Evergreen: The Conservation Issue

EVERGREEN: THE CONSERVATION ISSUE

"CONSERVATION IS NOT MERELY A QUESTION OF MORALITY, BUT A QUESTION OF OUR OWN SURVIVAL." DALAI LAMA

CONTENTS Animals Sneha

What

Infographics

is

the

Porpoise?

Happy

News

we

Holly

-pg

pg

3-4

Student

-

pg

5-7

8-9

the

inferno?

Protests

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pg

-

pg

10-11

12

Jones

in

Focus

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pg

Jonathan

Yap

Malaysia

Conservation

Rachel

13-14

-

pg

15

Lim

Hour

Rachel

-

pg

16

Lim

Geosnap

Word

-

Carnival

survive

Activist

Earth

1-2

Tay

Conservation

World

pg

Vivekanandan

Katharine

Can

-

-

student

Search

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pg

photos

18

-

pg.

17

7.) PANGOLIN Pangolin are the only mammals completely covered in scales! They use the scales to protect themselves and curl themselves into a ball when threatened. Good if you are trying to ward off a lions but not helpful when trying to avoid humans, who can just pick them up!

They are in high demand for their meat, which is considered a delicacy, and their scales are used in traditional medicines, in both China and Vietnam. All eight pangolin species are protected under international law but the growing illegal trade is seeing populations decimated.

What is the porpoise?

Porpoises are among the smallest members of the cetacean family (whales, porpoises and dolphins). The vaquita is a species of porpoise which is endemic to the northern part of the Gulf of California and is on the brink of extinction. They are the world’s most endangered marine mammal with as few as 30 individuals remaining, and they are listed as critically endangered.

The vaquita has a dark ring around its eyes and dark patches on its lips that form a thin line from its mouth to the pectoral fins. Its dorsal surface is dark grey, and there are long, light grey markings on its white ventral surface. Its adaptation to its warm habitat is its proportionally large dorsal fin, which allows it to dissipate extra body heat. They never stop smiling.

The most significant threat to the vaquita’s survival is becoming by-catch. The vaquita are not hunted directly, but are caught in fixed fishing nets (gill-nets, see below) meant to hunt for another critically endangered species, the totoaba- a large species of fish sought after for its swim bladder (fish maw). Gill nets are particularly dangerous as large amounts of unwanted by-catch are inevitable although they are designed for a single species. Vaquita porpoises drown when they are entangled in the nets as they are unable to surface for air.

The Mexican President Enrique PeĂąa Nieto called an emergency two-year ban on gillnets throughout the range of the vaquita, but illegal totoaba fishing is causing the vaquita population to continue to plummet.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is planning an international cooperation to boost vaquita-safe fishing. President Barack Obama and President of Mexico announced bilateral collaboration measures to protect the vaquita in July, 2016. An experts committee will advise the Mexican government on improving fishing techniques not harmful to the vaquita, including those that INAPESCA and WWF Mexico have together developed over the last years.

The Porpoise Conservation Society’s mission is to protect and conserve all species of porpoise and their natural habitats through research and education. As porpoises tend to get less attention than their more popular cousins, the dolphins and the whale family.

Captivity is the last resort to keep the vaquitas alive. In October 2017, the Mexican government-led Vaquita CPR project wanted to capture and breed vaquitas away from the dangers of the wild. This plan was very risky, as no vaquitas have ever been caught to be raised in captivity, their personality being extremely shy, and very elusive. The team managed to catch the first vaquita, but they had to release the young female as it became very distressed. On that same week, Vaquita CPR caught another adult female, but things got worse quickly. As the team decided to free the vaquita, it died of a possible cardiac arrest. After that, the Vaquita CPR project was called off, seeing that the vaquita do not respond well with the stress of capture.

The Marine Mammal Centre are also collaborating with various conservation parties to save the vaquita through efforts such as gillnet removal. The Centre also raises awareness about the vaquita and the threats to its survival. The vaquita porpoise is on the verge of extinction, the least we can help is to be aware that this is happening and make a difference for example cutting the intake of fish maw to cut down illegal poaching.

GLOSSARY: endemic- native and restricted to a certain place dissipate- disappear bilateral collaboration- long term cooperation between two parties in which resources and costs are shared amongst the two elusive- difficult to find

CONSERVATION CARNIVAL

CONSERVATION CARNIVAL

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MARCH 19TH

WE RAISED OVER 2500RM Earlier this term the Sustainability Club put on the Conservation Carnival to raise money for two key charities: Lang Tengah Turtle Watch and Traffic.

We had pizza and cakes, sustainable goods, music, chess, capture the flag and the wildly popular ,though ghastly coloured, bandung. This pink abomination, loved by so many, due to its colour and saccharine turkish delight flavour had many of you coming back for more. When our Headboy, Parin, demonstrated his chaiwala/teh tahrik drink pulling technique few could resist the drink of pink.

For all of this, we say a huge thank you to YOU. All those who bought items or donated money, you have helped in our fight to protect Malaysia and the world's wildlife and we hope you will be pleased to learn more about where your money is going.

Before that though, we must also a big thank you to the PTA who kindly donated the baked goods

Where we are

TODAY

so all the money made went directly towards our charities. The cakes and cookies were also delicious, we look forward to more lemon drizzle in particular, in the future!

CONSERVATION CARNIVAL

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LANG TENGAH TURTLE WATCH This is a company who work on protecting the turtle species of Malaysia.

Did you know that you can still buy and eat turtles and their eggs in Malaysia. This is despite all four species found here being enangered.

The WWF found that “In Malaysia, turtle eggs are not afforded total protection uniformly across states,” says Sumampouw. “Sale and consumption of eggs of all species are banned in Sabah and Sarawak. However, there is no similar ban in Peninsular Malaysia, with the exception of leatherback turtle eggs. Instead, egg collection for incubation is regulated by government-run licensing systems.” In Terengannu it is legal to buy areas of beach, licensed by government, to harvest turtle eggs for consumption. In Sampura, last year, a depressing sight of numerous dead turtles, who had had their flesh and stomach cut out were left on the beach.

The consumption and poaching of turtles has a huge impact on the species chances of survival. It also therefore impacts livelihoods based on tourism, where turtles and healthy coral are a huge draw, such as those in Borneo and Terrenganu.

So what do LTTW do? They buy up nests on Terrenganu's beaches to help protect the eggs from being eaten or sold! And we are going to buying a nest for the school so we can protect some turtles and watch them hatch!

We are also going to be buying them a data logger which is going to be used in research to help with the survival of the eggs they protect and nurture, both in Terrenganu and Lang Tengah.

TRAFFIC The TRAFFIC team work on research, investigations and tracking to ensure that animals are protected from being poached and trafficking. They work with governments, business and individuals across the world, in some of the most threatened and perilous regions for wildlife. They to try and enforce and improve laws on conservation to create a sustainable future for our wildlife.

Projects such as Wildlife Trafficking Response, Assessment and Priority Setting work in Asia and Africa protecting animals such as pangolins, the most trafficked mammal in the world, mainly for consumption in Vietnam and China.

HAPPY NEWS NOT ALL NEWS IS DEPRESSING!

Colombia

COLOMBIA HAS CREATED THE WORLD'S LARGEST RAINFOREST NATIONAL PARK IN THE WORLD

Serranía del Chiribiquete National Park, which is home to rare wildlife including jaguars, giant otters and woolly monkeys, has been increased by more than 50%. Proving that if politicians want to make positive changes they can. Planet protection over profit!

Ozone According to a report in 2018, the UN estimates that the hole in the ozone, over Antarctica, should be healed by 2060! The 1987 Montreal Pact banned the use of CFCs and this kind of large scale intervention, shows what can be achieved when there is the willpower to do so.

Swiss Saviour A Swiss businessman, philanthropist and conservationist Hansjörg Wyss has said he will donate $1 billion over the coming years to "help accelerate land and ocean conservation efforts around the world, with the goal of protecting 30 percent of the planet's surface by 2030."

I want to be a part of it, New York...

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has said that all New York state schools will go meat free on Mondays from August, in a drive to improve health and reduce environmental impacts.

His office said that the link between cancer, obesity and diabetes of mass produced meat, cured meats like bacon and processed meats like sausages, not only was causing a health epidemic for the future but also having a huge impact on the environment. de Blasio showed that when leaders want to make change for our futures, they can. So what's stopping the rest....?

Can we survive the inferno?

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned earlier this year that we have 12 years left to slash our greenhouse gas emissions if we want to avert 'hot house earth'. At the moment we are on course for over 3degC warming. Not much, you might think but this is a global average and guess what.....each 0.1 degree makes a HUGE difference.

So what does this actually mean? Well, to keep it at 1.5deg of warming, we need to reduce our carbon production to net zero....i.e. we capture all that we produce, whether through methods such as carbon sequestration (capturing it and storing it underground) or afforestation to create forest carbon sinks. So how are we doing on reducing our carbon so far?.

The graph iis pretty clear, we are not doing very well, in fact we are actually increasing our carbon emissions rather than reducing them So what happens if we do not reduce them, it's pretty terrifying really. You may wish to read the Guardian article about work by David Wallis-Wells 'The devastation of human life is in view'.

However, to give you a brief summary, if we don't tackle climate change quickly, within the next 50-100 years (i.e. your lifetime) we will see increasing drought, flooding, crop failure, spread of vector borne disease, countries like the Maldives disappearing under water, increasing scarcity of fresh water, more forest fires and increasingly large scale climate induced migration. A not so distant neighbour of ours, Bangladesh, is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and also one of the most low lying. The risk of large scale migration from countries such as this in the future is increasingly likely. In fact the World Bank believes that the number of refugees from climate related causes (including resource conflict) is to top 140million by 2050;

“We have not identified any pathways that get to 1.5°C without carbon dioxide removal,” said Jim Skea, co-chair of IPCC Working Group III. Those writing the report read and analysed 6,000 scientific publications, drew contributions from 133 authors, and had more than 1,000 scientists review the findings....so when Donald Trump denies climate change, you may want to question who is backing his view.

However, a recent news article on the issue in NST suggested that only 30-40% of Malaysians were aware of the role of climate change and its potential impacts on Malaysia. The potential impacts include rising sea levels affecting areas such as Penang, increasingly erratic rainfall patterns, increasing flood events and something not many people link to climate change, but there is also the increasing risk of vector borne diseases such as dengue fever, which has actually been on the rise in Malaysia according to WHO findings.

In fact, companies are so certain that we will soon face a crisis in access to clean water, they have started investing in water. Not in the positive, let's invest in research to work out how to improve access to water. They are investing in private water companies. They are expecting to profit off of soaring water prices, in other words, they expect to profit in the knowledge that the profit they make will be at the expense of the poorest, who will no longer be able to afford clean water. The one thing in the world no human can live without for more than a few days.

The impacts of climate change are already playing out, the question is, are you going to fight for your future, or wait to fight in the inferno?

As Martin Luther King Jr once said 'Your life begins to end the moment you start being silent about the things that matter.' So what can you do?

Make your voice heard - tell your MPs, write to them, demonstrate against lack of action on climate change like students across the world.

Reduce your meat consumption - meat production is arguably the biggest contributor to climate change.

Buy sustainable - clothing is another huge polluter but there are lots of companies that are working to improve this - so buy less, buy quality over quantity, recycle your clothing and have a conscience about how your shopping affects people who grow the material and make your clothes. Veja trainers or Adidas x Parley are sustainable options,

Worldwide Student Climate Protests Young environmental activists have started a global movement of student strikes, in 112 countries. They are protesting to force adults to save the planet and prevent climate change. The strikes kicked off last year with one Swedish girl protesting outside the Swedish Parliament, and students in the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Uganda, Thailand, Colombia, and Poland have followed her lead, demanding stronger action on climate change from their respective governments.

Mayors around the world have expressed their support for the student protests. “It is heartening to see our young people taking a stand and reminding us that it is their generation who will be left to face the worst effects of climate change , if we don't act quickly to cut carbon emissions,” Philadelphia Mayor Jim said. It is truly inspiring to see young people demanding urgent climate action. It is the responsibility of adults and political leaders, to learn from students and deliver the future needed to save the environment. The Department for Education has been zealous about the importance of promoting “character” in schools. This is the idea that, alongside formal learning, school children need to be developing traits such as courage, resilience, and determination in order to thrive in adult life. These protests have further highlighted and encouraged children around the world to step up and do what they believe in.

GRETA THUNBERG On the 15th of March 2019, protests began with environmental activists (students) following the Swedish girl, Greta Thunberg who is on strike refusing to go to school until Sweden’s general election on the 9th of September. This is

to draw attention to the climate

crisis. Every day for two weeks, Thunberg has been sitting quietly on the cobblestones outside the parliament in central Stockholm, handing out leaflets and overtime more and more people started to join her. Her street statement has been powerful enough to inspire students globally to try and make a difference.

ACTIVIST IN FOCUS Greta Thunberg In light of the current inaction by world leaders on climate change, Greta Thunberg, a 16 year-old Swedish national, decided to take a stand. On 20th August 2018, Greta sat desolate outside the Swedish Parliament Building, holding a handmade sign with the words ‘skolstrejk för klimatet (school strike for climate)’, while passer-by’s looked on with pity and bemusement.

In front of her was a stack of leaflets listing out her intentions, which read: ‘We kids most often don’t do what you tell us to do. We do as you do. And since you grownups don’t give a sh*t about my future, I won’t either. My name is Greta and I’m in ninth grade. And I refuse school for the climate until the Swedish general election.’

Initially thinking that she would be acting in solitude, the next day, Greta was surprised to see people coming by to show their support. Moreover, reporters from around the country started arriving to interview Greta, giving her a greater platform to voice her concerns.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Greta said that she first heard about the issue of climate change when she was about 8. Having been showed films on ‘plastic in oceans’ and ‘starving polar bears’, Greta couldn’t help thinking about the scenes and the terrors humans were doing to the environment.

Moreover, troubled by her observation that adults were not taking the matter seriously, Greta fell into a period of depression, opting to stay at home instead of going to school. Eventually, this led to her opening up to her parents, in which she successfully persuaded her father to become vegetarian and her mother to give up flying.

SKOLSTREJK FÖR KLIMATET - SCHOOL STRIKE FOR CLIMATE

"I don't want your hope. I don't want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic....and act as if the house were on fire."

Then came her decision to protest in solitude for climate change.

Since then, Greta and a group of her supporters started regularly demonstrating in front of the Parliamentary building. Greta intended to strike every Friday until the Swedish government keeps their promise as stated in the Paris Agreement. Moreover, thiese demonstrations have since ignited many schoolchildren across the world to participate in similar demonstrations against climate change, particularly in Western Europe, North America and Australia. On March 15 this year, the global coordination group of these activities organised a global strike, involving more than 100 countries and over 1600 separate events.

However, despite the publicity and coverage the demonstrations have gained, Greta was disappointed with the persisting lack of action by the government, which she stated: “They talk about our age, our looks and so on. The emissions are still rising and that is all that matters. Nothing has happened, that is crucial to remember.” Moreover, the fact that politicians and lawmakers lauded her movement, calling it a new hope for the young generation, instead of actually helping with the cause, upset Greta. In a session with World Economic Forum, Greta addressed this hypocrisy, stating: ‘I don’t want your hope. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I do. Every day. And want you to act. I want you to behave like our house is on fire. Because it is.’

Greta Thunberg has since been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize that will be held later this year. However, what is important is not the fame, popularity nor fortune. What is important is the cause, the effort, the sweat and tears.

Activists to check out:

The 'Pangolin Men' conservationists in Zimbabwe who work for the Tiki Hywood Trust and working to preserve the most trafficked animal in the world, the pangolin.

Isela González, the Chairperson of Alianza Sierra Madre. She fights for indigenous rights to land in Mexico and has had threats made against her life.

Karry Wang UN Environment National Goodwill Ambassador

MALAYSIAN CONSERVATION: MALAYSIAN GREEN FUTURES CONSERVATION WHAT ARE WE DOING? According to the Global Environment Centre, over 23,000 tonnes of waste is produced each day in Malaysia and it is expected to rise to 30,000 tonnes by the year 2020. The amount of waste generated continues to increase due to the increasing population and development and less than 5% of the waste is being recycled.Â

Due to media coverage on the correlation of waste, environmental pollution and how our consumerism is increasing global warming, Malaysians are becoming more aware of importance of conservation. People are more ecoconscious when purchasing goods and utilise the items in creative ways before throwing it away.

One of the major conservation efforts in Malaysia is the Biji-biji Initiative. Their main mission is to reduce waste by designing products using discarded materials. They also offer workshops to educate people on how to reduce waste and how to up cycle waste materials into fully functional products.

Over the past few years, the Biji-biji project managed to reuse over 4000 wooden pallets, 550kg of banners and over 2600kg of scrap metals.

Zero waste shops are also becoming increasingly popular in Malaysia. Zero waste shops such as The Hive Bulk Foods, Nude the Zero Waste shop and BYOB sells package free products and do not provide single use plastic, which encourages people to bring their own reusable bags and containers when shopping. These shops also sometimes hold educational talks and workshops on sustainable living.

Another great event organized under the Zero Waste movement is the Zero Waste Fest. Â The main attractions were waste free products, composting workshop and also talks by prominent figures like Bea Johnson. The community also launched a Zero Waste Map, which locates local bulk food stores, repair services, thrift shops and recycling stations, which makes conservation more convenient and accessible.

E a r t h

H o u r

2 0 1 9 On the 30th of April, KTJ’s Sustainability Club held the annual Earth Hour. All the lights in the school were switched off to celebrate sustainability and to show support for initiatives that will help reduce the damage of global warming.

The Sustainability Club set up a series of games such as board games, card games, puzzles and traditional Malaysian games for students to play. There was also a Nature Trivia booth to test students’ knowledge on the environment. Students were enthusiastic when taking part in the games and the overall atmosphere was very joyful.

Opposite the game stations, there was a Milo stand. Students were encouraged to bring their own cups when purchasing to help reduce waste. Next to the Milo stand, the Club also featured a up-cycled board, where students could write down the steps they would take to reduce their carbon footprint.

Other than that, there were also a variety of performances done by the Peer to Peer International Club at the Waterfront. The performances included dancing, singing and rapping. The Waterfront was packed with students and loud cheers circulated the entire venue throughout the night.

Overall, it was a wonderful event. Students enjoyed themselves while also learning about the importance of reducing electricity consumption.

#GEOSNAP ENVIRONMENT

BY FORM 1 AND 2

wonderful wordsearching

Thank you for reading Look out for the next Evergreen Magazine next term

KTJ SUSTAINABILITY CLUB PRODUCTION APRIL 2019: ISSUE 2