Friday, November 13, 2015

Urgent Call to World Leaders to Prevent Catastrophic Climate Change

Paris (AFP) - Rising seas from global warming could submerge swathes of New York and Shanghai, and drive millions of people into poverty worldwide, researchers warned Monday as climate-altering carbon levels broke new records.

The slew of fresh planetary warnings came as ministers met in Paris searching common ground of a crunch climate summit.

If the planet warms by four degrees Celsius (7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) -- double the targeted UN ceiling -- oceans will swallow land inhabited by more than 600 million people, said a survey by Climate Central, a US-based research group.

At the same time, the World Meteorological Organization said concentrations of climate-altering greenhouse gases in the atmosphere broke new records last year.

"Concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are now reaching levels not seen on Earth for more than 800,000, maybe even one million years," WMO chief Michel Jarraud told reporters.

"This means we are now really in uncharted territory for the human race," he warned.

The new warnings came as environment and energy ministers met in Paris seeking convergence on issues still dividing nations negotiating for a climate rescue pact to be inked at a November 30-December 11 UN summit in the French capital.

Climate Central said that even if the agreement succeeds in limiting average global warming to 2C over pre-Industrial Revolution levels, areas today home to 280 million people would slip under the waves.

A separate World Bank study late Sunday said there could be "more than 100 million additional people in poverty by 2030" unless action is taken to stem climate change.

"The poor are more vulnerable to climate-related shocks than wealthier people," said the report, urging "strong action" from the Paris summit.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, hosting ministers and climate envoys from 70 countries in Paris to prepare for the summit over which he will preside, issued his own dire warning.

"It is life on our planet itself which is at stake," he said at the start of talks Sunday.

"There is absolute urgency" to achieve the 2 C goal, said Fabius. Anything higher would have "catastrophic consequences" -- including wars over dwindling water and other resources.

Fabius also announced that Russia's President Vladimir Putin would be among world leaders to attend the November 30 summit opening.

- High stakes -

The summit will be opened by some 100 heads of state and government, also including US President Barack Obama, China's Xi Jinping, and Narendra Modi of India.

It is meant to produce the first truly universal pact to rein in climate change by curbing emissions from burning fossil fuel.

Ministers are the ones who will ink the deal at the end.

They gathered in Paris for pre-summit talks, hoping to identify areas of possible consensus -- working off a blueprint for the deal compiled by rank-and-file diplomats over years of tough negotiations in the UN climate forum.

For now, the draft remains little more than a laundry list of often directly opposing national options for dealing with the challenge at hand.

Countries remain divided on issues of fairness and finance -- basically who must be doing what.

Developing countries insist rich ones should lead the way in slashing emissions as they have polluted for longer.

They also want assurances of finance to make the shift from cheap and abundant fossil fuel to greener energy sources, and to shore up defences against climate change-induced superstorms, drought, flood and sea-level rise.

But industrialised countries point the finger at emerging giants such as China and India spewing carbon dioxide as they burn coal to power expanding populations and economies.

As the bickering continues, the UN last week issued a fresh warning that national carbon-curbing pledges submitted to date set the stage for warming of about 3 C, or more.

Last month, scientists said the first nine months of 2015 had been the hottest on record worldwide.

Monday, August 10, 2015

Trip to Shanghai

This post is to record my first trip to Shanghai and the beautiful pictures taken during my stay.






Saturday, June 6, 2015

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

My trip to Denmark

Some photo taken in Copenhagen. There are a lots of interesting place to visit but I don't have  not enough time






High quality nest

Here are the pictures of high quality nest produce by Malaysian ranchers.








Thursday, May 28, 2015

Herring in Denmark

Most cured herring uses a two-stepcuring process. Initially, herring is cured with salt to extract water. The second stage involves removing the salt and adding flavorings, typically a vinegar, salt, sugar solution to which ingredients such as peppercornbay leaves and raw onions are added. In recent years, other flavors have also been added, due to foreign influences. However, the tradition is strong in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, The Netherlands, Iceland and Germany. Onion, sherry,mustard and dill are some of the traditional flavourings



Wind Energy In Denmark

During my trip to Denmark, I was amazed to encounter so many wind farms. 

It’s windy in Denmark, which helps explain why Denmark is so skilled at capturing the power of the wind. With 28 per cent wind power in the electricity system, Denmark is a nation that many others are looking to in order to discover sustainable energy solutions for the future. However, plentiful wind is not necessarily synonymous with a strong wind industry. Denmark's achievement in bringing 28 per cent wind power into the electricity system is built on several key factors, that together have made Denmark the world’s Wind Power Hub.




Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Transit at Bangkok

During my trip to Copenhagen, I board Thai Airline from KLIA to Bangkok Airport for a connecting flight at 1.20 am. This mean I have to wait for almost two hours before the next trip.

The last time I was in Bangkok was in 2001. What I learn from this trip is the currency exchange. It is cheaper to do it at KL Sentral. I was also suprised to know that Danish Kroner is limited and not always available.

Airline Lounges
Transfer counter