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  Straits Times Forum 21 Feb 07
More steps needed to cut carbon emissions
Letter from Brian Lawrence

 Straits Times Forum 17 Feb 07
No mention of steps to address green concerns
Letter from Masood Mohajer

BUDGET 2007 may have poised Singaporeans for the future and the Government may have shown its 'capitalist head' and 'socialist heart', but there was a glaring omission.

This concerns the non-mention of any concrete fiscal measures and policies that might be implemented to address the environmental concerns of Singapore citizens.

There were corporate breaks, educational incentives and Workfare bonuses to assist the needy in our society. There was even a reduction of 8 per cent in road tax.

But what we did not see was any incentives offered to entice Singaporeans to embrace an environmentally friendly lifestyle.

For example, we did not see any further tax breaks on hybrid vehicles. There was no mention of any measures taken to encourage the use of solar panels to generate power to meet the needs of home owners. And there were no plans to help taxi companies switch thousands of taxis to natural gas as has been widely implemented in other cities.

In our efforts to become a global city, we must show the world we are serious about tackling climate change too.

Straits Times Forum 21 Feb 07
More steps needed to cut carbon emissions
Letter from Brian Lawrence

I REFER to the letter, 'No mention of steps to address green concerns', by Mr Masood Mohajer (ST, Feb17).

I am in complete agreement with Mr Masood over the glaring absence in the Budget of any measures to address current and future environmental concerns. It is laudable that Singapore has addressed some of these issues, for example switching to reliance on natural gas.

However, have sufficient measures been put in place to combat carbon emissions? These include regulating temperatures in office buildings, reducing the number of large SUVs on the road, lessening the impact on the environment when developing outlying islands as resorts, and monitoring the possible environmental impact of land reclamation.

And has there been any comprehensive environmental and sociological study before the Government's proposal to increase the population of this already crowded island to 6.5 million? Has there been any serious sociological study regarding the impact such an increase will have on people? Has there been any study as to its environmental impact on the island?

All we hear is how these policies will boost the economy. Is it so far-fetched to suggest that a burgeoning economy may not be socially or environmentally sustainable?

One simple way to encourage demand for hybrid vehicles is to eliminate both road tax and parking fees for such vehicles, as has been done in Britain. Elimination of the certificate of entitlement for such vehicles would make them even more attractive.

The Government's knee-jerk reaction to this may be that it is 'unrealistic'. But why is it unrealistic?

A small loss of revenue could contribute ultimately to a huge environmental gain. These are issues the Government should address seriously.
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