In
the article “Why Climates fight needs engineers”, Shah (2015) shares that
Asia’s development is susceptible to a hostile environment. Global warming
increases the awareness and desperation of a de-carbonised economy.
The author indicates that with the growing demand to transform into a ‘sustainable
urban’ and monetary system, engineering solutions will see a peak in both local
and regional area. Experts face hurdles in their attempts to combine integrate
individual technology into a single system. I agree with the author that
engineers have a crucial role to play in solving sustainability challenges
because cutting down emission of carbon will mitigate the effect of global
warming.
With the increase of carbon footprints
and global warming, the world has become susceptible to climate change. El Niño
is ‘climatic phenomenon caused by a long-term increase in the Pacific Ocean
surface temperature’. This phenomenon wreaks havoc on the weather conditions,
for example, causing lesser rainfall. This reacts to ‘hot and dry weather that
promotes sparking forest fires’ which cause haze. Contributing to the severity
of the haze, palm oil companies in Indonesia use unscrupulous methods to clear
vegetation. Due to the huge amount of carbon stored in the tropical peat
soils during deforestation, heat trap in the soil have contribute dramatically
to global warming. Palm oil, paper and logging companies have a very intimate
relationship, as they are responsible for the deforestation in Indonesia. In
the article (5 Ways To Fight Haze), the author states that to alleviate the
situation of deforestation, corporations from the Round Table on Sustainable
Palm Oil (RSPO) adopt sustainable palm oil and paper in their product. In
another article (Palm oil waste put to work), the author mention that engineers
in Singapore found ways to fully utilize palm oil production by converting its
waste into industrial use.
Singapore has one of
the world’s highest carbon emissions per capita, states Kitten (2015).
To tackle this issue, ‘renewable energy, electric vehicles and energy
efficiency’ are a few of the initiatives carried out by the Singapore
government to becoming a green economy. Singapore’s very own water
sustainability, NEWater, is the result of today’s water treatment technology.
It greatly reduces the reliance of importing water from Malaysia. The
government launched the ‘BCA Green Mark Scheme’ in January 2005 to encourage
Singapore’s construction industry towards a more environmental friendly
building. The scheme fights to reduce the cost in utility bills and scale down
the emission of carbon. Absence of these initiatives would not materialize
without sustainable technology. With the help of engineers, development of new
technologies will help the world gain sustainability
In
Singapore’s context, energy is a vital resource because we are almost
completely dependent on external energy sources to support economic activity
and growth. Furthermore, due to our alternative energy disadvantaged
city-state, there will be limitations to the reductions of carbon emissions.
The Singapore Government educates local citizens to purchase electrical
appliances that are more energy efficient. This effort can promote energy
conservancy and capability. Consumers can have a clearer and better
understanding on the energy performance of the appliances they buy that will
transform into cost savings. Energy efficiency is also a key means to diminish
greenhouse gas effect. As we face noteworthy planetary issues, for example, an
Earth-wide temperature boost, sea fermentation, biodiversity misfortune and
urban movement, it is clear that the engineering profession has a huge part to
play in influencing the eventual fate of our planet.
In
conclusion, climate change is a global issue that
requires engineering solutions. Therefore, engineers plays a crucial role in
solving sustainability challenges.
References:
Vaieshi, S. (2015, June 8). Why Climate Fights
Needs Engineers. Eco-business.
Retrieved From http://www.eco-business.com/news/why-the-climate-fight-needs-engineers/
Resources:
Benefits of renewable
energy use. (n.d). Retrieved from
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/renewable-energy/public-benefits-of-renewable.html
5 Ways to Fight Haze. (n.d) Retrieved
from
Palm oil waste put to work.
(2013, November 20). Retrieved from http://www.research.a-star.edu.sg/research/6809/palm-oil-waste-put-to-work
Palm Oil and Tropical
Deforestation. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/solutions/stop-deforestation/palm-oil-and-forests.html#.Vh0k_hOqqko
