20070926 China warns of catastrophe from gigantic Dam (2)

clipped from www.chinadaily.com.cn The open discussion of the negative effects of the Three Gorges Dam comes a month after the Wall Street Journal reported on the rising concerns of landslides, pollution and flooding in the area. Both Tan and Li said the quality of water in the Yangtze tributaries had deteriorated and outbreaks of algae or aquatic weeds had become more common. The government has invested heavily in programs designed to restore and conserve the ecology of the Three Gorges area in recent years, including 12 billion yuan (about 1.5 billion U.S. dollars) spent on trying to harness geological disasters such as landslides. It has also closed or relocated 1,500 manufacturing ventures, constructed more than 70 sewage disposal and waste treatment plants and resettled about 70,000 people from disaster-prone areas. The Three Gorges Project, the world's largest water control facility, was launched in 1993, Located on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River completed in early 20

20070926 China warns of catastrophe from gigantic Dam (1)

clipped from http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-09/26/content_6137027.htm WUHAN -- Chinese officials and experts have admitted the Three Gorges Dam project has caused an array of ecological ills, including more frequent landslides and pollution, and if preventive measures are not taken, there could be an environmental "catastrophe". While the dam has served as a barrier against seasonal flooding threatening the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the electricity generated by hydropower has led to a decrease of 100 million tons of carbon emissions, the benefits have come at an ecological and environmental cost, officials said. They said the huge weight of the water behind the Three Gorges Dam had started to erode the Yangtze's banks in many places, which, together with frequent fluctuations in water levels, had triggered a series of landslides. Frequent geological disasters have threatened the lives of residents around the reservoir area Clear water discharged from the Three Gorges Dam has also threatened the safety of the protective embankments downstream

20070922 Arctic sea ice 'melts to all-time low'

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk Photographs taken in September 2005 and 2007 Sea ice in the Arctic shrank to the smallest area on record this summer, prompting fears it could melt completely within decades and speed up global warming. The ice, which melts in summer months and regrows in the winter cold, shrank so much this year that the route became fully navigable for around five weeks. Sea ice reflects most of the sunlight that strikes it. However, once it melts, the dark ocean surface, which absorbs sunlight, becomes exposed. This causes waters to warm and increases the melt rate. If the sea ice were to disappear, the Earth would absorb more solar energy, which could accelerate global warming. Wildlife in the Arctic would also suffer, particularly polar bears which cross ice floes in search of food. scientists at the NSIDC warned that, at current rates, the Arctic could be ice-free in the summer by 2030 and blamed climate change for the record melting.

20070923 Ozone layer deal struck over chemical ban

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk Chemicals that thin the ozone layer and exacerbate global warming are to be phased out more rapidly under an agreement by nearly 200 countries in Montreal at the weekend. The deal brings forward by ten years to 2030 a ban on hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) used in air conditioning, refrigeration and hairsprays, and sets a timetable for an accelerated phase-out of the chemicals in developed countries by 2020. HCFCs not only damage ozone, they have a global warming potential 1800 times that of carbon dioxide, so the agreement is estimated to mean a reduction of the equivalent of 26 billion tons of carbon dioxide reaching the atmosphere. The treaty was agreed in 1987 to slow down the manufacture and eventually eliminate production of substances that deplete the ozone layer which protects the Earth from harmful solar rays which can cause skin cancer and accelerate global warming. The black spot shows a "hole" in ozone distribution over the South Pole

20070918 白石角打造小矽谷 南豐﹕配套更勝數碼港

clipped from premium.mingpao.com 吐露港側將出現一個超大型豪宅區 新項目可供進駐科學園的大批科研人員和學者居住，使他們可24小時做科研，猶如美國矽谷的香港縮影，並表示配套設施將更勝數碼港。 不過，有現職於科學園的工程師表示，上述樓盤的售價估計甚高，他未必能負擔得起，因而沒有打算購買這些豪宅。 由於科學園2期的出租理想，大批國際及內地科研學者進駐，「科研人員需要有良好的住屋環境，以便讓他們24小時做科研工作」。問及會否參考美國矽谷發展概念，他回應說項目配套更勝數碼港，「項目會提供先進的生活環境，外國的生活模式，相信香港未曾出現過」。 測量師陳超國指出，由於科學園規模不大，未必能達到像美國矽谷的住宅加科研基地發展模式，估計該項目除吸引科研人員外，亦會以內地投資者為銷售對象；由於白石角地皮以低密度臨海住宅為賣點，加上配套設施較完備，料較數碼港發展為佳。

20090917 退耕還林暫停 突顯制度缺陷

clipped from premium.mingpao.com 　【明報專訊】日前內地媒體有一則新聞，相當重要，但似乎沒有引起足夠的關注，新聞內容是﹕「為確保『十一五』期間耕地不少於18億畝，原定『十一五』期間退耕還林2000萬畝的規模，除2006年已安排400萬畝外，其餘暫不安排。」這段新聞很能說明中國當前的制度缺陷。 　缺陷之一是重發展輕環保。中央設定18億畝耕地死線，是為了保障國家糧食安全，耕地近年大幅減少，是因為各個大中城市拚命擴張，把原來的鄉郊農地變成屋地，市政府和地產開發商從中獲得巨利，但由此引起的耕地不足後果，卻要退耕還林計劃來承受，這計劃是為了補贖過去多年過度開墾，導致水土流失黃沙漫天，如今計劃不過初見成效，暫時扭轉了國土沙漠化的危機，中央不去叫停過度的城市化步伐，卻要退耕還林計劃煞車，箇中荒謬與無奈，思之令人嘆息。 　缺陷之二是有政策無配套，不可持續發展。退耕還林計劃是在1999年做試點，2002年全面推行的，中央為此專門立法，並撥款逾10億元，補償給受計劃影響的農戶，同時要求地方政府制訂農戶轉業計劃，以免中央政府無了期地補貼退耕農戶。有一些地方確實做出了成績，就連內蒙古這樣氣候惡劣不宜植林的地方，當採納了錢學森等科學家的建議，把不宜耕作的農地改種沙棘、甘草等耐乾旱植物，並引進沙棘果醬或製醋工廠，農戶自退耕土地上得到的經濟價值，比昔日勉強種植糧食還要多。然而，這類成功事例只屬少數，更多的地方政府是鐵心長期倚賴中央救濟，甚至包容濫竽冒領，中央不忍心農戶捱餓，果然宣布2007年底起繼續資助5年，但這個宣布等於承認了政策不可持續，將來一旦失去補貼，農戶便只有把還林土地再次砍伐耕種。 　退耕還林計劃推行以來，中國恢復了約3. 64億畝林地或草地，相當於再造了一個東北、內蒙古國有林區，這個成績必須保住，但願今年8月宣布的暫停真的只是暫時停止前行，而不是節節敗退的開端。 　【本欄逢周一刊出】 　明報駐京記者 劉進圖

20070917 空氣污染嚴重天濛濛 邱騰華：盡快諮詢停車熄匙

clipped from premium.mingpao.com 　【明報專訊】受反氣旋影響致風勢微弱、污染物積聚不散，本港空氣污染持續嚴重，銅鑼灣、中環及旺角路邊監測站昨均錄得「甚高」的空氣污染水平，預計灰濛濛的天色至周四才有改善。有耳鼻喉專科醫生指出，近日求診人數較平時略多，主要是鼻敏感及傷風感冒患者。環境局長邱騰華表示，政府會盡快就立法管制「停車熄匙」諮詢公眾，進一步改善路邊空氣污染情況。 　路邊監測站指數超過100 　華南地區上周六起受反氣旋影響，本港風勢微弱，懸浮粒子積聚，藍天不再。昨日銅鑼灣、中環及旺角路邊監測站指數普遍超過100，中環最高指數達143，其餘各區路邊監測站亦錄得偏高至甚高水平。天文台科學主任李子祥說，本港現時吹偏北風，風勢較穩定和緩，難以吹散空氣中的懸浮粒子，直接影響能見度。天文台預測今日氣溫介乎攝氏27至32度，隨後數天天晴，預計空氣污染要到周四、周五風勢較大時才有改善。 　耳鼻喉求診人數增加 　耳鼻喉專科醫生顧德政說，近日求診人數較平時略高，主要是鼻敏感及傷風感冒患者。他說，空氣污染可刺激呼吸系統，本港有四成至五成人有敏感病徵，空氣污染會令敏感人士出現流鼻水、喉嚨痕癢等病徵，鼻敏感及哮喘的發病率亦會較高，建議市民盡量留在室內，在戶外要多喝水。 　環境局長邱騰華對本報表示，本港空氣質素欠佳，是由於區域性污染所致。他說，粵港將擴大合作層面，他日前到廣州，與廣東省多個部門商討環保議題，包括廣州市環保局、發改委及經貿委等，廣東省方面已決定逐步關閉小型電廠、水泥廠及鋼鐵廠，加強工廠的環保設施，年底前會再提出新措施，進一步紓緩空氣污染。他強調，內地將加大力度減排，包括推行具約束指標，以示決心。 　另外，本港會盡快就立法管制「停車熄匙」諮詢公眾，他強調，政府過去投入大量資源，包括更換石油氣的士及小巴，巴士公司未來幾年亦會更換排放量更低的型號，「要做的已做了」，停車熄匙是「行多一步」的措施，有助本港在秋冬季受區域空氣污染影響時，紓緩路邊空氣污染情。

20070916 暖化融冰 北極西北航道首開通

clipped from premium.mingpao.com 　【明報專訊】受溫室效應影響，北極融冰情況持續惡化，來往歐亞最短的海路——北極「西北航道」有紀錄以來首次開通。 　來往歐亞最短海路 　連接太平洋及大西洋的「西北航道」是連接歐洲和亞洲的最短航道，但一直冰封千里，有紀錄以來從未通行。歐洲太空總署（ESA）周六表示，西北航道的冰層正穩定地融化縮減，本月拍攝的最新衛星圖片更顯示，這條航道已經無冰，令船隻可以通行。 　ESA指出，衛星自1978年起便監察北極冰層的變化，發現西北航道的冰層近年明顯融化，今夏的情況尤其明顯。 　冰層1年縮百萬平方公里 　丹麥國家太空中心的科學家彼德森表示，（今年）航道上的冰層覆蓋面積跌至約300萬平方公里；幾乎比05、06年的最小面積紀錄少了100萬平方公里。他補充：「在過去10年，冰層覆蓋面積平均每年減少10萬平方公里，所以1年內縮減100萬平方公里實在反常。」 　ESA同時發現貫穿俄羅斯北冰洋的「東北航道」上的冰層亦正減少，現時只剩部分冰層。 　西北航道一直為各國虎視眈眈。加拿大表示，他們完全擁有在其領土上的航道，可禁止任何國家使用西北航道；美國及歐盟則堅持，新航道應為全球共用。 　北極一向對全球氣候的變化極之敏感，科學家預計，北極的冰雪最早會在2040年完全消失。 　英國廣播公司 歐洲太空總署（ESA）8月31日拍攝的圖片顯示，加拿大北極地區麥克盧爾海峽的冰層（綠色）縮減，西北航道已經無冰，船隻可通行。（法新社）

20070913 Lessons from 2004 Tsunami

clipped from http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSSP23451720070913?sp=true Aid agencies said they were impressed with the speed of the evacuation from coastal areas as tsunami warnings were repeatedly issued and lifted for Indian Ocean countries after the magnitude 8.4 quake and subsequent tremors. Damage was not as bad as initially feared. "Our initial assessment is that the government will be able to cope," "It seems in the town there is a good response organized by the Indonesian government in terms of primary health services, tents and shelter." "Hopefully that is the legacy of 2004," Red Cross spokesman Matthew Cochrane said. "There is clearly an improved early warning system in the Indian Ocean. If it happens again hopefully it won't be nearly as bad."

20070913 Aid groups rush to assess after Indonesia quake

clipped from www.reuters.com LONDON (Reuters) - Aid agencies have pledged cash and rushed teams to assess damage and help the injured after a major earthquake and a series of powerful aftershocks shook Indonesia's Sumatra island. Red Cross volunteers set up temporary medical centers, but the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said Indonesia's own Red Cross society seemed able to cope and there was no need for an international response. Australia pledged A$50,000 (US$42,000) in emergency aid on Thursday through the Indonesian Red Cross. CARE International said its greatest worry was disease. "After an earthquake of the size, the electricity and water systems are the first infrastructure to be broken because of the severe shaking," "If people don't have access to clean water, the first danger is outbreak of waterborne disease."

20070913 Indonesia's Sumatra has lucky escape from tsunami

clipped from www.reuters.com BENGKULU, Indonesia (Reuters) - Indonesia's Sumatra island was hit by a series of aftershocks on Thursday after a powerful earthquake toppled hundreds of buildings, killing at least 10 people and burying many others. In Bengkulu, nearly 800 houses collapsed and many more were damaged, but the full extent of the quake was still unknown because of the difficulty of reaching or contacting some areas. many people were trapped under collapsed buildings. Authorities said the situation was not as bad as first feared, while a seismologist added that the region was lucky to have escaped a tsunami similar to the one triggered by the more than 9 magnitude quake in 2004 that killed over 280,000 people. "The damage is relatively less" than feared, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told reporters on Thursday. People are better at responding to disasters than in previous years." Indonesia suffers frequent quakes, as it lies on an active seismic belt on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire".

20070913 Indonesia lifts tsunami warning after Sulawesi quake

clipped from www.reuters.com Indonesia's meteorological agency lifted its tsunami warning on Thursday shortly after a strong undersea earthquake hit southeast of Sulawesi island.id=midArticle_byline> The agency put the quake at 6.4 on the Richter scale and at a depth of 30 km (19 miles). Suharjono, an official with the meteorological agency, said a tsunami warning is automatically issued when an undersea quake exceeds a magnitude of 6.2, and that in this particular case, there had been little risk of a tsunami.

20070912 億年岩石老而彌堅 《地質考察指引》面世 港岩石具特色價值高

clipped from premium.mingpao.com 　【明報專訊】拆、拆、拆。香港常被人詬病，沒有一樣舊東西可以抵擋得住城市發展的大潮流。但其實有些事物已經留在香港4億年，並且透過自己的形態，告訴你香港環境千百萬年的變遷，你要拆走他亦很困難，因為它就是岩石。 　深入西貢萬宜水庫東壩，面前是一幅幅幾十呎高、線條紋理清晰的火山岩石柱牆，部分石柱經過逾億年的地殼變動和擠壓，扭曲形成不同有趣的圖案。 　萬宜水庫多角形岩石柱 世界罕有 　土木工程署總土力工程師兼工程地質學家吳國材解釋，萬宜水庫的六角形火山岩石柱，是酸性的凝灰岩，直徑有半米至1米半，厚度足有400公尺，一直延伸至地底，論柱狀的大小屬世界罕有，雖然還不及果洲群島的火山岩石柱，但該處交通較方便，於開發水庫時又已移除岩石上的植物，市民可看到獨有的流紋質凝灰岩層中的扭曲岩層，極有考察價值。 　“土木工程拓展署轄下的土力工程處最新出版的《香港地質考察指引》，適合修讀地理的學生及有興趣到野外觀岩的普羅市民。它介紹了24個可以看到特色岩石的好去處，並教導如何乘坐公共交通工具到每個目的地，其中馬屎洲、荔枝莊及東平洲，已被漁農自然護理署評定為「具特殊科學價值地點」，特別值得市民一遊。《指引》售66元，已在政府刊物銷售處有售，另外政府亦將1000本分發到全港各中學及公共圖書館，供有興趣的市民借閱。” 從破邊洲看萬宜水庫東壩，可以看見一面由六角形火山岩石柱築成的巨形石牆。（受訪者提供） 政府工程地質學家吳國材表示，他背後的扭曲岩石層，在本港並不常見，在萬宜水庫最為明顯。（曾國宗攝） 從萬宜水庫到果洲群島一帶，可看到香港最奇特的地質奇觀，一排排整齊豎立、呈六角形或多邊形的石柱，都是火山岩。（曾國宗攝） 在萬宜水庫的火山岩石柱群，形成一幅巨形石牆，駕車前往萬宜水庫東壩途中，已經可看見。（曾國宗攝） 屬於香港海岸自然保護區的馬屎洲，可看到露出水面，有皺褶構造的沉積岩。（受訪者提供）

20070911 酸雨融化石林

clipped from premium.mingpao.com 　【明報專訊】6月27日，雲南石林與貴州荔波、重慶武隆共同組成的「中國南方喀斯特」被正式列入世界自然遺產名錄，石林這個距雲南省會昆明市70公里的著名風景區，從此開始進入一個新的時代。然而，近年由於酸雨的侵蝕，令石林面臨崩危機。 　從石林的外面看，石頭的「森林」密不透光，高聳的石柱直刺藍天；進入裏面，幾百年的老樹在石頭上盤根錯節，奇形怪狀。順石林間的夾縫鑽進去，本已愈走愈深，愈發想轉頭，但總能看到一縷陽光透過細小的石縫，以橘黃色的光柱照在你前行的路上，引導你通向另一個世外桃源。任由外面是寒是冷，進入裏面，永遠是氣候宜人。 　但是，中國科學院地理資源研究所研究員雒昆利卻認為，在石林旁的2000畝耕地，不斷侵蝕它的植被和生態系統，經過該研究所近14年的考察，已有6500萬年的石林正在人類活動的侵蝕下逐漸老朽。 　「主要就是酸雨，對石林是滅性的打擊。」雒昆利日前接受內地媒地訪問時指出，石林中石頭是由碳酸鈣構成，一般來說，這種物質堅硬不易損壞，又極不易溶解於水，單靠自然的力量很難讓它損壞，但它只怕一種物質——酸。「碳酸鈣會很容易與酸產生反應，生成的物質就沒這麼好了，硫酸鈣，也就是石膏。」石林石膏化現象的嚴重程度是顯而易見的，整個石林正在變白。 　這種消亡有多快？雒昆利曾給一石林柱進行過詳細測量，半年時間，高度就下降了0.1毫米，「這個數字很小，但你要知道，這塊石林柱形成需要經過2億多年的沉積和聳起，又完好無損地站立了6500萬年，現在卻以每年0.1毫米的速度消亡。」 　由於石林一帶土壤稀少，當地居民開始向石林開闢耕地，350平方公里的石林周邊，已經遍佈了2000畝農田。這些土地雖然不會對石林的石頭本身造成破壞，但會嚴重影響石林的土壤環境，破壞石林植被和生態系統。石林管理局環保監察處陳處長說，「現在，我們劃定了3個保護區，0.36平方公里為1級保護區，即向遊客開放；16平方公里的特級保護區，即保持了原始生態的石林區，不對外開放，只允許專家來此研究，以及其餘的2級保護區。」 原本深黑色的石林，近年由於受酸雨侵蝕加劇，部分出現石膏白化現象。 石林勝景是石林的標誌性景區。

20070907 港珠澳橋口岸 為保育寧繞路

clipped from premium.mingpao.com 　【明報專訊】粵港澳三地政府商討達5年的港珠澳大橋項目，由於「一地三檢」告吹，改作「三地三檢」，港方要覓地興建入境檢查口岸。路政署早前會見環保團體時指出，考慮在赤鑞角以東填海100公頃建入境口岸，避免在大橋落腳點石散石灣填海影響生態，但有運輸界估計，繞道之舉將令車輛多行約10公里路程，使用大橋的貨櫃車料每天合共多耗32萬元柴油，即全年額外增加逾億元耗油費用。 　世界自然基金會香港分會高級環保主任梁仕倫表示，路政署官員指出，在機場以東或西，填海100公頃以作口岸之用，相當於2.5個西九龍填海區，他說，由於赤鑞角以西較接近石散石灣及沙螺灣，生態方面較敏感，因此，相對來說赤鑞角以東的選址可能較佳。 　綠色力量科學及自然護理總監鄭睦奇指政府提出可能在赤角東北或東涌附近建口岸，他說，赤鑞角本身便是人工島，在此增建口岸，對生態影響相對較在東涌附近為低。 　石灣紅樹林保育價值高 　綠色力量及世界自然基金會均指出, 石散石灣一帶有生態保育價值，包括有紅樹林、馬蹄蟹，而對開水域亦是中華白海豚棲息處。 　房屋局﹕必嚴守環評條例 　運輸及房屋局發言人回覆時表示，港珠澳大橋香港口岸的選址，政府正在研究當中，大橋項目當中任何涉及在本港境內建設的部分，必定會嚴格遵守特區相關的法例，包括《環境評估條例》，並恪守可持續發展的原則。

20070904 Atlas changes maps reflects the abrupt changes of the world

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk Images showing how Lake Chad has shrunk: Left 1972, right 1987 The Atlas claims that the world population is becoming increasingly urbanised and that within the next year people living in towns and cities will outnumber those living in rural areas for the first time. • Due to its increasingly dry climate and the extraction of water to support the growing population, the mouth of the Yellow River has changed shape. • China is the world's second biggest consumer of energy - behind the USA. • Demand for renewable resources has exceeded the earth's capacity to provide them since the late 1980s. • Over one per cent (1.23 million km) of tropical forest is destroyed every year mainly to clear land for food crops. • Up to 40 per cent of known coral reefs have been destroyed or degraded in the last few decades.