08
Oct 2008 - Half to three-quarters of major
Antarctic penguin colonies face decline
or disappearance if global temperatures
are allowed to climb by more than 2°C.
A new WWF report – 2°C
is Too Much – shows that 50 per cent of
the iconic emperor penguins and 75 per cent
of the Adélie penguins are under
threat.
Climate change models
forecast that a 2°C temperature rise
above pre-industrial levels
could be a reality in less than 40 years,
producing a strong reduction in the sea
ice cover of the Southern Ocean which is
an essential nesting and feeding ground
for Emperor and Adélie penguins.
A reduction in the sea
ice will also have knock-on effects on the
abundance of krill, which is a vital food
source for penguins.
Juan Casavelos, WWF
Antarctica Climate Change Coordinator said:
“Penguins are very well adapted to living
in the cold and extreme conditions of Antarctica,
so the continued increase in global temperature
and resulting loss of feeding areas and
nesting zones for their chicks has already
led to notable reductions in their populations.
“If temperatures increase
by another two degrees these icons of the
Antarctic will be seriously threatened.”
A rise in global average
temperatures of 2°C is regarded as a
threshold level for unacceptable risks of
catastrophic climate change. Many recent
climate models forecast likely temperatures
rises in excess of this.
Risks to penguins were
underlined this week, when hundreds of penguins
were washed up on the Brazilian coast, thought
to have been carried north on warmer ocean
currents.
Environmentalists say
it is not known why the penguins became
stranded so far north, but suggest they
could have been carried beyond their usual
range by a flow of warm water.
The penguins were airlifted
home, using a huge airforce cargo plane.
Almost 400 that had strayed on to beaches,
including Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro,
were saved.
Onlookers cheered as
the young Magellanic penguins were set free
on a beach in southern Brazil and scampered
into the ocean.
Experts hope a small
group of older penguins released along with
the young ones will help to guide them south
to Patagonia.
The stranded birds were
among nearly 1,000 penguins that have washed
up on Brazil's north-eastern coast in recent
months. The others have either died or were
not healthy enough to send back.
While the global average
temperature rise currently sits at 0.74
degrees, temperatures are rising much more
rapidly at the poles. Temperature measurement
in Antarctica has only been conducted with
some precision for about 50 years, with
one station showing a rise of 2.5 °C
in that time, indicating that Antarctic
temperatures may be rising at four times
the global rate.
Rapid emissions reduction
is the key to significantly reduce the impacts
of climate change in Antarctica.
WWF is calling for all
nations to work together to agree on a new
global deal that will succeed the Kyoto
Protocol and tackle climate change beyond
2012.
This should include
an obligation on developed countries to
cut 25-40 per cent of their emissions by
2020 and 80-90 per cent by 2050, compared
to 11000 levels.
WWF also proposes the
establishment of a network of marine protected
areas to reduce pressure on the species,
and the implementation of precautionary
management measures that ensure the future
of the krill and finfish fisheries and all
Southern Ocean species – including penguins
– that are dependant on them.
Juan Casavelos said:
“The predicted threat to Emperor and Adélie
penguin populations is a clear incentive
for the world to agree on a set of measures
to reduce global emissions.
“It is imperative that
the international community analyses all
possible ways to limit climate change and
improve the resilience of the penguin population.”
+ More
Clean energy act sets
Philippines up for $3 billion rebate
09 Oct 2008 - Manila,
Philippines - With the passing of its Renewable
Energy Act – legislation that spent 19 years
in limbo - the Philippines can save over
US$2.9 billion, a WWF and University of
the Philippines study has found.
The savings would come
from increasing the country’s renewable
energy share in its power generation mix
from 0.16 per cent to 41 per cent from wind,
solar, ocean, run-of-river hydropower and
biomass.
Today 26 per cent of
the country’s power comes from burning imported
coal, whilst 23 per cent comes from burning
oil. Last year the country imported 101.4
million barrels of oil alone, costing US$7.5
billion.
“In passing this landmark
legislation, the Senate has just paved the
way for the country’s drive towards energy
independence and low-carbon growth,” said
WWF’s Asia Pacific Energy Policy Manager
Raf Senga.
“By tapping our massive
reserves of clean energy resources – a competitive
advantage that was largely neglected in
the past – the Philippines now stands a
far better chance of attaining sustainable
development whilst contributing to global
efforts to prevent dangerous climate change.”
A separate Renewable
Energy Coalition analysis says that renewable
energy sources can reduce the country’s
oil imports by half, and the savings can
be used for social and infrastructure programs.
“We can send 17 million
children to school, build 250,000 classrooms,
establish 135,000 health centres, feed three
million families and build 38,000 kilometres
of farm-to-market roads,” said Renewable
Energy Coalition spokesperson Catherine
Maceda.
The landmark legislation
aims to accelerate the development and use
of the nation’s vast renewable energy resources
through fiscal and non-fiscal incentives
for investors. It also assures investors
in wind, solar, ocean, run-of-river hydropower
and biomass premium rates in electricity
generated from these clean sources through
feed-in tariffs.
Other incentives include
duty-free importation of equipment, tax
credit on domestic capital equipment and
services, special realty tax rates, income
tax holidays, net operating loss carry-over,
accelerated depreciation and exemption from
the universal charge and wheeling charges.
