GLIMMERS OF GREEN HOPE FOR ASIAN CITIES
Karl Malakunas, Agence France Presse
June 21, 2011

MANILA – The air in most Asian cities is getting more polluted and the rivers filthier, but experts say there are many reasons to believe in a green vision for the region as urbanisation powers ahead.

From the putrid, ever-expanding slums in megalopolises such as Manila to the new Chinese industrial boomtowns, examples of environmental anarchy appear to be exploding across the region.

Air pollution, already above World Health Organization standards in most cities, is worsening as car ownership surges, while factories required to drive unprecedented economic growth pump increasing amounts of waste into waterways.

Meanwhile, the carbon and resource footprints of Asian cities are ballooning as hundreds of millions of people grow richer, consume more and depend largely on fossil-fuel driven economies to drive wealth creation.

Nevertheless, urban planners and green activists point to many environmental success stories throughout Asia, as well as a growing awareness about the need to develop sustainably, as justification for hope.

"Many big picture trends in regards to the environment are getting worse but I also see the trends that are offering solutions," said Red Constantino, head of the Manila-based Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities.

"Those (positive) trends are picking up steam. And you have to start somewhere. So I don't think doom and gloom scenarios are very helpful right now. It doesn't factor in the positive drivers that are out there."

Constantino cited the stunning expansion of China's urban rail network as one of the most obvious examples of Asia beginning to move along a path of sustainable development.

Professor Yeung Yue-man, emeritus professor of geography at the Chinese University of Hong Kong who has conducted in-depth research on Asian urbanisation, was even more upbeat.

"It doesn't look bad for cities in Asia," said Yeung, who is also an adviser to the Hong Kong government.

"In terms of what is needed for infrastructure and looking after their people, in many Asian cities, especially ones that are better off economically, they have embraced the concept of sustainable development."

Yeung said Singapore, Taipei, Seoul and Hong Kong in particular offered many lessons to other Asian cities on how to develop sustainably as they expanded and their populations grew more wealthy.

A report by the Economist Intelligence Unit released in February assessing the green credentials of 22 major cities in Asia similarly highlighted many positive environmental trends and models around the region.

China's world-leading ambitions for renewable energy were praised, specifically the nation's biggest off-shore wind farms near Shanghai that are expected to provide electricity for four million households by 2020.

On a more showcase level, it pointed to the 71-storey Pearl River Tower in Guangzhou, southern China, which is due for completion this year and intended to be one of the most environmentally friendly skyscrapers in the world.

The Economist Intelligence Unit's Asian Green City Index report also highlighted the Tokyo government's implementation last year of Asia's first cap-and-trade system to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Under the scheme, the Japanese capital is aiming to cut its emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases blamed for global warming by 25 percent by 2020 from 2000 levels, as well as spur similar measures by the national government.

Meanwhile, in Singapore, the city-state's chronic water shortages are being addressed by region-pioneering recycling technologies.

Three litres of water out of every 100 that Singaporeans drink now comes from wastewater that has been filtered and purified.

Nevertheless, the scale of environmental damage caused by fast-expanding cities cannot be glossed over, the Asian Development Bank warned in a major report on Asian urbanisation.

It said the economic, health and other costs of environmental degradation were more than $2 billion a year in Bangkok and $1 billion annually in Jakarta.

"Costs in Asia's other large cities are comparable. They are rising as safety thresholds for a large number of pollutants and poisons are exceeded in increasingly large geographic areas," it said.

And while recognising many positive trends, the ADB also emphasised that more needed to be done to convince authorities that caring for the environment would benefit their economies.

"City administrators need to believe in sustainable growth and reject the notion that they must choose between protecting the environment and promoting prosperity," the report said.

"There is a direct connection between environmental protection and wealth creation."

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Macau photos by redster.

Think tank hails climate change prioritization by gov't
InterAksyon.com
23 May 11

MANILA, Philippines – An independent environmental think tank welcomed the administration’s prioritization of climate change by reorganizing Cabinet clusters to reflect this new focus.

At the same time, the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities suggested more improvements to the clusters’ composition "to ensure that the intention of President Aquino is realized" and also for the 2012 budget and the Medium-Term Philippine Investment Plan to reflect the administration’s priorities.

The iCSC is the proponent of the electric jeepney project in Makati City and is currently working with Puerto Princesa city for the replacement of 4,000 tricycles. It is also working with Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile for the early passage of the People's Survival Fund bill, which seeks to establish a climate change adaptation fund for local governments and communities.

Executive Order 43 reorganized the Cabinet clusters around the administration’s five priority issues: integrity of the environment and climate change adaptation and mitigation, participatory governance, empowerment of the poor, lasting peace and inclusive growth.

Among the improvements proposed by iCSC head Red Constantino are making the Department of Finance part, if not the lead agency, of the climate change cluster, instead of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Explaining his suggestion, Constantino, in a statement, said climate change “is more than just an environmental matter. Ultimately, climate change is a development issue, and so the DBM (Department of Budget and Management) and NEDA (National Economic Development Authority) should be integral to the climate cluster, too."

"Changes in public financial flows will show the seriousness by which policymakers are prioritizing climate change," Constantino said. "Climate change adaptation should be the focus of official intervention but the private sector also needs strong policy signals from the government regarding the role of climate-friendly energy and transport alternatives in the country's national development plan."

He added that "the strategic utilization of public finance in response to the climate crisis will significantly alleviate the growing vulnerability of countless communities."

Constantino said the disasters associated with extreme weather events are just one aspect of the impacts of climate change. The "gradual but continuous increases in temperature or changes in precipitation can irreversibly damage the crop productivity of entire regions,” he pointed out. “Rising sea levels can destroy the livelihood of coastal and agricultural communities. Localities require predictable, adequate funding from the national government dedicated to supporting climate change adaptation at the local level."

He cited Department of Agriculture data showing that around 7,000 hectares of rice land in Bulacan, Pampanga and Bataan have been contaminated with saltwater over the last five years, which officials have attributed to global warming; and projections by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration about the inundation of areas in Southern Tagalog due to shifting rainfall even as “substantial portions” of Mindanao become drier. #

See original InterAksyon.com piece here.

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MAKE WAY FOR THE E-JEEPNEY
By Pepper Marcelo
Planet Philippines
06 May 2011

With rising oil prices and worsening air pollution, Filipinos are looking into clean and green technology as the only viable option for the country’s transport industry. This is gladly manifested in the people’s growing fascination with and acceptance of the electric jeepney, or e-jeepney, that environmentally-friendly version of the iconic, World War II-era public vehicle.

Spearheading the move to propagate the e-jeepney is the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (iCSC), a non-government, non-profit organization working on sustainable energy solutions and fair climate policy. iCSC is the proponent of the pioneering Climate-Friendly Cities (CFC) initiative, which integrates waste management, energy generation and sustainable transport programs for sustainable, climate-resilient city and community development.

The e-jeepney is a central part of the CFC initiative. After the e-jeepney’s debut in the Makati financial district in 2007, iCSC has widened the deployment of electric public utility vehicle transport alternatives in the country through the development of eTrike, eQuad and eCoach applications as well as different e-jeepney models.

“We chose the electric jeepney not because we’re fixated with jeepneys, but because we wanted to start with something that makes us go the distance. That means choosing a vehicle that has iconic status in the minds of public, realizing that there could be other applications in tricycles and buses,” says Red Constantino, iCSC Executive Director Red Constantino.

He adds: “Compared to private vehicles, mass transport by itself – whether it be rail or individual vehicles like the jeepney – already reduces pollution. But of course, they even out because most of the jeepneys in Manila are terribly inefficient, which also means they produce a lot of pollution.”

iCSC’s studies have shown that every liter of diesel avoided results in a reduction of 3,140 grams of CO2 (carbon dioxide) and 16 grams of NOx (nitrous oxide) that are released to the atmosphere. At excessive levels, these harmful emissions could result in climate change that has recently been blamed for the typhoons and floods that wreak untold havoc and destruction all over the world.

iCSC believes that sustainable transport should not be driven by technology, but by city planning and systems. In other words, their initiative is more than about the inventions themselves, but rather their application.

E-jeepneys comprise one-third of a far bigger project in iCSC’s Climate Friendly Cities Program; the other two being a “biodigester” that is fed with biodegradable solid waste and decomposes it into gas, as well as a depot and terminal that transforms the gas into electricity which then powers the public vehicles.

Already, more than 30 e-jeepneys are operating in Makati City and Puerto Princesa City in Palawan. Launched in July 2007, the Makati Green Route (MGR) project is expected to help reduce noise and air pollution in the country’s central financial district.

The e-jeepney is powered by lead acid batteries which takes approximately eight hours to charge. It can run for about 65 kilometers at a maximum speed of 35-40 kph after every full charge. Though it might seem slow, Constantino argues that speed is relative, especially commuting within a typically congested area.

“Say you live in Metro Manila and drive a Porsche or the latest Audi. I drive an e-jeepney, with a maximum speed of 40 kph. Let’s go out at the same time, 8 a.m. to go to Makati. I might even get there before you if I drive well,” he points out.

E-jeepneys can comfortably seat 14 passengers and have a dwell time of only 10 seconds per stop, so as not to contribute to traffic. Aside from being emission-free, the e-jeepney offers a far more comfortable ride because it has less noise and vibration than the traditional jeepney.

“It’s very easy to ride. Because it’s lighter, the jeepney drivers who are so used to the heavy diesel engines will feel a little weird at first, but it only takes a short while to get used to it,” said Panch Puckett, president of Solar Electric Co., manufacturer of the lead acid batteries that power e-jeepneys, at the launch of Makati’s MGR project.

“You do not hear the engine running. It’s very silent and there’s even a radio for you to check if it’s on,” noted Joey Salgado, Makati city’s information and community relations department chief, on the same occasion.

As with any new and game-changing concepts and projects, e-jeepneys face a number of obstacles. For one, there is the matter of numerous administrative and bureaucratic regulations in registering them. “It took us two years just to get registration plates because the papers required [the vehicle] to have a tailpipe and an engine number, which electric vehicles don’t have,” Constantino says.

Ultimately, iCSC worked patiently with government to come up with regulations catering to the new model. “We started with classification categorizing them as low-speed vehicles. That’s just the start, because there are a whole lot of regulations that need to be revised over time,” he adds.

E-jeepneys also carry an enormous tag price that many divers and operators may scoff at: ranging from Php350,000 to 400,000. But Constantino argues that over time the savings of switching to electric will eventually add up. “A typical driver would be paying Php450 in gas for every 100 kilometers. For electric jeepneys, you only pay Php150. That’s the savings you get.”

He adds: “People have grown used to a certain way of dong things. Economics are skewed towards things that harm us. For instance, when you drive a vehicle, the big costs are off the books – health costs, the pollution, the noise, fuel price fluctuations. Maintenance is staggering. People are so used to things that are artificially cheap, because the companies that involved in these efforts have passed on the costs to the consumer.”

Constantino emphasizes that the e-jeepney should not solely be looked at as an environmental option, but a financial opportunity that could provide great dividends to businesses and the government willing to invest in a sustainable public transport.

“We’re trying to focus on telling people we have economic alternatives. Green alternatives, that’s an add-on. Even though we’re an institute for climate change, we would like these transport options to be seen as making commercial sense. If it helps the environment, that’s a bonus, he says”

He adds that utilizing the new technology can potentially benefit many sectors of society. “It can boost income in the locality, whether it be tourism, or a better workplace for professionals and working class Filipinos.”

Now more than ever, eco-friendly vehicles such as the e-jeepney are the “steady green hand” that can confront the escalating problems of a “jittery oil market,” Constantino concludes. “We face a future that is more constrained. With the kind of resiliency a locality needs in the face of uncertainty like energy security, we feel that the time of electric-powered vehicles has come.” #

Red's note: Very thankful for Pepper's coverage. Likely my fault, since I mumble my words too often - the price range per eJeepney unit is inaccurate.

See Pepper Marcelo's original piece here.

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NEW PINOY e-TRIKES UNVEILED
abs-cbnNEWS.com
03/04/2011 8:59 PM | Updated as of 03/04/2011 11:21 PM

MANILA, Philippines – An environment group urged the government on Friday to take a serious look at electric vehicles, or e-vehicles, as part of the country’s move away from fossil fuel dependence amid rising oil prices and climate change.

Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (iCSC) head Red Constantino said the country must confront “the jittery oil market with a steady green hand."

The iCSC is the proponent of the electric jeepney (e-jeepney) project, whose growing fleet is plying the roads of Makati City and Puerto Princesa City.

"The stone age did not end because the world ran out of stones, and a similar logic is playing out today with respect to oil. As we fully harness the huge renewable energy resources of the Philippines, we need to scale up solutions we already have, such as electric public vehicles and other sustainable transport alternatives,” he added.

Constantino issued the statement as tests were carried out on new e-vehicle models at the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

LTO North Motor Vehicle Inspection Center (NMVIC) chief Engineer Joel Donato supervised the tests.

"Ang matuwid na daan ay malinis na daan," Donato said. "We need to support the local electric vehicle industry because it creates green jobs and it helps us save fuel," Donato said.

The NMVIC is testing new electric tricycles, or e-Trikes, from the Alternative Modern Transport group headed Ariel Torres, who is selling e-Trike models at a range of P150,000 to P180,000 per unit.

Torres’ company has sold over 30 e-jeepneys since 2009 in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Batangas, and the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Around 50 e-Trikes sold by Torres's firm are now plying Surigao City. He plans to increase his group's electric vehicle (EV) deployment tenfold in the next 2 years.

 Constantino said Donato has helped “accelerate the green transition of the country."

"This is the same reason iCSC has developed rigorous EV testing processes with the National Center for Transport Studies in UP-Diliman," he added.

 The group helped form the Electric Vehicle Alliance in January, a loose network comprised of civil society groups and members of the private sector and academe. EVA convened with banking institutions a meeting in February designed to set up financing windows for sustainable transport options.

 "DBP and Land Bank were there, including BPI. The interest was evident but we need top level management to see new revenue streams that can be generated from the expansion of electric vehicle fleets as oil prices skyrocket," Constantino said.

 He called on government agencies such as the DOE and DOTC "to respond to the oil and climate crisis with the mentality of a basketball point guard."

"Transport drivers, operators and private sector members can shoot the ball so long as strategic leadership is provided by the government," he said. #

Photo by Avilash Roul.

Original story here

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GROUP PRODS GOV'T TO EMBRACE ELECTRIC VEHICLES
InterAksyon.com
04-Mar-11, 3:09 PM

MANILA, Philippines - An environmental advocacy group called on government Friday to promote the manufacture and use of electric vehicles and "start the slow but sure transition away from fossil fuel dependence" amidst spiking oil prices, the growing tension in the Middle East and Libya and the worsening impacts of climate change.

In a statement, Red Constantino of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (iCSC), said that, even as the country harnesses its "huge renewable energy resources," it also needs to "scale up solutions we already have, such as electric public vehicles and other sustainable transport alternatives. It's time to confront the jittery oil market with a steady green hand."

Also on Friday, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) carried out tests on electric tricycles, or eTrikes, manufactured by the Alternative Modern Transport group.

The tests were supervised by LTO North Motor Vehicle Inspection Center (NMVIC) chief Engineer Joel Donato, described by the iCSC as an advocate of green transport alternatives.

"Ang matuwid na daan ay malinis na daan (The straight road is also a green road)," the iCSC quoted Donato as saying in a reference to President Benigno Aquino III's campaign promise of good governaqnce.

AMT CEO Ariel Torres said the eTrike models range from P150,000 to P180,000 per unit.

The company has sold over 30 electric jeepneys since 2009 in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Batangas and the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Around 50 of the eTrikes are now plying Surigao City.

Torres said he aims to increase his group's electric vehicle (EV) deployment tenfold in the next two years.

iCSC said Donato's efforts "help accelerate the green transition of the country."

Constantino said "this is the same reason iCSC has developed rigorous EV testing processes with the National Center for Transport Studies in UP-Diliman."

iCSC helped form the Electric Vehicle Alliance in January, a loose network comprised of civil society groups and members of the private sector and academe. The EVA, with banking institutions, convened a meeting in February designed to set up financing windows for sustainable transport options.

While Constantino said a number of government and private banks were at the meting, "we need top level management to see new revenue streams that can be generated from the expansion of electric vehicle fleets as oil prices skyrocket."

iCSC called on government agencies such as the DOE and DOTC "to respond to the oil and climate crisis with the mentality of a basketball point guard." Constantino said "Transport drivers, operators and private sector members can shoot the ball so long as strategic leadership is provided by the government."

The group is the proponent of the eJeepney project, which has seen the green commuter vehicles deployed in growing numbers in Makati and Puerto Princesa Cities. #

Photo by Avilash Roul .

See original story here

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PACQUIAO BACKS CLIMATE CHANGE SURVIVAL FUND
abs-cbnNEWS.com
February 23, 2011, updated as of February 24, 11:28 AM

MANILA, Philippines – Boxing superstar and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao is among lawmakers in the House of Representatives and Senate who are supporting the creation of a climate change survival fund for local governments, a think-tank official said Wednesday.

The number of legislators co-authoring the People's Survival Fund (PSF) Bill has reached 71, according to Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (iCSC) executive director Red Constantino.

He said the bill, which was filed as twin measures in the Senate and the Lower Chamber by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and House Deputy Speaker Lorenzo "Erin" Tañada, seeks to provide committed funding to local governments to help them cope with worsening extreme climatic events.

 "The Lower Chamber is heeding the clamor of governors, mayors and local government leaders who continue to convey in writing their call for the early passage of the PSF Bill. This is the kind of response communities need given the increasing magnitude of economic and social costs due to climate change-linked disasters," Constantino said.

The PSF bill has already passed first hearing in both chambers of Congress.

Under the bill, local governments can avail of programs such as the deployment of local agricultural meteorological capability and technology, livelihood and shelter support for communities threatened by rising seas, small water impounding projects and crop shifting support for areas facing anticipated extreme drought conditions, and anti-flooding measures.

Once the bill is passed, annual portions of proceeds from government-owned corporations and the Motor Vehicle Users Charge (MVUC) will be pooled in the climate change survival fund.

It will be managed by the Climate Change Commission, together with agencies such as the Department of Finance, the Department of Budget and Management, with representatives from the business and NGO sectors sitting as observers.

ICSC said record rainfall has led to recent extreme flooding in the eastern side of the Philippines and in places not normally hit by extreme precipitation such as Cebu and Palawan.

“Metro Cebu recently received 400 mm of rainfall in January compared to the 80.9 mm precipitation registered in the same month last year. Over 90% of Butuan City went under water in early February, while provinces such as Agusan del Sur, Sulu, Capiz, Cagayan and Albay experienced severe inundation, resulting in deaths and damage to livelihoods and billions of pesos worth of property,” the think-tank said.

 "It's only February and yet we're already economically reeling from extreme weather. The establishment of the People's Survival Fund is a huge step towards reducing community vulnerability and building local government resiliency," Constantino added. #

Original ABSCBNnews.com story here

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GROWING SUPPORT FOR CLIMATE CHANGE FUND BILL HAILED
Interaksyon.com (online news portal of ABC-5)
February 24, 2011

MANILA, Philippines – More lawmakers have signed on as co-authors of a climate change survival fund bill, earning them a “climate salute” from a policy think tank  that said the House of Representatives “is heeding the clamor of governors, mayors and local government leaders” for the passage of the measure.

Among those who have signed for the bill are world boxing champion and Saranggani Representative Manny Pacquiao.

“This is the kind of response communities need given the increasing magnitude of economic and social costs due to climate change-linked disasters," Red Constantino, executive director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (iCSC), said.

The People's Survival Fund Bill, which seeks to establish a climate adaptation fund for local governments, was filed in the House by Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tanada, and in the Senate by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile.

Among the programs the bill intends to fund are the deployment of local agricultural meteorological capability and technology, livelihood and shelter support for communities threatened by rising seas, small water impounding projects and crop shifting support for areas facing anticipated extreme drought conditions, and anti-flooding measures.

Funds will be sourced from proceeds of government-owned corporations and the Motor Vehicles Users Charge (MVUC) and will be managed by the Climate Change Commission together with agencies such as the Departments of Finance and Budget and Management, with representatives from the business and NGO sectors sitting as observers.

The Climate Change Act of 2009 established the Climate Change Commission with the mandate to mainstream climate change into government policy formulation but did not identify sources or mechanisms of financing for climate adaptation activities that may be required over and above existing government programs.

Chief executives from provinces such as Surigao del Norte, Negros Occidental and Benguet have signed manifestos calling for "the early creation of the People's Survival Fund.”

 “If the People's Survival Fund bill is passed, local governments and communities need not tap anymore meager funds allocated to support social services such as health or education. The climate fund will give local governments and communities the means to cope with the rapidly changing climate," said Constantino. #

Original InterAksyon.com story here

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