Reader's response to the article ‘Why The Climate Fight Needs Engineers’ (Draft 4) Final

My response to the article ‘Why the Climate Fight Needs Engineers’

In the article "Why the climate fight needs engineers", Shah (2015) emphasises the importance of having skilled professionals, in particular, competent engineers who are able to help and respond to 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 consequences to 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 brought about by rapidly increasing population and urban development which in turn are causing unprecedented massive floods, intense high temperatures and droughts, water scarcity, and rising sea levels. Shah further quotes Edwin Khew as saying that “Sustainable engineering solutions will be in strong demand, and engineers will see tremendous opportunities, both locally and regionally” to support the need for engineers to fight climate change. I agree with Shah and Edwin Khew who state that engineers will be the ones who will be playing greater roles in finding solutions to fight climate change. The engineers will be working hand-in-hand with climate scientists who will mainly help to pin-point the causes and effects of climate change, while the engineers will be working at finding workable solutions to the problems.

Climate change is something that can no longer be taken lightly as its consequences are already evident and felt in many places. 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. Climate scientists who specialise in studying the causes of climate change and forecasting the likely consequences of these changes 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 storage dams.

Climate change is not caused by one single factor. How a country’s energy, waste, water and air are managed also contribute to climate change. For example, excessive burning of the fossil fuels has been identified as a major factor contributing to climate change. To reduce the burning of fossil fuels and to find solutions to the rising challenges caused by mismanagement of resources, skilled professionals, in particular, competent environmental engineers are needed. Competent environmental engineers can help to reduce and manage waste and pollution. They are also involved in the battle of ensuring that air, water, soil are free from 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 pollution. In many companies, the engineers’ job also includes ensuring the companies they work for are in compliance with all environmental regulations.

Singapore is not insulated from climate change and in fact, has also been contributing to climate change. According to the director and country manager of the Clean Technology Centre, Sanjay Kuttan that Shah further quotes as saying that, “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 the country’s water resources. Periods of drought can affect the reliability of Singapore's water supply, while sudden episodes of intense rainfall could overwhelm the country’s drainage system and lead to flash floods. These and many other sustainability challenges require engineering solutions. 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 Singapore’s system of drainage canals. (PUB, 2011).

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:

Lawlor, R. (2013). Engineering in society. Royal Academy of Engineering. 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. Engineers Australia. Retrieved from https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/portal/news/engineers-play-critical-role-innovation-and-entrepreneurship

Nichols, S.P. and Weldon, W.F. (2014). The role of engineering in society. Center for Electromechanics. Retrieved from http://www.me.utexas.edu/~srdesign/paper/

Public Utilities Board. (2011). Overview of Singapore’s Drainage Management Approach. PUB. Retrieved from http://www.pub.gov.sg/general/documents/overview_drainagemgmt.pdf

Shah, V. (2015, June 8). Why the climate fight needs engineers. Eco-Business. Retrieved from http://www.eco-business.com/news/why-the-climate-fight-needs-engineers/