“Is Singapore government doing enough to
address the issue of climate change?”
Title: Singapore addressing
the issue of climate change
Goldin mentioned in his TED talk (2009)
that due to the globalization, several problems have evolved; one of the many problems
that he had mentioned was global climate change. According to definition of
climate change from the dictionary.com, climate change is the result of an
increase in the average temperature and rise in sea levels. Climate change leads
to changes in the rainfall patterns, extreme temperatures in some areas and a
change in biodiversity. Most countries are now suffering as a result of this
phenomenon. One of the main causes of climate change is the increasing amount
of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, emitted through human activities.
With globalization, countries undergo industrialization and development,
leading to an increase in fossil fuel combustion, which generates large amount
of greenhouse gases.
Singapore is a very small country, and we
are more susceptible to changes such as the changes in the weather conditions,
or even changes in biodiversity. According to the National Climate Change
Secretariat, Singapore’s temperature had increased by 0.2 degrees Celcius since
1948 and mean sea level of the Straits of Singapore has also increased since
then. Singapore’s carbon dioxide emission is less than 0.2% of the world’s
carbon emission. However, it is still important for Singapore to have measures
to lower the carbon emission to reduce the effects of climate change even
though it is not so significant globally. This is because climate change is not
a problem that can be solved by one country; it requires all the countries to
come together to play a part in helping to address this global issue. Singapore
government has come up with several solutions to address the issue of climate
change. However, some are not effective and other solutions need to be
implemented to deal with climate change.
One of several solutions that Singapore
government has come up with to address the issue of climate change is to switch
from using fuel oil or coal to using natural gas as the main fuel for
electricity. According to the Natural Gas and Environment Organization, natural
gas emits a lesser amount of carbon than fuel oil. The power sector emits a
larger amount of carbon dioxide in Singapore as compared to other sectors. With
the use of natural gas, there will be significant drop in the amount of carbon
dioxide emitted.
However, this solution is only effective
to a certain extent. It is effective as natural gas is the cleanest fossil fuel
and it generates far less carbon dioxide as compared to oil or coal. It is not
very effective in the long run though as natural gas is a non-renewable
resource. The use of natural gas will not be sustainable for a long period of
time to generate electricity.
Transportation is another factor that
causes carbon emissions in Singapore. The Singapore government has come up with
several policies for transportation sector to lower carbon emissions. Private
cars contribute the largest share of carbon emissions by the transport sector
at 35%. Thus, there’s a need to lower the number of private cars in Singapore.
The government has a vehicle quota system, which limits the number of private
cars on the road. In addition, all new potential cars owners have to bid for
the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) in order to purchase a new car. I feel
that this policy is not effective. According to Png (2012), people are driving
more when COE prices rises. When people are driving more often, it would
contribute more to the carbon emissions in Singapore. Clearly, the increment in
the COE prices, does not help to lower carbon emissions.
Apart from the implementation of the COE,
since 2013, Singapore has been promoting the use of green vehicles in
Singapore. These green vehicles generally emit less carbon dioxide as compared
to the normal vehicles. The Singapore government came out with Carbon
Emissions-based Vehicle (CEV) Scheme to encourage Singaporeans to purchase
green vehicles instead of the normal vehicles. CEV works by giving rebates to
users when they buy cars that emit lesser carbon dioxide while cars that emit
high amount of carbon dioxide would be charged. In addition, since taxis in
Singapore generally travel a higher mileage, taxi companies will receive higher
rebates to encourage them to make the switch.
I feel that this scheme is effective to a
certain extent. According to Heitmann (2012), the implementation of this scheme
set a new direction for Singapore to head towards a greener city with less
carbon emissions. In addition, car companies would be motivated to produce cars
that are more fuel-efficient to meet the demands from Singaporeans. However,
this scheme might not be effective to all Singaporeans as only certain models
of the cars are considered to be green. These models might not be attractive to
all Singaporeans and some might not make the switch. This scheme will be much
effective in the long run, as more car companies come up with cars that emit
lesser carbon dioxide.
Transportation in Singapore includes
public transport like the buses and Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), and they
contribute a lower proportion of carbon emissions in Singapore as well. I would
suggest that the Singapore government lower the public transport costs to
promote private cars users to switch to taking the public transport. I feel
that this would be effective since a lesser number of private cars on the road
would significantly decrease carbon emissions.
In conclusion, I feel that Singapore is
not doing enough to address the issue of climate change even with the different
policies and schemes that the government has. The government can improve the
current policies to further helps to lower carbon emissions in Singapore.
Reference:
Axel C.
Heitmann. (2012, March 30). More 'green' cars please. (n.d.).
Singapore Business Review.
Retrieved April 16, 2014 from
http://sbr.com.sg/hr-education/commentary/more-green-cars-please
Ivan Png. (2012,
August 2). People drive more when COE price rise.
The Straits Times, pA30
Land Transport
Authority (LTA). (2013).
Tax Structure For Cars
Retrieved March 7, 2014 from
http://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltaweb/en/roads-and-motoring/owning-a-vehicle/costs-of-owning-a-vehicle/tax-structure-for-cars.html
National Climate
Change Secretariat (NCCS). (2013).
Impact of Climate Change on Singapore
Natural Gas and the Environment NaturalGas.org. (n.d.). NaturalGasorg.
Retrieved March 7, 2014 from
http://naturalgas.org/environment/naturalgas/
