Energy Security & Food Security: We Need a War on Waste, Not a War that Stops Fertiliser, Food & Fuel from Getting Where it’s Needed Most

ABC Carbon Express Text version.

Incorporating Ocean Outlook, Focus on Forests and The Art of Travel

31 May/1 June 2022

Issue 253

Energy Security & Food Security:

We Need a War on Waste, Not a War that Stops

Fertiliser, Food & Fuel from Getting Where it’s

Needed Most

When I started writing this “commentary” in mid-April – six weeks ago – I had proposed the headline: “Europe - including Ukraine - could move ahead with Renewables faster if Russia stopped its power grab!” This certainly reflected my feelings at the time and also summed up some of the wise words - and angry messages - which were circulating then. I’ve updated my messaging to say – rather forceably, I think – that we need to immediately address the global issue of what we're allowing to go to waste - food and energy. This must happen at the same time as we switch to cleaner, renewable energy sources and sustainable food production. Otherwise, we are not heading in the right direction. War or no war. Pictured is a Ukrainian field of sunflowers and wind turbines. Not a sunset industry, but - we hope - the future! Read more here. - Ken Hickson.

Coming Clean Together

Singapore and Indonesia inked a climate change partnership in - a first for Asia, as far as we know – which could see the two countries working together on clean energy/technology research and pilot projects related to various eco systems on land or sea. Four key areas that both nations will collaborate on are carbon pricing and markets, nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based approach, clean technology and solutions, and green and blended finance. Read more in the Straits Times.

Net Zero Hotels

Hotels in Singapore have been urged to recycle food waste and install solar panels/water meters, among other measures, as part of the industry’s first green plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. They will start to track carbon emissions by next year and reduce them by 2030. It's all outlined in the Hotel Sustainability Roadmap, set by the Singapore Hotel Association and Singapore Tourism Board (STB). Read the rest in TTG Asia.

Finland & KONE: World Leaders in Emission

Reduction Plans & Projects

Finland might be in the news for other reasons - like making a move to join NATO - but the country’s Parliament has just approved a new Climate Change Act that would commit the country to carbon neutrality by 2035 and carbon negativity by 2040. A global first. We also know of one Finnish company that has been leading the way to cut emissions for the built environment through innovative and sustainable measures. KONE might be best known as one of the world's biggest lift and elevator producers, but it's also determined to be seen as a global business leader, committed to change, and to help properties the world over be more efficient to save energy and cut emissions. Added recognition for KONE comes with the ‘Business Leadership in Sustainability – Innovation’ award from the Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC) this month. Ken Hickson delved even more deeply into the work of this enterprising Finnish company by joining in on an earlier and very informative webinar: "Building Together: Smart and Sustainable Cities of the Future". Setting the scene was KONE's President and CEO Henrik Ehrnooth, while recognising the challenges faced by business globally, including impacts from the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia, insisted that we must continue to address the issues - and opportunities - in the built environment, which is responsible for 40% of global emissions. The webinar featured, among others, Professor Greg Clark (UK), Dr Cheong Koon Hean (Singapore), Chair of the Centre for Liveable Cities and renowned international designer Thomas Heatherwick. You can view and listen to the full webinar recording here: KONE Experience 2022.

Profiles of Change-Makers for Climate,

Australian Politics & Business

• ?Australians could see a surge in their electricity bills if the nation's second richest man succeeds in shutting down coal-fired power stations a decade earlier than planned, reports the Daily Mail on 30 May. But Australia's largest energy producer AGL has dumped plans to demerge its coal-fired power stations following a campaign from multibillionaire?climate change activist Mike Cannon[1]Brookes. Australia's second richest man used his 11.3% share in AGL Energy via his private investment company Grok Ventures to kill off the demerger proposal. Read the FT story (14 May) about Australia's first green corporate raider.
• Independent candidate Zoe Daniel made Australian election history on 21 May, convincingly winning the once-safe Liberal seat of Goldstein and ousting incumbent, Tim Wilson. Before a jubilant crowd of hundreds at the Brighton Bowling Club in Melbourne’s inner south, former foreign correspondent and ABC TV News journalist Zoe Daniel claimed victory and promised to be an “honest broker from the cross benches”. She is one of six independent TEAL candidates to win seats, as strong advocates for action on climate change, on which the defeated Liberal National coalition Government has been seen as a laggard.
• Together, we can take advantage of the opportunity for Australia to be a renewable energy superpower," new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured with President Biden in Tokyo) said in his victory speech on 21 May, vowing also to end the climate wars that have poisoned Australian politics for well over a decade. One of the world's top per-capita greenhouse gas polluters and a leading exporter of coal and gas, Australia's emissions when burned are driving climate change. Read David Fogarty's report on this topic - and many other climate related stories - in The Straits Times, Singapore.

Updates on Climate:

·??????Prevent Coal Pollution Deaths

·??????Heatwaves 30 Times More Likely

·??????UN Warns of Greater Drought Risks

• Phasing out coal plants early can prevent over 14.5 million deaths. That's from the German think tank NewClimate Institute, who've also come up with the Climate Action Tracker, which monitors government climate action in 24 counties. At this stage, China dominates mortality driven by pollutive coal. The story about this by Straits Times reporter Shabana Begum also references a health study in Chennai, India where pollutants - largely from coal burning and industry - are causing a noticeable increase in respiratory illnesses among young people in the state.
• The punishing heatwaves that scorched India and Pakistan in March and April was made 30 times more likely by climate change, experts in quantifying the impact of global warming on extreme weather events said in a rapid-response report Monday. Before the onset of human-caused climate change, the chances of such an event occurring would have been roughly once every 3,000 years, senior author Friederike Otto, a scientist at Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute, told AFP.
• Humanity is ‘at a crossroads’ in the management of droughts, with the number and duration surging 29% since 2000, a new UN report has warned. The report, called Droughts in Numbers, 2022, says that mitigation is needed ‘urgently, using every tool we can.’ ‘We are at a crossroads,’ said Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). ‘We need to steer toward the solutions rather than continuing with destructive actions, believing that marginal change can heal systemic failure.

Highlight from CESG/SIWW: Launch of Centre for Sustainable Excellence

A highlight of the Clean Enviro Summit (CESG), held in conjunction with Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 17-21 April, was learning about the new Centre for Sustainability Excellence being established in Singapore by the UK RSK Group. The Centre is built around four core themes covering fundamental aspects of sustainable development and will also house the RSK Research Institute for Climate Strategy. The themes are: Climate and Sustainability Strategy; Renewable Energy; Digital Water and Sustainable Agriculture. RSK has already started on sustainable agriculture. In Singapore, the potential offered by vertical farming (pictured above) to green the national economy and supply food by sustainable and resilient means is starting to be realised.?We also meet and interviewed Lucy Thomas who will head the new Centre: “RSK is a well[1]established and trusted service provider across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and through the Centre for Sustainability Excellence we hope to bring this wealth of experience to the Asia Pacific region. Underpinned by real-world knowledge and the leading-edge climate research that will be delivered by the RSK Research Institute for Climate Strategy, the Centre will help businesses move at pace towards a more sustainable future.” There's more to come from us on Lucy Thomas, RSK and the new Centre. Meantime, read this.

Ocean Outlook:

Maritime Magazine Feature

Take Human Factors on Board with Digitalisation for Shipping to Attain Decarbonisation Goals

Digitalisation can help shipping achieve its decarbonisation goals, but only if human factors are considered enough when introducing smarter maritime operations. Technology must be “user-friendly”, so both crews at sea and management teams in port are well[1]equipped to make the most of it. These were some of the key points that emerged during DNV’s second ‘Live from Singapore’ webinar on 26 May, from a panel made up of leading industry voices, who focussed on the challenges and opportunities faced by ship owners and ship managers. Changing mindsets to effectively manage industry transformation is essential, and we need to have systems that communicate with each other, they agreed. Read the full DNV Webinar Report here.

?Ken Hickson took a deep dive into sea transportation in recent months, largely by meeting with global shipping industry leaders, along with attending two major events in Singapore: Asia Pacific Maritime and Singapore Maritime Week. He discovered in the process that Singapore is in the prime position to lead the global shipping industry to meet its decarbonisation challenges:

Decarbonisation role for Leading Maritime Cities

Let us put Singapore and global shipping in context. Consistently rated as the world’s leading bunkering hub, the city-state’s port is also acknowledged as the second busiest in terms of container throughput. But when we turn to the latest issue of The Leading Maritime Cities of the World report, compiled in cooperation between DNV and Menon Economics, we see that Singapore comes up trumps as the global hub, when taking into account the best infrastructure, technology, finance, and world-class talent, which all help the maritime community to connect and prosper. It clearly shows that Singapore maintains its position as the leading maritime city of the world - even during the pandemic - and by showing its willingness to get on board the emerging green transformation of the industry.?Here's the report with highlights from the Singapore Maritime Week.

Singapore Speeds up Maritime Decarbonisation

In a review of Asia Pacific Maritime (APM) and Singapore Maritime Week (SMW), Manifold Times produced this feature on 6 May: "If there is one country in the world – and a small one at that – which has grasped the challenge of accelerating the decarbonisation of the maritime industry, it is Singapore. And so it should, as it is consistently rated as the world’s leading bunkering hub, as well as the second busiest port in terms of container throughput." On the first day of SMW, Singapore’s Minister for Transport and Minister-in-Charge of Trade Relations, Mr S. Iswaran, announced that Singapore – together with 22 signatory states – is joining the Clydebank Declaration for Green Shipping Corridors, an initiative to support the establishment of both green shipping corridors and zero[1]emission maritime routes between p orts.?Read Manifold Times.

"WAVES" to the Future - Boats & all!

• We were there when the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) unveiled the development concept for ‘The WAVES’ on the last day Singapore Maritime Week (SMW) 2022. ‘The WAVES’ or Waterfront for All, innoVation, Enterprise, and Sustainability, is an integrated waterfront development that will be the focal point for maritime innovation, sustainability, and talent development efforts in Singapore.?During the ceremony, Senior Minister of State for Transport, Mr Chee Hong Tat shared that ‘The WAVES’ would support Maritime Singapore to capture new opportunities by building connectivity, capabilities and careers. It will house research institutes and start-ups, facilitate testbeds and trials of decarbonisation technologies. Prior to ‘The WAVES’ unveiling, MPA’s Chief Executive, Ms Quah Ley Hoon commissioned MPA’s new hybrid diesel-electric enhanced patrol craft, MPA Guardian (pictured above), during a commemoration ceremony at Marina South Pier. Read all about it.
• We were honoured to get onboard the the revolutionary French catamaran "Energy Observer" when it visited Singapore, its first major event stop in Asia! After 17 days of sailing from Lombok in Indonesia, the self-sufficient renewable energy powered ship and accompanying exhibition village were finally together for the first time in over two years. We saw for ourselves the solar-paneled deck and the smart wind turbine masts. We were taken to see how the crew convert seawater into hydrogen to feed the fuel cells to energise the modern day, sailing ship. vessel. Energy Observer’s expedition around the world is seen as a voice for Green innovations to improve our world is both ambitious and inspirational. This was the first time that Singapore had welcomed a hydrogen-powered and zero-emission vessel, and it speaks of the aspiration many have in Singapore and around the world to welcome more of such low or zero carbon vessels. You can follow this remarkable vessel on its journey by going to the Energy Observer website - always on the move.

Focus on Forests:

The Latest in Panels & Furniture Asia Magazine

"Sourcing sustainable forest fibre in Asia for furniture and furnishings". That's the headline and the message in the latest Environment Report by Ken Hickson in the latest issue of Panels and Furniture Asia Magazine. Go here read the full story.

Royal Appointment: "Tree of Trees" Sculpture

A spectacular 21-metre “Tree of Trees” sculpture featuring 350 British native trees will be created outside Buckingham Palace as a centrepiece of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend celebrations in June. Designed by Heatherwick Studio, the sculpture reflects the joyful Jubilee tree planting which has swept the nation as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC), inspiring over a million trees to be planted during its first season, from October 2021 to March 2022. There's more here.?

The Art of Travel

Ethical & Eco-Conscious Design on Show

Temasek Shophouse collaborates with Temasek Polytechnic’s School of Design is hosting the latest edition of the Sustainability Design Showcase Exhibition. It's well worth a visit. When we went along, there was certainly a lot to see. These students have come up with the goods! The showcase aims to continue to challenge and cultivate students from TP’s School of Design to have a responsible design mindset, and vested interest in promoting ethical and eco-consciousness in the design work that they undertake. The showcase will be held at TSH’s community space from Friday, 6 May 2022 to Thursday, 30 June 2022. Read more here.?

Latest Attractions at Art Science Museum

We Live in an Ocean of Air is a multi-sensory immersive installation by London-based immersive art collective Marshmallow Laser Feast. The work unveils the invisible yet symbiotic connections that bind the animal, plant, human and natural worlds into one enchanting tapestry of wonder – all in stunning virtual reality. It's just opened at the Art Science Museum of Marina Bay Sands. When you visit ASM, you should take in other exhibitions too, including the brilliant Radical Curiosity: In the Orbit of Buckminster Fuller, which runs until end July. You may not be aware that ASM now has a cinema, where you can see Tread in a Garden of Spells, a specially curated film programme celebrating humanity’s fundamental connection with the hallowed land beneath our feet. More about it all here.

Last word: More to come. Worth waiting for!

There's much more to come, particularly for our long-awaited Focus on Forests and The Art of Travel. More on authors, awards, books and events. Hopefully that will happen very soon. Ideally, early in the month of June.

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Written and produced by Ken Hickson. To see and read the full online magazine version of this issue, complete with links and images, go to: ABC Carbon Express ?