1. Environmental Sustainability Singapore’s Journey
Loh Ah Tuan
Member, Panel of Experts
Centre for Liveable Cities, Singapore
August 2018

2. Copyright © Centre for Liveable Cities
Singapore
Island State
Area: 720 sq km
Population: 5.6 million
No Natural Resources
Hot and Humid Weather
Map Source:
Copyright © Centre for Liveable Cities

3. In the 1950s & 60s …
Poverty and
Unemployment

4. Squatter Colony

5. Street Hawkers

6. Singapore River

7. Air Pollution

8. Rapid industrialization, urbanization, economic development and population increase put tremendous pressure on
Environment
Water Resources

9. Today
Clean air
Clean drinking water from the tap
Waste collected daily for disposal
High standards of public health

10. Environmental Sustainability
Singapore’s Journey

11. “A Clean, Green and Good Living Environment ”
Vision
“A Clean, Green and Good Living Environment ”

12. Vision
Reality

13. Political Wisdom & Leadership
Economic Development
Social Progress
Environment Protection

14. Guiding Principles Control Pollution at Source
"Polluter Pays" Principle
Pre-empt and Take Early Action
Innovation/Technology
Resource Conservation
Environmental Ownership

15. Key Strategies Environmental Planning Environmental Infrastructure
Environmental Legislation & Enforcement
Environmental Monitoring
Environmental Education

16. Environmental Planning
Land Use
Incorporating environmental factors into land-use plan
proper siting of developments
allocation of land for environmental infrastructure
Development and Planning Control
Compliance of environmental regulations
Pollution control measures in developments

17. Environmental Infrastructure
Integrated Solid Waste Management System
Water/Wastewater Facilities

18. Environmental Legislation & Enforcement
Key Environment Legislation
Environmental Protection & Management Act and Regulations
Environmental Public Health Act and Regulations
Sewerage and Drainage Act and Regulations
Enforcement
Pragmatic approach

19. Environmental Monitoring
Air and water quality monitoring
Assess nature and magnitude of pollution
Assess adequacy and effectiveness of control programmes
Establish trend for review of policies and standards
Guide planning future land use, and environment pollution control

20. Environmental Education
Instilling environmental awareness
Inculcating environmental ownership
Approach
Communication
Engagement
Empowerment
Environmental Ownership

21. Critical Success Factors
Communicating Vision
Building Environmental Infrastructure
Building Capabilities and Capacities
Adopting practical, cost-effective and efficient approach

22. Done well so far…..
Not perfect -
challenges to overcome
higher standards to achieve
greater awareness and better behavior

23. Some way to go before achieving environmental sustainability
Performance
Sustainability
What more can we do?
What will Singapore be like in 50 years from now?

24. Challenges Climate Change Space Constraint Rising Expectations
Complacency

25. Climate Change Vulnerable to Climate Change
Low-lying, densely populated
More frequent and long-lasting heat wave
More frequent and intense rainfall
Raising sea level
Effects - abrupt, extreme, unpredictable, far-reaching
Beyond Mitigation Measures
Improve adaptation and resilience to climate change

26. Space Constraint Land Reclamation 1960: 581 sq km 2017: 718 sq km
Need innovative solutions
develop more space
enhance use of existing space

27. Rising Expectations Singaporeans
Better educated, higher aspiration, greater expectations
Growing sense of empowerment
Greater awareness of public policies and current issues
Questions
How to harness the positive side of greater public interest and higher expectations to improve public service delivery?
How to nurture a sense of shared ownership of our environment?
Need creative efforts to engage stakeholders to achieve shared environmental ownership

28. Complacency A subtle challenge Years of good living environment
Lull Singaporeans into a coma of complacency

29. Addressing Challenges
Singapore’s society, economy and technology continue to transform and evolve
making some old approaches inadequate in dealing with emerging issues
giving Singapore greater capabilities in meeting challenges involving -
doing more of certain things
doing other things differently

30. Going Forward Political Leadership Clear Vision
Balancing economics, social, environment
Public Service
Effective administration
Sound economic principles
One government approach
Private Sector
Partnership with government
Innovation, opportunities in green economy
People
Environmentally responsible lifestyle
Environmental culture

31. Going Forward Resource Conservation
3R, energy efficiency, renewable energy
Research and Innovation
Green Technology
Energy
Water
Climate Change
Global Leadership
Share lessons and successes

32. Singapore’s clean environment
far from perfect
other cities can achieve
A model that can be scalable and replicable in other cities

33. Thank you