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environment, enthusiasm is nothing more than a knee jerk reaction and…

- - - - eg. China, 3 gorges dam caused the endangerment and extinction of many species of fish and even dolphin
    - - eg. Sahel Desert (North Africa) has led to an increased rate of desertification of the surrounding areas, leading to soil erosion and causing the land to become infertile
  - - - leading to loss of biodiversity, displacement of animals, loss oe vegetation
  - - - wildlife severely affected / health related issues
- - - - eg. Volkswagen was caught installing a software designed to cheat NO emissions test in diesel cars
  - - - eg. NTUC fairprice charges 10 cents for plastic bags per transaction, it remains to be seen if this will be extended to other supermarkets
  - - - eg. tourists visiting Galapagos Islands are encouraged to hire a tour operator endorsed by the local ecotourism operator to minimise environmental impact
  - - - eg. New Yorks Times article wrote that carbon trading is one of the 'fastest growing specialities in financial services' the market is currently worth well over US$100 billion and could grow to US$1 trillion within a decade
- - - - eg. Kyoto protocol - international treaty signed in 1997 that set binding obligations on industrialised countries to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases
      - eg. Copenhagen summit 2009 - only produced a weak, non-legally binding agreement (Copenhagen accord) acknowledged but never accepted. emissions reductions agreed on were not enough to meet scientific advice
      - eg. 2015 UN climate change conference (COP21) negotiated the Paris climate agreement - developed countries are involved in cutting of emissions, developing countries set limits on emissions and pledged to increase low-carbon energy or preserve forests
      - countries are afraid to put their economy at a disadvantage, nobody wants to make the 1st move to fund efforts to protect the environment, no one wants to step up
        
        eg. US, 2nd largest producer of carbon emissions, has withdrawn from the Paris Climate agreement as Trump wants to prioritise America's economic needs
    - - eg. Singapore sustainable blueprint 2015 mapped out the government's vision to commit over S$1.5 billion over 5 years to create a more liveable and sustainable future
        
        maintain green spaces
        
        reduce reliance on private transportation
        
        increase domestic recycling
      - eg. 2019 Year Towards Zero Waste in Singapore, companies jumped onto the "green" bandwagon and cut down waste
        
        KFC stopped serving disposable straws
        
        NTUC FairPrice asked customers to pay for plastic bags
  - - - eg. environmental education has been a part of the Singapore curriculum since primary education, going on excursions to places such as New Water plantation, rubbish picking at East coast park
  - - - eg. Tengeh reservoir will have one of the world's largest inland floating solar PV systems by 2021
      - due to geological constraints, not possible for every country to build wind farms, solution is only available to countries with adequate land capacity and suitable geographical conditions
        
        eg. countries turn to nuclear energy but nuclear meltdown in Japan highlighted the dangers of handling nuclear energy
- - - - eg. 2009 UCS analysis found that a 25% by 2025 national renewable electricity standard would lower plant CO2 emissions 277 million metric tons annually by 2025
      - study by US department of energy's national renewable energy laboratory found that renewable energy could help reduce the electricity sector's emissions by 81%
      - most renewable energy sources produce little to no global warming emissions
    - - reducing pollution = reduce respiratory problems, neurological damage, premature deaths
      - eg. Harvard study estimated that the public health effects of coal are estimated to be $74.6 billion every year = 4.36 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity produced
      - wind and solar energy do not require water to operate = will not pollute water
      - coal mining and natural gas drilling can pollute sources of drinking water
    - - eg. NREL study found that renewable energy could comfortably provide up to 80% of US electricity by 2050
    - - fossil fuel technologies are typically mechanized and capital intensive
        renewable energy industry are more labour intensive
        
        solar panels need to be installed, wind farms need technicians to maintain
      - eg. 2016: wind energy industry directly employer over 100,000 full time employees
      - eg. 2016: solar industry employed about 260,000 people. a 25% increase over 2015
      - increased support for renewable energy could create even more jobs
        
        eg. 2009: Union of Concerned Scientists study found that the push for renewable energy would create more than 3x as many jobs
      - stable energy prices
        
        using more renewable energy = increasing competition + diversifying energy supplies
        
        increased reliance on renewable energy can help protect consumers when fossil fuel prices spike
    - - wind and solar are less prone to large scale failure as they are distributed (spread out over large geographical area)
        & modular (systems are composed of numerous individual wind turbines. one damaged, the rest can operate)
      - eg. Hurricane Sandy damaged fossil fuel dominated electric generation in New York = people had no power
        the same Hurricane did minimal damage to renewable energy projects in the Northeast.
      - many natural gas plants depend on having sufficient water for cooling = severe droughts and heat waves will put electricity generation at risk
        wind and solar systems do not require water to generate electricity
      - the risk of disruptive events will also increase in the future = increasing the need for resilient, clean technologies
- - - - eg. Singrow, Singapore company that uses agriculture technology to yield high value crops such as strawberries, better way to grow crops (wont harm environment as much)
    - - eg. Singapore initiated a plan to build solar panels on the roof tops of HDB
    - - eg. 2019 Singapore implemented a carbon tax to charge businesses for emitting greenhouse gases, revenue collected will fund measures to help industries to cut their emissions further & spur the creation of new opportunities in green growth industries
      - eg. 2018: China's 'National Sword' policy = ban on importing foreign waste
        
        NSW govt provided a support package of up to $47 million to help local govt and industry respond to the policy = encourage recycling
    - - eg. ASEAN agreement on Transboundary Haze 2002 to reduce haze pollution
  - - - eg. Dove soap and Magnum ice cream have pledged to source 100% of its production from renewable sources by 2030
      - eg. H&M clothing have also started clothing line made from environmentally friendly materials
      - eg. Ikea charges consumers for plastic bags used, uses solar PV energy system as part of its investment in renewable energy
  - - - eg. Oct 2018: thousands in HK protested a plan to build new artificial islands that are meant to tackle the city's housing shortages
    - - eg. 2016 Singapore environmental council and case called for Singapore firms to boycott paper products produced through slash-and-burn methods and to purchase paper and oil products only from sustainable sources
      - eg. make changes to their lifestyle by practising recycle, reuse, reduce
      - eg. Japan has a high recycling rate of 77% (double of UK)
  - - - eg. Nature society Singapore campaigned for at least 4 major nature sites to be preserved (Sugei Buloh wetland reserve, Lower Pierce reservoir, Kranji Marhses Park, Green corridor)
      - eg. zero waste sg dedicated to help Singapore cut down on waste and encourage a circular economy, where waste is re-used instead of thrown away