Snow City was inaugurated in Singapore on 3 June, 2000. (You can read the inauguration speech here - https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/data/pdfdoc/css20000603e.pdf). It is an indoor snow centre geared towards families. It offers the magical experience of snow in the tropics. As with so much technology in today's world, the real magic lies in how effectively the true cost of the technology is made invisible. Since its inauguration, Snow City has produced at least 10,920 tonnes of snow, along with equal amounts of liquid nitrogen. The production of cryogenic fluids, as well as the electricity required to keep its "snow gun" at -5 degrees celsius, contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Given that 19% of Singapore's carbon emissions comes from air-conditioning, second after industrial emissions, this is a luxury that is directly contributing to the extinction of life. Snow City is symbolic of two troubling behaviours in every modern society: - First is the reliance on technological solutions that seduce us with visions of consumer paradise. Technology operates much like magic. We trust it to work, having complete faith that the fossil fuels required to power them will always be available. It is sanitised of all the troubling aspects we don't wish to acknowledge, such as the exploitation necessary to produce it. Exploitation can come in the form of mining of materials from the Global South, or cheap labour acquired through favourable exchange rates set by the rich world. - Second is the perpetuation of a neocolonial mindset, one that aspires to the experiences of the Global North, and which appropriates much else for "cultural consumption". One of the mascots of Snow City is Oki, an Inuit boy. This is the description taken from the website: "Oki loves to fish and hunt. He is kind, friendly, and playful. The Inuit are peace-loving people. They dislike conflicts and value privacy. They are very concerned about the welfare of other people. They are resourceful and self-sufficient. Storytelling, mythology, and dancing remain important part of their culture." A far worthier description of the Inuit would explain how Indigenous peoples are responsible for 80% of biodiversity protection today, and that their ecological perspectives are vital to the survival of billions of people. But this wouldn't really suit the neocolonial narrative. --- Source: SG Climate Rally newsletter - 31 December 2021