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Conhecimento indígena inova estratégia de combate a incêndios

Neste momento, mais de 1.600 brigadistas do Centro Nacional de Prevenção e Combate aos Incêndios Florestais (Prevfogo), do Ibama, estão trabalhando em todo o Brasil. Em 2021, o Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (Inpe) já registrou mais de 110 mil focos de queimadas, o que promete superar o ano passado, o pior desde 2008. Mas, enquanto as chamas se alastram país afora, o chefe de brigada Bolivar Xerente conta que a situação na Terra Indígena (TI) Xerente, onde vive, no Tocantins, está menos crítica do que em outros locais. “Conseguimos reduzir o capim seco, que é o combustível. Quando a gente fez as queimas de baixa intensidade, conseguimos preservar. Se alguém colocar fogo agora, acidental ou criminoso, não vai ter aquele incêndio de grande proporção”, afirma.

A ciência está ao lado de Bolivar ao apontar o próprio fogo como solução para os incêndios que se espalham pelos diferentes biomas brasileiros, ameaçando a biodiversidade e agravando as mudanças climáticas com a liberação de gases de efeito estufa na atmosfera. Quando utilizado de maneira controlada e monitorada, nos lugares e épocas certas, o fogo pode ser benéfico, como sabem há séculos os povos indígenas que aprenderam a manejá-lo de forma a preservar o ambiente onde vivem.

Essa é uma das principais premissas do Manejo Integrado do Fogo (MIF), que pode virar política nacional caso o Projeto de Lei (PL) 11.276/2018 seja aprovado pelo Congresso Nacional – hoje, a matéria aguarda votação na Câmara dos Deputados em caráter de urgência. O projeto, apresentado pelo Executivo em 2018, é item prioritário de um “pacote ambientalista” que deputados federais se articulam para votar antes da próxima Conferência do Clima da ONU, a COP26, que ocorrerá em novembro na Escócia, como forma de minorar as pressões internacionais. 

Fontes ouvidas pela Agência Pública garantem que o PL que institui o MIF é consenso político e não deve enfrentar dificuldades para ser aprovado. “Ele não tem polêmica entre ruralistas e ambientalistas”, diz Suely Araújo, especialista sênior em políticas públicas do Observatório do Clima e presidente do Ibama na época em que a proposta foi elaborada. De acordo com Suely, a bancada ruralista não se opõe à matéria porque ela “não interfere no negócio deles, na verdade, ajuda”.

O MIF é aplicado em maior escala pelo Prevfogo/Ibama por meio do programa Brigadas Federais (BRIFs), que desde 2014 inclui esquadrões em terras indígenas. Em 2021, 45 brigadas indígenas reúnem 800 pessoas de cerca de 50 povos em 11 estados. Os brigadistas são contratados pelo governo federal por seis meses no ano, pouco antes e durante a época seca – que pode variar dependendo do bioma –, e recebem por volta de um salário-mínimo por mês (o valor é maior para cargos de chefia e supervisão).

Indígenas dos povos Manoki e Myky, do Mato Grosso, iniciando as ações de Manejo Integrado do Fogo em maio deste ano

“O conceito de Manejo Integrado do Fogo abrange tudo que é feito para proteger uma área contra incêndios florestais, desde a prevenção até o combate”, destaca Rodrigo Falleiro, analista ambiental do Prevfogo/Ibama e um dos principais pesquisadores brasileiros do tema. Quando ele fala em prevenção, refere-se, por exemplo, a duas modalidades de queimas: as prescritas, feitas para fins de preservação ambiental ou pesquisa, e as controladas, realizadas para abrir roças e pastos – ambas executadas com planejamento, monitoramento e objetivos predefinidos.

A era do “fogo zero”

Antes dessa abordagem, a política adotada pelo Ibama era a do  “fogo zero”, que via o fogo como prejudicial em todas as circunstâncias e tinha como objetivo evitá-lo a qualquer custo. No entanto, com o passar dos anos, pesquisadores perceberam que alguns ecossistemas – sobretudo nos biomas Cerrado e Pantanal – são, na verdade, dependentes do fogo. “Se não houver uma intervenção de fogo periódica nesses ecossistemas, eles começam a perder vivacidade; muitas plantas e animais que vivem naquele lugar não conseguem mais viver. E, além de ajudar na preservação da biodiversidade, as queimas ajudam a evitar incêndios florestais, por acúmulo de combustível, e a produzir recursos naturais para as comunidades”, explica Falleiro.

Em 2007, o Ibama promoveu a primeira experiência de resgate de conhecimentos sobre o uso do fogo com um povo indígena do Cerrado, os Paresi, do Mato Grosso – o levantamento se deu sobretudo com o objetivo de analisar os efeitos do fogo sobre os animais e as plantas frutíferas.

Brigadistas em combate a incêndio na TI Parque Indígena do Xingu, no Mato Grosso Foto:Vinicius Mendonça/Ibama

A metodologia ali desenvolvida foi sendo aperfeiçoada ao longo do tempo e se tornou o que hoje se conhece como Manejo Integrado do Fogo, que associa as técnicas de prevenção e combate a incêndios às necessidades específicas do ecossistema e das comunidades que o habitam. “É a mistura da caixa de ferramentas do conhecimento técnico-científico, que a gente adquire com a academia, universidades e ciência, com a caixa de ferramentas do conhecimento tradicional”, diz Alexandre Pereira, brigadista e analista ambiental do Prevfogo/Ibama que há anos trabalha com brigadas indígenas do Mato Grosso do Sul.

O MIF é mais relevante em ecossistemas dependentes do fogo porque as queimas prescritas, além de beneficiarem fauna e flora, servem para retirar o excesso de material orgânico inflamável e impedir que um foco de fogo acidental saia de controle e se torne um incêndio. Porém, segundo Falleiro, ele se aplica também a áreas de floresta, principalmente para auxiliar na abertura de roças tradicionais. “Os brigadistas entram, se organizam para queimar todos no mesmo dia, a comunidade ajuda, os brigadistas vêm com os equipamentos e procuram fazer essas roças junto para evitar que ocorram grandes incêndios, até porque a queima de roças é bem na época da seca”, aponta. 

A aliança entre conhecimento técnico e tradicional

Hoje é consenso científico que as políticas de “fogo zero” foram prejudiciais a ecossistemas que evoluíram com o fogo porque favoreciam a ocorrência de grandes incêndios. Mas, quando elas ainda eram a estratégia oficial dos principais órgãos ambientais do país, os anciões indígenas da região já sabiam de seus riscos.

Bolivar Xerente conta que, quando começou a trabalhar na brigada da TI Xerente, ouviu um alerta de um dos “velhos” de seu povo. “Chegamos na aldeia dele e falamos que não podia colocar fogo. Ele disse: ‘Meu filho, vocês não vão dar conta de conter esse incêndio, o Cerrado necessita de você colocar um fogo controlado’. E falamos: ‘Não, a gente segura [o incêndio], a gente foi capacitado’. A gente segurou em julho, agosto, e no final de setembro uma pessoa – não foi intencional – fez um aceiro, mas começou a ventar muito, e um fagulho caiu no capim seco”, relembra.

“Esse fogo pegou e só parou quando topou o rio Tocantins. E lembramos da história do velho, que me chamou depois e disse: ‘Lembra do que eu falei pra você? [Não adianta] vocês aplicarem só o conhecimento técnico, que é feito no escritório. A gente, indígena e sertanejo, é da roça, a gente convive com isso, tudo aquilo tem um porquê, tem um objetivo’. Aí começamos a entender”, descreve.

Na contramão do que diziam os líderes indígenas, os órgãos ambientais promoviam ações educativas nas comunidades para abordar os malefícios do fogo e desestimular seu uso em qualquer situação. “Aí muito do que esses indígenas tinham de conhecimento de uso do fogo, de interação com o ambiente, acabou se perdendo”, assinala Pereira. “Em vez da gente criar uma solução, a gente criou um problema, e agora estamos tentando reverter.”

Em 2012, algumas mudanças abriram a possibilidade de uma nova abordagem, entre elas a permissão de manejo do fogo pelo novo Código Florestal Brasileiro. Pouco depois, em 2014, as primeiras brigadas federais indígenas foram contratadas. Parcerias internacionais também foram importantes, como a proporcionada pelo projeto Cerrado-Jalapão, entre os governos de Brasil e Alemanha, que capacitou técnicos brasileiros.

Com as novas diretrizes, a dinâmica de trabalho mudou. “Antes a gente chegava e impunha como ia ser o regime do fogo nas comunidades. Chegávamos e dizíamos: ‘Olha, aqui no Cerrado não pode ter fogo”, afirma Falleiro. Com a nova abordagem, “em vez de chegar dizendo que o fogo faz mal, [agora] a gente procura ouvir mais o conhecimento deles e comparar com o conhecimento científico, que em geral corrobora 100% com o conhecimento tradicional”. Além disso, para Pereira, a comunicação gera uma “relação de confiança entre o órgão público e as comunidades tradicionais”.

Entretanto, mesmo que o potencial de dano da política de zero tolerância ao fogo esteja comprovado, o MIF, de acordo com Falleiro, ainda é “exceção” no Brasil, já que poucos estados o aplicam. Por isso, é considerada essencial a aprovação da Política Nacional de Manejo Integrado do Fogo, elaborada principalmente por servidores do Ibama e ICMBio, com apoio de outros órgãos federais, e proposta enquanto projeto de lei pela gestão de Michel Temer em 2018.

Além de padronizar procedimentos de prevenção e combate aos incêndios florestais no país, a proposta prevê, entre outros pontos, a criação de um comitê nacional que comandará a articulação institucional para execução da política nacional nos diferentes biomas brasileiros. Como presidente do Ibama à época, Suely Araújo acompanhou todo o processo de construção do texto. “Ele vem para consolidar a atuação e formalizar o que já ocorre há vários anos. Dá uma institucionalidade do ponto de vista organizacional, diz quais órgãos vão participar da organização [da Política Nacional de Manejo do Fogo]”, indica. 

Ela conta que não houve dificuldades para que a iniciativa fosse encampada pelo governo federal em 2018 e que por isso pensava que seria aprovada na Câmara em poucos meses. “Mas mudou o governo e as coisas enrolaram. Ficou com uma falta de atenção, ficou parado porque era um projeto do Executivo e o Executivo não estava nem aí. Na verdade, quem está puxando isso agora é o próprio Congresso”, destaca.

A deputada federal Rosa Neide (PT-MT), coordenadora da Comissão Externa de Queimadas em Biomas Brasileiros da Câmara e responsável pelo requerimento de urgência para a votação do projeto, explica que a ideia de resgatá-lo surgiu depois da temporada de incêndios florestais do ano passado. “Nós discutimos fortemente o que aconteceu em 2020, que foi o maior incêndio que o Pantanal já viveu, e aí a gente percebeu que aos entes federados, por mais que discutam – especialmente os estados e os municípios –, ainda faltam a orientação nacional e as definições legais”, afirma. 

De acordo com a parlamentar, o presidente Arthur Lira (PP-AL) já teria avisado “aos líderes que tem todo interesse que seja rápido” o trâmite da proposta, que é consensual e deve ser aprovada sem grandes mudanças. Para Rosa Neide, o que justifica o amplo apoio à matéria são a sua qualidade técnica e o momento político favorável, com a aproximação da COP26. “O Brasil está sendo muito cobrado. O olhar de fora para nós tá sendo muito forte, muito severo. O Brasil não está fazendo o dever de casa corretamente, então tudo ajuda a impulsionar para que tenhamos uma política correta de manejo do fogo.” Sem esse tipo de ações, questiona a deputada, “quando chegar na COP, o Brasil vai dizer o quê?”

Manejo Integrado do Fogo é apontado por pesquisadores como estratégia fundamental para prevenir incêndios florestais Foto:Vinicius Mendonça/Ibama

 

Alternativa contra as mudanças climáticas

Como a redução de focos de incêndio ou ao menos a atenuação de sua intensidade significam queda nas emissões de gases de efeito estufa, a Política Nacional de Manejo Integrado do Fogo é vista por especialistas como uma arma importante para mitigar as mudanças climáticas. 

E os resultados já podem ser observados nas TIs Xavante e Araguaia, as primeiras em que o Ibama realizou queimas prescritas junto à comunidade, em 2015. Segundo artigo publicado no início de setembro, assinado por seis pesquisadores – entre eles Rodrigo Falleiro –, entre 2014 e 2018 o MIF foi responsável pela diminuição das áreas afetadas por incêndios em ambas as TIs, em comparação à fase em que predominaram as políticas de “fogo zero” (de 2008 a 2013). 

O levantamento, feito com base em imagens de satélite, indica ainda que nos dois locais as queimas prescritas “efetivamente reduziram a ocorrência de grandes incêndios florestais, o número de grandes e médias cicatrizes na vegetação, a intensidade do fogo e emissões de gases de efeito estufa”. O estudo destaca também que esse tipo de queima é reconhecido como uma estratégia de mitigação climática em ecossistemas propensos ao fogo, “uma vez que as queimas de baixa intensidade não consomem todo o combustível e, consequentemente, liberam menos gases de efeito estufa do que os incêndios”.

As análises científicas se traduzem na realidade dos povos indígenas: Bolivar Xerente enxerga impactos positivos em termos de subsistência. “Melhorou muito a questão das frutas para a nossa comunidade. No início, quando a gente trabalhava com fogo zero, tínhamos dificuldade de colher frutas. A comunidade Xerente é extrativista, cata semente, e com a semente pode plantar, fazer remédio – temos muitos remédios tradicionais. O Manejo Integrado do Fogo veio para melhorar essa situação, para a gente preservar, fazer remédio tradicional, as frutas, [atrair] as caças”, aponta.

O MIF  pode ajudar também na redução de incêndios em florestas tropicais úmidas, como a Amazônia. Quando preservadas, normalmente não desenvolvem incêndios de grande intensidade e velocidade, porém estão ficando cada vez mais suscetíveis ao fogo, de acordo com os servidores do Prevfogo/Ibama ouvidos pela Pública. “A cada vez que esses incêndios passam na floresta, eles a tornam mais inflamável”, diz Falleiro. “Quanto mais a gente demora, mais floresta degradada a gente está produzindo. O problema não é só o que está pegando fogo hoje, mas é a condição de vulnerabilidade a grandes incêndios que a gente está construindo para o futuro ao insistir em políticas de fogo zero na maior parte do país.”

Foi justamente para evitar a degradação de um ponto específico da floresta que uma brigada na TI Yanomami, em Roraima, foi treinada nos últimos meses e vai entrar em ação pela primeira vez em novembro – o período de seca no estado começa só agora, em setembro, e vai até abril. “Ali é uma área de contato, muito próxima a assentamentos, ao lado de uma Floresta Nacional Federal [Floresta Nacional de Roraima] que já está bastante degradada pelo fogo. O fogo sai do assentamento, passa pela Flona e vai para a terra Yanomami”, explica Joaquim Parimé, coordenador do Prevfogo/Ibama em Roraima. A intenção, de acordo com ele, é construir aceiros – uma faixa de terreno livre de vegetação – impedir que o fogo avance sobre a floresta naquele local, próximo aos municípios de Mucajaí e Alto Alegre.

Para além do combate às chamas, uma das prioridades da brigada da TI Yanomami será auxiliar os agricultores indígenas locais a fazer a roça – atividade que, segundo Parimé, se não é feita de maneira controlada, apresenta alto risco de descontrole. “O grande objetivo é fazer com que a queima fique circunscrita somente à área que foi derrubada, que o fogo não escape e não cause um incêndio”, salienta.

Esta reportagem faz parte do especial Emergência Climática, que investiga as violações socioambientais decorrentes das atividades emissoras de carbono – da pecuária à geração de energia. A cobertura completa está no site do projeto.

Reportagem originalmente publicada na Agência Pública

Esta história foi partilhada como parte do World News Day 2021, a campanha global para destacar o papel fulcral do jornalismo baseado em fatos ao serviço da humanidade, no fornecimento de notícias e informações fiáveis ​. #JournalismMatters

Itaipu Binacional e o compromisso com a sustentabilidade

A discussão sobre as mudanças climáticas está cada vez maior e a preocupação com o meio ambiente também precisa ser. Nesse cenário, a Itaipu Binacional, maior Usina Hidrelétrica do mundo em geração de energia, tem desempenhado ao logo de sua história um papel de extrema importância na luta pela preservação da biodiversidade, como forma de combater as mudanças climáticas.

A Usina Hidrelétrica de Itaipu é mundialmente conhecida como um dos principais atrativos turísticos de Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná (BR). No entanto, muito mais do que uma belíssima obra estruturante construída pelo homem e que atrai visitantes do mundo todo para conhecer de perto essa grandiosidade, a Itaipu Binacional é de extrema importância não só para a geração de energia como também no desenvolvimento de ações sustentáveis, sendo reconhecida internacionalmente.

A Itaipu é uma empresa binacional criada pelo Brasil e Paraguai para gerar eletricidade usando o Rio Paraná e segue princípios de desenvolvimento sustentável refletidos em suas ações e programas integrados para a promoção do bem-estar social, crescimento econômico e proteção ambiental, contribuindo para a prosperidade regional. 

Em 2015 a Itaipu ganhou o Prêmio Mundial da Água, mas bem antes disso, desde a sua concepção, em 1974, a maior usina hidrelétrica do mundo, em geração de energia, tem trabalhado no desenvolvimento de programas, projetos e atividades de caráter social e ambiental em uma área que hoje abrange um total de 15 municípios do Paraguai e 55 municípios do Brasil, sendo 54 no oeste paranaense e um no Mato Grosso do Sul.

Foto: Alexandre Marchetti/Itaipu Binacional

Além disso, atua em diversas parcerias locais e globais de combate às mudanças climáticas e seus impactos. Esse compromisso se reflete nas ações de preservação e conservação da biodiversidade, em medidas de adaptação baseadas em ecossistema, como o aumento da cobertura florestal natural, a conservação de áreas protegidas e dos serviços ecossistêmicos e pela recuperação e proteção dos recursos hídricos na escala da bacia hidrográfica.

A Itaipu possui um forte protagonismo nacional e internacional, comprometida com todos os Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS) das Nações Unidas, estabelecidos na Agenda 2030. Essa agenda consiste em uma declaração global de interdependência em que os países comprometem-se a tomar medidas ousadas e transformadoras para promover o desenvolvimento sustentável em um horizonte de 15 anos.

O que são as ODS?

As ODS são uma agenda mundial adotada durante a Cúpula das Nações Unidas sobre o Desenvolvimento Sustentável em setembro de 2015, composta por 17 objetivos e 169 metas a serem atingidos até 2030. 

1 – Erradicação da pobreza;

2 – Fome zero e agricultura sustentável;

3 – Saúde e bem-estar;

4 – Educação de qualidade;

5 – Igualdade de gênero;

6 – Água potável e saneamento;

7 – Energia limpa e acessível;

8 – Trabalho decente e crescimento econômico;

9 – Indústria, inovação e infraestrutura;

10 – Redução das desigualdades;

11 – Cidades e comunidades sustentáveis;

12 – Consumo e produção responsáveis;

13 – Ação contra a mudança global do clima;

14 – Vida na água;

15 – Vida terrestres;

16 – Paz, justiça e instituições eficazes;

17 – Parcerias e meios de implementação. 

 

OBJETIVOS DO DESENVOLVIMENTO SUSTENTÁVEL (ODS) E RELAÇÕES INTERNACIONAIS

O protagonismo da Itaipu em relação aos 17 ODS é bastante forte e teve início antes mesmo da elaboração da Agenda 2030. As ações sustentáveis são feitas de forma integrada, com a cooperação de diversos parceiros. Com isso, as estratégias de sustentabilidade da Itaipu proporcionam ganhos à população e ao meio ambiente. 

Uma das importantes parcerias da Itaipu é com a UNDESA (Departamento das Nações Unidas para Assuntos Econômicos e Sociais). Em uma participação da Itaipu em um evento paralelo ao Fórum Político de Alto Nível (High Level Political Forum-HLPF, em inglês), foram apresentadas as experiências bem-sucedidas em água, energia e ação climática, e lançado o relatório “Soluções Sustentáveis em Água e Energia relacionadas à Mudança Climáticas”. 

Durante esse evento, o embaixador João Genésio de Almeida, representante permanente adjunto do Brasil junto às Nações Unidas (ONU), destacou que as negociações sobre as bases financeiras do Tratado da Itaipu vão além de questões energéticas e deixam um legado de sustentabilidade. O foco do HLPF, que acontece anualmente, é avaliar o avanço dos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS) e a Itaipu tem participação ativa desde 2018. 

Foto: Alexandre Marchetti/Itaipu Binacional

Outra importante parceria é entre a Itaipu e UNFCCC (Convenção-Quadro das Nações Unidas sobre a Mudança do Clima), onde foi firmada parceria com o Secretariado da Convenção Marco das Nações Unidas sobre Mudanças Climáticas, o Protocolo de Kyoto e o Acordo de Paris, para engajamento na Agenda 2030 e difusão do conhecimento relacionado aos temas “água”, “energia” e “mudanças climáticas” incluindo a organização e execução de eventos conjuntos antes e durante as 26ª e 27ª Sessões das Partes da Convenção Marco das Nações Unidas sobre Mudanças Climáticas (UNFCCC) — _COP 26 – 2021 e COP 27 – 2022. 

A celebração desta parceria contribui para a missão e visão da Itaipu, em termos de liderança mundial na produção de energia e comprometimento com o desenvolvimento sustentável, além de representar uma oportunidade para reafirmar junto à ONU o compromisso assumido quanto à geração de energia limpa e renovável e quanto à realização dos ODS.

Ações locais 

Além da relevância internacional, a Itaipu vem se destacando em nível local e regional com ações de preservação e conservação ambiental, e dentre elas pode-se destacar algumas dessas iniciativas:

SANEAMENTO PARA A GESTÃO DE RECURSOS HÍDRICOS E SEGURANÇA HÍDRICA: 

Objetivo: Fomentar a integração de um sistema de gestão dos recursos hídricos com a implantação de sistemas sustentáveis de esgotamento, visando a melhoria da qualidade da água que chega ao reservatório de Itaipu. 

Principais resultados: Recursos Hídricos e Segurança Hídrica: implantação de plataforma de integração de dados e gestão de recursos hídricos; mapeamento do déficit florestal para planejamento de ações de conservação/recuperação; implantação do Plano de Segurança da Água (PSA); 

Implantação de Sistemas Sustentáveis de Esgotamento Sanitário (SES): implementação de melhorias nas estações de tratamento de esgoto de seis municípios da área de contribuição hídrica ao reservatório; 

Sistema de monitoramento das estações de tratamento de esgoto da UHI, Centro de Recepção dos Visitantes e Refúgio Biológico Bela Vista, com a elaboração de seis boletins informativos.

MONITORAMENTO DA QUALIDADE DA ÁGUA NO RESERVATÓRIO

Objetivo: Monitorar a qualidade da água, visando segurança hídrica para manter as condições adequadas à geração de energia e aos usos múltiplos do reservatório.

Principais resultados: Nos últimos dois anos (2019 e 2020), o reservatório e a maioria dos braços foram classificados com boa qualidade de água: oligotrófico a mesotrófico (baixa concentração de nutrientes na água); 

Implantação de sistema de inteligência de dados para a priorização dos investimentos em ações ambientais na área de contribuição hídrica;

Todas as áreas públicas de lazer foram classificadas como próprias para a balneabilidade, conforme preconiza o Conselho Nacional de Meio Ambiente;

Implantada rede de monitoramento composta por 14 estações, 5 no corpo principal do reservatório e 9 nos braços; destas, 3 são telemétricas com registros horários. 

AQUICULTURA SUSTENTÁVEL

Objetivo: Fomentar o desenvolvimento sustentável da cadeia produtiva da aquicultura na região de influência do reservatório, buscando maior segurança hídrica.

Principais Resultados: 122.000 alevinos produzidos por ano no sistema de Bioflocos; 

1.900.000 larvas de pacu e 180.000 larvas de lambari produzidas por ano em sistemas tradicionais; 

61.000 alevinos doados por ano para engorda em tanques-rede; 

Assistência para 48 aquicultores atuantes no reservatório.

GESTÃO DE RESÍDUOS SÓLIDOS

Objetivo: Apoiar tecnicamente ações de gestão dos resíduos sólidos e saneamento nos municípios de atuação da Itaipu Binacional, com a finalidade de potencializar investimentos e auxiliar na promoção da segurança hídrica.

Principais Resultados: 15.575 toneladas de materiais recicláveis processados em 2020, acréscimo de 38% se comparado ao mesmo período do ano anterior; 

Potencial Teórico de Geração (PTG) de 18,93%. Esse é o índice de reciclagem regional. A média nacional é de 4% e a do estado do Paraná, 10%; 

25 Cooperativas/Associações de catadores contratadas pelos municípios em 2020 – acréscimo de 60% se comparado ao mesmo período em 2019; 

Acréscimo de 12% na renda dos catadores em 2020 e 884 postos de trabalho (aumento de 26%) – em alguns municípios, o aumento de renda dos catadores já chega a 448% desde o início do Programa, em 2003; 

51 municípios com Cooperativas/ Associações formalizadas, crescimento de 38% se comparado ao mesmo período em 2019; 

51 Unidades de Valorização de Recicláveis – UVRs concluídas e 18 em execução (69 projetadas); 

484 pessoas capacitadas em Gestão de Resíduos (técnicos municipais e catadores); 

292 consultorias realizadas em Gestão Administrativa, Jurídica e Contábil; 

43 técnicos de UVRs contratados; 

48 municípios preenchendo o Reciclômetro. (ano de referência 2020); 

Projeto de implantação de Unidade de Valorização de Resíduos Orgânicos (UVRO) em Santa Helena, PR (em andamento em 2020); 

Produção de materiais informativos e de divulgação: cartilha de gestão de UVRs, ímã de geladeira com o calendário da coleta seletiva, jingle para os caminhões de coleta, entre outros. 

Foto: Alexandre Marchetti/Itaipu Binacional

AGRICULTURA SUSTENTÁVEL

Objetivo: Promover o desenvolvimento rural sustentável e a redução de contaminantes da atividade agropecuária na área de contribuição hídrica do reservatório e outras áreas de interesse da Itaipu.

Principais resultados: Assistência técnica e extensão rural – ATER para 1.946 famílias da agricultura familiar; 

8.468 assessorias (ATER) realizadas/ano;

28 cooperativas familiares assessoradas; 

265 agroindústrias familiares assessoradas; 

Atendimento a 38 municípios; 

Vitrine tecnológica demonstrativa no Show Rural; 

Estação de Pesquisa em Agricultura Orgânica;

Apoio na estruturação do Mercado do Produtor; 

Desenvolvimento de pesquisas para geração de tecnologias para agricultura sustentável e orgânica;

Apoio na organização dos produtos da agricultura familiar para comercialização.

MONITORAMENTO DA FAUNA DE PEIXES

Objetivo: Monitorar os impactos da barragem e de sua operação sobre a ictiofauna, orientando medidas de conservação. 

Principais resultados: 16 anos de operação e monitoramento do Canal da Piracema, maior sistema de transposição para peixes do mundo, constatando seu uso por 186 espécies; 

56.851 peixes marcados em 24 anos de monitoramento das migrações, mostrando que espécieschave são capazes de transpor o Canal da Piracema vindas desde a UHE Yacyretá (440 km a jusante); 

Mapeamento das áreas de desova das espécies nativas, com destaque para as 21 migratórias, permitindo o zoneamento do reservatório e a indicação das áreas prioritárias para conservação;

Maior série histórica de dados sobre a pesca profissional em um reservatório do Brasil, indicando uma exploração sustentável dos estoques e rendimento estável há 20 anos; 

Monitoramento contínuo de 11 espécies exóticas e de seus impactos e interações com o ecossistema. 

CONSERVAÇÃO DA BIODIVERSIDADE 

Fauna, áreas protegidas, patrimônio ambiental, corredor de biodiversidade santa maria e viveiro florestal. 

Objetivos: Monitorar e conservar a fauna silvestre regional (bioma Mata Atlântica); Conservar a biodiversidade da flora regional contribuindo para a manutenção dos serviços ecossistêmicos em especial a segurança hídrica; Estabelecer a conexão entre o Parque Nacional do Iguaçu, outras áreas naturais e as áreas de preservação de Itaipu Binacional, recuperando áreas degradadas ao longo de microbacias; Produção de mudas de espécies florestais da Mata Atlântica destinadas aos programas de restauração de matas ciliares e áreas degradadas na região de contribuição hídrica ao reservatório da Itaipu, garantindo a sua saúde ambiental.

Principais resultados: Maior programa mundial de reprodução em cativeiro e conservação ex-situ da águia harpia, com o nascimento do 53º filhote;

24 milhões de mudas de árvores nativas produzidas e plantadas (maior programa de reflorestamento do setor elétrico);

902,6 hectares conservados, entre áreas naturais e de preservação permanente, envolvendo duas microbacias;

Distribuídas 5 milhões de mudas nos últimos 10 anos para 43 municípios da região.

GESTÃO POR BACIAS HIDROGRÁFICAS

Objetivo: Implementação de ações de manejo integrado de solo e água, alinhadas ao contexto de desenvolvimento territorial e segurança hídrica, reduzindo o aporte de sedimentos, nutrientes e outros poluentes na rede hídrica e no Reservatório da Itaipu. 

Principais resultados: 1.972 km de estradas rurais com adequações;

2.584 km de cascalhamento de estradas rurais; 

419 km de calçamento poliédrico; 

185 km de asfalto TST (tratamento superficial triplo); 

57.433 ha de solos conservados; 

225 unidades de abastecedouros comunitários; 

353 unidades de distribuidores de dejetos orgânicos; 

115 unidades de cisternas; 

483 nascentes recuperadas; 

1.346 km de cercas para proteção das matas ciliares.

“Na prática, a Itaipu tem, sempre teve e sempre terá uma grande preocupação com o ecossistema e a biodiversidade em todo o seu entorno. Cuidar das questões ambientais também garante a segurança hídrica e energética para o Brasil e para o Paraguai e contribui para o desenvolvimento sustentável, nos termos da nossa missão institucional”, destaca o General João Francisco Ferreira, Diretor-geral brasileiro da Itaipu Binacional.

 

Esta história,publicada aqui pela 100Fronteiras, foi partilhada como parte do World News Day 2021, a campanha global para destacar o papel fulcral do jornalismo baseado em fatos ao serviço da humanidade, no fornecimento de notícias e informações fiáveis ​. #JournalismMatters

Digging deep to understand rising sea levels

About 10,000 years ago, sea levels in Singapore were at least 20m lower than today.

But with the ice age coming to an end, melting land ice fuelled the oceans and sea levels rose over the next three millennia.

Eventually, rising waters flooded and killed a mangrove forest along Singapore’s southern coast, according to a new study by climate scientists at the Republic’s leading Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

On June 4, their findings were published in the scientific journal The Holocene. They offer insight into how rising sea levels at present could impact the country in the years to come – especially when the accelerating rate of sea-level rise due to human activity is taken into consideration.

Researchers found that from 10,000 to 5,000 years ago, sea levels were rising at rates as high as 10mm to 15mm a year.

Sea-level data for the subsequent two millennia is patchy and NTU researchers are looking to fill the gaps.

Preliminary data, however, indicates that modern sea levels were reached about 3,000 years ago and remained relatively constant until the start of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century.

In the 20th century, a warming planet due to human emissions caused sea levels to rise 1mm to 2mm a year as water expands when heated.

Today, the rate is between 3mm and 4mm a year – thermal expansion is still happening but land ice is also melting faster.

Scientists say sea levels would only rise faster, as mankind continues to burn fossil fuels and fell forests, putting more and more heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere.

Study lead author Stephen Chua, who did the research as part of his doctoral work at NTU’s Earth Observatory of Singapore and the Asian School of the Environment (ASE), said understanding how sea levels have changed in Singapore could lead to more robust and accurate local projection of sea-level rise.

A better understanding of the fluctuations will help scientists here come up with models that can more accurately predict sea-level rise in this part of the world instead of relying on global forecasts.

Dr Chua added: “The study offers a strategic insight for Singapore as it moves to adapt to climate change.”

Looking back to look ahead

To figure out what sea levels were like all those years ago, the researchers had to dig deep into the earth.

They looked through thousands of available borehole logs – records of holes that have been drilled into the ground for infrastructure projects – to find an area with deposits such as marine mud and mangrove peats.

Such deposits accrete, or accumulate, layer by layer and contain pollen and microfossils of foraminifera – tiny organisms found in marine environments.

Their presence can help researchers determine how sea levels have fluctuated in Singapore.

For instance, the presence of foraminifera in one part of the core indicates that seawater had likely inundated the area then. On the other hand, if pollen from trees is found in another segment of the core, it could mean seawater did not extend that far inland at that point.

Radiocarbon dating – a technique also used by archaeologists – can be used to determine the exact age of the deposits.

The climate scientists at NTU discovered abundant mangrove pollen 20m below the current sea level, indicating that a mangrove shoreline existed in southern Singapore almost 10,000 years ago.

The findings show the limitations of using mangroves as a nature-based solution to keep out the rising tides, according to the researchers.

Because the complex root systems of mangrove trees can trap sediment from the tides as they ebb and flow, they can, to an extent, keep pace with sea-level rise and are considered a natural defence against rising waters.

Despite mangroves’ adaptability and effectiveness as a coastal defence, the study highlights their limitations in the event of rapid sea-level rise, said the NTU researchers in a statement.

Professor Philip Gibbard, a geologist from the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge who was not involved in the study, said sea-level records from places far from the ice sheets were important, as the processes driving sea-level changes in such areas would be different from the processes nearer to the poles.

“This important contribution from Singapore and the region provides a valuable record… This record can then be further refined as more studies become available in the future,” he said.

This story, provided by The Straits Times, has been shared as part of World News Day 2021, a global campaign to highlight the critical role of fact-based journalism in providing trustworthy news and information in service of humanity. #JournalismMatters.

Effects of climate change in Ghana

There is no doubt that the impact of climate change in Ghana is beginning to manifest with evidence abounding that temperatures in all the ecological zones are rising, whereas rainfall levels have been generally reducing and patterns have increasingly becoming erratic. Unless mechanisms are carefully and systematically put in place to reduce vulnerability, climate change may pose serious challenges to national development. This article will provide you with a list of causes and effects of climate change in Ghana and evidence of climate change in the country.

Causes and effects of climate change in Ghana

In all this, we need to know that the climate change referred to in this article is Anthropogenic climate change which is the type caused by human activities as opposed to changes in climate that may have resulted as part of the earth’s natural processes. The human activities, particularly, out-of-control industrialisation, the burning of fuels, the cutting down of trees and other agricultural activities, release gases including Carbon(iv)oxide (CO2), Methane (CH4) and Nitrous Oxide (N2O) into the atmosphere. These gases, on reaching the stratosphere, have the ability to trap the infrared radiation (sun’s energy), which reflects in the form of temperature.

Below are a number of causes and effects of climate change:

  • It has resulted in an increase in the earth’s surface temperature, sea level, precipitation, droughts and floods. Evidence of climate change in Ghana is visible as parts of the Northern Region of Ghana experience drought and flooding which has become a yearly worry to the people and the government. People along the banks of the Volta river are constantly rendered displaced, homeless. As a result of the situation, agricultural production has declined. Changes in rainfall patterns and temperature have also led to an ecological imbalance, causing an influx of pests and diseases like cerebrospinal meningitis which is quite common in the Northern Region of Ghana.
  • Aquatic life in the south has been affected, reducing the economic activity of most inhabitants who are mainly fishermen. This has led to many not being able to find alternatives to raising their living standards and adversely affecting education, health and social well-being. Climate change in Ghana has become a serious threat to the livelihood of the people.
Effects of climate change in Ghana. SOURCE: Facebook

List of effects of climate change in Ghana

Climate change issues in Ghana are enormous running through education, tourism, employment and transport. Some of the effects that climate change in Ghana include:

  • Educational infrastructure has been damaged as a result of climate change’s direct impact on education. The severe weather conditions according to the 2007 National Disaster Management Organisation’s (NADMO) report for example collapsed school buildings. Two hundred and ten (210) schools were affected by the flood with one hundred and ninety nine (199) classrooms reported to have collapsed.
  • On employment, increase in temperature, decrease in rainfall and its unpredictability is likely to jeopardize the employment of about 60% of the active population, the majority of whom are small scale rural farmers, resulting in unsustainable livelihoods with negative consequences for poverty, health, education, gender equality environmental degradation and food security. Food security is expected to be affected in the sense that the reliance on rain-fed and low-input agriculture will mean that output will decline, resulting in lower incomes for farmers. This will in turn increase poverty levels and heighten the risk of malnutrition.
  • Climate change issues in Ghana has also led to a reduction in underground recharge and annual river flows which can lead to water shortage in the near future. This is evident in CSIR-WRI 2000 report on Climate Change and water resources which estimates that by the year 2020, all river basins will be vulnerable and the whole country will face acute water shortage. It also predicts a general reduction in annual river flows in Ghana by 15-20 % for the year 2020 and 30-40 % for the year 2050 and a reduction in groundwater recharge of 5-22 % for 2020 and 30-40% for 2050.
  • In the transport sector, due to the changing weather patterns road networks easily get damaged. They get damaged as a result of either erosion or flooding or even extreme heat.
  • The tourism sector as a result of the causes and effects of climate change in Ghana is expected to increased infrastructural damage, higher industry operating operating expenses (e.g. insurance, back-up water & power systems and evacuations) and inconvenience, risk, danger and high cost of holidays to tourists.

Impact of climate change on agriculture in Ghana

The impact of climate on agriculture in Ghana will be dire if prudent measures to mitigate the menace by political leaders since agricultural yields are plummeting and will continue to do so. Lest Ghanaians forget, about 60 percent of its population is in agriculture with most being smallholder farms using rudimentary technology. Evidence of climate change in Ghana is becoming glaring as the Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis report (2009), World Food Programme note cereal crop yield alone is predicted to plunge by 7% in the next 40 years. By 2009, “5% of the Ghanaian population, or 1.2 million people, had very limited access to sufficient and nutritious food for an active and healthy life” it also states.

Some of the climate change issues in Ghana on agriculture include reduced soil fertility due to changes in precipitation and temperature, rainfall deficits resulting in desertification of grazing pastures and reduced water availability for animals. Shifts in agro-ecological zones that are too rapid for trees and farming systems to adapt to, loss of cropland from erosion and desertification and increased demand for irrigation are also other impacts of climate change on agriculture in Ghana.

Farmers are also hit by low yields caused by low rainfall or flooding and the increased incidence of pest attacks resulting from an increase in temperature. In the southern part of Ghana there is coastal erosion and destruction of valuable coastal agricultural land and in the north we are witnessing out-migration of people, especially to southern Ghana, with impact on national security. There is also the experience of more vector and vector-borne diseases all as a result of climate change.

Agriculture and food security are also intertwined and thus climate change induced unsustainable livelihoods will result in negative consequences on food security, poverty, health, education, gender equality and environmental degradation.

In response to the challenges, Ghana has integrated the Ghana Climate Change Policy which provides a clear pathway for dealing with the challenges of climate change. The policy addresses four areas of concern to climate change and variability namely increasing greenhouse gas emissions and loss of carbon sinks, increasing temperatures, rising sea levels and rainfall variability leading to extreme and unpredictable events. Though the Ghana Climate Change Policy is a good initiative, implementation is most likely going to be difficult as the policy has no firm grounds in terms of implementation let alone sustainability.

This story, originally published by YEN, has been shared as part of World News Day 2021, a global campaign to highlight the critical role of fact-based journalism in providing trustworthy news and information in service of humanity. #JournalismMatters.

Global warming solutions that can save our planet

“How to stop global warming?” is one of the essential questions raised within International summits and meetings devoted to environmental protection. This process requires immediate concerted efforts of all countries around the world. They have already felt the harmful influence of climate change: drought, floods, hurricanes, and tornados – these natural phenomena occur more often in such areas, one may hardly ever expect it to be!

Prevention of global warming

Global warming is a process when one can observe a gradual magnification of the mean annual temperature of both the atmosphere and surface area of the Earth as well as the World Ocean. It happens due to various reasons connected with the concentration of warming gases in the atmosphere, volcanic or solar activity, etc.

Rather often, a word-combination “greenhouse effect” is used as a synonym to a notion “global warming”. One has to mention that there is a slight difference between these two notions.

The greenhouse effect is the phenomenon, which denotes heating within the Earth’s surface, lower atmosphere and the World Ocean because of a big concentration of greenhouse gases (methane, carbon dioxide, water vapor, etc.). At daytime, the sunlight penetrates through the atmosphere. Its warmth heats the surface. At night, the planet cools down, releasing the warmth, which is later accumulated in the upper levels of the atmosphere.

This evaporation plays a role of a glass greenhouse. Gases freely increase the temperatures and cause the melt of the Arctic ice and enlargement of the sea level.

What actions can prevent global heating?

  1. Be smart – drive Less. One can use alternative means of transportation like bikes. If you still can’t imagine your life without a car, try to diminish the volume of CO2 generated by your vehicle: hold the tires of a vehicle nicely pumped up. This action can improve the petrol mileage by more than 3 percent. Moreover, the world of car industry has hugely enhanced its efficiency during the last years. The buyers are also offered to try electric and hybrid cars.
  2. Save and safe. The consumption cycle is one of the ways to enlarge global climate change: large factories produce new clothes each day due to the high level of demand in the market. When one starts wearing used clothes, he helps to reduce the number of resources necessary for production as well as for recycling useless garments. The less you buy, the more you do for the environment.
  3. Reuse, reduce and recycle. Every day millions of goods are sold. Each of them has got a package. To help our planet “breathe” more freely, one should start to buy products with minimal packaging. At present, people learn to reuse plastic bottles as containers for plant growing. Small scraps of fabric can turn into a beautiful blanket for fans of patchwork etc. Plastic, paper, and iron belong to a category of recyclable materials. Special organizations provide help to motivate people to collect and recycle them.
  4. Wise house or heat less. Make sure that your house is insolated with special materials, which help to save warmth inside the house and spend less electricity.
  5. Save energy! Old lamps need much energy to work properly. The new-age technologies allow people to get the same results with less harm: use fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to save your time and money.
  6. Lower electricity consumption. If you cannot change the environment within 1 second, you can proceed small steps on a way to perfect future. Switch the light off, leaving the room, the flat or a house. Switch all techniques off if you don’t use it at the moment. Consume that “enough”, which is necessary.
  7. The green lungs of the earth. Use a possibility to plant a tree or two. These plants produce oxygen and consume carbon dioxide. If people plant more trees, the clearer environment will possess.
  8. Think “green” or Facebook, Twitter and Social Network help either! Millions of people use their gadgets and have no idea that these technologies can bring use to climate change: one can share information about the ways to reuse some packages, old clothes and useless things in a new way; one can arrange competitions and clear the neighboring area. Become an example of a person showing that “being green” is normal. It helps to make the Earth healthier.
  9. Alternative energy. Alternative resources are an ideal means that belongs to inexhaustible resources. Moreover, solar panels or wind stations produce electricity without CO2 emission.
  10. Save water. It takes much time and resources to renovate the quality of water. Try to make the shower shorter and more efficient (use special showerheads, which use 50% water and 50% air).
  11. Support local food manufacturers. People can’t live without food. But have you ever thought about the number of efforts and resources were put to produce, pack and deliver a product onto a shelf of a supermarket and a shop? Large vehicles drive enormous distances, consume plenty of the petrol and produce CO2. Each day millions of cars repeat the action. If one supports his local manufacturer, he decreases a demand in the market and saves resources.
  12. Rethink your transportation. The planes are said to be the primary source of air pollution. If you can drive by train or by bus, do that and save the nature.

Control of global warming

It is evident that in future humankind will have to attempt strict control of global warming. One may already see the results of climate shift now. The situation may become even worse so that humans will become extinct. Sounds frightening, isn’t it?

One may ask a question whether it is possible to control CO2 emission. At present, the development of regulatory documents and their improvement is a great work done by all countries together. Many countries have assumed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992) and the Kyoto Protocol (1999).

Unfortunately, many countries that have the highest percentage of CO2 emission have rejected the latter one.

How to prevent global warming

The development of a new, environmentally friendly nation is an essential task for each country. The experts think that the strategy of overcoming global resource crisis should include the following steps:

  • develop a “healthy energy” economy – to get effectual technologies involved in the industry;
  • widen the usage of revolving energy (alternative sources);
  • сhange the current energetic system into a less dependent (on gas, coal, etc.) and healthier one;
  • reduce energy consumption and make it more efficient;
  • restore forests to enlarge natural carbon dioxide absorbers from the atmosphere.

The full damage, done by humanity to the environment, cannot be compensated within one or even ten years. But, small steps on the way to bright future are worth taking! Nature does not forgive mistakes. Anyone who learns to live in peace with the environment sooner or later will be rewarded and ensure a healthy future for his children.

This story, originally published by Legit, has been shared as part of World News Day 2021, a global campaign to highlight the critical role of fact-based journalism in providing trustworthy news and information in service of humanity. #JournalismMatters.

The generation that can make peace with nature

Most of us live our lives without a single thought of the environment. I mean, why would we worry about the earth, it has been around for thousands of years and it will be around for thousands more, right?

It is hard predicting the future and even though many people have tried, no one can know exactly what will happen in a hundred or thousand years from now.

However, that doesn’t mean that the warnings about global warming, the destruction of earth’s biodiversity and other environmental issues should be ignored.

That’s why the World Environment Day 2021 is calling on people to ‘Reimagine, Recreate and Restore’ in order to save our planet.

World Environment Day

The 5th of June marks the annual celebration of World Environment Day – an initiate by the United Nations which aims to create awareness about the environmental issues, including marine pollution, global warming and wildlife crime, to name only a few; and thereby encourage action to make the necessary changes needed to preserve our beautiful planet and its biodiversity.

World Environment Day (WED) was established in 1972 during a UN conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm.

Two years later, in 1974, the world celebrated WED for the first time with the theme “Only One Earth.” It has been celebrated ever since by over 143 countries annually.

Reimagine. Recreate. Restore.

The theme for this year’s World Environment Day is Reimagine. Recreate. Restore. Instead of focusing on the negative, the day encourages people to take control over the issues that are plaguing the environments.

On the WED website it reads:

“This is our moment. We cannot turn back time. But we can grow trees, green our cities, rewild our gardens, change our diets and clean up rivers and coasts. We are the generation that can make peace with nature. Let’s get active, not anxious. Let’s be bold, not timid.”

Briefly News took a look at some of the threats the environment faces and how we can change our ways to preserve what is left. We asked Professor Karen J Esler for her insights into some of the environmental issues.

Esler is a distinguished Professor and the previous head of the Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology at Stellenbosch University (2015-2020).

Prof Esler is a member of the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology since its inception in 2004 and she currently serves as African Associate Editor for the journal Conservation Biology.

There are too many environmental issues

While climate change is one of the big environmental problems that humanity will face over the next decade, it isn’t the only one.

We asked Professor Esler which environmental issues she thought were the most serious and she couldn’t highlight only one.

“I think the most serious environmental issue today is that I can’t necessarily pin-point a single issue – there are so many. We are losing biodiversity (genetic diversity, species, habitats and ecosystems) at dramatic rates, this means we are eroding nature’s essential services sometimes taken for granted,” she said.

These include the “clean air, clean water, nature experiences that influence our well-being, diverse healthy soils, crops, microbiomes and diets that contribute to our health.”

Prof Esler added that the insatiable appetite for fossil fuels and land is triggering catastrophic climate change and increasing risk of infectious diseases – which means it is not only the earth that suffers, but our health as well.

We took a brief look at only some of the issues that have impacted the environment.

Global warming as a result of CO2 emissions

According to the UN, CO2 emissions have increased by almost 50% since 1990, which accelerates global warming. Climate change as a result is causing meteorological events like heat, drought, insect outbreaks and floods.

Wildfires have been more frequent and more severe in the past couple of years in countries around the world.

Out of control fire on Narrow Neck Plateau, Katoomba, Blue Mountains, Australia. Climate change is causing extreme weather, prolonged droughts, and increasing bushfires. CREDIT: Getty Images.

These issues threaten the survival of millions of people, plants and animals. In some parts of the country, farmers are asking for help keeping their livestock alive as a result of droughts, while in other parts an unusually wet summer led to crop fields flooding, resulting in poorer harvests compared to the previous year.

Deforestation led to the Amazon to lose over 17% of its forests in the last 50 years

Another issue that is leading to the loss of biodiversity is deforestation. According to WWF, forests make up over 31% of the earth and account for 80% of the world’s land-based species, such as elephants and rhinos.

However, the world’s forests are under threat as a result of deforestation and forest degradation. In 2019, the tropics lost nearly 30 soccer fields’ worth of trees a minute and WWF reported over 17% of the forests in the Amazon have been lost over the past five decades.

Pine tree forest deforestation shown from above. CREDIT: Getty Images.

Oceans – Climate change, waste and the impact on marine life

The ocean has an important role to play in the preservation of the planet. It makes up over 71% of our planet’s surface and 95% of all the space available to life. The ocean has an important role to play in regulating the global climate.

They absorb CO2 and heat, which help regulate the weather. According to the US’ National Ocean Service, the ocean produces more than 50% of the world’s oxygen and absorbs 50 times more carbon dioxide than the atmosphere.

WWF reported that it is estimated over 83% of the global carbon cycle circulates through the ocean. Ninety percent of the world’s greenhouse gases have also been trapped in the marine waters over the last two centuries.

This could lead to more severe weather as the oceans help determine rainfall, droughts and floods. The high amounts of CO2 absorption and warming of the oceans are threatening coral reefs. There are numerous species that rely on these reefs for food and protection and they play an important part in the oceans’ ecosystems.

According to scientists, should the current rates of temperature increase continue, coral reefs could be extinct by 2050.

Global warming is not the only thing impacting the ocean. Overfishing, illegal fishing, pollution and habitat degradation have all led to the ocean suffering.

An environmental issue of plastic pollution problem. Sea Turtles can eat plastic bags mistaking them for jellyfish. CREDIT: Getty Images.

One of the biggest issues to address in order to preserve the oceans and marine life is pollution. Millions of tons of plastic and other waste are polluting the ocean. According to a report by environmentalist Ellen MacArthur introduced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January 2016, by 2050 there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish.

“In a business-as-usual scenario, the ocean is expected to contain one tonne of plastic for every three tonnes of fish by 2025, and by 2050, more plastics than fish (by weight),” the report reads.

MacArthur’s report was based on a 2015 plastics study by the U.S. environmental group Ocean Conservancy. Although it can’t be guaranteed that MacArthur’s “analysis” will be correct, it does show the gravity of the situation.

How the Covid-19 pandemic hit reset on the environment… temporarily

The Covid-19 pandemic has devastated economies and claimed the lives of over 3.71 million people as of 5 June, 2021. However, it also showed that we are able to ‘restore’ the earth.

When the World Health Organization (WHO) first declared Covid-19 a pandemic it brought the world to a temporary standstill – there were less cars on the roads, boats in the water and airplanes in the sky.

As a result, air quality improved in many cities and we saw a reduction in water pollution in different parts of the world.

CSIR reported in May last year that satellites showed a decrease in air pollution in South Africa during the hard lockdowns.

Although it is unrealistic to expect the same measures to be taken to stop climate change, the Covid-19 lockdown did prove that with the right adjustments, we can help restore the environment.

It is our responsibility to protect what is left of our planet

Prof Esler has highlighted how important it is for society to intervene and protect what is left of our biodiversities.

She said:

“Wicked problems are interesting in that solutions are intricately tied to their complexity, and to resolve them requires an expanded focus. This means looking beyond the direct drivers of change (land or sea use change, over exploitation, invasive species, climate change) to include indirect drivers such as the values that drive our decisions, our governance, social and economic systems etc.”

Prof Esler added a transformative change is needed and the attention should never stray far from this cause.

According to Esler, the United Nations declared 2021 – 2030 as the “Decade on Ecosystem Restoration”, which poses a global challenge to reverse the “trend of degradation by scaling up restorative actions.”

“For example – planting a few types of trees on a mass scale to sequester carbon may in fact pose a risks to biodiversity and cause greater problems such as increased catastrophic fire risks and changes in hydrology. A focus on complexity and diversity through ecological restoration might provide better opportunities,” she told Briefly News.

The time for change is now

It has never been more crucial to start finding ways to fight climate change and other environmental issues. Many countries have already started taking steps to implement ‘green’ solutions.

Pakistan hosted this year’s World Environment Day and the country’s Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke about climate change during a virtual event.

Khan urged rich nations to step up in the fight against climate change by reducing their carbon emissions and helping poor countries.

“This is a chance for the world to correct its course. Now we have the next decade for ecosystem restoration,” Khan said.

Renewable energy is one way countries could fight climate change. Photo of wind turbines and solar panels in Palm Springs, California. CREDIT: Getty Images.

Professor Esler reiterated how important it is that society starts taking these environmental issues seriously before it is too late.

She said:

“If nothing is done to stem the tide of degradation and to quell the loss of biodiversity, I think we can only expect further negative feedbacks to our own health and well-being, leading to a world stripped of glorious diversity and one full of inequalities and unjust outcomes. This is not the future I wish to envision.”

This story, originally published by Briefly News, has been shared as part of World News Day 2021, a global campaign to highlight the critical role of fact-based journalism in providing trustworthy news and information in service of humanity. #JournalismMatters. 

Preserving Indonesia’s mangroves crucial for climate change mitigation

“Mangrove Care Villages will also be formed as a spearhead of sustainable mangrove rehabilitation.”

Indonesia, which is home to one of the world’s largest mangrove forests, has set a target of rehabilitating 150 thousand hectares (ha) of its area under mangroves in 2021.

Based on data recorded in 2011, about three million hectares of mangrove forests can be found along 95 thousand kilometers of Indonesia’s coastal areas, constituting 23 percent of the world’s mangrove ecosystem. Papua, Kalimantan, and Sumatra Islands are considered the most crucial regional mangrove ecosystems.

This year’s ambitious mangrove rehabilitation program, which will be carried out particularly in critical and tsunami-prone areas, was announced by Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, during a recent coordination meeting held to discuss the accelerated program.

The online meeting was attended by Minister of Environmental Affairs and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya, Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Wahyu Trenggono, representatives from the Home Affairs Ministry and the National Development Planning Ministry/Bappenas, and head representative of the World Bank for Indonesia and Timor Leste, Satu Kahkonen.

About 84 percent of the funding for the 2021 mangrove rehabilitation program will be sourced from the State Budget (APBN), including from the Additional Assistance Budget (ABT), through the National Economic Recovery Program (PEN), while the remaining 16 percent will be derived from non-APBN sources.

Pandjaitan has urged local governments across the country to support the mangrove rehabilitation program.

“We urge the Ministry of Home Affairs to coordinate, so that the provinces and districts will also help maintain the mangroves, and they will also reap the fruits of this program, as it creates jobs,” he remarked.

An aerial photo of mangrove forest area in Harapan Island, Kepulauan Seribu District, Jakarta, Saturday (22/5/2021). CREDIT: ANTARA FOTO – Aditya Pradana Putra/wsj.

The minister also discussed the carbon credit potential that could be optimized through the program. To this end, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry will identify suitable locations to serve as pilot projects for carbon trading, and regulations are also being prepared to regulate carbon trading activities, he said.

Meanwhile, Environmental Affairs and Forestry Minister Nurbaya has emphasized the importance of the public gaining a comprehensive understanding of the program that has drawn international attention owing to its effect on the climate change agenda.

“The good news is that climate change in Indonesia is considered to be in the medium category. We have nearly become a role model country for good (mitigation of) climate change,” she affirmed.

Keeping carbon stored is vital for keeping global warming in check and meeting targets under the U.N. Paris Agreement on climate change, according to scientists.

Indonesia’s mangrove forests store around 3.14 billion metric tons of carbon (PgC), or five times more carbon per hectare than highland tropical forests, according to Daniel Murdiyarso, a long-time principal scientist at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and a leading wetlands expert.

Mangroves, however, have been disappearing more quickly than inland tropical rainforests, particularly due to clear-cutting for shrimp farms.

The loss of mangroves has led to a decline in fisheries, degradation of clean water supply, salinization of coastal soils, erosion and land subsidence, as well as increase in gas emissions, among other things.

As high carbon storage ecosystems, peatland and mangrove ecosystems have a strategic role as nature-based solutions for climate mitigation and adaptation. Peatlands and mangroves store up to two to 10 times more carbon than forests.

Given the significant role of mangrove and peatland ecosystems, the government has recently converted the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) into Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM).

“Peatland restoration and mangrove rehabilitation at several places are interrelated. This is because the nature of these ecosystems are connected. Hence, we will maximize our efforts to conduct synergistic activities in the two ecosystems,” BRGM head Hartono remarked.

BRGM has highlighted that six strategies will be applied to expedite mangrove rehabilitation, in accordance with the instructions of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

The six strategies comprise conducting coordination and data synchronization among ministries and agencies, macro planning and details of mangrove rehabilitation, and spreading education and disseminating information on the mangrove movement.

“Mangrove Care Villages will also be formed as a spearhead of sustainable mangrove rehabilitation,” Hartono informed at the Thought Leadership Forum held by the Nusantara Nature Conservation Foundation.

Synergized rehabilitation of mangroves will be conducted by involving relevant ministries, local governments, the private sector, and NGOs, he said. The agency will also develop an instrument for a measurable and continuous mangrove rehabilitation program, he added.

Meanwhile, the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) is drafting a roadmap for the management of wetlands for mangrove and peatland forests to support the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

“The roadmap is one of the instruments supporting the important pillars to achieve Indonesia’s Vision 2045, namely sustainable economic development,” Bappenas deputy head for maritime affairs and natural resources, Arifin Rudiyanto, said on February 2, 2021.

Mangrove and peatland ecosystems have multiple benefits, which can potentially support several areas, including economic growth, creative economy, tourism, maritime interests, food security, water resources, and the environment, he said.

Mangroves and peatlands also benefit the national economy, the environment, and social life, including supporting mitigation and adaptation to climate change, he pointed out.

Hence, the roadmap for the management of wetlands will be drafted to also serve as a long-term guidance to support the achievement of the vision, he said.

Three working groups will supervise the formulation and implementation of the roadmap in collaboration and consultation with ministries and institutions that have adopted a strategy, management plan, and data related to the mangrove and peatland ecosystem, Rudiyanto said.

Bappenas had set up a wetland management strategy coordination team on October 30, 2020 and tasked it with accelerating the attainment of sustainable development goals.

Proper mangrove and peatland conservation and management will support the target of greenhouse gas reduction and prevent the release of carbon stored in the two ecosystems, Rudiyanto said.

The roadmap for the management of wetlands would help achieve several targets of sustainable development in 2030.

To support the mangrove rehabilitation program, large-scale nurseries will need to be developed in various regions.

The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) recently built a mangrove nursery in Pasuruan district, East Java.

TB Haeru Rahayu, director general of marine space management at the KKP, explained that the mangrove nursery in Pasuruan has primarily been set up to ensure the availability of mangrove seeds to meet the needs of mangrove nurseries and for planting and rehabilitation efforts.

The Mangrove Center of Excellence Program aims to produce 100 million seedlings for mangrove planting programs in Indonesia. The nursery spans 3,093 square meters and houses 500 thousand seedlings of the species Rhizophora sp.

It has been built by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries through the directorate general of marine space management using funds from the additional budget for the National Economic Recovery Program (PEN) for the 2020 fiscal year.

This story, originally published by ANTARA News, has been shared as part of World News Day 2021, a global campaign to highlight the critical role of fact-based journalism in providing trustworthy news and information in service of humanity. #JournalismMatters. 

Sali Kecil, a shining exemplar of preserving nature amid limitations

“All types of fish are here in Sali. Hence, all fishermen from Ternate, from Bacan, come here, because here you can say it is like a fish center.”

At first glance, a small island of Sali Kecil, located between Bacan Island on the west side and Halmahera Island in the east, does not look any different from the other coastal villages.

However, once we first set foot on a wooden pier that is also the main gate of Sali Kecil Village in North Maluku Province, its beauty and uniqueness will be revealed.

As we walk slowly on the wooden pier approaching the gate, colorful small fishes swimming swiftly along the sidelines of the coral reefs greet us.

The seawater is so clear that the tropical fish cannot escape our sight. Far behind the village gate and residential area, a stretch of forest can be seen along with the faint sounds of birds audible from a distance.

However, Ibrahim Nasir, a Sali Kecil Village resident, who participated in receiving ANTARA and others partaking in the Maluku EcoNusa Expedition last October, stated that the healthy coral reefs and the variety of tropical fish swimming around them are not something unique to them.

It is part of the villagers’ increasing awareness to protect the environment and to reduce waste in their waters in accordance with the local government’s recommendations.

The local fisheries office had urged villagers to protect Sali Kecil Island’s coral reefs, as they hold vast potential.

The beauty of Sali Kecil Island is alluring. It is not surprising if four-star resorts also operate there, as the islands there are included as an underwater paradise for divers.

“There are people, who are already aware of that (potential). Hence, we take care of each other,” Ibrahim, who works as a fisherman, stated.

Not only are they striving to reduce waste dumped into the sea, but the villagers have also begun prohibiting the use of fishing gear, such as bombs and fishing trawlers, that can damage coral reefs.

However, Ibrahim believes that the people’s awareness to protect their environment did not come instantly but involved a long process.

“In the past, many fishermen used trawlers to catch fish, but now, many local fishermen have begun abandoning this environmentally unfriendly practice,” Ibrahim noted.

As a result, Sali Kecil’s marine wealth has been preserved and has also become a blessing for other fishermen from around the island.

“All types of fish are here in Sali. Hence, all fishermen from Ternate, from Bacan, come here, because here you can say it is like a fish center. We have many types of fish here,” Ibrahim stated.

In order to support sustainable fishing, Ibrahim explained that local fishermen have their own plans of sea fishing. They usually fish at a specified location for twice a month before moving to another location to follow the same pattern.

Green forest

Sali Kecil Island not only consists of sea but also green forests that are home to wild birds and deer that have co-existed with the people since long.

The sight of deer descending to the coast and drinking seawater before sunset is not unusual for the residents of Sali Kecil Village. However, it is a special experience for those who have just visited the island.

Local villagers still hunt deer, but usually, they seek permission from elders of the village, as they believe it would be easier to find prey.

However, now, the position of the community elders in Sali Kecil lies vacant. Ibrahim noted that in exchange, they sought permission from the guardian of the sacred tomb, which the villagers believed was the final resting place for their ancestors, thought to have come from Tidore.

Not only that, the community also limits the land cleared for plantations. There are several parts of the forest in Sali Kecil that cannot be used as plantations for planting coconut, which is the main commodity for producing copra.

According to Ibrahim, the restriction was applied since vast acres of land were cleared by the previous generation, and it can still be used today.

Limitations

Natural resources and ecosystems still being maintained is certainly a blessing for the people of Sali Kecil Village. It is the source of their well-being.

However, akin to other small villages in Indonesia, although they are rich in natural resources and their ecosystem is still preserved, they still await help from the government to lead a safe and peaceful life.

Limited transportation at that location creates difficulties for the people living there. One of the problems that arise is when the community experiences acute health problems, while Sali Kecil has only one health worker serving as a midwife.

In fact, villagers often need urgent medical assistance. To avail health services, they have to cross the sea by boat to the nearest big island, Bacan Island.

Hamid Baca, one of the community leaders in Sali Kecil, stated that when a villager has to give birth in the middle of the night, they have to bring a ketinting, or a kind of small boat, to Bacan. Sometimes, the midwife had to bring the patient to East Bacan Sub-district on her boat, which was actually faster than the other residents.

“We were forced to leave in a small boat,” Hamid stated.

In fact, getting to Bacan aboard a ketinting takes about three hours. Meanwhile, using a fast boat takes up to an hour, Hamid noted.

School children there also face the problem of transportation. With only one elementary school in Sali Kecil, children of the village have to cross the sea to receive higher education.

The elementary school building on the island is still under repair after being damaged by the earthquake that rocked the South Halmahera area in 2019.

Despite some parts of the school building being dilapidated, the teachers there decided to conduct face-to-face teaching and learning activities, as the small island is included in the COVID-19 green zone in South Halmahera Regency.

“We, who live in these remote islands, face some difficulties to reach the regency, which located far away. Hence, we need the government’s assistance to manage social services here, especially for healthcare facilities,” Hamid expounded.

In the wake of such problems and difficulties, Hamid is optimistic that the message from small islands, such as Sali Kecil, can be conveyed to the relevant authorities to help those who survive to protect nature in the midst of limitations.

This story, originally published by ANTARA News, has been shared as part of World News Day 2021, a global campaign to highlight the critical role of fact-based journalism in providing trustworthy news and information in service of humanity. #JournalismMatters. 

Too Hot to Handle

CLIMATE anxiety is real – and it’s going to get far worse according to the latest report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a body of scientists backed by the United Nations.

The report, approved by 195 governments in a virtual meeting early this month and based on more than 14,000 studies, confirms that the world is surely and irrevocably warming – even though some politicians and industrialists may still deny it.

More alarming is that, as the IPCC report points out, even if governments were to drastically and immediately cut carbon emissions today, we can no longer stop global warming from intensifying over the next 30 years.

Total global warming, says the report, is likely to rise by around 1.5°C within the next two decades and along with that hotter future comes its attendant effects.

This means that heatwaves, such as the one that slammed into the Pacific North-West of Canada and the United States and sent temperatures into the high 40s a few months ago, as well as wildfires in Europe, Nordic countries and Siberia, and deluges in Germany and China will become more frequent.

The most damning aspect of the IPCC report, however, is that humans are the only ones to be blamed for this hot mess we’re in, with the rise in global average temperatures being driven by countries burning fossil fuels, clearing forests and spewing greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane into the air.

If that isn’t enough, a paper recently published in the Nature Climate Change journal suggests that a crucial ocean circulation system in the Atlantic called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC), which helps to stabilise the climate in Europe, is showing signs of slowing down.

Although it is yet to be established if this is linked to climate change, the slowing, if proven true, further imperils the state of our planet.

In the words of the United Nations secretary-general António Guterres, this is nothing less than a “code red for humanity”.

Apocalypse now?

While Malaysia seems to have escaped for now much of the heat-induced stress – the south-west monsoon is even wetter this year so we are not expecting to see haze from Indonesia – global warming will affect Malaysia.

This is because much of the weather in Malaysia, particularly Peninsular Malaysia, is influenced by the monsoon system.

Universiti Malaya climate expert Prof Datuk Dr Azizan Abu Samah says Malaysia is on a maritime continent, an important component of the whole global circulation heat engine.

“We are also influenced by what happens – not only in the Northern Hemisphere, especially during the north-east Monsoon, but also by the Southern Hemisphere related to the south-west monsoon.

“So any warming or cooling in the mid-latitudes, especially during the Northern Hemisphere or Southern Hemisphere’s winter, will have an impact in weakening or strengthening our monsoons,” he says in an interview last week.

Should this happen, it will have an effect on the biological productivity of the Bay of Bengal and South China Sea, which are very much influenced by the monsoon.

Normally, a tropical ocean is less productive biologically compared with the colder oceans in the midlatitudes and polar regions – except for the Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea.

“This (effect on the monsoon) will have a grave consequence for the fisheries and the region’s food security,” explains Prof Azizan, pointing out that the marine ecosystem in these areas is already under stress from overfishing.

“Global warming will further stress these seas and the ecosystems,” he adds.

Prof Azizan, who is from UM’s Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, says being in the humid tropics, he does not anticipate prolonged drought in Malaysia, such as that experienced by northern Australia that is associated with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation or Enso.

“We may have a few weeks without rain around February which is our normal drier period. This will be further enhanced if Enso is also present,” he says.

However, Prof Azizan points out that in a warmer world, the atmosphere will be able to store more water vapour, usually translating to stronger thunderstorms and more rainfall.

“Depending on the duration of the rain, this can result in frequent flash floods or, if the duration is longer, river flooding (akin to) the 2014 flood,” he says.

The 2014 flood, which affected over 200,000 people and killed 21, devastated parts of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang on the East Coast, as well as other states.

It also damaged infrastructure, including homes, highways and rail lines, to the tune of billions of ringgit.

The stronger monsoon in the region is the north-east monsoon, which lasts from November to February and is also the time of heavy rain for Peninsular Malaysia.

Most weather models, says Prof Azizan, are predicting a weaker north-east monsoon and a stronger south-west monsoon from global warming.

“That is why regionally, they are predicting that Indonesia south of the equator will experience a drier climate in the future due to a weakened north-east monsoon,” he says.

Melting pot

While the present IPCC report approximates a sea rise level of about 3.2mm per year from glaciers melting in Greenland and the Antarctic continent, many glaciologists, says Prof Azizan, feel this to be an underestimation.

He says there are two components to rising sea level, one which is about 50% due to water expansion as ocean temperatures rise, and the other is from glacier melting.

“However, many Antarctic glaciologists think that this (the IPCC forecast) is an underestimate due to the rapid melting of the West Antarctic ice shelf that is now unstable.

“This may contribute a further 7m of sea level rise if all of the West Antarctic ice shelf were to melt away,” he says.

Also being threatened are the mangroves, seagrass and coral species along Malaysia’s coastlines – already these are under stress from development and, before the days of Covid-19, overtourism. 

Such damage basically leaves the country’s coasts “naked” and vulnerable to floods and erosion.

Pointing out that Malaysia is a “mega biodiversity region”, Prof Azizan says this area hosts about 70% of the world’s mangrove, coral and seagrass species.

“So our ocean is an important biodiversity refugia that is under threat from global ocean warming and acidification.

“While we tend to focus on conserving our terrestrial biodiversity like our rainforests, it is our ocean that plays an important refugia for global ocean biodiversity.”

(Refugia refers to an area in which organisms can survive unfavourable conditions, especially glaciation.)

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s climatologist Prof Dr Fredolin Tangang, who authored a number of scientific papers cited in the IPCC report, says it does not specifically provide information on the future climate of a particular country.

However, he says that “Malaysia is projected to experience increased extreme climate events in future: “These include more heatwaves, more droughts and floods as well as rising sea levels in decades to come if there is no deep cut to greenhouse gas emissions soon,” he says.

Prof Fredolin is the review editor for Chapter 10 of the IPCC report as well as a contributing author of the Atlas Chapter.

Lest any climate sceptic tries to throw doubt on the report, Prof Fredolin says it represents a credible body of scientific evidence on the climate system that is based on a comprehensive and holistic, open, robust and transparent assessment of related published literature, involving over 1,000 authors and editors.

Although the Nature Climate Change paper was not assessed in the IPCC report having been published recently, Prof Fredolin believes that the collapse of the MOC will likely trigger an abrupt change in regional weather, including Malaysia’s, which is regulated by the monsoon cycle.

“I believe there is no particular paper addressing how this affects climate in Malaysia but this would be an interesting issue to investigate,” he says.

However, Prof Azizan believes that changes in the Atlantic will have only an indirect impact on Malaysia.

“The more direct impact will be changes in the Pacific and also the Indian oceans.”

No more talking shop

With slightly more than two months to go before the Glasgow Climate Change Conference at the end of October, the IPCC report has upped public expectation for the thousands of negotiators, politicians and diplomats to at last come to an understanding.

However, despite the fact that humanity’s survival depends on it and despite high hopes and criticisms, each time the conference has a dismal record of not performing up to expectations.

Should an effective agreement fail to materialise from Glasgow, current policies being pursued by governments will likely push warming up by 3°C by the end of the century, warns the IPCC report. In contrast, the goal of the much hailed Paris Agreement of 2015 has been to limit global warming to well below 2°C or preferably 1.5°C compared with preindustrial levels.

“The current pledges under the Paris Agreement won’t be able to cap the warming under 1.5°C and 2°C. More impact from extreme climate is expected in future decades,” agrees Prof Fredolin.

The report, he adds, also indicated that without deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C threshold is projected to be breached between 2021 and 2040 – likely in 2030 – and 2°C in 2050.

However, scientists behind the IPCC report believe there is still a chance to avoid the more harrowing effects of global warming by preventing the planet from getting even hotter.

According to the report, if a coordinated effort among countries can head off CO2 emissions by 2050 by moving away from fossil fuels and removing carbon from the atmosphere, this will allow global warming to likely halt at the level of around 1.5°C.

Failure is not an option because as many of the young climate strikers like to remind us – there is no Planet B.

Eye on the future

Malaysia’s main priority now, according to Prof Azizan, is to plan a more climate-resilient, sustainable socioeconomic strategy.

“This is to anticipate a soft landing for our nation and region in the future as the world warms up,” he says.

He argues that even if Malaysia is not a major emitter of greenhouse gas, the existing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere have already locked in a future global warming of 1°C to 2°C.

“So the question is more about how much warming is acceptable to maintain our status quo without any major climate shift and to maintain the ecosystem that we are familiar with or adapted to,” he says.

The 10 biggest emitters of greenhouse gases (in descending order) are China, the United States, the European Union, India, Russia, Japan, Brazil, Indonesia, Iran and Canada.

Prof Fredolin says given the fact that Malaysia’s emissions contribute less than 1% to total global emissions, the focus should be on adaptation measures in increasing climate resilience.

“Having said this, of course, the country should enhance mitigation measures consistent with what is required by the Paris Agreement.”

Both Prof Fredolin and Prof Azizan agree on one thing: the country has to quickly come up with a national adaptation plan or strategy.

While Environment and Water Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Zaini Ujang told The Star in April that the government is coming up with specific legislation and policies to tackle climate change, there is currently no national adaptation plan.

“We need to look into water and food security strategies, using the climate scenarios of a warmer world,” says Prof Azizan, suggesting that Malaysia uses the Enso as a natural scenario to study how the ecosystem responds and from this, plan how coastal, rural and urban areas can adapt to changes.

Malaysia, he points out, needs to plan up to 30 years into the future.

“This is so that we can slowly build the necessary investment and governance structure at the macro level based on a number of scenarios – from optimal to a worst case scenario – and test how our ecosystem and socioeconomic system adapt.

“The bottom line is the world is getting warmer and we have no choice but to plan for it so that we can avoid a climate crisis in the future.”

IPCC Simulation. Picture by REUTERS

This story, originally published by the The Star, has been shared as part of World News Day 2021, a global campaign to highlight the critical role of fact-based journalism in providing trustworthy news and information in service of humanity. #JournalismMatters. 

Surviving sea-level rise

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns humans are unequivocally warming the planet, and that is triggering rapid changes in the atmosphere, oceans, and polar regions, and increasing extreme weather around the world.

The IPCC released the Sixth Assessment Report on August 9th, 2021. The report from 234 scientists from around the globe summarized the current climate research on how the Earth is changing as temperatures rise and the impacts for the future. I was one of these scientists.

The facts about climate change have been clear for a long time, with the evidence just continuing to grow. The warning signs of climate change have been clear over the last decade, with each new emergency topping its precedent.

The earth as we know it has become radically altered by our misuse of fossil fuels and natural resources. Our lives and livelihoods are in danger of forever suffering from the consequence of our own actions.

Global temperatures are rising, producing more droughts and wildfires, increasing the intensity of storms, causing catastrophic flooding, and raising sea levels.

Rising seas increase the vulnerability of cities and the associated infrastructure that line many coastlines around the world because of flooding, erosion, destruction of coastal ecosystems and contamination of surface and ground waters.

Future sea-level rise will affect every coastal nation. But in the coming decades, the greatest effects will be felt in Asia, due to the number of people living in the continent’s low-lying coastal areas. Mainland China, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand are home to the most people on land projected to be below average annual coastal flood levels by 2050. Together, those six nations account for roughly 75% of the 300 million people on land facing the same vulnerability at mid-century.

Global sea level is rising at a rate unmatched for at least thousands of years.

Global sea level is rising primarily because global temperatures are rising, causing ocean water to expand and land ice to melt. About a third of its current rise comes from thermal expansion — when water grows in volume as it warms. The rest comes from the melting of ice on land.

In the 20th century the melting has been mostly limited to mountain glaciers, but the big concern for the future is the melting of giant ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. If all the ice in Greenland melted, it would raise global sea levels by seven metres.

Antarctica is the existential threat to coastal nations. It is twice the size of Australia (over 20,000 times the size of Singapore!), two to three kilometres thick, and has enough water to raise sea levels by 65 metres. That is more than the height of the Singapore Art Science Museum and the Super Tree of Gardens by the Bay. If just a few per cent of the Antarctic ice sheet were to melt, it would cause devastating impacts.

Ominously, satellite-based measurements of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets show that this melting is accelerating. Greenland is now the biggest contributor to global sea-level rise. Greenland went from dumping only about 51 billion tonnes of ice into the ocean between 1980 and 1990, to losing 286 billion tonnes between 2010 and 2018.

That is a staggering 76 trillion gallons of water added to the ocean each year, which is equivalent to 114 million Olympic-size swimming pools.

Sea-level rise through 2050 is fixed.  Regardless of how quickly nations can lower emissions, the world is looking at about 15 to 30 centimeters of sea-level rise through the middle of the century due to the long timescales response of the oceans and ice sheets to warming. Sea-level rise is expected to continue slowly for centuries, even under a stable climate. This so-called ‘commitment to sea-level rise’ leads to a long-term obligation to adapt to sea-level rise, which coastal policy and practice is only just beginning to recognize.

Beyond 2050, sea-level rise becomes increasingly susceptible to the world’s emissions choices. If countries choose to continue their current paths, greenhouse gas emissions will likely bring 3 to 4 C of warming by 2100, and sea level rise of up to 1 meter. 

Under the most extreme emissions scenario, rapid ice sheet loss from Greenland and Antarctica is possible leading to sea level rise approaching 2 meters by the end of this century. At this point sea-level rise is not an existential threat but a reality to coastal nations such as Singapore.

But there is hope to survive sea-level rise.

The IPCC report has shown a growing understanding of the causes of climate change and their solutions. 

A 2 C warmer world, consistent with the Paris Agreement, would see lower sea level rise, most likely about half a meter by 2100.

What’s more, if the more the world limits its greenhouse gas emissions, the chance of triggering rapid ice sheet loss from Greenland and Antarctica is much lower.

But time is running out to meet the ambitious goal laid out in Paris Agreement to limit warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. 

We must hold our elected official accountable to the promises they have made on climate change. Indeed, we may require reductions far more than those that have been pledged by nations in the run up to COP26, the United Nations climate summit to be held in Glasgow in November.

Fortunately, attitudes across the world towards climate change have shifted in the last decade. Where once there was ignorance, inattention, and disbelief about climate change, now there is concern. 

Individually, rather than depriving ourselves, we should instead be adding to our lives to contribute to the fight to tackle the climate emergency. These can include things like volunteering, activism, and spreading awareness to other people about the effects that climate change can have on our lives. All these positive solutions coupled with attempting to live a more sustainable life, can make all the difference.

Technological advances are also a cause for hope. Solar and wind energy and battery technology are now far cheaper, and their efficiency is getting better and better. New technologies, including artificial intelligence, now also offer the prospect of huge improvements in the energy efficiency of transport systems, building operations, manufacturing processes and food production. 

Ways to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere also offer hope, not only of reaching net zero, but in eventually reversing climate change.  

The planet’s oceans, forests and grasslands take up huge quantities of carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, much of which is stored in plants or in the soil, creating major global carbon sinks.  

By preserving and expanding forests, these sinks could be made larger.  Taking greater care of oceans and land is not only important for preserving biodiversity but is also a key part of climate change mitigation. 

I believe that, for all the challenges that we face, climate change is the one that will define the contours of this century more dramatically perhaps than the others.

Surviving sea-level rise is going to change our lives; it is going to change the way we regard ourselves on the planet; it will lead to a happier, more equitable way of life for all of humankind. 

Only then can we leave behind a world that is worthy of our children, where there is reduced conflict and greater cooperation – a world marked not by human suffering, but by human progress.

This story, written by Professor Benjamin P. Horton, Director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, has been shared as part of World News Day 2021, a global campaign to highlight the critical role of fact-based journalism in providing trustworthy news and information in service of humanity. #JournalismMatters.