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Ethos Issue 7, Jan 2010
Sustainable Development:
Challenges and Opportunities
Tan Yong Soon
The Blueprint sets the roadmap for
our sustainability efforts ahead and
is a work-in-progress. It represents the
government’s efforts to catalyse change
in the public, private and people sectors.
We are currently studying enhanced
measures to reach our targets more
quickly and, if possible, to do more.
However, investing in hardware, such
as technology and infrastructure, and
putting in place supporting policies can
only carry us to a certain point.
Achieving our sustainable development
goals requires adjustments in lifestyles
and industry practices: individuals
must embrace more environmentally
responsible habits as a way of life, while
businesses must improve resource
efficiency by adopting new systems
and processes, which reduce the
environmental impact of their
operations where possible. The public
sector also has a role to play in setting
the pace and demonstrating the benefits
of environmental sustainability.
As a land- and water-scarce city-state,
Singapore has had to overcome
many constraints to enjoy the clean
environment and quality of life we have
today. With the continued growth of the
global economy and population, and our
own domestic growth, ever-increasing
resource pressures necessitate a renewed
emphasis on sustainable development.
We do not have all the answers; there will be trade-offs to be made and
dilemmas to be faced. These will require
more creative management of resources
and the development of more innovative
solutions. While there may be some
cost to conserving and improving the
environment, there is a greater cost to
inaction. Our collective efforts towards
a more sustainable Singapore are
crucial to fuel new areas of economic
growth and secure a better home for
future generations.
Tan Yong Soon is the Permanent Secretary
of the Ministry of the Environment and
Water Resources, Singapore. He has served
as Principal Private Secretary to the Prime
Minister, Deputy Secretary in the Ministry
of Defence and the Ministry of Finance,
and CEO of the Urban Redevelopment
Authority. Mr Tan holds a BA (Hons) and
an MA in engineering from Cambridge
University, an MBA from the National
University of Singapore and an MPA from
Harvard University.
The author would like to thank his Ministry
colleagues Karen Tan and Diana Ng for their
assistance in the preparation and research
for the article.
| NOTES |
| 01. |
This section draws from the book: Tan, Y. S., Lee,
T. J. and Tan, K. Clean, Green and Blue: Singapore’s
Journey Towards Environmental and Water Sustainability
(Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2008). |
02.
|
Singapore managed to phase out the use of ODS by
1996, ahead of the schedule prescribed by the Montreal
Protocol, and was presented the Outstanding National
Ozone Unit Award by the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) in 1997. |
03.
|
World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness
Report 2009. |
04.
|
Mercer Quality of Living Survey 2009. |
05.
|
The site chosen for the Eco-city is in an area consisting
largely non-arable land, including salt farms and vacant
land, and experiencing water shortages and low rainfall. To
overcome these constraints, the Eco-city will have to draw
a significant part of its water supply (the target is at least
50%) from non-traditional sources such as recycled water
and desalination. |
06.
|
The Brundtland Commission (or the World Commission
on Environment and Development) was convened by the
United Nations in 1983 amidst growing concerns about
environmental deterioration and the impact of this on
economic and social development. It defined the term
"sustainable development" as that which "meets the needs
of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs" in their 1987 Report. |
07.
|
More than half the world’s population already lives in
cities and the United Nations (UN) estimates that between
2007 and 2050, our population will increase by 2.5 billion
to reach 9.2 billion, with almost all the growth accounted
for by urban areas (World Urbanisation Prospects, 2007
Revision, UN.) |
08.
|
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC)’s 4th Assessment Report projects that global
temperature could increase by up to 6.4°C, and global
mean sea level could rise by up to 59 cm by 2100 (from
globally averaged levels between 1980 and 1999). Some
experts suggest that these scenarios understate the worstcase
possibilities since the Report excludes the impact of
melting ice sheets. |
09.
|
HSBC includes renewable energy, nuclear energy,
energy management, waste and water companies in
the sector. See "Low-carbon industries come of age",
Financial Times, 17 Sept 2009, http://cachef.ft.com/cms/
s/0/1860382a-a3b0-11de-9fed-00144feabdc0.html. |
10.
|
Clean energy economy jobs in the US grew by 9.1%
between 1998 and 2007, compared to total job growth
of 3.7% in the same period. The clean energy economy
is defined by the PEW report to include clean energy,
energy efficiency, environmentally friendly production,
conservation and pollution mitigation as well as training and
support. See "The Clean Energy Economy—Repowering
Jobs, Businesses and Investments Across America," PEW
Charitable Trusts, 2009. |
11.
|
Nidumolu, R., Prahalad, C. K. and Rangaswami, M. R.
"Why Sustainability Is Now the Key Driver of Innovation",
Harvard Business Review, September 2009. |
12.
|
These countries also avoided about 5 Gt of CO2 emissions in 2006, equivalent to global emissions from the
industrial sector (not including the energy supply sector) in
that year. See "Towards A More Energy Efficient Future—
Applying indicators to enhance energy policy," International
Energy Agency, 2009. |
13.
|
The Blueprint was issued by the Inter-Ministerial
Committee on Sustainable Development, which comprises
Ministers from the Ministries of National Development,
Environment and Water Resources, Finance, Transport
and Trade & Industry. The Blueprint can be downloaded at
www.sustainablesingapore.gov.sg. |
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