Speech by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Singapore, at the Clean Energy Expo Asia 2011 [Speeches]

Dato Sri Peter Chin, Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water, Malaysia

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

The big news for the last couple of days has been the fact that the world population has reached 7 billion. This is supposed to have occurred yesterday or within the last couple of days. And we know that Asia plays host to a significant portion of this population.

2 The other key trend is the fact that we have now reached a point where half the world’s population lives in cities. Obviously the consumption patterns of energy and resources in cities are going to be different from that of rural areas. Asia’s rapid development also means that there will be even greater thirst for energy. And we know economic growth in emerging Asia is three times more energy-intensive than that of OECD economies, and in fact 28% more carbon-intensive.

3 Asia’s energy demand has grown more than 30% since the turn of the millennium, which was just 11 years ago. China’s energy demand has doubled in 10 years, and the latest figures put its annual consumption in excess of 2 billion tonnes-of-oil-equivalent (toe). Its fuel mix is still 66.5% coal and oil, 17.2%, in other words, still to very large extent fossil fuel dependent. Read more

11 recommendations to tackle climate change [News]

By Esther Ng, Today, 14 Oct 2011.

Free public transport during certain hours, quarterly food, electricity and water rationing, and farmers’ markets in housing estates are some recommendations the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) has made to NCCS 2012, the National Climate Change Secretariat’s public consultation exercise.

Top on the list of its 11 recommendations is a call for a more holistic transport strategy which encourages “behavioural change as a longer-term solution”.

For instance, schools could increase “bicycle parking areas” and get students living nearby to ride to school instead of having their parents drop them off.

Bicycle racks can be installed on public buses, so that people who wish to cycle to work, but live too far from their workplace, can split their commute between bicycle and bus routes. Read more

National Climate Change Secretariat – Addendum to the President’s Address [Press Releases]

Challenge of Climate Change

1. Climate change is a major challenge for all countries, including Singapore. As an island state, we must stand ready to deal with the impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels. As a responsible member of the global community, we will also play our part to lower carbon emissions. We must work to achieve these goals while safeguarding our standard of living and our economic competitiveness.

Rising to the Challenge

2. We will enhance our understanding and expertise in climate science, and build up Singapore’s resilience and adaptability to climate change in key areas such as coastal protection, water resources and drainage, biodiversity, public health as well as urban infrastructure.

3. We will reduce our carbon emissions in two main ways. First, greater use of less carbon intensive fuels. Second, improved energy conservation and efficiency. This will require us to promote energy efficient design, equipment and processes in industries, transport, buildings and homes. Read more

Expertise in climate science to be beefed up [News]

By Grace Chua, The Straits Times, 13 Oct 2011.

SINGAPORE will need to raise the minimum levels for land reclamation by at least a metre to cope with a potential rise in sea levels arising from climate change.

In addition, the Government will develop capabilities to better understand this global phenomenon and its other effects on the island.

These were some of the key thrusts put forward yesterday by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and the National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) in their respective addenda to the President’s Address.

‘We will enhance our understanding and expertise in climate science, and build up Singapore’s resilience and adaptability to climate change in key areas such as coastal protection, water resources and drainage, biodiversity, public health as well as urban infrastructure,’ said the NCCS, which is part of the Prime Minister’s Office. Read more

MEWR to raise minimum level for land reclamation [News]

By Saifulbahri Ismail, Channel NewsAsia, 12 Oct 2011.

The Environment and Water Resources Ministry (MEWR) will raise the minimum levels for land reclamation by at least one metre, as an adequate buffer against a potential rise in sea levels.

This is one of the steps the MEWR will take to enhance Singapore’s resilience against the potential impact of climate change, the ministry said in its addendum to the President’s Address.

As a low-lying and densely populated island, Singapore is vulnerable to climate change. Experts said a rise in sea level can result in some coastal erosion and land loss.

Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Environment and National Development, Lee Bee Wah, said: “The minister is looking long-term – the rise of the sea level perhaps in (the next) 100 or 200 years. We want to address it now and the cheaper way of doing it is to do it (during) the land reclamation by building up the additional one metre.” Read more

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