“As more and more people making cities their home, cities will be the arenas in which

some of the world’s biggest social, economic, environmental and political challenges

will be addressed, and where solutions will be found.”

Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, June 2001

Sustainable Development: Singapore

July 11th, 2014

G. Do you think that the lifestyle of the inhabitants of your town or city reflects behavior that is in line with the concept of sustainable development? In your opinion, what should be improved?

Sustainable development for Singapore – learning to achieve more with less.

Singapore - small island with finite space, limited water supplies and no natural resources.

“The best way to predict the FUTURE is to DESIGN it”Buckminster Fuller

“All we had was this island and its location.”Mr. Kuan Yew, Former Prime Minister of Singapore

Generating Public Awareness on Climate Change

Intensive use and imaginative use of space

Resource-efficient coomercial buildings

Solar and green building technology adoption for public housing and commercial estates

Public housing projects demonstrate sustainable urban high-rise high-density living

Water Security and Efficiency

“The first thing was Water. It was important for us to use every drop of water that came down from the sky.”Mr. Lee Kuan Yew

Marina Barrage – largest water catchment in Singapore

Tidal barrier to alleviate flooding Lifestyle attraction in the heart of the city

Source of water supply

Creating reservoir in the city

“In 20 years, it is possible there could be break throughs technology – both anti-pollution and filtration. Then we can dam up or put a barrage at the mouth of the marina, the neck that joins the sea. And we will have a huge freshwater lake.”Minister Mentor Lee Kuan YewThe Prime Minister, Singapore, 1987

NEWater Technology

High-grade reclaimed water produced from treated used water that is further purified using advanced membrane technologies and ultra-violet disinfection, making it ultra-clean and safe to drink.

NEWater allows to reuse every drop of water

Water Resources Management and Conservation

“In the past we protected our water resources by keeping people away from them. Now, we will bring people closer to water so that they will enjoy and cherish it more…We will intergrade our water bodies with our parks and green spaces and turn Singapore into a City of Gardens and Water.” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Singapore – Garden City

“If a garden is well maintained and neatly landscaped, there must be a dedicated and efficient gardener.”Mr. Lee Kuan Yew

High quality of living environment

10% of Singapore land is committed as green space

11 supertrees are embedded with environmentally sustainable functions, harvesting solar energy and serving as an air exhaust receptacles.

Gardens by The Bay – symbol of sustainability and holistic development

Cutting edge technologies for energy-efficient solutions in cooling and water circulation.

Pollution Control &Waste Management

Emissions Control

Roads take up 12% of total land area in Singapore

Transport sector accounts for 13% of overall energy consumption and 50% of the fine particles in the air

Achieving cleaner, greener and more convenient transport system

Enhancing public transportation Target: 70% of journey by public transport by 2020

Encouraging fuel-efficient vehicles

Adding new cycling paths in order to link people to major transportation nodes

Managing the growth of public transport and reviewing emission regulations

Green Shipping ProgramSingapore – largest bunkering hub in the world with 40,000 vessels calling port annually.

To promote clean and green shipping, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore launched Maritime Singapore Green Initiative which comprises of:- The Green Ship Programme- The Green Port Programme- The Green Technology Programme.Total investment up to SG$25 million over the next 5 years.

Photo by Hin Leong Trading

Industrial Pollution Control

Rigorous environmental regulations and city planning guidelines to manage pollution from industries and minimize the negative impact on the quality of life in Singapore.

Heavy industries are mainly located in Jurong island and Tuas, far away from residential areas.

Semakau Landfill – “Garbage of Eden” –a showcase of environmentally friendly system of waste management

Integrated waste management system Targeting 70% recycling rate by 2030

Waste Management and Recycling

Sustainable Agriculture and Health of Urban Population

Organic Farming

- Soil fertility and biodiversity improvement- Natural resources conservation- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions- Chemical-free products

Vertical Farming

- Food supply resilience for land-scarce Singapore

- Eliminates agricultural runoff

- Reduces use of fossil fuels

- Eliminates related crop failures

- Converts black and gray water to drinking water

- Adds energy back to the grid via methane generation

- Reduces the risk of infection from agents transmitted at the agricultural interface

HealthEnhancing health of urban populations through improved food security,

nutrition and psychosocial well-being.

Sustainable diet leads to reduction in carbon emissions and helps to prevent global warming.

Photo by Afterglow

Photo by Afterglow

Sustainable Diet

Thank you!