Smog over Singapore
economist.com
economist.com
But this annual haze, largely caused by burning in Sumatra to create more farm land, is brutal. It's slightly worse than the worst I've seen in Hong Kong (Summer 2012) and it feels like it's lasting longer than the really bad spikes you get in HK.
Overall, I'll take 1-2 weeks of hazardous air, versus the more constant unhealthy air of Hong Kong or Shanghai.
Sadly, both HK and Singapore are quick to blame others. SG blames Indonesia, HK blames factories in Southern China. Even if both claims are true with respect to total pollution, both regions could be doing much more to reduce pollution.
P.S. - If anyone at Amazon or 3M is reading this...there's a need for N95 masks. The people most at risk are also the people less able to spend $3 a day on a mask - homeless, elderly, construction, cleaners.
In the interest of full disclosure...
It's NON-Indonesian corporations that are the ones engaging in the illegal burning. Further, some of those corps are controlled out of Singapore. Which is ... ironic.
Can anyone deny that the source of the fire originates from Sumatra Indonesia? Is Indonesia a sovereign nation or not?
If Indonesia says that it is not responsible for the fires because they are started by non-Indonesian corporations operating on Indonesian soil, then either you are very naive or Singapore would be fully justified in mobilizing its armed forces to deal with the situation.
This is a common misconception. The reality is that local sources cause the majority of Hong Kong's air pollution. Marine, road transport, and power generation are the three primary contributors.
Marine contributes an astonishing amount of SO2 and NO2 and the worst part is that is easily solvable. While most developed countries wont allow ships to burn filty bunker fuel within ~100 miles of the coastline, HK allows them to burn it for days while sitting at port. There was an article a few years back about how the largest container ships each produce an equivalent amount of air pollution as 50 million cars when burning such fuel.
Several logistics companies voluntarily switched to cleaner fuel on a trial basis. The cost difference puts them at a disadvantage to their competitors and they have urged the government to force the requirement on all. Without it being mandated, they will be switching back shortly. Predictably, the the government has refused citing a "need to coordinate with neighboring regions". No doubt they will put a committee together to study the potential to create a preliminary discussion document due 2033.
I agree that roadside pollution levels especially in Causeway Bay and Mongkok are most likely caused by local transport, but the clear-air and high visibility during Golden weeks and CNY suggest significant contributions from north of the border.
http://epi.yale.edu/community/blog/2013/01/18/beyond-crazy-b...
Singapore is an island with only two links out of the country to neighboring Malaysia. It is also one of the most densely populated countries in the world.
If the situation were to take a turn for the worse, the warning might come too little, too late.
Because of the foreign countries, not in case of a uprising at home, mind you.
The state is run like a corporation. Singapore does not have a FEMA because it has never had to deal with natural disasters or an ecological crisis of this magnitude. Thus the government and its people are ill-prepared for what lies ahead:
1. Serious long-term health effects
2. Political and diplomatic tensions because this slash-burn cycle will repeat in perpetuity
3. Economic impact from declining revenues in industries like tourism, food & beverage, construction etc.
The government has yet to articulate a plan that involves displacement of its population should the situation persist (almost a given) and take a turn for the worse (possible). I'm not going to rely on it or any other higher power when it comes to the health and safety of my family.
The prime minister has already stated that the situation could last for months. In the meantime, with PM2.5 levels being hazardous, the people's health are being irreparably harmed. What PSI level would it take for people to leave the island? 500? 1000? 2000? Would anyone still be alive to make that decision?
Let me put it this way. Riau, which is downwind and part of Indonesia (the source of the fires), has already declared a state of emergency when PSI hit 300. Singapore has not done so despite PSI levels being much higher at 401. Given the content of my earlier post, you can draw your own conclusions. I'm not going to spell it out so plainly because Singapore has got broad, draconian laws and I may be treading a fine line here.
Those masks in the picture are useless, though. You need to use the 3M 8511 or 9211 or similar. (And in addition to making the air breathable, they also help with allergies).
I think Singaporeans are smarter than that. Unless this agreement comes with huge payments to Indonesia to help them change agricultural practises what incentive do they have to sign it? They are the biggest polluter and my understanding is that the agreement mostly comes with "help" for Indonesia in areas of each other signatory's choosing - also known as "nothing."
http://i.imgur.com/nssEV4z.jpg
Singapore at 8.30 this morning, as Ali and Michael struggle to work through what appears to be Dickensian fog. The PSI (Pollution Standard Index) hit 321 which is well within ‘Hazardous’ levels, as Sumatra conducts its annual burning to clear land for palm oil, killing wildlife in the process. Reports say that nearly a 3rd of the only 200 remaining Sumatran Orangutan have already died as a result of this year’s burning. The whole island is wreathed in smoke, everything smells, inside and out, some people are wearing masks in their offices... a far cry from Leeds.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/06/20/ri-dodges-haze...