Climate Action in SG (Jul 2020)

3 August 2020

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Climate Action in SG (Jul 2020)

The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources has been renamed the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE). The renaming of the Ministry reflects the Singapore Government’s emphasis on sustainable development, amidst long-term challenges stemming from climate change and global resource constraints.

Strengthening Singapore’s Water Security

Singapore’s fourth desalination plant, the Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant (KMEDP), commenced commercial operations on 29 June 2020. The KMEDP is a public-private partnership and Singapore’s first large-scale, dual-mode desalination plant. It is capable of producing 137,000 cubic metres (approximately 30 million gallons) of fresh drinking water per day. This will further strengthen Singapore’s water supply resilience.

Citizen Engagement on Increasing Demand for Local Produce

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) convened a Citizens’ Workgroup in July 2020 to co-create solutions with Singaporeans to improve demand for local produce. The Workgroup’s efforts will support Singapore’s “30 by 30” goal, which is to meet 30 per cent of Singapore’s nutritional needs with locally-produced food by 2030.

Towards a Zero Waste Singapore

Singapore is developing NEWSand from slag produced from the high temperature gasification of municipal solid waste. NEWSand can be used as construction material for roads and non-structural concrete. This is a key step forward in Singapore’s journey towards Zero Waste and a circular economy, which will help extend the lifespan of Singapore’s only landfill beyond 2035.

Recycle & Save

The Recycle & Save initiative, by Singapore’s National Environment Agency and F&N Foods, recently expanded its Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) programme to 50 machines – to encourage more in Singapore to recycle right. Since its initial launch in October 2019, over 2.4 million plastic drink bottles and aluminium drink cans have been collected.