Hello,
For my today's post, I am going to write about my reader response to the article in the previous post, (Why The Climate Fight Needs Engineers: http://www.eco-business.com/news/why-the-climate-fight-needs-engineers/). It is my final draft, so here it goes.
My
response to the article ‘Why The Climate Fight Needs Engineers’
In the article "Why the climate fight
needs engineers", Shah (2015) emphasised the importance of having skilled
professionals, in particular, competent engineers who are able to help to
respond future challenges posed by climate change that Singapore too will
inevitably face. The writer agrees with the experts who believe it is essential
for engineers to find solutions to the rising climate changes in Singapore. To
aid with this notion of helping engineers in Singapore to enhance their
professional and technical skills to tackle global environment issues, The
Engineers Progression Pathway programme was launched by labour group National
Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES).
According to the chairman of the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore,
Edwin Khew, Asian cities are already being affected by climate change such as
massive floods, intense high temperatures and droughts, water scarcity, and
rising sea levels caused by rapidly increasing population and urban
development. Shah further quotes Edwin Khew saying that “Sustainable
engineering solutions will be in strong demand, and engineers will see
tremendous opportunities, both locally and regionally” to support the need of
engineers to fight climate change. I agree with Shah and Edwin Khew who say
that engineers will be the ones playing the greater part in finding solutions
to fight climate change. Climate scientists will be only be able to pin-point
the causes and effects of climate change. They will need to work hand-in-hand
with engineers to find workable solutions to the problems.
Climate change is something that can no
longer be taken lightly as the consequences of climate change are already
evident everywhere. Cities in many parts of the world are already encountering
intense weather consequences such as floods, intense temperatures, droughts, water
scarcity, and rising sea levels. These problems are only going to get worse
unless solutions are found quickly to curb them. Through the study of long-term trends in average meteorological
conditions climate scientist can only pin-point the causes of climate
change and forecast the likely consequences of
these changes but they may not have the expertise or the in-depth knowledge on
how to manage these effects. They need to work in collaboration with the
engineers to find workable solutions to manage the effects of these
consequences. For example, the climate scientists may predict the
increased occurrences of storm and flooding but it is the engineers who have to
find ways to alleviate or divert the flood waters from submerging cities,
perhaps by building more drainage canals, river diversion or building of
storage dams.
Climate change is not caused
by one single factor. How resources like energy, waste and water, are being managed
also contribute to climate change. For example, burning of the fossil fuels has
been identified as a major factor contributing to climate change. To manage such
problem and find solutions to the rising challenges caused by mismanagement of
resources, skilled professionals, in particular, competent environmental engineers,
are needed. Competent environmental engineers help reduce and manage waste
and pollution. They are also involved in the battle of ensuring that air,
water, soil are free harmful chemical and pollutants that might affect the
quality of life for all. They design, plan, and implement measures to prevent,
control, or remediate environmental hazards. They are also handed the task of,
making sure the companies they work for are in compliance with all
environmental regulations.
Singapore is
not insulated from climate change. In fact, Singapore has also been
contributing to climate change. According to the director and country manager
of the Clean Technology Centre, Sanjay Kuttan, “Singapore has one of the
world’s highest carbon emissions per capita.” Inevitably Singapore will also
face many of the challenges posed by climate change. Climate scientists have
pointed out that in fact, Singapore’s annual mean surface temperature has
increased about 0.8°C since 1948 and rainfall has become more excessive in
recent years. An increase in the intensity of weather variability could present
significant challenges to the management of our water resources. Periods of
drought can affect the reliability of Singapore's water supply, while sudden
episodes of intense rainfall could overwhelm our drainage system and lead to
flash floods. These and many other sustainability challenges require engineering
solutions to manage them. Recognising the impact of greater weather
uncertainties and urbanisation can have on drainage, the Public Utilities Board
(PUB) has revamped its storm water management approach to introduce greater
flexibility and adaptability to our drainage systems. One way this is achieved
is by widening our system of drainage canals.
In conclusion,
to manage climate change, engineering expertise is indeed essential. Problems
caused by climate change are on the rise. I agree that it is crucial that
Singapore builds up a pool of skilled engineering professionals to address
future problems that will likely arise through climate change. Recognising the
need, Singapore has launched ‘The Engineers Progression Pathway programme’ to help current Engineers to enhance their
professional and technical skills to better prepare against problems
contributing to climate change.
Reference:
Chua,
J. (2015, July 28). Engineering plays crucial role in climate change. Retrieved
from https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/portal/news/engineers-play-critical-role-innovation-and-entrepreneurship
Lawlor,
R. (2013). Engineering in society. Retrieved from www.raeng.org.uk/publications/reports/engineering-in-society
Meldrum
FAICD FIChemE FIEAust CPEng, A. (2014, August 22). Engineers play a critical
role in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Retrieved from https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/portal/news/engineers-play-critical-role-innovation-and-entrepreneurship
Nichols,
S.P. and Weldon, W.F. The role of engineering in society. Retrieved from http://www.me.utexas.edu/~srdesign/paper/
Overview
of Singapore’s Drainage Management Approach. (2011, July), Retrieved from http://www.pub.gov.sg/general/documents/overview_drainagemgmt.pdf
Shah,
V. (2015, June 8). Why the climate fight needs engineers. Retrieved from http://www.eco-business.com/news/why-the-climate-fight-needs-engineers/
No comments:
Post a Comment