Straits Times Forum 4 Mar 09;
IT WAS reported recently that Singapore had improved its ranking last year in a climate change performance index but was still placed 38th out of 57 economies.
When it comes to economic competitiveness or efficiency, Singapore takes pride in being top-ranked. We can do well in the green index too, but more has to be done to develop a sound green infrastructure.
Subsidies for the green effort can be great catalysts for growth. This is an area where Singapore can create growth, and jobs, from within, while waiting for the global economy to turn around.
According to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) Masterplan 2020, the ambient air in Singapore meets the standards of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the World Health Organisation, except for particulate matters smaller than PM2.5 (particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter). The ambient concentration of PM2.5 in Singapore in 2005 was almost 50 per cent higher than the USEPA standard.
High levels of PM2.5 is associated with health conditions such as acute bronchitis and aggravated asthma. The masterplan notes that diesel-driven vehicles contribute to about 50 per cent of PM2.5 in the air.
One solution for this is compressed natural gas, as CNG has hardly any PM emissions, and emits about 20 per cent less carbon dioxide than petrol.
Up until last year, the CNG industry was booming. However, since last August, the rate of conversions has dramatically declined, and so far, we have only about 3,000 CNG cars on the road.
At the end of last year, there were some 1,000 CNG taxis registered, against a total of 23,000-plus diesel taxis; only nine CNG goods vehicles, against a total of 131,000 diesel goods vehicles; and only 12 CNG buses against a total of 14,000 diesel buses. LTA says that only by 2014 will all diesel taxis be Euro IV compliant, and the buses, only by 2020, even though the masterplan acknowledges that CNG is cleaner than Euro IV.
Firms and individuals are interested in converting their cars to CNG vehicles. School buses could also run on CNG. However, the infrastructure is still lacking.
The CNG Committee believes more can be done to encourage owners of diesel vehicles to adopt CNG; and more infrastructure support is needed. Let us try to be a bright green dot on the map.
Alexander C. Melchers
Chairman, CNG Committee,
Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore
