How does Singapore tackle climate change?

The Singapore Green Plan 2012 aims to reduce carbon emissions by using

Singapore is using natural gas as an energy source because...

• it is easy to harvest from dairy farms

• it is easy to harvest from incineration plants when waste is being burnt

• it contains the least amount of carbon, so it emits the least amount of greenhouse gases.

One success of the Singapore Green Plan 2012 is that...

• by 2017, about 95% of Singapore’s energy was produced from natural gas.

• natural gas requires complex treatment plants to process and pipelines to transport.

• It is expensive to use natural gas because of high maintenance costs for laying and inspecting underground pipelines.

The SolarLand programme and SolarRoof programme involves installing rooftop and land-based solar cells in industrial facilities to capture solar energy.

• True

• False

How are the SolarLand and SolarRoof programmes successful?

• Singapore has met its 2020 target of 320-megawatt peak (MWp) of solar energy.

• Singapore can reduce its reliance on fossil fuels for energy and tons of carbon emissions are being reduced.

• There still will not be enough solar energy to power all households in Singapore.

• The bulk of Singapore’s energy demand still must be fulfilled with fossil fuel (natural gas).

What are the limitations of the SolarLand and SolarRoof programmes?

• Solar energy absorption is less efficient during thunderstorms which happen frequently in Singapore.

• There still will not be enough solar energy to power all households in Singapore. As of 2019, there are about 1.3 million households.

• Solar energy is cheaper, more affordable, and more sustainable than using fossil fuel for energy.

• Adopting solar energy is practical because Singapore is located in the equatorial region where intense sunlight is received throughout the year.

The aim of the Green Mark Scheme is to encourage the construction of green buildings which are

How are green buildings designed to lower energy consumption?

• Vertical greenery and green roofs absorb carbon dioxide to reduce heat trapped in the surroundings.

• Keep indoor temperatures cool, so less air conditioning can be used.

• Materials and technologies involved in their construction are more expensive than conventional methods.

• Solar panels collect solar energy which can be converted into electricity.

How has the Plant-A-Tree programme been effective?

• Thousands of trees have been planted annually. This nationwide effort involves volunteers and corporations in planting tree saplings in nature reserves, parks, and existing and new housing estates.

• Trees are being planted wherever new roads have been built. These efforts help to minimize carbon emissions from Singapore’s changing land uses.

• The rate of replanting trees in Singapore is not able to match the rate of deforestation happening worldwide in places like the Amazon rainforest.

• New trees take many years to mature. Newly planted tree saplings cannot absorb as much CO₂ as fully grown trees.

What are the limitations of Singapore's Plant-A-Tree programme in tackling global climate change?

• New trees take many years to mature. Newly planted tree saplings cannot absorb as much CO₂ as fully grown trees. Hence, the aim of reducing tons of greenhouse gases per year cannot be achieved immediately.

• The rate of replanting trees in Singapore is not able to match the rate of deforestation happening worldwide in places like the Amazon rainforest.

• Singapore is a small country, so the scale of the Plant-A-Tree programme is small compared to what is needed on a global scale to tackle climate change.

• Trees are being planted wherever new roads have been built.