In the article "Why The Climate Fight Needs Engineers", Shah
(2015) stresses on the important role engineers play in climate fight. As
climate change is due to urbanization and rapid population growth, Singapore
Sustainable Blueprint (SSB) aims to turn residential area into “eco-smart” town
and transform Singapore to a "zero-waste nation". To achieve these
goals, proficiency of energy related technology and development of efficient engineering
systems are required. In Shah’s article, Khew, deputy president of Institute of
Engineers, highlights that expertise and innovation from various fields are the
“frontline role to fight climate changes”. Furthermore, the author also indicates that Kuttan, director and
country manager of the Clean Technology Centre, believes engineers who understand
energy in sustainability apart from their own field are essential to reduce
emission for climate changes. As a result, “Engineers Progression Pathway
programme” has been launched to help engineers to further develop their skills.
While I agree with Shah's article that engineers play an important role in the
climate fight, I feel that the article can be more specific in explaining the
reason why and how engineers should contribute, particularly in the
energy sector.
The first reason that Shah's article is not specific is that despite pointing out that the energy sector is important, the article does not specifically mention the reason why the energy sector should be emphasis. Research shows that the energy sector contributes to more than half of the global greenhouse gas (GHG) emission of 64.5% while the waste sector contributes to only 3.2%. These explanations give the reader more knowledge and convince them on why energy sector should be largely focused on for this climate fight.
Furthermore, Shah’s article vaguely mentions that renewable energy is one of the areas to look into. However, it does not explain what kind of renewable energy to focus on for Singapore’s context. Due to limited land space, renewable energy sources like wind power are not practical in Singapore. Currently, Singapore still relies on burning fossil fuels for energy (Mokhtar, 2015). Research on feasibility of solar PV energy is done by students of KTH school of Industrial Engineering and Management. Based on a calculation of the return of investment duration and electric power that the solar photovoltaic cell generates, further potentials of solar photovoltaic power such as “copper-based thin film cells” are to be looked into to help maximise energy efficiency (King & Wettergen, 2011).
In conclusion, Shah can be more detailed in explaining why and how engineers should contribute in the energy sector. The majority of the greenhouse gases are produced from the energy sector. Therefore, it is an area where attention needs to be directed to. The energy sector is indeed the main factor to look into the climate fight as the majority of greenhouse gases are produced from this sector. Lastly, research shows that engineers could focus on contributing to energy sector specifically the solar energy sector as it is renewable and it will give out lesser GHG.
REFERENCES
King, S., & Wettergren, P. (2011). Feasibility Study of Renewable Energy in Singapore. Retrieved from http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:444754/FULLTEXT01.pdf
Shah, V. (2015). Why the climate fight needs engineers. Eco-Business. Retrieved June 8, 2008, from http://www.eco-business.com/news/why-the-climate-fight-needs-engineers/
World Resources Institute. (2005). C2ES. Global Anthropogenic GHG Emissions by Sector. Retrieved from http://www.c2es.org/facts-figures/international-emissions/sector
The first reason that Shah's article is not specific is that despite pointing out that the energy sector is important, the article does not specifically mention the reason why the energy sector should be emphasis. Research shows that the energy sector contributes to more than half of the global greenhouse gas (GHG) emission of 64.5% while the waste sector contributes to only 3.2%. These explanations give the reader more knowledge and convince them on why energy sector should be largely focused on for this climate fight.
Furthermore, Shah’s article vaguely mentions that renewable energy is one of the areas to look into. However, it does not explain what kind of renewable energy to focus on for Singapore’s context. Due to limited land space, renewable energy sources like wind power are not practical in Singapore. Currently, Singapore still relies on burning fossil fuels for energy (Mokhtar, 2015). Research on feasibility of solar PV energy is done by students of KTH school of Industrial Engineering and Management. Based on a calculation of the return of investment duration and electric power that the solar photovoltaic cell generates, further potentials of solar photovoltaic power such as “copper-based thin film cells” are to be looked into to help maximise energy efficiency (King & Wettergen, 2011).
In conclusion, Shah can be more detailed in explaining why and how engineers should contribute in the energy sector. The majority of the greenhouse gases are produced from the energy sector. Therefore, it is an area where attention needs to be directed to. The energy sector is indeed the main factor to look into the climate fight as the majority of greenhouse gases are produced from this sector. Lastly, research shows that engineers could focus on contributing to energy sector specifically the solar energy sector as it is renewable and it will give out lesser GHG.
REFERENCES
King, S., & Wettergren, P. (2011). Feasibility Study of Renewable Energy in Singapore. Retrieved from http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:444754/FULLTEXT01.pdf
Shah, V. (2015). Why the climate fight needs engineers. Eco-Business. Retrieved June 8, 2008, from http://www.eco-business.com/news/why-the-climate-fight-needs-engineers/
World Resources Institute. (2005). C2ES. Global Anthropogenic GHG Emissions by Sector. Retrieved from http://www.c2es.org/facts-figures/international-emissions/sector
Mokatar, F. (2015,July 08). Challenging for Singapore to find alternate
energy sources: Shanmugam. Channel
News Asia. Retrieved July 8, 2015, from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/challenging-for-singapore/1969810.html
