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THE JUSTICE OF GOING GREEN

Any other colour would be regressive

NOÉL
6 min readJun 15, 2023

Going green isn’t just a trendy thing, it is literally mitigating the ecological destruction and social displacement of our planet. If left unchecked, our current unsustainable ways will affect our children and our children’s children (Kolinjivadi, 2019).

This responsibility to preserve the environment for the benefit of future generations is called Intergenerational Justice. It’s a concept of fairness and equity, to ensure that future generations inherit a world that is liveable, sustainable, and equitable (Low, 2019).

The Singapore Green Plan 2030
The Singapore Green Plan 2030

The Singapore Green Plan 2030 is tethered to Intergenerational Justice as its focus is on the future, starting with the present. The plan is to advance Singapore’s green agenda and achieve its commitment to the Paris Agreement, by reducing carbon emissions by 36% from 2005 levels by 2030 (NEA, 2023).

The plan comprises of five pillars (Gorman and Licnachan, 2021):

  1. City in Nature: To plant 1 million trees; develop new parks; and add 1,000ha of green spaces.
  2. Sustainable Living: To enhance environment education; build carbon-neutral schools; expand rail networks and cycling paths; and reduce water consumption and waste.
  3. Energy Reset: To cease diesel-car registrations; install more EV charging points; build super-low-energy buildings; and quintuple solar energy deployment.
  4. Green Economy: To incentivise sustainable practices among local enterprises; develop green services and finance; and create jobs in sustainable industries.
  5. Resilient Future: To fortify the coastline; heighten flood protection measures; safeguard food security; and moderate urban heat with technology.

ENERGY RESET

Under the Energy Reset pillar, the plan is to lower greenhouse emissions, increase renewable energy use, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

To achieve these goals, the Singapore government plans to cease diesel car registrations by 2025, lower road tax for mass-market electric cars, install 60,000 EV charging points by 2030, and make 80% of new buildings super-low-energy developments from 2030.

The Energy Reset pillar plans to lower greenhouse emissions, increase renewable energy use, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
The Energy Reset pillar plans to lower greenhouse emissions, increase renewable energy use, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

Solar energy will be quintupled to at least 2 gigawatt-peak by 2030, which equals powering approximately 350,000 households annually.

Lastly, cleaner electricity imports and higher renewable energy R&D on will be studied (SG Green Plan, 2023).

Considerations & Challenges

For the effective implementation of the Energy Reset pillar, the governance, participation, and compliance need to be examined.

The Singapore government has to provide incentives for renewable energy, set energy efficiency standards, and ensure transparency in the implementation.

Businesses and citizens need to be engaged and educated on the importance of energy reduction and renewable energy, through community-engagement programmes.

Compliance could be the most challenging as it requires extensive resources to perform audits to ensure that the goals are met.

The Green Plan will also require significant financial resources, and there may be competing demands from unexpected situations like the pandemic or global recession. Critics argue that the plan’s impact may be swayed by changing political priorities, as well as public apathy towards environmental issues (Cheang, 2022).

Still, for climacteric change to happen, it needs to start with good intentions.

Diversity Appreciation

If done right, the results will generate greater diversity for Singapore, making it more eco-friendly and socially-cohesive as different ethnic and socio-economic groups participate in environmental initiatives (Tan, 2021).

The plan would also restore degraded habitats, promote sustainable land-use practices, and protect endangered species (SG Green Plan, 2023).

And it would address inequalities by those affected by green measures, due to low income or disability (Ho, 2021).

Global Role

The Singapore Green Plan will also play a role in global environmental sustainability. By reducing its own environmental impact, Singapore can serve as a role model for other countries in the global effort to address climate change (NCCS, 2022).

STARTS WITH ME

There are several individual actions that ordinary Singaporeans can take to support the Energy Reset pillar. One of which is to use public transportation, with the resulting benefits:

  1. Taking the MRT or bus makes us healthier as it requires us to walk from our front doors to the nearest station or bus-stop (Wasfi et al, 2013).
  2. Public transportation reduces air pollution. Less fuel burned means better air quality (KCATA, 2023).
  3. It minimises road congestion, which translates to faster commuting time, and higher economic gains, especially for businesses and properties situated near MRT stations (Begum, 2022).
  4. Lastly, taking public transportation improves our productivity as we can sleep, read, or relax while on our way to and from work (DCTA, 2018).
Walking won’t kill ya.

Still, some people may prefer the luxury of driving, even if it is less environmentally-friendly. Others with disabilities or living in areas without accessible public transportation may find it challenging. Lastly, the rush-hour squeeze may deter those wary of pandemic spread (Subhani, 2021).

In conclusion, the Singapore Green Plan’s Energy Reset pillar aims to use cleaner energy sources across all sectors. Individual actions can contribute to the plan’s success by using public transportation. Overall, the benefits will be far-reaching, making Singapore more eco-friendly, socially cohesive, and serving as a role model for other countries. Ultimately, going green is not just a trend, but a responsibility for future generations.

REFERENCES:

Singapore Green Plan 2030
Going Green
Sustainable Living
Heat Pump Service

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NOÉL

Written by NOÉL

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Simply put, brutally.

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