Related article : “How to stop freaking out and tackle climate change” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/opinion/sunday/how-to-help-climate-change.html
In any complex collective action problem there are four stages in the problem solving process — 1) defining the problem, 2) research the technology solution options, 3) policies that implement those solutions and 4) the politics to decide on the policies.
Thanks to the IPCC and many scientists and engineers around the world, most of the work is complete for 1) and 2), and we have many good examples to draw from economists and policy researchers in the EU, US and other countries for 3). For Singapore, there is some touch-up work to do to apply the work of others to Singapore context 3) (The Green New Deal). What remains then as the big challenge is 4) to mobilize a coalition to achieve the political will for change.
This article is organized into 3 sections:
The case for climate action
Organizations pushing for systemic climate action
In-demand roles and skills for getting involved
The case for climate action in Singapore
The world is falling behind on climate action. In December, scientists in a report by the UN warned that must reduce emissions by 7.6% per year from 2020 until 2030 to avert catastrophe, stabilize the climate to <1.5C of warming. Singapore’s current policy gaps are incompatible with a global warming of < 1.5C. The IPCC report of 2018 calls on governments around the world to reduce emissions by -45% by 2030, net zero by 2050 and to peak immediately.
There are a number of gaps which have been analyzed in detail in an earlier article. Three policy gaps in particular related to combat the crisis
Policy gap improvement areas for Singapore
Updated Nationally Declared Contribution (NDC) pledge to the Paris Agreement in terms of absolute emission that match or beat the scientific targets of -45% by 2030, zero by 2050 and peaking as soon as possible.
A decarbonization plan that defines how the scientific targets will be achieved
Meaningful carbon pricing in the range of S$55-100/ton which would make many of the technological opportunities relevant to Singapore such as CCUS economically viable
Singapore’s territorial emissions in 2018 is estimated to be approximately 8.1 tons per capita 40% from petrochemicals, 20% from other manufacturing and commercial, 20% from building cooling AC 16% from transport vehicles and 4% from households, hospitals, schools and government buildings. The power grid is 46% of emissions and 95% natural gas. Total carbon footprint including imported emissions depending on the estimate is 20-30 tons/ca in the top 90th percentile in the world. To date emissions per capita have been steady or decreasing in the past 5 year period depending on the estimation and source. The NDC to the Paris Agreement is officially stated to reduce emissions intensity per $ of GDP by -36% from 2005 levels and stabilize by 2030 which is forecasted to result in a net increase in emissions in the short term. This NDC is rated as highly insufficient by 3rd party Climate Action Tracker and consistent with a business-as-usual pathway to catastrophic warming of +3 to 4C warming by 2100. Starting in 2020 the Singapore government has implemented a carbon tax of S$ 5/ton, stated intention to increase rooftop solar capacity to 4% of the grid and pledged to increase 90% of transit journeys on public transport by 2030. To address imported emissions and food security, the Singapore government has also committed to increase local food production to 30% by 2030.
When it comes to taking action on climate change, the best advice is to decide for yourself which aspect you are most passionate about, and how you can best apply your skills and talents to the organizations that are already working on pushing for systemic change.
Who are the organizations pushing for systemic action on climate change in Singapore and how can you get involved?
This short article presents the organizations, and the types of roles and skills currently in demand and how you can get in touch to become more involved.
Organizations pushing for systemic change on climate action policy in Singapore
Active organizations
SG climate rally (SGCR)
LepakInSG
Climate conversations
Singapore Youth for Climate Action (SYCA)
Fossil Free Yale NUS (FFYNUS)
350 Singapore (350SG)
Green New Deal Singapore (GND)
SG climate rally (SGCR)
A grassroots organization that seeks to bring Singapore’s climate action policy into full compliance with a 1.5C warming emissions reduction path. In Sep 2019 in coordination with the global climate strike the organizers held a public rally at Hong Lim Park that attracted more than 1,700 participants and launched their call to action message. Current 2020 campaigns seek to mobilize and educate the public towards systemic change.
The four open campaigns are : GreenWatch Election 2020, Public education and outreach, decarbonizing businesses, Open climate forum.
Calls to action https://tinyurl.com/SGCRCTA Sign-up url http://tinyurl.com/2019sgcr Media article : Big turnout at Hong Lim Park — Strait Times
LepakInSG
A one-stop calendar listing environmental events and activities in Singapore! + organise offline events to raise action and awareness!
Find out more on the LepakInSG website and how to volunteer https://lepakinsg.wordpress.com/
Climate conversations
A registered non-profit organization in Singapore which aims to raise awareness about climate change through talks in small groups. Their strategy is based on the theory of change that social and political will for change is inevitable once active participation has crossed the critical mass of supporters. Support is available to Donate, Volunteer, Host a conversation and some limited full-time roles. Volunteer roles are available for conversation Facilitators, Hosts, and other roles.
Website : https://climateconversations.sg/
Singapore Youth for Climate Action (SYCA)
SYCA is a community of young residents in Singapore that wants to plant seeds amongst passionate young leaders, turn snowballs into avalanches, and mobilise the most powerful force yet in the global climate movement. The team seeks to transform this landscape by providing a platform for advocates to stand forward as mentors, provide resources, learn and network with like-mind individuals.
Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sgyouthclimateaction/
Fossil Free Yale NUS (FFYNUS)
NUS On-campus group targeting the endowment fund to divest from fossil fuels.
Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/fossilfreeync/
350 Singapore (350SG)
350 Singapore is a team that is working to inspire the public, policymakers, and industry to get Singapore on track to a world within 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming, through a just transition to a net-zero carbon future by 2050. 350 Singapore supports the global 350.org movement which aims to limit global warming to <1.5C by keeping fossil fuels in the ground.
To find out more contact 350sg hello@350sg.org
Read the Vision 2050 : A People's climate action plan for Singapore https://www.350sg.org/nccs-consultation
global 350.org
Green New Deal Singapore (GND)
Green New Deal Singapore is an open collaboration project of grassroots citizen co-creating climate change policy. The program also translates the technical details of policy to practical realities of stakeholders - households, businesses and international allies. Change is possible with broad public demand, and that is possible once the public is aware that progressive climate change policy is a good deal for everyone. The policy proposal touches on all aspects of climate change policy - petrochemicals, manufacturing, power generation, transportation, buildings, agriculture and ecosystems, finance, citizen co-creation and ASEAN regional cooperation. The active volunteer team contributes in areas of policy research, energy, economics, social issues and public engagement. Roles are available for Principal Investigator, Academic Mentor, Research Scientists and Engineers. Relevant disciplines span a wide range such as Economics, Public Policy, Renewables, Petrochemicals, Circular Manufacturing, Environment and Ecology, Sustainable Agriculture.
Find out more on the Green New Deal homepage
Find out how you can get involved Get involved
In-demand roles and skills for getting involved
Mentor / Volunteer organizer
Creative arts — music, video, etc..
Marketing and social media
Educator — lecturing, developing course curriculum
Data science
Web developer
Research Scientist
Engineer
Mentor / Volunteer organizer
Organizing volunteers takes a special combination of skills not usually taught in schools. The mentor provides leadership and organizational skills that ensure that the passion is translated into results. Mentors know how to lead by example, and attune to the needs of the group and suggest and initiate solutions. Mentors inject creativity and energy to inspire new projects and direction. Individuals should have prior leadership experience and work well with minimal supervision, know how to set deadlines and deliverables and break-up ill-defined problems into actionable projects and tasks. Mentors also know how to cultivate relationships, promote values and a unique team identity through team building activities and practices. Mentors also understand how to detect and repair problems that arise in internal team conflicts, recruitment and attrition. They facilitate team decisions and help to build consensus so that the team moves efficiently towards action. Good mentors also know how to groom new leaders and move on when the team has matured in autonomy and is thriving.
campaigns— SG Climate Rally, Green New Deal
Creative arts — music, video, etc..
The arts and creative media help to inspire and communicate new narratives and vision for the future. Artists and entertainers help to spread new ideas and motivate people into action which is key to building a successful coalition to change the status quo. Projects for creative artists include adapting mass communication messages into art form through a range of online and other media platforms.
campaigns— SG Climate Rally, Green New Deal
Marketing and social media
Campaigns engage the public to learn new information and motivate them into action. The role of the marketing specialists goes beyond just creating the media, but also designing the campaign, outreach startegy, target audience and intended calls to action. The marketing manager should be able to interpret feedback data from various sources and understand how to apply that into campaigns for maximum public reach and impact.
campaigns — SG Climate Rally, Fossil Free Yale NUS, Green New Deal
Educators— lecturing, developing course curriculum
Research has shown that ambition for climate action improves as an individual becomes more literate on the facts of climate change and decarbonization solutions. There are multiple roles available for Educators both to facilitate talks (lecturing) part time, developing curriculum or creating educational materials such as quizzes, workshops, and online course materials. Educators need not have much prior expertise in the disciplines since most of the materials relevant for climate action have already been developed.
campaigns — SG Climate Rally, Climate Conversations
Data science
Data scientists help improve the efficiency and intelligence of any organization which is making good use of data. Volunteer campaigns often do not invest the time into building their data program and they could use help from more experienced engineers and scientists. How do we drive conversion? Are we getting the most reach from our campaigns? What are the main issues and concerns from our constituents and how could we close those gaps? Data scientists with strong mathematical skills can also be helpful in developing models that can be applied to decarbonization and policy comparison analysis.
campaigns — SG Climate Rally, Green New Deal
Web developer
In today’s digital age people get a lot of their information online. Politics in Singapore is shaping out in a similar direction and having an effective web presence helps to improve reach and engagement. Telling a story as complex as the climate crisis and also customized to an individual’s personal needs is a dynamic, adaptive problem and something that UX/UI skills knows how to tackle. Websites also help to build platforms for sharing work collectively across borders and crowdsource for skills from volunteers that might not otherwise be available.
campaigns — SG Climate Rally, Green New Deal
Research Scientists and Engineers
Making good decisions for policy depends on knowing the best choices. Part time researchers can help by putting together “shovel-ready” solutions and publishing in open source so that they can reach the widest possible audience and address the open learning knowledge gaps. Expertise areas spans a wide range of disciplines in STEM fields — Economics, Behavioral Science, Renewable Energy, Petrochemicals, Circular Manufacturing, Life Cycle Analysis, Sustainable Agriculture, Environment/Ecology and many others..
campaigns— Green New Deal