Good afternoon everyone!

I’m Lastrina, Co-Founder of Singapore Youth for Climate

Action, an interest group that was recently set up and

focusing on climate leadership training.

I’m also the Co-Founder of #LepakInSG. We started off as

an online calendar listing environmental events. Now,

we are also organising offline events that has a

sustainability theme around it.

Note, I’m not an academic or researcher, the perspective

I’m bringing in is of someone like you- a person who

reads on this issue every now and then.

To guide you through this 30 mins sharing, see here the Outline of my presentation.

In the context of climate change- temperature-CO2 emissions- carbon budgets.

World Part: As seen from

http://www.climate-energy-college.net/more-climate-spirals

“ The main point is that the temperatures do not spiral out

of control, even though that is what it looks like. We

control those temperatures. The more fossil fuels we

burn, the warmer it is going to get. Thus, we used the

graphical language of the spirals to show that cause-

effect chain from emissions to concentrations to

temperatures. If we want to keep warming below a

certain temperature level, like 1.5C or 2C, we need to

keep the cumulative CO2 emissions in check. And yet,

with ever bigger steps, we race towards trashing those

carbon budget limits.”

Source: Straits Times

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/this-month-on-track-to-be-hottest-april-on-record-cooler-weather-expected-in-early-may

Singapore part: For general climate impacts on Singapore, check out MEWR, NCCS, NEA websites. I’m highlighting a few specific examples here.

Temperature- Climate change can cause more extreme weather events, and in this case,

hot places to become even hotter. April 2016 was the hottest month on record since records began in 1929.

Source: Channel NewsAsia

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/receding-water-levels-at/2728248.html

Rainfall- Climate change can affect rainfall intensity and frequency. Rising temperatures cause more water to evaporate. In this case, it caused Linggiu Reservoir in Johor to dry up. Singapore gets roughly 50% of our water supply from Johor. This affects our water security.

Source: wildsingapore http://wildshores.blogspot.sg/

Sea- Climate change causes sea water to heat up.

Warmer water temperatures causes coral bleaching.

Corals turn white and die. This is bad. Why?

http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/habitats/coralreefs/coral-reefs-c

They shelter 25 percent of marine species,

protect shorelines,

support fishing industries,

provide tourist dollars—and

could be home to the next big, undiscovered medical

breakthrough.

Energy-Hungry Asia to Consume More Fossil Fuel

Visit

http://www.macquarie.com/sg/corporate/expertise/asia-powerstation

for article published 29 March 2016.

“Macquarie analysts predict Asia's

demand for oil, gas and coal will

increase by 23 per cent by 2025,

bringing with it an annual increase in

emissions of 21 per cent.

Macquarie's oil and gas research team

estimates that Asia's primary energy

consumption will rise by 31 per cent in

the next nine years and two thirds of

that increase will come from fossil fuels.”

Projection till 2025 to show Asia still fossil dependent.

Southeast Asia’s Energy Landscape is set for Major Change

Visit

https://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/WEO2015_SouthEastAsia.pdf

for the entire Southeast Asia Energy Outlook -

World Energy Outlook Special Report 2015

“Southeast Asia’s energy demand grows by 80% from today to just under 1 100 Mtoe in 2040, accompanying a regional economy that more than triples in size and a population that rises by almost a quarter to 760 million.

The share of fossil fuels in the energy mix rises from 74% in 2013 to 78% in 2040.”

Projection till 2040 to show Southeast Asia is fossil dependent.

Visit ASEAN Energy Review and Statistics 2013

http://www.aseanenergy.org/resources/publications/asean-energy-review-and-statistics-2013/

Previous 2 slides shows Projections. This is the actual happening from 2002 to 2011. You can see the bottom

three colours- light blue, orange and grey representing coal,

oil, gas, has been increasing.

The ASEAN total final energy consumption comparison based

on year-on-year basis, shows that others energy has the biggest increased recorded in 2004 with a growth of 1.7

times than previous year. Gas and products consumption increased most substantially with 74.7% in 2004. Coal has

its biggest increased with 29.5% in 2008. Oil products and electricity has its biggest increased with 23.9% in 2010 and

11.4% in 2009 respectively. Others energy has the most annual increased with 21.1% followed by coal with 14.6%

and gas and products with 9.9%. Electricity and oil products annually increased with 6.1% and 4.6% respectively. The

biggest average annual growth of ASEAN total final energy

consumption was recorded about 61.7% in 2004.

Military coup in Thailand

Decades of strifes with ethnic groups in

Myanmar

Domestic priorities in Indonesia

Scandal with current Prime Minister in

Malaysia

Speculation that General Elections in

Singapore to be held early 2017

Telenovela in Philippines politics

Political Instability Returns to Southeast Asia

Visit

http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21646249-political-instability-returns-south-east-asia-trouble-home

to read the full article published 14

March 2015.

In the Southeast Asia context, we have always had political

instability. This was originally on the printed edition of The

Economist which was also made available online.

The Economist is an English-language weekly newspaper owned by the Economist Group and edited in offices based in London.

It’s a short read, and I basically picked out the issues the writer

brought up.

It may seems like General Affairs or exciting political news to you. To me, these are the kind of issues which can erode, dampen or

slow down the collective efforts to reduce carbon emissions. If

the priority or national resources are put on these kind of issues, then, the focus on national issues focused on the environment

may not become a main priority.

Indonesia’s Fire

Outbreak Producing More Daily Emissions than the Entire US

Economy

Read

http://www.wri.org/blog/2015/10/indonesia%E2%80%99s-fire-outbreaks-producing-more-daily-emissions-entire-us-economy

for full article published 16 October

2015

According to estimates released this week by

Guido van der Werf on the

Global Fire Emissions Database, there have

been nearly 100,000 active fire detections in

Indonesia so far in 2015, which since

September have generated emissions each

day exceeding the average daily emissions

from all U.S. economic activity.

Another issue I thought may erode, dampen or slow down the collective effort to reduce carbon emission, and I have to bring this up.. Is the fire outbreaks that is happening in Indonesia.

I think most of us would have seen this

dramatic statistics that was floating around last year, that the fire outbreak in Indonesia was producing more daily emissions than the entire US economy.

Source: NAZCA http://climateaction.unfccc.int/

As a general start, all of us can check out this website. (Good to have internet to show). See what “actions” other entities are taking. Get some ideas of what can be done.

Non state actor zone for climate action.

Source: NAZCA http://climateaction.unfccc.int/company/singapore-technologies-engineering

Source: NAZCA

http://climateaction.unfccc.int/cso/indigenous-peoples%E2%80%99-global-partnership-on-climate-change,-forests-and-sustainable-development

Businesses

Going specifically into Businesses sector

First. Companies can measure and manage the organisation’s social and environmental impacts.

In Singapore’s context, SMEs or small-medium enterprises, accounts for 90% for all types of enterprises.

Not all companies have Sustainability Departments or a team to look at such issues, and not all

companies have the budget to hire a consultant to do this work for them.

For a start, what I encourage all companies to do is to make use of free quick impact assessment tools out

there to measure and improve their socio-environmental impacts. The example I have here is the Quick

Impact Assessment provided by B Corp. More than 20 000 businesses globally including Ben & Jerry’s,

Prudential and Patagonia use this tool.

Additionally, you can also be certified by B Corp. If you get this, it means you have met certain social

sustainability and environmental standards. In Singapore 3 companies are B-corp certified. Bettr Barista

(full service mobile brew bar, retail coffee machines, train youth at risk etc), Genashtim (e-Learning

platform) and Gone Adventurin’ (Employee engagement activities and Communication services). And

these are small companies. If they can do it so can you.

Of course, if your organisations has the means and capacity to do something more, all the more you should

do it.

+ Monitor carbon footprint, energy usage / Reducing emissions in operations / Increasing RE supply

Back in 2009, Standard Chartered at Changi Business Park announced it was awarded Platinum Green

Mark Certification by BCA https://www.sc.com/sg/press-releases/en/_pdf/2009/press_090527.pdf I chose

this example as I was there for an eco tour in 2012.

+ The built-to-suit office building integrates energy and water efficient features and is expected to

reduce energy consumption by up to 36 percent compared to conventional buildings in Singapore.

+ Solar panels to generate sufficient power to maintain the building when unoccupied. This would

maintain emergency systems and landscape irrigation so the building effectively has zero energy

consumption when not in use.

So really, the learning point is: You can manage what you can measure. So, as a start, please measure.

Align Your Organisation’s Efforts with the Singapore Sustainable Blueprint

Check out Singapore

Sustainable Blueprint 2015

document here

http://www.mewr.gov.sg/ssb/files/ssb2015.pdf

Contains a series of environment

goals to be met by 2030.

Five thrusts under the blueprint,

namely (i) "Eco-Smart"

Endearing Towns; (ii) A "Car-Lite"

Singapore; (iii) Towards A Zero

Waste Nation; (iv) A Leading

Green Economy; and (v) An

Active And Gracious Community.

Second. Align your organisation’s efforts with the Singapore Sustainable Blueprint.

I spent some time on the earlier slide. Quickly touching on this. You can read the

document at your own time and target.

For example, on Mobility, our 2030 target is to have a modal share of journey’s during peak hours to be 75% (64% in 2013), encourage your employees to

take public transport, arrange a work schedule that avoids peak hours.

For example, on Resource Sustainability, our 2030 target is to have a non-domestic recycling rate of 81% (77% in 2013), provide recycling bins and inculcate recycling habits.

At the end of the day, small actions that you do in your company, adds up to the larger goal of reducing global carbon emissions.

Understand the relationship that a sustainable city can contribute to a climate-friendly planet.

Civil Society

Going specifically into Civil Society sector

First, I feel the simplest thing civil society can do in helping this cause of reducing emission, climate change and climate action, is that.. Whenever possible, simplify the terms and narratives so that we can communicate climate change better.

I recently got to know about Little Climate. It’s a comic book, using cartoons to talk about climate change.

If you go online there’s also a short quiz you can do to test your understanding of climate

change facts.

Second. Collaborate and organise events the general public would be interested in.

It’s quite amazing how got everyone together to contribute what they can when they can for this festival.

And that’s the best part, when civil society groups can come together to create a festival of documentary screenings and

educational activities, and reach out to people we don’t usually meet at climate change talks.. Like this one!

Third, do something a bit more intense. Engage those who want to learn more. This is just one example of what SYCA

is doing.

There’s other groups like Ground-Up Initiative and the GUTS program, ECO Singapore and their Fellowship program.

At the end of the day, I think all these programs, which have various content and happening different times, allows civil

society groups to reach out to various networks, and spreading the cause further, training more people, creating

more agents of change.

I think what we want at the end of the day is to have a mass pool of concerned citizens who are aware of why climate

change and climate action is such a big deal and why they must act on it now.

Individuals

Going specifically into Businesses sectors.

Home

Be Energy Efficient

Eat Wisely

Image Credit

http://www.lowcarbonsg.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/energy-efficiency.jpg

Image Credit

http://www.expatliving.sg/incoming/article33472.ece/alternates/w1024/2415948888_c9f72b9357.jpg

School

Contribute and Lead the

School Green Club

Eg: Commonwealth

Secondary School

Ask for environmental issues

to be integrated into the

school curriculum- as part

of General Paper talks or

morning assembly talks

Eg: Jurong Junior

College

Contribute to a larger network

Eg: I’dECO based in

Yale-NUS

Image Credit

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2075/3876000827_bcec7607d8_m.jpg

Community

Start your own project and invite

others in!

Check out Journey to Zero

Waste Life in Singapore

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ZeroWasteJourneySg

And this 3.5 mins video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H062E8FMwjc

Country

Contact your Member of

Parliament and tell them

how you can support or

lead an environmental

project

Whatever projects or events

you organise, make it

purposeful so that the

outputs can be inputs for

legislation purposes also.

Eg: #up2degress finding

shared with Louis

Ng.

Image Credit

http://sg.asia-city.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/item_image/Louis-Ng.jpg

Image Credit

http://www.todayonline.com/sites/default/file

Climate Change and Climate Action. What are

you going to do about it?