I applaud the Government for imposing a carbon tax, as it is a step in the right direction towards securing Singapore's future (Carbon tax may fuel innovation; March 1).

The time to act on the climate crisis is now. Last year was the hottest on record. However, it was also the year that solar energy became cheaper than fossil fuels.

Market forces will drive efficiency and sustainability in Singapore's energy production. Developing solar and renewable energy technology will augment our high-value research and manufacturing industry.

We can be leaders in the global movement towards low carbon technologies. We are on the brink of an energy revolution.

That said, the benefit of this carbon tax should not be measured only in dollars and cents.

Singapore is especially vulnerable to the climate crisis. Notwithstanding the fact that we are an island a mere 15m above sea level, or that our neighbours bestow us regularly with haze, fossil fuel dependence threatens our self-sufficiency.

Energy imports will not secure our future.

It is hard to feel the impact of the environment because we are so geographically sheltered. But it is there, and growing.

In 2030, when Singapore aims to achieve our Paris Agreement Nationally Determined Contributions in greenhouse gas emissions reduction, I hope I can tell my children that when the climate crisis challenged all that we cherish, our island home stood on the right side of history.

Cheang Ko Lyn (Miss)