More Singaporeans care about climate change

Poll shows greater awareness, sense of responsibility in dealing with issue
Jessica Cheam Straits Times 10 Feb 12;

THE first local survey on climate change shows that most Singaporeans are concerned about the issue and believe in taking action to address it.

The findings, released yesterday by the National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS), took civic and industry organisations by surprise and all agreed that the trend was encouraging.

The NCCS conducted a face-to-face poll of about 1,000 Singaporeans aged 15 and above from October to December last year on issues relating to climate change.

At the time, there was serious flooding in Thailand and Singapore also experienced heavy rainfall and floods - events which might have raised public awareness about environmental issues.

The survey showed that 86 per cent, or more than eight in 10 of the respondents, felt a sense of responsibility in dealing with climate change, and 74 per cent were concerned about it.

Some 63 per cent felt that Singapore would be severely affected, while 58 per cent said the country should take action to reduce the effects of climate change even if it involved significant cost.

Singapore Environment Council executive director Jose Raymond said the results surpassed his expectations and countered the popular notion that Singaporeans do not care about climate change.

Ms Olivia Choong, co-founder of environmental group Green Drinks Singapore, said she had expected the numbers to be lower, based on her own interaction with the public.

The positive findings were a stark contrast to a broader public perception survey on the environment done in 2005 by the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources.

Then, only 53 per cent of those polled said they had even heard of climate change or global warming.

Asked why they were concerned about climate change, three-quarters of those surveyed last year agreed that the environment had to be preserved for future generations and that everyone shared this responsibility.

About half had a more practical reason for adopting eco-friendly practices: It would help lower the cost of living.

But despite the survey findings indicating a high level of support for efforts to deal with climate change, only half of those polled said they would like to receive more information.

Of this group, most wanted to know more about the impacts and effects, the science behind climate change, and what individuals can do.

Ms Choong said there could still be a gap between Singaporeans saying they care about climate change and actually doing something about it.

The NCCS yesterday also released key suggestions from its public consultation exercise for Singapore's National Climate Change Strategy 2012, conducted from September till last month.

The document, to be published in the middle of the year, will set out ways for Singapore to reduce its carbon emissions and prepare against the effects of climate change, and include suggestions from members of the public.

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who chairs the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change, said in a statement yesterday that he was heartened by the strong support for climate change action.

'If we do our part, we can help protect the environment for future generations and ensure that Singapore is well prepared for climate change, and remains economically competitive and vibrant,' he said.

The NCCS findings can be viewed at www.nccs.gov.sg/consultation.

Suggestions for green living
Straits Times 10 Feb 12;

THE National Climate Change Secretariat's consultations with the public, interest groups and the industry produced suggestions like green vehicle incentives and promoting environmental education.

Some could be put into action soon.

HOUSEHOLDS

Suggestion: Improve energy labels on household appliances by adding information to make costs and benefits clearer.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) is reviewing the design of the labels and considering adding the annual estimated operating costs of the appliance.

Suggestion: Educate appliance retailers so they can recommend energy-efficient equipment.

The NEA has trained retailers in energy efficiency since 2009 and is reviewing its training scheme. It is considering undertaking an in-depth consumer behavioural study to figure out which efforts yield the largest changes.

TRANSPORT

Suggestion: Redesign train cabins to encourage better passenger behaviour.

In the 22 new trains for the North-South and East-West lines, there are three rows of overhead hand rails. The Land Transport Authority is monitoring how well-used they are by commuters.

It is also looking into installing extra overhead hand rails and removing vertical poles at train doors to discourage people from crowding round the doors.

Altering behaviour to make for a more pleasant commute may encourage more people not to drive and take public transport instead.

Suggestion: Adopt an emissions-based or fuel efficiency-based vehicle tax system.

This is already in the works. Buyers of highly fuel-efficient new cars stand to enjoy rebates of up to $15,000 while those who snap up more polluting models could pay up to $15,000 in extra taxes.

BUILDINGS

Suggestion: Expand the Green Mark scheme to include environmental impacts such as materials and air pollution.

The Building and Construction Authority is developing a Web-based carbon emissions calculator that takes into account a building's lifespan and major construction materials.

SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES

Suggestion: Develop a library of energy-efficiency practices as a reference for SMEs.

The United Nations Environment Programme has developed a guide for Asia, with case studies. At the same time, the Government is studying the development of a compendium of such practices specifically tailored for Singapore.

OTHERS

Suggestion: Incorporate climate change issues formally into the school curriculum.

Environmental themes like energy, weather and climate are already in the primary and upper secondary syllabi.

At the same time, the NEA and the Education Ministry are revising the lower secondary syllabus to include environmental issues from 2014 (for Secondary 1 students) and 2015 (for Secondary 2 students).

Singaporeans supportive of climate change actions
Channel NewsAsia 9 Feb 12;

SINGAPORE: Singaporeans on the whole feel a sense of responsibility in playing their part to address climate change.

This is according to a survey commissioned by the National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) to gauge the levels of public awareness, attitudes and behaviours towards issues related to climate change in Singapore.

The survey sampled 1,010 Singaporean residents aged 15 and above and was conducted from October to December 2011.

86 per cent of the respondents said they felt a part in taking action on climate change.

Over 73 per cent of the respondents said they are concerned about climate change.

Respondents perceived climate change to be an urgent issue and about 63 per cent felt that Singapore would be severely affected by climate change.

One in two respondents expressed interest to receive more information about climate change.

7 in 10 respondents expressed interest in the science and impact of climate change and the practical measures that individuals could take to address climate change.

The respondents generally displayed a positive attitude towards tackling climate change. More than half agreed that individuals played an important part in addressing climate change in Singapore.

More than 70 per cent of the respondents are conscious about practising environmentally friendly habits in addressing climate change.

More than 70 per cent of the respondents believe it is everyone's responsibility to care for the environment.

Three in four respondents are motivated by the need to preserve the environment for future generations.

Most respondents also agreed that Singapore should take steps to reduce climate change. 58 per cent of the respondents even thought that such steps should be taken even if it involved significant cost.

The NCCS also released the government's response to various suggestions from public consultations that were conducted from September 2011 to January 2012.

One suggestion was to improve energy labels by including more information. The NEA is reviewing the design of the energy labels and is considering incorporating the annual estimated operating costs of the appliance into the energy labels if it is practicable.

On the suggestion to provide comparisons of the costs of using one appliance versus another, the NEA is looking into new tools that will enable consumers to estimate the life-cycle cost of the more energy-intensive household appliances.

As for the suggestion to adopt an emissions based or fuel efficiency based vehicle taxation system, the government is undertaking a comprehensive review on the measures to promote the adoption of green vehicles as part of overall efforts to promote sustainable development.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will take these suggestions into consideration in its review.

As for having more cycling facilities and more cycling towns, LTA will assist HDB to implement cycling facilities in Jurong, Punggol and East Coast.

To support the cycling population, LTA has planned for more bicycle racks to be provided at MRT stations. Where possible, LTA will facilitate intra-town travel by putting in dedicated cycling paths or where space is limited, widen the footpaths to allow sharing.

There was a suggestion to expand the current Green Mark scheme to bring it closer to international standards such as those used in the US and the UK.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is currently developing a web-based carbon calculator that will take into consideration the building lifespan and major construction materials used to estimate the total carbon emissions.

The public also suggested developing a depository or storing energy efficient practices as a reference for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and highlight how energy efficient practices can related to their bottom-line.

The government will study and consider how best to develop a compendium of energy efficient practices specifically tailored for Singapore that would be useful for Singapore SMEs.

There was a call to incorporate climate change issues formally into the school curriculum.

The government is working to incorporate aspects of climate change into the curriculum.

Topics such as climate change, global warming and ozone depletion are currently taught at various levels in subjects such as Science and Geography.

Students' awareness of climate change is enhanced in the informal curriculum through students' participation in community-initiated projects.

- CNA/ck

'Green' COE, eat less meat: Two of the 1,000 suggestions to deal with climate change
Esther Ng Today Online 10 Feb 12;

SINGAPORE - Create a new category of Certificate of Entitlement (COE) for green vehicles. Eat less meat. Make climate change issues part of the school curriculum.

These are some of the 1,000 suggestions the National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) received from the public and industry players between September and last month, as part of its efforts to engage Singaporeans on climate change-related issues.

Releasing the suggestions yesterday, the NCCS said relevant government agencies will assess the ideas.

"Some were new ideas and they are being studied to see if they can be effectively adopted in Singapore. Others were workable solutions that have already been implemented, which need to be publicised more so that members of the public are aware of these efforts," said the NCCS.

Some suggestions were considered but found to be not suited for adoption at this stage, it said.

For instance, having COEs for green vehicles would "introduce more complexity" to the vehicle quota system, which was the case when the COE system first started, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

In its early years, the COE system had more categories than it has today. "The small quota of each category resulted in price anomalies and distortions within the categories," said the LTA.

As for eating less meat - because meat production contributes some 14 to 22 per cent of global emission - the NCCS pointed out that the carbon footprint of the food the Republic consumes is not straightforward. Production and transport processes, for instance, often take place outside Singapore and cannot be easily verified.

Meanwhile, the Government is working to incorporate aspects of climate change into the school curriculum, where topics such as global warming and ozone depletion are taught in geography and science.

Between October and December, the NCCS, for the first time, also surveyed 1,010 Singaporean residents, aged 15 and above, to gauge levels of public awareness and attitudes towards climate change-related issues here.

It found seven in 10 believed it was everyone's responsibility to care for the environment. Three in four saw the need to preserve the environment for future generations, and nearly six in 10 said steps to reduce climate change should be taken even if it involved significant cost.

Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of the inter-ministerial committee on climate change Teo Chee Hean said he was "heartened" to see the "strong support" for climate change action. He pointed to the 86 per cent of respondents who felt they had a part to play in taking action on climate change.

However, Green Drinks Singapore founder Olivia Choong, 33, told Today that she was "surprised" by the findings. "Based on my interactions with people I talk to, whether taxi drivers or my banker friends, a lot more education needs to get out there. For instance, how many know that the rare earths that go into your smartphones and tablets are polluting the environment, or that smartphones are such power-hungry devices," said Ms Choong. "I'm not sure how much of it will translate into action," she added.

The list of suggestions and agency responses can be found on the NCCS website.

Climate change survey findings not reflected in day-to-day life here
Letter from Gaetane Prinselaar Today Online 13 Mar 12;

I read with interest the report "'Green' COE, eat less meat: Two of the 1,000 suggestions to deal with climate change" (Feb 10).

I was surprised that seven in 10 surveyed by the National Climate Change Secretariat believe that it is everyone's responsibility to care for the environment, a statistic not reflected in day-to-day life in Singapore.

Protecting the environment starts in the supermarkets. For instance, grapes and many other fruits are packed in plastic boxes which cannot be reused.

Or just count the number of people who bring recycled bags, probably the easiest way to gauge environmental responsibility.

Going by the survey, only three in 10 would ask for plastic bags. But not only do people not carry recycled bags, they leave with at least three or four plastic bags for seven items, as they do not want to mix them up.

If you ask for everything to be put into one bag, the cashier will double-bag it. Even China has banned supermarkets from giving out free plastic bags,

What about the recycling of batteries which contain pollutants? The only way is to bring them to the French School, which provides for such recycling. But Singaporeans throw their batteries in the bin.

I also live in a condominium where there is no recycling to speak of, and if you mention it, people do not want to hear about it.

Singapore has always been known as a clean city, one of the reasons for a lack of environmental responsibility, I believe, as people mix up cleanliness with environmental friendliness.

The fact that one does not see garbage does not mean Singapore is good at recycling.

It is time for the Singapore Government to make society part of the solution, and time is not a luxury. Surveys such as in the report may make Singaporeans feel good about themselves, when the reality is scary.

Climate change survey findings are a positive development
Letter from Yuen Sai Kuan Director, 3P Network Division, National Climate Change Secretariat Ong Seng Eng Director, Waste & Resource Management Department, National Environment Agency
Today Online 28 Mar 12;

WE REFER to Mr Gaetane Prinselaar's online letter "Climate change survey findings not reflected in day-to-day life here" (March 13).

We agree that public support and participation are key to the effectiveness of Singapore's efforts to boost recycling and climate change action.

In this regard, the findings from the National Climate Change Secretariat's public perception survey, on the high level of public awareness and interest in climate change-related issues here, is a positive development.

The public, private and people sectors need to work together to help translate this into eco-friendly actions by all stakeholders.

In Singapore, all incinerable waste, including used plastic bags, are sent to waste-to-energy plants for incineration, rather than to a landfill.

Notwithstanding, as part of its 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) efforts, the National Environment Agency encourages the public and community to reduce waste and reuse items that are reusable.

Retailers such as FairPrice, IKEA and the pharmacy at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital have also implemented schemes to encourage shoppers to bring their own bags or to discourage overuse of plastic bags.

More information on the 3R initiatives can be found at the NEA's website, http://app2.nea.gov.sg/index.aspx.

As part of its efforts to promote recycling, the NEA has required condominiums to provide recycling receptacles for residents.

As for household batteries, these can be disposed of without causing pollution, as the NEA has imposed a mandatory limit on mercury content of batteries sold here.

Mr Prinselaar can contact the NEA at 1800-225-5632 or Contact_NEA@nea.gov.sg if he needs help with recycling at his condo.

As part of the Government's outreach efforts, we will continue to advocate individual and corporate responsibility in environmental protection as well as action against climate change. We will work with the community to foster greater ownership in caring for the environment. We thank Mr Prinselaar for his feedback.