Hot Talk - Next

TODAY
Jan 3 2007

Next, a peek at seven issues that are brewing quietly - for now:

Year of the environment

Floods in Singapore, snow in the Middle East - if 2006 was the year of wonky weather, 2007 looks like the year environmentalism will take root in Singapore.

Going by the people who have applied for the position of Nominated Member of Parliament, Dr Chong believes environmental and animal welfare issues will have a strong voice in Parliament. President of Environmental Challenge Organisation Wilson Ang, president of Animal Concerns Research and Education Society Louis Ng and Dr Geh Min, president of Nature Society, are a few of the candidates.

The latter believes the applications are a reflection of the rising impact of environmental issues. Think the haze. Although an annual affliction, it was particularly bad last year, and Mr Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, believes it could be one of the rare blips for Singapore this year.

Dr Geh hopes that "Singaporeans rather than Singapore as a country can play a role (to fix the haze)". One way would be to press for more information on the pulp and paper companies contributing to the problem, and whether Singapore companies are among them. At home, with new guidelines for buildings to go green, Dr Geh thinks it is possible that alternative energy sources, such as solar power, will be given serious consideration. As will the "polluter pays principle" for those who want to
drive their sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and consume more energy than others. The time seems ripe for a tax on plastic bags.