Scientist Calls for Singapore ECA

Dr. Erik Velasco acknowledged that shipping was not the only cause of the pollution in Singapore

A Singapore-based research scientist has made a plea for an Emission Control Area (ECA) to be established in his republic to combat rising pollution, local media reports.

Dr. Erik Velasco, of the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, made the argument this week prior to speaking at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), which held a symposium on the effects of urban air quality on health.

He said, "In Europe and the United States, it's mandatory for the ships when they approach the coast to switch to burn clean fuels (which emit less sulphur dioxide)."

He added that this should be implemented in Singapore.

Velasko's plea was spurred by Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 levels in Singapore that were said to range between 100 to 200 micrograms per cubic metre, and at one point earlier this week reached 341 micrograms per cubic metre, which far exceeds the international standard of a 24-hour average of 25 micrograms per cubic metre.

However Velasco acknowledged that shipping was not the only cause of the pollution in Singapore.

"We have over one million cars, the second largest refinery complex in the world, all ships coming from China to Europe … we have factories … we have construction, so we have many types of emission sources (and) we are exposed to those pollutants," said Velasco.

ECAs have so far been implemented by both Europe and North America, where Metro Vancouver earlier this year said that the tightening of ECA regulations in North America will bring a 95 percent reduction in marine sulfur dioxide emissions in the Canadian city, compared to 2005 levels.

Earlier this month legislation passed by China paved the way for what could be the first ECA in Asia.