Malaysia to launch long-delayed biofuel mandate in 2011

(Reuters) - Malaysia has asked petroleum companies to bear the extra cost of selling diesel blended with palm oil from June next year to kickstart sales of the green fuel after a four-year delay.

The world's No.2 palm oil producer has struggled to implement a mandate to push the blended fuel and support the palm industry first introduced in 2007 as the government was reluctant to subsidize biofuel blends to match diesel prices at the pump.

Commodities minister Bernard Dompok said on Wednesday that the green fuel, a blend of five percent palm and 95 percent diesel petroleum, will be introduced in stages in the central states on the mainland.

"The (biofuels mandate implementation) will support palm oil prices and will enable planters especially the smallholders to reap economic benefits," Dompok said in a statement.

Eventually, the mandate will be extended to other Malaysian state and will take up half a million tons of the Southeast Asian country's total annual crude palm oil production but no timeframe was given.

Traders said the announcement briefly supported Malaysian crude palm oil futures before market players turned their focus to lower crude oil and soyoil markets.

"The government has been flip-flopping over this issue. It gives a good support base for the market but it remains to be seen if it will actually be implemented," a trader with a local brokerage said.

Dompok said the government will bear the cost of developing six petroleum depots with blending facilities at a cost of 43.1 million ringgit ($13 million).

Petroleum companies including state oil firm Petronas as well as oil majors like Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil and Caltex will have to subsidize palm-based biofuel blends at the pump, he said.

Petroleum diesel retails at 1.70 ringgit ($0.498) a liter, a price that is regulated by the government and among the lowest in Asia. Any increase in petroleum prices is politically sensitive.

Local biofuel manufacturers say blending 5 percent palm biofuel into diesel increased prices by 0.02 to 0.06 Malaysian ringgit a liter over petroleum diesel.

Dompok said Malaysia has approved 56 licenses for biofuel production, for total capacity of 6.8 million tons.

In 2009, Malaysia produced 227,457 tons of palm based biofuels that garnered export earnings of 604 million ringgit ($182 million).

[source]

Go green and save money

The onus is on us to contribute to a greener and healthier environment. StarBizWeek looks at some of the ways we can adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle.

SCIENTISTS and environmentalists are pointing to the drastic climate change and weather-related natural disasters happening around the world to substantiate their claim that global warming is worsening and we urgently need to conserve our natural environment.

Just think about the extraordinary dry spells we have been having so frequently in Malaysia.

Herein lies the importance of a green reform. While most people will agree on its importance, many are just not practising an eco-friendly lifestyle.

The main barrier in going green is the wide perception that such a lifestyle is inconvenient and costly as most eco-friendly systems and products are expensive.

But at the household level, going green does not necessarily have to cost a bomb. Just a fundamental change to one’s lifestyle can go a long way. Most of the time, it helps us save money too. Lets look at some age-old tips to be eco-friendly in a purse-friendly way.

Reducing utility bills

For a start, one can conserve electricity and water to reduce utility bills.

Some basic steps include ensuring all electrical appliances are switched off when not in use (most appliances still consume electricity even when on standby mode), replacing conventional electrical items such as light bulbs with energy-efficient ones, and by not letting the tap run incessantly especially when brushing teeth, washing hands, rinsing dishes and cleaning fruits and vegetables.

Clean water is becoming an increasingly scarce commodity nowadays, so recycle water whenever possible.

For instance, the water used for washing vegetables and clothes can be re-used to flush the toilet, among other things.

Harvesting rainwater for watering plants or outdoor-cleaning is also another wise option.

Think before you throw

It is always good to think twice before throwing anything away. By reducing waste, less will be going to the landfill.

For example, food waste can be used as fertiliser as it contains nutrients and minerals that can be easily absorbed by plants.

What’s more, by doing so one does not have to spend money to buy synthetic fertilisers anymore. Requesting for less packaging when shopping is also one way of doing more for the environment. One can use reusable bags instead of plastic bags when shopping for groceries.

And for those who shop in Selangor on Saturdays (which is observed as “No Plastic Bag Day”), one can avoid paying 20 sen for each plastic bag used.

To prevent having more trees being chopped down, one can start by consuming less paper.

Going paperless

Going paperless can help cut paper usage and ink. For instance, ATM receipts and emails do not have to be on hard copy unless absolutely necessary.

Whenever possible, one should try using both sides of the paper when printing documents.

Another way to recycle is to use the clean side of used paper or post-it notes. This way, one can save on stationery expenses.

Driving less is also eco-friendly too and helps reduce one’s petrol expenses. For those who may find this impractical, why not consider carpooling with a friend.

For short distances, walking is the most ecological mode of transportation and a healthy form of exercise.

Nevertheless, whichever eco-friendly mode of transport one opts for, it is always important to exercise vigilance in view of the rising crime rate in the country.

The list of eco-friendly tips that we have here is not exhaustive. There are certainly many other ways but the onus is on us to contribute to a greener and healthier environment.

[source]

我就先從這幾樣開始，讓環境更綠、更健康。

-終-

世界又熱又平又擠

以上是弗里曼提出的幾個重點。



-終-

綠地球：石油的省思-佛里曼報導

我發現“佛里曼”在YOUTUBE上的影片，播放次數非常地低。這表示世人不關注“綠地球”嗎？

為了綠地球，你也來更綠一籌吧！

-終-

正負2度C紀錄片

大家一起來關心一下，尤其是我們下一代的生活環境。



-終-

太震撼了! 可怕的廢塑料照片警示

為自己與下一代著想  請儘量自備環保杯(瓶) 

 

太震撼了! 可怕的廢塑料照片警示   我想我之後不會在喝瓶裝水了   OH MY GOD~~~

瓶  裝  水  ----  你非 它 不 喝 嗎 ?

 

每瓶瓶裝水的平均價格超過 $1.5 美元

   

是自來水價格的 1900 倍 !

   

遭殃的是….  

傷荷包、損害健康、危害環境

 

西 元 2004年 瓶裝水 的 使 用 量 高 達

     260億(公升)

 

260億公升意味著:

一年近280億個塑膠瓶

而86%的瓶子

就被當作垃圾丟棄了

 

每秒鐘

有1500個塑膠水瓶

被隨意丟棄!

 

260億公升水…

在製造瓶子的過程產生了250萬噸的二氧化碳

 

消費者每年花費一千億美元購買瓶裝水

這數目讓國家外交援助金額也瞠乎其後

 

研究顯示這筆錢的一小部分,就足以幫助全球每一個人有安全的飲水和適當的公共衛生

 

想想看你能伸出援手嗎?

                                                  

  如果你非瓶裝水不喝，你知道背後的真相嗎 ?
             說出來會讓你非常訝異

你花大把的錢買瓶裝水，
卻污染了地球、地下水和其他的水域….

 

而諷刺的是，瓶裝水的愛用者中

有35%的人認為瓶

裝水比自來水安全

 

你把瓶裝水放在車子裡嗎?

 

你認為這樣很方便，是不是?

你可知道

 

車內的溫度會促使塑膠瓶釋出
導致乳癌和其他的癌症的化學物質

 

就算你不會把瓶裝水放在車上,

你知道在瓶裝水出售之前，它歷經怎樣的儲存環境?

 

不管你的選項為何
當你想到綠色消費與生態環保議題時

 

使用瓶裝水
卻會使大地之母和你的荷包一片慘綠

 

這是一份免付費的網路訊息

就算只影響了ㄧ個人，讓他從此不再使用瓶裝水

今年的垃圾也會減少 200 個 瓶子

這是一篇轉寄的電郵。這是科技發達、社會進步，造就了今天廢塑料的結果嗎？

讓我想起當初的紙袋到塑料袋，到如今自備環保袋。

塑料瓶裝水，又能以什么來取代呢？自備環保水壺，可以嗎？還是商家先著手改變包裝呢？

唉！我剛才買了四瓶的涼茶，都以塑料瓶包裝，產生了四個瓶子垃圾。

-終-

綠能革命—台灣的大機會

从IT(Information Technology)到ET(Energy Technology)，太有趣了！能源科技会不会是未来10年的科技趋势呢？

从领导者、分享者、推动者、消费者，大马又能扮演怎样的角色？
我想大马可以积极地成为一个很好的分享者，分享丰富的天然资源及优厚的环境。

"necessity is the mother of invention"

-終-

西班牙在沙漠中建成全球最大太阳能电站(图)

据俄罗斯《纽带》网报道，全球最大的太阳能电站已于日前在西班牙的安达卢西亚(Andalucian)沙漠中投入运行。

京时间4月30日消息，据俄罗斯《纽带》网报道，全球最大的太阳能电站已于日前在西班牙的安达卢西亚(Andalucian)沙漠中投入运行。建造该电站的Abengoa能源公司表示，这座塔式太阳能电站的功率达20兆瓦，可保障超过11000户家庭的日常用电。


西班牙建成全球最大太阳能电站

塔式太阳能电站以所谓的集中太阳能发电(CSP)技术为基础，利用镜面将阳光反射至中央塔，使塔内水温达到1000℃以上。集中太阳能发电技术一向以其简便、廉价和高效的优点而著称，相比于光伏电板(PV)技术，它能够更有效地利用太阳能。不过，CSP技术只适用于天气晴朗、光照丰富的地区。

据介绍，这座电站中最主要的部件是一座高度接近170米的太阳能塔。有超过1200面特制的反光镜(每一面反光镜的面积相当于半个排球场)会将阳光反射到这座太阳能塔上，由此产生的高温可达1000摄氏度，足以将其中的液态水加热成蒸汽。而这些蒸汽又会驱动安放在塔内的涡轮发电机，从而产生出源源不断的电流。

这已是西班牙在安达卢西亚沙漠中建设的第二座大型太阳能电站。此前，Abengoa能源公司曾在这里建造过一座功率为10兆瓦的电站。该公司计划在2013年之前再在这一地区建设5座类似的电站。

随着这座20兆瓦电站的投入运营，西班牙的太阳能电站装机容量现在已达到约3000兆瓦，居欧洲第二位，仅次于德国。

-來源-

科学家：北极海冰形成晚 迫使北极熊吃幼熊

（综合讯）科学家发现，由于北极海冰形成时间延后，迫使一些饥饿的北极熊以幼熊为食物。

中央社报道，科学家表示，今年以来，至少已有七宗北极熊猎食幼熊的案例被人发现。

加拿大环境部退休生物学家史特林（Ian Stirling）表示，这是他从事科学工作以来，第一次见到这么多北极熊猎食幼熊的案例。

史特林表示，证据显示，北极熊猎食幼熊完全是为了食物，而非再交配。

史特林指出，哈德逊湾（Hudson Bay）的海冰以往很早就形成，北极熊可以利用海冰接近海豹，猎食后积聚过冬所需的脂肪。但现在，哈德逊湾的海冰形成比以往要晚数周，饥饿的北极熊等不及，只好先吃幼熊。[source]

動物因饑餓而食子，人類因貪婪而殘殺，『虎毒不食子』可能要改寫了。

-終-

《家園 HOME》

趁著哈芝節長假，閑著在家里沒事干。

通過PPS看這部電影《家園 HOME》。

之后的心情，非常沉重。

幾年前前看過《難以忽略的真相 An Inconvenient Truth》，這兩部同樣在說明地球因人類的文明發展而遭到破壞，人類一步步地走向滅亡。人類需要改變以往的生活方式。

比起上億的貧窮人口，我是僥幸的，有機會受教育，有份穩定的工資收入，生活在物質豐富的城市，不曾感覺饑餓。

我又能為防止全球氣候暖化做出什么貢獻呢？留下怎樣的地球給后代呢？

-終-