What does climate change mean for Singapore and the world? What challenges are ahead? How do we shape the future we want?

1. 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.

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

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

6. 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.”

7. Source: Straits Times
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/this-month-on-track-to-be-hottest-april-on-record-cooler-weather-
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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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
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.

19. 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.

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

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

22. Businesses
Going specifically into Businesses sector

23. 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.

24. 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.

25. Civil Society
Going specifically into Civil Society sector

26. 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.

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

28. 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!

29. 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.

31. Individuals
Going specifically into Businesses sectors.

32. Home
Be Energy Efficient
Eat Wisely
Image Credit
http://www.lowcarbonsg.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/energy-
Image Credit
http://www.expatliving.sg/incoming/article33472.ece/alternates/w1024/2415948888_c9f72b9357.jpg

33. 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

34. 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

35. 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

36. Climate Change and Climate Action. What are
you going to do about it?