In his seven minutes talk, Goldin raised four major problems globalisation caused, such as the collapse in biodiversity, climate change, financial crisis and inequality. The most pressing problem, in my opinion, will be climate change. Climate change is a global concern and the dire effects are immediate, taking the melting of ice caps for example (Fekete, 2014).
One apparent result of globalisation is the stark increase in coal usage. Carbon emissions have increased from 25 billion metric tons to 32 billions in 5 years (Terberg, 2013). The high level of carbon emission traps the heat from the sun within Earth's atmosphere, resulting in an increase in global average temperature. (Kriby, 2013). This abnormal rise in average global temperature thus leads to a change in the natural climate of the globe.
According to information provided by the National Climate Change Secretariat, the annual mean surface temperature has increased for about 0.8 degree celsius since 1984. The mean sea level in Straits of Singapore rises 3 mm per year over the past 15 years. This poses an immediate threat for a low-lying nations like Singapore, where 30% of her land lies less than 5m above sea level. Food security within Singapore can also be threaten as climate change threatens global food security and Singapore is particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in global food supply and food pricing.
Therefore, has Singapore done enough to manage climate change that has resulted from globalisation? In my opinion, although the current strategies implemented show improvements, such improvements will plateau off. Therefore, addition measures have to be implemented, ensuring sustainable improvements.
Many solutions have been adopted to slow down the rate of climate change, and among these solutions includes engaging Singaporeans on a household level. The government recognises the importance of gathering support from Singaporeans to effectively slow down climate change without draining our nation resources. An example includes the Minimum Energy Performance Standard (MEPS) policy, introduced in Sep 2011. It is a specification containing a number of performance requirements for an energy-using device, limiting the maximum amount of energy that may be consumed by that device in performing a specified task. The energy performance standards will be further tightened in 2013 to help consumers avoid being locked into high energy consumption and energy costs. Inefficient appliances consuming the most energy in a typical household will be removed.
After the implementation of the above stated measure, market data showed that households, manufacturers and suppliers have responded positively to MEPS. According to the official site of National Environment Agency, the fraction of energy-efficient house air-conditioners, refrigerators and clothes dryer sold have steadily increased over the years. In 2011, about 80% of purchase of air-conditioners and 85% of refrigerators were from the top two highest efficient categories.
However, every strategy has limitations. Appliances that are energetically efficient tend to be more costly compared to the non-energetically efficient ones. Although there was a marked increase in the purchase of such appliances, the increase is expected to plateau off when majority of the well-to-do Singaporeans have already converted to the energy efficient appliances. In addition, appliances such as the air-conditioner and refrigerators are items that people do not change frequently.
In order to maximise the effectiveness of the above strategy, the government may choose to implement a law where every household has to have their high-energy consuming appliances switched to more energy-efficient ones. Singapore's government will provide a list of appliances that they deem to be considered high-energy consuming. Also, to be reasonable, sufficient time have to be provided for Singaporeans to switch over to more energy-efficient appliances. In order to solve the problem of affordability and to ensure that the above suggested new legislation is implementable, subsidies proportional to their income level can be provided to lower income families. The wide influence of mass media can be used to explain to Singaporeans the rationale behind the importance in seeking their cooperation. Advertisements and short films can be broadcasted on national channels to raise the awareness and seek to seek cooperation from Singaporeans.
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References:
- National Environment Agency. (2013). Mandatory Energy Management Practices. 7/3/2014. Retrieved from: http://app2.nea.gov.sg/energy-waste/energy-efficiency/industry-sector
- National Climate Change Secretariat Prime Minster's Office Singapore. (2013). Impact of Climate Change on Singapore. 7/3/2014. Retrieved from: https://app.nccs.gov.sg/(X(1)S(zfbtkw55cjagmjejoqtnycz5))/page.aspx?pageid=160&secid=157&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
- National Environment Agency. (2013). Tightening and Extending Minimum Energy Performance Standards. 7/3/2014. Retrieved from: http://app2.nea.gov.sg/corporate-functions/newsroom/parliament/budget-debate1/budget-debate-2012/meps
- National Climate Change Secretariat Prime Minster's Office Singapore. (2013). Household. 7/3/2014. Retrieved from: http://app.nccs.gov.sg/page.aspx?pageid=171&secid=193
- Wikipedia. (2013). Minium energy performance standard. 7/3/2014. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_Energy_Performance_Standard
- Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. (2011). Minimum Energy Standard Performance Standards. 7/3/2014. Retrieved from: http://app.mewr.gov.sg/data/ImgCont/1386/3.%20Factsheet%20-%20Minimum%20Energy%20Performance%20Standards%20%5Bweb%5D.pdf
- Goldin, I. (2009). Navigating our Global Future [Video file]. Retrieved from; http://www.ted.com/talks/ian_goldin_navigating_our_global_future?language=en
- Jason Fekete. (2014). Canada's Arctic ice caps melting rapidly since 2005, according to documents. 10/3/2014. Retrieved from: http://o.canada.com/news/national/canadas-arctic-ice-caps-melting-rapidly-since-2005-according-to-documents/
