You too Can Contribute to Singapore’s Climate Change Strategy

The National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) has launched a nationwide feedback exercise which will be used to draft the country’s first National Climate Change Strategy 2012, setting out how Singapore can reduce its carbon emissions and prepare against effects such as sea level rises. And the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) has finally found a new executive director – former journalist Jose Raymond, who was press secretary to Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Mr Vivian Balakrishnan.

By Jessica Cheam in Straits Times (8 September 2011):

Feedback portal launched to help draft nation’s climate change strategy

HAVE an idea you are burning to share about how to make Singapore greener? Here’s your chance.

The National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) has launched a nationwide feedback exercise which will be used to draft the country’s first comprehensive climate change strategy.

Speaking at the launch of the new feedback portal yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said the National Climate Change Strategy 2012, as it is called, will set out detailed plans on how Singapore can reduce its carbon emissions and how it can prepare against effects such as sea level rises.

Carbon emissions are widely considered to be the cause of climate change, which affects long-term weather patterns and can result in extreme weather events.

Acknowledging that the concept of climate change may be too abstract for the average person, DPM Teo said the consultation also aimed to raise awareness.

‘The purpose of this is to firstly create awareness… among people, and we want to seek ideas from people on how they can contribute to solving the climate change problem, and to motivate action,’ he told reporters.

The new feedback portal at www.nccs.gov.sg/consultation is the first of a series of initiatives led by the NCCS to gather ideas and feedback from citizens. The NCCS will conduct focus groups and community forums to reach out to the public in the next few months. The four areas it will focus on are households, transport, industries and clean technology opportunities.

The document, due to be released in the middle of next year, will build on the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint, a five-year plan launched in 2009 to help Singapore become greener and more energy efficient.

Industry observers such as Associate Professor Simon Tay, chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, welcomed the public consultation. ‘There are times where the Government is looking for a variety of ideas, having set a macro target… It’s a good example of consultative government, (where) different sectors of society can contribute ideas,’ he said. \

Ms Olivia Choong, founder of the Singapore chapter of Green Drinks, an environmental movement, said she was looking forward to giving her views.

‘I think we need more incentives to drive greener transportation, such as taking buses or switching to electric vehicles,’ she said.

DPM Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, yesterday also gave prizes to winners of the inaugural National Climate Change Competition at a ceremony held at the Environment Building.

Two teams, from the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, tied for the top prize, which is a trip to Durban, South Africa, at the end of the year to attend the United Nations climate change summit.

The NUS team won for their initiative to remove rubbish bins on the campus for a day to raise environmental awareness, and the NTU team won for their idea of a green mobile application that will help households monitor their energy usage.

The competition, which drew more than 140 entries, invited students and young people to contribute ideas on how they could address climate change.

Source: www.nccs.gov.sg

Jessica Cheam in Straits Times (11 September 2011):

The Singapore Environment Council (SEC) has finally found a new executive director – former journalist Jose Raymond, who was press secretary to Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan.

SEC chairman Isabella Loh confirmed that Mr Raymond, 39, will start work at the SEC this Thursday, capping an almost six-month search for a new chief.

Former executive director Howard Shaw, who was at the SEC for 15 years and helmed it for the past eight years, left in April to join the private sector.

In a letter circulated to SEC advisers and seen by The Sunday Times, Ms Loh said: ‘We welcome him (Mr Raymond) warmly on board embarking on this journey with us, bringing SEC to greater heights of the environment cause.’

Mr Raymond told The Sunday Times that he was looking forward to the new full-time appointment and ‘will continue to maintain its (the SEC’s) standing as Singapore’s most recognised green organisation’.

Mr Raymond joined the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) in 2007 after more than a decade in journalism at Singapore Press Holdings and MediaCorp. While at SSC, he led a team of sports performance managers in the sports development group before he was appointed the head of communications and IT for the first Asian Youth Games held in Singapore in 2009.

He recently served as Dr Balakrishnan’s press secretary while on a three-month secondment to the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources from the SSC.

Mr Raymond, who is currently doing part-time studies for a degree in communications, conceded that he may not have much experience in the environmental sector. But he said he believed the role required someone with strong organisational skills with a good network who could lead it.

He said he comes into frequent contact with nature as an open sea diver, and has always ‘appreciated nature and am aware of how the ecosystem is at risk because of climate change’.

‘I’m quite excited about the role, especially as there is a growing national emphasis and awareness of environmental issues,’ he said.

Mr Raymond will manage SEC’s team of 15 full-time staff. The local environmental non-governmental organisation was set up in 1995 and is independently managed by its executive director and staff. It has a board of directors comprising members with a diverse range of relevant expertise drawn from the private sector, academia and government.

Its vice-chairmen are Professor Leo Tan from the National University of Singapore and Dr Teo Ho Pin, Mayor of North West District.

SEC is an approved charity that can offer tax exemption to donors.

Under Mr Shaw’s leadership, SEC grew from a small organisation to an established one driving many environmental initiatives in Singapore, including the Bring Your Own Bag Day, now a weekly affair in supermarkets. It also runs programmes such as the Green Label project, which certifies firms whose products meet global eco-friendly standards.

Mr Shaw, who is now senior vice-president of corporate social responsibility at investment holding firm Halcyon Group, said he was confident that Mr Raymond will fill the role at the council and take it to the next level.

When asked if Mr Raymond’s lack of experience in the environmental sector would be an issue, Mr Shaw said what was more important were strong leadership skills, which he believed Mr Raymond has, and that technical support on specific issues can be provided by the organisation.

‘I look forward to working with SEC from the private sector to drive further partnerships,’ said Mr Shaw.

Source: www.newpropertyforsale.sg/news