The recent forest fires in Victoria state, Australia have shown the world just how severe forest fires can be, in the S.E state temperatures have soared to nearly 50 degrees causing the tinder box forests surrounding Melbourne to ignite into ferocious fireballs destroying everything in their path, including the lives of nearly 200 people. Such tragic circumstances, have quite rightly gripped the attention of the global media- 24hr coverage of the Australian Bush fires and the fight to try and extinguish them has given the world a whole new perspective on the challenges posed by fire. However, it is worth noting that other countries, although maybe less ferocious, are also in the grip of a fire burning season too. Northern Thailand being no exception, presently it is the dry season and with a lack of rain and rising temperatures the conditions for fire burning couldn’t be more appropriate. 

The region in which I’m undertaking my research - Exploring the reasons and consequences of deliberate fire burning during the dry season in a district of Thailand so as to prevent/minimise the amount of fires occurring in the region -

 is called Mae-On, which is located 30km due East of the Northern Thai City of Chiang Mai. The average altitude is 400m and the forest type is dry deciduous (Trees which drop there leaves during the dry season so as to retain water) a natural occurrence that is a necessity, but also in terms of fire, a hindrance. When leaf mould falls from the trees it becomes an instant fire hazard as the leaves tend to be dry and easy to ignite. If left in their natural state the leaves would naturally rot back into the soil and replenish the soil in the form of mulch. However, from my recent observations and interviews with the locals, farmers don’t see it in the same way and prefer to clear such areas to keep the area tidy and controlled and therefore the fastest and cheapest way to clear such leaf cover is to burn it.

For the last week this is the main type of burning that has been taking place, to the point where by large expanses of blackened scorched earth leading out from the roadsides becomes the norm.  Unfortunately, although cheap and fast, such burning is actually detrimental to the soil quality as studies in the local area have shown that frequent fires reduce both density and species richness of the tree seedlings community. Fire also burns off soil organic matter, which in turn reduces the soil’s moisture retention capacity.

  As well as roadside Fires I have also witnessed the burning of agricultural crops, particularly Rice Paddy Fields. I am told that this is due to the fact that by burning the crop, ash left over from the burn nourishes the field and prepares the soil for the planting season. However, burning such crops is actually detrimental to the soil as it reduces key soil nutrients such as potassium, calcium and magnesium as these are lost as fine particles in the smoke, whilst nitrogen, phosphorous and sulphur are lost as gases.

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Therefore, having witnessed first hand the destructive fire in Thailand as well as viewed, from a safer distance, the Australian Bush fires, I feel that there needs to be a stronger sense of urgency to prevent fires from taking place in Thailand. At present Thailand’s fires are due to traditional agricultural practices, practices which take along time to change. Coupled with this is the fact that the local authorities have poor resources-lack of law enforcement and public awareness- all of which leads to fire prevention being tackled, at best, with a lack-lusture response and at worse tolerated. 

The devastating impact of Australia’s recent fires should come as a wakeup call to Thailand and other countries that are grappling with the issue of fire. Given the potential threat of Climate Change and rising temperatures it may only be a matter of time before Thailand and other S.E Asian countries practicing fire burning, are having to fend off their own unexpected and uncontrollable blazes similar to those experienced Down Under in recent days. 

Each year, during the Dry Season Jan-April, the hills of Northern Thailand are ablaze with fires. Hunting, Land Management and Mushroom collecting are believed to be some of the main reasons behind the fires, such a scenario leads to towns and cities becoming clogged with smoke pollution causing all manner of problems, effecting local economies, human health and essentially the health of the forest.   

So as to understand such a phenomena www.ephotoframes.co.uk is commissioning Alex Putnam to carry out a two-month research project, studying Forest Fires within the region of Chiang Mai - North Thailand. The Purpose of the study is to ‘Understand the Reasons and Consequences of deliberate fire burning during the dry season in the Mae-On district of Thailand, so as to prevent/minimise the amount of fires occurring in the particular region’. 

Mae On is a small district 40 KM East of Chiang Mai, an area that is often fraught with forest fires during the dry season due to the reasons given above. Alex will be working with both local villagers as well as the local administrative bodies so as to collectively come up with a comprehensive fire prevention plan, which highlights both the current problems associated with fire as well as the ways in which fires can be managed in a more sustainable way. The project will also illustrate how forest fires are one of largest causes, but least discussed causes of climate change*. 

So as to keep up to date with Alex’s exploits, he will be posting regular blogs on this website of his trials and tribulations and other fascinating experiences that he will no doubt encounter over the next two months starting from the 1^st of Feb 09 Onwards. 

*Once the report has been completed it will be published on the e-photoframes website.

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  The recent political siege of Suvarnabhmi airport in Thailand’s capital should not just come as a shock to the many stranded tourists and Thai businesses and enterprises that were affected by the occupation, but also to the global community as a whole. Such a phenomena could, potentially, become the norm not necessarily due to political upheavals, but because of the simple fact of a global peak in oil production. 

In a recent interview with George Monbiot http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/series/monbiot-meets Faith Birol, chief economist of the International Energy Agency, when asked to give a precise date for Peak oil production stated that: -

  Therefore, based on the IEA’s prediction that gives us just 11 years to overhaul our current energy infrastructure, a feet that although widely talked about (The ‘Green Economy’) is still lacking in action. In terms of the aviation industry research and development has lead to a significant increase in the efficiency of fuel consumption. However, the search for alternative fuels has been less rewarding. A recent paper produced by Boeing simply entitled ‘Alternative Fuels for use in Commercial Aircraft’ states that

Despite such hard rhetoric the search for alternative fuels is fraught with obstacles and impracticalities, whether it’s bio fuel and the controversial issue of converting and clearing large swathes of land in order to grow crops for fuel and therefore competing against crops grown for food or how to store the large amounts of Hydrogen needed for long distance flights, the road to a more greener/low hydrocarbon future isn’t straight forward.

The report also discussed the use of algae as a viable source of bio-derived fuel as it has the potential to produce 10-20,000 gallons/acre/year. A production rate that could produce 150-300 times more oil than a crop of soybeans and in the process take up a lot less land space, for example, if the global fleet of aircrafts were to be replaced by algae grown bio jet oil then the amount of land needed to grow such an amount would be the same size of Maryland State in the USA.

Such advances in bio-fuel are considered to be mid-term measures so as to wean the aviation industry of its hydrocarbon addiction. In the long term the aviation industry will be exploring the potential of liquefied gaseous fuels such as hydrogen and methane and how best to store and utilise such fuels.  Nonetheless, despite such advances in alternative fuel research, the Boeing report is rather vague about the timeline needed to implement such forms of new technology, stating that bio fuels such as algae may take between 10-50 years of development before it is commercially viable. However, one thing they are sure of is that in order to kick-start such a green economy, what is needed is a complete overhaul of the current hydrocarbon energy infrastructure a transition from oil to greener/low carbon alternatives.

It seems that, although the research and development of alternative fuel is happening and new technologies are being devised, we are still not acting fast enough to counter act the eventual decline in oil supplies.  No doubt part of this reason is because we have been living in a so called oil-bubble where oil is abundantly available, coupled with this there is also a lack of will amongst global leaders to begin the dramatic changes needed to transform the current energy infrastructure. The Oil is still available, why change? But if the words of Faith Birol are anything to go by, then I fear, because of our unwillingness to begin such a change, come 2020, due to dwindling supplies of oil, such luxuries as long haul flights, may not be so widely available and like those stranded in the Thai Capital at the beginning of this month, people’s mobility will be curtailed not just for a week but indefinitely.

This is obviously a worst case scenario, but it’s worth bearing in mind that the world we live in today is so interconnected that if travel were to be abruptly halted due to a ‘Fuel Crisis’ then it wouldn’t just be tourists that would suffer, but the world as a whole, trade, business and recreation. The global web of communication that we have spun for ourselves could easily become tangled and redundant. Therefore, in order to prevent such a crisis from unfolding it is either now or never, the next 10-15years are critical and should be seen as our final push towards a more sustainable low hydrocarbon economy. 

The last order date for guaranteed delivery before Christmas is 19th December. We will do our utmost to deliver any orders made after this date, but we cannot guarantee them.

Richard Rhodes, MD

..but Christmas trees don’t have large leaves that create a flamible blanket during the dry season of many semi-tropical regions. e-photoframes is pleased to announce that it will be sponsoring a scientific report on the seasonal burning of forests in the Mae-on region of Northern Thailand. More details will be announced when the contractural details are finalised, but the plan is to produce a survey which is of gloabl signficance, both in the fields of climate change and regional economic impact. This report will be a welcome addition to our reports on airline emissions (now being used all over the world in scientific papers) and climate change reporting.

Yesterday I took my two young ones on the train to London. Apart from the usual train spotting (I hope they will grow out of this), tower blocks were added to our game of eye spy. It was a grey old day in London, and I imagined that the vista from one of those blocks must be depressing. Endless dreary grey. When you think about it, this is true wherever you live: If you are looking out on grey skies the view doesn’t get much worse.

 I have to declare this is not a new thought. Ever since I bought my first flat, I have ensured that the view is either green (ideally mature trees) or at least not grey. We have even built a house and planted 1,000 trees partly to ensure we get a view of the treetops. And that brings me to Christmas trees. As deep winter dawns and most trees shed their green, what better way to cheer up the living room than bringing the ideal view inside!

With the squeeze of the ‘Credit Crunch’ leading to people tightening up on their spending it’s never been a better time to loosen up those legs and ‘Get On Yer Bike’! 

However, despite both the economical and environmental advantages, there still appears to be a lack of enthusiasm if not uncertainty when it comes to pedal power, especially amongst the most notorious budget seekers-Students.

I’m currently in Brighton, where for the last week I have been involved with the busiest week in the student calendar- Freshers’ Week.

As well as being part of the Brighton University Alumni I’m also an ex Student Union officer and therefore have been brought in this week to help man the ship and offer my help inducting all the new Fresh men and women! Such a chore basically involves helping new students with any queries they may have. “Where do I get my NUS card from?” “Where can I get a bus pass from?” and most importantly “Can I have a ‘Goody Bag’?”!

In amongst all these trying questions I began to see a theme emerging. The majority of students were either asking for NUS cards or Bus passes. The main advantage of both is that you get discounted fares as well as heaps of money-off deals at various stores through out the city and beyond. Obviously such phenomena is not new, Students and budgeting has always gone hand in hand. However, given the current financial situation combined with the increase in price for student staples such as bread, milk and cheese, students are having to explore even more weird and wonderful ways of saving their precious pennies- if homemade sardine sandwiches and shoelaces for a belt isn’t already enough.

It then dawned upon me how students could begin to tighten up their already ‘fastened belts’ as well as also cut down on their Carbon Footprints- Cycling!

With Brighton recently being awarded a £1.5million cycling grant from the Government. The city status as a cycling demonstration town has been reaffirmed and with it a desire to boost health, air quality and travel choice not to mention the savings for both students and the general public. 

A walk on one-day saver is £3.00. However, most students opt for either a weekly (£10) or three month travel pass (£100) or if they’re intending on spending the summer in the bohemian hustle and bustle then an annual pass (£300). Also, for those students that drive to both University and work in Brighton, this years RAC index may come as a shock. The report states that the total costs of running a car in 2008 has risen 19% from 2007. The main cost being due to the 17% hike in fuel prices.

 You don’t need to do the maths it’s a no-brainer. If students, and for that matter the rest of the Brighton populus were to take to the streets on their two wheeled carbon-free cycles on a more regular basis then not only would they reap both financial and health-rewards, but also take steps to decrease their individual CO₂ Footprint.  Obviously there are some costs involved i.e. purchasing bikes and other essential bike equipment, but such costs are negligible and over the period of a year if used often the bike would almost definitely pay itself off.

In order to create a cycling revolution amongst the Student populace incentives are needed.  And much like the allure of Freshers’ Week what better than to offer ‘Pedal Power Goody Bags’ that, as well as your essentials such as ‘Bryl Creem’ for the boys and ‘Silky Leg Wax’ for the girls, contain a guide to cycling in the city that breaks down all the expenses of various modes of transport and how much money could be saved if students dismounted diesel power and mounted pedal power instead.

Such a scenario needn’t be aimed at just students. The general public could also be entitled to their own Goody Bags so as to coerce them into action. To the point where slogans such as ‘Cycling through the Crunch’, ‘Pedal Power = Buying Power’ are household names and the old idiom ‘On Yer Bike’ takes on a whole new meaning!  

“The process of burning rainforest and peatlands has helped to make Indonesia the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world after the USA and China”. (Greenpeace 2008)

Having recently returned to the UK the above comment raised a small but important conundrum- The English Bonfire, to Ignite or not to Ignite!

I’m currently residing in the Somerset countryside with my family and it is at this time of year, after the verdant growth of the summer, that large amounts of cuttings and off cuts are piled up awaiting to be engulfed and disposed of by the means of a large, but controlled bonfire. 

Therefore, whilst I undertake my usual chore of autumnal burning, I wonder whether the amount of both mine and that of the many other avid bonfire stokers is likely to amount to anything close to the emissions given off by the burning of rainforests as in Indonesia and other tropical regions of the world.

At present global emissions given off by deforestation account for 18% of GHG emissions the majority of these emissions being released during the burning period.

Unfortunately there is little data about the global emissions of small-scale-bonfires and I doubt that such an activity will produce anywhere near the amount given off by tropical deforestation.

Nonetheless, despite one’s alpha male desire to stack it high and burn as much as possible I’ve begun to adopt new ways of disposing of my garden waste.

The simplest is of course leaving it where it is and allowing nature to take its course where by all debris rots back into the soil. However, for those of you who prefer to keep a spotless garden patch, then instead of burning the usual pile why not separate it out, some for burning and some for composting. Although for big logs and off cuts, which are not suitable for composting you could, depending on the size of your garden, either create small habitats for wildlife and fauna to grow or just collect the logs and either sell or trade with someone who might need them for powering their log stove or a creative carving project. The possibilities are endless!

We can still have our stack and burn it but, instead of igniting it all, it’s important that we also view our garden overgrowth in a more productive and sustainable way.

Admittedly such action will not halt tropical deforestation. However, there are examples of particular organisations* working within tropical locations with both local landowners and big business so as to try and encourage them to view such forests of the world in a new light, where instead of burning and clearing all of what they have, they too are exploring new approaches in which forest are preserved and initiatives set up which rewards local people for keeping the forest intact where logging is replaced with a more sensitive, low impact form of forest management. For more info on this please visit these sights;

*http://www.forru.org/

*http://www.rainforestfoundation.org/?q=en/node/3

*http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/forests/make-some-sweet-forest-loving-20080731

I have a great party piece: I can speak, read and write Thai (not so hot at listening). But gone are my bachelor days when this skill would have been a brilliant substitute for my travel stories about angry rhinos and Latino models (neither impressed the girls very much). But the Thai language might be able to teach us some green lessons.

The first thing to note is that the written form does not waste space by inserting gaps between words. It’s all joined up. Secondly, every sound in the Thai language is “phoneticised” in to a single character. So no use for double “o”s or “ie”s . Of course this efficiency results in less paper being used by publishers (added to this, there is a limited tradition of reading in the country). A recent article in the Economist argued that the written form of the English language needs an overhaul, which would result in a reduction in the number of letters used in the language and hence save paper too.

What I call “white space crime” is of course everywhere where we look. Envelopes, bills, notices, flyers, books and newspapers rarely fill up the page. Alas nor do love letters and poems. But those days are long gone for me.

In his report entitled ‘The Economics of Climate Change’ Sir Nicholas Sterns states that ‘Nearly a quarter (24%) of global carbon emissions are caused by fossil-fuelled energy generation, i.e. coal gas and oil power stations. CO2 emissions from Deforestation are also very significant- they are estimated to represent more than 18 of global emissions, a share greater than is produced by the global transport sector’. (2006)

Despite such glaring facts and figures a study carried out by the premier online retailer www.e-photoframes.co.uk found that the majority (48%) of the UK’s press coverage of Climate Change, over an 18^-month period, covered the effects/impacts of Climate change, whilst, amazingly, only 10% of coverage focused on the causes. 

Within that 10% of causes only one article covered the issue of tropical deforestation, ‘Deforestation the hidden cause of global warming’ (The Independent 14/05/07). Also surprising, was the fact that there were no articles devoted to the impacts of fossil-fuelled energy generation, i.e. Coal, Oil and Gas power stations and the emissions they emit. Only one article covered the extraction of  ‘dirty oil’ in Canada and how the activity releases large amounts of emissions into the atmosphere, thus fuelling climate change. To read the report in full, please click on the link below.

http://www.e-photoframes.co.uk/blog/?page_id=200