Pragmatism at Work: Singapore's Approach to Addressing Climate Change (Part 2)

This week, we'll examine some of the competency-building strategies that Singapore is utilizing to improve the awareness of its population towards minimizing climate change.  As awareness of energy-saving and green technologies increases, all parties will be able to tailor their decisions with the environment in mind.  To hasten its change towards a more carbon-neutral society, Singapore is working to build up its competencies towards energy efficient technologies, with an emphasis on research and development being pursued simultaneously between the government and the private sector.  One technology that holds significant promise for meeting Singapore’s energy needs going forward is solar cell development.  Due to its abundant sunshine hours from its location in the tropics, Singapore is positioned to reap many advantages from improved solar cell efficiency.  To explore this technology and its applications, the government and Singaporean universities are doing research into new solar cell technologies.  This, in conjunction with similar projects to produce more cost-effective fuel cells and wind turbines, will intensify Singapore’s commitment to green growth in its domestic markets.

One of the most innovative programs that the Singaporean government is currently implementing is the Certified Energy Manager (SCEM) program.  This program aims to “help equip facility owners and technical staff with the necessary knowledge and skills to manage energy services within their facilities (24).”  The idea behind this is that professional staff with more education on energy-efficient options for their businesses will be more willing and likely to pursue those options as part of a long-term cost-cutting strategy, and speed the conversion to more environmentally friendly methods of commerce and industry in the process.  This program is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, and will act as a pilot program for other countries in the region.  Hopefully, the skills managers acquire through the training program will be disseminated throughout the companies they represent, increasing awareness.

Singapore has also taken steps to improve the competency of households in adapting to green, energy efficient technologies.  The government has imposed Minimum Energy Performance Standards on household air-conditioners and refrigerators and also mandated that energy labels be placed on different models to inform consumers of the relative efficiency of different appliance brands.  The government is also looking into the feasibility of producing an “energy vending scheme” to allow households to purchase energy from any electricity vendor and to monitor energy usage at home.  Providing households with maximum choice in the market is a way to increase competition between energy vendors, thus keeping costs low as vendors compete for market share.  The system will also increase awareness of energy consumption habits by households.  This awareness, combined with a National Environment Agency (NEA) program to educate the populace via website and mailings on simple energy-saving habits, will help to make households more energy-efficient, and even save them some money on their energy bills. 

Finally, Singapore has taken steps to integrate its domestic policies with those of the larger international community.  The country is a signatory of the Kyoto Protocol, and is working to grow its carbon services sector to join carbon exchanges networks in Asia and Oceania.  To increase international awareness and interest in these exchanges, Singapore has positioned itself as a hub for education and finance in Asia.  The country has organized carbon seminars, meetings, and other activities to spread awareness of carbon trading to other Asian nations.  One such event, Carbon Forum Asia 2007, drew “1000 participants from 46 countries (37)”, and is symbolic of Singapore’s push to become a model carbon-trading country for other states to emulate. In addition to its emphasis on international forums and workshops, Singapore was chosen as a base for the Renewable Energy Exchange Capital Asia to bring together investors and entrepreneurs alike for funding of green projects.  This speaks highly of Singapore’s ability to achieve its goals in the international arena, as well as domestically.

Perhaps the most striking thing that jumps out while examining Singapore’s blueprint for mitigating climate change is how much it reads like a corporate brief.  The government comes across as intensely pragmatic:  both market incentives and governmental programs are considered and chosen as solutions, with the overriding goal being the maximization of policy effectiveness.  It is a focus on what works, without regard to ideology or bias.  And this focus manifests itself not only in the environmental arena, but throughout different areas of the market as well.  It is this fundamental mindset that has produced policies that have brought Singapore to first-world status, and this continued push for sensible, productive solutions will serve the country appropriately as it transitions to a more environmentally-friendly, energy efficient society.  To be sure, Singapore’s governmental situation is rather unique; while it is a parliamentary democracy, the People’s Action Party has been in control of the government for decades, which allows it to have the luxury to plan with the long-term in mind.   But an absence of this situation in other countries does not have to preclude the development of smart, pragmatic policies that can help further economic growth while simultaneously reducing mankind’s impacts on the environment.  If properly implemented and reviewed, sound policy measures can end up as a “win-win” situation for both the economies and the environments of countries.  Hopefully, Singapore’s efficiency and emissions-reductions strategies will serve as a model for the rest of the world to adapt and implement to create a more carbon-neutral and environmentally-friendly planet.