"This aims to ensure that what we'll do is correct," Environment chief Ramon Paje said Wednesday on the side of the Communication and News Exchange Forum that Philippine Information Agency organized with Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) and which DENR hosted at its headquarters in Quezon City.

PCOO head Secretary Sonny Coloma agrees, noting work on the lake requires thorough planning to maximize resources appropriated for the purpose.

"Correct analysis of a problem will help yield the correct solution," he said at the forum.

Laguna de Bay continues reeling from environmental degradation and other threats which further reduce this water body's water carrying capacity and socio-economic potential.

In recent years, overflowing of water in the lake submerged surrounding communities for weeks.

Paje reported that the DENR agency Laguna Lake Development Authority already completed framework for the master plan so government can develop a wholistic guide for saving the lake and boosting its role as an economic driver.

"We should be able to present this by December to Malacanang," he said.

The government needs the guide since work involved will go beyond merely dredging Laguna de Bay, he noted.

He urged the need for a comprehensive plan, noting Laguna de Bay will require major activities like rehabilitating the watershed where it's located to help minimize pollution there.

"It's a big undertaking requiring possibly over PhP200 billion," he said.

He also said work on saving Laguna Lake will continue beyond the present administration's term ending 2016.

Earlier, the government rejected an PhP18 billion project to dredge Laguna de Bay, believing a more comprehensive approach is needed to rehabilitate the water body where an estimated four million tons of silt get deposited annually.

"In that project, the lake will be dredged by one percent only, so its water holding capacity will merely increase by a few millimeters and the silt will seep back in three years but we'll spend billions of pesos for the undertaking," Paje said.

Aside from dredging, he noted soil stabilization along the lake, flood control and other activities must be undertaken. (PNA)

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Sy-Alvarado, during a meeting held recently with officials of the provincial government of Bulacan, Metropolitan Waterworks Sewerage System (MWSS), National Power Corporation (Napocor) and other stakeholders, made the call amid reports regarding the crack found in Angat Dam which may cause the same tragedies experienced by Japan and New Zealand in case the country is hit by a strong earthquake.

The governor said concerned agencies should not only prioritize the people of Manila but also the residents of Bulacan and Pampanga whose lives and properties will be directly affected if a strong earthquake strikes the dam.

He said having a sustainable plan will also help solve the deforestation near the dam that causes siltation as well as the removal of mud.

He also said the Ipo and Angat dams were heavily silted due to the massive cutting of trees within the areas.

MWSS administrator Gerry Baldo, for his part, said they are presently conducting a study with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) headed by Rene Solidum regarding the technical aspect and immediate actions to be executed in case an earthquake hits the dam.

Meanwhile, Rustico de Belen, head of Bulacan Environment and Natural Resources Office and Bro. Martin Francisco of Sagip Sierra Madre Environmental Society Inc. have recently visited the bald forest areas near the dam to be able to come up with rehabilitation plans. (PNA)

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”Pinakamalinis na Bayan o Lungsod” (Cleanest municipality or city) citations for the first quarter were awarded to Calumpit, Bustos, San Rafael municipalities and San Jose del Monte City due to their intensive campaign for a clean environment as assessed by the task force and their invaluable effort to realize the mandate of Republic Act No. 9003 (The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.)

Sy-Alvarado personally handed the P30,000 cash incentive and a plaque of appreciation to the winners as represented by their respective local chief executives.

The winners were chosen according to the following criteria: responsiveness of their programs aligned to the provincial thrust, (20 percent); effectiveness which tackles the coverage of their program involving the awareness of the community, (30 percent); result of the activity which encompasses the execution of plans and its impact to the community, (50 percent). (PNA) LAP/FFC/zst/EGG/ps

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The environmental watchdog said cutting back on waste can be a form of penance, an act of charity and reconciliation.

It urged the public to observe a “green” Holy Week.

Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez Jr. also encouraged the faithful to spend the Holy Week in a spiritually nourishing and earth-friendly way.

“A green Holy Week is a timely call in response to the wastefulness and greed that is blatantly trashing our fragile environment,” he said.

Iniguez, who also heads the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Permanent Committee on Public Affairs, said the theme of this year’s Alay Kapwa “Our Neighbor and Environment, Our Responsibility” actually calls for respect and care to both person and the environment.

“As stewards of God’s creation, it is our shared responsibility to respect and preserve Mother Earth and protect her ability to support and perpetuate life,” he said. (PNA)

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Citing data gathered from the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Paje revealed that the level of air pollution in the metropolis for the first six months of the Aquino administration, or during the second half of 2010, was reduced by 20 percent.

In 2009, Paje said the level of total suspended particulates (TSP) in Metro Manila was at 130 micrograms per normal cubic meters (μg/Ncm), or 44 percent more than the standard of 90 μg/Ncm.

For the first half of 2010, air pollution worsened to a level of 166 μg/Ncm, or 84 percent beyond the standard. But during the second semester of 2010, the TSP level declined to 133 μg/Ncm. Paje said that while the recorded TSP level remains still above the standard, it showed “significantly better air quality.” Seventy percent of air pollution in Metro Manila is attributed to vehicular emissions.

Paje attributed the improvement in the air quality to an invigorated partnership with other government agencies, such as the Land Transportation Office, the Metro Manila Development Authority, local government units, civil society and the private sector. In particular, he noted the partnership in the effort to rid Edsa of smoke belchers, including taking pictures of smoke belchers along the country’s busiest thoroughfare.

The environment chief further stated that under the present administration, the government was able to strengthen the regulation and enforcement of rules on air pollution, particularly with the setting of more stringent standards in air emissions.

Concerned government agencies have also been working together in implementing measures to reduce traffic, as well as to ensure compliance with emission testing prior to vehicle registration.

“All these we do, as we believe in the UN declaration that access to clean air and clean water is a basic human right,” Paje said.

He said that, having “inherited” polluted air in Metro Manila, the Aquino administration has always batted for cleaner air since day one because, as World Bank studies show, the exposure of 18 million Filipinos to air pollution causes health problems that lead to lack of productivity, translating to an annual loss of income amounting to P7.6 billion.

“We have always maintained that environmental protection is not the monopoly of government, and the current improvement in air quality is proof that the concerted efforts within a network of the government, civil society, private sector and other stakeholders have borne fruit. Certainly, everybody should inhale clean air and drink clean water,” said Paje.

President Aquino himself had observed the improvement when, during one of his speaking engagements at a local university, he noted that there are nights that he could look at the sky and already see gleaming stars. (PNA) DCT/FFC/PIA-PR/utb

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The federal government plans to introduce a price on carbon from July 2012, with an emissions trading scheme to follow within five years.

In a move to reclaim support from middle Australia and neutralize Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's attack on the climate change package, Combet said he will use a speech at the National Press Club later on Wednesday to release key details of the proposed compensation for households under the scheme.

He said pensioners and the low-paid will be the priority for compensation, adding that most families will actually be better off under the plan.

"What we're making clear today is that more than 50 percent of carbon price revenue will be used to assist households," Combet told ABC Radio.

He said for most families, compensation will outweigh the higher cost of living that will be generated by the tax.

"There's a variety of ways that we can deliver this assistance. One of the most efficient ways is through a tax and transfer system … but we haven't finalized the detail of the delivery arrangements at this point in time."

Meanwhile, Combet said those guarantees also meant the scare campaign being waged by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott was unfounded.

The Opposition has vowed to scrap Labor's carbon tax as Abbott has repeatedly stated that "What the Australian people need to understand is that the tax will be permanent (but) the compensation will be temporary." (PNA/Xinhua)

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"As Singapore's largest carrier, we feel a responsibility to manage the environmental impact of global trade," said Eng Aik Meng, president of APL, the shipping line of Neptune Orient Lines.

The new fuel produces less sulphur oxides, local daily Straits Times reported.

The fuel conversion is one of the steps expected to be taken by maritime players in Singapore to make the industry greener and cleaner under an incentive scheme announced by Transport Minister Raymond Lim at the ongoing Singapore Maritime Week.

The government has earmarked 100 million Singapore dollars (79. 4 million U.S. dollars) in the next five years for the Maritime Singapore Green Initiative, which will be administered by the Maritime and Port Authority.

The scheme will have three portions targeting different players, including the Green Port Program that encourages ships to burn cleaner fuel at Singapore's port by allowing them to pay less in port dues if they use such fuel.

The Green Ship Program will allow Singapore-flagged ships to pay less in fees and taxes if they adopt ship designs that reduce fuel consumption.

There is also the Green Technology program that gives maritime companies funding support to develop and adopt green technologies.

The maritime sector contributes about seven percent of the gross domestic product of Singapore and employs more than 170,000 people in the city state. (PNA/Xinhua)

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“We are inviting the faithful to celebrate the Holy Week with a pledge to cut back on garbage and pollution as part of our spiritual works of penance, charity and reconciliation,” said Roy Alvarez, President of the EcoWaste Coalition.

Alvarez said abstinence from wasteful consumption during the holidays and beyond augurs well for both Mother Earth and the future of the Philippines, climate change-threatened nation.

“The fact that Earth Day this year falls on Good Friday is indeed good for the environment as this should mean less cars on the streets, less energy use in malls, less noise, less non-essential consumption and less garbage. Let Good Friday be a Good Earth Day as well,” he added.

Bishop Deogracias S. Iñiguez, Jr. concurred with the group's call for a green Holy Week as it complements the theme of this year’s “Alay Kapwa” (a lenten evangelization-action program of the Catholic Church): “Our Neighbor and Environment, Our Responsibility.”

“A green Holy Week is a timely call in response to the wastefulness and greed that is blatantly trashing our fragile environment. I encourage everyone to plan for an earth-friendly and spiritually-nourishing week,” the Bishop of Kalookan said.

To inspire and guide all citizens in observing the Holy Week with the planet in mind, the EcoWaste Coalition has released 12 down-to-earth suggestions for a greener observance of the death and resurrection of Christ the Redeemer.

These include no littering;shun disposables;power down; call off expensive, non-essential long distance trips and consider giving the money saved to the “Alay-Kapwa” program (http://caritasmanila.org.ph/alay-kapwa) or to your favorite charitable causes; abide by the eco-creed "take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time;

Say no to plastic carry bags;save trees; go for tobacco-free and alcohol-free “Pabasa” (chant reading of the Passion of Christ); say no to styro;avoid overdoing the "carrozas" (floats) for the Good Friday; go for simple, eco-friendly Easter "Salubong" sans firecrackers and confetti;and,use only natural ingredients or dyes to color the easter eggs. (PNA)

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BANDARLAMPUNG, Lampung, April 13 – Students of the University of Lampung Biology Division will transplant coral reefs in Lampung Bay as part of the activities to celebrate the Natural Resources Conservation Week, the work coordinator Novriadi said here Tuesday.

The Natural Resources Conservation Week has for its theme "Enhancing Public Awareness and Concern for the Importance of Education and Marine Conservation for a Better Future."

At least 50 divers will be involved, but only 10 with a job of transplanting are certified.

"The observation will be conducted once in every three months," Novriadi explained .

He added that the activity will be conducted on April 18, 2011 in Ringgung beach, Pesawaran district, with at least 72 organisms to be grown and developed.

In addition, the other activities in the Natural Resources Conservation Week include environmental action themed "Show Real Action in Our Sea" and an underwater photography contest themed "My Million Marine Charms of Nature".

The other activities are coloring and drawing contest themed "Save Coral Reefs Now For Future Marine Life."

The participants of the coral transplantation are students, lecturers and diving clubs in Indonesia, while the environmental action involved high school and college students. (PNA/Antara)

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But in Indonesia, ground-based evidence suggests these vital coastal forests have been decimated or damaged in many regions across the country.

Launching a mangrove planting campaign along the coast of Ambon Bay in Maluku some time ago, Forestry and Marine Affairs Minister Fadel Muhammad admitted that around 70 percent of mangrove forests in Indonesia were in critical condition and seriously damaged.

The minister cited lack of public awareness as a factor which has caused the degradation of mangrove forests in many Indonesian regions.

Realizing that mangroves can function as fortresses against tidal wave disasters and coastal abrasion, Angeline Sondakh, a member of the House of Representatives (DPR)`s Commission X said here on Monday that they need proper management.

After getting information about the examination results of the Supreme Audit Board (BPK) concerning mangrove forest management performance in the Malacca Strait area, Angelina, also an environmental activist, said mangrove forests management in the country should be stepped up.

"BPK has disclosed that there are some weaknesses in the policies and systems of internal control and non-compliance with the existing rules on sustainable management of mangrove forests," Angelina said.

She also said that mangrove forest rehabilitation, utilization, conservation, and protection efforts had not been as effective as expected.

"The function of mangrove forests as coastal eco-system buffers has to be improved and maintained," Angelina said.

Meanwhile, a researcher said Indonesia should prioritize mangrove forest conservation as a way to overcome climate change.

"Mangrove forest conservation should be part of the discussions on the important role of tropical wetlands and climate change," senior researcher of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) Daniel Murdiyarso said at a seminar on wetlands in Denpasar, Bali, on Monday.

Daniel said the result of a scientific research by CIFOR and the US Forest Service showed that mangroves store exceptionally more carbon than most tropical forests, but they were being destroyed at a rapid rate causing significant emissions of greenhouse gases.

The outcome of the research was contained in a paper titled "Carbon-rich tropical mangroves and climate change mitigation in a time of rising seas" published by the Nature GeoScience.

Daniel said that according to a new study in Nature GeoScience, mangroves might be the world`s most carbon rich forests to store up to four times as much carbon as other tropical forests including rain forests.

Therefore, he called on the Indonesian government to pay as much attention to mangrove forests as to peat forests and develop even better policies to protect mangrove forests.

Daniel suggested that the government make a policy, applying an international initiative know as REDD+ (reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) which was considered one of the most cost-effective ways to slow the rate of climate change.

The findings from the study, which was carried out by scientists from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the USDA Forest Service, underscore a call by scientists for mangroves to be protected as part of global efforts to combat climate change.

"Mangroves are being destroyed at an alarming rate. This needs to stop. Our research shows that mangroves play a key role in climate change mitigation strategies," Daniel Murdiyarso said.

In the study, which was published on April 3 in Nature Geoscience, scientists quantified carbon storage in mangroves across a large tract of the Indo-pacific region.

"No studies to date have integrated the necessary measurements for total mangrove carbon storage across broad geographic domains," he said.

From the results, the scientists estimated that the destruction and degradation of mangrove forests may be generating as much as 10 percent of all the global deforestation emissions despite accounting for just 0.7 percent of tropical forest area.

Much of that carbon is stored in the ground below the mangroves forests that can be seen above the ground and water.

Deforestation and land-use change currently account for 8 percent to 20 percent of all global carbon emissions, second only to the use of fossil fuels.

Mangroves occur along the coasts of most major oceans in some 118 countries.

A 30 percent to 50 percent decline in mangroves over the past half-century has raised fears that they may disappear altogether in as little as 100 years.

Rapid 21st century sea level rise has also been cited as a primary threat to mangroves, which have responded to past more gradual sea-level changes by migrating landward or upward.

Under current climate trends, sea level is projected to rise 18-79 centimeters this century – and even higher if ice-sheet melting continues accelerating.

Mangroves are also being threatened by increasing pressures from urban and industrial developments, as well as fish farms.

"There is a lack of awareness of the full implications of mangrove loss for humankind," Murdiyarso said, adding that there was an urgent need for the government to acknowledge mangroves` importance and develop better policies to ensure their protection.

He said mangroves are not only key to climate change mitigation efforts, they also play important roles in adapting to the changing climate.

Mangroves, according to him, protect coastlines from storm surges and fluctuations in sea levels, including from devastating tsunamis.

He said mangroves have long been known as extremely productive ecosystems that cycle carbon quickly, but until now there had been no estimate of how much carbon resides in these systems. (PNA/Antara)

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DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson said the training will teach project engineers on the use of coconut fiber/coconets erosion control materials as bio-engineering measures and be able to properly apply this new technology in on-going and future projects.

Coco-fiber products can be used as coconut fiber materials or coconets for soil conditioning and erosion control, he said.

Earlier, Singson issued Department Order No. 41 directing all regional directors, district engineers and project engineers to prioritize in the design consideration the usage of coconut bio-engineering products in all projects especially those involving slope stabilization, soil conditioning, soil erosion prevention and/or hydroseeding.

Singson said the use of the coco-fiber products in the engineering industry will not only benefit the environment but will also support the Aquino administration's poverty alleviation program through employment opportunities particularly for coconut farmers in rural areas.

At the end of the three-day training, engineers are expected to gain more knowledge on the general characteristics of coconut fiber, distinguish the characteristics and specifications of coconut fiber geotextiles and bio-engineering materials. (PNA)

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BUTUAN CITY, April 10 — Retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno on Saturday accepted the invitation of the Butuan City government, through Mayor Ferdinand Amante Jr., to be the city government’s adviser/consultant in the city’s greening project.

The project, which was launched recently, is the first of its kind among cities in the country.

The retired Chief Magistrate was in Butuan City Saturday together with Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary Ernesto Adobo as special guests and speakers in the launching of Butuan City’s Balanghayan Grow a Million Tree Project.

The project aims to plant at least three million trees, with at least one million tree planted per year, between 2011 and 2013, in 86 urban and rural barangays of this city.

At a press conference during the project launching at the covered court of Barangay Bit-os, Butuan City, Mayor Amante announced he would recruit the former Chief Justice as legal consultant and adviser to the city government’s greening project, including anti-illegal logging and environmental protection drive.

Puno readily accepted the challenge to become adviser and consultant of the Butuan City government pro-bono.

However, Puno advised the city government to sustain the Grow a Million Tree project, saying he wants the project to succeed where he can see the trees planted grow.

Puno, who admitted his latest advocacy now is planting trees after retiring from the High Court, said he is hoping that people will not only be active in planting trees but also continuously take care of the tree seedlings from the time they are planted up to the time they can already stand on their own to grow.

“The secret there is to make the community and people owned the tree planting project so that they take care of it until it will be fully grown,” Puno said.

For his role as legal consultant in the Butuan City government’s anti-illegal logging and environmental protection program, the former Supreme Court Chief Justice admitted it will be a tough job.

“The key for successful prosecution of environmental violators to pay for the crimes they commit is total people’s organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and multisector involvement in the campaign,” Puno said.

Puno said planting trees is one of the mitigating measures to combat the disastrous effects of climate change. He noted that the country’s forest cover has deteriorated over the years to only 24 percent,

“The ideal forest cover of the country must be 54 percent, so nakikita ninyo na napaka-delikado na ang nangyayari sa ating bansa, tayo’y nagiging biktima na sa climate change,” he said

“Dahil din sa kawalan natin ng forest cover, yung ating mga plants at hayop ay unti-unting nawawala o namamatay. Dito po sa Butuan at Surigao, madalas din po na nababaha, kaunting ulan lang, baha na” Puno said.

Puno said he and DENR Undersecretary Adobo came to Butuan City precisely to see to it how the One Million-Tree a Year project will work.

Puno said one thing he got attracted to the project is that everybody in the community owns it, “and in that case this project will not fail because this project is owned by the people.”

The DENR undersecretary, for his part, said that the launching was timely in time of President Benigno S. Aquino III’s signing of an executive order requiring all government agencies to plant 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares of land staring this year up to 2016.

Adobo said that the assurance of the Department of Education to help in the tree planting project, whereby one pupil is required to produce 10 tree seedlings, can help boost President Aquino’s tree planting program.

"Apart from we see trees being planted, the impact of awareness for environmental awareness and protection through this project is great because we are slowly educating Filipinos, slowly but surely,” Adobo said. (PNA)

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Arthur F. Punsalan, head of ENRO, emphasized that "this problem has been creeping up on us and people have not really done enough to counter it."

“We should not wait for it to become so big that it would blow up on our faces and we could not do anything about it,” Punsalan said.

He said Governor Lilia G. Pineda, in a determined effort to combat the garbage problem, has given instructions to pursue measures that would alleviate this concern in the province.

The governor also said during the recent launch of Environment Month this April that “everyday should be made Environment Day” and that “efforts to save the environment should not be seasonal, but instead be made part of regular day-to-day activities."

Clean up campaigns have been going on within the capitol compound itself, Punsalan said, adding that "thus, it is a common sight nowadays to see ENRO staff, with members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Army (PA) joining forces to keep the area clean."

“We cannot solve the problem overnight but with the cooperation of all stakeholders, we can do it,” he said.

The governor has earlier on called on mayors and other local officials to actively involve themselves in the proper waste disposal campaign in their communities. “And they have been responding positively, which is a good sign”, he said.

He expressed optimism that within this year, the provincial government's desire to have one MRF in every town would be realized. (PNA)

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Through a petition letter, the groups, led by the EcoWaste Coalition, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) and Pesticide Action Network (PAN), urged tough action against the said pesticide ahead of a crucial intergovernmental meeting that is expected to seal the fate of endosulfan.

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) will meet on April 25-29 in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss matters related to the implementation of the treaty, including the recommendation by a panel of scientific experts to ban endosulfan.

The UN POPs Review Committee (POPRC) last year recommended to add endosulfan, after a rigorous process for evaluating the said chemical, to Annex A of the treaty as a new POP for worldwide elimination.

The "AlerToxic Patrol" volunteers of the EcoWaste Coalition's Project PROTECT (People Responding and Organizing against Toxic Chemical Threats) brought the petition letter to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The petitioners, which include a broad set of environmental health, climate justice and sustainable development advocates, asked Secretary Proceso Alcala to be in step with nations who will soon make a historic decision of adding endosulfan to the POPs treaty, which will eventually lead to its elimination from global use.

Numerous assessments of the human health and ecological risks of endosulfan by governments, academics and citizens’ groups, including testimonies from pollution victims, have confirmed the toxic, bio-accumulative and persistent characteristics of endosulfan, the groups said.

A formal ban on endosulfan, the groups insisted, will bolster the “temporary ban” on the importation, distribution and use of endosulfan under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Memorandum Circular 2009-02 “to protect the public health from any undesirable risks (and) hazards on the use of endosulfan.”

The groups told Secretary Alcala that the decision to ban endosulfan should be “easy, non-contentious and defensible” as the Philippines has no registered use anymore for endosulfan.

Del Monte and Dole pineapple companies, the only two entities previously permitted to import and use endosulfan, have already switched to alternative pesticides following the deadly M.V. Princess of the Stars maritime tragedy in 2008 where some 10 metric tons of endosulfan also went down with the ill-fated passenger ship. (PNA) DCT/FFC/PR/mec

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Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Director Malcolm Sarmiento is upbeat about this expedition's contribution to Philippine fisheries, noting the VIP inventory will serve as input for future government policies on promoting sustainable development and fisherfolk livelihood there.

"The expedition's results will help government better promote integrated coastal resource management there," he said.

He noted that among the benefits of integrated management are more effective law enforcement, establishment of sanctuaries where needed and creation of alternative livelihood for people concerned.

BFAR Fisheries Regulatory and Quarantine Division's senior fisheries regulation officer Ludivina Labe confirmed she and a colleague will take part in the expedition.

"The activity aims to confirm presence of previously identified species in VIP and to identify new species there," she said.

Labe said the expedition will seek to confirm if the area is indeed the center where many species evolve from existing ones there.

VIP lies in the center of the Indo-Malay-Philippines archipelago which experts long considered as hosting the world's highest concentration of marine biodiversity.

Batangas and Mindoro Oriental provinces are along VIP.

Labe noted California Academy of Sciences will conduct the VIP inventory in collaboration with State-run University of the Philippines' Marine Science Institute.

"This will be the biggest expedition of its kind in VIP so far -previous efforts to collect and identify species there were on a lesser scale," she said.

CAS senior curator Dr. Terrence Gosliner will be the expedition's principal investigator, she said.

Parties concerned earlier scheduled the expedition from April 27 to June 5 this year.

"Eight days will be devoted to investigating the deep sea while inventory in shallow waters will cover about five weeks," Labe said.

She noted longer time is needed for inventoring VIP's shallow waters since many species are found there.

BFAR's vessel will be used in exploring the target waters.

The expedition is unique since this will cover VIP's terrestrial species as well.

Labe said the terrestrial inventory will cover one week.

In preparing for the expedition, Labe said parties concerned established base in Club Ocellaris in Batangas' Anilao municipality.

Specimen collected will be processed there in the laboratory specially set up for the expedition, she noted.

Aside from experts and foreign graduate students, she said local students will join the expedition to help process specimen collected.

"It'll be an educational experience for them," she said. (PNA)

DCT/LDV/CJT/mec

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“With the completion of our geohazard mapping project on landslide- and flood-prone areas, the MGB is now set for coastal geohazard mapping, with particular attention on the effects of the rising sea level due to climate change," DENR Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje said.

"This will give us solid information as to which coastal areas or shorelines are experiencing erosion or are prone to erosion to enable the government plan for a more responsive risk reduction program for these areas and other climate change mitigating and adaptation measures,” he said.

Coastal erosion is a result of a number of geologic, oceanographic and atmospheric factors, including the relative sea level rise due to climate change.

However, the rise of sea level can also result from man-made activities such as beach mining, Paje stressed.

He said beach resorts and other infrastructure constructed along coastal areas are the ones that will be primarily affected by erosion due to rise of sea level.

In a report to Secretary Paje, MGB Acting Director Leo Jasareno said among the environmental changes that will be looked into under the project include the erosion and accretion or sedimentation of shorelines.

Jasareno said for this year, MGB’s Marine Geology Division, which is conducting the geohazard assessment, is targeting 97 coastal areas as priority areas in the provinces of Cagayan, La Union, Iloilo, Aklan, Antique, Negros Oriental and Cebu.

Among the parameters set by MGB in determining the priority areas to be covered by the project include the area’s inherence to vulnerability, average rainfall, wind surges affecting the area, and the number of population in the coastal area, among others.

Jasareno indicated that the initial activities under the project include shoreline mapping activities, gathering of erosion evidences such as exposed roots of vegetation in the area, eroded roads and infrastructure and gathering of anecdotal and historical information from the coastal populace.

“The existence of these evidences in the area would somehow confirm that the area is prone to erosion,” Jasareno said.

Paje said the MGB is expected to come up with a report on this project and a coastal geohazard map that would include details such as the number of hectares of eroded coastal areas, the rate of erosion and accretion in a certain area, as well as identification of coastal areas vulnerable to erosion.(PNA)

LDV/PR/mec

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CANBERRA, April 11 — Australia's booming natural gas sector on Monday launched a campaign to be exempted from the federal government's proposed carbon tax, arguing the energy source is helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

According to chief executive of the biggest Australian-owned liquid natural gas (LNG) company Woodside Petroleum, Don Voelte, LNG can help deliver a "better world" and should be excluded from the carbon tax.

"Everywhere else in the world understands (liquid natural gas) … (is a) cheap clean transitional fuel to a better world," Voelte told ABC Radio on Monday. "Gas should be excluded (from the tax)".

Voelte said Australia was "going it alone" in the world with its plans for a carbon tax, which would penalize gas as a clean energy source, push up domestic gas prices and the cost of living, and hurt exports and manufacturing.

He also warned that the carbon tax could be the breaking point in deferring or even canceling some of the 134 billion U.S. dollars to be invested in gas projects in Australia in coming years.

His comments coincide with a report by the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association outlining the role of LNG to reduce global emissions.

The report showed up to 4.3 tonnes of emissions are saved every time China uses a tonne of LPG instead of coal to generate power.

"There is no point in constraining the very industry that is the key to assisting the world move to a cleaner energy burning future," Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association's chief executive, Belinda Robinson, said in the report.

Meanwhile, gas industry leaders, including Santos chief executive David Knox, said the introduction of a carbon tax in Australia would make local producers less competitive than overseas LNG suppliers, such as those in Qatar and Malaysia, which have no plans to introduce a price on emissions.

Resources and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson earlier said the world is entering the LNG age, with Australia set to be the world' s second biggest supplier by 2015.

The federal government said it is willing to talk about a better carbon tax deal for the LNG sector.

The government will introduce a fixed carbon tax on emissions from July 1 next year, before moving to a full emissions trading scheme in three to five years. (PNA/Xinhua)

DCT/LDV/ebp

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While expressing its heartfelt condolences, thoughts and prayers to the people of Japan following the recent widespread devastation caused by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that claimed the lives of over 18,000 people, the PCC also expressed grave concerns about the radiation leaks coming from the badly damaged Fukushima nuclear reactors.

The PCC, an organization that represents most Pacific people that are Christians, said in a statement that "this irradiated sea water poses a lasting threat to Pacific ecosystems and the livelihoods of island communities who depend on the marine environment for their survival and sense of identity."

It urges the Japanese government to exhaust every measure to prevent any further radioactive material from entering the Pacific Ocean.

Meanwhile, the PCC condemned the use of nuclear power stations and calls on the international community to advocate for the promotion and adoption of clean and renewable energy.

Reaffirming that "the earth is the Lord's, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it" (Psalm 24:1), the PCC calls on all member churches to exercise its prophetic witness to speak out against harmful technologies that destroy God's good creation. (PNA/Xinhua)

FFC/ebp

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Dr. Danilo Abayon, 3rd ASU president, said they will start the project in Isla Capispisan in New Washington and will be replicated in other towns such as Buruanga, Ibajay, Tangalan, Nabas and in Boracay. The Isla Capispisan recently gained recognition from the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for its exemplary university extension project.

The New Washington town council for their part had considered the Isla Capispisan as a marine protected area.

The town of Kalibo has already its mangrove reforestation project that gained recognition from the Food and Agriculture Office of the United Nations.

"We want the coastal resources to be protected from tsunamis. It is our first line of defense. Aside from the protection, we also expect that our marine resources would be improved in years to come as part of our food security measures," said Abayon, who is also the first Aklanon ASU president.

For his part, Rep. Angelo Palmones of Alyansa ng Grupong Haligi ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Mamamayan Incorporated (AGHAM) pledged P50,000 for the planting of more mangroves at the Isla Capispisan.

"I support the agenda of the ASU to plant more mangrove as part of the environmental protection of the province," Palmones said as guest speaker of the graduating students of the ASU-Marine and Fisheries Department New Washington Campus. (PNA) DCT/FFC/JNA/vlo

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The video shows the giant wave generated by the March 11 earthquake crashing over the plant's seawall and engulfing the facility, with one sheet of spray rising higher than the buildings that house the plant's six reactors.

Tokyo Electric Power, the plant's owner, said the wall of water was likely 14 to 15 meters higher than normal sea levels — easily overwhelming the plant's 5-meter seawall.

The footage was shot from high ground about 900 meters south of the plant by a worker who evacuated before the tsunami hit, CNN quoted the Tokyo Electric Power Company as saying in the six-second clip. (PNA/PTI)

scs/rsm

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