Every year, Earth Overshoot Day falls earlier and earlier on the calendar (Earth Overshoot Day: Living like we have 1.75 earths, July 28). This year, it fell on July 28.

Earth Overshoot Day is significant for a small country like Singapore because it lends urgency to the need to review and improve our sustainability practices, especially when it comes to our consumption of natural resources.

Singapore relies heavily on imported resources, with more than 90 per cent of our food coming from more than 170 countries and regions.

Small countries are often at a disadvantage in terms of resources, so it is important that they are aware of the implications of their actions and work to mitigate the harm caused when goods are imported.

Singapore has made some progress in terms of sustainability, especially when it comes to reducing our energy consumption. For example, we have been transitioning from street lights that use traditional light bulbs to LEDs, which use much less energy.

We have also been focusing on decoupling our economy from fossil fuels, which means that we are trying to reduce our dependence on oil and gas.

Nevertheless, we can and should do better.

We need to use more renewable energy, reduce our waste output, and find ways to use our resources more efficiently.

Choong Deng Xiang