S’pore sets up heat resilience office, invests $40m in heat research as part of new adaptation efforts
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The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment will be designating 2026 as the Year of Climate Adaptation.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
SINGAPORE – Protecting Singapore from climate impacts will be a major focus for the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) in 2026, with a suite of new initiatives
These initiatives include girding coastlines against rising sea levels
More funds will also be invested in research that will deepen the understanding of how heat affects people and facilitate the development of novel cooling solutions, she added.
Efforts to improve people’s resilience to heat will also be coordinated across the Government, she added during the debate on her ministry’s budget. The total expenditure of MSE for financial year (FY) 2026 is projected to be $3.69 billion, down from the $4.21 billion in FY2025.
Ms Fu said MSE will be designating 2026 as the Year of Climate Adaptation, and outlined the various initiatives that will be implemented on this front. “It involves a comprehensive review of our adaptation measures across key domains such as heat resilience, coastal and flood resilience, and water and food resilience,” she said.
These measures will be formalised in Singapore’s inaugural national adaptation plan – a report that the country aims to publish in 2027. Countries party to the Paris Agreement are obliged to submit these plans to the UN.
This renewed focus on climate adaptation comes as global climate action – or efforts to reduce planet-warming greenhouse gases – is under strain, she said. “Economic instability and geopolitical contestation, like the latest conflict in the Middle East, are clouding our focus on protecting our environment,” she added.
Major carbon emitters may backslide on their climate obligations as they grapple with the global tensions on security, energy, trade and investments, she noted.
“In an increasingly volatile world, we must prioritise building a climate-ready Singapore now. We must prepare our infrastructure, businesses and people today to be resilient in a climate-impaired future,” added Ms Fu.
Tackling heat
On addressing heat stress, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Janil Puthucheary said MSE has set up a new office to spearhead the Republic’s efforts in this area.
The Heat Resilience Policy Office will oversee heat management efforts across the country by coordinating action, overseeing research, and representing Singapore internationally, he added.
The office will develop a heat resilience action plan across the infrastructure, health, economic and social sectors, and also extend proven cooling solutions to other sectors, said Dr Janil. This coordination will also prevent duplicative efforts.
He explained: “Some issues that we will need to deal with include which areas, sectors or population segments are most at risk, and how can we further support these groups?
“What additional research is needed for sectors to develop effective, tailored measures? How do we balance the need for additional cooling against the need to meet our emission targets?”
The use of air-conditioning can fuel climate change because it guzzles up energy and releases planet-warming refrigerants.
Responding to suggestions from Mr David Hoe (Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC) to have ventilated linkways and cooler waiting areas near common facilities, as well as to make public information on heat exposure and heat-related incidents, Dr Janil said his ministry will take these suggestions on board as the new office develops the action plan.
To ensure that the heat office’s action plan is backed by science, a heat resilience research and development (R&D) programme will be launched under Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 national research masterplan.
Under the programme, the new $40 million “Adapting to Heat Impacts” funding initiative is for research on heat impacts and strengthening various groups’ ability to withstand rising temperatures and reduce heat illnesses.
The aim is to come up with tailored guidelines and solutions, especially for vulnerable groups
Other research areas could include studying how rising temperatures affect residents’ quality of sleep amid warmer nights, students’ learning at school and employees’ productivity, MSE said.
Dr Janil noted that the new R&D programme will build on existing heat research.
For example, new cooling solutions can be tested on an existing digital twin that simulates Singapore’s urban climate
On international collaborations, Singapore will share its efforts while learning from solutions in other countries, said Dr Janil. For example, the local authorities in Brazil are piloting the digital twin to simulate city- and district-level climate change scenarios.
Shielding coastlines
In her speech, Ms Fu gave the House updates on Singapore’s coastal protection measures.
She said coastal protection studies for the north-western stretch of coastline between Tuas Checkpoint and Lim Chu Kang, where four reservoirs are located, have been completed.
The studies recommended replacing tidal gates and raising existing dykes at the reservoirs to prevent seawater from seeping into them, she said.
The elevated dykes will double up as roadways for maintenance and incorporate features to maintain ecological connectivity to the sea, said national water agency PUB and MSE in a separate statement.
Some of the northern section of the 24km coastline is already on higher ground, while the remaining areas can incorporate coastal protection measures in future developments, they said.
Construction of the measures for the north-west coastline is targeted to start from the mid-2030s.
Ms Fu added that Parliament will soon debate a proposed coastal protection law,
“As we reshape our coastlines for the future, we will work hand in hand with stakeholders to co-create solutions that not only protect our shores and preserve the spaces and features we value most, but provide opportunities to create new spaces,” she added.
Spurring ground-up action
While the Government is taking the lead in shielding the shores from climate impacts, the community and businesses will also have to do their part, said Ms Fu.
For example, schools can adjust their students’ attire and classroom activities when it gets too hot. Sports organisations can adjust training schedules and make their facilities safer during extreme weather, she said.
Grassroots groups can also organise emergency preparedness drills for heatwaves, haze and flash floods to strengthen community resilience, she suggested.
“Each of us can build resilience in ourselves and in our family – look out for our neighbours in times of haze, manage our household’s food and water supplies (in contingencies), and familiarise ourselves with emergency response plans,” she said.
The private sector will incorporate climate adaptation as part of its core business strategy, noted Ms Fu. Companies can prevent larger losses
Ms Poh Li San (Sembawang West) – who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Sustainability and the Environment – asked how MSE intends to engage the public on long-term adaptation measures and build climate literacy within the community.
Ms Fu said: “As climate change affects everyone, it is important for all Singaporeans to have the opportunity to shape our national adaptation plan.”
Before the measures are finalised, the authorities will engage the public through group discussions, and also hold an exhibition, she said.
“These engagements cover why climate adaptation is important to all of us, and why we need to prepare now,” she said. “We hope people can share their experiences dealing with the impacts of climate change, and their ideas on how they can also play a part in Singapore’s adaptation efforts.”
