Four in 10 Singaporeans think govt is responsible for taking action on climate change

Channel NewsAsia, 23 Mar 2014

A survey commissioned by the National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) has found that 40.1 per cent of Singaporeans think the government is mainly responsible for taking action on climate change.

This is up sharply from the 2011 figure of 26.3 per cent.

39.2 per cent felt that individuals have the main responsibility to tackle climate change, down from 56.3 per cent in 2011.

The survey, conducted in 2013, interviewed 1,000 Singapore residents aged 15 and above.

70.2 per cent of respondents polled said they were concerned about climate change, a 3.6 percentage-point fall from 2011.

In terms of how Singapore would be affected by climate change, the 65.6 per cent cited frequent and severe extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall and dry spells.

54.4 per cent were concerned about the impact on public health, such as increased heat stress and the spread of some infectious diseases.

62.7 per cent were of the view that climate change will affect them personally. Their top concerns were health impact and hotter weather that climate change could bring about. 

One in two respondents thought of climate change as an urgent problem, but 47.5 per cent felt that individuals could make a difference in dealing with climate change.

26.4 per cent said they were not willing to pay more to support products and practices that address climate change, while 41.5 per cent said they are willing to pay up to 10 per cent more.

NCCS said contrary to public perception, there is much that an individual can do in addressing and adapting to climate change.

It launched the 2014 National Climate Change Competition on Sunday with the theme #change4future, which highlights the need for Singaporeans to take action to address climate change and learn to deal with the changing climate that affects them and the environment they live in.

It is calling for the public to submit short videos that could inspire Singaporeans to tackle climate change.

"Scientists have affirmed that human activities are one of the main causes of climate change, and this could lead to extreme weather events, such as more frequent and intense rainfall, heat waves and cold spells becoming more frequent," said Mr Yuen Sai Kuan, director of 3P Network Division from NCCS.

He added: "We hope that the competition will help raise awareness on such issues and produce inspiring videos that will help spread the message on the need to change our habits which affect the environment."

Students and members of the public can register to take part in the competition at www.nccc.gov.sg by April 22.