Research Fellow, Department of Human Geography
Australian National University
Research Interests
Non-governmental organisations; climate change justice; animal welfare geographies; practices and politics of sustainable consumption and sustainable communities; environmental governance; qualitative research methods.
Key Publications
* Competing discourses of sustainable consumption: Does the rationalisation of lifestyles make sense?’ Environmental Politics 11(2), 95-120, 2002.
* Consumption, sustainability and geography in Australia: A missing research agenda?’ Australian Geographical Studies, 41(2), 148-55, 2003.
* Thinking habits into action: The role of knowledge and process in questioning household consumption practices,’ Local Environment, 8(1), 95-112, 2003.
* Sustainable consumption in the United Kingdom: the responsible consumer and government at arm’s length’. Journal of Environment and Development, 10(3), 121-39, 2004.
* Researching sustainable consumption in Asia-Pacific cities.’ Asia Pacific Viewpoint, 45(2), 2004.
* Considering green practices: NGOs and Singapore’s emergent environmental-political space’. Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia, 20(2), Special Issue on ‘Democracy and Civil Society: NGO Politics in Singapore’, 155-76, 2005. (with S. Niemeyer and J. Petts) ‘Rapid climate change and society; assessing responses and thresholds’. Risk Analysis, 25(6), 1443-1456, 2005.
* Enacting environmental justice in Singapore: performative justice and the Green Volunteer Network’. GeoForum, 37(5), 671-681, 2006.
* Bins, bulbs and shower timers: on the techno-ethics of sustainable living’. Ethics, Place and Environment, 9(3), 335-354, 2006.
* Environmental psychology and the geographies of ethical and sustainable consumption: aligning, triangulating, challenging?’ Area, 38(3), 292-300, 2006.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Reading List
Ryan Bishop, John Phillips and Yeo Wei-Wei (2004) Beyond Description : Singapore Space Historicity London, New York Taylor & Francis
Chapter 2: Of Trees and the Heartland: Singapore’s Narratives1
Chapter 5: At Home in the Worlds: Community and Consumption in Urban Singapore
Chapter 12: Intelligent Island, Baroque Ecology
Richard Wilk eds. (2006) Fast food/slow food : the cultural economy of the global food system. Lanham, MD : Altamira Press.
Mustafa Koc et al eds. (1999) For hunger-proof cities : sustainable urban food systems. Ottawa : International Development Research Centre.
Peter Dauvergne (1997) Shadows in the forest : Japan and the politics of timber in Southeast Asia. Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press.
Peter Knoepfel ed. (2007) Environmental policy analyses : learning from the past for the future - 25 years of research. New York : Springer.
Mark Q. Sutton and E.N. Anderson (2004) Introduction to cultural ecology. Walnut Creek, CA : AltaMira Press.
Paul C Stern et al. eds. (1997) Environmentally significant consumption : research directions. Committee on the Human Dimensions of Global Change, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council. Washington, D.C. : National Academy Press
Sean X. Liu. 2007. Food and agricultural wastewater utilization and treatment. Blackwell
Graaff, J. de. 1996. The price of soil erosion : an economic evaluation of soil conservation and watershed development. Leiden, Neitherlands : Wageningen Agricultural University
Terrence J. Toy, George R. Foster, Kenneth G. Renard. 2002. Soil erosion : processes, predicition, measurement, and control. New York : John Wiley & Sons
Michael Stocking and Niamh Murnaghan. 2001. Handbook for the field assessment of land degradation. London, UK : Earthscan Publications Ltd.
R.P.C. Morgan. 2005. Soil erosion and conservation 3rd Edition. Oxford : Blackwell Pub
Frederick R. Troeh, J. Arthur Hobbs, Roy L. Donahue. 2004. Soil and water conservation for productivity and environmental protection 4th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ : Prentice Hall
Steven C. Hackett. 1998. Environmental and Natural Resources Economics. Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe
Chapter 2: Of Trees and the Heartland: Singapore’s Narratives1
Chapter 5: At Home in the Worlds: Community and Consumption in Urban Singapore
Chapter 12: Intelligent Island, Baroque Ecology
Richard Wilk eds. (2006) Fast food/slow food : the cultural economy of the global food system. Lanham, MD : Altamira Press.
Mustafa Koc et al eds. (1999) For hunger-proof cities : sustainable urban food systems. Ottawa : International Development Research Centre.
Peter Dauvergne (1997) Shadows in the forest : Japan and the politics of timber in Southeast Asia. Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press.
Peter Knoepfel ed. (2007) Environmental policy analyses : learning from the past for the future - 25 years of research. New York : Springer.
Mark Q. Sutton and E.N. Anderson (2004) Introduction to cultural ecology. Walnut Creek, CA : AltaMira Press.
Paul C Stern et al. eds. (1997) Environmentally significant consumption : research directions. Committee on the Human Dimensions of Global Change, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council. Washington, D.C. : National Academy Press
Sean X. Liu. 2007. Food and agricultural wastewater utilization and treatment. Blackwell
Graaff, J. de. 1996. The price of soil erosion : an economic evaluation of soil conservation and watershed development. Leiden, Neitherlands : Wageningen Agricultural University
Terrence J. Toy, George R. Foster, Kenneth G. Renard. 2002. Soil erosion : processes, predicition, measurement, and control. New York : John Wiley & Sons
Michael Stocking and Niamh Murnaghan. 2001. Handbook for the field assessment of land degradation. London, UK : Earthscan Publications Ltd.
R.P.C. Morgan. 2005. Soil erosion and conservation 3rd Edition. Oxford : Blackwell Pub
Frederick R. Troeh, J. Arthur Hobbs, Roy L. Donahue. 2004. Soil and water conservation for productivity and environmental protection 4th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ : Prentice Hall
Steven C. Hackett. 1998. Environmental and Natural Resources Economics. Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Environmental Legislation in SG
An excellent list from NEA website on Environmental Legislations in Singapore
Singapore Statutes Online also helpful. Very detailed law-language.
Singapore Statutes Online also helpful. Very detailed law-language.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Research Update on 14Aug07
1) Called Lily at AVA and found out that vegetable imports stats are available from Ministry of Trade and Industry, International Enterprise Singapore.
2) Went to IE Singapore website and found out statistics publication cost money. so called their hotline. At hotline, asked for the operator which transfered me to Tricia. Tricia informed me that to get the stats free I can go to their Library at Bugis Junction Office Tower Level 7. Opened 9-6pm on Mon to Fri. There, the librarian can help me find specific cities possibly.
3) Called Lily at AVA again to find out if they know the cities and was informed that they don't. Asked if they are the secretariat of the Singapore Fruits and Vegetable Importers and was told they are unrelated. Was given the phone number for SFV (page 13 Aug). Must ask SFV where they import from. Must ask her who in charge of Riau Vegetable Project. She also told me there is no accreditation for vegetables, unlike meat products. Meat products they have site inspection but mostly accreditation is done on government-government level. They welcome all fresh fruits and vegetables and only do inspection at point of entry. They quarantine briefly to run labtest on residues, etc. Check if can interview her - questions on page 14Aug.
4) Did a newspaper check on factiva and found no news on Brastagi but instead found the Riau vegetable project at Pekanbaru (capital of Riau) which was established in 2002 by AVA and Riau government with a total of $2million SGD and "benefit 550 farmers working on 10 farms spanning 11ha". Also found out that 70% of Singapore's vegetable import comes from Malaysia (year unsure) while 50% of Cameron Highland's produce is exported to Singapore (1999). Files are saved as "vegetable articles x.pdf" in the newspaper articles folder.
5) Checked with Ina on pekanbaru and she got me a contact from her friend Stepi who works for EU Commission in Indonesia. Stepi's collegemate from Bogor, Mustajab will connect me with businesses, govt and NGO in Pekanbaru. He already knows that I'm doing agriculture in Pekanbaru.
6) Savage suggest doing Pekanbaru and Brastagi then later decided just Pekanbaru will do but I am keeping Brastagi as an option. Must write full proposal ASAP.
7) Decided to go down to the IE Singapore library on Thursday.
8) A chat with Kenneth Pinto reminds me if our import really significantly affect that area and is vegetables significant to Singapore? Singaporeans consume 83kg of vegetable per year per capita. But 4 million of 83kg is a lot more but what percentage is this of total production in source country. Stats from food stats.pdf in the AVA Annual Report folder.
9) Got reminded about corporate airfare - must check with Pauline if airfare is required to be through school if I wish to claim.
10) Got a form to fill up for access to GIS lab. Must ask Higgitt if I need to use geolab for soil tests. Read up on methods.
2) Went to IE Singapore website and found out statistics publication cost money. so called their hotline. At hotline, asked for the operator which transfered me to Tricia. Tricia informed me that to get the stats free I can go to their Library at Bugis Junction Office Tower Level 7. Opened 9-6pm on Mon to Fri. There, the librarian can help me find specific cities possibly.
3) Called Lily at AVA again to find out if they know the cities and was informed that they don't. Asked if they are the secretariat of the Singapore Fruits and Vegetable Importers and was told they are unrelated. Was given the phone number for SFV (page 13 Aug). Must ask SFV where they import from. Must ask her who in charge of Riau Vegetable Project. She also told me there is no accreditation for vegetables, unlike meat products. Meat products they have site inspection but mostly accreditation is done on government-government level. They welcome all fresh fruits and vegetables and only do inspection at point of entry. They quarantine briefly to run labtest on residues, etc. Check if can interview her - questions on page 14Aug.
4) Did a newspaper check on factiva and found no news on Brastagi but instead found the Riau vegetable project at Pekanbaru (capital of Riau) which was established in 2002 by AVA and Riau government with a total of $2million SGD and "benefit 550 farmers working on 10 farms spanning 11ha". Also found out that 70% of Singapore's vegetable import comes from Malaysia (year unsure) while 50% of Cameron Highland's produce is exported to Singapore (1999). Files are saved as "vegetable articles x.pdf" in the newspaper articles folder.
5) Checked with Ina on pekanbaru and she got me a contact from her friend Stepi who works for EU Commission in Indonesia. Stepi's collegemate from Bogor, Mustajab will connect me with businesses, govt and NGO in Pekanbaru. He already knows that I'm doing agriculture in Pekanbaru.
6) Savage suggest doing Pekanbaru and Brastagi then later decided just Pekanbaru will do but I am keeping Brastagi as an option. Must write full proposal ASAP.
7) Decided to go down to the IE Singapore library on Thursday.
8) A chat with Kenneth Pinto reminds me if our import really significantly affect that area and is vegetables significant to Singapore? Singaporeans consume 83kg of vegetable per year per capita. But 4 million of 83kg is a lot more but what percentage is this of total production in source country. Stats from food stats.pdf in the AVA Annual Report folder.
9) Got reminded about corporate airfare - must check with Pauline if airfare is required to be through school if I wish to claim.
10) Got a form to fill up for access to GIS lab. Must ask Higgitt if I need to use geolab for soil tests. Read up on methods.
My desk under the stairs
Welcome to my humble abode in NUS. I call this the cupboard under the stairs, like Harry Potter, I live under the stairs. What more, the unit number is damn auspicious. 444.
Maybe I will take another photo 3 months down and see if I've accumulated more things. For now, I think the room definitely lack some strong potpurri!
What can you spot on my desk? Join in the fun identifying things on flickr!
Environmental Issues in Singapore
For my DE5122 assignment presentation on environmental issues in Singapore:
Here are some numbers:
Exxon Mobile plant's total crude oil processing capacity is 309,000 barrels a day, according to the company's Web site.
Exxon Mobil, the world's largest listed oil and gas company by market capitalization, also operates another Singapore refinery with a 296,000-barrel-a-day capacity.
Source: International Business Times
Large point source of CO2 emission are listed as "large point sources, such as power plants, oil refineries and industrial processes".
"The refining process releases numerous different chemicals into the atmosphere; consequently, there are substantial air pollution emissions[7] and a notable odor normally accompanies the presence of a refinery. Aside from air pollution impacts there are also wastewater concerns,[2] upset risks of fire and explosion, and both occupational noise and environmental noise health effects." - Wikipedia
Lights from Bukom Shell Oil Refinery at night
Tuas Powerplant
"Gas pipelines linking the air separation plant (lower case) directly to the customer through the pipeline network ensure continuous and consistent supply of large quantities of gases. SOXAL has a network of more than 80 kilometres of oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen piping covering major parts of Jurong, Tuas and Jurong Island." - Soxal - a major gas supplier for all refineries in Singapore. SOXAL (Singapore Oxygen Air Liquide Pte Ltd) is owned by Air Liquide, France, the world's leaders in the manufacture and application of gases.
Shell’s Pulau Bukom Refinery – currently Shell’s largest refinery in the world
List of Oil Refineries in Singapore:
* ExxonMobil Jurong Island Refinery (ExxonMobil), 605,000 barrels per day
* SRC Jurong Island Refinery (Singapore Refining Corporation), 285,000 bpd
* Shell Pulau Bukom Refinery (Royal Dutch Shell), 458,000 bpd
Video Jug explains Oil Refinery
30 miles radius of Oil Refinery has high chance of cancer
Fugitive Emission - air pollution from refinery that's not under control - smoke stack are regulated but miles of pipes that move gas and partially processed products have vents that allow the gas to escape and emission which pollute air and soil
S02 - sulphur dioxide one of the key pollutants responsible for acid rain
Also responsible for fugitive Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) synonymous with NMVOC (Non methane VOC)
calculating carbon emission of oil refinery in 1997/98
crude oil emissions coefficient per unit of energy 5.8 million Btu per barrel
emissions coefficient for crude oil is 20.24 million metric tons carbon per quadrillion Btu
Assuming 5.8 million btu per barrel,
Singapore's oil refinery process 1348000 barrels per day
producing 78,184,000,000,000 btu per day (0.078184 quadrillion btu)
or 28.53716 quadrillion btu a year
total carbon emission is 577.6 million metric tons carbon per year just from oil refineries alone
Converted to carbon dioxide emission, this is equivalent to 2086.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide
Here are some numbers:
Exxon Mobile plant's total crude oil processing capacity is 309,000 barrels a day, according to the company's Web site.
Exxon Mobil, the world's largest listed oil and gas company by market capitalization, also operates another Singapore refinery with a 296,000-barrel-a-day capacity.
Source: International Business Times
Large point source of CO2 emission are listed as "large point sources, such as power plants, oil refineries and industrial processes".
"The refining process releases numerous different chemicals into the atmosphere; consequently, there are substantial air pollution emissions[7] and a notable odor normally accompanies the presence of a refinery. Aside from air pollution impacts there are also wastewater concerns,[2] upset risks of fire and explosion, and both occupational noise and environmental noise health effects." - Wikipedia
Lights from Bukom Shell Oil Refinery at night
Tuas Powerplant
"Gas pipelines linking the air separation plant (lower case) directly to the customer through the pipeline network ensure continuous and consistent supply of large quantities of gases. SOXAL has a network of more than 80 kilometres of oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen piping covering major parts of Jurong, Tuas and Jurong Island." - Soxal - a major gas supplier for all refineries in Singapore. SOXAL (Singapore Oxygen Air Liquide Pte Ltd) is owned by Air Liquide, France, the world's leaders in the manufacture and application of gases.
Shell’s Pulau Bukom Refinery – currently Shell’s largest refinery in the world
List of Oil Refineries in Singapore:
* ExxonMobil Jurong Island Refinery (ExxonMobil), 605,000 barrels per day
* SRC Jurong Island Refinery (Singapore Refining Corporation), 285,000 bpd
* Shell Pulau Bukom Refinery (Royal Dutch Shell), 458,000 bpd
Video Jug explains Oil Refinery
30 miles radius of Oil Refinery has high chance of cancer
Fugitive Emission - air pollution from refinery that's not under control - smoke stack are regulated but miles of pipes that move gas and partially processed products have vents that allow the gas to escape and emission which pollute air and soil
S02 - sulphur dioxide one of the key pollutants responsible for acid rain
Also responsible for fugitive Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) synonymous with NMVOC (Non methane VOC)
calculating carbon emission of oil refinery in 1997/98
crude oil emissions coefficient per unit of energy 5.8 million Btu per barrel
emissions coefficient for crude oil is 20.24 million metric tons carbon per quadrillion Btu
Assuming 5.8 million btu per barrel,
Singapore's oil refinery process 1348000 barrels per day
producing 78,184,000,000,000 btu per day (0.078184 quadrillion btu)
or 28.53716 quadrillion btu a year
total carbon emission is 577.6 million metric tons carbon per year just from oil refineries alone
Converted to carbon dioxide emission, this is equivalent to 2086.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide
Teaching Responsibilities
Met up with H who is the lecturer im assisting this sem.
My responsibilities include:
1) Attending first lecture, week 6 lecture (i.e. the test), week 8 lecture (when nature in the city will be discussed), and week 10 lecture.
2) Helm the lecture on Sept 18 (administering midterm test or perhaps even speak on something)
3) In charge of tutorials/discussions sessions for week 10 sessions on conservation.
It all sounds very exciting and I shall pull on my role model TAs who have left a memorable impression on me in my undergrad years - namely Cheng Puay and May.
Think I should start on the readings *gah* it's quite a lot and I must start thinking of what I will be speaking of in the class even though it's 2 months away!
Meanwhile I must prepare for the talk I am giving to the industrial design students.
My responsibilities include:
1) Attending first lecture, week 6 lecture (i.e. the test), week 8 lecture (when nature in the city will be discussed), and week 10 lecture.
2) Helm the lecture on Sept 18 (administering midterm test or perhaps even speak on something)
3) In charge of tutorials/discussions sessions for week 10 sessions on conservation.
It all sounds very exciting and I shall pull on my role model TAs who have left a memorable impression on me in my undergrad years - namely Cheng Puay and May.
Think I should start on the readings *gah* it's quite a lot and I must start thinking of what I will be speaking of in the class even though it's 2 months away!
Meanwhile I must prepare for the talk I am giving to the industrial design students.
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