New Early Turnover Scheme From 24 April 2013 [News Releases]

Singapore, 24 April 2013 – As announced by the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and the Minister for Transport during the 2013 Committee of Supply debates, the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will implement a new Early Turnover Scheme to encourage the early replacement of old Category ‘C’ (Cat C) diesel vehicles with models that comply with at least Euro V diesel standards or their equivalent. The scheme will run from 24 April 2013 to 23 April 2015. This is one of NEA’s abatement measures to reduce ambient levels of particulate matter and achieve Singapore’s 2020 air quality targets.

2. Under the Scheme, owners can deregister their Cat C diesel vehicles registered before 1 January 2001, which are predominantly the Pre-Euro and Euro I models, and register a replacement Cat C vehicle by paying a discounted Prevailing Quota Premium (PQP) (i.e. without the need to bid for a Cat C Certificate of Entitlement (COE)). Please refer to Annex A for the eligibility criteria for the scheme. Read more

Govt to raise standards to improve air quality [News]

By Channel NewsAsia, 12 Mar 2013.

Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan announced that the government will be enhancing standards to improve air quality in Singapore.

The government will impose Euro V emissions standards for new diesel vehicles starting from 1 January next year.

Currently, there are around 3,400 Euro V-compliant diesel vehicles on the roads.

Dr Balakrishnan said in Parliament more needs to be done as existing old diesel vehicles are a major source of pollution.

To incentivise the owners of old diesel commercial vehicles to retire and upgrade their old vehicles, a new Early Turnover Scheme will be implemented.

More details will be provided in the next two months.

The emissions standard for all new motorcycles will also be raised from 1 October 2014.

Click here to read the full article.

Source: Channel NewsAsia

Singapore’s drive for cleaner air [News]

By Woo Sian Boon, Today, 24 Aug 2012.

To ensure cleaner air in Singapore, the Government is raising emission standards for new petrol vehicles and improving petrol quality while increasing the frequency of updates on the Republic’s air quality.

Starting today, the National Environment Agency (NEA) will be reporting the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) thrice daily at 8am, noon and 4pm, instead of once a day, to make air quality information more relevant.

The level of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 – a very fine pollutant which can cause respiratory problems – will also be reported alongside the PSI.

If the air quality deteriorates to the extent that it is likely to affect one’s health, advisories will be issued separately for the central, northern, southern, eastern and western sectors of Singapore. Previously, only one advisory was issued for the whole country. Read more

Singapore To Adopt Higher Air Quality Targets [Press Releases]

Singapore, 23 August 2012 – The National Environment Agency (NEA) will be implementing a suite of measures to achieve higher national air quality standards by 2020.

Following the acceptance of the recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Ambient Air Quality (see Annex I for details), the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) will be adopting the World Health Organisation (WHO) Air Quality Guidelines (AQG) for particulate matter 10 (PM10), Nitrogen Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide and Ozone, and the WHO AQG’s Interim Targets for PM2.5 and Sulphur Dioxide, as Singapore’s air quality targets for 2020. These targets will enable Singapore to achieve a high standard of public health and economic competitiveness. Read more

Singapore’s NEA Collaborates with IBM to improve Environmental Services related to Air, Weather And Public Health [Press Releases]

July 3, 2012, SINGAPORE – The National Environment Agency (NEA) and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a joint three-year research collaboration and signed a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) where IBM researchers will work with NEA to develop advanced modelling and predictive capabilities to address key environmental concerns in Singapore such as air quality, extreme weather events, dengue outbreaks and food poisoning incidents.

The collaboration will enable researchers from NEA and IBM’s mathematical experts harness the wide capabilities of advanced analytics which includes capturing data in real time and turning this unstructured information into intelligence, or even predictive insight that facilitates smarter decisions. By enabling accurate forecasting, proactive measures can be taken to prevent unwanted events instead of simply reacting to events as they occur. For example, the forecasting capability will help NEA to better inform the public in advance of changes in air quality. Read more

Speech by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, at the Committee of Supply Debate 2012 [Speeches]

Speech by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Committee of Supply Debate (Sustainable Future)

Date Published: 06 Mar 2012

SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

I thank members of the House for their questions and their suggestions. There are three broad themes behind all of MEWR’s programmes. First, to ensure that we continue to have a very high quality of life in Singapore; second, to do our part in an inclusive society, in particular, to always leave a low cost option on the table and also provide opportunities for fair wages and good jobs; and third, to make sure that we have a sustainable future.

2 Let me address or summarise our position as far as these three themes are concerned. First, on quality of life, many of you have mentioned the absolute importance of maintaining our reputation for cleanliness. SMS Grace Fu has explained what we are doing. To summarise, by having an integrated cleaning agency that will be in charge of all public areas -it will take on the contracts of all the multiple agencies that currently do the job. So you only need one number, one contact point. Secondly, to increase and step up enforcement. And you asked for evidence, for videos and all of it – we will certainly use the latest technology in order to enforce our actions and take enforcement actions against killer litter and other types of anti-social behaviours. Thirdly, to also promote public activism, the sort that Ms Penny Low has referred to, because we need all Singaporeans to become part of the solution, jealously guarding our cleanliness. Read more

Are we sacrificing clean air for carbon cuts? [News]

By Nicholas Fang and Henrick Tsjeng, Today, 24 Feb 2012.

The Singapore Budget 2012 was recently announced and it was revealed that the Green Vehicle Rebate (GVR) Scheme will be replaced with a new Carbon Emissions-based Vehicle Scheme (CEVS).

The GVR offers a 40 per cent rebate for environmentally friendly vehicles. The CEVS is a rebate programme that will specifically reward carbon-efficient vehicles – those with low carbon emissions per kilometre travelled – with rebates, while penalising those with higher carbon emissions.

The Special Tax for diesel vehicles that comply with Euro V emissions standards will also be slashed from S$1.25 per cu cm to S$0.40 per cu cm with effect from January 2013, a 70 per cent reduction. This is to promote the use of new diesel technologies that are considered cleaner. Read more

Even we can’t take clean air for granted [News]

By Nicholas Fang and Henrick Tsjeng, Today, 11 Oct 2011.

Three recent events remind us in Singapore not to take clean air for granted. First, the haze from land and forest fires in Indonesia has returned. Second, a fire blazed at the Shell Bukom refinery for some 34 hours before being put out. Third, data released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Sept 28 reveals that Singapore’s air, while generally among the best in Asia, is failing in some measures, especially in the concentration of particulate matter in the air.

There is no reason to panic. Singapore’s air has remained healthy except for very short periods, when the haze tipped the recorded levels to moderate. Compared to almost every other major city in Asia, air pollution levels are low.

This makes up part of the attraction and liveability of the city. Clean city air underpins so many things we take for granted like outdoor sports, walks in the park and open-air dining. It allows those with skyscraper views to see the horizon, whereas high towers in some other cities are shrouded in smog. Read more

Singapore tops air quality survey [News]

Singapore’s air quality has come out tops in Asia, beating business powerhouses like Hong Kong and Shanghai.

That’s according to a research survey from workplace solutions provider Regus, which polled more than 220 business leaders in Hong Kong, and 250 in China.

Regus said this speaks well for Singapore’s plan to attract top international business talent, and maintain a ‘liveable city’ reputation.

The report found three out of four companies believe the air quality in a city affects the company’s ability to attract and retain international talent. Read more

Statements by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, and Dr Amy Khor, Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources, Committee of Supply Debate [Speeches]

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS (Minister Yaacob Ibrahim)

1. I wish to thank Mr Cedric Foo, our GPC Chairman, and members for their questions and suggestions.

2. Mr Foo asked whether Singapore has been developing sustainably.

3. Over the last decade, we have made good progress in enhancing Singapore’s environment, through the combined efforts of government, businesses and Singaporeans.

4. We are making better use of our resources. Water and energy efficiency have improved, as have recycling rates.

5. The quality of our living environment has also gone up with the upgrading of our hawker centres, sustaining good air quality, and keeping down the incidence of vector borne diseases like dengue. Read more