I saw this headline in today’s Star Online.

During the Khazanah’s Silverbook workshop (posted earlier) we learned that, despite China being one of the biggest polluter in the world- this Star article says that they are indeed the world’s largest greeenhouse gas emitter; that at least they are taking responsible actions in looking into their “unique” position. The article says that they are looking into policies of carbon cap and trade, and indeed- they do already have a China Beijing Environmental Exchange (CBEEX website) mechanism in place, albeit with teething problems.

Part of the reason for China’s push into this is due to (sourced from the article):

The cornerstone of any Chinese carbon market will be the country’s pledge, made last year, to reduce its 2005 carbon intensity rate — the amount of CO2 produced per unit of GDP — by 40-45 percent before the end of 2020.

In Malaysia we too have our own efforts, after our Prime Minister made a similar pledge to “reduce its carbon dioxide emission to 40 per cent by the year 2020 compared to the 2005 levels subject to assistance from developed countries”. As a follow-up, the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications launched its Greentech : 1 Identity, as well as conducting workshops with industries, aimed similarly at tacking our own GHG emission levels.

To share some related insights: The aviation industry, by its nature of continuous improvements in fuel efficiencies, has always been in the forefront of being green. Airframe manufacturers collaborate with engine manufacturers to come up with the engineering wonders that we see in the skies now. Airports and traffic controllers and aviation authorities collaborate to take it further by developing policies to reduce the impact of airplanes with optimised flight patterns, taxiing policies, new methods of airplane approaches and landings, etc.

Because of all these efforts, the general public is (still) surprised to learn that compared with all other industries in the world, aviation only contributes 2-3% of the total GHG emissions.

A quick background into what the Silverbook is; I am sure you can recognise what some of these are on:

Click for bigger picture

Two of the principles from the Silverbook states:

GLCs should proactively contribute to society in ways that create
value for their shareholders and other key stakeholders

GLCs should actively manage their contributions to society in the
most efficient and effective manner in line with industry norms
and best practices as well as the relevant regulatory framework

Broken down, and also coupled with our Prime Minister’s pledge to reduce our carbon emission intensity by 40%, this translates to the core area of environmental protection and policies. Therefore the topic of sustainability comes under this.

So what is sustainability?

Whilst the topic of sustainability is both wide and also evolving, I would like to attempt to define it for our use.

Definitions of sustainability often refer to the three pillars

Source, and more elaborative explanations, at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainability

“Sustainability is the capacity to endure”

In our context, it means that given our lifestyle of:

• consumption (of food, fuel, manufacturing);
• waste (trash, inefficiencies/leakages);
• development (deforestation, mining (BP?), more cars on the roads);

we will eventually BOTH continue to harm the environment as well as deplete our limited resources.

An interesting note is that there is existing data indicating that Malaysia is already quickly becoming one of the bigger polluters per capita in the world. But what is more interesting is that, whilst China is also one of the highest polluters per capita, they have more programs and projects to mitigate these negative impacts than we do.

Sustainability advocates:

• smarter use of existing resources;
• improve upon efficient use of them;
• find alternative means (new technology, biofuels, low emission, alternative sources of energy, alternative means of transport, etc);
• limit the damage to these sources (toxins in natural water, poisons in soil, logging of our “lungs”, increasing amount of trash/landfill).

Already there are financial institutions that are looking into responsible investments into projects/schemes that go toward this philosophy.

At the government level, the Ministry for Energy, Green Technology and Water has already started looking into public policies that bring about environment-friendly initiatives; with the launch of Greentech : 1 Identity and the resulting working committees and task forces.

As an airline, with fuel being the biggest cost component (and thus all efforts have been invested in bringing this cost component as low as possible) the other areas we can focus efforts on are our utility use (water and electricity), to a large extent the non-airplane assets (ground vehicles), procedures (flight management, turn-around times, taxiing).

On a personal level, and either toward the (or any) company or toward our environment, we can also practise these similar philosophies. As you know, already there are supermarkets with their No Plastic Saturdays, some who charge for the use of plastic bags, shopping centres that have recycling bins to segregate waste. Not only will reducing waste and being efficient save you money, your children will see this as the normal learned lifestyle that will only become their natural habit as adults later on in life.

Even if you don’t subscribe to climate change or sustainability, you have to agree with what you have read about limited resources- even in our own backyard: That even for Malaysia, we will become a net oil importer in the not too distant future.

One of the presenters was Dr. Philippe Bonnefoy, who gave us both the scientific research findings as well as the business implications, or justifications of why the aviation industry has been doing all these decades.

I just wanted to show you some of the grabbing facts and figures that are quite daunting.

Historical and future trends

The sum of all aviation parts

I would like to draw your attention to the second slide above.

After being blown away at first glance of that formula, but taking the time to examine each part of the formula it started to make sense to us- it was a summation of all parts of the aviation industry.

If you cannot see it properly, what is written in blue, from left to right, are:
“Demand (passenger traffic)”;
“1/average load factor”;
“1/aircraft size (fleet mix)”;
“Empty mass”;
“Payload mass”;
“Flight range and speed”;
“Propulsion (spec. fuel consumption)”;
“Aerodynamics (drag/lift)”;
“Fuel properties (alternative fuels)”.

We were amazed and glad that such research measures and efforts are being undertaken by this most-developed country; in looking for ways of mitigating the impact of all of aviation’s activities.

* Note the reference to ICAT; which are MIT International Center for Air Transportation:

Massachusetts Port Authority- that manages sea- and air-ports

On the way there in the bus I did note these fans…

Fans on top of the building?

After the introductory presentations and meetings with the Massport officials on airport management, we were treated to a guided tour of their airport and the new terminal and facilities.

One of the highlights of the tour was their eagerness to experiment with alternative sources of electricity.

It was noted that they had also tried to harness wind energy for electricity, but somehow had stalled it whilst concentrating on harnessing that of solar. The joke was that those 6 fans from the above photo, had (only) managed to power a few PC’s!

And so with their focus on solar, this was what they had done, and done successfully insofar as achieving the power levels desired.

They call these the “solar trees”, and rightly so.

Solar trees on the carpark rooftop

A closer look at a solar tree

On the top deck of their multi-storey carpark, were these solar trees, all 3 rows of them, spanning the whole length of the building.

In our tropical Malaysia with year-round sunny days, with the right investments and attitudes towards conservation and alternative energy I believe this is an example that we ought to follow, for all types of buildings and administration. And I don’t mean small panels for token’s sake. To really harness solar energy for real use in buildings, dedicated budgets and physical space must be allocated for real returns- not just enough for powering a few PC’s!

If serious considerations are given, I believe we too can emulate such an initiative and set examples for other locals to follow.

The program is under the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, US Dept of State.

Under the US’s foreign policy, the program’s basic intention is to foster mutual understanding between the US and other countries, through educational, professional and cultural exchanges. The visa under which the Malaysian delegation was issued is a “J1” type, specific for exchange programs. In this case its duration is only 30 days (unlike a tourist’s that is typically of 10 years’ duration).

The topic of Aviation and the Impact on the Environment is a new one for the organisers, and Malaysia was the first country the above authorities have identified and invited for this exchange and topic. The organizers had researched current initiatives and relevant topics related to the aviation industry, and had contacted and organized the respective authorities to meet with the delegation for sharing presentations, practices, and discussions; and also for tours of relevant facilities, such as engine manufacturers, airports, and environment-related research facilities. The Malaysian delegation is very pleased and honoured by this face-giving gesture and time accommodated by these high level officials. The hospitality showed by these officials was akin to that accorded to their best customers, even though we were only visitors.

Along with the above meetings the program had also factored in cultural experiences, such as dinner with host families, allowance for (where possible) events, museums and tours, as well as for the practice of tipping porters and taxi drivers during our various journeys.

Photo was taken at our visit to the VOLPE centre in Boston.

Incidentally, following very closely a few days behind ours is the delegation from Thailand, also under this same arrangement and topic.

More articles to recap this trip and the environmental topics, in coming days…

So what is The Green Wave?

The Green Wave is a global biodiversity campaign to educate children and youth about biodiversity. It leads up to the International Year of Biodiversity in 2010. Each year, The Green Wave will contribute to worldwide celebrations of the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB). It also supports other national, international and global tree planting initiatives such as the UNEP-led Billion Tree Campaign.

In participating schools, students plant a locally important tree species in or near their schoolyard. Ideally, the tree species would also be locally indigenous. Where possible, the tree should be planted on 22 May – IDB. In some countries, it may be too hot, too cold, too rainy, too dry or too something else to plant on 22 May. If such conditions apply in your country, you should plant in another month but still hold a special ceremony on 22 May.

On 22 May, students around the world will count down to 10:00 local time, when they will water their tree in their respective schoolyards, thereby creating a figurative “green wave” starting in the far east and traveling west around the world.

Throughout the day, students can upload photos and text summaries on The Green Wave website to share their tree-planting story with other children and youth from around the world. The interactive map will be launched at 20:10 local time, thereby creating a second “green wave”.

Click through the badge to find out more!

What about the effect on the environment?

Late last week I saw a comment left by a reader on a news article about the volcano, citing that grounding planes would therefore have an indirect benefit to the environment because of there would be no carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Immediately I thought “What about the plumes?”

I did some research which I am sharing below. The source is wikipedia.

With the massive reduction of air travel occurring over European skies, an estimated 1.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, more than the annual emissions of many developing countries, has been saved from entering the atmosphere as a result of the cancelled flights across Europe; however, no calculations have yet taken into account the massive amount of carbon dioxide released by the volcanic ash cloud itself. [119]

Residents of West London under the Heathrow Airport flight path have described the peace as ‘bliss’. John Stewart of the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise said they had been inundated with emails and phone calls and said “The message is that this is what life should be like. The peace and quiet is absolutely wonderful.” Christine Shilling, of the No Third Runway Action Group, who lives in nearby Harmondsworth, said: “I’ve lived here more than 40 years and I’ve never known such peace.”[120] Jenny Tonge, president of HACAN Clearskies, life peer and former Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park in London said “Dare we hope that it will finally lay the Third Runway at Heathrow to rest and concentrate government minds on more environmentally friendly and sustainable forms of transport?”[121][122]

No doubt there has been a reduction or temporary cessation of emissions (until flights are allowed into that airspace again), but the plumes from the eruption may actually be quite damaging as well, in more ways than one.

When ash begins to fall during daylight hours, the sky turns hazy and a pale yellow color. The ashfall may become so dense that daylight turns the sky gray to pitch black, with the ash severely restricting visibility and deadening sound. A darkened ash sky lowers temperatures during daylight hours from what would otherwise be expected. Loud thunder and lightning as well as the strong smell of sulfur accompany an ashfall.[11] If rain accompanies an ashfall, the tiny particles turn into a slurry of slippery mud. Rain and lightning combined with ash can lead to power outages, breakdowns of communication, and disorientation.[12]

Very fine ash particles can remain high in the atmosphere for many years, spread around the world by high-altitude winds. This suspended material contributes to spectacular sunsets, as well as an optical phenomenon known as “Bishop’s Ring“, which refers to a corona or halo effect around the sun.[13] High levels of ash high in the atmosphere causes climate change by cooling the globe for a few years following major eruptions. The last episode of ash-induced global cooling followed the Mount Pinatubo eruption of 1991.[14] The most documented case in recorded history of this phenomenon followed the epic eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815, which led to the year without summer in 1816.[15]

Hong Kong sunset c. 1992 after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo

Rainbow and volcanic ash with sulfur dioxide emissions from Halema`uma`u vent

Volcanic ash dunes near Tarvurvur Crater, Rabaul caldera

River eroding volcanic ash flow Alaska Southwest, Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes

Undoubtedly, the airline industry does have a part in overall emissions. But by last official statistics, airlines only contribute 2-3% of the overall emissions, when we take into consideration industries like power generation (coal plants), transport industry such as trucking, etc.

You may also be interested in reading “Air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption”

John Low
MAS Environment Dept

We are, of course, no exception. We report to the UK’s Environment Agency for the EU ETS compliance.

With the objective of managing the consumption and cost of fuel use, we already had a system in place that tracks fuel consumption from an accounting standpoint. Meeting the EU ETS’ requirement of monitoring carbon emission involved the task of extending this functionality and fine tuning the fuel data collection to focus only on the specific relevant routes on the network, the aircrafts used, and the passenger and cargo loads of these flights. Processes of how these measurements were collected and the integrity and accuracy of its data were also shared with the UK agency. This involved revisiting the processes that were already in place that support the fuel management system, converting these into the appropriate units and re-documenting these for complying with ETS’ requirements.

More info on our ETS-related activities and compliance over time

Are your local celebrities throwing their weight behind this global issue too?

The debate over this legislation has been taken so seriously that the opposition party, the Liberal Party, has even had a change in leadership- just today a new leader has already been appointed.

China and India have also announced that they will be attending this month’s Copenhagen talks. Hopefully there will be an agreement in the outcome of this much anticipated event.

In choosing my words carefully, it is “good” to see this issue being taken so seriously by a government. I will continue watching keenly the developments on this front.

For continuous updates on the Australian government’s development on the ETS, one of the sources I follow is Sky News’ twitter updates.

John Low
MAS Environment department