[ad_1]
SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Sustainability and Environment (MSE) is working on and reviewing its sustainability guidelines for the public sector, said its Minister Grace Fu.
“We hope that with those guidelines, more public agencies think about sustainability, really assimilate this sense of sustainability in their work, in the way they acquire, in the way they build new infrastructure,” Ms Fu added.
Fu spoke on Monday (November 16) on CNA’s The Climate Conversations podcast, which looks at issues related to science and the impact of climate change, as well as the politics, technology, and finance behind action and climate change. climate adaptation. This edition of the podcast was published on Friday.
LISTEN: Grace Fu explains why she hopes to be a champion of climate change | EP 14
The revised guidelines will follow the Public Sector Sustainability Plan 2017-2020, which was launched in June 2017. As part of the plan, goals for the public sector included reducing electricity and water consumption relative to financial year levels. 2013 by more than 15% and more than 5%, respectively, by 2020.
‘We want to be out there, we want to be innovative, we want to invest in capacity and capacity so that not only in MSEs but in other ministries, and even more broadly in all other ministries, they also start to take on a sustainability hat. “
Previously, the Minister of Culture, Community and Youth, Ms Fu, now heads the MSE, formerly known as the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources.
READ: ‘Immediate Priority’ for New Environment Ministry is a Cleaner Singapore Amid COVID-19: Grace Fu
Ms Fu noted that sustainability is a “very important issue” that deserves a “solid debate” in Parliament.
“I think we have a very active group of deputies (members of parliament) in our GPC (government parliamentary committee).At the same time, I begin to hear voices also about greater sustainability in our decisions. So I hope to involve parliamentarians more rigorously and perhaps more comprehensively on this issue, “he said.
“It is a very important issue, because it involves the way we live and involves large investments. That is why I think it deserves a solid debate in Parliament.”
At the same time, Ms Fu highlighted the importance of civic society in driving sustainability.
“If you look at this area of sustainability, there are so many things that (are) happening, that I think no one can claim to have the solutions to all the problems that we have. And, in fact, technology is moving quite fast in some areas, “he said.
“And while this is evolving, the civic society, the scientific community, for example, is really shaping how we behave, how we buy, how we consume as well. And … this is where I think the government is. I’m so happy to working with all parties, all stakeholders to arrive at a social norm that cannot be guided by policy, like how we buy, how we consume, cannot be dictated by policy … This is where I think civic society has much to play. “
A GOOD PLACE TO DO SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS
Even as Singapore continues its overall climate mitigation efforts, it is still a good place to do business, albeit in a sustainable way, Ms Fu said.
Earlier this month, Shell Singapore said it plans to reuse its core business and cut its crude processing capacity in half at its Pulau Bukom oil refinery, as part of a review on its journey to a low-carbon future. .
As part of the transition, Shell will cut 500 jobs by the end of 2023 at the Pulau Bukom site, which currently employs 1,300 people, a Shell spokesperson told CNA previously.
Sustainability and Environment Minister Grace Fu speaks on CNA’s “The Climate Conversations” podcast. (Photo: Marcus Mark Ramos)
“You can see this as a job loss, you can see this as a transformation that will create a new business for us. And we hope it’s the latter,” Ms Fu said.
“What are the conditions? First of all, I think we have to remain pro-business, but in a carbon-light way. Shell knows this is coming. Those big oil companies know this is coming because they are also leading the way. the road to a low-carbon economy. So they have to find sustainable business models. And they need to make that change. “
READ: Shell Singapore to reuse its core business and downsize the Pulau Bukom refinery in a low-carbon shift
Shell’s Singapore trade review follows a commitment by parent company Royal Dutch Shell to become carbon neutral by 2050, coinciding with the commitment of rival BP as climate change looms over the energy sector.
The company said it planned to have net zero emissions from the manufacture of all its products by 2050 “at the latest.”
The target is also in line with Singapore’s ambition to cut its maximum greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 by 2050, and achieve net zero emissions “as soon as practicable” in the second half of the century.
“We want to be in that position, that as far as Singapore is concerned, we are still a good place to do business but in a sustainable way,” Ms Fu said.
Citing the example of a study that involved the National Environment Agency (NEA) and Shell looking for ways to better recover plastics, Ms Fu noted that Singapore wants to be the place where innovation can happen.
“We want to have that policy testing environment where you need new products, new regulations so that we can transform our industry,” he said.
A GREEN RECOVERY
During the podcast, Ms Fu also mentioned what she hoped would be an ecological recovery for Singapore from the COVID-19 pandemic in the future.
On the one hand, he noted that Singapore must be a “cleaner society, not a clean society.”
Cleaner dishes as people dine at a street vendor center in Singapore as the city state reopens the economy amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, June 19, 2020. REUTERS / Edgar Su
“I think the pandemic has taught us the importance of cleanliness and hygiene. Whenever we have an infection, the first people we send are our cleaners to disinfect the place,” he explained.
“So actually, this has taught us that this ability and competence to clean properly, deep clean, is actually something that we must strengthen and we must strengthen so as not to wait another 10.15 years for the next pandemic. Deep clean again.” .
Habits such as returning used trays and dishes, as well as keeping public dining rooms clean, would be what the ministry needs to “entrench itself,” Ms Fu added.
“I really want to make this something that I … make my mark on this ministry,” he explained.
READ: Comment: This new Ministry of Sustainability and Environment looks quite promising
Additionally, Ms Fu noted that she would like to see how sustainability could become “a kind of competitive advantage” for local businesses.
“Because you’ve been through this process of really digging into your energy use, your water use, your material use, you can be sure it’s sustainable, you’re offering a good product that’s sustainable for the future. And that is. it will put you ahead of your competitor in a low-carbon world, “he said.
“That will happen because we have seen the momentum when China, Japan, Korea are advancing those deadlines, we know that, as such a large market, they will push the products that are going to enter that, they go to set the standards.
“So companies like our Singapore companies, if you don’t meet those standards, you run the risk of being left behind with a product, with a plant, with a factory, with an office, that doesn’t meet the standards. And that’s a great risk. “
