The subject of climate change does not rank highly on the minds of many Singaporeans. Yet, it is one of the most pressing issues that confront our future and, much more significantly, the future of our children and grandchildren.
The melting of our polar caps and the concomitant rising of sea-levels must worry Singaporeans. It is estimated that the flooding of coastal cities from rising sea-levels could affect millions of people across the globe. NASA estimates that low-lying cities like Singapore will be submerged underwater by the end of the century if current global warming trends continue.
Last year, 2024 was the hottest year on record in Singapore with average temperatures around 28.4°C. In addition to the direct effects of increased heat and severe weather events which have already begun to affect Singapore, there are indirect effects. Change in weather patterns affect food production and farming in our neighbouring countries. When ocean temperatures rise and affects fish supply or if rising temperatures lower crop yields, food supply falls. As a result, prices of basic foodstuff like rice, fish and vegetable will increase.
One fundamental principle of the SDP’s policy is a moratorium on destruction of our forests. The marked reduction in the secondary forests of Dover and Clementi and the erroneous removal of a sizeable portion of the Kranji forest cannot be replaced. Another controversial development involved the construction of the Cross Island MRT Line which be tunnelled under the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. The project will proceed despite protests from environmental groups and experts who say the construction would adversely affect the area's wildlife and nature. Forests and reserves are the “lungs” of the country and the continued destruction of these areas will harm the island and its inhabitants.
In our original paper we proposed a switch to completely electric vehicles by 2040. The government then brought that date forward to 2030 with a proposal to not register cars powered by internal combustion engines after 2030 although it may not meet that target. As a start, taxi and bus companies should be the first in line to switch totally to EVs. This is because these vehicles run the most mileage per vehicle and emit the highest amounts of carbon pollution per vehicle. While attempts have been made to increase the number of charging points, these are still relatively limited especially in public housing estates. In addition, there are limited tax incentives to promote the adoption of EVs. These can be markedly improved.
Transitional to renewable energy in for domestic and industrial use. There was a moratorium on data centers because of their high energy consumption as we proposed but this was lifted. Singapore has also started importing renewable energy from Laos and other sites. However, the more widespread use of solar and wind energy in Singapore and our surrounding islands has not been fully explored despite numerous calls from civil society and technology entrepreneurs. This could be enhanced by a two pronged approach which supports funding for innovative renewable energy projects and also higher taxes on fossil fuel refining, consumption and other uses. The carbon taxes so generated can fund the work on innovative renewable energy solutions.
Reduce population pressures. A major cause of climate change has been anthropogenic activity. More people simply means a greater need for building, construction and transportation. The PAP has consistently refused to state an ideal population size for Singapore and in the last year, our population has crossed the six million mark. We are a small island and this relentless overpopulation is going to have a significant impact not just on our well-being but also on our environment. Land reclamation to generate space for the increased population requires the importation of large quantities of sand which can have a devastating impact on the ecology of the source nation and also an impact on the fragile ecosystems of our coastlines.
Finally, Singapore needs to take an international leadership role in the effort to contain climate change. We are greatly impacted by forest fires in neighbouring countries but at the same time are home to a number of the worse culprits in terms of companies which fund such land clearing on the peatlands. We need to ensure transparency of reporting and engage civil society actively in monitoring the actions of all companies, especially Singapore companies with an environmental impact on our neighbours.
With the right political will, we can have clean energy jobs which will aid the transition away from fossil fuels as well as ground up initiatives to ensure climate justice for all.
