Does Singapore need a Ministry of Energy?

The New Paper ponders recently on whether Singapore needs a new Ministry of Energy to tackle energy issues more holistically and ensure our future energy security. The article says that “energy security lies in a muddy middle zone” and “there’s no one body fully in charge”. It also suggests some ideas on what a Ministry of Energy can do, such as:

• Buy our own oil field
• Buy overseas farms to grow food
• A law to set a minimum temperature in Singapore offices
• Forge closer relations with oil-producing countries

The government’s energy policies on energy conservation, energy efficiency, energy market regulation and energy industry are pursued by the different relevant ministries and agencies. This is understandable as energy issues are often complex and cut across different sectors and industries.

Nevertheless, the government recognises the need to have an integrated approach to dealing with energy and has outlined six strategies in the National Energy Policy Report. One of the strategies is to develop whole-of-government approach to energy policy which is led by the Energy Policy Group (EPG). The EPG consists of representatives from the:

• Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI);
• Ministry of Finance (MOF);
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA);
• Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR);
• Ministry of Transport (MOT);
• Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR);
• Building and Construction Authority (BCA);
• Economic Development Board (EDB);
• Energy Market Authority (EMA);
• Land Transport Authority (LTA); and
• National Environment Agency (NEA)

The EPG has four working groups on Economic Competitiveness, Energy Security, Climate Change and the Environment, and Energy Industry Development, headed by the different agencies shown in the diagram below:

So, do we need a Ministry of Energy? On paper, it seems that there is no need for one as the energy policies are managed and coordinated by the EPG. But on the ground, the administrative difficulties and layers of bureaucratic red tape accumulated across 11 ministries and agencies in the EPG might pose a problem to the effectiveness and timeliness of the energy policies. We think that it might be better to have a Ministry of Energy which is accountable and focused, to ensure energy security and tackle the threat of climate change.

Source: The New Paper; National Energy Policy Report. Image: National Energy Policy Report.

350 is the safe limit to avoid runaway climate change

350 ppm (parts per million) is the safe upper limit for the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that we need to achieve to prevent runaway climate change. The world’s leading climate scientist, James Hansen, says: “If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted, paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will need to be reduced from its current 385 ppm to at most 350 ppm.” Spread the number.

Event: Unlocking the Potential of Solar Energy – A Bright Future for Asia

Speaker: Mr Mike Splinter, President and CEO of Applied Materials

Venue: Conference Hall 1, Administration Building at Singapore Management University, 81 Victoria Street, Singapore 188065

This seminar discusses the opportunities for solar energy in Asia, and the importance of technology, scale, reforms and incentives in lowering costs and improving the adoption of solar energy. More details and registration at the SEI website.

Event: Geopolitics of Climate Change – Implications for South and Southeast Asia

Speaker: Professor Sanjay Chaturvedi, Professor of Political Science and Coordinator, Centre for the Study of Geopolitics, Department of Political Science, Panjab University, Chandigarh; and Visiting Research Fellow, ISEAS

Venue: ISEAS Seminar Room II

This seminar discusses the implications of climate change, national security considerations and possible cooperation for South and Southeast Asia. For more details and registration, visit the ISEAS website.

All that glitters is not gold

The PC Show over the weekend saw the annual ritual of mass purchase of IT products in Singapore with first-day sales of $3.5 million and $51.7 million in sales over four days. While citizens in other Asian countries gather in masses to protest about rising oil and food prices and worry about their livelihoods, Singaporeans gather in masses to worry about which laptop or plasma TV to buy and protest about having to cover three floors of IT products (the exhibition space was doubled this year to cater for a record 600 exhibitors).

Who cares about the recession and financial crisis? Who cares about increasing oil and food prices? Who cares about our love for electronic stuff that creates e-waste problems? Who cares about the large amount of paper waste generated? It seems that these problems are not our concerns.

Consider the idea of sufficiency before buying electronic products. Sufficiency is about what is needed, just enough and not too much. Do you need to surround your life with all these electronic stuff? If the old one is working, why do you need to buy a new one? Also consider what happens to the discarded electronic stuff. Does it go to the landfill? Is it given to a secondhand dealer for reuse? Is it sent for proper recycling? Or does it end up in developing countries? Next time when you visit an IT exhibition, think again before buying.

Quotes from The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare:

All that glitters is not gold;
Often have you heard that told:

So may the outward shows be least themselves:
The world is still deceived with ornament.

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