Page 7 - Towards A Sustainable Future 2024

2023, the IPCC told us that not only is climate change I remain truly grateful to the NYAA Council, HSBC
now “widespread, rapid and intensifying”, but to avoid Singapore, ITE and all participating SMEs for making
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breaching the 1.5 C boundary of the Paris Agreement the project possible - and for the honour of serving as
emission reductions must be “rapid and immediate”. Climate Change Advisor. I continue to be amazed at the
The IPCC also warned us we have a “rapidly narrowing enthusiasm, innovation and dedication shown by the
window of opportunity to secure a liveable and students & staff at ITE.
sustainable future”. In other words, climate change is
not a future, distant challenge but is already impacting I would like to especially thank the twenty SME
us today. Transformational change is now imperative to companies who have participated in the second phase
secure a sustainable future and a global environment of the project. We are grateful for their participation,
in which humanity and all our fellow species on planet support and encouragement. We have worked with
Earth can thrive. thirty-five SME partners to date, and the project has
shown, beyond doubt, that cutting carbon emissions
The Singapore government has recently completed in SMEs is a resounding ‘triple-win’ for Singapore.
its 3 assessment on how climate change will likely
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impact Singapore and the broader region of Southeast Singapore has over 220,000 SMEs. They are the
Asia over the coming decades under the ‘V3 study’. The backbone of our economy and a vital component
study allows for an assessment of climate-related risks in the nation’s transition to a more sustainable, low-
to our food and water security, impacts on human carbon future. If the ‘Triple-Win Formula’ were adopted
health, our building & transport infrastructure, and and applied across Singapore’s entire SME sector,
rising seas. These assessments outline the risks and it would cut millions of tonnes of carbon emissions
impacts of climate change and guide Singapore in from the national inventory and save the industry
the actions needed to protect our island home and above a billion dollars each year – pretty good going!
help ensure a cooler, more equitable, and more secure Furthermore, the solutions identified by the students
planet for future generations. have been designed to be practical, simple and widely
applied across all similar types of SMEs in Singapore
As well as the win-win for both the environment and and beyond.
business, the second phase of our project has shown
that there is, perhaps, an even more important win. I hope we can continue to expand the ‘Towards a
That is the ‘win’ of training and our youth to build a Sustainable Future: in Support of the Singapore Green
greener future. Combined, this is what I have called the Plan 2030’ project by harnessing our youth’s ambition
‘Triple-Win Formula’ that holds the key to transitioning nationally as we work together to create a cooler, more
Singapore to a green, low-carbon economy, sustainable future for them, and all future generations.
empowering our youth with the skills they need to
serve a future-ready, climate-resilient nation.

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