This haze-sticken Sunday afternoon (23rd August), I found myself sitting in the second row in a lake house near Khatib MRT with a notebook and pen in hand, ecstatically waiting for the arrival of Minister K Shanmugam, Singaporean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Law. Before signing up for this Kampung Dialogue, w
As the Minister arrived, we were assured that this was a safe space with no media presence, so we could address our concerns freely. Mr K Shanmugam began the dialogue by addressing his motivation for such a close-knit conversation. He highlighted that he wished to get a sense of youth aspirations and promised to be honest, or "It would be a waste of our time". But the HIGHLIGHT for me was when the FIRST issue/question he addressed was Environment Sustainability in Singapore. (Yes the question I asked! Immediately got myself ready ~notebook and pen~).
e were asked to write a series of questions we would like the minister to address, I spent a couple of minutes thinking... Honestly I was terrified my question would not be of any significant political importance or standing. Would he even be bothered to answer a question by a 19 year old girl... But given the opportunity of this dialogue and close interaction with the Minister, I decided to write in my question, "In your opinion, is Singapore Environmentally Sustainable?" As the Minister arrived, we were assured that this was a safe space with no media presence, so we could address our concerns freely. Mr K Shanmugam began the dialogue by addressing his motivation for such a close-knit conversation. He highlighted that he wished to get a sense of youth aspirations and promised to be honest, or "It would be a waste of our time". But the HIGHLIGHT for me was when the FIRST issue/question he addressed was Environment Sustainability in Singapore. (Yes the question I asked! Immediately got myself ready ~notebook and pen~).
He recognized that the per capita carbon footprint of Singapore is low ~4.3 Metric Tons per Capita (CO2 Emissions World Bank, 2011), yet he claimed that in actual terms and comparatively it is significantly low. I am a bit skeptical by his statement, because I began to think in what bases is Singapore's CO2 emissions low and compared specifically to which nations. However, I respected the minister's genuine and frank response in regards to the priority given to economic viability in Singapore. He further elaborated that without good jobs and a sustained economy we are not going to have a good environment (Similar concept to the Environmental Kuznet Curve (EKC) introduced later this week). When questioned about the usage of renewable resources in Singapore he responded straight to the point. Insufficient space for windmills nor use of hydro energy. If our blazing hot Singapore would uses solar energy, the excessive rise in costs would make us unable to be competitive in complying with the international standards. He regarded it as an "Economic Suicide". Minister K Shanmugam further assured us that no political or economic decision will be taken if it may break the environment. But in my opinion, not breaking the environment does not represent a sustainable Singapore.
He concluded this question by calling for a need for an International Agreement that would eagerly spend money towards reducing the cost of renewable energy globally. The Minister perceives that a nation alone, such as Singapore, cannot be the only country to convert to environmental friend alternatives. It has to be a joint effort globally. But I would personally rebuttal, that if we keep waiting for another nation to take the initiative, will we ever get there? Every country would pass their role and responsibility over to the next. Moreover does current economic viability ensure sustainability? In the long-run, will future generations appreciate a viable economy or environment?
Even though I felt very honored and admirable of the Minister to spend his Sunday afternoon entertaining our queries, he has left more questions in my mind than answers. Do all governments/politicians view environment as such?
He concluded this question by calling for a need for an International Agreement that would eagerly spend money towards reducing the cost of renewable energy globally. The Minister perceives that a nation alone, such as Singapore, cannot be the only country to convert to environmental friend alternatives. It has to be a joint effort globally. But I would personally rebuttal, that if we keep waiting for another nation to take the initiative, will we ever get there? Every country would pass their role and responsibility over to the next. Moreover does current economic viability ensure sustainability? In the long-run, will future generations appreciate a viable economy or environment?
Even though I felt very honored and admirable of the Minister to spend his Sunday afternoon entertaining our queries, he has left more questions in my mind than answers. Do all governments/politicians view environment as such?