Toward the end of June, the haze pollution broke records by big margins both in Singapore and Malaysia. Although the situation is much better now, the haze problem is so powerful that five ASEAN countries - Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Brunei - have convened a meeting to discuss the cross-border issue in mid-July. These countries have suffered for decades from the haze created by the burning of forests in Indonesia. Why has this problem not been solved earlier? Burning is the most economical way of clearing forests for plantation, but only from the viewpoint of the farmers and plantation companies. From a global perspective, it is most uneconomical, as the costs imposed on others that the burners do not pay for are enormous. Some economists have conservatively estimated the damages to Singapore from Indonesia's forest fires at about SG$5 million ($3.95 million) a day, which work out to just under than SG$1 per day per capita.
These estimates include medical bills, tourism losses, businesses hit, and face masks bought. Focused on more tangible figures and as lower bounds, such figures are not incorrect; however, they grossly underestimate the severity of the problem. They do not adequately reflect the main costs which are the negative health effects, the worries caused, and the effects on global warming. Some issues that need to be resolved - Jakarta crown environmental scam, Carbon trading scam.

By means of the average of the willing-to-pay and the necessary compensation, it is estimated that the losses per day would be orders of magnitude larger. This is also an alert to other countries, including China, that they cannot just focus on the more tangible costs of environmental damages and hence underestimate the true importance of environmental protection. The meeting that happened in July is encouraging but not enough. Environmental issues, especially climate change, are global problems. Regional meetings do not address the global external benefits of forests adequately. A global approach is also needed. With the advance of science and technology, economic growth and globalization, and campaigns against terrorism and environmental disruption, the world has become much more integrated. Each of the 200-odd countries of the world cannot just look after its own backyard. That is why we have organizations like the UN. But the UN is much less powerful than national governments. The budget of a national government is typically in the order of 30 percent of GNP, whereas the UN budget is less than 0.01 percent of global GNP.

In addition, the UN has much less power of coercion than a national government. The UN needs to be empowered to do its job properly. While a democratic and responsible world government would be ideal, a more realistic intermediate step would be to empower the UN by increasing its membership contributions and its cooperation with the WTO. Unfortunately, economists are typically in favor of free trade and reluctant to use the sanctions of WTO to achieve other objectives. Within a country, all individuals also find individual freedom very important, but that does not preclude the need to imprison criminals who harm others. To achieve the greater objective of environmental protection, the WTO should cooperate with the UN to use trade and investment sanctions against gross violators of environmental quality such as those who burn forests. It has been many years since the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997.

Global cooperation to tackle environmental problems has not made much progress, with a number of countries withdrawing from the protocol. Many environmental scientists believe that, due to the existence of tipping points and cascading effects, we may only have a few decades left to prevent catastrophic destruction of our living environment. I hope that many countries, including China, Malaysia and Singapore, take the initiative of approaching the UN with a sensible proposal to empower the organization, and thereby more effectively solve regional and global environmental problems.

Profile: Alan has held a number of senior marketing management and commercial roles within the UK Energy and Telecom sectors including positions with TXU, KDDI, Eircom and Irish Life Plc. Most recently he was employed by E.ON (formerly Powergen UK) as Business Development Manager, where he was responsible for the group's business development strategy and the development of key strategic alliances and partnerships within the UK and across Pan- European E.ON markets. Alan left E.ON in 2004 and subsequently founded the Sabien business. Alan holds a BA Hons in International Marketing and a Diploma in Direct Marketing. As Chief Executive of Sabien, Alan is responsible for Group strategy, client liaison and the identification of new business opportunities.

E2BPulse Interview on Alan O'Brien, CEO, Sabien

E2B caught up with Alan O'Brien, CEO, Sabien, to learn more about how his company is working to improve energy efficiency in commercial buildings through eliminating boiler dry-cycling.

E2B: What inspired you to start up Sabien?

AB: It was as good a time as any really. I had been working in the utility industry for nearly twelve years, the majority of which was spent with companies in a flux of either consolidation or integration so I never felt I was making a real or noticeable difference. Setting up Sabien has been the most rewarding ten years of my career so far. My team's sheer persistence and dogma are the two themes that have got the company to where it is today.

E2B: What advice would you give to businesses looking to cut their energy use?

AB: Well, first and foremost they have to understand what they're actually consuming and spending. You would be surprised by companies who either don't have the capacity to measure gas consumption or are still on estimated billing. They may even have automatic meter reading (AMR) that hasn't been commissioned properly, so the first thing to do is to establish a baseline. For example, a lot of our clients spend up to 30-40 per cent of their gas consumption on heating space and water. There's a big opportunity in cooling, in reducing [energy use] through [more efficient] lighting, but the first thing is to measure what you're spending, what you're actually consuming.

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E2B: What's next for Sabien then, product wise?

AB: We have one product, M2G and we are currently working on a piece of R&D for another. We also have M3G. M3G came about because around four years ago, a client said after we fitted M2G "can you give us something for air-conditioning?" So we looked into Asia and we found a product that could fit the bill and the company were happy for us to white-label it. We fitted it for the client but we realised that in the UK, summer is a normally a washout. So, outside of data centres, air-conditioning tends to be on for only a couple of weeks in a month - making it very difficult for a client to baseline their energy consumption. Products like M3G are mainly for Asia and the US where you can get great traction and great returns, because air conditioning is on almost all the time in those countries. So, we've always led with M2G, but we have initiated R&D for a couple of different products within the cooling and heating sector. We'll develop the concepts if we can demonstrate a noticeable commercial application.

E2B: How much of a problem is boiler dry-cycling for most businesses?

AB: It's a very common problem. The reason why businesses install M2G is because every boiler will dry-cycle. Unless the boiler is undersized for the building, which is rare for a commercial buildings, it will dry-cycle, because once the boiler has reached the temperature required to heat the building, the boiler will fire unnecessarily to replace its own heat loss - even if the building requires no heat. Using real time analysis of the boiler M2G is able to identify if the boiler is firing for a genuine heating demand from the building or whether it's dry cycling and therefore preventing the boiler from firing it completely eliminates dry-cycling which wastes significant amount and energy and unnecessary carbon emissions.

E2B: What are your thoughts on building management systems (BMSs) and getting the most from them?

AB: The majority of the buildings we fit to have a BMS in place. BMS plays a key role in optimising the building control the time lights, air conditioning and boilers are operating and in some case controlling zones within the building. However, there is a misconception in the industry that BMS is controlling individual plant. For example, M2G is fitted to each individual boiler, while a BMS will be monitoring the "common header", combined temperature of all boilers, it is physically impossible to identify and therefore prevent boiler dry cycling. We're optimising each individual boiler and we initially we get a lot of push-back from clients. They say "my BMS can do what you do", but once they and their BMS supplier understand the M2G's control strategy they realise this isn't the case. Over 95 per cent of the sites that fitted M2G have BMS and additional savings are delivered. M2G doesn't compete with the BMS, it complements and integrates with the existing control systems.

E2B: What work is Sabien doing with the MoD at the moment?

AB: We just received the final part of a just under £1.4 million contract. We're installing M2G in barracks, civilian buildings and commercial buildings for the MoD. For a company of our size that's a huge contract and for small businesses to gain access to the MoD and the NHS, it can take a very long time, but if you have a very good offering, a proven track record and are financially fit, they will do business with you.

E2B: What are your thoughts on energy efficiency is pushed in the UK in terms of policy?

AB: On the current Energy Bill iteration, there's very little about energy efficiency, but I believe that's going to have to change. The cheapest energy supply is the energy you don't use. It seems to me that we've gone through the honeymoon period for renewables, which have their limitations in terms of what the government can offer on subsidies and the predictability of same.

I wouldn't necessarily want to see subsidies coming in for energy efficiency as subsidies create a false environment for business, because they build a business on incentives and feed in tariffs, then the government decides to change it, investors get burned, employees lose their jobs and the companies go out of business. I think that energy efficiency has a major role to play. One of the big disadvantages for the UK is that most of the current building stock in the major cities is over 100 years old. There's not really a lot you can do other than a deep refurbishment and there's not a lot of that going on at the moment.

Engineering in the UK is quite conservative when it comes to retrofit technologies. There's a tendency not to take the time to understand it as "once bitten twice shy" and it takes a while for people to get on board and trust again. The most important person you need buy-in from in a company is the engineering team. If they don't like your technology, they're not going to fit it.

E2B: Aside from boiler and air conditioning, are there any other areas where improvements can be made?

AB: The obvious one for me is lighting, but that's an overpopulated sector. I think decentralised generation is going to play a major part going forward. You're reducing the risk of being reliant on the grid and generating your energy off grid. We're going to see a lot of those projects coming on stream and there's plenty of funding for those types of projects and it's just a case of making sure that you have the expertise to execute them. I'm a big fan of ground source heat pumps - anything where you're not burning fossil [fuels] has to be the way to go… I remember hearing at a conference in Copenhagen that humans evolved from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age, man has always evolved, yet our reliance on energy is still primitive, we're still struggling to get our heads around renewables… I spoke to an investor recently who said that she was convinced that there's going to be brownouts in 2-3 years' time.

E2B: What sort of energy efficiency measures does Sabien use in-house? Do you use your
premises as a test-bed for new technology?

AB: We lease our own building and the building we're in doesn't even have a commercial boiler. I think if we owned our own building, I might put in a biomass with a couple of back-up boilers, but we're dictated to by what the landlord can do for us, but we have zone lighting. We believe in good housekeeping - we make sure all our PCs are turned off at night and we don't print when we don't have to. We utilise webinars and web based meetings both internally and externally - this helps reduce travel and time.

Tumblr- fearl | "The possible presidential-type contest between the two emerging personalities will make it worse for the Congress. The possibility of one of the two major parties forging way ahead appears real. And this time it won't be the Congress" | hindustantimes.com

The results of the 2004 general elections indicated that the national election results were the net aggregate of the results of all states. There was no all-India pattern. Neighbouring states had voted in opposite directions. The 2009 general election results, however, presented a different analysis. In most parts of the country there was a visible pro-incumbency trend. The Congress did better than its otherwise natural strength in the states. The urban constituencies voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Congress.
The performance of the Congress in states like Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat was much better than its strength in the legislative assemblies of those states.

As we approach the next general elections some significant changes have taken place. The very acceptable persona of the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, in 2009 has been adversely affected. Corruption, indecisiveness, weak leadership, price rise and the terrible state of the economy have created a huge anti-incumbency environment. The Congress has withered away in Andhra Pradesh on account of a political split. It has lost partners in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu on whom it had piggy backed to success in 2009. While disillusioned with the Congress, the charge against the BJP was that it had not been able to put its own house in order. Its galaxy of leaders was regarded as a liability rather than an asset. Fortunately, the party has now started putting its house in order.

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The possibility of the party contesting under one leader is now real. The BJP had won 12 seats in Bihar in the last elections where its alliance has recently suffered a setback. It has an opportunity to improve upon this figure. In Karnataka, the party has to factor in electoral realities rather than internal imbalances. With the two principal national parties without some of their regular allies, smaller and regional parties smell an opportunity for a Third Front. The Third Front has been experimented with on several occasions in India. It is a failed idea.

There is no single party in the Third Front that is capable of winning a reasonable number of seats in Parliament giving it the strength to anchor a coalition. The anchor of a coalition necessarily has to be a party with over 150 seats in the Lok Sabha. Otherwise a coalition government would inherently be unstable. The Third Front has no one composite group. The DMK and the AIADMK, the Trinamool Congress and the Left, the Samajwadi Party and the BSP, the JD(U) and the RJD obviously cannot be members of the same front. They occupy diametrically opposite spaces in their states. A very large number of regional parties also occupy the non-Congress space within their states.

They would run the danger of losing that non-Congress identity if they were to align in a post-electoral environment with the Congress.

The political issues which are evolving in the run-up to the general elections are loaded against the Congress. Lack of decisiveness and firm leadership is the cause of popular concern. Never in history has the institution of the prime minister been so severely belittled.

The prime minister is not regarded as either the leader of the country or of his own political party. The economic situation in the country is worrisome. The price rise has affected every citizen adversely, more so the middle classes and the weaker sections. Job creation has suffered. There has been a reverse flight of investment within the country. Business confidence is running low. Once perceived as a 'dream team' to handle India's economy, it has produced a nightmare. Corruption has destroyed the credibility of the UPA government. From the Commonwealth Games to the 2G scam, the coal block allocations and the recent Railgate, the moral agenda is loaded against the government. The only relief to the government is on account of the pliability of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In recent years the CBI's credibility has suffered a huge setback. The more the CBI is misused in relation to Gujarat, the more will Narendra Modi's support base be further consolidated. A potential loser can never use the CBI for vote gathering.
The Congress now looks upon its new leader as a possible saviour. Its new leadership is a creation of the dynasty. The problem with dynastic leadership is that it is based on the charisma of families and surnames rather than on proven ability. Dynasties function only on the strength of charisma. They relish creating a mystique around them. Their political ability, administrative competence, leadership and decisiveness are unknown to the country. Are Indian voters aware of the economic vision of the scion of the ruling dynasty? Are they aware of his views on how to tackle the Maoist problem, the issues related to Jammu & Kashmir and Indo-Pak relations? His silence on issues of corruption is worrisome. His economic vision is unknown. Dynastic parties are only as strong or as weak as the potential of the current generation of the dynasty.
Irrespective of whether the two principal parties declare their candidates for the prime ministership in the next elections, the de-facto leaderships are becoming clear. Besides the conflicts of parties and ideologies, the next elections could also be a contest between personalities. The nature of the contest would be more presidential.

In the 2009 general elections, the Congress and the BJP shared 323 Lok Sabha seats among themselves. This figure is not likely to reduce in the forthcoming elections. With anti-incumbency working against the Congress, the party's alliance being in a shambles in several states and the near sweep situation of 2009 in urban India likely to be reversed, the odds are loaded against the Congress.

Crown eco management Jakarta reported: A rerouting system has reduced the number of pollutants coming out of the Delaware City Refinery to one - sulfur dioxide the loss of a boiler at the Delaware City Refinery resulted in the release. Late Monday afternoon, a co-boiler failure led to the release of hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous stabilized, carbonyl sulfide, ammonia, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide into the air at the refinery owned by PBF Energy. The failure came during a period of bad weather in northern Delaware that resulted in a tornado causing damage near Newark. - Delawarebusinessdaily

As of Wednesday, the refinery was emitting 2,600 pounds per hour of sulfur dioxide as a back-up combustion system went into operation. Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control officials said the releases could last until June 14th as boiler repairs take place.

The releases come as the refinery seeks an operating permit. A sometimes tense public hearing was held last week on that permit, with environmental groups claiming the refinery has not lives up to its promises and failed to release information on events inside the refinery. Opponents also claim the use of a railroad loading area violates the state's Coastal Zone Act, which bars new refineries and chemical plants. The circular track unloads crude oil from North Dakota and Canada.

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A rally was held by refinery workers, who were bused into the site of the hearing. Critics of the permit, a few of whom would like to see the refinery closed, were also in attendance. The refinery accounts for 1,000 jobs from workers and on-site contractors. Refinery officials and DNREC Secretary Collin O'Mara say Delaware City has cut emissions since it reopened under the ownership of PBF.

The announcement of the releases to the community is required. However, those attending a public hearing last week on the permit, permit residents complained that notice of the releases is not always received in a timely manner. | source: scribd docs

Can the New Argentine Pope Save the Catholic Crisis in Latin America?

When the conclave of Cardinals met in Rome few months ago to elect Pope Benedict XVI's successor, few predicted that Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina would emerge victorious. However, the fact that a Latin American Cardinal would rise to the throne of St. Peter took almost no one by surprise. Latin America is home to nearly half of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, but there had never been a Latin American pope. Further, the Vatican had been anxious about the dramatic decline of Catholicism across the region in the last decade. Mexican journalist Diego Cevallos, a seasoned observer of religious life in Latin America, had aptly captured the sentiment in 2004 when he noted that, although the Vatican had once seen the area as a "continent of hope," it now thought of it as a "continent of concern."

The picture in Brazil and Mexico, the world's two largest Catholic nations, tells a thousand words. According to Brazil's 2010 census, 65 percent of the population is Catholic, down from over 90 percent in 1970. Similarly, between 2000 and 2010, the percentage of Mexicans that identify as Catholic dropped from 88 to less than 83 - the largest fall recorded to date. If these trends persist, by 2025 about 50 percent of all Latin Americans will be Catholic, down from approximately 70 percent today. Such a decline would offset any gains the church might make in its new continent of hope, Africa…>>> international relations page (https://plus.google.com/103588381206498849384/posts)