Introduction to Public understanding of sustainability in Singapore; Singapore’s reputation on being clean and green

Singapore has a reputation among the global community of being a “clean and green” country. The policies created by the government and the structure of Singapore’s society has shaped this image. The government has strict policies and legislation in place that make Singapore is a sustainable city. Public education has also been a factor in making Singapore clean and green. Forward thinking in water Singapore’s water issue has also led to innovation and improvement in the area.

Singapore government has invested in Singapore’s infrastructure so as to facilitate more people on public transport and less people driving cars which in turn reduces emissions from vehicles. By taxing vehicle owners more, then the average citizen, car owners will absorb the third party negative impact on the environment. These taxes include road tax, COE pricing, ERP gantries. By making it more expensive to own and care for a car, there will be a significant decrease in the number of car owners on the road, therefore reducing congestion which in turn brings down the level of emissions emitted by cars. Therefore, the level of greenhouse gasses decreases overall. The LTA has also put in place park and ride scheme in 1990 to encourage people to take public transport into the CBD instead of driving. Car parks were built outside the city center for this purpose. ERP also discourages the use of certain roads during peak hours. Therefore, significantly reducing congestion on roads in Singapore. This shows how the government has made Singapore’s infrastructure sustainable.

Singapore also has strict enforcements regarding littering in public areas. This helps curb the appearance of trash in public. There are heavy fines for litterbugs. In April 2014, it doubled the maximum fines for littering to $2000 for the conviction, $4000 for the second conviction and $10000 for the third and subsequent convictions. Singaporean’s now know the importance of littering and how important it is to keep our nation clean. NEA has also situated recycle bins in housing estates to encourage the public to recycle. Moreover, Singapore pays a fair sum to cleaners for their duties to keep our country clean as can be seen in shopping centers and hawker centers. There are also very sustainable methods that are being used to get rid of Singapore’s waste. Example being the landfill in pulau semakau where incombustible trash gets sent to and get dumped.

Singapore also has far advanced technology to reclaim water. It makes the process of easy access to clean drinkable water possible. There are many water catchment areas in Singapore. Some examples of these are the macritchie reservoir, selatar reservoir. There has also a move towards building more waterfront parks in Singapore to raise awareness in the issue of Singapore’s water conservation efforts. In primary schools, there are talks to educate the young minds of Singapore on the need for water conservative initiatives. They are taught not to leave the tap on while brushing their teeth and not to take extremely long showers.