Climate Game Changer

The terms “climate” and “weather” are often used interchangeably but they refer to different timescales.

What’s the difference between weather and climate?

Climate is a statistical and aggregate study of past weather conditions over a number of years — from decades to centuries. Weather, on the other hand, comprises the day-to-day changes in temperature, humidity, rainfall and wind that we experience.

Climate is often expressed in terms of months and seasons while weather is measured by days and weeks. While it is possible to provide weather forecasts, it is only possible to provide general projections for climate due to the wide time scales and uncertainties involved.

Then is global warming and climate change the same?

Not exactly!

Global warming refers to the long-term heating of the Earth’s surface. This occurs due to the increase in greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and perfluorocarbons (PFCs), which absorb heat from the Earth’s surface.

Greenhouse gases are naturally present in the air. They allow the Earth’s atmosphere to be warm enough to support life. However, human activities such as burning of fossil fuels for energy and industrial production, and the clearing of forests to raise livestock, has increased the amount of GHGs in the atmosphere. These additional GHGs trap even more heat in the atmosphere, leading to global warming and long-term climate change.

So what is climate change?

Climate change refers to significant variations in global weather patterns that persist over an extended period of time.

Over the past 100 years, global temperatures have been increasing faster than ever before. As the Earth gets warmer, rain patterns are changing, sea levels are rising, and year after year, snow and ice are melting sooner each spring. The impact of climate change on the environment is becoming increasingly apparent as climate conditions continue to change and intensify.

The consensus among the scientific community is that climate change is the result of a complex combination of natural and man-made activity. The findings of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an internationally accepted authority on climate change that provides comprehensive scientific assessments on climate change, indicate that human activities are indeed speeding up climate change.

Like many countries around the world, Singapore is experiencing the effects of climate change.

In recent years, Singapore has seen bouts of high temperatures, intense thunderstorms leading to flash floods, dry spells, and the threat of rising sea levels along low-lying stretches of our coastlines, like the East Coast. These events can cause significant damage to homes, businesses and livelihoods.

As a low-lying tropical island state, we are extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Here are some examples of how Singapore is experiencing the effects of climate change.

Warmer Weather

2024 was our hottest year on record, alongside 2016 and 2019, with an annual mean temperature of 28.4°C. The preceding decade (2015-2024) was also Singapore’s warmest decade on record at 28.11°C — 0.05°C higher than the decade from 2014-2023, and the fourth consecutive year that Singapore’s decadal mean temperature record has been broken.

By the end of this century, annual mean temperatures are projected to increase by 0.6°C to 5.0°C, compared with the baseline period of 1995 to 2014.

Dry Spells

In 2014, Singapore experienced a record 27-day dry spell. Our desalination and NEWater plants had to operate near full capacity to meet our water needs.

Heavy Rainfall

Heavy rainfall contributing to flash flood events have become more common.

The contrast between the wet months (Nov to Jan) and dry months (Feb and Jun to Sep) will likely become more pronounced in the future. Increasing trends in both intensity and frequency of heavy rainfall events and dry spells are expected as the world gets warmer.

How else can climate change affect Singapore?

Coastal and Inland Floods

Climate change could cause mean sea-level rise of up to 1.15 metres by 2100 in Singapore. If there is a confluence of extreme high tides and storm surges, sea levels could rise transiently by up to 4 to 5 metres above mean sea level. This is high enough to potentially flood one-third of Singapore.

Our Water Supply

An increase in the intensity of weather variability could present significant challenges to the management of our water resources. Episodes of intense rainfall could overwhelm our drainage system and lead to flash floods.

Our Food Supply

The effects of climate change, such as intense storms, flooding and prolonged droughts, are one of the trends threatening global food security. In Singapore, we are particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in global food supply and prices, as we import more than 90% of our food.

Our Temperatures

Temperatures are set to rise over time due to climate change. Rising temperatures will also be compounded by the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, as our densely built-up environment absorbs and retains heat, and activities such as transportation and industrial works generate heat. People will feel hotter and are likely to experience greater levels of heat stress, which could affect our daily lives in many different ways. Our infrastructure would also need to take into account these rising temperatures and ensure that its integrity would not be compromised.

Our Public Health

Shifting weather patterns can increase transmissibility of diseases between animals and humans as well as heat-related illnesses due to rising temperatures. This increases public health risks and places additional strain on healthcare services.

Temperature rise and altered shifts in rainfall patterns can lead to adverse changes to disease-carrying vector breeding sites and movement patterns, as well as increase in vector population. It can also disrupt global wildlife migration patterns. This creates the conditions whereby vector-borne and animal-borne diseases such as dengue and other zoonotic diseases can be spread more readily.  

Rising temperatures from climate change could lead to increases in heat-related illnesses, placing significant pressure on healthcare resources through increased demand for primary care services, emergency department visits, and hospital admissions. Heat stress can also affect vulnerable populations, such as individuals with co-morbidities, leading to worsening of pre-existing medical conditions and causing additional strain on healthcare services.

Our Biodiversity and Greenery

Climate change is associated with shifts in rainfall patterns and temperature changes, which may lead to alterations at the ecosystem and species levels across various habitats of Singapore, including terrestrial, coastal and marine. Increase in frequency of extreme weather events, such as storms with heavy rainfall and strong wind, may lead to increased risk of treefalls.

Our Essential Services

Intense rainfall, sea level rise, and temperature changes could affect the operation of our essential services like telecommunications, power, and transport.

Our Buildings and Infrastructure

Safety and reliability of infrastructure could be impacted by strong winds and higher temperatures. Increased rainfall could lead to soil erosion and slope instability.

Robust, credible and objective scientific assessments form the cornerstone of our climate change strategy.

Even as we harness science and technology, Singapore is taking a measured approach against climate change as well as developing meaningful solutions to tackle climate change problems.

Over the past years, we have made early investments in climate science and research.

Research findings have allowed us to make specific policy formulations and will give policy makers guidance on the need to protect our infrastructure against the impact of climate change.

Evidence-based climate policies

In 2013, we established the Centre for Climate Research Singapore (CCRS) under the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS). CCRS is one of the few dedicated centres in the region that focuses on research in tropical weather and climate.

Climate science, where it is developed specifically for the tropics, is a new and complex area of research. CCRS develops research expertise in the weather and climate of Singapore and the wider Southeast Asia region. It also undertakes projections of Singapore’s future climate for long-term planning, as well as research into the characteristics and causes of extreme weather. It has since grown to be one of our region’s most advanced tropical climate research centres.

In 2024, CCRS released the results of Singapore’s Third National Climate Change Study (V3), which provides the world’s highest resolution climate projections for Singapore and Southeast Asia. CCRS has also launched the V3 Data Visualisation Portal in April 2025, making high-resolution climate projections for Southeast Asia available to the public. These updated projections will be used to guide climate adaptation plans so that Singapore remains resilient.

CCRS also administers research programmes through the Climate Science Research Programme Office to carry out climate impact science research, which will inform the government’s climate adaptation strategies. There are three research programmes funding projects from our universities and research institutes.

• First, the National Sea Level Programme, which aims to coordinate relevant climate research in Singapore and address key knowledge gaps in the understanding and modelling of the physical mechanisms of sea level rise and variability, with specific focus on Singapore and the wider Southeast Asia region.

• Second, the Climate Impact Science Research Programme, which focuses on five key priority areas to better understand the long-term impact of climate change on Singapore. They are sea level rise; water resources and flood management; biodiversity and food security; human health and energy; and cross-cutting research to bridge science-policy translation.

• Third, the Weather Science Research Programme, which aims to enhance Singapore’s ability to understand and predict our tropical urban weather, including extreme weather arising from climate change.

Singapore’s Contribution to the Development of Climate Science

Professor Winston Chow from Singapore Management University is the Co-Chair for Working Group II (WGII) on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s Seventh Assessment Report Cycle (AR7) Bureau. He works closely with fellow Co-Chair Professor Bart van den Hurk from the Netherlands.

Professor Chow is Singapore’s first elected Bureau member of the IPCC, the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change. The work of the IPCC AR7 will guide global climate action for the rest of this decade.

Singapore also supports the Singapore branch of the WGII Technical Support Unit (TSU), which provides scientific, technical, operational and communications support that underpin and implement the WGII assessment process.

Climate science tailored to the tropics is still a nascent area of research. Through our efforts, we hope to continue working more closely with the IPCC to further strengthen and advance the understanding of tropical climates. We will share our knowledge and expertise with countries in our region and work with them to enhance capacity to tackle climate change.

Climate change mitigation refers to efforts to reduce or prevent emission of greenhouse gases.

Transforming our Economy towards a Low-Carbon Future

By reducing our CO2 emissions and making use of innovative low-carbon solutions, Singapore can contribute to international efforts to address climate change.

Over the years, we have steadily rolled out a comprehensive suite of measures to reduce emissions across all sectors:

Pricing Carbon

Singapore is the first country in Southeast Asia to introduce a carbon price in 2019. It provides the price signal and impetus for businesses and individuals to reduce their carbon footprint, and thrive in a carbon-constrained world. It also helps businesses remain competitive in a low-carbon future, by enhancing the business case to invest in low-carbon solutions, and capture opportunities in the green economy.

The carbon tax is levied on facilities that emit 25,000 tonnes of CO2-equivalent (tCO2e) or more annually. About 80% of our total emissions are covered by the carbon tax and fuel excise duties on transport fuels. Of our emissions, about 70% are covered by the carbon tax levied on about 50 facilities in the manufacturing, power, waste, and water sectors. This coverage is one of the most comprehensive globally.

The tax was set at $5/tCO2e from 2019 to 2023 as a transition period to give the industry time to adjust to its impact. To support our net zero target, the carbon tax was raised to $25/tCO2e in 2024 and will be raised to $45/tCO2e in 2026 and 2027, with a view to reach between $50-80/tCO2e by 2030. This will strengthen the price signal and impetus for businesses and individuals to reduce their carbon footprint in line with our national climate goals.

The Government does not expect to derive additional revenue from the carbon tax in this decade. The revenue will be used to facilitate the development of decarbonisation solutions that require significant capital investment, support efforts to be more energy efficient and facilitate the transition to a green economy.

Improving Energy Efficiency

Our energy demand is expected to grow in the future due to an expanding economy and a growing population. Much of this growing energy demand can be avoided if we use energy more efficiently, instead of increasing energy production.

To help businesses improve their energy efficiency, the Government has introduced support schemes such as the Energy Efficiency Grant (EEG) to co-fund investments in energy-efficient equipment.

 The Energy Conservation Act, introduced in 2013, mandates energy-intensive companies in the industry sector to appoint a qualified energy manager, monitor and report their energy use and GHG emissions, and submit energy efficiency improvement plans on an annual basis. This is aimed at ensuring energy-intensive companies in the industry sector put in place proper energy management practices.

To help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions, we have also introduced Mandatory Energy Labelling Scheme (MELS), which requires suppliers of key energy-consuming household appliances to affix their products with energy labels to identify energy-efficient models. In addition, Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) have also been put in place to raise the average energy efficiency of regulated products in the market.

Switching to Cleaner Energy

Since the 2000s, Singapore has progressively switched from fuel oil/diesel to natural gas, a cleaner fuel. Currently, 95% of our electricity is generated from natural gas, up from 26% in 2001. Among all fossil fuels, natural gas produces the least amount of carbon emissions per unit of electricity. By switching to natural gas, we have reduced the amount of carbon we release into the atmosphere.

Additionally, we have expanded efforts to meet our energy needs with other low-carbon energy power sources. Currently, solar energy is the most-promising renewable energy option for Singapore. We aim to increase solar energy deployment to at least 2 gigawatt-peak (GWp) by 2030, enough to power around 350,000 Singaporean households a year – more than 10% of the peak daily electricity demand today.  We are also studying the potential deployment of other low-carbon energy power sources, such as hydrogen, advanced geothermal and advanced nuclear.

Greening our Transport

Promoting sustainable transport and managing vehicular emissions will also help reduce our carbon emissions. We do so in several ways.

As part of the Land Transport Master Plan 2040, we aim for nine in ten peak-period journeys to be made via Walk-Cycle-Ride modes of transport (which include public and shared transport such as taxis and private hire cars).

We also aim for all vehicles to run on cleaner energy by 2040. To support the adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs), Singapore has adopted a four-pronged approach that includes vehicles taxes and incentives, regulations and standards, EV charger deployment and industry partnerships. Learn more about the approach here.

From 2026, all flights departing Singapore will also be required to use Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). We have set a 1% target for a start, with the goal of raising it to 3% and then 5% by 2030, subject to global developments and the wider availability and adoption of SAF.

We continue to review our policies and work with the industry on various fronts to promote the greater use of greener, cleaner energy private vehicles. We are also enhancing existing transport facilities to make them more environmentally friendly, and designing and building new land transport, airport and port facilities that are sustainable and green, through incorporating the latest energy efficient and carbon mitigation features and technologies.

Greening our Buildings

The Singapore Green Building Masterplan provides recommendations that capture our collective commitment to pursue more ambitious sustainability standards in the built environment. It aims to deliver three key targets of “80-80-80 in 2030”:

• 80% of buildings by gross floor area (GFA) to be green by 2030;

• 80% of new developments (by GFA) to be Super Low Energy (SLE) buildings from 2030 onwards; and

• 80% improvement in energy efficiency (compared to 2005 levels) for best-in-class green buildings by 2030.

We are also striving to harness resource synergies and reduce the carbon footprint in our public infrastructure. We are building a used water and waste treatment plant called Tuas Nexus, which will integrate water reclamation and waste-to-energy incineration in a single facility, and reduce the amount of energy required in the used water treatment process. This can help us cut down carbon emissions by more than 200,000 tonnes a year – the equivalent of taking more than 42,500 cars off the road. Tuas Nexus is expected to be completed in phases from 2026 onwards.

Reducing Waste

Under the Zero Waste Masterplan, we aim to reduce waste sent to the landfill each day by 30% by 2030, and achieve an overall national recycling rate of 70% by 2030, from around 60% in 2022.

We are working with partners in the public, private and people sectors to move Singapore towards more sustainable production and consumption. This includes the adoption of a circular economy approach to reuse our resources for as long as possible, to reduce our environmental footprint and strengthen our resource resilience.

Even with the best efforts to limit the rise in global temperatures, countries are taking adaptation measures to reduce the damaging impact of climate change and increase their resilience to potential future effects.

Singapore is no different.

As a low-lying tropical island-state, we need to take the impact of climate change very seriously, and invest in resilient infrastructure to safeguard ourselves and our future.

Enhancing Flood and Coastal Resilience

Given the magnitude and time-sensitivity of the threat posed by sea level rise to a low-lying small island state like Singapore, we have begun to plan and implement adaptation measures in a coordinated and coherent manner.

We are  studying Singapore’s coastlines through progressive site-specific studies to develop tailored coastal adaptation options for each segment of the coastline (e.g. ‘Long Island’ at East Coast). Our plan will also incorporate nature-based solutions such as active restoration of our mangrove areas.

Coastal protection presents an opportunity to reimagine and remake our coastlines. We have engaged relevant stakeholders and the public to gather views and contribute ideas for our coastal areas, such as through PUB’s community dialogue sessions - “Our Coastal Conversation”.

We are also strengthening flood resilience through catchment-wide solutions at the Source (e.g. building detention tanks), Pathway (e.g. widening and deepening drains and canals), and Receptor (e.g. stipulating minimum platform and crest levels).

Here are some examples of what Singapore has done.

• Singapore has invested almost $2 billion on drainage improvement works in the last decade to boost our flood resilience. This includes the Stamford Diversion Canal and Stamford Detention Tank completed in 2018, which significantly enhanced the flood protection of the Orchard Road areas. In 2025, another SGD$5 billion was injected into the Coastal and Flood Protection Fund, which was first announced in 2020 with an initial injection of SGD$5 billion to fund both coastal protection and drainage infrastructure.

• Minimum reclamation levels for newly reclaimed land have been raised from 3 metres to 4 metres above mean sea level in 2011. Critical infrastructure such as Tuas Port and Changi Airport Terminal 5 are built at about 5 metres or more above mean sea level.

• To protect our commuters and rail infrastructure against flooding, our MRT station entrances and all other ingress points for our underground MRT infrastructure are designed to meet the minimum platform and crest levels.

Beyond infrastructural improvements, we are addressing flood risks holistically through modelling and research. The Coastal Inland Flood Model will be used to simulate flood events under the combined effects of higher sea levels and intense rainfall to inform adaptation planning and operations management. We have also launched the Coastal Protection and Flood Resilience Institute (CFI) Singapore in 2023 to strengthen capabilities and expertise in coastal protection and flood management. CFI Singapore will conduct research in the above areas and train a new generation of researchers and engineers to meet Singapore’s long-term needs to implement coastal protection and flood management projects.

We are also preparing coastal protection legislation to set out the responsibilities of stakeholders, safeguard land for coastal protection measures and ensure standards are met. In addition, we are developing a Code of Practice to provide design standards and operation and maintenance requirements for coastal protection measures, as well as launching a Flood-Resilient Developments guidebook to help building owners enhance the resilience of their premises.

Ensuring Water Security

We have invested in research and development, water infrastructures, and diversified Singapore’s water supply to include weather-resilient sources such as NEWater and desalinated water.

Strengthening Food Resilience

Singapore imports more than 90% of our food today. This makes us vulnerable to external factors, such as volatilities of the global food market, impacts of climate change, geopolitical decisions, and disease outbreaks.

To strengthen the resilience of our food suply, we adopt a multi-pronged strategy which includes:

1. Import source diversification to reduce our reliance on any single food supply source;

2. Stockpiling essential food items that can meet our nutritional needs during a severe food supply disruption or emergency; and

3. Local production which complements import source diversification and stockpiling, to serve as a buffer in the event of a food supply disruption. We are facilitating the local agri-food industry to adopt productive, climate-resilient, and resource-efficient farming methods, which will help toand build their capability and capacity to sustainably produce 30% of Singapore’s nutritional needs by 2030.

Building Heat Resilience

We adopt a science-based and proactive heat resilience strategy, which has three prongs:

1. Implementing national-level cooling strategies to benefit all segments of our society.

This includes strategies to cool our urban environment through modelling and simulation tools for urban planning and building design to improve air flow and ventilation, greenery and cool materials, and reducing the amount of waste heat generated by increasing the energy efficiency of industrial, commercial, and residential buildings.

2. Strengthening the community’s resilience, especially among more vulnerable population segments.

We are empowering the community to cope with a warming world, including by launching the Heat Stress Advisory to guide the public on ways to minimise the risk of heat stress. There are also enhanced guidelines to protect specific groups of our population, such as outdoor workers. In addition, we are progressively deploying more Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature sensors in other parts of Singapore, including in residential districts. Such sensors will augment the HSA and sector-specific guidelines, and enable the Government to better quantify, track and monitor heat in Singapore. We have also developed heatwave response plans for both public and sector-specific populations.

3. Deepening our scientific understanding of the impact of rising temperatures.

CCRS has released the results of Singapore’s Third National Climate Change Study (V3), which provides the world’s highest resolution climate projections for Singapore and Southeast Asia, including for heat. These updated projections will be used to guide climate adaptation plans so that Singapore remains resilient. For example, we developed a digital model to simulate Singapore’s urban climate and predict the effectiveness of various heat mitigation strategies.

We continue to invest in heat resilience research and development. We are undertaking environmental modelling and simulation to better understand the contributors to heat and assess effectiveness of cooling strategies, as well as studying the impacts of rising heat on human health and other conditions.

Safeguarding Public Health

Singapore adopts a 'One Health' approach, recognising that the health of humans, animals, and the environment are closely interconnected. This integrated approach means agencies work together to address complex health challenges especially to prevent incursion or spread of diseases. This includes vector-borne and zoonotic diseases exacerbated by climate change. For example, changes in the weather pattern, such as temperature increase and altered rainfall patterns, could create prime conditions for mosquitoes to breed and viruses to replicate faster. This may lead to an increase in the vector population and transmission of vector-borne diseases like dengue.

Currently, the National Environment Agency (NEA) has in place a nation-wide programme to fight dengue – but we will need to do more as we prepare for harsher conditions in the future. While innovative solutions such as Wolbachia technology could help to suppress the mosquito population, sustained efforts by the community to eradicate mosquito breeding habitats remain key to preventing dengue.

Additionally, we are also enhancing our biosurveillance programmes through a multi-disciplinary Biosurveillance Framework involving various OneHealth agencies – Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA), NEA, National Parks Board (NParks), Singapore Food Agency (SFA), and PUB, to safeguard Singapore against climate-sensitive vector-borne and other zoonotic disease threats. For example, agencies scan and jointly assess globally emerging public health threats at the human-animal-environment interface e.g. avian influenza, Zika, leptospirosis.

Protecting Biodiversity and Greenery

Our trees are an essential part of Singapore’s landscape. To this end, NParks is transforming Singapore into a City in Nature by conserving and extending our natural capital island-wide, such as by planting one million more trees across Singapore between 2020 and 2030.

To ensure that our trees are in good health and resilient to climate change, NParks is leveraging technology to inspect and monitor the stability of trees along major roads and areas with high human traffic. If needed, trees are pruned to reduce the size and weight of their crowns so they can better withstand windstorm events. NParks is progressively replacing storm-vulnerable trees with sturdier species and planting more drought-resistant species that can tolerate erratic weather conditions. NParks also studies how climate change has affected the resilience of urban trees in Singapore.

NParks is also implementing habitat restoration and species recovery plans to strengthen the conservation of native plant and animal species, which helps to ensure that our ecosystems remain resilient in the face of climate change. For example, to protect Singapore’s marine biodiversity, NParks established Singapore’s first marine park at the Sisters’ Islands in 2014. The park has rich local biodiversity in its waters and is a key site for conservation measures such as coral restoration. Other measures to protect Singapore’s biodiversity include restoring mangrove areas in Singapore.

Maintaining Infrastructure Resilience

It is essential for the buildings we live and work in to be protected from the effects of climate change. Analyses so far have indicated that the structural integrity of buildings in Singapore will not be affected by the projected changes in temperature, rainfall, and wind speeds as long as the buildings that are designed and constructed adhere to building codes and are properly maintained. As many buildings in Singapore are constructed and maintained by private developers and owners, the private sector plays an indispensable role in helping us keep our buildings safe.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Housing & Development Board (HDB) are conducting additional studies to further understand the potential effects of higher temperatures, rainfall, and wind speeds on buildings and building attachments, to recommend adaptation measures to enhance the resilience of our buildings.

The Green Mark Scheme is the BCA’s green building rating system, tailored for the tropics and subtropics. It evaluates and sets benchmarks for environmental sustainability in buildings. To enhance current efforts to green existing buildings, BCA and Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC) have collaborated to develop the Zero Capital Partnership scheme, which provides a “zero capital” solution for building owners to carry out energy efficiency retrofits for buildings. These efforts will contribute to Singapore’s aim of making 80% of all buildings green by 2030.

Everyone can make a difference to fight climate change! Here are 3 simple ways you can reduce your energy usage and carbon emissions.

#1 – Increase your air-conditioner temperature by 1^oC

Less energy is used by your air-conditioner when you increase the temperature setting. For every degree raised, you can save an additional $15 a year!

#2 – Reduce your shower time by 2 minutes

Doing so saves you close to 14 litres of water each time! Conserving water also reduces the energy needed to treat and deliver water to homes.

#3 – Practise the 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Right

By practising the 3Rs, we can reduce the amount of waste we generate and incinerate, which reduces carbon emissions.

Become Part of the National Effort to Tackle Climate Change

Organisations can play their part in reducing emissions by understanding the environmental impact of their business operations and by adopting carbon-friendly measures and practices.

Be Part of the Solution

Your organisation can help in the fight against climate change in a number of ways. As part of practising corporate social responsibility (CSR), you can take steps to reduce your organisation’s carbon footprint or organise activities to promote community and stakeholder action on climate change.

You can also get involved in the adoption and/or development of green technology solutions aimed at reducing your corporate carbon footprint.