What you need to know about Singapore’s Year of Climate Adaptation in 2026
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Adapting to climate change impacts will be a key priority for Singapore from 2026.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
SINGAPORE - Adapting to climate change impacts will be a key priority for Singapore in 2026.
The Straits Times highlights the new initiatives to shield residents from impacts such as extreme heat and erratic weather, which were announced during the debate on the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment’s (MSE) budget.
What is adaptation?
Adaptation refers to actions that reduce the impact of climate change on communities, such as building coastal defences to defend the land from rising sea levels and protecting the vulnerable from extreme heat.
Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said Singapore has to prepare its infrastructure, businesses and people to weather the intensifying effects of climate change on an increasingly volatile world.
To this end, MSE has designated 2026 as the Year of Climate Adaptation to signal this as a top national priority and strengthen the resilience of businesses and communities over time.
Singapore is also preparing its first national adaptation plan – a blueprint that will chart out measures to guard the country from climate threats. All countries party to the Paris Agreement are expected to submit these plans to the UN.
Ms Fu said that before the plan is published in 2027, the authorities will discuss the measures with the community and also hold a public exhibition.
Beating the heat
Why it’s needed
Tropical countries like Singapore are expected to bear the brunt of extreme heat, with prolonged exposure jeopardising human health and safety. Residents could be exposed to warm, humid nights almost every day by 2050, where the temperature will be at least 26.3 deg C.
New initiatives announced
A new Heat Resilience R&D Programme will be launched to focus on managing the impacts of heat on society, while identifying solutions on the infrastructure level.
Under the programme, a $40 million funding initiative will be set up to better understand how heat affects different groups, and develop tailored solutions.
Possible research areas could include how heat affects sleep quality and students’ learning in school.
A heat resilience policy office will also be set up under MSE to coordinate the country’s measures against heat risks, advance research and oversee international engagements.
Keeping out rising seas
Why it’s needed
By 2100, Singapore’s sea level could rise up to 5m, which could flood about 30 per cent of the Republic.
New initiatives announced
A part of the north-west coastline running from Tuas Checkpoint to Lim Chu Kang, where four reservoirs are located, is expected to be protected by raising existing dykes and replacing tidal gates at the reservoirs from the mid-2030s.
Some of the remaining stretches are already on higher ground, while the remaining areas can incorporate coastal protection measures in future developments.
This is the second of eight coastal segments for which potential coastal defences have been announced.
The first segment, which runs from Pasir Panjang Ferry Terminal to Changi, will be protected by a suite of measures including coastal barriers and raised shoreline slopes.
Helping local farms
Why it’s needed
As a country heavily reliant on imports, Singapore’s food security is especially vulnerable to external shocks and supply chain disruptions. Its food supply is expected to be more unpredictable due to the intensifying effects of climate change.
New initiatives announced
The Agri-food Cluster Transformation Fund – which helps farms buy high-tech equipment and defray infrastructure costs – will receive a $70 million top-up.
The fund’s scope will also be expanded to support partnerships for the development and deployment of industrywide solutions. These will tackle common challenges like supply chain inefficiencies.
Local efforts to breed high-quality and genetically superior fish for farms will be expanded to red snapper. This programme currently covers Asian seabass and marine tilapia.
Farms will also get help to increase the supply of whiteleg shrimp larvae and grouper fry.
Local hatcheries will get support to maximise the growth of high-quality young fish supplied by national programmes.
The Singapore Food Agency’s prediction model for harmful algal blooms will be upgraded.
Ground-up support
From May 1, $5 million will be injected into the SG Eco Fund to support ground-up projects on heat resilience, flood protection and water conservation, and to promote local produce. The fund will cover up to 90 per cent of supportable project costs. It will last for two years.
Since 2020, the fund has awarded over $21 million to support close to 500 climate and sustainability projects.
SOURCES: MSE, PUB, SFA
