SINGAPORE: The organisers of the SG Climate Rally have invited President-elect Tharman Shanmugaratnam to their upcoming event at the Speakers’ Corner, Hong Lim Park, on Sept 23. Their first rally in 2019 drew a predominantly youthful audience and centred around the urgent environmental and climate change issues that impact Singapore and the global community.
In an email to the former Senior Minister, the SG Climate Rally organisers congratulated Tharman on his presidential election victory. They also recalled some of their members’ recent interactions with him in a forum.
“Some of us attended the Access Singapore dialogue some weeks ago (with some of our members asking you a question), and we were heartened by your acknowledgement of climate change as the biggest issue of our generation during the Q&A section. It was encouraging to hear your endorsement of youth activism as a medium for change,” mentioned SG Climate Rally in their email to President-elect Tharman.
SG Climate Rally added, “While we applaud the government’s updated target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, we are calling for greater transparency and inclusivity on the pathway to this goal. Amidst this dire crisis, we must take bold measures to reduce emissions and establish robust support for populations made most vulnerable to climate change.”
In October 2022, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that as part of Singapore’s Long-Term Low-Emissions Development Strategy, it will raise the national climate target to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, reduce emissions to around 60 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) in 2030 after peaking emissions earlier as part of its revised 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution.
“The transition to net zero demands ambitious and collective action. Singapore announced our national hydrogen strategy, which will guide our approach in developing low-carbon hydrogen as a new frontier in our efforts to green our power and industry sectors, as well as contribute to the decarbonisation of international maritime and aviation. To lead the way for Singapore’s decarbonisation journey, the public sector will commit to achieve net zero emissions around 2045 under the GreenGov.SG initiative. This will be contingent on the progress of technologies and international cooperation to enable mitigation measures,” the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment mentioned in a media release in October 2022.
The SG Climate Rally have announced this year’s calls to action on their Facebook page – ‘To build a just and inclusive roadmap to net-zero emission.’ They explained the need to ‘accelerate the transition’, ‘protect the ecosystems’, and ‘empower the people.’
Their detailed calls to action can be viewed here – SG Climate Rally 2023
The second Singapore Climate Change rally, scheduled for Sep 23, will occur from 3 pm to 7 pm. Event organisers have called on attendees to wear red as a sign of support. The invited speakers will give their speeches from 5 pm. Prominent individuals addressing the 2023 Singapore Climate Rally include Dr Geh Min, former nominated Member of Parliament; Ho Xiang Tin, co-founder of LepakInSG; Nor Syazwan Abdul Majid, founder of Wan’s Ubin Journal; Madhu Ardhanari, a sustainability and strategic researcher; and Marlina Yased, a community worker.
There will also be community booths set up by various civil societies and environmental partners such as Students for a Fossil-Free Future, SG Riders, GreenCheck, Transformative Justice Collective, Migrant Death Map, Workers Make Possible, PM.Haze, Stridy, LepakInSG, Orang Laut SG, and Migrant Mutual Aid.
There is a range of activities planned during the SG Climate Rally. Attendees will have the opportunity to write postcards to members of parliament and participate in a climate learning corner where they can learn more about the current climate crisis and the calls to action. Furthermore, participants will have the chance to engage in climate-related games.
For those uncertain about what signs or placards to bring to the climate rally, organisers have arranged an art jam session on September 17. This session, taking place at 7 Ann Siang Hill from 2 pm to 5 pm, will bring together creative individuals passionate about climate issues. Do register your interest with the organiser here – https://tinyurl.com/sgcrartjam