Will doing that bit help?

As we mull over the meaning of what is it to be a true Singaporean in these patriotic times, imagine this: polar ice caps melt at such an accelerated rate that in 100 years’ time, rising sea levels around Singapore put parts of Sentosa and our world-famous Changi Airport submerged.

Yes, our gem of a city may one day disappear from the face of this earth.

Alarmist? Not so, says a recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which concluded that sea levels will rise by between 28cm and 43cm by the turn of the century. Other projections have been higher.

Apparently, Singapore is not alone in being at risk.

According to a study quoted in Sci-Tech Today, Asia is home to many of the world’s low-lying coastal areas vulnerable to global warming and rising sea levels. Millions of Asians are said to be at risk of being swamped by flooding and intense storms – something we’ve witnessed to our horror, in recent weeks. And according to another peer-reviewed study, the US, currently the largest single emitter of greenhouse gas, is also vulnerable. Reports say the city of New Orleans could be flooded by 2100.

Indeed, the debate on global warming has taken on a new urgency. Not least because the year 2005 left an indelible mark for its many natural disasters thought by some to be linked to climate change. Around the world today, calls are getting louder to get nations chasing development to arrest greenhouse gas emissions, identified as the main cause of global warming.

For too long, environmentalists had been singing a lonely tune about global warming and the harm to lives. Towards the turn of the century, however, world leaders started to take notice. The EU, for one, wants to take the lead in stemming the tide of earth’s destruction, showing its commitment to the Kyoto Protocol, while many countries wavered, including the US. Now, every nation and everyone are asked to get on board to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

But a lot of convincing needs to be done. China and many in Asia are still not part of the Protocol. Getting China on board is crucial. At the rate it is developing, it is said she will take over from the US as the largest emitter of greenhouse gas in 2 or 3 years’ time.

Many have said the Live Earth concert did a grave injustice to this call to save the planet. 24 hours of utter waste of time, energy and money. Loads of rubbish, at the end of it, gave the whole idea more bad press.

And then, recently, there have been scientists who cast doubt on this whole man--wreaking-havoc-on-nature thesis. That global warming or climate change is largely man-made.

But let's get back to the basics, and the facts. The ice caps are melting. We've faced major natural disasters of late. The financial damage has been devastating, not just from the destruction, but the costs that add up each time disaster relief work and post-disaster reconstruction are undertaken. So shouldn't we try to do something?

From the bottom of my heart, I do believe that man can play a role in slowing down climate change.

So where do we start?

Greater social awareness is a good start. I think “Bring Your Own Bag Day” (BYOBD) is excellent - it got the issue of climate change discussed by the man-in-the-street. Complaining mostly, but at least they are made aware. What better way to kick them into action than to hit them where it matters – the pocket!

Despite BYOBD being designated just one day in a month, it is a good start to get Singaporeans adopting a greener lifestyle and thinking about climate change and its impact. True, it hadn’t been easy to get Singaporeans on board. Many still quibble over the 10 cents one has to fork out for plastic carriers seen largely as bags for containing rubbish. But the message seems slowly but surely getting through, judging by the flurry of letters supporting the move in the Straits Times Forum pages, and sightings of more and more grocery-shoppers who turn up with their own bags.

The challenge now is to pick up the momentum. Kudos to IKEA, it is sticking to its guns to charge customers for plastic carriers. Some 200 supermarkets are also on the bandwagon, albeit for once a month only - namely those under Carrefour, Giant, Cold Storage, even neighbourhood stores NTUC Fairprice, Prime, Shop & Save and Sheng Shiong.

What’s more important is that the BYOBD also shows an increasing willingness of the business community here to play its part is saving the environment. Or maybe it's just good business sense.

But more work needs to be done. In the short-term, this may mean higher costs, as we turn to expensive technology that works on solar or wind power and depend less on power-hungry refrigerators, cars and computers.

Yet, this would be an extra cost well worth the price if we are to make the world tomorrow safer for our children.