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  Straits Times 16 Feb 07
Ask ourselves how we are contributing to the problem of global warming
Letter from Chia Hern Keng

Saving energy is also about saving the Earth.

However, when such environmental thoughts are entertained the tendency is to turn to the big picture of global warming, the melting of ice caps at the Poles, floods and hurricanes that are correctly or incorrectly attributed to environmental damage.

Wait a minute!

Right here in the way we live and our refusal to change for the better lies the root of environmental concern.

I speak of the trend of mass consumerism whereby people are always going for the latest fashion and gadget, even when existing ones that they own are still okay or workable. I speak also of the silly pride our nation announces to the world that there are more mobile phones than people in Singapore.

Then there is also the waste of food that is seen around us when people order more than they can eat. And what about the fact that nowadays few people can sleep at night except with the air-conditioner on?

If one wants to be a true environmentalist, then check oneself on these counts.

Before we can talk global warming, environmental destruction on the larger scale, ask ourselves in what small but ultimately very significant ways we are contributing to the problem.

Sometimes it is not just about knowing what to do to save the environment but also about overcoming the very difficult thing called human habit.

I would like to point out that despite the availability of energy-saving light bulbs in the market for many years, people still do not switch to them.

Recently I chatted up a few shopkeeper friends about their business in general and about their power bills in the recent wake of surges in oil prices. They complained that they were feeling the pain as the power bills were getting too high for them.

This comes as no surprise as there are easily 30 to 50 or more fluorescent tubes blazing away at any time in some shops, not to mention the air-conditioning. Just count the number of such light bulbs in a coffee shop and you can imagine what their power bills would be like. I advise them to switch over to the energy-saving lighting which can save them quite considerably.

For instance, a 20-watt energy-saving light bulb can provide an equivalent of 100 watts of brightness generated by a traditional light bulb. One shopkeeper friend even expressed surprise that such a great saving is possible even though such light bulbs can be purchased just next door from his shop.

I have previously urged the Government to implement solar energy islandwide and look into biofuel in a big way. One reply from the authorities was that solar energy could only feed a fraction of our energy consumption.

It is a mistake to discount solar energy and biofuel just because of this, any more than our nation were to dismiss water processing technologies like Newater just because currently it contributes only 1 per cent of our total water consumption.

The price of crude oil had been swinging wildly between US$50 and US$70 since the beginning of last year. And as the price surges we see our utilities bills soaring.

So why are alternative forms of energy still not seen as critical for the long-term and stable survival of our nation?

There is nothing mysterious or esoteric about environmentalism. It's just common sense to use what we need, go for cheaper and more efficient ways to doing things, be thrifty and not to waste things.

Such values have been part and parcel of civilisation from time immemorial but nowadays the power of mass consumerism caused in large part by ubiquitous marketing activities of businesses have almost completely swept away such values especially among the young.

In the end it is not just about environmentalism, it is also about how the future generation is going to effectively manage their limited resources.
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