The question of whether Singapore should support Kirchoff’s claim is not accurate as Singapore is already doing its part in supporting the green revolution. What we should be looking into is whether the collaboration so far has brought fruit to us yet. The two articles I have found shows some truth to the question brought up so far.
Take for example the site from http://app.mewr.gov.sg/web/Contents/ContentsSSS.aspx?ContId=1208 . It lists out the stand that Singapore has taken in building energy efficient buildings. With the ‘Green Mark scheme’, introduced in January 2005, it has since set the standard for buildings in Singapore by shaping a sustainable built environment here. Furthermore, a Research and Development hub, that would be fully sustainable by itself labeled a ‘zero energy building’, would be launched this year with its sole purpose for improving the ‘green technology’ here in Singapore.
Next in line, the ‘Energy Smart Building Label Scheme’ was introduced to promote efficient energy usage, with the NEA and Energy Sustainability Unit (NUS) taking charge of evaluating the building in question and promoting good practices in energy performance within the the building sector.
Besides this, incentives have also been given out to companies to engage energy appraisals to improve the energy efficiency of their companies, with up to 50% of the cost to engage such services. Allowances of up to 50% have also been provided to help startup companies purchasing energy efficient equipment.
In the second article, the article reports of the welcoming gesture the government has of allowing ‘green’ vehicles to be used on the local roads; LTA’s approval of a new electrical scooter to be brought in and marketed by a local company. The vehicle can be charged from any electrical outlet and is said to give savings of up to $1300 per annum. However, this consideration was made by the company with the reason being Singapore’s ‘self-contained’ state and the little urban sprawl here. With future plans to provide solar power to account for the ‘increase’ usage of electricity, it is encouraging to know that even a small company would have such big plans for implementing green technology into a small country like Singapore.
In my point of view, these two articles provide a very good outlook of the prospects of ‘green chemistry’ involvement in Singapore. The government’s role in making it a point to make new buildings energy efficient and the involvement of small companies to bring in green technology is an indication of the influence the government has generated to its country. However, although Singapore has the economic resources, manpower, knowledge and technology to improve upon this current trend, according to article two, the author states that the problem today is to overcome Singaporeans’ slowness to embrace green technology.
Sustainable - to keep up or keep going, as an action or process: to sustain a conversation.
Energy Appraisal – Evaluating the energy efficiency
Self Contained – An enclosed area
Urban Sprawl – A spread out urban area
Fairly small niche market – A narrowly targeted market
“Sustainable Singapore: A Lively and Liveable City”
“Energy Efficient Buildings” 25 Aug 2008
http://app.mewr.gov.sg/web/Contents/ContentsSSS.aspx?ContId=1208
“Going green with electric scooters”
The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Ltd.
“Coming: Electric scooter” 14 January 2009
http://www.home-in-singapore.sg/sgp/cms.www/content.aspx?sid=780
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Week 4 Tutorial 3: Lecture on Global Warming
The subject of the day was global warming and we had three guests whom gave us an insightful look of the present situation and direction that we are heading in saving our Earth.
The first speaker, Professor Adam Palmer, mentioned that the scale required to change the mindset of the people is too large a number to make a significant difference in reducing carbon dioxide output. In which he introduced a new concept, relatively new to me, of reducing the carbon dioxide output into the atmosphere. The method of capturing carbon dioxide and storing it deep under the sea packaged in a membrane bag or what he called ‘sausage of the sea’ was quite fascinating and new to what I have heard and learnt so far. However he too mentioned that the realization of this project would be far from reaching a checkpoint when there are more other important concerns besides saving the Earth.
Our second speaker touched on the topic of technology and why it wasn’t well received by everyone. Renewable power and electric vehicles were the two important points he emphasized on; the reasons he gave on why both technologies were not accepted was due to economical challenge with cheaper alternatives, political challenges faced in which there were flawed expectations that did not satisfy the people and cultural challenges of people being resistant to new technologies and the changes they have to make.
The last speaker, Dr. Rajasekhar Bala, covered on the assessment and mitigation of the changing climate; Details on how temperature were taken from ice cores to obtain temperatures from millions of years ago, comparing the values with present temperatures and reminding us of what the consequences of global warming would bring to us. Floods, melting of ice and rising sea levels are what we commonly hear when global warming is involved and the solutions in prevention of global warming by improving energy efficiency and cleaning up the world to help save the Earth.
The world has been providing and sustaining us for centuries; it is time that we do our part to give back what we have taken from it.
The first speaker, Professor Adam Palmer, mentioned that the scale required to change the mindset of the people is too large a number to make a significant difference in reducing carbon dioxide output. In which he introduced a new concept, relatively new to me, of reducing the carbon dioxide output into the atmosphere. The method of capturing carbon dioxide and storing it deep under the sea packaged in a membrane bag or what he called ‘sausage of the sea’ was quite fascinating and new to what I have heard and learnt so far. However he too mentioned that the realization of this project would be far from reaching a checkpoint when there are more other important concerns besides saving the Earth.
Our second speaker touched on the topic of technology and why it wasn’t well received by everyone. Renewable power and electric vehicles were the two important points he emphasized on; the reasons he gave on why both technologies were not accepted was due to economical challenge with cheaper alternatives, political challenges faced in which there were flawed expectations that did not satisfy the people and cultural challenges of people being resistant to new technologies and the changes they have to make.
The last speaker, Dr. Rajasekhar Bala, covered on the assessment and mitigation of the changing climate; Details on how temperature were taken from ice cores to obtain temperatures from millions of years ago, comparing the values with present temperatures and reminding us of what the consequences of global warming would bring to us. Floods, melting of ice and rising sea levels are what we commonly hear when global warming is involved and the solutions in prevention of global warming by improving energy efficiency and cleaning up the world to help save the Earth.
The world has been providing and sustaining us for centuries; it is time that we do our part to give back what we have taken from it.
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