Sunday, October 18, 2015

Reader Response (Draft 3)

In the article "Why the Climate Fight Needs Engineers?”, Shah (2015) states that engineers will be highly needed in the future for sustainable development in Asia. In order to accomplish it, the "Engineers Progression Pathway programme" has been introduced in Singapore to make provision for potential engineers. Sights of Asian cities facing drastic weather conditions leading to "floods, extreme high temperatures and droughts, water shortages, and rising sea levels" have proven the vulnerability of the cities from the results of fast-changing cities developments and population growth. These are highlighted to the Singapore government for "the urgency of a low carbon economy". Four key areas including "clean environment and water resources; sustainable development and infrastructure; sustainable energy; and resilience and adaptation against climate change" are identified in the article as main roles to deal with climate changes. The author has also mentioned the importance of engineering since Singapore gained independence in 1965. An example is the desalination and water reclamation technology whereby Singapore is able to ensure its water sufficiency. Therefore, there is a need for sustainable engineering. "Sustainable Singapore Blueprint (SSB)" has been initiated to develop Singapore as a “zero-waste nation” through systems and technology, such as “eco-smart” housings in the future. The integration of a “green economy” brings Singapore a step closer towards the nation’s objective; “the world’s first Smart Nation”. While I agree that engineers play a huge part in contributing towards the future developments, I feel that the other approaches which can be further explained in ensuring our city to be well positioned for sustainable growth are points that the author has failed to consider.

Singapore is a small low-lying, densely populated island in the tropics, and will be at risk in facing severe consequences in the event of a climate change. It has been observed that there is an incline in sea levels and surrounding temperature. The sea level has increased at a rate of change of 3.22 mm per year, from 41.72 mm in January 2010 to 65.91 mm in June 2015. According to Xue (2013), the reason that contributes to the rising sea levels is from carbon footprints. In order to reduce the emissions, approaches such as “zero-emission” buildings have taken place. As a result of the unstable climate change, weather events like frequent rain occurrences or persistent drought will affect the biodiversity of Singapore's flora and fauna. These species find it hard to adapt towards new conditions and may not be suitable for the habitat changes. Thus, it negatively impacts their life cycle.

The trade industry will also encounter problems if trading partners are faced with extreme weather events. Thus, Singapore has always been following closely with the global issues and finding a way to a comprehensive approach by working closely together with other countries to undertake this challenge. One of the approaches to be taken is to reduce the growth of carbon emissions. According to Chia (2015), Singapore has pledged to "stabilise and limit its yearly greenhouse gas emissions to about 65 million tonnes by 2030", showing the country's contributions to the "United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat". Over the years, changes such as controlling vehicle ownership and using natural gas have been made to get cleaner power generation instead of fuel oil.

New ideas and technologies are applied in Singapore to test and see if they are beneficial. If successful, the chosen idea or technology may be used as a solution in other countries. As said previously on the desalination and water reclamation technology in ensuring water sufficiency, PUB, the national water agency, brought in "Variable Salinity Water Desalination (VSD)" to seek for new water sources by harvesting water in different catchment areas. This is done so as to be able to secure a stable supply of water for the increasing population in a small city-state. The implementation of VSD has lessened the "unit energy consumption", which makes up most of the operational expenditure, to a lower level compared to using a common "seawater desalination plant". This has resulted in cost-effective production that is also proven as a cheaper and feasible alternative for water efficiency. The water reclamation technology can be said as a good long term sustainability investment plan.

In general, Shah has introduced new perspective points for me and has provided supporting references on what can be done to mitigate the aftermath of climate change. This can be a better article if missing information, such as the other approaches that will aid the challenges, were mentioned. Nevertheless, this article has been a great read in inspiring one's mind on the other means that can be taken into consideration. The creation of a sustainable future will be ready for the new generation to take up the responsibility.

(789 words)


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