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Climate-Resilient Infrastructure in Singapore
29 September 2022
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📸: An artist’s impression of potential future reclamation along East Coast that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong presented in August 2019 as a possible coastal protection solution.
Climate change is an existential threat to many countries, including Singapore. At just 728.6 km² and lying close to the equator, we are vulnerable to rising sea levels, drought, floods, and prolonged heat stress due to higher daily temperatures.
The decade from 2012 to 2021 was Singapore's warmest decade on record, with 2016 and 2019 being the joint warmest years on record with an annual mean temperature of 28.4°C.
By the year 2100, Singapore’s temperature is projected to rise by 1.4°C to 4.6°C and sea levels could rise by up to one metre, from baseline period of 1980 to 2009. The intensity and frequency of heavy rainfall events are also likely to increase while conversely, dry seasons could become even drier.
As such, Singapore needs to build space-efficient infrastructure not only to withstand climate change, but also ensure our thermal comfort, and strengthen our food security. Our new infrastructure will be designed to protect against rising seas and intense rain while providing leisure and green spaces. In this way, we can protect the coasts while remaking the coastal lands into liveable, adaptable, and sustainable spaces. For example, among various measures being studied to protect our coastline is the possibility of integrating coastal protection measures with planned future reclamation along the south-eastern coast. This could include creating a new reservoir to manage flood and enhance our water resilience.
Measures like these are all part of Singapore’s continued efforts to be more resilient in the face of an uncertain future with unpredictable disruptions. #shapingourcity 🔗: https://www.ura.gov.sg/Corporate/Planning/Long-Term-Plan-Review/Space-for-Our-Dreams-Exhibition/Sustain/Climate-Resilient-Infrastructure?fbclid=IwY2xjawExngNleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHdbrZ3Rm97dhCdaMLHEf7P33MZgNHGI_TmOz80xuYxferWObnV3e0OE4eQ_aem_6xwRpVTwOZM0igPSN6sA4w
🔗: https://www.clc.gov.sg/docs/default-source/urban-systems-studies/uss-preparing-for-a-climate-resilient-singapore.pdf