Reader Response Draft 4

In the article “Why the Climate 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 areas. Experts face hurdles in their attempts to integrate individual technology into a single system. The ‘Engineers Progession Pathway Progamme’ was setup by National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) and Insititute of Engineers (IES) to help young engineers improve on their specialised skills. I agree with the author that engineers have a crucial role to play in solving sustainability challenges because cutting down the emission of carbon will mitigate some of the effect of global warming.

Engineers can make the world less susceptible to climate change by reducing carbon footprints and global warming. El Niño is climatic phenomenon caused by a long-term increase in the Pacific Ocean surface temperature (Ho & Koh, 2015). It wreaks havoc on the weather conditions causing unpredictable rainfall. The amount of rainfall can 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 trapped in the soil have contributed 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 webpage, “5 Ways To Fight Haze”(n.d.), 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 mentions that engineers in Singapore found ways to fully utilize palm oil production by converting its waste into industrial use. Without engineers, these valuable resources would be wasted or buried in the ground.

With the help of engineers, development of new technologies will help the Singapore gain sustainability. 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. In the webpage, “About BCA Green Mark Scheme”(n.d), reveals that Singapore 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.

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 (NEA, 2015). 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 the world faces 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. Although Singapore have alternative energy disadvantages, through the aid of sustainable technology, Singapore is one step closer to transform into a green economy. Global warming increases the demand of more engineering solutions to reduce the emission of carbon. Therefore, engineers plays a crucial role in solving sustainability challenges.

References

A Star Research. (2013, November 20). Palm oil waste put to work.  Retrieved from http://www.research.a-star.edu.sg/research/6809/palm-oil-waste-put-to-work

BCA (2015, 25 November). About BCA Green Mark Scheme. Retrieved from

http://www.bca.gov.sg/greenmark/green_mark_buildings.html

National Library Board. (2015, 25 August). Haze Pollution. Retrieved from http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_2013-08-30_185150.html

NEA Research. (2015, November 23). Tick Rating. Retrieved from http://www.nea.gov.sg/energy-waste/energy-efficiency/household-sector/tick-rating

PM-Haze. (n.d.). 5 Ways to Fight Haze. Retrieved from http://pmhaze.org/be-a-haze-fighter/5-ways-to-fight-haze/

Union of Concerned Scientists. (n.d). Palm Oil and Tropical Deforestation. Retrieved from http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/solutions/stop-deforestation/palm-oil-and-forests.html#.Vh0k_hOqqko

Union of Concerned Scientists. (n.d). Benefits of renewable energy use. Retrieved from http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/renewable-energy/public-benefits-of-renewable.html

V.Shah. (2015, June 8). Why Climate Fights Needs Engineers. Eco-business. Retrieved From http://www.eco-business.com/news/why-the-climate-fight-needs-engineers/

Edited 5/12/15