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  • Energy Economy
31 October 2019

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  • Vietnam

NDO – As part of the strategy of sustainable national development, prioritizing capital sources for customers, who are investing in green production, environment-friendly production and renewable energy (RE) sectors is extremely important.

According to Simon James, Climate Change and Energy Adviser at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Vietnam, in order to meet electricity demands, in the period of 2016-2030, Vietnam needs an investment capital of about US$7.8 billion to US$9.6 billion per year. Consequently, under any scenario of electricity growth, with billions of dollars of capital each year, domestic capital is difficult to meet demand.

According to experts, the process of shifting the energy structure in Vietnam, from traditional energy sources to renewable energy sources, is a “golden opportunity” to attract investment, resulting in a huge demand for credit capital. This is considered as a opportune time for businesses to access green credit source for RE projects. An advantage now is that the investment costs of RE projects are decreasing, especially for solar power projects. It is estimated that the cost of constructing a solar or wind power plant will gradually be cheaper than the investment of a coal-fired power project. The motivation for investors of RE projects is the preferential credit interest rate; be given priority in terms of premises; tax exemptions; and signing a long-term power purchase agreement with Vietnam Electricity (EVN).

Marlon Apanada, Managing Director Allotrope Partners (Philippines), said that the total value of outstanding loans of green and sustainable bonds of ASEAN region increased to US$1.6 billion. In which, 81% of green bonds of ASEAN region have good prospects. Therefore, businesses have a lot of opportunities to access capital for RE projects from the green credit source.

According to many businesses, although there are more prospects and favorable conditions than before, currently, RE projects still face many difficulties in raising capital, especially for projects with fast construction time such as solar power projects.

Meanwhile, the time for appraising and approving loan documents of banks, especially banks that provide green credit from sources of international financial institutions, is often prolonged. Although renewable energy investment and development project costs have decreased significantly, it is still generally high compared to traditional energy investment, especially for projects using advanced technology.

In addition, the RE sector in Vietnam is newly developed, requiring a long payback period, large investment costs and high risks, so it is necessary to have incentives on term and loan costs. While capital mobilised by credit institutions is usually short-term.

Currently, banks have begun to gradually increase the proportion of green credit – credit for RE development, however, the efficiency has not been achieved as expected because the investment capital in this field requires long payback period, large investment costs; high risk and potential bad debt. At the same time, the complicated technical appraisal of RE projects – a very new field in Vietnam, is also a huge obstacle, leading to limited green credit.

it can be said that the development of green economic sectors requires comprehensive solutions from the government, ministries and branches; mechanisms on tax, fee, capital, technical, market, planning and development strategies for each sector and field. Therefore, in order to provide long-term credits and preferential interest rates for green industries, the credit institutions need be supported to access long-term capital sources, incentives or loan sharing mechanism.

Therefore, according to experts, in order to promote RE development strongly, the State Bank of Vietnam needs to promote the leading role to continue implementing credit policies in order to promote the operation of credit institutions towards the green growth. It is necessary to solve complicated and time-consuming appraisal processes in banks and improve the attractiveness of projects submitted by project investors.

  • Energy-Climate & Environment
30 October 2019

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  • ASEAN

LONDON: Climate change will put three times more people at risk of coastal flooding by 2050 than previously thought, according to a study published on Tuesday (Oct 29), with swathes of Asia and cities in North America and Europe all vulnerable to rising seas.

The research by Climate Central, a US-based non-profit climate science and news organisation, underscored the scale of the upheaval projected to unfold as global warming increasingly threatens some of the world’s most densely populated regions.

The study found that 300 million people are now living on land that is likely to flood at least once a year on average by mid-century without adequate sea defences, even if governments manage to make sharp cuts in emissions.

Earlier estimates had put that figure at about 80 million.

The authors said they had used artificial intelligence to correct systematic errors in a previous dataset that had suggested many inhabited coastal zones were at higher elevations – and thus safer – than they actually are.

“We now understand that the threat from sea-level rise and coastal flooding is far greater than we previously thought,” said Benjamin Strauss, chief executive of Climate Central and co-author of the three-year study.

“It’s also true that the benefits from cutting climate pollution are far greater than we previously thought – this changes the whole benefit-cost equation,” Strauss told Reuters.

ASIAN CITIES UNDER SIEGE

The study found that more than 70 per cent of the world’s population currently living on land at risk are located in eight Asian countries: Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

According to the coastal risk screening tool on the Climate Central website,  Bangkok, Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh are under particular threat, with these Southeast Asian cities projected to fall below annual flood level by 2050.

 

image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==

Bangkok sea level rise modelling
Land in and around Bangkok projected to be lower than local sea-level and/or coastal flood projection by 2050. (Screengrab: Climate Central, Coastal Risk Screening Tool)

Continued high carbon emissions, along with instability in the Antarctic, could lead to land currently occupied by roughly one-third of Bangladesh’s and Vietnam’s populations permanently falling below the high tide line by the end of the century.

Even with deep cuts to carbon emissions, data from the study showed that Bangladesh, Thailand and Vietnam could face high tide lines above land now home to 19 per cent, 17 per cent and 26 per cent of their respective populations.

image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==

Ho Chi Minh City sea level rise
Land in and around Ho Chi Minh City projected to be lower than local sea-level and/or coastal flood projection by 2050. (Screengrab: Climate Central, Coastal Risk Screening Tool)

 

The threat that advancing seas will overwhelm the ability of countries to build coastal defences and force many millions of people to migrate has long been regarded as one of the most potentially destabilising impacts of the climate crisis.

The risks were underlined last month when the UN-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a landmark report on oceans that said sea levels could rise by one metre by 2100 – ten times the rate in the 20th century – if carbon emissions keep climbing.

image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==

A man carrying lunch boxes walks in water as roads are flooded due to heavy rain in Dhaka
A man carrying lunch boxes walks in water as roads are flooded due to heavy rain in Dhaka, Bangladesh July 26, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain/

 

Even if governments manage some curbs on emissions, the new study, published in Nature Communications, said that about 237 million people spread across China, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand are likely to face annual flooding by mid-century, unless they establish adequate sea defences.

By 2100, if emissions continue unchecked, and ice sheets rapidly disintegrate, then land where 250 million people now live in those six countries will fall below the waterline at high tide – putting almost five times more people at risk than assessments based on previous elevation data had found.

The study, which found that today’s dykes, sea walls and levees already allow 110 million people to live below the high tide line, did not factor in the impact of these or possible future defences, the authors said, citing a lack of data.

image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==

A woman directs traffic on a flooded road after typhoon Wipha in Hanoi
A woman directs traffic on a flooded road after typhoon Wipha in Hanoi, Vietnam August 4, 2019. REUTERS/Kham/

 

Although a certain amount of sea-level rise is baked into the climate system due to a legacy of past carbon emissions, rapid cuts in greenhouse gas pollution now could steer the world away from worse coastal flooding by century’s end, the study found.

The authors urged governments to urgently conduct surveys to find out how feasible it might be to hold back the rising waters as well as take action to reverse carbon emissions, which hit a record high last year.

“We don’t know whether today’s coastal defences will be sufficient for tomorrow’s sea levels,” Strauss said. “Every day of warning we’ve had for a hurricane saves lives and property. Every decade counts in preparing for sea-level rise.”

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/far-more-people-at-risk-of-rising-seas-than-feared-climate-study-12045180

  • Renewables
30 October 2019

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  • Singapore

SINGAPORE – A recent announcement to ramp up Singapore’s solar energy production by 2030 is a step in the right direction, but the new targets are still too low to have much of an impact in the fight against climate change or on consumers’ electricity bills, experts said.

On Tuesday (Oct 29), Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing announced that Singapore now aims to produce at least 2 gigawatt-peak (GWp) of solar energy by 2030.

This is more than five times the target that the Republic previously set, of producing 350 megawatt-peak (MWp) of solar energy by 2020, which it is on track to meet, he said.

Scientists have repeatedly warned that carbon emissions need to be drastically reduced by 2050 to keep global warming below 2°C — failing which there will be disastrous effects on global economies and societies — and one way to do that is through the use of more green energy such as solar power.

Professor Anthony Owen, a principal fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Energy Studies Institute, said Tuesday’s announcement is a good step towards greening the Republic’s energy sector, but it will likely have “very little” significance for the climate as the solar targets are “so small by global standards”.

“However, in principle it’s a good start,” said Prof Owen, whose research interests include environmental impact of alternative power generation technologies.

Read also: Singapore to ramp up solar energy production, with 1 in 2 HDB rooftops having solar panels by 2020

Agreeing, Professor Subodh Mhaisalkar, executive director of Nanyang Technological University’s Energy Research Institute, said that 2 GWp of solar energy represents only a small percentage of Singapore’s electricity demand.

According to this year’s energy consumption statistics from the Energy Market Authority, solar power currently meets less than 1 per cent of the country’s energy demand.

The new targets will represent about 4 per cent of Singapore’s current total electricity demand.

Read also: Sembcorp, Singapore Polytechnic team up to develop pilot solar panel recycling plant

Added Prof Subodh: “It is unlikely, even by 2050, that we will be in a situation where we have more electricity (generated) by solar than what we need.”

MINOR PRICE FALLS

The addition of more green energy to Singapore’s power grid may reduce the demand for electricity generated by non-renewable sources such as natural gas, but experts warned that this might not necessarily lead to drastic reductions in household electricity bills.

Read also: Student’s lightbulb moment leads to installation of solar panels on school’s roof

Solar is one of the cheapest sources of electricity today, noted Ms Kohe Hasan, a specialist energy and commodities lawyer at law firm Reed Smith.

For example, a new 60-megawatt solar farm project in Cambodia has announced a tariff rate of 3.877 US cents (5.283 Singapore cents) per kilowatt hour, the lowest power purchase tariff recorded in Southeast Asia, she said.

“It is hoped that in increasing (solar’s) contribution towards Singapore’s energy mix from less than 1 per cent to about 4 per cent, there will be a concomitant reduction in the tariff rate,” she said.

Prof Owen, however, expressed his doubts that this would happen.

He acknowledged that rooftop solar “effectively reduces market demand” for electricity during daylight hours, which consequently means that wholesale price of electricity should fall at these times.

But, he also pointed out that there are various factors that affect the operation and price-bidding behaviour of natural gas facilities.

“I would expect, on balance, that any retail price falls would be minor,” he said.

GOING BEYOND SOLAR

Singapore is working on ways to maximise the number of solar panels that can be deployed here, but space will remain an issue in this land-scarce country, experts noted.

One solution Mr Chan alluded to in his speech on Tuesday is the Asean Power Grid, an initiative conceptualised in the late 1990s that could see greater electricity integration in the region using renewable energy.

“Today in Southeast Asia, some countries have an abundance of hydro and other renewables,” said Mr Chan. “If we can connect the regional grid, it will provide greater resilience and stability for the entire system.”

Ms Kohe said that this is a feasible solution as cross-border power grid connections “could relieve burdens” related to excess power generation capacity.

However, she stressed that this is dependent on participating parties agreeing to support one another and work together to deal with technical issues, such as synchronising the various countries’ respective grids.

She added: “(The Asean Power Grid) offers the dual benefits of stronger energy and economic ties among member states, and the expansion of Asean’s influence in the global economy and environment.”

Meanwhile, Prof Subodh believes that a better alternative would be a future where solar energy is used to contribute to the production of hydrogen.

He said that hydrogen is the “ultimate clean fuel”, especially if it is “green hydrogen” generated from renewable energy sources that have zero carbon footprint.

Hydrogen itself, he said, produces water as a by-product when it is burnt.

Mixing hydrogen with natural gas would require little physical infrastructure changes, and it will also “burn a lot cleaner” than just natural gas alone.

He added that safety should not be something to be concerned about if a dedicated hydrogen power plant is ever built in the future. Prof Subodh explained that unlike natural gas, hydrogen is not combustible on its own.

“If we can handle LNG (liquid natural gas), we can handle hydrogen,” he said.
Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/new-solar-targets-good-start-unlikely-have-significant-impact-says-experts

  • Renewables
30 October 2019

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  • Thailand

October 30 (Renewables Now) – Thai solar company Helios Energy Co has signed an agreement with the Ministry for Innovative Development of Uzbekistan to build a 110-MW solar plant in the region of Sirdarya.

Helios Energy has agreed to oversee the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) work on the project, which involves the installation of about 220,000 photovoltaic (PV) panels across an 80-acre site.

The company said in a statement that this solar plant will supply power to a hotel and casino complex already under construction in the region. It expects to begin cable laying activities early next year and have the plant up and running by late 2023.

Just a month earlier, Helios Energy announced a similar deal for the construction of a 40-MW solar park in the economic free zone of the city of Namangan, eastern Uzbekistan. Now, the company unveiled it has a memorandum of intent with the Uzbek government to expand the Namangan site to a total of 360 MW. Moreover, it has two fixed rate power purchase agreements (PPAs) for 590 MW in Thailand.

Uzbekistan has pledged to develop up to 5 GW of solar capacity by 2030, Helios Energy noted.

  • Renewables
30 October 2019

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  • Philippines

MANILA — The Philippines will prepare a detailed plan for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on how it could embark on a nuclear power program, its energy chief said on Wednesday, backing a push for the country to tap nuclear energy.

“We are set to meet with the IAEA next month to discuss further collaboration efforts,” Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said, after receiving an IAEA review report on the infrastructure the country would need for a nuclear program.

“This is the beginning of a new phase of work because we have to prepare now our plan of action and we are going to present it to them, to IAEA, and they are going to audit us,” Cusi said.

The Department of Energy has been studying the use of nuclear power, a divisive issue in the Philippines due to safety concerns. It has drafted an executive order, which is awaiting President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature, outlining a national policy to support its plan.

Duterte has said safety will be his top consideration in deciding whether the country will pursue nuclear energy.

Cusi said Duterte “wants to learn more” about nuclear energy.

Nuclear power is seen as a potential answer to the Philippines’ twin problems of precarious supply and the high cost of electricity, although Cusi said other options were also being considered.

“We are looking at all sources of energy. We’re studying hydrogen,” he said. “We are hungry for power and we will tap any sources that would satisfy our own needs now.”

Supporters of Cusi’s nuclear energy push say that because the fuel cost is lower, electricity rates will drop. But those against it cite a reliance on imported uranium, high waste disposal and decomissioning costs, as well as safety issues.

If it decides to tap nuclear energy, the Philippines could either build new facilities or rehabilitate its Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, built in the 1980s but mothballed after a change in the country’s leadership and the devastating Chernobyl disaster.

Cusi said the government is also looking at deploying small modular nuclear plants to some of the country’s islands still suffering from power shortage.

The government recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Russian state atomic company Rosatom involving a pre-feasibility study for such plants, he said. (Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; editing by Richard Pullin)

  • Oil & Gas
30 October 2019

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  • Philippines

MANILA, Philippines – Retired Supreme Court senior associate justice Antonio Carpio disagreed with Vice President Leni Robredo’s demand that the Philippine government must require China to recognize Philippine ownership and sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea before pursuing a contract for oil and gas exploration.

Carpio took this position as he explained that because the oil and gas exploration deal between Manila and Beijing would be done through service contracts, the joint exploration is safe as service contracts expressly recognize that the area falls within Philippine sovereignty or sovereign rights. (READ: Carpio, Del Rosario say PH ‘safe’ with China oil deal)

“We don’t have to state, we don’t have to require that China expressly recognize that we have sovereign rights. It’s by the mere fact that they come in through a service contract, the necessary consequence is that they recognize that the resources there, the oil and gas, belong to the Filipino people,” Carpio told reporters Tuesday night, October 29.

Carpio cited as an example the existing service contract in Recto Bank (Reed Bank) in the West Philippine Sea in which the service contractor is Forum Energy. Businessman Manuel V Pangilinan’s PXP Energy Corporation, through its London-listed unit Forum Energy Plc, holds an exploration permit covering Recto Bank.

“The Chinese will come in through a service contractor, that means in Reed Bank they will partner, or they will have a cooperation with Forum Energy and under the service contract between Fourm Energy and the Philippines, there is an acknowledgment by Forum Energy that the Philippines has sovereign rights over Reed Bank, that the Philippines owns the natural gas there,” he said. (READ: Carpio on West Philippine Sea: Every Filipino’s duty to defend PH territory)

Robredo earlier said she did not believe the oil and gas deal between the Philippines and China would be “fair” to the Philippines and said the country should not enter into joint exploration agreements concerning areas covered by the 2016 Hague ruling. The landmark Hague ruling struck down China’s 9-dash line in the South China Sea and upheld the Philippines’ rights over the West Philippine Sea.

Kasi may pinag-awayan eh, may pinag-awayan (We fought over this area, we had a dispute over it). We filed a case against China,” said Robredo.

Face-saving solution

Carpio earlier pointed out that China’s participation in oil and gas exploration through a service contract would suffice. Together with the 2016 Hague ruling, the retired justice said a service contract would be “sufficient” to preserve and protect the Philippines’ exclusive sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.

This is because there would be “implied admission” by China that oil and gas in areas covered by the memorandum of understanding (MOU), and the terms of reference (TOR) implementing it, belong to the Philippines.

“We cannot expect China to admit expressly in writing that the Philippines has exclusive sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea. The Chinese government will have to justify the MOU and TOR with the Chinese people, and we must help the Chinese government find a face-saving solution,” Carpio said at forum on the South China Sea code on Monday, October 28.

However, Carpio, a staunch defender of the West Philippine Sea, likewise warned the Philippines must be “firm” that any cooperation on oil and gas in the West Philippine Sea followed terms under the MOU and TOR.

“There should be no deviation whatsoever from the MOU and TOR,” he said.

Carpio has stated in the past that once finalized, the MOU and TOR may be the “solution” to the South China Sea dispute.

“If so, we would have found the formula, under the Duterte administration, for a South China Sea-wide peaceful settlement of what is considered as the most intractable maritime dispute in the world today,” Carpio said. – Rappler.com

  • Others
30 October 2019

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  • Brunei Darussalam

Total (Paris:FP) (LSE:TTA) (NYSE:TOT) has signed an agreement to sell wholly owned subsidiary Total E&P Deep Offshore Borneo BV — which holds an 86.95% interest in Block CA1, located 100 kilometers off the coast of Brunei — to Shell1 for $300 million. The transaction is subject to approval by the competent authorities and is expected to close by December 2019.

“This transaction fits with our strategy of actively managing our portfolio and will contribute to our program to dispose of $5 billion of non-core assets over the period 2019-2020,” said Arnaud Breuillac, President Exploration & Production at Total.

Block CA1 covers 5,850 square kilometers, with water depths ranging from 1,000 to 2,500 meters. Total currently operates the block alongside partners Murphy Oil (8.05%) and Petronas (5%).

* * * * *

About Total

Total is a major energy player that produces and markets fuels, natural gas and low-carbon electricity. Our 100,000 employees are committed to better energy that is safer, more affordable, cleaner and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, our ambition is to become the responsible energy major.

Cautionary note

This press release, from which no legal consequences may be drawn, is for information purposes only. The entities in which TOTAL S.A. directly or indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. TOTAL S.A. has no liability for their acts or omissions. In this document, the terms “Total”, “Total Group” and Group are sometimes used for convenience. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” may also be used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them.

This document may contain forward-looking information and statements that are based on a number of economic data and assumptions made in a given economic, competitive and regulatory environment. They may prove to be inaccurate in the future and are subject to a number of risk factors. Neither TOTAL S.A. nor any of its subsidiaries assumes any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information or statement, objectives or trends contained in this document whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

1 Dordtsche Petroleum Maatschappij BV

  • Energy-Climate & Environment
30 October 2019

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  • Singapore

SINGAPORE — If Singapore does not take steps to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases in relation to the food consumed by its people, the total emissions in this segment will increase by about 19 per cent by 2030 due to population growth, a study found.

It also found that the best way to cut such food-related emissions is for people living here to consume less meat.

Another finding: In Singapore, pork is the source of the highest greenhouse gas emissions per capita consumption here, accounting for about 28 per cent of food-related greenhouse gas emissions.

The study was commissioned by investment firm Temasek and done by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) and financial advisory firm Deloitte between April and July this year.

It looked at 13 key food items in Singapore: Beef, mutton, pork, chicken, duck, egg, fish, other seafood, fruits, leafy vegetables, other vegetables, rice and wheat.

WHY THE STUDY ON SINGAPORE

Read also: Singapore’s greenhouse gas emissions top 50m tonnes: Report

Food contributes up to a third of global GHG emissions which leads to global warming, and Singapore imports more than 90 per cent of its food, which makes the country more susceptible to climate and natural resource risks.

Red meat, beef in particular, has the biggest carbon footprint per kilogramme of protein, but the environmental impact of food is also affected by the source of the food and the consumption patterns of the local population, the report said.

Most existing studies on the impact of food systems are either centred on the United States or Europe and do not consider unique export-import pairs, it added.

Read also: ‘Worse than anyone expected’: Air travel emissions vastly outpace predictions

For example, food that is air-flown significantly raises its environmental impact. And in Singapore’s case, pork, and not beef, has the biggest carbon footprint due to transportation.

The aim of the study was to have a better understanding on the situation here, so that stakeholders such as policymakers, businesses and consumers are able to focus their sustainability efforts to reduce the environmental impact.

Greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and water consumption were the three key environmental impact indicators explored in the study for the life cycle of food — from the time it is produced, processed and transported, to it being consumed.

Read also: The Big Read: Taking the climate fight beyond straws and tote bags — individual actions that matter

WHICH MEATS ARE THE WORST CULPRITS

The environmental impact of meats, especially pork, mutton and beef, is the most severe.

Beef has the highest greenhouse gas emissions per kg due to manure storage that produce methane, a greenhouse gas.

Read also: Trash Talk: The battle of the food waste bulge — why you should throw away less food

The enteric fermentation from cattle — where food that is decomposed and fermented in the digestive tract of cows, sheep and goats — also produce methane as a by-product.

Using a unit of measurement, the study found that beef has the highest greenhouse gas emissions per kg at 24.4.

This is followed by mutton at 16.4 and pork at 12.0.

Fish is almost half that of pork at 6.3, while leafy vegetables produce the lowest greenhouse gas emissions per kg of all 13 food items studied at just 0.4.

However, when it came to the highest energy consumption per kg due to air transport, intensive indoor housing and manure management systems for livestock, the order slightly is different.

Pork has the highest energy consumption per kg at 49.4, followed by beef at 42.6.

Mutton is at 32.8 and fish is at 30.3. Again, leafy vegetables has the lowest energy consumption per kg at 1.8.

The reason why the energy consumption level for beef is lower compared to pork is because Singapore imports mostly grass-fed beef from countries such as Brazil, Australia and New Zealand.

This means that the cattle spend more time grazing on pastures instead of staying indoors where energy is required for heating, ventilation and producing the grains to feed the cattle.

Other key findings:

367kg of food is consumed per capita (per person) a year in Singapore.

Although red meats represent about 11 per cent of consumption per capita by weight yearly, they contribute about 40 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions.

While pork accounts for about 6 per cent of food consumed by weight, it accounts for about 28 per cent of food-related greenhouse gas emissions.

EMISSIONS FROM PRODUCING FOOD

Pork also has the highest amount of annual greenhouse emissions per capita at 266.

This is followed by chicken at 121 and rice is at 117.

Leafy vegetables are last-placed of the 13 food items, at just 6.0.

However, rice has the highest water consumption per kg (923 litres per kg) compared to beef (872 litres per kg) and pork (840 litres per kg). This is due to the irrigation of the paddy fields during the production stage.

A significant amount of water is consumed at the production stage to grow livestock feed as well.

EMISSIONS FROM TRANSPORTING FOOD

Air transport is nine times more carbon-intensive per tonne-kilometre than land transport and about 50 times that of sea transport.

Even though chilled air-flown pork, mutton, beef and fish account for only 9 per cent of food consumed here, they contribute to about 65 per cent of the energy used to transport all food items to Singapore.

For frozen food items transported by land or sea, the study found that the distance from the import source does not significantly impact greenhouse gas emissions due to lower emissions by such modes.

IMPACT OF IMPORTING CHILLED, FROZEN AND FRESH MEAT

The study suggested that the energy sources of the exporting country should be considered instead of just the transport distance.

Certain food items may be sourced from countries further away, which may have cleaner and renewable sources of electricity generation and thus, have a lesser impact on the environment than sourcing from nearby countries that are more dependent on fossil fuels.

For example, greenhouse gas emissions from air transporting chilled pork from Brazil is almost three times the emissions than when it is flown from Australia, due to the longer distance to Singapore.

However, this is not the case for frozen chicken.

The emissions during the processing and production stage for Brazil is 15 per cent lower than that of Malaysia, because Brazil has cleaner energy sources for electricity generation using mostly hydropower.

For chicken meat, fresh chicken has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions and is recommended for its lower environmental impact. Otherwise, frozen Brazilian chicken may be a good alternative.

The study also found that for pork and beef, frozen meat would be more eco-friendly compared to chilled meat.

This is because chilled meat needs to be air-flown due to its shorter shelf-life and to maintain freshness.

For chilled or fresh meat, the study added that they should be sourced in countries closer to Singapore as less transportation would be required, thus generating lower greenhouse gas emissions.

POSSIBLE SCENARIOS BY 2030

If business were to go on as usual and locally produced food in Singapore remains at below 10 per cent in the year 2030, but the population grows to 6.7 million, the environmental impact would be great, the researchers said.

The per capita greenhouse gas emissions would remain the same as in 2018, but the absolute or total greenhouse gas emissions for food in Singapore would increase by 19 per cent compared to last year, because of population growth.

So how could things pan out?

Scenario 1: In a “30 by 30” scenario, where Singapore reaches its goal of producing 30 per cent of its nutritional needs locally by 2030, the study found that the per capita greenhouse gas emissions — or emissions per person — will reduce by 3 per cent compared to if business were as usual, because less transport would be required and cleaner energy could be used in Singapore.

However, this may not be enough because emissions will still increase by 16 per cent compared to 2018 due to population growth.

Scenario 2: The other option is that people adopt an “optimal health” diet which consists of 50 per cent fruits and vegetables, 25 per cent grains (rice and wheat) and 25 per cent meats, eggs and seafood.

Right now, the average diet in Singapore is 46 per cent fruits and vegetables, 26 per cent grains, and 28 per cent meats, eggs and seafood.

With this optimal health diet, the per capita greenhouse gas emissions will reduce by 16 per cent compared to business as usual, due to lower meat consumption.

Absolute emissions would also drop by 1 per cent compared to the 2018 emissions scenario, despite population growth.

Scenario 3: This would be a combination of the first and second scenarios above. People would maintain a diet of 25 per cent meats, eggs and seafood, but for the meat portions, 25 per cent or 50 per cent of the red meats consumed such as pork, beef, mutton and duck are replaced by “plant-based meats”.

With this, per capita greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 21 per cent (25 per cent of red meats replaced) and 26 per cent (50 per cent of red meats replaced) compared to the business-as-usual situation.

Absolute greenhouse gas emissions will fall by 6 per cent and 12 per cent respectively, compared to in 2018, despite population growth.
Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/explainer-how-food-singaporeans-eat-contribute-climate-change

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