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