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  Today Online 8 Feb 07
Green teens do their bit
Letter from chia ye hui

Today Online 6 Feb 07
It's high time we talked about the weather
Philip Ang Keng Hong

The article, "Climate change report points finger at humans" (Feb 3-4), will likely be dismissed by readers as just another article on global warming.

Although the latest UN report states in no uncertain terms that humans--yes, we--are responsible for global warming, the constant harping on the capping of emission of greenhouse gases by industrialised countries neglects the equally guilty culprit that is our culture of convenience.

The effects of global warming as we are presently witnessing is the cumulative pollution of the last few decades. With a global population that has almost doubled during the last 40 years indulging in a lifestyle of convenience, we will be the cause of future global warming which will be much more life-threatening.

Despite the increase in the intensity and number of environmental disasters the last few years, we continue to be live in a state of denial.

The immediate solution lies in a fundamental change to our lifestyle of convenience. It is the root cause of our problem because the production of goods adversely affects our climate.

So is the subsequent incineration of used and unwanted items.

Recycling has become synonymous with our contribution to global warming. But we seem to ignore the fact that recycling also requires energy and, again, causes pollution.

Governments' symbiotic relationship with businesses makes it impossible to tackle the problem from the demand/consumption aspect as is required.

We remain constantly preoccupied with the profit motive and our consumption is based on the only sole consideration of price.

Businesses continue to be blind to the fact that global warming will one day evaporate their profits. Billion-dollar losses in damages are already commonly-reported figures and this looks set to increase.

We had the window of opportunity to act but have chosen to go in the opposite direction. Planet Earth continues to be a playground with an ever-increasing number of convenient (mostly disposable) items, not to mention a huge and growing number of gas-guzzling SUVs being added to about three-quarters of a billion cars worldwide.

Our impulse for instant gratification blinds us to the fact that our foolish actions will negatively impact future generations.

A good business model means one which produces goods which are not durable in order to keep factories humming. Businesses are no longer talking about survival but extreme corporate and individual greed.

Even a well-educated society like Singapore still does not understand, or chooses to ignore, the perils of our inaction.

Ask any Singaporean, and the probable answers to our climate change contributions are "I don't know", "doesn't really affect us", or "recycling".

We continue with our favourite national pastime--"shop-till-you-drop", which has almost become a virtue.

Symptomatic of our collective failure is our plastic bag usage--every Singaporean uses about 1,000 bags a year, compared to just 900 per person in Taiwan and 326 per person in Australia.

Businesses have not reviewed wasteful practices and most building managements and offices do not put into practice their awareness to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Global warming had long required urgent attention but continues to be met with foot-dragging.

With our individual pitiful or non-existent efforts, we have clearly chosen to remain only spectators to an unfolding environmental catastrophe.

This commentary was contributed by a Today reader.

Today Online 8 Feb 07
Green teens do their bit
Letter from chia ye hui

I agree with Mr Philip Ang, who wrote in his I Say column "It's high time we talked about weather" (Feb 6) that Singaporeans have much room for improvement when it comes to being environmentally aware.

Thus, it was very encouraging when my fellow students at Nanyang Girls High School campaigned to stop using styrofoam boxes in our school canteen--and succeeded.

We are now substituting them with cardboard boxes lined with plastic sheets, although we have yet to find a better solution.

This shows that we too, as teenagers, can play a part in saving the environment.
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