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Climate Change and Impact on Singapore

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Submitted By frederico
Words 1982
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Although climate change will very likely be the greatest challenge our succeeding generation has to face, it remains today an extremely contentious issue, polarising opinion in countries and scientific communities worldwide. It is also a cause that has been hijacked by interest groups, journalists and politicians alike, with many claiming that its effects have been blown out of proportion. One thing, however, is certain; the divisiveness of the issue stems largely from our yet limited understanding of climate change and global warming. Thus, for the purpose of answering this question, I will use the framework of understanding of knowns, unknowns, and known- unknowns as utilised by global militaries in decision analysis, to examine the effects of climate change and how we can better prepare for it. What are the knowns about climate change in relation to our country? As any casual observer can discern, Singapore is bordered on all directions by water, with a 200 kilometer coastline. Quite appropriately, many have cited the rising sea level - caused by global warming- as the foremost danger that climate change poses to our nation. The median sea level has been estimated to have risen at the rate of about three millimetres every year from per year for the decade 1993- 2003 ; this, when taken in consideration together with the near- flat topography of Singapore, would surely be a cause for concern. The effects of rising sea- levels on our small island- nation are not difficult to imagine, even for non- academics. Estimates for the rise in sea- level range from anywhere between seven to 20 feet by the end of the century, but wherever it might actually lie, even the minimum of these projections will still cause widespread flooding inland. Erosion of waterfront regions will accelerate. Land- reclamation, for so long the provider of space through which Singapore has

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