Singapore T2

• How might climate change impact Singapore?

  1. Rising sea levels
  2. Increasing daily mean temperature
  3. Changing weather patterns
• How does climate change lead to rising sea levels?

  1. Singapore is low-lying, 30% of land is less than 5m above sea level
  2. Annual sea levels has been rising 1.2-1.7mm between 1975 and 2009
  3. Could rise up by up to 1m by 2100
• How does climate change lead to increase in daily mean temperature?

  1. Increased from 26.6 to 27.7 degrees from 1972 to 2014
  2. Could go up by as much as 4.6 degrees by 2100
  3. More warm days and nights, increasing the likelihood of heatwaves
• How does climate change lead to changing weather pattern?

  1. Wetter months (November to January) will get wetter and dryer months (February, June to September) will get dryer
  2. Heavy rainfall to increase in frequency and intensity
  3. Annual average rainfall rises from 2192mm (1980) to 2727mm (2014)
  4. Wind speeds are predicted to increase during the Northeast Monsoon season
• What are the challenges Singapore face due to climate change?

  1. Floods
  2. Urban heat island effect
  3. Vector-borne diseases
  4. Threat to biodiversity
  5. Threat to food security
  6. Water insecurity
• How is flood a challenge to Singapore?

  1. Singapore's drainage system is unable to cope with the amount of input from the intense rainfall
  2. Flash floods occurs most often during the wetter months from November to January
  3. Likelihood of severe damage increases
• How is Urban heat island effect a challenge to Singapore?

  1. Caused by the replacement of natural land cover with surfaces that absorb and retain heat
  2. Air-conditioning systems for residential and commercial purposes, car usage and factory activities also emit heat
  3. Enhanced Urban heat island effect will worsen the existing high humidity conditions
• How is vector-borne diseases a challenge to Singapore?

  1. Widespread in Singapore which is a tropical region
• How is threat to biodiversity a challenge to Singapore?

  1. Warmer and drier environments can severely harm habitats
• How is threat of food security a challenge to Singapore?

  1. Food security is under threat due to global food disruptions that arise from climate change
  2. Local production of food is vulnerable
• How is water insecurity a challenge to Singapore?

  1. Singapore's water supply is affected by the lack of natural water resources, extended period of drought across the world
  2. Example: In June 2016 and September 2019, when water levels at Johor’s Linggui Reservoir dropped by 33% and 50% respectively
• What are the opportunities created by Singapore to adapt to climate change?

  1. Innovation in land reclamation
  2. Innovation in coastal management
  3. Innovation in health resilience
  4. Investment in high technology farming
  5. Investment in water technologies
• How does innovation in land reclamation help Singapore adapt to climate change?

  1. Minimum land reclamation level in Singapore has been raised from 3 to 4m above sea level, minimising incidents of flooding
  2. New methods such as using polders for the first time in 2021 to protect existing reclaimed land at Pulau Tekong
• How does innovation in coastal management help Singapore adapt to climate change?

  1. Protect Singapore's coastline to safeguard our infrastructure
  2. Example: Jurong Island is protected using geo-bags and seawalls + attempts to restore mangroves
• How does innovation in health resilience help Singapore adapt to climate change?

  1. Focus on lowering the risk of dengue transmission
  2. Example: non-traditional methods such as releasing male Wolbachia-Aedes mosquitoes at dengue hotspots
• How does investment in high technology farming help Singapore adapt to climate change?

  1. Agri-food industry needs to be highly productive and use climate-resilient technologies to grow food
  2. Urban farming helps to maximise space utilisation, reduce water usage and helps to ensure larger output in a given area
  3. Example: Citiponics runs a farm on the rooftop of a multi-storey carpark in Ang Mo Kio, using water-efficient vertical growing technology
  4. Example: Eco-Ark runs a floating fish farm, which uses treated seawater and solar energy to power its activities
• How does investment in water technologies help Singapore to adapt to climate change?

  1. Important as climate change threatens imported water from Johor
  2. Increasing the production of desalinated water and NEWater