Pitch
Oil reserve levels are depleting it means we have to dig deeper to drill out oil, deep sea oil drilling increases chance of oil spills.
Description
Make life easier/more difficult for Singapore?
More difficult
Describe the change
In order to become a smart nation, Singapore will need a lot of energy to run the smart technologies, though we imagine most of this energy should come from renewable source of energy a significant portion will come from oil and gas. Since oil levels are depleting, we will have to dig deeper in new sites in sea beds to get oil. Means the risk of oil spillage is high. This increased oil spillage risk cause a serious threat to our environment. I can l already imagine many oil tankers bringing lots of barrels of oil in Singapore on a daily basis and even if a single tanker collapse it could wipe out entire sea ecosystem which will have a very huge negative impact on Singapore.
How will this change impact Smart Nation Singapore in 2030?
Singapore will invest heavily on the safety and security while drilling oil and will escort oil tankers entering its mainland with protective forces. Singaporean will be impacted in case of any accidents, in the past it has occurred and the chances of occurring again are very high. Researchers will also need to explore technologies or robotic ships that can carry out self cleaning of oil spills.Scientists have created an absorbent material developed from wood capable of mopping up oil spills.
"Researchers from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, have developed Nanofibrillated Cellulose (NFC), which is extracted from wood pulp, straw and waste materials including recycled paper by adding water to them and applying high pressure. The water is then removed through freeze-drying, leaving a gel-like substance. If alkoxysilane molecules are added to the process, then the gel will only bind with oil and can be manipulated in to sponge-like structures."
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