Saturday, October 31, 2009

S'pore Giving Lip Service To The Green Movement

Is Our Government Giving Only Lip Service To The Green Movement ?

I read with dismal that Singapore will not be one of the signatories to reduce global carbon emission. The reasons given by our government are :

1) being a tiny speck on the global scene, our carbon emission does not have much impact compare to other countries
2) it would affect our economy
3) the scientific evidence of global warming due to carbon emission is not conclusive

These are short-sighted and selfish views unbecoming of a developed progressive nation that claim to support the green movement. Here we have our MPs going around planting trees every year. But when it comes to concrete commitment, our government shy away from it. Is our government only paying only lip service to the green movement ?

These are my take on the reasons given by our government :
1) If every country holds such view, what will become of future of mother earth ? Besides,we have been taught that every little effort by an individual makes a difference in conservation of our environment.

2) If our economy is not doing well, it will affect the general election result. So perhaps this is the real concern of the government - their votes in the general election ?

3) Is not the annual haze in Singapore evident of carbon emission causing global warming ? The temperature rises to uncomfortable level every year during the haze season due to forest fire in Indonesia, which releases tons of carbon dioxide. We experience it physically. We do not need rocket science to prove it.

This whole event reminds us of the recent financial crisis. There were evidences that everything was not well in the financial sectors for years and yet everyone was in denial and did nothing until it was too late. So now we are heading for an environmental crisis in the near future due to short sightedness of the government.

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