Introduction to public understanding of sustainability in Singapore: Current Policies that make Singapore a more sustainable city.

Since 1992, the Singaporean government has been addressing the need to take good care of the environment. The ministry of the environment issued the first Singapore green plan in May 1992 which was presented at the united nations conference on environment and development in Brazil. Since then, the Singapore green plan has evolved and there has been several new launches of the Green plan since 1992.

Singapore has achieved great progress in its move towards being a more sustainable country. Take for example, Singapore’s water issue. The opening of the NEWater plant helped Singapore to cover 25% of its water demand through innovation and technology. With the opening of the 5^th plant, 30% of Singapore’s water needs could be met with NEWater. NEWater is water reclaimed from treated used water which is a sustainable means of meeting the citizens water needs. (Chew, 2010)

Another example of Singapore moving towards sustainability is the greenery in Singapore. One third of Singapore’s land is used as water catchment areas. As a result, the total land covered by greenery increased from 36% in 1986 to 47% in 2006. (Chew, 2010)

The land transport signed an environmental policy statement agreeing to abide by laws and stay true to practicing sustainable infrastructure. They agreed to use resources efficiently and to care and protect our environment. (LTA, 2014)

This is one of the many contracts that organizations have signed agreeing to use resources efficiently and claiming to be committed to sustainable development. The Housing Development Board (HDB) has also claimed a similar statement saying that it will comply with environmental laws. They also agreed to stay committed to prevent pollution through advocating the conservation of energy and efficient use of resources. They also agreed to setting environmental goals to improve their environmental performance. (HDB, 2016)

The National Environmental Agency of Singapore (NEA) has placed many laws on energy conservation, environmental protection and management, radiation protection and many more in order to ensure that the environment is safeguarded for future generations. (NEA, 2015) Theses laws definitely help Singapore to become a more sustainable city as the public must follow these laws strictly or face penalties which forces corporations to endeavor to be sustainable and look after the environment. The NEA is a crucial segment of the government which looks at sustainability issues specifically and makes laws and regulations to improve Singapore and make it a more sustainable city.

In conclusion, the government of Singapore is very aware of the need to be a sustainable city. It has also received several recognitions by the global community on its efforts to be more sustainable. This can be seen through the presenting of the Singapore Green Plan at the UN conference on environment and development as well as the World Summit on sustainable development in South Africa.

References

Chew, Valerie (2010) Singapore Green Plan (SGP). Retrived from:

http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1370_2008-11-22.html

https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltaweb/en/industry-matters/safety-and-health-and-environment/construction-safety-and-environment/environmental-policy.html

http://www.nea.gov.sg/corporate-functions/about-nea/legislation