The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development (IMCSD) recently announced Singapore’s vision and initiatives for sustainable development, and is seeking public feedback and suggestions. The IMCSD is studying ways to be more sustainable in the way we Work, Commute, Live and Play. Visit the Sustainable Singapore website to find out more and give your feedback or suggestions.

In response to the call for green ideas, we came up with 20 suggestions that would help Singapore to be more sustainable. The 20 suggestions involve the following categories:

• Reduce Energy and Carbon Emissions
• Redesign, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Waste
• Reduce Water Demand and Pollution
• Sustainable Transportation
• Sustainable Food, Materials and Products
• Protecting Natural Habitats and Biodiversity
• Greener Companies and Businesses

The 20 suggestions are compiled in a report and sent to the IMCSD Secretariat. To read the full report, download it from Green Business Times.

Share This

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan spoke yesterday in Parliament on the newly-formed Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development. According to the Straits Times, the committee involving various ministries will release a 10-year roadmap next year to address sustainable development in Singapore.

In his speech, Mr Mah stressed that: “We need to remind ourselves that sustainable development is still about development… We still want growth and we still want good jobs.” We have nothing against development and economic growth. We just feel that economic growth does not necessary lead to progress and may not benefit the environment and people.

For the roadmap, we want to see the government at its best in developing sustainable development policies. The success of past public policies according to the book, Dynamic Governance, involves the following three critical governance capabilities:

i) thinking ahead — the ability to perceive early signals of future developments that may affect a nation in order to remain relevant to the world; ii) thinking again — the ability and willingness to rethink and remake currently functioning policies so that they perform better; and iii) thinking across — the ability and openness to cross boundaries to learn from the experience of others so that new ideas and concepts may be introduced into an institution.

We hope to see the committee think ahead of the current and economic costs of implementing green policies, and consider the future and environmental costs of not doing so.

We hope to see the committee think again and across about green policies such as: environmental impact assessment; energy efficiency and renewable portfolio standards; bus rapid transport system; urban agriculture; green universities; and circular economy. 

We hope to see the committee think across to gather views not only from the public sector but also from the private and people sector, and develop a holistic and inclusive roadmap. We don’t wish to see a roadmap that only involves some top administrative officials who probably think about sustainable development in the same myopic way.

The sustainable development roadmap will be out next year. Will it be a roadmap that “meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”, as defined in the Brundtland Commission? We are holding our breath.

Source: Straits Times via Wildsingapore; World Scientific Publishing Co. Image attribution: wildsingapore.

Share This

ASEAN leaders signed the ASEAN Declaration on Environmental Sustainability yesterday at the 13th ASEAN Summit in Singapore. The Declaration signifies ASEAN member countries’ concern of the environment and climate change, and the need to ensure environmental sustainability while pursuing economic development. The leaders pledged to address issues on environmental protection and management, responding to climate change, and conservation of natural resources. Some key issues that the leaders declared:

Combating Haze Pollution 

To implement measures and enhance international and regional cooperation to combat transboundary environmental pollution, including haze pollution, through, among other things, capacity building, enhancing public awareness, strengthening law enforcement, promoting environmentally sustainable practices, as well as combating illegal logging and its associated illegal trade;

Improving Water Access and Living Conditions 

To endeavour to reduce by half of the number of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water by 2010 in accordance with the VAP to meet the needs of ASEAN citizens, and significant improvement in the lives of slum dwellers by 2020 in ASEAN Member Countries in accordance with the UN MDGs;

Promoting Renewable and Nuclear Energy 

To take concrete measures to promote the use of renewable and alternative energy sources such as solar, hydro, wind, tide, biomass, biofuels and geothermal energy, as well as, for interested parties, civilian nuclear power, while ensuring safety and safeguards that are of current international standards, and environmental sustainability throughout the full life cycle of production and use;

Protecting Biodiversity and Forests

To achieve by 2010, a significant reduction in the current rate of loss of biodiversity, as pledged by countries at the WSSD in 2002 and as envisaged by the Convention on Biological Diversity;

To agree to collectively work towards achieving an aspirational goal of significantly increasing the cumulative forest cover in the ASEAN region by at least 10 million hectares by 2020;

Source: ASEAN Declaration on Environmental Sustainability. Image attribution: 13th ASEAN Summit.

Share This

At the 13th ASEAN Summit in Singapore, ASEAN leaders signed the ASEAN Charter today, giving ASEAN a legal personality and more accountability. The Charter sets the institutional changes for ASEAN to meet future challenges as it celebrates its 40th anniversary since its’ founding in 1967. In the Charter, one of the purposes of ASEAN is:

To promote sustainable development so as to ensure the protection of the region’s environment, the sustainability of its natural resources, the preservation of its cultural heritage and the high quality of life of its peoples

ASEAN’s effort to ensure sustainable development in the region is an important part of contributing to Asia’s efforts to be green. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is made up of 10 countries - Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. ASEAN has a total population of about 567.5 million, a total area of 4.5 million square kilometers, and a combined GDP of over US$1 trillion. It is also home to a wide range of biodiversity and rich culture. The size and potential impact of ASEAN are usually overlooked and we tend to diminish the role of ASEAN in Asia. We have to recognise that acheiving sustainable development in ASEAN is a necessary step for Asia to be green.

More on the ASEAN Declaration on Environmental Sustainability tomorrow.

Share This