Singapore’s efforts to redeem its image

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Singapore has agreed to several “key multilateral treaties on the environment, sustainable development and climate change”. These include the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, UN Convention on Biological Diversity, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC and several others.

The Singapore Government has also passed an Energy Conservation Act to encourage companies to manage the amount of energy they consume. However it is argued that while this is merely a request, some companies continue with their old habits because they do not have targets to meet and there are no penalties such as levies and taxes to deter them. It was also highlighted that not every company has the knowledge and resource to manage its energy consumption level thus unless the government is going to step in and provide guidance, not every business is going to take up this effort voluntarily.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has a Green Building Masterplan to turn at least 80% of buildings in Singapore into green buildings. This means most buildings will be “energy and water efficient” by 2030. To kick start its grand plan, the BCA launched The Green Mark Scheme in 2005 “to drive Singapore’s construction industry towards more environmentally-friendly buildings”.