Mellow
Mellow is a member of ECO Singapore, hoping to bring forward the gravity of the climate change issue in Copenhagen this December. The group is part of the International Youth Climate Movement (IYCM) at the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) 15th Conference of Parties (COP15).
LJ and I went for a Urban Climate Solutions Tour which was kindly organized by the Ramboll Group and really got us thinking about Singapore’s role in all of this.
(Left: Sustainable housing in Orestad)
We toured the Orestad new town, which boasts new sustainable infrastructure and an upcoming range of developments which aim to incorporate sustainable urban design, facilitated by Ramboll’s Climate wing.
While the tour showed us that there is much potential in converting waste (gas, straw, wood and coal) and also material waste from Copenhagen into energy for district heating, we couldn’t help but wonder how can Singapore learn from this?
We have a well functioning incineration plant in Pulau Semakau, but the island itself is devoid of humans and is only inhabited by perhaps migratory birds and apparently has a thriving marine ecosystem. So why don’t we channel the energy from burning our waste into cooling?
The tour today showed us how district heating serves to produce heat and to efficiently transport that heat via insulated channels and loops in and around Denmark. Ramboll is also currently working on converting traditional mechanistic ways of cooling into district cooling facilities for use during the warmer months here in Denmark.
Can this technology possible be replicated, transferred or exported into Singapore’s context? Do we still need to rely on 24 hour air-conditioning in our tropical climate or can we each do our bid towards cutting down our consumption?
These are questions not easily answered and we all face that dilemma when it comes to sacrificing something. Regardless of our own moral obligation towards climate change and the future of our planet, we must also question the government’s efforts in importing technology, efficient technology into our shores.
Such methods of district heating and cooling can be replicated in our industrial sectors where huge amounts of energy is created burning waste, refining fuel and chemicals. Other cities are stepping up to tackle climate change NOW, what about Singapore?
We cannot remain dependent on our government to come here to Copenhagen to hammer out a deal. Our Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong is coming in for talks on Thursday, the second last day of the conference. Civil society is now being barred from entering Bella Centre to influence negotiations. We cannot count on having a real deal being set here. So it leads us to think…. what happens now?
Post-COP15 poses a even bigger challenge for us and we have got to do our part. Start acting today. Blind consumerism of today is degrading the lands of Africa, flooding small island states and constantly, constantly feeding the pockets of those high up in the ranks of the business community. We cannot continue “business as usual” and as civil society we need to ask questions and take action.
While it is conforting to know that I’m with a team of committed individuals here in Copenhagen with me, I can’t help but think about the youths back home in Singapore and wonder where their support is. Please start acting, not just for our future but others around us. Keep in mind too that it’s the people in our region.. the Asia-Pacific that will bear the brunt of climate change, whether or not a deal is signed here at COP15.
Science has shown that up till 2050, the greenhouse gases already emitted are going to continue warming the atmosphere and this is going to happen regardless of all the mitigation strategies done today. So adaptation is the way forward. We not only need to adapt to rising sea levels, warming temperatures but also change for the better. We need to stop consuming blindly and remaining apathetic to things going on around us.
So as we spend our final hours in the Bella Centre (given the lack of access we will be getting from tomorrow onwards) I hope that the Singapore community (especially the youths) can lend your support to us in this trying time!!! And do your part back home to spread the word of climate change and of COP15.
This article was originally published at http://unfcccecosingapore.wordpress.com/
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It all sounds very nice, but – really – I don’t believe that human activities are responsible for ‘global warming’ or ‘climate change’.
It’s like gravity – you can’t change it.
I find that weather changes effects may not be so evident in Singapore except for the heat and frequent rains but nevertheless is happening around the world.
I hope Singapore can afford to become more relaxed about peaceful demonstrations as it aims to be a NGO hub in future. It can certainly get free advertising, publicity for the different causes and benefit our tourism / MICE industry sector, without having to spend big money to host F1 or bid for other big events.
Some photos of climate change effects in China etc:
http://www.chinasmack.com/pictures/global-warming-climate-change-photos-chinese-reactions/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+chinaSMACK+(chinaSMACK)
The other thing that will effect climate change in the UNFCCC is economic change and the “blind consumerism” that you wrote. The world and we cannot go on with wanting more and more, it just doesn’t make sense when there is so much of imblances, between the rich and poor nations, between the have and have not.
The thing in Singapore is that the government is too entrenched in the energy sector, to change, is to see a drastic drop in profits, that goes for other countries too. So there will be a trade off, but most countries will not go for it, and that is why the talks are stalling. What a shame, the shameless politicians and governments.
i think the government already declares that meagre 18% CO2 reduction and justified that decision.
you can take my taxpayers’ monies and spend time in a nice country to think deep and feel good about community work, the top echelon will have other ideas.
in the meantime, i pay the government to pay you to go on a feel good road trip.
Haha! You tell them Shibuyume! It’s a nice junket. :) Except that Copenhagen is really cold this time of the year. I just got back from London, and it was freezing. In the US, Texas saw snow for the first time in many years! And China is seeing very early winter. If it’s ‘global warming’, why is it becoming colder?
It’s no wonder that the alarmist have stopped using the term ‘global warming’ and instead started calling it ‘climate change’. You can’t call it ‘global warming’ when people are freezing their butts off!
Can we take anyone who claimed that the world is becoming colder because of global warming seriously?
6) Philip on December 16th, 2009 12.06 pm
Did you watch ‘Day After Tomorrow’?
=)
Hi Philip #6,
Global warming actually refers to the rise in the global average temperature, and what that entails globally is that the magnitude of temperature fluctuation geographically increases worldwide, i.e. winter gets colder, summer gets hotter regardless where you are – London, Texas, etc.
Philip,
Do you actually understand the concept of climate change and the issues it entailed? Please read it up and stop being so overly absurd and spreading untruths because it is so not funny.
What Donald said about the extremes in weather is correct in describing ‘climate change’, although it is not as accurate to say that the average temperature around the world is increasing. That would be the outdated term known as ‘global warming’, which was one of the first few terms used when concerns about the sustainability of the earth and iceberg melting and rising sea levels were raised. The concerns were real, the term? Not as accurate.
Since then, studies have shown that it was not so much the increase of global temperatures as it is the increase in temperature differences (hot vs cold). You may think it’s an “alarmist” point of view because it seems to be only a couple of degrees. But over large bodies of water (and we have plenty of those on the earth), it affects the frequency and strength of natural occurrences. Floods and droughts, anybody? I highly recommend this book just for you: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Weather/dp/0028643410 (I’m being snarky, but please.)
This is not being alarmist. This is called being factual. As much as it is lame to say ‘global warming’ is false because “there is still winter! and it’s très cold!”, it is equally ignorant to discount the harm we have inflicted on our environment because NOBODY IS USING THE TERM ANYMORE. Once again, I must inform you that it is an outdated term; you can stop using it now.
The issue is the acceleration in the change of climate patterns directly affected by human activities in the past century that are far more rapid than during any period experienced in the history of the earth. Sure, natural disasters happen all the time. But the strength of these occurrences and concerns that there might not even be a livable earth left by the end of a few generations down the line if no actions were taken now have left us with no other option but to actually deal with it. Not make a big fuss over how true it is.
Hi shibuyume,
Sorry to disappoint you but we are not being sponsored by the government. You can keep your taxpayers money for your own good use. Thanks.
Mellow
OK, let me get this straight. If the weather gets warmer, it’s evidence of ‘anthropogenic global warming’ and if it gets colder, it’s also evidence of ‘anthropogenic global warming’! Either way, ‘global warming’ is right!
So, increasing global temperature will lead to … wait for it … lower global temperature! Or higher global temperature! Or no discernable change in global temperature at all!
Pretty sweet deal for some, for they can never be proven wrong. To me, a hypothesis that can never be tested or proven wrong is just junk science.
singapore government all this while is NEVER concerned about global warnins/warmin whatever
they are more concerned on how to generate revenue$..
20 ears ago they could have aped the europeans in conservin energy/envoirment..
but you know i know we know….
it will never be done simpLEE because if they helped to save the envoirment
who is helpin hoching power industries to make money$
remember its hoching’s PUB.. not yours not OURs…not even leekuasnyew himself..eer he cannot just changed ownership to his name right..that is labelled napoleon neoposim or naziism…