Tag: policy
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Shout-out to folks on the hazy concrete island.
Hello fellow countrymen and women, As of about an hour ago, the PSI has hit 152 – the highest level since 2006. While I understand this is a concern to many on the island, here are my two cents worth on the issue:- 1) Please quit living in a bubble and come to terms with…
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Nuclear energy development in Southeast Asia: Implications for Singapore
Civil nuclear energy policy in Southeast Asia has seen sharp swings recently. Prior to the Fukushima tsunami and nuclear crisis in March 2011, several ASEAN member states had been actively pursuing nuclear energy. Fukushima compelled some to re-evaluate their plans. Thailand delayed the construction of its first nuclear power plant. In the Philippines, it became…
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Reviewing our environment in 2012
Think saving the planet is that easy? Think again. If trying to understand the complex interactions between sciences, economics, culture, politics, security and global/regional frameworks is just not working for you and you’re close to giving up, then check this out. For the fourth year running, the RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies has…
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Floods and Regional Disaster Preparedness: Too Little, Too Late?
Heavy rains in Thailand and Cambodia since July 2011 have resulted in high socio-economic costs from flood damage and has claimed at least 500 lives. For Thailand with areas only two metres above sea level, the flood is said to be the country’s worst in the past 50 years, with a third of its provinces…
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Disasters’ Damage on Development
Recent media reports on the new wave of floods and landslides around the world have yet again highlighted the critical need for disaster preparedness and contingency plans to address the increasing intensity of weather related disasters. However, what has also played out more significantly in these incidents have been weather-related disasters’ direct adverse implications on…
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People Who Deserve More Credit
A Park Janitor Janitors, garbage collectors, road side sweepers. It may not be much of a glam job, but its these folks that keep our Singapore clean and green when inconsiderate people litter or can’t clean up after. Some call it “job creation”, but at the end of the day, it just creates public complacency…
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The Price of Development – Coal Case.
The demand for coal is set to increase over the coming years, especially among developing countries. However, while coal may be a cheap source of energy to facilitate economic development, it is costly in terms of the implications for human security. Coal mining has been seen to adversely impact local communities and cause sociopolitical instability.…
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COP16: Can Cancun Salvage Copenhagen?
Here’s an RSIS commentary written by me and my colleague Devin on the prospects of UNFCCC talks in Cancun. Enjoy! Abstract Given the dismal results of COP15 in Copenhagen last year, there has been growing pessimism on the prospects of the forthcoming COP16 meeting in Cancun. Governments and civil society should push for a better…
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Missing In Action but not out of Action.
OK, so its been 3 months since the last blog post. Indeed, there has been quite a bit of activity, especially on TheGreenBush’s Twitter Account. I had never thought I would have been a fan of New Media, but it can be quite addictive… and also quite useful. Its increasingly becoming an important part of…
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Get Real, Not Hysterical : Thoughts on Singapore’s Flashfloods
“HAAAH???! ORCHARD ROAD KENA FLOODED, AH?!” was a common phrase muttered (in true Singlish fashion) by many shocked Singaporeans on 16 June 2010. Flash floods due to heavy rains that morning had temporarily inundated the heart of Singapore’s iconic shopping stretch at around 10am. I must admit, I was initially shocked as well. While there have been…
Sofiah Jamil 