Singapore is not especially vulnerable to natural disasters reflecting the fact that it does not lie on any tectonic plate boundaries. Whilst other potential environmental hazards such as typhoons are infrequent.
The island has tremendous accumulated wealth – reserves are over US$60 billion – derived from success as an entrepot and centre of high-tech industries. Singapore’s economic growth as an ‘Asian tiger’ was based on two main principles; import substitution - the manufacture of goods previously imported for sale on the home market and export promotion- sales to the world market helped by the creation of free trade zones and export processing zones. Economic development has been outward looking and oriented to international markets, such that the Singaporean experience can be said to epitomise internationalisation. Additionally the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) provided a strong authoritarian governmental base providing finical incentives to foreign investors. Singapore’s growth developed at an erratic rate, there was a significant improvement in the standard of living of the people giving Singapore’s people one of the highest living standards in the world, with GNP annual % increasing by 10.2 between 1960 and 1980. The island is the world leader in modern biotechnology whilst extensive state enterprises, such as ‘TAMESEK’, which has over 450 companies, having proved highly flexible in responding to market conditions. An example of Singapore’s standing in world technology is its production of 50% of the globe’s computer disk drives. At present Singapore is the second most profitable place on the globe for investors and has the highest quality of physical infrastructure in the world.
Conversely, a great weakness of Singapore is its dependence on other countries for importation of food and energy, such as Malaysia for water. Approximately 90 per cent of food consumed in Singapore is imported. With limited land and sea resources for agriculture, Singapore’s agricultural developments take place mainly in allocated areas, called Agrotechnology Parks on land and Marine Parks at sea. In these parks modern science and technology is applied to large-scale, intensive farming to optimise use of resources and increase yield and productivity. Another notable weakness of the island is a lack of land, which restrains further development and results in high competition between land use; hence there is an immediacy of interdependence in human-environmental systems. Moreover there is a notable spatial concentration of productive assets with highly specialised production and a considerable skill shortages in some key areas, especially engineering.
Additionally since Singapore’s original economic rise, the global market has changed. Highly developed countries comprising the chief markets, such as Britain, witnessing large scale imports of manufacturers from newly industrialised countries and the declining competitiveness of their own industries began to resort to protectionism, which has included taxing foreign imports.
Clearly Singapore faces problems of sustainable development, its evident lack of resources begs the question- just as Singaporean life expectancy has risen to 78 years of age will the islands environmental future be as sustainable? Sustainable development is defined in A-Z Geography Handbook by G.Farmer, D Redfern M.Skinner,2000 Hodder And Stoughton London, as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ Singapore must face the problems of potential sea level rise, climatic change, globalisation and the pressures of a growing population with increasingly high expectations to ensure a sustainable future.
Coastal and low-lying areas will be affected by a sea level rise, if preventive or adaptive measures are not taken. Therefore I believe as a long-term measure to alleviate flooding, all development of land should comply with a directive of a minimum platform level that is above the predicted flood level. Thus low-lying areas have to be elevated in order to comply with the requirement before the land can be developed. Pleasingly this prerequisite is currently being implemented.
Alternatively, other programmes that address issues related to climate change and sea level rise have been postulated for Singapore’s sustainability, they include a switch from fuel oil to natural gas and promotion of energy efficiency in both supply and demand. I consider such programmes vital because at present there is total dependence in Singapore on imported fuels for energy needs, and there is limited scope to develop renewable energy sources. Thus using resources in an efficient way will enable the island to stay competitive and on a global scale contain growth in greenhouse gas emissions. Idealistically renewable resources would be the future for Singapore’s energy needs, however with the current technologies in renewable energy development, the potential for increasing energy supply through renewable energy is unfortunately relatively small.
Likewise the provision of efficient and comprehensive public transportation to curb growth in vehicle population is needed. At present, drivers have to pay hefty fees for car ownership permits: a "polluter pays" strategy that effectively reduces traffic congestion and pollution. Revenues finance an excellent public transportation system. This kind of policy making, while exceptional, is critical to enable Singapore’s sustainable future, since presently Singapore does not have space for new roads and monthly auctions are held to sell certificates entitling people to buy from a quota of new cars.
Another key area that needs to be addressed in order to improve the chances of a more sustainable future for Singapore is water supply. Thankfully after 15 years of discussion, in 1995 Singapore and Malaysia finally established a territorial water boundary. Possibly the government may need to look into tapping marginal catchments to augment local water resources and offshore sources should also be studied. Clearly the conservation of water should be of major importance with improvements to water bodies and an upgrading of sewage treatment works needed. Notably the development of the first desalination plant in Singapore is in progress; this can only help the island’s hopes for a sustainable future. Likewise the environmental problems of industrial pollution and limited land availability which poses threats to waste disposal need to be addressed. Maybe new offshore landfill facilities or further refuse incineration plants should be considered. An approach to Singapore’s environmental management needs to consist of regulatory measures, planning regulations, economic incentives and encouragement of public consciousness and participation.
It is clear that in order for Singapore to enhance its chances of a more sustainable future, specific sets of environmental good practice need to be elaborated in the fields of land use, transportation, water resource management, waste management, environmental health and air pollution control. However, there has been efforts to raise awareness of issues related to sustainable development and resources including ‘Clean & Green Week’ and the Singapore Environment Council’s programmes and activities, for example Earth Day celebrations.
Yet it is not just environmental problems that pose a threat to Singapore’s sustainable future, the ever-increasing global nature of economic activity means that similar to many major economies in the world Singapore’s economy is vulnerable to global changes. Moreover, whilst the island has experienced outstanding economic growth it has not yet matured to a stage were it has significant outward investment policies, it predominantly relies on foreign and state investment and thus is extremely vulnerable to changes in such investment. Surely for Singapore to be able to obtain a sustainable economic future it needs to develop further internal private and outward investment policies which are a characteristic of a mature economy.
In conclusion, as the depletion of valuable natural resources continues in Singapore and on many small island developing states, more must be done to persuade governments that environmental protection makes economic sense. The environment should be seen as an asset, a stock of available wealth yet if the present generation spends this wealth without investment for the future, then these resources will cease, thus mankind will have no means of survival.
/IMJ.HTM
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