Influencing neighboring countries to adopt sustainable city planning; Propose sustainability agenda in ASEAN

Singapore should take the initiative to raise awareness of sustainability not just in Singapore but also in its neighboring countries. Singapore is a relatively small country and on its own, will be unable to tackle global problems such as global warming and climate change. Therefore, there is a need to ensure cooperation among neighboring states so that it is ensured that everyone is on the same page on the issue to raise awareness on sustainability among the public of in Singapore as well as in other countries. Singapore should lead by example as create a environmentally friendly society in Singapore where everyone is conscious of environmental problems and takes steps and measures to curb their carbon footprint and also reduce their consumption of the world’s scarce resources. Singapore’s public should be so well versed in the reduction, reusing, recycling of waste that it becomes second nature and ingrained in society. Through this, Singapore can lead by example and encourage and call for changes in neighboring countries. One method through which this could be done would be the regional organization that Singapore is a part of, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Singapore should spearhead a new facet of ASEAN that deals specifically with sustainability issues. This would bring more focus and attention to sustainability issues and thus more cooperation can be done to ensure the reduction of harmful environmental actions such as carbon emissions, high consumption of non renewable resources and the depletion of forest land in the process of urbanization.

Singapore can collaborate with ASEAN to raise awareness on the issue of sustainability regionally. Environmentally savvy Singaporeans can be sent as advisors to neighboring countries to provide knowledge to other countries on how to be cleaner and greener. The parameters of what needs to be addressed should be discussed in this section of ASEAN and the achieving of its goals should be made a priority.  The haze issue should be addressed in this section of ASEAN. And close collaboration with each other can bring about positive change so as to ensure that environmental problems are not reoccurring as they are right now where every year we face the problem of the haze which pollutes the air and causes sickness among the people of Singapore as well as Singapore’s neighboring countries. Other issues to be addressed would be the rapid deforestation of countries to make way for new building and roads and other urban constructs. There needs to be a discussion going on, on how we can make the region developed and advanced without causing excessive harm to our environment. ASEAN would be a very effective way in which Singapore can create and influence change in the region and lead by good examples. Ideas could be proposed as to how the countries can become sustainable. Good sustainable city planning knowledge and know how can be spread through these channels. Thus Singapore will be able to raise awareness on sustainability among the public in Singapore, as this shows that we take pride in being a sustainable city, and also among the public of our neighboring countries.

References

http://asean.org/storage/2016/07/RFP-Fifth-ASEAN-State-of-the-Environment-Report.pdf

http://aseansustainability.com