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Importance of sustainability in Singapore

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Importance of sustainability in Singapore

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Andy

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OVERVIEW

Singapore has taken ambitious early actions on climate change. We made early policy choices that reduced our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, for example, by switching from fuel oil to natural gas - the cleanest form of fossil fuel - for power generation. In 2021, about 95% of its electricity was generated from natural gas, compared to 18% in 2000. There is no subsidy for electricity, to ensure that households and businesses use energy judiciously. Singapore was also the first country to impose a vehicle quota system to cap vehicle growth, and the only country to set a zero-growth rate for cars and motorcycles. These policy choices provide Singapore with a good foundation to achieve further decarbonisation. Successive environmental blueprints, such as the Singapore Green Plan 2030, have set forth our strategies and initiatives to achieve economic growth and a good living environment.

Singapore's development as a clean and green city is the result of decades of deliberate planning and effort.

Singapore is alternative energy disadvantaged - we are a low-lying island state of 733.1 km ² with one of the highest population densities globally (7,485 persons per km ²). Our urban density and limited land area, relatively flat land, low wind speeds and lack of high-quality hydrothermal resources present serious difficulties in pursuing alternative energy options. Given our small land area and high population density, current nuclear fission technologies are not suitable for deployment in Singapore. There is also limited scope for solar photovoltaics (PV) deployment and for Singapore's forests to be a significant carbon sink. We are monitoring newer technologies and will assess their suitability for deployment. Such circumstances are recognised under Article 4, paragraph 10 of the Convention, which recognises the circumstances of countries with "serious difficulties in switching to alternatives".

Singapore is a very open economy and is dependent on the global supply chain for food and energy. As one of the most globalised economies and a trading nation with no natural resources, we are heavily dependent on the global supply chain for its food and energy. Our economic activity and emissions are also highly sensitive to the volatility of regional and global developments and escalating climate impacts. These challenges mean that Singapore's climate strategies have to respond to international developments that may affect its economy, water, food, and energy, including preparing Singapore to be more climate resilient.

Singapore is dependent on effective international cooperation for the success of its decarbonisation measures. Collaboration with other countries, such as on clean energy technologies, regional power grids, clean energy trade, and carbon storage opportunities will be essential to Singapore. The ability for Singapore to achieve its decarbonisation targets will be contingent on such effective international cooperation and early maturity of decarbonisation technologies.

Singapore is one of the top performers for carbon intensity globally. While Singapore's share of the global gross domestic product (GDP) is small at 0.4%, as an advanced manufacturing hub we play a key role to meet the demands of the region and the world, accounting for 2.1% of the world's total merchandise exports ¹. Energy efficiency is a key strategy for emissions reduction and Singapore aims to produce goods in an energy- and carbon-efficient manner. As energy is not subsidised in Singapore, companies are incentivised to use energy judiciously and embrace new energy efficient technologies. Strong pollution control laws also encourage industries to switch to cleaner fuel sources such as natural gas. The Singapore Government facilitates the adoption of energy efficiency and emissions reduction technologies through grants and other policy tools to overcome high upfront capital investments and other non-market barriers. Singapore is already among the 20 best-performing countries in terms of emissions intensity ². This reflects the substantial early action Singapore has taken to grow in an environmentally responsible way. This provides Singapore with a strong foundation to continue to strive for sustainable growth. Singapore is continuing to invest significantly in research and development to harness the potential of low-carbon technologies and explore effective international cooperation.

¹ Source: World Trade Organization, Trade Profiles 2022 - Singapore.

² Source: International Energy Agency (IEA), World CO₂ Indicators (2022).

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Singapore has taken ambitious early actions on climate change. We made early policy choices that reduced our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, for example, by switching from fuel oil to natural gas - the cleanest form of fossil fuel - for power generation.

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This article talks about Singapore's Green Plan 2030, which is a set of goals to help the environment and fight climate change. Experts think it is a good plan because it aims to produce more solar energy and reduce carbon emissions. However, some experts want more focus on teaching people about climate change. The Green Plan is seen as a positive step, but more education is needed.

Yi Xu

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Yi Xu
Pillar - Engergy Reset
Challanges - Engergy Security

Constence
Pillar - Sustainable Living
Challanges - Carbon consciousness

Andeh
Pillar - Resilient future
Challanges - Waste generation

BiBi
Pillar - Green Economy
Challanges - Land scarcity

Khant Zaw
Pillar - City in Nature
Challanges - Water Constraints

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the work according to :
- History/development of the sustainability efforts in Singapore
- Issues faced throught the years of trying to be sustainable
- Explain SG Green Plan pillars
- Explain how the SG Green Plan pillars are supposed to be adopted

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Singapore's small land size makes it challenging to implement sustainability measures. There is a limited amount of space for renewable energy installations or large-scale green projects, thus creative solutions are required to make the best use of the currently available land and resources.

Constance

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Report on sustainable development in SG, for reference.

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Food Wastage is one of the many enviromental concerns in SG. This is NEA approach to zero in on food wastage. Targets are set with plans of extending the lifespan of Singapore’s only landfill beyond 2035.

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Setting Targets to Reduce and Recycle

Under Singapore's Zero Waste Masterplan, we aim to increase our overall recycling rate to 70 per cent and reduce waste-to-landfill per capita per day by 30 per cent by 2030. This goal will be frontloaded to achieve a 20 per cent reduction in waste-to-landfill per capita per day by 2026 under the Singapore Green Plan 2030. Targets are set with plans of extending the lifespan of Singapore's only landfill beyond 2035.

We also have 2030 targets to increase non-domestic recycling rate to 80 per cent and domestic recycling rate to 30 per cent.

Zeroing in on Food Waste

The Food Waste Fund (FWF) was launched in May 2020 during the pandemic as part of the SG Clean Campaign. The FWF is a one-off new fund aimed to incentivise premises to adopt food waste segregation and treatment solutions in order to improve cleanliness and reduce disamenities from food waste. It also supported premises owners and operators to segregate and treat food waste ahead of the mandatory requirements, as well as encourage those that would not be covered under the future mandatory framework to take up voluntary segregation and treatment at a time when environmental sustainability might not be their main focus. A total of 24 approved projects are supported under the FWF.

Encouraging E-waste Recycling Among Households

In January 2020, NEA conducted a trial to encourage e-waste recycling among residents by leveraging the period when residents traditionally do spring cleaning before the Chinese New Year festivities. Publicity posters on nearby Cash-for-Trash (CFT) stations were placed at lift lobbies of selected housing blocks to encourage households to recycle their unwanted e-waste. Survey findings revealed that more residents recycled their e-waste at the CFT station, and the proportion who disposed e-waste at blue recycling bins, an inappropriate mode for e-waste, also decreased. More residents also perceived recycling of e-waste to be convenient after they were made aware of a nearby CFT station.

Extending the Mandatory Waste Reporting Scheme

Large commercial premises are required to report waste data and submit recycling rate targets. In 2020, the mandatory waste reporting scheme was extended to include industrial premises with a gross floor area of more than 20,000 sqm, warehouses with a gross floor area of more than 50,000 sqm, and convention and exhibition centres with a gross floor area of more than 8,000 sqm. A total of 441 submissions from industrial premises and MICE venues for the 2020 reporting cycle were received by end March 2021.

Closing The Waste Loop with Innovative Solutions

NEA has been administering the $45 million Closing the Waste Loop (CTWL) Research and Development (R&D) Initiative to develop innovative solutions in resource recovery, landfill space conservation, and enhancing the sustainability of our waste management system. As of 31 March 2021, NEA has committed $27 million to fund 11 R&D projects on the treatment of and resource recovery from the priority waste streams - food waste, e-waste and plastic waste, and from residues such as incineration bottom ash and non-incinerable waste. Some of these projects have attracted industry interest, leading to seven industry project collaborations and a total of $1.6 million industry spending pledged, thus far.

One of these innovative solutions is developed by the NTU Singapore-CEA Alliance for Research in Circular Economy (SCARCE), which employs green chemical processes that minimise the use and generation of hazardous substances to recover precious metals from the e-waste. SCARCE has experimented using orange peel waste with citric acid to successfully dissolve and recover 90 per cent weight of metals, including nickel, manganese, cobalt and lithium from spent lithium-ion batteries, and has licensed the technology rights to a venture capital company. The team is currently working with local companies to commercialise the technology in Singapore.

In addition, NEA has also launched grant calls on diversion of non-incinerable waste from Semakau Landfill and site investigation and characterisation at Phase 1 of Semakau Landfill for material recovery. Proposals received are being put through an evaluation and approval process.

Exploring New Uses for NEWSandTM

With Semakau Landfill projected to run out of space by 2035, NEA has been taking steps to extend its lifespan. One such effort was through finding alternative uses for treated incineration bottom ash (IBA) and other waste treatment residues known as NEWSand TM. In September 2020, we commenced a field trial using treated IBA for the construction of road-base and sub-base layers along a stretch of Tanah Merah Coast Road. This field trial is to establish the on-site environmental conditions before, during and after the road construction. The environmental monitoring data and the long-term modelling results will be used to review the provisional environmental standards for NEWSand TM. NEA is also conducting lab-scale tests on the use of treated IBA in non-structural concrete.

Turning Waste into Resources

NEA awarded three projects on pilot trials to be conducted at the Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Research Facility in its first WTE test-bedding and demonstration grant call.

Two of these projects arose from upstream research conducted earlier under the WTE Competitive Research Programme. One is on membrane separation technology to produce oxygen-enriched air for enhancing WTE gasification processes, and the other is on upgrading of syngas for higher energy recovery and possible synthesis into high-value chemicals. The third project involves the production of biocoke derived from sewage sludge and biomass waste generated in Singapore to partially replace biomass charcoal as the auxiliary fuel for the high-temperature slagging gasification process.

Exploring Chemical Recycling of Plastic Waste

NEA has been exploring chemical recycling to complement existing mechanical recycling capabilities to close the plastic waste loop. Through chemical recycling, contaminated plastics that cannot be mechanically recycled, can be treated and converted into higher-value products such as pyrolysis oil, which can be used to manufacture new plastics and chemicals.

To ensure a steady supply of material, NEA is conducting a feasibility study on a pilot Plastic Recovery Facility that can take in domestic waste to recover various polymer types as plastic feedstock for chemical recycling. The consultancy study for the facility commenced in January 2021 and is expected to be completed by end 2021.

Encouraging Households to Take Climate Action

NEA and PUB launched the Climate Friendly Households (CFH) Programme on 28 November 2020 to encourage households to reduce their energy and water consumption, while saving costs in the long run. Under the CFH Programme, all one-, two- and three-room households in public housing estates can receive three types of e-vouchers amounting to $225, to offset the cost of purchasing energy or water efficient essential appliances. If all eligible households make the switch, the collective reduction in carbon emissions will be equivalent to taking 31,000 cars off the road and the water savings amount to 400 million gallons of water annually. This will help to fight climate change, and allow households to benefit from utility savings of around $40 to $120 per household annually.

Harnessing Waste Process Synergies with Tuas Nexus

As part of NEA's long-term plan to meet Singapore's solid waste management needs, NEA started planning the development of the Integrated Waste Management Facility (IWMF) with PUB in 2013. We embarked on a joint preliminary engineering design study to assess the potential of harnessing process synergies by co-locating a solid waste treatment facility with a water reclamation facility. This led to the co-location of two mega facilities - the IWMF and Tuas Water Reclamation Plant, now collectively known as Tuas Nexus. Tuas Nexus will be able to reap co-location synergies across the water-energy-waste nexus to maximise energy and resource recovery, and optimise land use.

In FY2020, NEA commenced the construction of the WTE Facility (2,900 t/d) and Materials Recovery Facility (250 t/d) under Phase 1 of IWMF. The construction of the Sludge Incineration Facility (800t/d) and Food Waste Treatment Facility (400t/d) is scheduled to commence in the second half of 2021. Phase 1 of IWMF is expected to be completed in 2025, with the development of Phase 2, which comprises another WTE Facility (2,900 t/d), to follow thereafter.

IWMF has achieved the NEA Innovative Spirit Award at InNEAvation Awards 2020, the MSE Innovator Award at MSE Excellence Day 2021 and Minister's Special Commendation Award at the then-Ministry of Environment and Water Resources Excellence Day 2020.

Moving Towards Sustainable Packaging

In FY2020, NEA implemented the Mandatory Packaging Reporting (MPR) framework as part of our effort to focus companies' attention on the packaging of their products and the potential for reducing packaging use in their operations. Under the framework, producers of packaged products, which include brand owners, manufacturers and importers, as well as retailers such as supermarkets with an annual turnover of more than $10 million, are required to start collecting packaging data and develop plans to reduce, reuse or recycle packaging for annual submission to NEA.

The MPR will also lay the foundation for an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework to manage packaging waste including plastics, which will be put in place no later than 2025. NEA will be introducing the legislative framework for the implementation of a beverage container return scheme by 2022 as the first phase of the EPR approach for packaging waste management.

To support companies in fulfilling their mandatory packaging reporting obligations, NEA has partnered the Singapore Manufacturing Federation on a joint capability development programme. The Packaging Partnership Programme will offer companies workshops and training courses to familiarise them with the MPR and serve as a platform for companies to exchange best practices in sustainable packaging waste management.

Taking E-waste Recycling to the Next Level

From 1 July 2021, the public can recycle regulated e-waste comprising Information and Communications Technology (ICT) equipment, large appliances, light bulbs and tubes and batteries, through multiple collection avenues. The e-waste collection and recycling is carried out by ALBA E-waste Smart Recycling Pte Ltd, which has been awarded the licence to operate a Producer Responsibility Scheme (PRS) in Singapore for a period of five years, from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2026. Under the PRS, ALBA will send all e-waste collected to licensed e-waste recyclers. ALBA will also set up a data management system to track and report to NEA the amount of e-waste collected for treatment.

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sustainable and resource efficient singapore

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Sustainable and Resource Efficient Singapore

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Sustainable and Resource Efficient Singapore

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Singapore faces a range of sustainability challenges. Water constraints, energy security, carbon consciousness, land scarcity, waste generation, import dependency, ageing, and protection of biodiversity are just some of the restrictions that Singaporean policymakers and citizens must grapple with on a daily basis.

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Singapore faces a range of sustainability challenges. Water constraints, energy security, carbon consciousness, land scarcity, waste generation, import dependency, ageing, and protection of biodiversity are just some of the restrictions that Singaporean policymakers and citizens must grapple with on a daily basis.

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Andy

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As many cities grapple with sustainability issues linked to rapid urbanisation, Singapore faces its own unique set of challenges. Some of these challenges are not new, particularly those associated with Singapore's natural resource constraints; and while the country has tackled them admirably since independence, these challenges remain pertinent.

In addition, economic prosperity and demographic changes have created a fresh set of sustainability challenges for Singapore. As population ageing continues and the pursuit of non-economic needs (i.e. social and culture) intensifies, these new challenges will become increasingly evident.

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Youth Dialogue: Challenges and opportunities of Singapore's sustainable development

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As many cities grapple with sustainability issues linked to rapid urbanisation, Singapore faces its own unique set of challenges. Some of these challenges are not new, particularly those associated with Singapore's natural resource constraints; and while the country has tackled them admirably since independence, these challenges remain pertinent.

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[Khant Zaw]             The Climate Index found that the top two reasons for not adopting green practices were cost and inconvenience, followed by reasons such as finding it hard to maintain sustainable habits,

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[Khant Zaw]             The Climate Index found that the top two reasons for not adopting green practices were cost and inconvenience, followed by reasons such as finding it hard to maintain sustainable habits,

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S'poreans highly aware of environmental issues but adoption of green practices lags: OCBC climate index

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The average Singaporean is highly aware of environmental issues, adopts many green practices some of the time, and advocates some of these issues and practices to friends and family. Read more at straitstimes.com.