Climate Change is About You
“Do you think climate change is a serious issue?”
That was me, after watching the documentary about climate change Before The Flood in class.
“No. I mean...I don’t see its effects in Singapore.”
That...was my mother.
IS ANYTHING WRONG?
Photo by the Washington Post
Two years ago, bumble bees were on the brink of extinction. These numbers have only dwindled further. Today, they are only 10% of their population in the 1990s.
Does this matter to Singaporeans? Well, the annual mean temperature in Singapore has climbed steadily from 26.6°C in 1972 to 27.7°C in 2014 to 28.4°C in 2016. The water price increase of 30% may even double with intensive droughts that reduce the availability of our water supply. Not only so, our rice and fish supply will also be negatively affected.
THAT SOUNDS BAD
Climate change has many effects and unintended consequences. We have already lost half our corals in the Great Barrier Reef—indubitably important corals that brake tsunamis and provide food for millions of creatures, not to mention countless jobs. Before you grumble about the noticeable decrease in rice portions, why not do something about it?
With U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration promising to go back on milestones such as the Paris Climate Agreement and measures such as the Clean Power Plan, more damage will be done to Mother Earth. More crucial actions will be undone, more animals will be at risk. More lives such as yours and mine will be lost.
That being said, there is still (some) hope in the economic, political and technological fields.
SOLUTIONS?!
The obvious way is to simply, buy less. Less consumption means fewer plastic bags to be produced, and fewer fossil fuels to be extracted for its manufacturing. (Additionally, plastic bags have terrifying consequences on the environment because of its long life-span.) You have to admit, Singaporeans buy a lot more than necessary. Perhaps especially so when the Great Singapore Sale comes around, but tell-tale signs are present from the sheer amount of food waste we produce for such a small country. (In fact, Singapore was found to have the seventh largest ecological footprint globally.)
Another potential way to reduce carbon emissions is to impose a carbon tax while reducing income tax. Under a carbon tax, your carbon emissions determine the amount of tax paid. This model has seen feasibility in Sweden. Since its implementation in 1991, Sweden has seen a decrease of 20% in carbon pollution, and a 100% growth in economy. (Yet another solution is “cap-and-trade”, where companies auction for a capped allowance of carbon emission quota per year, before trading in a market that lets companies buy and sell the capped allowances.)
Finally, we can look towards investing in renewable energy, which has long-term benefits. Costs for solar panels have been estimated to decrease by 10% per year since its inception in the 1980s. Renewable energy is feasible even if Singapore has limited options due to our limited availability of natural resources. This January, local firm REC Solar came up with solar panels which can create energy even when partially shaded—which will certainly be useful, given Singapore’s high cloud presence and urban shading.
SO WHY IS CLIMATE CHANGE STILL AN ISSUE?
Sadly, complications exist.
While carbon tax sounds like a feasible plan, the green paradox suggests that a reduction of carbon consumption may instead accelerate global warming. This happens when corporations, in a bid to maximize profits, extract more fossil fuels before the tax date is set, and less after. (Unfortunately, cap-and-trade does not work if there is no committee overseeing the carbon emissions trading market.)
Furthermore, as long as capitalist corporations influence politicians, the necessary measures cannot be passed to combat climate change. In the United States, fossil fuel companies pay politicians and media campaigns to support the idea that climate change is a hoax (...no.), consequently denying the viable solutions we desperately need. The audience who are exposed to such information then, are subsequently misinformed.
Not so surprisingly, this one big environmental issue will spiral into something more that secures a bleak future for us. It is not a matter of where, but when.
WHAT SHOULD I DO THEN?
What we should do is to take responsibility of our actions and education on this matter. Climate change will take away more than polar ice caps and honey in your food.
What you choose do about it matters.