Essay (Final Draft)

“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

Retrieved March 7, 2014 from https://app.nccs.gov.sg/page.aspx?pageid=160&secid=157

Natural Gas and the Environment NaturalGas.org. (n.d.). NaturalGasorg.
Retrieved March 7, 2014 from
http://naturalgas.org/environment/naturalgas/