Environment and Sustainability

A Clean, Green and Resilient Singapore

As we navigate the complex challenges of climate change transition, we remain committed to building a clean, green and resilient Singapore for current and future generations.

Progress under Singapore Green Plan 2030

Our Singapore Green Plan 2030 is a national sustainability movement that charts how the people, private, and public sectors can collaborate to achieve shared sustainability goals over the next decade. We made good progress on our Green Plan targets and initiatives.

Read more: Singapore Green Plan Progress Updates [PDF, 2.1 MB]

Building resource sustainability

Ensuring water resilience

As our population and economy grow, Singapore’s water demand is expected to almost double by 2065, with the non-domestic sector accounting for about two-thirds of it. We must manage this growth while expanding our weather-resilient water sources in NEWater and desalination.

Household water consumption in 2023 returned to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, as Safe Management Measures were relaxed and more people returned to workplaces. To meet our target of 130 litres per capita per day by 2030, everyone must play their part:

• More than one million water-saving devices such as tap thimbles have been provided to households to help them reduce water usage since the launch of the initiative in 2003.

• By end-2024, smart water meters will be installed in about 300,000 households and businesses to help them track their water consumption and take further water conservation measures.

To manage water demand for the non-domestic sector:

• Mandatory water recycling requirements were introduced for new projects in water-intensive sectors from 1 January 2024. With the new requirements in place, Singapore is projected to achieve daily water savings equivalent to 15 Olympic-sized swimming pools from 2035 (or nine million gallons of water per day (mgd)).

• Companies can tap on the enhanced Water Efficiency Fund and the Industrial Water Solutions Demonstration Fund to receive up to $5 million in funding to implement initiatives to improve their water efficiency, including water recycling projects. Close to 400 grants have been awarded for water efficiency projects since 2007, collectively saving 15.4 mgd of water.

To expand our water supply, a third NEWater factory in Changi is targeted for completion by end-2026 and will increase our total NEWater production capabilities by 50 mgd.

Bolstering energy resilience

Singapore intends to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. We have made steady progress towards this goal, while striking a balance between sustainability, resilience, and cost competitiveness.

• We continued to invest in clean energy sources and pursue all viable decarbonisation pathways. These included:
  

  • Maximizing domestic solar deployment. Between 2021 and 2023, we doubled our solar power deployment to over 1,100 Megawatt-peak, placing us on track to achieve our deployment target of at least 2,000 Megawatt-peak by 2030.

  • Pursuing regional electricity imports. In 2023, Singapore awarded Conditional Approvals to seven projects to import low-carbon electricity from Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. If realised, these projects will be building blocks that support the broader ASEAN Power Grid vision of multilateral electricity trading in the region.

  • Exploring low-carbon alternatives such as hydrogen. In 2023, we embarked on a pilot project on the use of low-carbon ammonia (a hydrogen carrier) for power generation and marine bunkering to better understand the viability of whether it could be deployed in Singapore at scale. From 2024, all new Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (gas-powered power plants) are also required to be at least 30% hydrogen-ready, with the ability to be retrofitted to become 100% hydrogen-ready.

  • To further support Singapore’s decarbonisation ambitions, we established the Future Energy Fund (FEF) in March 2024, with an initial injection of $5 billion. The FEF will provide funding to improve the commercial viability of strategic clean energy projects.

• In 2022, we introduced measures to strengthen our electricity market structure and reduce market volatility. These included having:

  • Established a centralised process to facilitate and guide private investments in new generation capacity.

  • Placed more stringent regulatory requirements on electricity retailers to protect consumers better and ensure that retailers are sufficiently resilient against market volatility.

  • Implemented a Temporary Price Cap mechanism to mitigate extreme price volatilities in the wholesale electricity market.

To encourage water and energy conservation, the Climate Friendly Households Programme was expanded to all HDB households. Every HDB household can claim $300 in Climate Vouchers to purchase energy- and water-efficient appliances between 2024 and 2027. As at June 2024, more than 50% of the eligible households (about 607,000 households) have claimed their Climate Vouchers, of which about 90,000 households have started using their vouchers.

Businesses continue to be supported with incentives such as the Energy Efficiency Grant (EEG) and Resource Efficiency Grant for Emissions to improve their energy efficiency. In 2024, the EEG, which supports businesses in their sustainability journey by co-funding investment in energy-efficient equipment, was expanded to include four new sectors – Manufacturing, Construction, Maritime, and Data Centres – and their users. EEG applications will also be streamlined under one shopfront on GoBusiness, making it easier for businesses to access support for energy efficiency.

Read more: Economic Opportunities

Strengthening food resilience

As Singapore imports more than 90% of its food, we are vulnerable to global food supply chain disruptions such as geopolitical tensions, climate change impacts, and foreign government trade restrictions. To further strengthen our food resilience, we:

• Diversified our food supply sources to 187 countries and regions in 2023, up from 172 in 2019.

• Maintained adequate stockpiles of essential food items to safeguard against emergencies.

• Supported local production, including availing space and infrastructure, driving research and innovation, and encouraging consumption of local produce. However, progress had been uneven across different food types. The local production of hen shell eggs in 2023 increased by three percentage points from 2022 while the local production of vegetables and seafood dropped due to business and macroeconomic factors. These included the impact of delays in farm development due to the COVID-19 pandemic and business headwinds due to inflationary pressures, increases in energy prices, and elevated manpower costs. The Government has been working with our farms to address these challenges.

Feature Story: Promoting our local produce

In 2023, we launched the Alliance for Action (AfA) on Demand Offtake and Consumer Education [PDF, 166 KB] to increase support of local produce.

Following the completion of the AfA, the Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises Federation Limited (SAFEF) took on the role of an industry-level supply and demand aggregator, partnering with companies to better align supply with demand.

In May 2024, SAFEF and FairPrice launched a pilot to sell locally farmed vegetables and marine tilapia under the brands “SG Farmers Market” and “The Straits Fish” at 44 and 20 FairPrice outlets respectively. This helped our local produce gain more visibility among consumers and increased the amount of produce sold.

Towards a Zero Waste nation

We observed a positive shift towards waste reduction. Between 2019 and 2023, domestic waste generated per capita and non-domestic waste generated per dollar Gross Domestic Product (GDP) decreased by more than 2% and 16% respectively.

Singapore’s overall recycling rate was steady at around 60% but declined sharply around 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, the rate was 52%. The domestic recycling rate hovered around 20% before declining in recent years to 12% in 2023. These declines were largely due to structural factors such as higher freight costs, lower demand for recycled materials due to the weaker economy following COVID-19, and trade restrictions imposed by foreign countries towards recyclables.

To achieve the target of 70% overall recycling rate by 2030, we redoubled efforts in line with the overall strategies in our Zero Waste Masterplan [PDF, 13 MB] to improve recycling:

• Introduced a mandatory charge on disposable carrier bags in large supermarkets from 2023. As of July 2024, large supermarket operators have reported a reduction in disposable carrier bags provided to consumers of 70% to 80%.

• Introduced Zero Waste Manager courses in 2024 to support businesses in fulfilling waste-related regulatory requirements such as mandatory waste reporting, and integrating reduce, reuse, and recycle practices into their organisations.

• We will launch a beverage container return scheme in April 2026, to foster a culture of recycling and increase the recycling rate of beverage containers.

• As part of the Recycle Right campaign in 2023, recycling boxes (Blooboxes) were distributed to households to encourage households to recycle right and make recycling a part of their lifestyle.
  

Building climate resilience and protecting our natural environment

Protecting our coastlines and strengthening flood resilience

As a low-lying island nation, Singapore is vulnerable to rising sea levels due to climate change. In 2022 and 2023, we engaged the public through “Our Coastal Conversations” to co-create solutions to protect our coastlines while ensuring multifunctionality. We have also embarked on master-planning, strengthened capabilities, and launched research initiatives to safeguard Singapore’s resilience against the impacts of climate change.

• In 2023, we launched the $125-million Coastal Protection and Flood Management Research Programme [PDF, 183 KB] and the Coastal Protection and Flood Resilience Institute Singapore. Since then, 17 research projects develop solutions and local expertise have commenced. These included projects to develop modular and multi-functional solutions to enhance coastal protection infrastructure by researchers from local Autonomous Universities, in collaboration with the industry.

With climate change, extreme rainfall is expected to intensify. This could overwhelm our drainage system and lead to occasional flash floods.

• From January 2022 to June 2024, drainage improvement works have been completed in over 20 locations to improve the resilience of the drainage system.

• To optimise land use, drainage projects were also designed for multi-functional uses. For example, Alkaff Lake in Bidadari Park which opened in September 2024 serves as a stormwater retention pond during wet weather, and recreational space during dry weather.

• As at December 2023, flood monitoring has been improved with more than 1,000 water level sensors and 500 CCTV cameras installed across the island.

Feature Story: Swift response to flash floods – PUB’s Quick Response Team (QRT)

Flash floods stem from intense rainfall over a short period of time and can pose safety risks to pedestrians and motorists. To manage flood-risk areas,

• A robust monitoring network of water level sensors, closed-circuit televisions, and forecasts from weather radars is used to promptly deploy QRTs to respond to flash floods.

• Flood response vehicles used by QRTs – capable of streaming real-time flood conditions and equipped with tools including portable flood barriers – are deployed quickly to divert floodwaters.

On 3^rd February 2024, following a Heavy Rain Warning, PUB’s QRT responded swiftly to a flash flood incident along Dunearn Road and diverted traffic away from flood-affected lanes. Public alerts on the flash flood were also issued through myENV app and social media channels. The flood subsided within 10 minutes, and normal traffic resumed.

Combating rising temperatures through heat resilience

To combat rising temperatures, we have adopted a science-based and proactive heat resilience strategy:

1. First, we implement national-level cooling strategies.

2. Second, we strengthen our community’s resilience to adapt to heat.

3. Third, we deepen our scientific understanding of the impact of rising temperatures.

To help the general population make informed decisions on undertaking prolonged outdoor activities, the Heat Stress Advisory was launched in 2023.

Protecting our natural environment

Urbanisation and climate change present twin threats to our biodiversity. We continued to conserve and make our ecosystems more resilient, as we transform Singapore into a City in Nature.

• As at February 2024, we have implemented species recovery plans for over 80 plant species and over 40 animal species, to conserve these endemic, rare or threatened native species.
  

• From April 2020 to February 2024, we restored and enhanced over 40 hectares of forest, coastal, and marine habitats, and will restore 80 hectares by 2030.
  

• As at February 2024, to strengthen ecological connectivity between nature reserves, nature parks, gardens, and parks, we have established around 210km of Nature Ways and over 380km of park connectors, including the completion of the 18km Eastern Corridor in February 2024.

Recognising that climate change cannot be addressed by the Government alone, we actively engaged and encouraged citizens and businesses to integrate sustainable practices into their activities.

Feature Story: Annual Go Green SG movement

The inaugural month-long Go Green SG was launched in 2023 to rally our community towards an environmentally-sustainable and climate-resilient Singapore.

In 2024, Go Green SG garnered close to 51,000 participants across about 400 sustainability-related activities organised by 200 partners from the people, private, and public sectors. These included exclusive behind-the-scenes learning journeys, hands-on workshops, and talks. Majority of participants surveyed in 2024 (96%) agreed that participating in Go Green SG increased their understanding of Singapore’s sustainability efforts, while over 90% indicated that they were willing to advocate for and lead a more sustainable lifestyle after participating in Go Green SG.

Towards a Clean, Green and Resilient Singapore

Every Singaporean has a role in realising our vision of a clean, green, and resilient Singapore. Through proactive planning and responsible resource usage, we can work towards a thriving future for all.