Singapore and its government is no exception to this and in 2022's budget, it was announced that Singapore would aim to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. As a very developed and wealthy country, this is something that we have the responsibility to do. When we look at developing countries or less developed countries who have underdeveloped infrastructure and a weak economy, it is understandable as to why they would tend to rely more on fossil fuels like oil due to its high cost efficiency. However, in Singapore's case where we are a wealthy country, there are ways for us to slowly transition to cleaner sources of fuel to gradually reduce our carbon emissions.

 

Aside from that, if Singapore does not quickly reduce its carbon emissions to net 0 by 2050, then climate change will become a very serious problem. The effects of climate change will continue to grow over these years, and if we do not put a stop to our carbon emissions, then things will only get much worse. In order to prevent the world from passing the point of no return, and preventing Singapore from becoming too hot to bear, the government has to find a way to fight back against climate change, and achieving net zero carbon emissions is one way.

 

Because we are wealthy country with the capability to reduce our carbon emissions by slowly moving away from non renewable energy sources, and because of the harms that we will face if we do not quickly act against climate change, i support the decision to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

 

Some citizens argue that achieving net 0 carmon emissions will use up a large portion of Singpore's resources and why are we doing so much when other larger countries are the main contributors to carbon emissions compared to small Singapore? I believe that achieving net 0 carbon emissions is good goal for Singapore as we are a small country and furthermore we are one of the most developed countries. As we are known worldwide, we should be a role model for other countries with our net zero carbon emissions. Furthermore, no matter how small an impact our actions have, it is still a contribution. If we do not stop climate change, then who will?

 

This is not to say the carbon neutral is not good. Greenhouse gases such as Carbon Dioxide, if produced into the air, will linger for centuries to come. If these gases are not taken in by trees and microorganisms, it might eventually be breathed in by humans, taking a toll on our health. Air became polluted will also damage the ecosystem greatly, harming the organisms living in the environment. 

 

However, Singapore's goal by achieving carbon neutral by 2050 is plain absurd, though 2050 is closer to us compared to 1990, it is still somewhat 28 years from now, and it does not really help in lifting the burden that humans have placed on our ecosystem's shoulders. There are still carbon emissions being released into the air for now. Governments need to cut carbon emissions right now and set a goal at a nearer date, like 2030 or 2035, it may be challenging, but this will push coorperations to quicker transfer their reliance on non-renewable energy to renewable and sustainable energy. The faster the conversion of energy and reduction of carbon emissions, the better we do in protecting our environment and preventing it from further damages.