Blog 1: UNSDGs and me
- nicholasleejh05
- May 5, 2024
- 7 min read
Introduction
Hello everyone! I am Nicholas, a Year 2 Chemical Engineering Student at Singapore Polytechnic. This Blog will be where I am going to share my Chemical Product Design journey and with that, lets get right into it!
Some of my hobbies include playing video games during my free time and going to the gym to destress. One fun fact about me is that I have two older brothers but I am somehow the tallest in the family.
I love cars from all around the world especially Ferrari. Some of my favourite cars from various regions of the world are Ferrari LaFerrari, BMW M4 F82 Competition and Mazda Rx7 FD3S. I love German cars the most for its track edition like the Porsche 911 GT3 RS.
Manual Toyota MR2 Mk2
I also love cats, specifically the British Shorthair because they are so fluffy and chubby. I love when they meow or purr which makes them very cute. They are so cute when they sleep as well as shown in the picture on the right.
Learning Goals
Now that you know more about me, lets move on to talk more about my learning goals. In order to enhance myself to become better, I have several goals that I hope to achieve before completing this module. I will be writing down and explaining how I would know when I achieve these goals down below.
First Goal: Being better at problem-solving
I will know I have achieved this goal when I am consistently spending less time solving a problem. To achieve this, I will apply the CDIO framework as it is highly effective technique for problem-solving.
Second Goal: Being better at 3D AutoCAD software
I will know I have achieved this goal when I have created a well designed chemical product with feedback from others. To achieve this, I will practice using the 3D AutoCAD software everyday and trying out different functions to understand the software better.
UNSDG
Watching the video makes me feel that the goals that the UNSDG have set are necessary for mankind to advance. It gives a sense of urgency that actions have to be taken in order to prevent the dire consequences.
However, while these goals may seem simple in theory, its practical implementation is far more complex. These goals and actions does not account for several factors such as time, resource and cost. Taking SDG Goal 13 as an example which focuses on climate action, does not consider the psychology of human kind. Most people knows that we should reduce our carbon footprint but not everyone does it. This is because some individuals may question whether their actions will have a significant impact or feel why they should be doing it when others or not. Solving climate change requires everyone's contribution and a significant amount of time to achieve.
Additionally, there are way too many goals that we would like to achieve in a short amount of time. 6 years is simply just not enough time at the rate of progress we are making unless everyone plays their part. Hence, these are the reasons to why I feel that the 2030 is too ambitious. Nevertheless, these goals are still valuable as they set expectations to inspire us to achieve them.
Goals ranging from gender equality to climate change have been set by UNSDG have their purpose, to help mankind and earth. These goals aim to foster both equality and equity in the world.
However, I feel that the UNSDG should have one more goal: Preserve Cultural Heritage. As we move to the modern age, many cultural heritage are getting extinct and it is important to preserve them. This issue should be solved in order to protect our sense of place and identity. Additionally, there are many benefits to why we should preserve our cultural heritage apart from the reason mentioned above. Firstly, it helps to increase tourism not only in Singapore but also in the world which helps to boost economic growth and SDG goal 8. Moreover, it also creates new jobs opportunities not only in the tourism sector but also engineering. For example, preserving and restoration of cultural heritage would require civil engineers to ensure that structure integrity of the cultural heritage is maintained.
In conclusion, I think that cultural heritage is crucial for a sustainable development as it not only gives a sense of identity. But also aligns with other SDG goal which can help in achieving them. Hence, I personally think that the 17 goals does not cover everything for a sustainable development for earth and mankind.
Learning Journey
On 24 April 2024, I went to the National Museum of Singapore. It was a such great experience to see the exhibition on about plastics. I got to know more about the history and innovation on plastics. Before leaving the museum, it impacted me emotionally to contribute to sustainability.
There were so many different innovation ranging from a basic folding comb from the late 19th century to spinal brace for medical use. Plastic really help us to do basic things to saving lives. It is amazing what the brain can achieve at this level and imagine its full potential. One thing I learned was that there were at least 7 different types of plastic material from plastic bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate to Styrofoam cups made of polystyrene.
"You are filling the trash cans, the rubbish dumps and the incinerators with literally billons of plastic bottles, plastic jugs, plastic tubes, plastic bags. The happy day had arrived when nobody any longer considers the plastic package too good to throw away." by The Impulse Payoff, 1952. This is my favourite quote in the exhibition. It shows that people will throw plastics without any hesitations when there is no use which would lead to more plastic pollution. This is not only done by one but 8 billion people. Everyone's action really does have an impact on the environment.
This video in the museum was the highlight of the day. It showed us the life of plastic from being extracted from oil to being manufactured into different kinds of products and lastly, trash. This made me realise that, while plastics has played its crucial role in saving lives through medical equipment and aiding in simple tasks like brushing our teeth. Prioritising for more vital needs is more important.
In conclusion, the visit to the musuem was enjoyable especially towards the end where my friends and I were picking plastics from the dirt. Even though it was such a simple activity, I had a lot of fan as it was very peaceful. To end it of, we should rethink our plastic usage to continue to progress if not, we will face severe environmental repercussions.
My Team
Now that my team and I visited the museum, we have a better understanding on what we would like to create for our chemical product design project. We chose two UNSDG goals that we think is the most relevant to Singapore and would love to work on.
The first UNSDG goal my team and I chose is Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG goal 6) which focuses on ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Singapore is a small densely populated country with limited resources and one of it is water. The most effective way to collect clean water is to harvest rainwater. However, Singapore does not have enough land to do so. Hence, we have to look for other sources.
As of today, Singapore acquire our water supply from 4 different sources. Most of it nearly 40 percent comes from Malaysia. Singapore can draw up to 250.4mgd from Malaysia daily for RM 0.03 for every 1000 gallons. Even though we have 3 other different sources, it is still not enough to sustain Singapore's needs. Hence, this why my team and I think it is important to look for other alternatives to ensure Singapore's water security.
The Second UNSDG goal my team and I chose is Affordable and Clean Energy. This goal focuses on ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy services while significantly increasing the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. Singapore faces numerous unique challengers and opportunities such as energy scarcity. Similar to SDG goal 6, Singapore also obtains clean energy from Malaysia!
Singapore has been reducing its dependence on fossil fuels by increasing its energy options to renewable energy such as solar energy. Some examples includes placing solar panels on top of HDB flats and implementing floating solar farm. This will reduce tons of millions of carbon dioxide emissions. However, I think its still not enough as I feel that we can transition fully into clean energy and reduce our dependence on fossil fuel and maintain our energy security.
Chemical Device
Since my team and I have selected down to 2 UNSDG we would love to work on, it is time to decide on a chemical device that we can contribute towards a specific UNSDG. But before that, we had to decide on the specific UNSDG first. After numerous considerations and tons of brainstorming, our team decided to work on SDG goal 7 as it could also help achieve SDG goal 13.
Now that we knew what which UNSDG our team wanted to work on, it is time to decide on a chemical device. Our team research various idea and decided to work on a fuel cell. The fuel cell use hydrogen and oxygen gas to produce water and electricity by undergoing electrochemical reaction. As a result, this system can generate clean energy and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Hence, this chemical device can make a huge difference in the energy sector. It will also help to maintain Singapore's energy security by producing clean energy and achieve SDG goal 7.
Well and with that, sums up my first blog on chemical product design and I hope to see you on my next one. Bye Bye!
References
Chong, C. (2021). Singapore’s first large-scale solar floating farm opens at Tengeh Reservoir. The Straits Times. [online] 14 Jul. Available at: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapores-first-large-scale-solar-floating-farm-opens-at-tengeh-reservoir. [Accessed: 1 May 2024].
Norman, D. (n.d.). The Water Issue Between Singapore and Malaysia: No Solution in Sight. www.academia.edu. [online] Available at: https://www.academia.edu/6206467/The_Water_Issue_Between_Singapore_and_Malaysia_No_Solution_in_Sight. [Accessed: 1 May 2024].
www.istockphoto.com. (n.d.). 2,200+ Fuel Cell Stock Photos, Pictures & Royalty-Free Images - iStock. [online] Available at: https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/fuel-cell. [Accessed: 1 May 2024].
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