ReleaseWire Connect

In recent years the focus of building design and operation has switched from trying to insulate humans from nature to attempting to adapt these structures to their natural surroundings. Stricter building codes and the motivation to cut energy costs and wastage have meant that there have been plenty of challenges for those in building services jobs focused on creating more sustainable living environments. Commercial and residential buildings make up around 12% of global greenhouse gas emissions and this is often higher in tropical climates such as Singapore where nature presents more challenges.

While Singapore has thankfully remained out of the headlines for structural failures since the collapse of the Hotel New World in 1986, the Asia Pacific region in general has not been so lucky. We have continued to see structures fall - and people die - which has underlined the need for those in forensics jobs to focus on finding the causes in order to prevent disasters happening again. In July this year, for example, 17 people died when a building collapsed in the city of Suzhou in China.

COVID support for the construction sector in Singapore was due to come to an end on Sept 30th this year. However, with an extension in place until 31st December the sector looks set to be insulated against the ongoing impact of the pandemic at least until the end of the year. Lost construction jobs, an increase in the cost of foreign manpower and obstacles to contract performance as a result of COVID-19 are just some issues that have arisen since the start of the pandemic.

'Green buildings' has become a bona fide buzzword over the past year as the drive towards sustainable construction and building services continues to gather momentum. The ethos behind green buildings is to help reduce carbon emissions and also minimise operating costs so there is a dual benefit for all those areas where this becomes the dominant approach.

According to ING bank, three of Asia's major economies are likely to spend upwards of $12 trillion in an effort to achieve net-zero carbon emissions within the transportation sector. China, Japan, and South Korea are the main producers of carbon dioxide emissions within the Asia Pacific region.

Offshore wind farms are a burgeoning trend in the Asia Pacific region. In fact, 46% of global offshore wind farms are being hosted in this part of the world. The pace of development continues to accelerate as countries across the region start to invest more in this incredible, renewable power source.

Innovation and growth in renewable energy is moving at a fast pace today with new projects springing up all over the Asia Pacific region. One of the most notable is the search for green ammonia, a gas that is widely used to make agricultural fertilisers. Green ammonia has the advantage of being a 100% renewable and carbon free process, meaning that there are currently many enterprises exploring the possibilities for creating it. Origin Energy Ltd (an Australian electricity and natural gas company) and Mitsui O.S.K Lines, a major Japanese shipping giant are joining forces to look for opportunities to create green ammonia in Australia for the purposes of export.

The vulnerability of energy supply is something that countries like Singapore understand only too well. There is now a pressing need to establish energy security and this is creating many renewable energy career opportunities across Asia Pacific thanks to the potential of sources such as wind and solar power. Singapore is a country that has a large carbon footprint (for its size), contributing 0.11% of global emissions despite being only 0.0005% of the world's land. 95% of Singapore's power needs are currently met by natural gas and the country is dependent on fossil fuels - although not for much longer.

Australia is a country with one asset that is particularly useful when it comes to renewable energy: a lot of space. However, this has not been one of the country's top priorities - until now. Earlier this year, renewable energy zones and dispatchable energy storage were listed as "high priority initiatives'' by Infrastructure Australia for the first time.

Renewable energy career opportunities across Asia Pacific encompass a very wide range of different specialities, both established and innovative. The Asia Pacific Region is home to some of the most forward-thinking projects in this field and a location where there is currently a lot of activity.