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Showing posts with label Climate change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Climate change. Show all posts

Saturday 18 December 2021

We need a global summit on inequality

 




Climate concern: The sun rising behind the chimneys of a thermal power station. A recent International Monetary Fund study points out that the richest countries represent only 16% of the world population but almost 40% of CO2 emissions. — AFP   

INCOME and wealth inequality is unjust, and yet the world continues to tolerate rising injustices, the most recent being inequalities in vaccine distribution.

French political economist Thomas Piketty and his colleagues at the World Inequality Lab has just published the World Inequality Report 2022, a real goldmine for data and insights on global inequalities.

I found at least three nuggets inside that are blindingly obvious, but no one has quite tied it together so well as Piketty and his team.

First, inequality is primarily a political issue. We can all do something about it, but since politics has been captured by money, the few remain more equal than the many.

Between 1995 and 2021, the top 1% wealthiest people in the world captured 38% of the growth in global wealth, whereas the bottom 50% had a pitiful 2% share.

Similarly, the richest 10% of world population take home 52% of global income, whereas the bottom 50% earned only 8.5%.

The report showed why these inequities could not be reduced despite increases in average income and wealth per capita.

The progressive tax rates where the rich paid more than the poor, introduced in the first half of the 20th century to deal with inequality, were dismantled in the 1980s.

The neoliberal free market philosophy preached low taxes and small governments to encourage entrepreneurship, but effectively handed more income and wealth to the elite few.

Piketty’s second historical insight is that Europe and later America got rich on the back of both the Industrial Revolution and colonisation.

In 1820, between country (inter-country) inequality was only 11% of global inequality meaning that most inequality was domestic (intra-country).

But inter-country inequality rose when the West advanced with industrialisation and resource extraction from the colonies.

That peaked in 1980 when it represented 57% of global inequality.

Since then, the rise in income of China, India and other newly independent countries narrowed the gap with the West, but by 2020, domestic inequality again accounted for 68% of global inequality.

This meant that the developing countries allowed their own inequalities to worsen, even as they were narrowing the gap with the West.

In short, the rich are the same everywhere. They have more and want more.

But there is a twist to this story.

One reason why the Rest has caught up with the West is that “nations became richer, but governments have become poor.”

In essence, because the Europe, north America and Japan governments used debt to tackle slow growth since the 1980s, private wealth grew at the expense of public wealth.

Privatisation policies transferred public wealth such as utilities to the private sector, whereas public sector debt continued to increase.

The UK and US public wealth which was around 15% to 30% of total wealth before the 1980s declined to net liabilities of minus 10% to minus 20% of total wealth respectively.

Contrast this with China and Russia, where public wealth represents around 30% of national wealth, down from 70% at the end of the 1980s.

The third report insight is that inequalities and climate change are highly co-related.

Between 1850 and 2020, half (49%) of historical carbon emission was accounted by north America (27%) and Europe (22%),

China accounted for 11%, but has become the largest emitter, although per capita emission remains lower.

A recent International Monetary Fund study pointed out that “the richest countries represent only 16% of the world population but almost 40% of CO2 emissions.

The two categories of the poorest countries in the World Bank classification account for nearly 60% of the world’s population, but for less than 15% of emissions.”

The COP26 debate was all about whether China, India and other emerging markets that are increasing their carbon emissions should do more on net-zero pledges.

The entanglement between CO2 emission and income and wealth levels suggests that climate warming policies should focus more on making those responsible for carbon emissions pay more for remedial climate action.

The bottom 50% of population in Europe emits around five tonnes of carbon per person per year, with their counterpart emitting three tonnes in east Asia and 10 tonnes in north America.

But the top 10% in these regions account for 29 tonnes in Europe, 39 tonnes in Asia and 73 tonnes in North America.

Indeed, the top 1% in the United States account for 269 tonnes of carbon per person per year, compared with 139 tonnes for the top 1% in China.

The rich everywhere are the biggest carbon emitters.

This suggests that tackling climate change and social injustice are part of a total political package, cutting across nations.

It’s one thing to promise to cut carbon to net zero, it’s another to design the projects and programmes to deliver on their promises. Back home, each government will face huge resistance from vested interests that want to delay or just green-wash any action. In other words, talk more and do less.

The report has made some excellent suggestions to tackle inequality, such as progressive tax measures and a global asset register, that are bound to be controversial. But to be effective, they need global cooperation.

No single country can impose higher tax rates or tougher action without being undercut by another country.

Since everything is politics, I have to agree with inequality blogger Branko Milanovic that the recent Summit on Democracies is the wrong idea for the world, because it tried to divide the world into two opposing ideological camps.

The priority should be to work together globally to tackle climate and human inequalities that require domestic action against vested interests that are common across nations.

The next global summit should be about how to tackle inequalities.

Given such complex issues and facts raised by the Piketty and his colleagues, the least we can do is to have a democratic, transparent and constructive dialogue on how those who can afford and emit more carbon should pay more taxes to foster a more sustainable and inclusive world.

Andrew Sheng writes on global issues from an Asian perspective. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.

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Thursday 11 November 2021

US and China announce surprise climate change agreement

 

2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference - Wikipedia

 

United States and China, the world's two largest emitters of carbon dioxide, unveiled a deal to ramp up cooperation tackling the climate crisis. US climate envoy John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua announced the framework agreement at the UN climate conference in Scotland. Both billed it as way to tip the summit toward success. 'In the area of climate change', Xie Zhenhua said. 'There is more agreement between China and the US than divergence, making it an area with huge potential for cooperation'.


How The U.S. Fell Behind China In The Fight Against Climate Change

Ever since President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, China has played an increasingly large role in the international fight against climate change. The country is now the world’s largest manufacturer of solar panels, lithium ion batteries, and electric vehicles. But while China has stepped up in these regards, it is still the global leader in carbon emissions, and burns more coal than the rest of the world combined. As President-elect Joe Biden looks to reassert American leadership in green energy and climate initiatives, it remains to be seen whether the U.S. and China can work collaboratively to address the climate crisis.

CORRECTION (November 16, 2020): Barbara Finamore and Alvin Lin both work at the “Natural Resources Defense Council” not the “National Resources Defense Council”

China's War on Pollution


 

China-US Glasgow declaration ‘key step in the right direction’ on global climate actions, prevents decoupling worst scenario 

 China's Special Envoy for Climate Change, Xie Zhenhua speaks during a joint China and US statement on a declaration enhancing climate action during the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow on November 10. Photo: AFPChina's Special Envoy for Climate Change, Xie Zhenhua speaks during a joint China and US statement on a declaration enhancing climate action during the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow on November 10. Photo: AFP

China and the US released a joint declaration on tackling climate change during the ongoing COP26 in Glasgow, including setting up a working group and reducing methane and CO2 emissions. Officials and analysts said the declaration highlighted that China-US cooperation is the only right choice, noting it is a significant move on global climate actions and also sends strong positive signals for the success of the COP26.

China and the US on Wednesday released the China-US Joint Glasgow Declaration on Enhancing Climate Action in the 2020s. The two sides said they appreciated the work done so far and pledged to continue working together and with all parties to strengthen the implementation of the Paris Agreement. On the basis of the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities as well as taking into account national conditions, enhanced climate action will be taken to effectively address the climate crisis.

The two sides agreed to establish a working group on enhancing climate action in the 2020s to promote cooperation on climate change between the two countries and the multilateral processes.

They reiterated they will observe the Paris climate agreement to keep temperatures below two degrees and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees.

On cooperation of reducing emissions of methane, the two countries intend to develop additional measures to enhance methane emission control, at both national and sub-national levels. China intends to develop a comprehensive and strong national action plan on methane, aiming to achieve a significant effect on methane emissions control and reductions in the 2020s.

On reducing CO2 emissions, the two agreed to cooperate on distributed generation policies that encourage integration of solar, storage, and other clean power solutions closer to electricity users. China will phase down coal consumption during the 15th Five Year Plan(2026-30)and make best efforts to accelerate this work.

Xie Zhenhua, China's Special Envoy for Climate Change, said on the release of the declaration that it once again shows that China-US cooperation is the only right choice, and that China and the US have more consensus than differences on climate change. Together, China and the US can accomplish many things that can benefit both countries and the world. China and the US should shoulder major responsibilities and follow the trend of the world, Xie said, jiemian.com reported.

He said he wished the declaration will contribute to the success of the COP26 as negotiations are still ongoing.

Setting up the working group was to institutionalize the China-US cooperation mechanism on climate change, and make joint actions more practical, Xie said, noting that the working group plans to have their first meeting in the first half of next year.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tweeted that he welcomed the agreement between China and the US to work together to take more ambitious climate action in this decade. "Tackling the climate crisis requires international collaboration and solidarity, and this is an important step in the right direction," he said.

Chinese experts considered the declaration between China and the US,two largest emitters, as a significant move in helping the globe battle climate change, with concrete progress made on how to advance the working mechanism on cooperation in handling climate change and stepping up efforts in boosting financial support for developing countries.

"It's crucial for China and the US to work together. No matter the target is 1.5 C or 2 C, the target can only be achieved with the joint efforts of the two countries," Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Lin highlighted the progress in the latest consensus reached by China and the US including stepping up efforts on $100 billion pledges by developed countries to developing countries from 2020 to 2025 in order to achieve the climate change targets and also setting up a working group on enhancing climate action in the 2020s. "Frequent communication on handling the climate change is a crucial part of global efforts," he said.

Li Shuo, Senior Policy Advisor at Greenpeace East Asia, told the Global Times on Thursday that the declaration served the background of the reported upcoming leaders' summit between the two countries and created cooperative atmosphere for the two countries' further communication on climate change.

It has prevented the worst scenario of China-US decoupling on climate actions, Li said.

Xu Huaqing, a senior adviser of the Chinese delegation to COP26, told the Global Times that China has taken an active part in leading global climate governance, and also played an important historic role in facilitating the formulation of rules for the Paris Agreement through the diplomacy of the heads of state of China, the US and the EU. China looks forward to further strengthening dialogue and cooperation with the US and the EU, and working with other parties to strengthen the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

To achieve the long-term goals set in the Paris Agreement, developed countries should first take the lead in deepening emission reduction, which is the key to achieving global net zero emissions at an early date. The key to the international community's ambition lies in the need for countries to take strong concrete actions rather than empty slogans, Xu said.

Regarding the expected goals of the COP26, Xu said he believes that it is particularly important to form a consensus on some aspects, including finishing the talks on the implementation rules of the Paris Agreement, and making concrete progress on financial and technology support for developing countries.

For a long time, no effective progress has been made in funding, technology and capacity building support, which is of great concern to developing countries. As the Paris Agreement officially enters the implementation phase, these issues are related to political mutual trust and climate action by developing countries, Xu said.

He noted that the COP26 should also make clear arrangements for those matters in order to balance the financial support and adaption to climate ambitions, while also advocating countries to transform their goals into implemented policies and specific actions in order to avoid turning those promises into empty slogans.

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Sunday 15 August 2021

Moral vacuum at the heart of modernity, now embodied in US laws!

 

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MAN and nature are running out of time. That’s the core message of the UN Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released this week.

` UN secretary-general António Guterres called the report a “code red for humanity”. “The evidence is irrefutable: greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning and deforestation are choking our planet and putting billions of people at immediate risk.”

` What can we, individually and collectively, do about it?

` Many animals and human beings cannot survive at high temperatures. Seattle, a temperate climate city, hit 104 degrees Fahrenheit in June, only four degrees below the maximum 108 degrees where humans can’t survive.

` Like the pandemic, the twin effects of climate warming and biodiversity loss are hurting the bottom half of society who are most vulnerable to natural and/or man-made disasters.

` Indeed, indigenous and native people who live closest to nature, comprising 5%-6% of world population scattered in remote areas, are likely to face loss of culture, lives and habitat because all their water, food and livelihoods will be devastated by climate change.

` In essence, we are in an existential situation whereby nature is being destroyed by human excess consumption, which creates pollution and carbon emission, but all this is made possible by monetary creation by bankers and businesses who seem to care more about their profits than the human condition.

` Thus, decisions over climate change, human activities, financialisation and globalisation are essentially moral questions over the power to lead us out of the wilderness of nuclear destruction through war or planetary burning.

` In his monumental “History of Western Philosophy” (1946), British philosopher Bertrand Russell argued that those in power understand that they have twin powers over nature and political power to rule other human beings.

` Traditionally, the limits to such power have been God and truth. But today, religions are also in turmoil on what is their role in finding pathways out of the current mess. Furthermore, FakeNews obscures what is truth.

` The current mess is not unlike the Lost People wandering in the desert waiting for Moses to find the 21st century version of the 10 Commandments. Unfortunately, the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are aspirations and not commandments.

` As economists say, climate change is a market failure, but there is no modern day Moses nor operating manuals to translate SDGs to environmental, social and governance (ESG) projects and programmes for businesses, governments and social institutions.

` In this twin injustices against man and nature, people sense that there is both a moral vacuum in globalised modernity, as well as lack of a shared, practical pathway out of planetary destruction. If secular science or politics cannot help us, is religion the solution?

` Ironically, religion has played a far larger role in the current quandary than meets the eye.

` Two papal bulls empowered the Portuguese and Spanish conquests of new land in the second half of the 15th century. Papal bulls are public decrees, letters patent or charters issued by a Catholic pope.

` The Papal Bull Romanus Pontifex issued by Pope Nicholas V in 1455 gave Portuguese King Alfonso the right to “invade, search out, capture, vanquish and subdue all Saracens and pagans whatsoever, and other enemies of Christ whatsoever placed, and the kingdoms, dukedoms, principalities, dominions, possessions and all movable and immovable goods whatsoever held and possessed by them and to reduce their persons to perpetual slavery... to convert them to his profit... [such assets becoming] justly and lawfully acquired.”

` The Papal Bull Inter Caetera, issued after Christopher Columbus returned from America in 1493, not only reinforced the Spanish right to property and slavery seized or colonised from non-Christian kingdoms or pagan natives, but also established the Doctrine of Discovery.

` This doctrine formed the basis of national and later international laws that gave licence to explorers to claim vacant land (terra nullius) on discovery. Vacant land meant land not populated by Christians, and thus the Christian discoverers and occupiers could have legal title to them, regardless of the rights of the indigenous people.

` In short, historically it was the Church that gave the moral blessing for colonisation, slavery and genocide during the Age of Globalisation. The tragedy is that the Doctrine of Discovery is now embodied in US laws.


` In the historic case of Johnson vs McIntosh (1823), Supreme Court Justice John Marshall ruled: “According to every theory of property, the Indians had no individual rights to land; nor had they any collectively, or in their national capacity; for the lands occupied by each tribe were not used by them in such a manner as to prevent their being appropriated by a people of cultivators. All the proprietary rights of civilised nations on this continent are founded on this principle. The right delivered from discovery and conquest, can rest on no other basis; and all existing titles depend on the fundamental title of the crown by discovery.”

` If humanity still treats nature as a free asset to be mastered, and other human beings to be dominated and disenfranchised because of the Doctrine of Discovery, how can we move forward morally to create human inclusivity and planetary justice?

` Under secular science, the elites that control the media, military, economy, political or social institutions have forgotten that they are not masters of man and nature, but stewards to protect human well being and nature for future generations.

` In this polarised age, we forget that the shamans of the indigenous people carry ancient wisdoms about how to live with nature and each other through traditional values, medicine and shared rituals. The shamans are not seers but healers and carriers of tribal memories and values.

` When modern scientists and technocrats have no solutions to present problems except more speed, scale and scope in the rush to modernity, isn’t it time to listen to traditional wisdoms from those who have living but dying memories of how to live with nature and each other?

` Without moral bearings, no wonder we have no maps out of the current mess.

 

Andrew Sheng | South China Morning PostBy Tan Sri Andrew Sheng (born 1946) is Hong Kong-based Malaysian Chinese banker, academic and commentator. He started his career as an accountant and is now a distinguished fellow of Fung Global Institute, a global think tank based in Hong Kong.[1] He served as chairman of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) before his replacement by Martin Wheatley in

Andrew Sheng comments on global affairs from an Asian perspective. The views expressed here are his own.


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Thursday 21 January 2021

Joe Biden sworn in as 46th US president, orders US to rejoin climate change, drops Trump's toxic rhetoric toward China, but 'courage needed to fix ties ...'

 


https://youtu.be/WBn0yKPLJK8

Joe Biden sworn in as 46th US president 

 

President Biden orders US to rejoin Paris Agreement on climate change

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order returning the United States to the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.

 

 Biden drops Trump's toxic rhetoric toward China, but 'courage needed to fix ties'

After a series of drastic events that laid bare the profound weaknesses and failures of the US system, Joe Biden was officially sworn in as the 46th President of the US during a relatively empty event heavily guarded by thousands of soldiers with weapons of war, and used his inaugural speech to address domestic challenges in stark contrast to Donald Trump's bellicose and at times borderline racist rhetoric against China during his farewell speech.

 

As Joe Biden is about to be inaugurated as the new US president in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, .

 

 

Harris Sworn in as 49th US Vice president



Live: Donald Trump holds sendoff ceremony before Joe Biden's inauguration




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Saturday 23 March 2019

Equinox to have small impact on Malaysia?

https://youtu.be/TDBi2s4J2A4 

PETALING JAYA: Equinox, a phenomenon where the sun is positioned on top of the head in the equatorial region, is expected to have a weaker impact on Malaysia.

“The effects of equinoxes on the equator area are generally lower than the effects of monsoon and climate patterns,” said Malaysian Meteorological Department director-general Alui Bahari.

The equatorial region, he said, receives maximum sunlight throughout the year.

“Due to the constant sunlight it receives, the region will only experience a small variation in its climate due to equinoxes,” he said when contacted about how equinox will affect the weather in Malaysia.

Alui was responding to a message that has gone viral via WhatsApp advising people to drink more water between March 22 and 28.

“Drink more water for the next seven days (March 22-28) due to equinox. The body gets dehydrated very fast during this period. Please share this news to maximum groups,” the message reads.

Alui said equinox happens twice a year, either on March 21 or 22, or Sept 22 or 23.

In Malaysia, it happens on March 21 and Sept 23.

Interestingly, MetMalaysia last year also had to refute news on the Equinox phenomenon.

The department had then said a hike in temperature was expected to take place but would not result in a heat wave as claimed in the message.

Alui said based on the monitoring of thermal wavelength status, as at 4.40pm yesterday, there was no area in the country experiencing heat waves, where the temperature exc­eeds 37°C in three consecutive days.

“However, there are some areas that are on the alert because the temperature in the area reaches 35 to 37°C, namely Chuping, Kota Setar, Pendang, Sik, Hulu Perak, Kinta, Jeli, Tanah Merah, Kuala Krai , Gua Musang, Jerantut, Maran, Tangkak, Sri Aman and Kapit,” he said.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s professor of climatology and oceano­­graphy Dr Fredolin Tangang said the hot weather in the Peninsula, especially the west coast, is expected to improve as the inter-Monsoon arrives.

“Usually, there will be thunderstorms in the afternoon and late afternoon. But in Sabah and the northern part of the Peninsula, the hot spell may continue until April,” he said.

The MetMalaysia website showed that several states in the country are expected to see thunderstorms in the coming week, starting today.

For example, in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Putrajaya and Negri Sembilan, it is expected to see thunderstorms from March 23 to 25 and on March 28. No rain is expected on March 26 and 27.

There will be thunderstorms from March 23 to 28 in Penang.

In Sarawak, there will be no rain from March 23 to 25 and there will be thunderstorms over inland areas from March 26 to 28.

In the meantime, Malaysians are doing their best to counter the effects of the hot weather.

Lai Yuen Theng, who works in a daycare centre in Kepong, Selangor, said it was preparing porridge and herbal tea for the children to help “cool” their bodies.

Property agent Melissa Chen, who lives in Kuala Lumpur, said she will try her best to arrange house viewings for her clients in the morning as the weather is extremely hot these days.

“I will try my best to stay indoors. Last week, I brought clients to four places to look at condominium units. The temperature that day was about 37°C. I fell sick after dri­ving and walking under the hot sun,” she said.

She also expected a spike in the electricity bill as she used the air-conditioner more frequently.

By Yimie Yong The Star


Related:

Equinox - Wikipedia


Friday 16 November 2018

Environmental impact of cryptocurrency

Ten years ago, an anonymous cryptographer laid out the principles of an online currency that would operate beyond the reach of governments and central banks. — dpa

BITCOIN was supposed to solve the problems of analogue currencies. Instead, it created a new one: an enormous amount of global energy consumption that rivals the power usage of an entire country like Ireland.

According to findings of a new study, the implementation of this cryptocurrency could lead to enough emissions being produced so that global temperatures rise 2°C by 2033.

The study, which was published in the journal Nature Climate Change, found that the hardware and electricity needs of Bitcoin alone could significantly impact climate change for the worse.

“Currently, the emissions from transportation, housing and food are considered the main contributors to ongoing climate change. This research illustrates that Bitcoin should be added to this list,” said Katie Taladay, one of the paper’s co-authors from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

The technical design of how transactions are processed causes Bitcoin and many of the growing numbers of rival cryptocurrencies to consume an enormous amount of energy in so-called Bitcoin mining centres around the world.

And yet the digital currency Bitcoin is still enjoying hype as one of the greatest financial phenomenons of our time.

The foundation for Bitcoin was laid out 10 years ago when an anonymous cryptographer using the name “Satoshi Nakamoto” published a paper laying out the principles for autonomous digital money.

The ideas it contained were revolutionary: No control by central banks, no national borders.

Instead, a mechanism called blockchain would provide trust and security in the system. In broad strokes, blockchain is a publicly viewable ledger of transactions, each saved one after the other.

But as the cryptocurrency’s wild fluctuations and electricity needs have attracted a lot of media attention, the ramifications of the latter have only recently been brought to light.

In a different article published in May by financial economist and blockchain specialist Alex de Vries, the electricity consumption of Bitcoin was estimated to be around the same as the electricity use of the Republic of Ireland.

De Vries also predicted that Bitcoin could be using as much as half of a percent of the world’s total electricity consumption by the end of this year.

“To me, half a percent is already quite shocking. It’s an extreme difference compared to the regular financial system, and this increasing electricity demand is definitely not going to help us reach our climate goals,” de Vries said.

“With the ever-growing devastation created by hazardous climate conditions, humanity is coming to terms with the fact that climate change is as real and personal as it can be,” said Camilo Mora, associate professor of geography in the College of Social Sciences at UH Manoa, Hawaii.

“Clearly, any further development of cryptocurrencies should critically aim to reduce electricity demand,” Mora, the lead author of the new study warns.

So as Bitcoin celebrates 10 years since its creation and it gains more and more supporters each year, we should probably take a moment and give this energy-sucking technology a re-think. – dpa By AMY WALKER

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Monday 29 January 2018

Absorb New ways to prevent floods

Sponge City: Solutions for China's Thirsty & Flooded cities

 China's 'sponge city' projects may be worthwhile examples for Malaysia.


"Only about 20~30% of rainwater infiltrates the ground in urban areas, so it breaks the naturual water circulation.- Wen Mei Dubbelaar"

Last week, it was the turn of Petaling Jaya, Gombak and Sungai Buloh to be the latest major urban areas in Malaysia to suffer flash floods (Flash floods wreak havoc in PJ - Nation). Scenes of cars and buildings submerged in muddy water are now almost an everyday thing. The focus should now shift from the bad situations to the solutions.

It was also last week that I attended a briefing organised by civil society groups for Penang and Seberang Perai municipal officials and members. The briefing was on the recent floods.

Later, I came across several articles on how China is turning 30 of its flood-prone areas into “sponge cities” to prevent floods and retain rainwater.

The Chinese plan big and fast. It launched the sponge city project only in 2015, but it aims to retain 70% of rain in 80% of urban areas by 2020. The sponge concept is set to spread rapidly as part of global efforts to reduce the impact of increased rainfall and floods, and climate change.

The concept figured prominently at the briefing chaired by Penang state exco member Chow Kon Yeow. Scientist Dr Kam Suan Pheng introduced it when explaining the floods.

She contrasted the present situation when rain falls with what used to happen. In the past, 50% of the rain seeped through the natural ground cover (trees, grass, etc) and into the ground. There was 10% water runoff (to rivers and drains) and 40% evapotranspiration (water going back to the atmosphere).

The trees and green spaces act as a sponge to absorb the rainwater that infiltrates the soil, preventing the water from building up into flash floods.

Due to urbanisation, the green spaces have been paved over with cement and concrete. Now, only 15% of the rain infiltrates the soil, while the runoff has increased to 55% and evapotranspiration is 30%. The sponge now absorbs 15% of the rainwater compared to the previous 50%.

Dr Kam quoted former Penang Water Authority general manager Kam U-Tee as saying that the October 2008 Penang floods were caused by conversion of the valleys into “concrete aprons that do not retain water”. As a result, the water immediately flowed into streams, causing flash floods, even with moderate rainfall.

Given this analysis, a key part of tackling the floods is to reverse the loss of the sponge. In recent decades, Malaysia has seen the conversion of a lot of farms, parks, trees and grass areas into concrete jungles of roads, houses, commercial buildings and car parks.

There now has to be high sensitivity to the valuable environmental and economic roles of trees, gardens, fields and grasslands, and parks. The aim of garden cities is not just to be pleasing to the eye but to be a very important part of development as well.

Now comes the role of sponge cities. The world is applauding the Chinese initiative to counter floods and improve water security by building up the natural cover (or sponge) in its cities.

In 2010, landslides during flooding killed 700 in three quarters of China’s provinces. Last year, rains flooded southern China, destroying homes and killing around 60 people.

In 2015, China launched the Sponge City initiative, which now covers 30 cities, including Shanghai, Xiamen and Wuhan. The target: by 2020, 80% of its urban areas will absorb and re-use 70% of rainwater.

The many types of projects include:

  • > Constructing permeable roads that enable water to infiltrate the ground;
  • > Replacing pavements on roads and parks to make them permeable;
  • > Building wetlands to absorb and store rainwater;
  • > Constructing rooftop gardens (for example, 4.3 million square feet in Shanghai);
  • > Plant trees on streets and public squares;
  • > Build community gardens and parks to expand green spaces; and
  • > Build manmade lakes and preserve agricultural land to hold water.

“In the natural environment, most precipitation infiltrates the ground or is received by surface water, but this is disrupted when there are large-scale hard pavements,” said Wen Mei Dubbelaar, water management director at China Arcadis, in words similar to Dr Kam’s.

“Now only about 20-30% of rainwater infiltrates the ground in urban areas, so it breaks the natural water circulation and causes water logging and surface water pollution,” said Wen in an interview with The Guardian.

In Shanghai’s Lingang district, the streets are built with permeable pavements. There are rain gardens filled with soil and plants, buildings feature green rooftops and water tanks, and a manmade lake controls water flows, reports The Guardian.

Prof Hui Li at Tongji University said the first thing is to preserve or restore natural waterways as that is the natural way to reduce flooding risk.

The problem in Wuhan is that a lot of small rivers were filled in during building. But Lingang still has agriculture land and a lake to hold more water during heavy rain.

What about the cost factor? So far the cities have received over US$12bil (RM47.4bil) for sponge projects. The central government funds 15-20% of costs, and the rest is from local governments and private developers.

But compare this to the US$100bil (RM395bil) of direct economic losses due to floods in China between 2011 and 2014, plus the human lives lost.

Sponge cities are the way to go for the future. Our own governments – federal, state and municipal – should study this option seriously, as the public braces itself for more floods ahead.

- Global Trends by Martin Khor

Martin Khor is executive director of the South Centre. The views expressed here are entirely his own.


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