Climate change will make our city warmer. It can also bring about extreme weather and cause sea levels to rise, thus increasing the risk of flooding. There are opportunities to leverage green and blue spaces to adapt to the impacts of climate change while providing recreational and ecological benefits.
Urban areas tend to be warmer than rural ones because roads, buildings and other structures made of cement, asphalt or steel absorb and trap heat from the sun. This is known as the urban heat island effect. We will cool down our built-up areas by intensifying urban greenery.
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Green walls, green roofs and rooftop gardens mitigate the urban heat island effect by lowering building temperatures. The result is a more comfortable and beautiful environment to live, work and play in. We are promoting the implementation of more skyrise greenery in Singapore's buildings and aim to increase coverage from 143ha to 200ha by 2030.
Waterfront sites are the gateways of sea and land breezes due to sea cooling and sun warming effects. We can increase porosity at coastal areas to take advantage of this.
Future industrial estates will be greener with more pleasant working environments.
Traditional infrastructure such as ponds and canals for managing stormwater can be integrated with green and blue features to enhance biodiversity and recreational value.
Many of our concrete canals and ponds have adopted the Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC Waters) Programme concept to integrate greenery into the design, creating attractive destinations for both nature and people.
Our coastal protection efforts will be supported with natural solutions and nature-based enhancements.
The Marine Climate Change Science research programme will also help inform the development of evidence-based interventions and solutions. This will help safeguard our coastal and marine ecosystems against climate change and leverage existing natural capital in our green and blue spaces.