Category: Uncategorized

Ethos on the Ethics of Publishing Thought piece from a Singapore publisher

Dear Reader, Ever wonder what editors do in a publishing house? What books are they reading, what are their pet peeves, and who would they invite to dinner? Earlier this week, we asked you to share your burning questions. In this week’s letter, our editorial manager Suning answers one which provoked much thought.

Why aren’t your books sold on Amazon, for overseas readers and the diasporas at large?  This question came in from one of our authors, and it’s a very legitimate question which others, including our readers and collaborators have raised before. We thought it might be a good opportunity to address them here: At first glance, it might be a head-scratcher for a book publisher to forego distribution at the world’s largest online commerce player (in 2020, Amazon’s net profits went up 84%during a global pandemic), with tentacles in cloud-computing, wholesale foods, and retail, and in many parts of the world. Indeed, it would be very convenient. Yet, that stat I used should already raise some eyebrows. Within a purely capitalist framework, Jeff Bezos is doing his best job growing and expanding a business which needs to profit at all costs. And “like all monopolies, Amazon relies on homogeneity: driving customers to a select number of discounted titles to take advantage of economies of scale.” As it is, we can’t win them at their game of convenience and exploit. But what we should be asking is: at what and whose expense are these gains achieved? Here’s a summary of some really damning leads and headlines of the company: Let’s Count All the Ways Amazon’s a Big Bully Why boycott Amazon It’s clearer than ever that supporting Amazon is a tacit endorsement of abusive work policies and more Why Amazon is a ‘bully’ Amazon accused of ‘bullying’ smaller UK publishers Amazon’s poor treatment of workers is catching up to it during the coronavirus crisis Simply put, for indie publishers to work with Amazon would be to undercut all that we’ve worked so hard to build—a community that values independent thought, creative labour, plurality and people. And we’re still working on it. As Ursula K. LeGuin puts it: “The Amazon model: easy saleability, heavy marketing, super-competitive pricing, then trash and replace…Every book purchase made from Amazon is a vote for a culture without content and without contentment.” If you’re a publisher, you could do the convenient thing and work with the giant, instead of building up local capacities, talent and labour, and the local literary ecosystem of which you are a part of. You can choose to import (Western) culture, instead of investing in local and regional literatures, many of which remain minority, invisible and dying. If you’re a bookseller, Amazon will supply you books, but wait a minute—why are you buying from a competitor who’d undermine your own sustainability? If you’re a writer, Amazon will give you a platform according to the price you pay, and will ship them pretty much anywhere in the world. Yet at the same time, they carry over 33 million titles, and pay absolutely zero attention to what your book is even about. While barriers to publishing have reduced with Amazon’s model of self-publishing, ultimately, being self-published means you’re also a publisher now, and somewhere down the road, will have to contend with aforementioned points. Further illustration here. And if you’re a reader, Amazon (or Book Depository—surprise surprise) will deliver, fast. But fast and cheap books aren’t always a bargain. It just means publishers and authors receive less. And workers in the supply chain, even less so (while Bezos is the world’s richest). This doesn’t support the future of book publishing and quality writing, and this further diminishes the possibility of seeing diversity in the books being published and given a voice. Indeed, working with Amazon would be very convenient. But we choose otherwise. In Solidarity, Suning and the Ethos team

By Ken Hickson

20 June 2021

This is a series of short “reviews” covering a number of books which have been on my mind – received, read, loaned or given away – over the last couple of months. In no particular order:

1. Midnight Library by Matt Haig (Canongate Books, 2021), This has been at the top of the bestseller lists in many places, including Singapore, of late. When I ordered this from Book Depository some months ago – and due to a postal address error, it took a long time to arrive –  I knew nothing about it but loved the title. A tale very well told.  Supernatural yes, but with some very human issues uncovered. If anyone comes across a library like this – or a librarian like  Mrs Elm – let me know. You’ll have no regrets!  It made me want to read more books by Matt Haig.

2. “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, and cleverly translated by Geffrey Trousselot (Picador 2019), was another case of “title attraction”. Very pleased I was drawn to it. Clever, funny at times, disturbing and uplifting. But very readable and left me wanting more. While all about a fascinating café in Tokyo where you can take your seat and go back in time – or Back to the Future, if you like – I also learnt about a real-life Japanese event called the Tanabata Festival, which seems to be all about worshipping bamboo and paper. There is fact in fiction! By the way, the most famous Tanabata festival is held in Sendai from 6 to 8 August.

3. “Novacene”, by James Lovelock (Penguin 2020) was lent to me by my friend Greg, who’s enamoured by the works of this famous 101 year old British visionary scientist-environmentalist-futurist, perhaps best known for his “Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth” (Oxford, 1979). I’m half way through the book and can see where he’s going. He speculates that the Novacene – the Age replacing the Anthropocene – could be the beginning of a process that will see intelligence suffusing the entire cosmos. Life on Earth (Gaia) is changing but Nature will take its course. Artificial intelligence (AI) might become a dominant force, but will smart and sustainable humans remain supreme? Let’s see.  

4. “A Promised Land” by Barrack Obama (Crown 2020). I ordered this book well in advance from Books Actually and it’s been a slow and purposeful read. Not leisurely, as it’s not designed to be a quick read. It’s heavy in weight – 772 pages, plus hard cover – so I’ve been using it as part of my upper body physio-prescribed exercises! Not heavy-going reader-wise, but President Obama does go into great detail on campaigning and running the Oval Office. He’s good with words and good with names. Nothing is missed. And this is just the first volume. There’s more to come and it’s well worth reading and waiting for the next instalment.

5. “Negative Space” by Ranjani Rao (Xpress 2019), is a book of short stories by a writer who I was first drawn to through her thought-provoking pieces in the Straits Times. She admits in the preface that this book marks a departure from her preference for writing personal essays. So, I sense there’s a lot of real-life people, places and experiences intertwined with her short story telling. Which is great, as with any book – fiction or non-fiction – you want to come to know the writer better through her work, whether it shows in print or displayed through her actions/experiences. It’s a delightful collection of 11 short stories set in the places she’s familiar with – India, the US and Singapore.  I’ll keep telling our readers more about Ranjani’s insightful writing, for sure.

6. “DHL: From Startup to Global Upstart” by Po Chung and Roger Bowie (Walter de Gruyter 2018). This is an important  case study which should feature in business schools across the world. Of course, I know the company and many people involved in its progression to the top of the world’s express movement game. But it certainly had its ups and downs. More than its share of competition, some fair and some very much not fair. But beyond surviving as a brand and as a business, DHL has thrived, now part of the German Deutsche Post Group. Po Chung and Roger Bowie – both of whom I’ve worked with as a communications consultant in Singapore in the late 1980s/early 1990s – have made a throughly noble effort.  A valuable business book. But I did feel there were some thing missing.  I recall some of the stories/events that deserve a place in the ultimate record of DHL. For a start, it became an undisputed leader in Singapore as “a good corporate citizen”. DHL started the Businessman of the Year Awards with the Business Times – now more politically correctly called the Singapore Business Awards. DHL sponsored the visit to Singapore of the Mt Everest conqueror Sir Edmund Hilary to support the Singapore Adventurers Club. DHL sponsored the first major Singapore Women’s Open Tennis Tournament. DHL brought the dynamic Gold Medal winning weightlifter Precious McKenzie to Singapore to demonstrate ‘safe lifting’. Missing in action? Yes. A missed opportunity to show something of the softer side of DHL. Which all helped add to its success story. But don’t get me wrong. The DHL story by Po Chung and Roger Bowie is well worth the read. A valuable lesson for any start-up  in any sector.  It takes more than money to get a business to the top. It takes hard work.  Dedication. Determination. Getting people on board with passion and purpose, too. I always remember an annual conference in Singapore one year when the theme song was the rousing Queen number: “We are the champions”.  They meant it then. They still mean it now.

7. “About This Girl” by Gemma Manning (Self-published 2020). It’s remiss of me not to have reviewed and/or promoted this book before now. I received a review copy from Gemma herself in February 2020. It must have been put aside while I struggled to get through a load of writing/editing jobs during the pandemic months.  I’ve read it. I enjoyed it. It’s well worth a read for anyone in business or contemplating “going it alone”. As Gemma makes clear – it’s tough out there. And she has had to cope with more than her share of “challenges”. But she tells how she faced up to these and overcame them. Not easy. And she admits there we’re times when she was close to giving it all away and concentrating on her family.  But as friend and business advisor Phil Forrest says:  “This book describes the inspirational journey of an amazing young woman, one who is always upbeat and optimistic in spite of the knocks, always encouraging of others, always supportive of those who need help”. I couldn’t say it better myself. But there’s more to write, Gemma, and I look forward to hearing more of your success stories and client case studies. These, I’m sure, have contributed to your success and are what has helped you win more business. So, another book please.

8.  “Horse” by Geraldine Brooks.    We have to wait a few more months for it – until February 2022, I’m told – but in a recent “virtual” talk to the Friends of the Library (Port of Washington), she was reported in “The Island Now” as saying: “My remarks will primarily focus on ‘Year of Wonders’, which I wrote 20 years ago, never dreaming that we would be facing a pandemic in our lifetime. I will also share some thoughts about ‘Horse’, my new novel due to be published early next year.” Geraldine describes it as a “braided narrative”, set in three time periods: the racing world of the mid-19th century, the birth of Abstract Expressionism in New York City in the 1940s, and the present day at the Smithsonian Museums. Of course, you can order it in advance from any of your usual book sources, but I’m in touch with her publishers and I’m still hoping I’ll get a review copy in the post.  

These book reviews were introduced and linked to the June issue of The Art of Travel, incorporated with ABC Carbon Express and Focus on Forests.

See the May issue of ABC Carbon Express, Focus of Forests and The Art of Travel. Combined for the first time in one place. At one time.

Number One: Time is Up For Coal

Carbon Commentary:

Climate change is in the news more than ever these days, but what worries us is that there is still far too much talk – and talk about commitments – without seeing enough real evidence of any change in direction on the ground or in the air.

US President Joe Biden’s Leaders Summit was a good move. As was his move away from Trump’s anti-climate rhetoric and the decision to rejoin the Paris Accord.

But as we’ve been saying – and apparently just hitting our heads against a brick wall for 13 years, since we started all this – time is not on our side.

According to the IEA, we’re set for another record year of emissions due to all the fossil fuels we continue to burn.

We discovered last week, for example, that the Asian Development Bank was still investing in fossil fuel projects in the region, despite its stated intention to lead a campaign for Clean Energy for All some years ago. See this 2009 report.

The ASEAN Region is still not doing enough to get itself off its dependence on coal as its primary energy source, despite a lot of private sector regional initiatives to fund clean energy.

The United Kingdom and European Union – previously together, now apart – are showing the way. We can only hope that COP 26 in Scotland in December represents some real change and real commitments that stand the test of time. And now UK has its own Emissions Trading Scheme up and running.

I know this is the first time we’ve communicated this way for a while. But we haven’t been idle. Just diverted by producing a lot of other important content – some of which we’ll share with you here – where it’s relevant and timely.

As this is our first ABC Carbon Express for 2021, we’re determined as ever to keep this online magazine going – even if on a less regular basis. And this time we’ve decided to share with our loyal followers our other online efforts – Focus on Forests and The Art of Travel.

Stay focussed. Stay active. Don’t let the pandemic divert our attention from the climate emergency. It’s all connected. It’s all for real. Let’s collaborate for a change. – Ken Hickson

TWO. Climate Threats – 99 of the World’s 100 Cities Most at Risk are in Asia

Companies operating and investing in Asian cities are going to face an increasingly stiff test to their resilience. According to the first instalment of the Cities@Risk series, which ranks the world’s 576 largest urban centres on their exposure to a range of environmental and climate-related threats, 99 of the world’s 100 riskiest cities are in Asia, including 37 in China and 43 in India. Jakarta (pictured) is sinking faster than any other urban centre in the world.

THREE. Solar Supply Chain: 45% of the World’s Polysilicon Comes from the Chinese Province of Xinjiang

The world’s needs all the solar panels it can get to make a real shift to cleaner, renewable energy. And China has been instrumental in producing most of them and bringing down the cost of solar energy. But the latest report from BBC is worrying. The global production of solar panels is using forced labour from China’s Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province, an investigation has found. Xinjiang produces about 45% of the world’s supply of the key component, polysilicon, according to a study by the UK’s Sheffield Hallam University. Polysilicon is extracted from mined quartz, and the research says the world’s four biggest manufacturers use materials tainted by a massive system of coercion.

FOUR. Wildfire Smoke is Killing us Silently, while Forests are Scorched

Climate Change and the Coronavirus Pandemic came together in 2020 to give us twin global emergencies impacting the environmental and economic health of countries and people everywhere. Now we hear from our old friend Bob Henson – the author of Rough Guide to Climate Change (2008) who made a guest appearance in The ABC of Carbon (2009) – about a “Silent calamity: The health impacts of wildfire smoke”. Maybe less dramatic than an inferno’s flames – and less obvious than forest and property destruction – far-reaching smoke may be much more deadly and also more costly. Bob reports that an increasing body of evidence in the US suggests that the biggest societal impacts of increasing wild-land fires are happening in our own bodies, the result of tiny particulates spewed in vast amounts.

FIVE. Banking on Nature to Fight Climate Change

David Fogarty in the Straits Times last month alerted us to this carbon forestry project – perhaps the biggest in the world – with these words: “The vision is grand, the outcome could be just what the planet needs: investing billions of dollars to save vanishing nature and fight climate change at the same time.” It’s the Katingan Peatland Restoration and Conservation Project in Borneo, Indonesia. It involves big players from everywhere, including Singapore, Australia and Switzerland. We need to see more large scale projects like this in Southeast Asia. Also read on CNA how an illegal logger’s switch to a greener job shows a way to save Indonesia’s forests.                     

SIX. Setting Science Based Targets in Malaysia and Singapore

Science-based targets provide companies with a clearly-defined path to reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement goals. More than 1,400 businesses around the world are already working with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Who’s on board? From Malaysia we see Sarawak Energy, Tai Wah Garment Industry Sdn Bhd and Ramatex. From Singapore there’s: APRIL, CapitaLand, CDL, ComfortDelGro, Flex, Olam, SembCorp, SingTel and Zeullig Pharma. SBTi drives ambitious climate action in the private sector by enabling companies to set science-based emissions reduction targets.

SEVEN. Only Scientists & Voters can Change the Politics of Catastrophe

There are parallels in how governments and business have responded to the coronavirus pandemic and how the world needs to face up to the climate emergency. John Thornhill writes in the Financial Times: “As the historian Niall Ferguson writes in his latest book “Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe”, the distinction drawn between “natural” and “man-made” disasters is often misleading. What matters is how humans anticipate and react to such events, which are foreseeable in their frequency if not in their particularity. And while it may be tempting to blame such disasters on incompetent leaders, they also reflect a broader societal incapacity to prepare and respond. Read what Andrew Anthony writes in The Observer/The Guardian.

EIGHT. Germany Must Beef Up Climate Law to Protect Youth

Germany must update its climate law by the end of next year to set out how it will bring carbon emissions down to almost zero by 2050, its top court ruled on 30 April 2021, siding with a young woman who argued rising sea levels would engulf her family farm. The court concluded that a law passed in 2019 had failed to make sufficient provision for cuts beyond 2030, casting a shadow over a signature achievement of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s final term in office. Read the Reuters report.

 ABC Carbon is Media Partner for Singapore International Energy Week 2021

Focus on Forests – Eight of the Best   

PEFC & UN-REDD Work Together in Lower Mekong:

The UN-REDD Programme involves working with key institutions in five ASEAN countries, and in China, to reduce the opportunities for forest crime by strengthening governance, particularly by increasing the effectiveness of systems designed to ensure legal and sustainable trade in timber. Read the full story in THE ASEAN POST.

2. DNA Test & Trace to Save the Endangered African Cherry:

The science of DNA testing to check on crimes of a human kind is now being increasingly utilised to help bring an end to environmental crime or at least to reduce the level of illegal trade. The latest focus of attention is the endangered African cherry – officially known as Prunus africana. Go to Double Helix for more.

3. Circular Economy & E-commerce to Support World Furniture:

Ken Hickson writes: If we apply this – the circular economy – to the furniture industry and add in the new norms of e-commerce, we see that we cannot just rely on responsible sourcing or managing a sustainable supply chain right to the end. We have to look beyond the retailer to the consumer to make sure that our products have “lasting qualities”, and that they can be used, reused and/or recycled. Read it all in Panels & Furniture Asia.

4. “Restor” the World’s Forests to Save the Planet:

Conserve nature. Protect nature. Restore nature. Crowther Labs aims to help generate a better understanding of Earth’s ecology and aim to inspire responsible ecosystem restoration. It’s team believes that conserving, protecting and restoring nature can help fight climate change and enhance human health and wellbeing. Read all about Restor.

5. Plant the Right Trees in the Right Places:

Reforestation is increasingly popular amid growing recognition of the many convergent environmental crises we’re facing, from climate change to biodiversity loss and water scarcity. The urgency of restoring degraded forests and other ecosystems is such that the UN declared the years from 2021 to 2030 the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Read what Mongabay has to say.

6. Resurgence & Ecologist: Defending our Forests

Helen Dancer asks in the May/June issue of this respected British magazine: “At a time when we are reaching for Nature as fast as we are losing it, people and states will need to reimagine how ecological approaches to law could be developed and how power could be shared equitably between people and the state in different contexts. Rights of Nature is one possible approach, but it is not without challenges and it needs public support to be an effective legal tool.” She goes on to give examples from the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Ecuador. Read the rest here.

7. Forest Fibre to Fashion in Asia and Europe

PEFC has been highlighting the true value of fibre from forests. Thanks to new technologies, wood-based fibres can be used to produce recyclable, renewable and biodegradable textiles with a low environmental footprint. From Indonesia, Asia Pacific Rayon is taking a fashionable lead. APR’s viscose rayon fiber is widely known as a textile raw material that supports sustainable fashion trends. It also supports the government’s campaign that encourages the use of domestic products. See the May issue of the PEFC Media News Bulletin.

8. Amazon Deforestation Rises, as Forest Crime on Increase

Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest rose 43% in April 2021 from the same month a year ago, reports Reuters. In the first four months of 2021, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon totalled 1,157 square kilometres, an area nearly the size of Los Angeles, according to national space research agency Inpe. We hear from Africa that as “the world watches the pandemic, global climate goals are being compromised when it comes to fighting deforestation”. Meanwhile, Double Helix Tracking Technologies is doing its best to help manage legal timber trade from South North America, as this story demonstrates.

 Asian Journeys and The Art of Travel

 I. All the World’s a Stage – but not here!

It’s great to hear that finally you can go to the theatre – on the West End anyway – but Singapore’s attempt to get back on the boards was short-lived. Wild Rice, Pangdemonium and Singapore Repertory Theatre had opened up to smaller audiences, but even the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) had a false start on Friday 14 May before new Government pandemic restrictions came into play two days later for a month, affecting restaurants, bars, cafes, theatres and cinemas. Singapore’s wonderful veteran drummer Louis Soliano scraped in with a concert honouring him at the start of SIFA. Read what the Straits Times had to say about that event!

II. The Art of Cybersecurity

Another big cyber attack – this time on the Colonial energy pipeline. Author of “The 4th Competitive Force For Good” Hendrik Troskie says: “There’s an alternative to thinking about business leadership, ethics in business and purpose that has already proved highly efficient and effective in addressing sustainability problems and the environmental crisis. Only then can we stop this dangerous game we are playing.” Cyberattacks are second only to the climate emergency as a major business risk, according to the World Economic Forum. And during the pandemic, big cyber attacks have continued apace. See what more Hendrik has to say.

III: Celebrating Forty Years of Transforming Lives

Books come and books go, but this one had the most memorable take-off ever. Yes, it was the first time a book launch had been conducted at the Hybrid Broadcast Studio at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. Thanks to Paul Town. MC was Rachel Kelly and you can catch her reports on Money FM 89.3. There was a live audience restricted to 50, but it was broadcast to thousands in at least 10 countries. What’s this all about? The 40th Anniversary commemorative book for the Lions Home of the Elders, authored and published by Ken Hickson and printed by Times Printers on PEFC-certified paper, of course! Read what Floyd Cowan had to say about it online.          

IV: Advice for the Spare-time Writer – from a Scientist who Writes!

Ranjani Rao somehow makes time to write in her spare time. Her day job is as a pharmaceutical scientist and she’s been particularly busy with that. But when you have a hobby like writing you have to make time to do it. See her latest Straits Times essay on Motherhood and read about her latest book project and other things she cares about on her Blog. Last month she signed up for a professional photoshoot. Dressing up, smiling for the camera. finding an outdoor spot during a thundershower – all new experiences. See one of the results at left!

V. Patina Resorts to Sustainability

Floyd Cowan writes that visitors to the Maldives immediately become aware of its precious fragile environment and most guests are sensitive to the need to protect and preserve it. Developer Pontiac Land of Singapore took every imaginable step to be as sustainable as possible. It not only uses PEFC-certified timber, but the onsite James Turrell Skyspace is PEFC Project Certified by Venturer Timberwork of Singapore. DoubleHelix was engaged to verify the flow of certified timber from European forests to the Indian Ocean island, transparently presented by Sourcemap.

VI. On Asian Books Blog

Pot-sticker dumplings and srlet gloop: Nicky Harman reviews Maisie Chan’s “Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths” and looks back at Timothy Mo’s 1982 “Sour Sweet”. It’s just one of the latest offerings in Asan Books Blog, which also gave favourable mention to my epic Lions Home book launch. Read what Nicky has to say about this book for children of all ages and how she relates her own experience encountering cultural differences. Read Asian Books Blog.

 VII: Sustainability in Packaging Asia

Once again PEFC’s CEO Ben Gunneberg makes a guest appearance at this virtual event. If you have any questions about the conference, programme or need assistance with your registration, you can visit the conference website          

IIX: Fashions Change, Forests Stay with Sustainable & Renewable Materials

Art on the catwalk and the Art of Sustainability come together in what Asia Pacific Rayon is doing in Indonesia and further afield. In addition to meeting international standards and securing PEFC certification, APR also opened the Jakarta Fashion Hub as a collaborative space to unlock the potential of the domestic fashion, textile and creative industries. This is in addition to the many partnerships and collaborations, like the UNFCCC’s Fashion for Global Climate Action, in which the company is actively involved, as it embeds itself in the sustainable textile and fashion market. Read my article here.

Tune in to Money FM 89.3 in Singapore on Friday 21 May to hear a report on the first book launch held at the Hybrid Broadcast Studio at Marina Bay Sands on “Celebrating Forty Years of Transforming Lives” by Ken Hickson for the Lions Home For The Elders.        

STOP PRESS:

NET ZERO BY 2050

A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector

This special report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), released on 18 May 2021, is the world’s first comprehensive study of how to transition to a net zero energy system by 2050 while ensuring stable and affordable energy supplies, providing universal energy access, and enabling robust economic growth.

To read and see the complete 3 into 1 issue – with illustrations and links – go to this site.

If you would like to receive email newsletters, magazines, articles and announcements from Ken Hickson, please email and you’ll be put on this select data base. Kenhickson@abccarbon.com

By Hendrik Troskie

Early in 2020, when I released my book The 4^th Competitive Force For Good, I reference the losses to the global economy as a result of cybersecurity events to reach some 6 trillion USD by 2024. It is a year later, and those figures have been blown out of the water. Cybersecurity Ventures now predict annual losses to the global economy reaching 11.5 trillion dollars by 2025.

Let’s reflect on that for a second. 11.5 trillion dollars is the same as the annual economic output of Japan, Germany and the UK combined. It is rapidly approaching the economic output of the second largest economy in the work: China. That’s right. Think of the blood sweat and tears of billions of hard-working people just squandered, every year. Now think about what the world can do to address the UN 17 goals for sustainable living, or addressing global poverty around the world with that amount of money every year.

In the last few months the cybersecurity world was rocked by two significant cyberattacks. The first is the SolarWinds cyberattack. It was initially described as a sophisticated attack by government sponsored attackers. In fact, it has been claimed that some 1,000 professional hackers were involved in perpetrating the attack. The consequences are far reaching: some nine US state departments have been identified as having suffered a breach, more than 18,000 business have been compromised. Big names like Microsoft admitted that their source code was accessed. Precisely what they mean by accessed is not clear. I think we can safely assume that the source code has been transferred out of the company. The worrying thing is that having access to the source code is the holy grail for hackers.  It gives attackers unprecedented abilities to develop software that exploits vulnerabilities in this code.

Another notable victim is the company FireEye/Mandiant. The global leader in attacker detection and response technology and services. Ironic? Indeed, but it is what was revealed that is more important than the attack itself. FireEye admitted that their own attack exploit software was accessed and copied. They promptly published details of the software plus mitigating strategies to prevent companies becoming victims of FireEyes attack tools. To much applause it must be added.

Now think of these attack tools as digital weapons. Why does FireEye have an arsenal of digital weapons? FireEye and many cybersecurity companies use digital weapons to test the effectiveness and efficiency of businesses to detect and respond to attacks on their networks. It is called red teaming or sometimes simulates targeted attack and respond assessments. This of course raises a number of important questions?

FireEye immediate informed their customer base on how to mitigate against the stolen digital assets and received a lot of praise for doing so. If we reflect for a second, we must ask the question. FireEye is in the business of providing detect and respond tools and services. So why did they have to inform their clients on how to mitigate against their digital weapons? Surely their customers should by subscription to FireEye have been resilient against these very weapons! The answer is that FireEye and other cybersecurity companies are in it for the profit. When they execute a simulated attack or red teaming exercise they must be successful in breaching the customers network. In order to do so cybersecurity companies stockpile digital weapons built to exploit vulnerabilities in technologies we all rely on. The right thing to do will be to inform the original manufacturer of the vulnerability, but that will disable the digital weapon. Some cybersecurity companies even boast about having exploit development teams, researchers that specifically stockpile vulnerabilities and digital weapons to guarantee their success in simulated targeted attacks. It raises serious ethical questions about the honesty and transparency in the cybersecurity industry.

The problem extends to beyond cybersecurity companies. Governments do the same. In fact, the US government have a stated policy towards stockpiling digital weapons in the ‘National Interest’. Under the Obama administration some form of control was implemented to limit the extend of the digital weapon stockpiling, but this control was abandoned by the Trump administration. Notably this is matter of public knowledge. It is not a secret. Most people I talk to seems to think it is justified under the idea of the national interest. Nevertheless, every now and again the government will inform a technology company of a vulnerability, but only once they have used their digital weapon and it has been exposed. Once the genie is out of the bottle it spreads around cybercriminal organisations like wildfire. The very recent attack on Microsoft Exchange server is an illustration in point. Some 250,000 business have been breached and there is a mad scramble to eliminate attackers form email systems whilst trying to maintain normal business activity. In the meantime, more attackers have joined the feast.

I predicted this problem in my book. In fact, let me be transparent and say that the control system that business and governments use to manage cybersecurity has predicted this problem as it has a negative feedback loop by design that will continue to expand the control gap to the point where control of information technology is lost. It is hard to look at recent cyberattacks, the growing losses of the global economy and not to think it has already happened. If the world economy is leaking away the economic output approaching that of the second biggest economy in the world, China, to cyberattacks, can we claim that we have cybersecurity under control? I suggest we cannot.

There is no point in trying to fix the problem with the cybersecurity control system as its stands. That is because the cybersecurity control system is the problem. It is time to rethink this solution, to stand back and ask ourselves the question, why are we doing cybersecurity control systems this way? It clearly does not work. How can we do this better? I have proposed an alternative in The 4^th Competitive Force For Good. It is an alternative to thinking about business leadership, ethics in business and purpose that has already proved highly efficient and effective in addressing sustainability problems and the environmental crisis. Only then can we stop this dangerous game we are playing.

For more on Hendrik Troskie and his book The 4^th Competitive Force for Good, go to https://www.linkedin.com/in/hendrik-troskie-ma-phil-3987298/

The Katingan-Mentaya Project forest is a living laboratory that is home to many ecosystems and a wide range of plant and animal species.

By David Fogarty

Climate Change Editor

In the Straits Times, 23 April  2021,

The vision is grand, the outcome could be just what the planet needs: investing billions of dollars to save vanishing nature and fight climate change at the same time.

The foundations of such a market already exist. Called the voluntary carbon market, it focuses on the ability of nature to soak up huge amounts of planet-warming carbon dioxide (CO2). Developers of conservation projects earn a return by selling carbon credits to buyers, usually big companies, to help them meet their climate goals.

Essentially, you are offsetting a portion of your own carbon emissions by paying someone else to do it for you.

The market, though still small, has shown it works. Scores of successful nature-based climate projects exist which avoid or lock away millions of tonnes of CO2.

Now, faced with the twin emergencies of climate change and biodiversity loss, investors want to remodel the market and channel huge sums into protecting and rehabilitating rainforests, mangroves and grasslands, and greatly expand the volumes of carbon credits, or offsets, for sale.

By the end of the decade, the market could be worth billions of dollars a year and Singapore is aiming to be a regional carbon credit investment and trading hub.

Efforts are well under way in Singapore and around the globe to make the market more transparent, more efficient and improve the quality and verification of the nature-based climate projects to entice large-scale investment. If done well, it could be a win for the fight against climate change and curb the loss of nature.

Trust and transparency

To get there, the market must overcome questions about transparency and concerns over ensuring every project does what it claims: reduces or locks away CO2 in a fully verifiable way.

And investors also need reassurance that the conservation or replanting projects are fully protected and not destroyed by fire or cleared for agriculture or logging. That’s where technology such as satellite monitoring comes in.

While existing projects have proved the model, the concern is whether vastly scaled-up investment will undermine the integrity of the market in the rush for carbon gold.

Carbon credits represent a tonne of CO2 reduced or locked away. It’s an attractive idea for customers such as car manufacturers, tech firms, banks and pension funds keen to hedge their future carbon costs.

A key focus, particularly in South-east Asia, is on saving natural ecosystems rich in carbon and with a high capacity for soaking up CO2, such as peat swamp forests. These forests and replanted areas need to be protected over the long term from logging, illegal clearing for palm oil and fires. Which is why well-run projects hire staff to monitor the project area on the ground, and in space using satellites.

Ultimately, the idea is about putting a value on ecosystems, a value that helps them compete with mining, industrial agriculture and logging interests.

The higher the carbon price, the greater the return – and the incentive for investors to take the risk.

The Singapore Connection

“Thanks to their rich forest, wetland and mangrove ecosystems, South-east Asia and Asia

generally are set to become one of the largest suppliers of natural climate solutions (NCS) globally. The region houses a third of the cost-effective NCS supply potential from both the protection and restoration of natural ecosystems in countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and India,” said Mr Mikkel Larsen, chief sustainability officer for DBS Bank.

That makes Singapore a natural centre for investing in these projects and trading the credits – this explains why Temasek, DBS and others are looking at ways for Singapore to capitalise on revamping the market.

The idea is to leverage Singapore’s long history in commodities trading and its well-regulated financial market. Singapore firms could use offsets as part of their emissions reduction strategies and, one day, carbon credits might be included in the nation’s carbon tax scheme.

Temasek has been helping to guide Singapore’s evolution into a carbon services hub and has bought offsets from two forest carbon projects to meet its internal emissions targets.

A Temasek spokesman said multiple approaches should be used in the fight against climate change, including carbon offsets. He added that Temasek hopes to support natural climate solutions and carbon projects that are of high quality and meet other social and environmental aspects, such as conserving and restoring important ecological systems like peatlands, rainforests and mangroves.

Preserving and rehabilitating these areas also reduce the risk of fires and haze, and are good for local communities.

Investor interest is being driven by mounting pressure on companies and governments to meet stringent climate targets. Globally there’s been a surge in pledges to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century. To get there, you’re going to need nature.

“Eliminating the 51 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases added to the atmosphere every year requires an enormous amount of global momentum and investment,” said Mr Dharsono Hartono, co-founder of the Katingan-Mentaya forest preservation project in Central Kalimantan on Borneo island.

“This is going to involve entirely rethinking how we produce energy, how we travel and how societies operate. But it also means rethinking how we treat nature. To keep global warming well below 2deg C, we must protect nature,” he added.

The Katingan-Mentaya project, comprising mostly carbon-rich deep peat swamp forest, is about twice the area of Singapore. Saving it from destruction by palm oil companies means about 7.5 million tonnes of CO2 are prevented from being emitted every year. Selling carbon offsets to big corporations, including VW Group, Shell and Bank of America, helps run the project and fund community programmes.

True potential

Mr Dharsono’s project, though, represents a fraction of the true potential if huge investment is channelled into well-managed and well-funded projects.

South Pole, a Swiss firm that has developed more than 800 carbon offset projects globally, sees big opportunities for investment.

“Nature-based solutions – such as forest protection and restoration – can actually provide over a third of the climate mitigation needed between now and 2030 to stabilise warming to below 2 deg C very cost-effectively. So investing in a cost-effective solution that can mitigate over 30 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions seems like a no-brainer,” said Ms Leah Wieczorek, South Pole’s business development lead for Asia, who is based in Singapore.

Under the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, nearly 200 nations agreed to limit global warming to well below 2 deg C and aim for 1.5 deg C above pre-industrial levels if possible.

Professor Koh Lian Pin runs the Centre for Nature-Based Climate Solutions at the National University of Singapore. He and his team have analysed areas of the planet that could yield good returns for investors.

In a recent study published in Nature Communications, Prof Koh and colleagues show that at an initial carbon price of US$5.80 (S$7.70) a tonne, the protection of tropical forests can generate investible carbon amounting to 1.8 billion tonnes a year globally – roughly the annual emissions of Japan and Australia combined.

Financially viable carbon projects could generate return-on-investment totalling US$46 billion a year, with the highest returns in the Asia-Pacific at US$24.6 billion, followed by the Americas and Africa.

And the higher the carbon price, the greater the area of forest carbon sites that could be conserved.

The recent surge in interest in carbon offsets is pointing to higher prices, especially buyers locking in future flows of offsets at higher prices for high-quality projects.

Groups such as former Bank of England governor Mark Carney’s task force on scaling up the voluntary carbon market foresee exponential growth over the coming decade.

“In 2019, just over US$300 million worth of trading took place on the voluntary market when these projects should be measured in the tens of billions of dollars per year,” he told a green finance summit in London last November.

Investors such as HSBC and Australia’s Pollination group, a climate change advisory firm, agree.

Last year, both teamed up with the aim of creating the world’s largest dedicated natural capital asset management company. They are launching a natural capital fund to invest primarily in regenerative agriculture and sustainable forestry projects. A second carbon fund is also planned aiming to ramp up investment in carbon offset projects. Overall, the intention is to raise up to US$6 billion in funds.

“We take the view that there is a huge amount of demand and very little supply such that investment is required in the underlying projects to scale them up rapidly,” said Mr Martijn Wilder, Pollination’s founding partner.

The funding model for nature-based projects has to change, he said, with significant upfront funding crucial to ensure projects get off the ground, are well managed and well protected.

“Protecting a rainforest is an infrastructure project. That’s what you’re doing.”

HSBC said escalating risks to the climate and biodiversity have changed mindsets.

“Today, nature is undervalued and overlooked by our investment community. This must change,” said Ms Melissa McDonald, the bank’s global head of responsible investment.

How to scale up

The existing voluntary carbon market has been around for about two decades and has strict standards for offset projects. But trading has always been small and opaque because it’s purely between buyer and seller and not on an open exchange. That needs to change, market players said.

The main standard-setting body that certifies offset projects, Washington-based Verra, has issued offsets representing 622 million tonnes of CO2 reduced from 1,697 projects to date. That’s the equivalent of taking 132 million cars off the road for a year.

And the market is growing. “We’ve seen that in terms of the volumes of the projects coming through the door. That’s definitely growing. We’ve seen in the last few years an increasing trend towards natural climate solutions,” said Verra CEO David Antonioli.

South Pole’s Ms Wieczorek said interest is growing in Asia, too. “We are seeing a dramatic increase in clients in Asia looking to make carbon reduction commitments,” she noted, adding that some clients are looking to lock in long-term offtake contracts.

“The vast majority of humankind’s carbon emissions are currently unpriced, so having a dedicated budget for offsetting also helps companies set or at least consider an internal price on carbon,” she added.

For now, though, Mr Carney, who is the United Nations special envoy for climate action and finance, said the voluntary carbon market still struggles with low liquidity and scarce financing.

To scale things up, Prof Koh said the market must overcome “pain points”. “The market will grow with our ability to improve the quality of those nature-based credits, our ability to reduce the cost of validation, of certification, to improve the transparency of monitoring those projects.”

Mr Larsen of DBS agrees.

“The thing that has plagued the voluntary carbon market for the longest time is issues around trust and integrity. The quality and integrity of the projects is believed to be too low,” he said. People buy a project and it doesn’t do what it is said to do, that’s the integrity. Or it creates problems and social issues, that’s the quality, he said.

“There’s no doubt that carbon offsets projects, if done right, do work, and they do sequester carbon,” he said. But he also feels that transparency around pricing and verification is needed.

Technology can help by improving the science and technology around projects, around verification of carbon stock, for example finding ways of improving carbon sequestration.

One firm that has brought price transparency is Singapore-based AirCarbon Exchange, a digital platform that trades fully verified carbon offsets. The exchange treats carbon offsets like a commodity with a range of offsets available for trading.

“The current market construct fails to send a strong price signal due to a fragmented project-based trading environment. A strong price signal will unleash pent-up capital to finance climate mitigating projects,” said Mr Bill Pazos, AirCarbon’s chief operating officer and co-founder.

Few in the market question the integrity of the standards set by Verra – it’s more that the problems lie elsewhere in the market as it has evolved. “These standards have been around for 15 to 20 years. They are very robust. They are constantly evolving and improving themselves,” said Pollination’s Mr Wilder.

Verra’s Mr Antonioli said they are constantly updating their standards according to changes in technology, regulations and latest scientific evidence.

Genuine action?

Some conservation groups say offsets are just a dodge, allowing polluters to buy their way out of making deep emission cuts to their operations.

That is untrue, key players said.

“It is impossible right now for most companies to achieve climate neutrality, a key milestone on the journey to meet net-zero pledges, without the use of carbon credits,” said South Pole’s Ms Wieczorek.

Offsets from well-run, fully verified projects can help firms that are already cutting emissions go the last mile.

For DBS’ Mr Larsen, carbon credits are responding to an urgent need. “We talk about carbon offsets as a potential point of delay and inaction. And I always really struggle with that because with a football field of rainforest being cut down every six seconds, the inaction lies in not trying to help.”

Mr Wilder said that for now, carbon financing remains a vital source of funding for conservation, despite the detractors. “The global climate is in crisis and we have to do everything we possibly can to reduce the risks. We shouldn’t be ideological about offsets and how we do it, provided the actions are real and have integrity.”

Go to Straits Times www.sph.com.sg for more of the best climate change reporting in Asia.

Wood 4 Good: The Art of Sustainability

Music to my Ears!

Guitars appeal to our eyes as much as our ears.

The most highly desired tone-woods are not only resonant and produce a good sound, but are also visually beautiful. (Pictured Maple Guitar from UnleavenedShred.)

Some of the most dramatic figure wood is found in North American Maple that can also be sustainably produced.

But as this blog from World Resources Institute shows, not all is clean and good in how some Maple is logged.

The wood has also gained a reputation in the Pacific Northwest as “Meth Maple,” since drug addicts will cut trees from protected forests and sell them on the black market for a quick source of cash. 

Here’s the first case where DNA fingerprinting of trees was used to match illegal logging activity, which led to the prosecution of the perpetrators under the US Lacey Act.

Professor Andy Lowe of University of Adelaide tells the story of how Double Helix Tracking Technologies got involved in “The Case of the Meth Maple Guitar”.

This first appeared in The Art of Travel – Issue 7 – 29 September 2020.

From FT Weekend for The Art of Travel September/October 2020

Thousands of tonnes of marine pollution is retrieved, repurposed and returned to our homes

Louis Wustemann in FT Weekend JULY 17 2020

Marine plastic: there are hundreds of thousands of tonnes of it, swirling in gyres in the great oceans, washing up on beaches, sticking in the throats of sea animals. And, figuratively, in our own, since people such as David Attenborough drew attention to the scale of the problem. 

We pollute the seas with plastic by many routes. The single-use bottles and bags that litter our streets blow into rivers and into the ocean; fibres float off our synthetic clothes every time we wash them; waste is dumped illegally offshore.

In May, researchers from Manchester University reported finding up to 1.9m tiny plastic fragments per square metre on the Mediterranean seabed off Italy.

Now this material can end up back in your home, as designers are turning reclaimed ocean waste into contemporary furniture.

Once plastic waste leaves the land, it is a struggle to recover, let alone recycle, the small scraps of different polymers. “It’s incredibly hard to collect at sea,” says Alexander Groves. He should know: he has made furniture from plastic landed in fishing nets off England’s south coast.

As one half of design duo Studio Swine with Azusa Murakami, Groves became aware of the problem of ocean plastic pollution eight years ago while the pair were students at London’s Royal College of Art.

What started as a degree project morphed into a performance piece, filmed in 2012. The three-minute film shows Murakami and Groves on the deck of a lugger boat from the small fishing fleet at Hastings in East Sussex, picking plastic waste from among the flatfish caught in the boat’s nets, reducing it to a tarry sludge in a portable furnace, casting the legs and seat of a simple three-legged stool, then bolting them together. All while at sea.

Nine years on, the Sea Chair is still in occasional production, says Groves, though now made on land from plastic waste gathered on beaches. “There’s quite a waiting list. I make them between other projects,” he says.

A second project (and film), Gyrecraft, saw Studio Swine use a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to fund berths on the research vessel Sea Dragon and sail from the Azores to the Canary Islands through the “north Atlantic garbage patch” in which millions of plastic fragments circulate in the vortex currents.

This time they formed the plastic they recovered into a sculpture shaped like a whale’s tooth in homage to the scrimshaw — elaborately carved teeth and bones — fashioned by sailors on long whaling expeditions.

Tiny plastic fragments trawled from the sea by Studio Swine

Studio Swine’s scrimshaw sculpture made of ocean waste

Groves recognises that the amount of waste they scooped from the Pacific gyre is tiny, and even the 50 kilos of ocean plastic in the 10 Sea Chair stools made to date make a negligible dent in the thousands of tonnes of waste in the seas.

But the stools mostly go to museums for environmental exhibits and the Sea Chair film has been viewed 2.5m times online. That was the point of the exercise, he says: “We wanted to bring people’s attention to the problem; it’s mass communication rather than mass production.”

Others are looking to larger volume production. Danish furniture manufacturer Mater recently reissued the Ocean garden chair and table by acclaimed mid-century Danish designers Nanna and Joergen Ditzel using recycled plastic from fishing nets.

Ocean is a 1955 design, originally made from plywood and steel. Dennie Ditzel, who manages her mother and father’s design archive, licensed Ocean to Mater in 2018. “They were born for it,” she says of the chair and table’s stripped-back, Bauhaus-influenced designs.

The timber slats that formed the table top, chair back and seat are not only easily reproduced in plastic, but the recycled polymer is also more resilient against the elements outdoors. Apart from the materials, the originals were faithfully reproduced, though 5 per cent larger to accommodate expanded 21st-century waistlines. “Most things from the 1950s you have to remake bigger,” says Ditzel.

Nanna and Jørgen Ditzel with their wooden designs, 1955

Mater Design’s plastic-waste chair based on the Ditzels’ wooden model

Just under a kilo of waste plastic is used in each chair and a little more in the table tops. It comes from used fishing nets and ropes that might otherwise have been dumped at sea, becoming so-called ghost gear.

The nets are recycled by Plastix, a company in North Denmark, which buys the maritime waste and turns it into pellets that can be substituted for virgin plastic in consumer products.

Another Plastix customer making garden furniture is ScanCom International, which uses the pellets for a chair and table set in its Lifestyle Garden range. The DuraOcean chair’s one-piece tub base is moulded in recovered plastic and sits on FSC-certified eucalyptus wood legs. ScanCom says that for each of the chairs sold it will donate $5 to ocean clean-up charities.

The chair featured in an exhibition last year at the Eden Project eco-centre in Cornwall, which demonstrated the scale of the problem by recreating a beach in Cyprus where more than 3,000kg of plastic waste washed ashore in one year. 

ScanCom International’s DuraOcean chair, made of ocean-waste pellets

House & Home Unlocked

Plastix’s logic in concentrating on used fishing nets and ropes is that targeting volumes of plastic waste before it reaches the ocean is better than having to fish it back out of the sea when it may already have harmed sea life. 

David Stover came to the same conclusion eight years ago when his start-up Bureo was looking for a way to reuse ocean plastics. “Naively, we envisioned this ability to go down and gather trash that was washing up all over the world and melt that into products,” says Stover, who left a financial consulting job at Ernst & Young to co-found the company of which he is CEO.

But as Studio Swine had found, beach plastic is made up of hundreds of different polymers, most of which cannot be combined for reuse. Bureo needed a large stream of a single plastic type.

How can we survive without plastic?

“We stumbled across fishing nets,” he says. Thousands of tonnes of nets end up in the sea, making up as much as 10 per cent of all ocean plastic, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

“Some are dumped or cut loose when they have tangled or snagged, or at best they make it to landfill or are dumped on beaches,” he says. Others are clumped together and anchored to the ocean floor as “fish aggregating devices”, artificial islands that attract species such as marlin and tuna. 

Most nets are made of the same polymer: nylon, which is easily recyclable and highly durable. Bureo works in Chile, Argentina and Peru, where it has developed relationships with boat owners in more than 50 fisheries, who know that if they pass their old nets on to the company they will be paid per kilo and that Bureo will make a contribution to local education and recycling projects. 

Pellets made from old nylon fishing nets used for recycling © Alfred Jurgen Westermeyer

“If every fisherman knows there is an incentivised system to place their waste at the end of life, you are certainly going to see a reduction in the amount of material out there,” says Stover.

Having gathered the nets — ranging in weight from a few kilos to three tonnes — Bureo’s centres clean them and shred them, then pass them on to a third-party recycler to turn into nylon pellets, which are then sold to manufacturers.

Over the past seven years, some 400 tonnes of Bureo’s pelleted nets have made it into products including skateboards, sunglasses and caps for the

Patagonia clothing brand.

Most recently, they have been used by office furniture manufacturer Humanscale for the frame of its Smart Ocean Chair (the imaginative design of products made from marine plastic is not mirrored in their names).

Humanscale’s Smart Ocean Chair

The chair has the ergonomic virtues of the best office seating but its slim lines and optional aluminium trim give it a less corporate look than many, making it a strong candidate for the growing numbers of people looking to improve the furniture in their home workspace as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Like the Mater and DuraOcean garden sets, the Humanscale chairs are easily taken apart and recycled at the end of their lives. 

By their contribution to curbing single-use plastics and to a circular economy, in which one person’s waste is another’s raw material, these products are not going to solve the problem of the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of indestructible marine plastic already circulating in global waters, and the millions more in the sediment below. But they show how we can stop that volume increasing.

“There is a long way to go,” says Groves, “but at least it is on the agenda.”

Follow @FTProperty on Twitter or @ft_houseandhome on Instagram to find out about our latest stories first.

We subscribe to and read FT Weekend every week. Go to www.FT.com for more.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines over-tourism as “the impact of tourism on a destination, or parts thereof, that excessively influences perceived quality of life of citizens and/or quality of visitor experiences in a negative way”.

Over-tourism

Will the global travel industry ever be the same again?

By Ken Hickson

The world is enduring its biggest ever lockdown in history. We’re seeing airlines, airports, hotels, cruise companies and tour businesses – and even destinations, which are over-reliant on tourism for their economy – run out of steam and go broke.

What future is there for anyone involved in what’s described as the world’s biggest industry?

Of course, there will be bailouts. Of course, some operators will survive and many will thrive. But can – or should – the tourist industry return to its “good old days”?

This the biggest wake-up call there could ever be for an industry that puts people in jet aircraft, cruise ships, trains and buses, dropping them off on islands and to quaint villages, at the same time, doing untold long term damage to distant cultures.  

I hate to say it, but the old adage “you have to be cruel to be kind” applies here. This coronavirus outbreak is like an any major unexpected action  – even “an inconvenient truth” –  which seems harsh, but will ultimately be of benefit to the industry and the world.

Change had to come to tourism as it was in the process of ruining the environment and cultures in many places.

Look at Venice, where tourism has driven people out of their own homes to

seek a better life, as the historic place is sinking from the weight of tourism and the  onslaught of rising sea levels from climate change.

Look at Vanuatu – as I write this, besieged by Cyclone Harold – as it tries to adapt to the surge of climate change, along with the severe cultural and economic disruptions of tourism – mainly from far too many cruise ships disgorging “big spending” passengers onto its fragile shores.

Look at Antarctica – where hundreds of cruises, large and small, visit annually and “besides visiting scientists and native wildlife”, they see that “Antarctica is uninhabited and undeveloped”. However, according to one observer “visiting Antarctica offers cruisers some incredibly unique opportunities like mingling with penguins, taking a polar plunge into sub-zero waters, tent camping on the ice, and whale- and bird-watching.”

I worry greatly about the damage to the environment from over-tourism, particularly in fragile places like the Antarctic, which I was privileged to visit with a TV crew 37 years ago to report on the work of scientists.

Even then I could see the potential for environment degradation, not from tourists but from the pressure of international expeditions and research, often supported by the military with troops and transport.

The Americans had set up a nuclear power station at McMurdo Sound – the radioactive warning signs said it all – and I had the obligation to “advise” one US helicopter crew member not to throw a cigarette butt onto a pristine dry lake bed.

Look at Bhutan in the Himalayas, which is doing what many other tourist destinations should think seriously about. Limit the onslaught of mass tourism, along with the cultural and economic damage it brings.

The Kingdom of Bhutan,  seeking to become a high-value destination, imposes a daily fee of US$250 on tourists, that includes touring and hotel accommodation. At last count, the industry there employs 21,000 people and accounts for 1.8% of GDP.

Is this the way to manage tourism? American tour operator, Gabriel Cubbage, thinks so when we met last year in Singapore. He set up Gray Langur as a specialist tour company to cater for those committed to visit Bhutan, as this is one place that values the environment, its forests and its unique culture more than anything else.

I’m impressed too with the work of Singaporean Junxiu Lu – or simply Jin, as she’s widely known – and Chicken Feet Travels, which concentrates on tailor-made tours to out-of-the-way places in Southeast Asia.  

“We have carefully vetted and hand-picked accommodation, guides and trip providers that are affordable, reliable, friendly, fun and adopt sustainable and eco-friendly practices”, she says. If customers want luxury that can be arranged, but “we make sure that it is unique,  eco-friendly, sustainable and supports the local community.”

Not sure how the global industry is going to set matters right, but it has been talking for a long while about “responsible tourism”.  By definition, it’s tourism that minimises negative social, economic and environmental impacts and generates greater economic benefits for local people.

We’re seen little sign that international airlines, aircraft manufacturers, airport operators and cruise companies have been bearing this in mind over the last twenty-odd years.

I think cruise companies are faced with the biggest problem of all.  The number of cases of cruise ship passengers falling sick and dying of coronavirus all over the world has been hogging the headlines.

Not only is the cruise business suffering but so is the reputation of leading operators for the poor ship-board management displayed and even lack of proper health servces on board.

What to do with the massive cruise ships built to accommodate 5000 passengers or more?

If they intend to continue to ply their trade and generate business responsibly, they need to do a few things better.

How about drastically reducing the number of passengers and devoting most of the saved space for other essential purposes?

It’s been apparent during this virus outbreak that many of the vessels were not equipped with sufficient hospital beds, medical and health care services. That must be fixed.

We can also suggest that every cruise operator provides many more cultural/ educational programmes and facilities on board and on shore.  

They should also limit the number of passengers going ashore at any one location to minimise local disruption and damage. And cruise destinations should also fix a set charge/tax on the number coming ashore, with the funds to be dedicated to local cultural, artistic or educational causes.

When MICE events get back on track, the whole travel industry – including its government backers  – needs to assess the serious global problem of over-tourism and come up with definite changes to make the business more sustainable and responsible.

It won’t happen overnight, but this pandemic – and its economic impact – has shown up the major weaknesses in the travel industry and exposed the real situation: that over-tourism is not good for anyone.

As the global travel industry tries to get back on its feet and win back the confidence of everyone –  its customers, its employees, its stakeholders – it would be wise to commit to a new charter: commit overcome the negatives associated with mass tourism and take definite steps to introduce responsible and sustainable practices.

Ken Hickson is a sustainability and communication consultant based in Singapore,  where he has been an advisor to Singapore Airlines and the Singapore Tourism Board, along many other airlines, airports and National Tourist Organisations.  Originally a newspaper journalist in New Zealand, he has also worked in radio, television and magazines. Currently, he’s the Managing Editor of two online  magazines, ABC Carbon Express and The Art of Travel, which has as its theme TREAD-ability: Travel Responsibly for the Environment, Arts and Dreams. He is also the author of six books, including “Flight 901 to Erebus” – a documentary account of an Antarctic commercial airline disaster – and “Race for Sustainability”, which includes a chapter on sustainable events.

7 July 2020

Media News Bulletin for Asia Pacific

Consumer Choice:

Buy Products from the Forest

PEFC has a distinct message for the consumer this month. On the occasion of the end of PEFC’s 20th anniversary year, CEO Ben Gunneberg says we must “choose forest-based materials instead of alternatives such as plastic. If we don’t use our forests, the land will be used for other purposes, such as cattle ranches or soy plantations. Buying forest products, such as wood and paper, gives the forest value, it creates demand, and provides a financial incentive to keep a forest a forest.” There’s plenty of news here about products from the forests of Asia Pacific and further afield.

Sustainable Management for Vietnam’s Rubber Plantations

The Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VNFOREST) has awarded the first Vietnam Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) certificates, covering more than 11,400 ha of plantations, belonging to three Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG) companies. VRG members own about 300,000 ha rubber plantation in Vietnam. Tran Ngoc Thuan, VRG’s Chairman said he aims to get SFM certificates for over 50,000 ha of rubber plantations in 2020, along with PEFC Chain of Custody (CoC) certificates for 21 factories. Read more.

Indonesia’s Forest Certification System Gets Top Score

SLVK, KAN, IAF, TPAC, IFCC and PEFC. Lots of acronyms at work for Indonesia. A clear sign that sustainable forestry management is being taken seriously. SVLK (Sistem Verificasi Legalitas Kayu) is Indonesia’s national timber assurance process, a mandatory, legality and sustainability certification system built on a national multi-stakeholder consensus. KAN (Komite Akreditasi Nasional) is the National Accreditation Body of Indonesia and is, in turn, a member of the IAF, the International Accreditation Forum. Additional support for forest management in the region is coming from the Dutch Timber Procurement Assessment Committee (TPAC). While its main job is to make sure Netherlands keeps its commitment to 100% sustainable timber, it has also given Indonesia’s forest certification system a top score, thanks to the work of IFCC, the national governing body for PEFC. Read how PEFC manages these standards.

Global Webinar Highlights Value of Sustainable Packaging

While studies are showing that the majority of consumers say they would change their consumption habits to reduce environment impact, never has it been so important to use sustainable materials, to know that your products come from sustainable sources and to prove that to your customers. PEFC strongly believes that increasing the use of sustainable, certified forest-based packaging has huge potential to not only help companies meet sustainability targets, but also to have a positive impact on the world’s forests and forest communities. Stakeholders and industry watchers – including dozens from Asia Pacific countries – joined the 23 June Webinar on “Creating impact through responsibly sourced packaging”. Read More

Celebrating the Power of Trees & the True Value of Forests

Besides alleviating the effects of climate change and natural disasters, forests represent some of the richest biologically diverse areas on Earth. The true value of a forest is recognised by Responsible Wood, the Australian National Governing Body for PEFC, which also plays an important role supporting the Australian Made Campaign, promoting the many benefits of using renewable, locally-made timber framing products to build new homes. Responsible Wood also draws attention to artists who are working with wood – see image of wood sculpture by Dave Hickson – as it offers great flexibility for expression, is natural and is sustainably sourced. You can read more here.

With PEFC, Global Timber Asia has Sustainability Credentials

 With its origins in Europe, Global Timber – as its name implies – operates in the global market place, now with a base in Malaysia to serve the Asia Pacific. As a player in the international wood industry, it is at the forefront of contributing to the preservation of global forests through sustainable behaviour, environmental certifications and compliance with various important environmental certifications. With that in mind, Global Timber states categorically: “PEFC is a good way to document and prove the sustainability of our products.” Read More

Venturer Wins Chain of Custody Certification for Projects

Venturer Timberwork is the first Singapore business to obtain PEFC Chain of Custody (CoC) certification, issued by Double Helix and authorised by the Singapore Accreditation Council (SAC). Venturer, with several building projects in the region lined up, is looking to be the first PEFC Project certified company in Singapore. Venturer is also believed to be the first timber contractor in Asia to be CoC certified. Not only a strong advocate for responsible sourcing and sustainable forest management, but Venturer also promotes the greater use of certified Mass Engineered Timber (MET), Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and Glulam. Read More

SIIA: PEFC Engaging Consumer for Sustainable Sourcing

In the latest Haze Outlook for Southeast Asia, the Singapore Institute for International Affairs (SIIA) acknowledges the role of certification: “While plantation and forestry certification schemes naturally target resource-producing countries, efforts are also under way to engage with consumer markets. In the wood and paper sector, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), a global alliance of national forest certification systems, is now promoting chain of custody (COC) certification within Southeast Asia to ensure traceable and sustainable sourcing of forest-based products.” Read More

Furnilac First for Chain of Custody in Indonesia

Furnilac Primaguna, PT is the first furniture manufacturer in Indonesia that is certified against the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and the Indonesian Forestry Certification Cooperation (IFCC). Besides being committed to the principles of design thinking and styling, sustainability is now uppermost in the minds of Furnilac, as it makes sure all the wood material it uses comes from legal and sustainable sources, approved by Indonesia’s timber legality system, SVLK or Sistem Verifikasi Legalitas Kayu. Panels and Furniture has the story. Read More

APR Adopts Vision to Build Resilience for Man-made Fibres

With COVID-19 and climate change causing lasting disruption in the textile and apparel industry, Asia Pacific Rayon (APR) joins other significant industry players and stakeholders to adopt an ambitious shared vision, MMCF 2030, for unleashing the man-made cellulosic fibres’ huge untapped potential for building resilience in the global textile industry. APR – the first fully integrated viscose rayon producer in Asia with its 240,000-tonne capacity mill co-located in Pangkalan Kerinci, Indonesia – has also joined the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC). It will use the group’s sustainability measurement suite of tools to drive environmental and social responsibility throughout its supply chain. Read more.

Fragrance from the Forests Goes Global with OPSO & PEFC

ÖPSO is a sustainable home fragrance series made from natural tree resin. Both fragrance and packaging are PEFC certified. This is a world first. OPSO says its innovative and sustainable composition replaces artificial ingredients in traditional fragrances with natural resin from Mediterranean pine trees, thus helping to preserve the forests of our planet. Read More

Produced for Media in Asia Pacific on behalf of PEFC by Ken Hickson

Email: kenhickson@sustain-ability-showcase.com

Lion City Lit By Ken Hickson

Travel is on our mind and in our readings. And while we don’t usually include poets, plays or painters, where there’s a stretched Singapore angle and a very good literary (or publishing) reason, why not.

When Singapore, like dozens of other countries, is being plagued by the nasty coronavirus, which is stopping some people from holding events –  including theatre and book launches –  we must not just revert to shutting ourselves away to read books, but enjoy a play or a reading when we can.

So Singapore theatre goers can still experience a very localised version of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest (by Wild Rice);  The Lifespan of a Fact – based on an actual event in New York – presented by Singapore Repertory Theatre; then there’s Florian Zeller’s The Son, performed by Pangdemonium. If that’s not enough to go on or go to, there’s National Theatre’s War Horse, based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo, or even more remotely connected is J.B. Priestley’s 1945 drama, An Inspector Calls, being staged by Wild Rice.

Back to books: I missed giving a mention in my last report to Josephine Chia’s Queen of the Sky, a children’s book reflecting on the real life aviatrix, Amelia Earhart. I discussed this – and other books – with Josephine at the Singapore Writers Festival. As this is her first children’s book, she demonstrates, once again,  her incredible versatility and “way with words”, whatever age they’re aimed at. 

We continue with an air travel theme this time, with something old, something nearly new and something not quite blue, but green!

Dipping into my depleted bookcases, I’d hoped to find Diamonds in the Sky, which I reviewed years ago. It’s taken off! But I remember it as a wonderful history of air travel told from the passenger’s experience and it was published by Bodley Head for BBC following a documentary TV series. It covered the early days of flying from Europe, through the “east”, touching down in Singapore, on the way to Australia. Profusely illustrated, this 240 page book is a treasure for those who are traveling now as well as travel historians. You can still get this book.

Then there’s the poignant story of a small-town boy, who stumbled into a lifelong flying career spanning 38 years as a pilot. Now at 99, Captain Ho Weng Toh, one of the last few remaining Flying Tigers, recalls the many events that shaped his life. Originally from Ipoh (Malaysia), he was one of the pioneering pilots at Malayan Airways, a predecessor to Singapore Airlines. Knowing my aviation bent, the publishers were very wise to send me a review copy. Like most books about pilots and flying, this is amply illustrated.  Wisely and well published by World Scientific.

The very same publishers reminded me to make a note about another book with an aviation theme. Without wallowing in self-promotion, I can tell you about Mr SIA: Fly Past  and include some of my notable notes: “Absorbing the life and work of Lim Chin Beng is like watching a fly past of airlines and aircraft old and new. He was instrumental in taking the very basic components of a business — like a potter taking the clay — and creating what has become one of the world’s leading brands.”  Yes, it’s available from good bookstores or online at World Scientific.

Air travel – and travel restrictions due to the global viral spread, plus the campaign called “flight shaming” –  shine a bad light on this form of transportation. But it’s not as bad for the planet as the emissions from millions of petrol-driven cars on the road, believe it or not.

I read again the original Green Travel Guide – from 1999 by Greg Neale and Earthscan – which was an inspiration to many, including us. British Airways helped make this happen. Others are getting on the band-wagon, but this shows who were the green travel pioneers. It is still available in print and online. Get more info & the book here.

When a group of visiting university students from Mexico and the United States asked Singapore Ambassador-at-Large Tommy Koh what was Singapore’s secret in its successful evolution, they didn’t realise his answer would become a book. Even Tommy didn’t think this one would so quickly get to the top of the best-selling non-fiction list in the Straits Times. Read all about it.

Panjang is the tallest kid around. He hates standing out, but little does he know, he’s on his way to greater heights. This delightful tale is the youthful and well-illustrated version of a book all about Singapore’s second Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong. Tall Order is the adult’s hardcover, also by Shing Huei Peh and published by World Scientific.

From National Library Board’s Singapore collection comes a book club with a unique local flavour. There you can discuss books by both well-known and emerging authors touching on topics close to home. Join author Balli Kaur Jaswal at this session to discuss her novel Inheritance.  12 March at 7pm.

It was at a Singapore library talk a couple of years ago when I first met Margaret Heffernan, who was then discussing her current title A Bigger Prize.  We kept in touch and her publishers kindly sent me her latest Uncharted.

Little did she know when she wrote the book to come out this January, that the year would start with out of control and damaging wild-fires in Australia and a menacing global outbreak of a new virus which originated in the Wuhan city wet-markets of China.

While she says we are “addicted to prediction” and “desperate for certainty” about the future, there’s no way we can forecast precisely when and where the next disaster will strike.

As for climate change – which she recognises as “real” – there’s no way we can predict “when extreme weather events will destroy which harvests”. She notes that Apple’s iPhone is “designed in California”, but it depends on raw materials and suppliers from at least 24 countries – and very reliant on China for a lot. Apple, like many others, could not have forecast the impact the coronavirus outbreak would have on its China supply chain.

The book is full of warnings and wise counsel from Margaret Heffernan – an entrepreneur, CEO, business advisor and TED talker – and it’s packed with personalised business case studies, which are not only very well-told, but hit the mark for those of us struggling to come to terms with the past and present, let alone the unfathomable future. Get more from Simon and Schuster.

Just had the chance to catch up with the renowned water colourist (and former advertising man) Graham Byfield, who’s visiting Singapore to work with his publisher on his latest Sketchbook. He spent many years in the tropical island city state working for Batey Ads on prestigious accounts like SIA and the Singapore Tourist Board.

To me, he personifies The Art of Travel. A full-time artist with his own gallery in Menorca (Spain) – the setting for his next coffee table work of art – he travels extensively to research and paint for his books, which include nine Sketchbooks: Bali, Thai Silk, London, Amsterdam, the Bahamas, Oxford, Cambridge and, now, Barcelona. Singapore Sketchbook was the first, published way back in 1995. It’s still a best seller and Graham thinks there could be an updated edition in the near future.   All published in Singapore.

I do enjoy reading the British paper, FT Weekend – which you can easily get in Holland Village every Saturday. The latest issue reviewed Chris Goodall’s newest book, What We Need To Do Now, along with three others in a feature: “How to Heal the Planet”. Plenty of positives from this green energy expert, who sees a low emissions future – for the UK and the rest of the world – coming from renewable energy, including hydrogen, for transport, industry and buildings. Go here for more.

Sustainable events and responsible travel – like energy efficiency and clean air on the track and road – make their mark in this 2013 book, as do a host of other important subjects. It’s full of case studies, profiles and commentary on Sustainable trends in Asia Pacific. Yes, it’s another one I take credit for and it’s also published by World Scientific.  Read all about it and buy here.

Taking a very different slant is one of Singapore’s better known poets, Pooja Nansi – perhaps even better known for managing last year’s very successful Singapore Writers’ Festival. You can catch her doing a reading from her collection Love is an Empty Barstool (published by Math Paper Press) and at Books Actually on Sunday 1 March at 2pm. Pooja is joined by novelist Anittha Thanabalan, to discuss her latest The Lights That Find us.

Another event to remind you all about is the Sing Lit Power House at Pasir Panjang. 6-7 March.  Let’s hope the organisers don’t’ succumb to the “cancellation bug”!

Is this enough to grab your attention and attendance? “Presented in and around Pasir Panjang Power Station, An Exercise in Noticing leads audiences on a personal contemplative passage through a journey of Singapore literature.”  There’s more to learn here and to register.