Youth Development for Climate Tech Summit 2026 - Ms Goh Hanyan

Good morning. Thank you for inviting me to join you today at the Youth Development for Climate Tech Summit. I am glad to see so many young climate champions from Singapore, India, and Indonesia, who have been working together over the past eight months. Let me extend my warmest congratulations to all participants and prize recipients.

Singapore’s Year of Climate Adaptation

Singapore has designated 2026 as the Year of Climate Adaptation to increase awareness on the need for adaptation and galvanise collective action.

The impact of climate change is already upon us. It shows up in our everyday lives as the more frequent sudden and heavy downpours that disrupt our activities, the unusually high tides at our parks and beaches, and the heat that lingers in your house long after sunset.

 These small but growing inconveniences tell us that the environment around us is changing. 

a.       Climate adaptation means getting ourselves ready for these new realities – not just heavier rain, higher tides, hotter days – but also risks to our food and water supplies, our businesses, and our physical health and well-being.

b.       How can we – as individuals – stay safe and maintain our quality of life amidst these climate shifts?

c.       How can our societies successfully endure through these new realities?

In Singapore, the Government is taking the lead in our national adaptation efforts by developing comprehensive long-term adaptation strategies. We are investing heavily to support our citizens, businesses, and communities to be more climate resilient.

But the Government alone cannot address the existential threat of climate change. As global momentum for climate mitigation becomes more uncertain given geo-economic tensions and supply chain shocks, adaptation becomes not just necessary, but urgent. Everyone has a stake in how Singapore adapts. Everyone has a role in our collective efforts.

Young Innovators Leading the Change

Ground-up initiatives like the Youth Development for Climate Tech Summit play an important role in inspiring individuals and galvanising action.

Supported by the SG Eco Fund, the Summit gathered young people from the region to work together to address our climate challenges. For example, one team developed a heat-safe mobility solution to generate routes that minimise direct sunlight exposure for cyclists and delivery riders in Singapore. Another team developed solutions using sensors to monitor air quality in Indonesian cities.

These projects demonstrate that technology can be a powerful enabler for creating impactful environmental solutions that contribute to the wider community. Afterall, technology gives us what’s possible. People working together and using technology effectively, decide what becomes real.

Partnering our Youth

As changemakers of tomorrow, our youth can play a meaningful role in shaping Singapore’s sustainability future. We need your fresh ideas to help us manage floods and sea level rise, keep our spaces cool, and empower communities to respond to rising temperatures.

However, just as the Government’s efforts alone can only go so far in addressing climate challenges, young innovators working in isolation can be constrained by limited resources.

This is where partnership becomes crucial. When we combine your creativity and technical skills with support and resources from the broader community, we can unlock something powerful.

This is why we are taking concrete steps to spur more ground-up action. From 1 May this year, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment will be introducing a Climate Adaptation Package under the SG Eco Fund. We will commit up to $5 million over 2 years to fund projects that promote awareness and drive action on climate adaption topics such as heat resilience, flood protection, water conservation, and supporting local produce. We will also open applications year-round and increase funding for supportable project costs from 80% to 90%. We hope that this will lower barriers and make the fund more accessible to everyone.

If you have ideas for climate adaptation projects that engage the community in Singapore, consider tapping on the SG Eco Fund. We will support you in turning those ideas into reality.

Conclusion

To conclude, I thank SL2, Meta, NUS and everyone involved who made this Summit possible.

To our youth participants, I encourage you to keep this collaborative spirit alive. The friendships and partnerships you have forged here will be a strong foundation for your efforts to build a more environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient world.

Thank you.