Kate Yeo

15 Jan UPDATE: Qiyun from @theweirdandwild and I worked on an analysis of the motion and relevant speeches! Check it out here.

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News update: MP Poh Li San has filed a private member’s motion on climate change!

“This House calls for the Government to enhance green financing, create more green jobs, and strengthen corporate accountability, in partnership with the private sector, civil society and community, to advance Singapore’s inclusive transition towards a low-carbon society.”

This is only the second ever climate change motion in Singapore Parliament. (The first, passed in February last year, led to Singapore declaring climate change a global emergency. You can read more about that here!)

The motion will be debated on in next week’s Parliament sitting, from Mon (10 Jan) to Wed (12 Jan). Here’s a quick explainer about it:

First… what is a ‘motion’?

A motion is simply a formal proposal for the House to take a certain course of action.

According to Bertha Henson and Sean Lim, it allows members to “highlight specific issues or causes which they feel may not have been sufficiently dealt with by Parliament”.

After MPs debate on the motion, there are three possible outcomes:

• Agreed to as it stands
• Agreed to with amendments
• Defeated

(parliament.gov.sg)

What is the proposed motion about?

The motion was filed by MP Poh Li San and supported by 5 other PAP MPs. It focuses on ensuring an inclusive transition as Singapore moves towards a low-carbon society.

There are three key points of focus:

• Enhance green financing
• Create more green jobs
• Strengthen corporate accountability

That sounds kind of vague… how exactly does filing a motion help us achieve those outcomes?

This motion is important because it spotlights the issue of climate change in Parliament once again. MPs will give specific policy recommendations during the parliamentary debate next week.

According to PAP’s press release, some of their suggestions include:

• Create a dedicated Green Space Academy for sustainability-related R&D and training
• Publish a catalogue of firms with low or reduced carbon emissions
• Implement a tiered carbon tax

The Government is not legally required to implement any of the specific recommendations raised. Nevertheless, if the motion is agreed to, it represents a formal commitment to the terms stated: Enhancing green financing, creating more green jobs, strengthening corporate accountability, etc.

Moving forward, it gives us something to hold the Government accountable for!

Is there any way I can contribute to the Parliamentary debate?

While we obviously can’t take part directly, there are still many ways you can express your support for the motion!

• Share about the motion on social media
• Follow the debates next week. If you agree/disagree with certain policy proposals, write to the MPs to let them know!
  • Similarly: If there are amendments made to the motion that you disagree with, email or post about it on your story

This is definitely a very much needed motion and I’m excited to hear more about the Members’ proposals! Hopefully I’ll have time to post an update after the debates next week!