Question 1 (a)

The Singapore Green Plan 2030 is a nationwide campaign to achieve the country’s goal of safeguarding a sustainable future. With the green targets expected to be implemented over the next ten years, the comprehensive plan serves to develop and reinforce Singapore’s economy, climate, and living environment. Sustainability measures will position Singapore to meet its long-term net-zero emissions target. According to an article by Channel News Asia, the plan would strengthen Singapore’s commitments under the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and Paris Agreement (Ang & Mohan, 2021).

The plan highlights five key pillars: City in Nature, Energy Reset, Green Economy, Resilient Future, Sustainable Living, and Green Government. This assignment focuses on Sustainable Living and how it addresses intergenerational justice. The establishment of this pillar aims to move the country toward zero waste, reduce carbon emissions, and preserve a clean environment.

Intergenerational justice is the obligation of the current generations towards future generations day (Knappe & Renn, 2022). In response to the ten-year plan, collective measures have been taken to pay it forward and secure a healthy nation and liveable home for future generations. A circular economy, sustainable education, and sustainable transportation all contribute to intergenerational justice. Working towards a greener community will assure that the generations will have a healthier and greener future.

Question 1 (b)

Greenhouse gas is one of the largest contributors to man-made climate change and vehicles emit approximately 6.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. Several courses of action have been executed to support the Green Commutes component. The Ministry of Transport (MOT) has been trying to make the public transport system more reliable and convenient, minimizing carbon emissions with lesser cars. One detailed course of action is assuring that Singapore is making big strides toward a greener transportation system and increasing the usage of mass public transport.

The plan is supported by the expansion of public transport networks like trains, buses, and the conversion to cleaner energy vehicles (MOT Singapore, nd.). Over $60 billion has been invested to expand the network from 230km to 360km, bringing 8 in 10 households within a 10-minute walking distance of a train station. To ensure that Singaporeans can continue to have a cheaper alternative, an additional $200 million subsidy was allocated to mitigate the impact of fare increases on commuters. New public buses have been converted to eco-friendly electric buses as electric vehicles (EV) generate lesser carbon emissions than engine vehicles. To boost the EVs utilization rate, Singapore is introducing incentives for citizens (Tan, 2022). 60,000 charging points will be deployed across all HDB carparks to make it more convenient for Singaporeans to own an electric car.

New cycling paths have been developed to enhance active travel connectivity across Singapore. The plan aims to increase the cycling route network from 460km to 1,320km. Areas like schools, town centres, hawker centres, and parks are now conveniently connected via the wider cycling paths (Abdullah, 2020).

Singaporeans are supportive of the sustainable movement and this structured plan will lead achieving the targeted long-term goals. More individuals are taking trains and buses to work, with 55.7% of Singaporeans choosing public transportation over driving. Chua (2022) indicates that cycling has doubled in popularity. These will contribute to global environmental sustainability by improving the environment and Earth’s ecosystems. Diversity and inclusion are also fostered by ensuring all Singaporeans are involved in environmental sustainability. With the success of the Green Plan, Singapore will be able to achieve net-zero emissions.

Despite the benefits, some Singaporeans may be hesitant to switch to EVs because they are more familiar with engine vehicles. Citizens may consider electric car models bothersome since they have to be charged after use. With the incentives in place, Singapore will ultimately move toward cleaner vehicles.

Question 1 (c)

As the Green Plan is ongoing until 2030, there are certain obstacles that could hinder the movement since it is still relatively new. One example would be the utilization of EVs. Despite the Government providing incentives and benefits for EVs to be the majority of the vehicle population, there is a concern over the lack of charging infrastructure currently (Brunner, 2022). In addition to what was mentioned in 1(b), only around 2,500 charging points have been installed and this limits the accessibility of EVs for consumers. EVs are also generally more expensive, costing approximately 30% higher than engine cars (JTC, n.d.). As a result, EV adoption in Singapore has been slower than expected.

Since then, the Government has devised methods to address climate issues and encourage the usage of EVs. To lower the purchase costs, grants, and schemes have been implemented to further entice consumers to make the switch to EVs. The Singapore Government is also working closely with stakeholders to increase the number of charging points by 2030 in support of EV adoption (JTC, n.d.). Enabling consumers to charge their vehicles at work makes it more convenient for them as they do not have to cater additional time charging their cars (Tan, 2021).