting vehicles to use natural gas only takes a few hours. “The owner gets back his investment ($250 to $350) in a few months because of huge savings in fuel,” says Zaidenberg. The banks will also offer micro-financing schemes. An even larger marker is India with 80 million motorcycles and two and three-wheelers. Earlier this year, Energtek signed a joint venture with Confidence Petroleum in India, setting up a subsidiary with exclusive rights to commercialize Energtek’s NG technology across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The $25 million investment/financing deal includes transport of mobile pipes for industrial use of NG, and providing NG for automotive fleets, as well as scooters and motorcycles. Energtek has also recently announced a similar $25 million joint venture with DML PTE, a prominent Indonesian manufacturer of transportation and energy management systems. In Indonesia, the government is set to cut gasoline subsidies by 35 percent. Low-income owners of 35 million two and three-wheeled vehicles will be hit hard. The Joint Venture with DML PTE will commercialize Energtek’s technology in Singapore, and Malaysia as well as Indonesia. Revenues are expected to surpass $100 million. *** What about cars and trucks? “We are developing a storage system for four-wheeled vehicles,” Zaidenberg confirms. “The marine market is also a huge target.” “We have the right technology at the right time,” adds Zaidenberg. “Just think a short time ago we were just five guys with technology, no business. Now we have a business that is worldwide. Even Iran, the third largest oil producer is converting to gas.” Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on June 4th, 2008 UNEP PRESS RELEASE
NAIROBI/WELLINGTON, 4 June 2008 – Two projects bringing renewable energy to The two winning projects are Sunlabob Rural Energy Ltd (Lao PDR) and The Prize acts as an incentive for grassroots environmental efforts that This year’s theme for the award was “Moving towards a low carbon economy”, Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, The Winners Sunlabob Rural Energy Ltd., set up in 2001, is bringing energy to remote In an area where most people rely on highly polluting kerosene lamps, the The equipment is rented through Village Energy Committees (VEC) selected by The potential for growth in the use of solar PV in the Lao PDR is huge. The project is also highly replicable. Sunlabob is already starting work Practical Action, founded in 1966, is working in Peru’s eastern Andes where Through this project, Practical Action is also boosting local industry, as The electricity supply is boosting the development of the remote The UNEP Sasakawa Prize was originally created in 1982 by the late Ryoichi Sasakawa. The Prize wasre-launched in its current format in 2005, and is currently chaired by Mr. The five members of the 2008 UNEP Sasakawa Prize jury are UNEP Executive As well as the two winning projects, the 2008 shortlist also included four The Kigali Institute of Science, Technology and Management has The AlternativeIndigenous Development Foundation is installing hydro-powered water pumps The Mwanza Rural Housing Programme is training villagers in northern Tanzania to make high-quality And SKG Sangha has set up a biogas programme in southern India to replace To find out more about World Environment Day, go to: *********************************** |