Towards a sustainable future
Singapore lays out framework to tackle climate change
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THE country is setting out towards a sustainable future as it recovers from Covid-19, with seven ministers detailing the country’s green plans in Parliament during an omnibus session.
On Thursday, they announced sweeping new measures that will change the way people live, learn and play – building on the Singapore Green Plan 2030 framework that was announced last month to inform the republic’s sustainability journey.
For instance, buildings, which contribute more than 20% to national emissions, will be made more energy-efficient under a new edition of the Singapore Green Building Masterplan.
A renewed push for electric vehicles looks set to reduce emissions from the land transport sector, which is now responsible for 14% of Singapore’s emissions.
Park spaces will be increased and more green infused into the grey cityscape, while even recreational spaces, such as Sentosa, will be transformed into a carbon-neutral destination by 2030.
In schools, environmental education will be strengthened and deepened, with learning resources featuring sustainability initiatives within the school developed to help make learning come alive.
These initiatives come on top of strategies to beef up the nation’s resilience to the impact of the changing climate – including shoring up of coastlines to buffer against rising sea levels and investing in local production to increase food security.
“Climate change is the defining crisis of our time,” Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean said on Thursday, adding that he was confident that Singapore would “rise to the challenge”.
But the challenge that climate change posed for Singapore was an asymmetrical one, he said.
Singapore contributed 0.1% to global emissions, but the impact of climate change would affect the country too, he said.
The country depended on a collective effort to address the issue at a global level, he added, but Singapore must also do its best to tackle climate change.