Introduction to the subject

Imagine yourself, shopping in one of the biggest malls in Singapore. The air-conditioning in this huge mall is set on at most 18 degrees. That is actually cold, so you will have to wear a sweater to keep you warm. You will only need that inside buildings, because it is usually too hot in Singapore for wearing a sweater! After a while, you will start to feel hungry, so you will go to the bakery. Every single piece of bread you buy, will come in its own small plastic bag. Together, these plastic bags will be given to you in another plastic bag, because that is easier to carry for you. After shopping and eating, there is a sanitary stop. After you visit the toilet, you will find the special taps. They prevent the waste of water so well, that you are not even able to wash both hands at the same time! You need to use at least one hand to keep pushing the button. While washing your hands, the idea comes to mind that this country must be extremely sustainable! However, this idea fades away as soon as you notice your plastic bags again..

Is there any scientific proof that it needs to be below 20 degrees in malls, busses or school buildings?  The difference in temperature between the outside and the inside of a building is so big that it is not even healthy anymore! A lot of foreigners get a cold in their first weeks in Singapore because of the air conditioning. In other countries, they put on the heater when the temperature gets below 20 degrees!

Singapore is actually a country which seems to be sustainable, and that seriously cares a lot about the environment already. In this blog I will show you what Singapore is already doing to take care of the environment, but also what still needs to be done to make the contradiction in the situation sketched above more clear to you. To make this blog more interesting and reliable, I will use scientific information to support my findings and statements.