Recently, MPs have called for higher carbon taxes in Parliament.

The most recent proposal from the People's Action Party was for an innovative tiered carbon tax to ensure big polluters pay more than smaller businesses.

Last year, the Workers' Party suggested that revenues from the carbon tax could be used to cushion its impact on lower-income Singaporeans.

A new, higher carbon tax could benefit all Singaporeans, not just indirectly by mitigating global warming. The funds brought in could, for example, be used to keep public transport affordable as the MRT network expands.

We should also not overstate the impact of a higher carbon tax on most Singaporeans' cost of living.

Increasing the carbon tax by $25 would raise the retail cost of electricity by an amount well within the fluctuations we have been seeing in recent months.

I hope Singaporeans will come together on this issue, and focus on the big picture at such a critical point in our history.

Edward Eng Min-Wei