SINGAPORE - Temperatures in Singapore are climbing, and it is not just climate change that is making the country warmer.

The urban heat island effect, which refers to the phenomenon where urban structures such as buildings and roads trap heat, is also causing the mercury to rise.

Singapore has already experienced warming higher than the global average because of this effect.

Local temperatures are 1.8 deg C higher than they were in 1948, data from the National Environment Agency's Meteorological Service Singapore showed.

In contrast, global temperatures have gone up by about 1.1 deg C from pre-industrial times.

But even as efforts are ongoing around the world to reduce the amount of planet-warming greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere, Singapore is also testing innovations that could make the island more liveable.

Solutions, such as heat-reflective paint and a locally developed air-conditioning system that harnesses ambient heat for cooling, are highlighted in the third episode of The Straits Times' video series on sustainability, which airs on Tuesday.

Called Our Better Nature, the six-part series is hosted by environment correspondent Audrey Tan, and will be screened on ST's website and social media channels.

The other episodes will look at ways that the country is charting a more sustainable future under the Singapore Green Plan 2030. These include how people and organisations here are helping to shrink the waste problem.

Each episode is between six and eight minutes long, and will be aired every fortnight.