What this lesson teaches
I can explain how climate change affects Singapore and the challenges and opportunities it brings.
Syllabus K329, Topic 5.2, Key Question 1. How might climate change affect Singapore?
Make a guess
Desalination turns seawater into drinking water, whatever the weather. What is its main drawback?
- It uses a lot of energy.
- It makes the sea level rise.
- It works in wet weather.
- It has no real drawbacks.
Show the answer
It uses a lot of energy.
Desalination cuts reliance on rain, but it uses much energy and costs more than rainwater. Each measure must be judged on its trade-offs.
Match each adaptation measure to a specific risk, then check its costs, side effects and who can use it.
Coastal protection can combine sea walls, drains, raised land and coastal habitats. Careful land reclamation creates higher ground and space for defences. But it uses sand and other materials, and can harm sea habitats. Weigh these costs against the protection gained.
Health resilience includes cooler public spaces, heat warnings, ready hospitals and mosquito control. Shade and rest areas help only if people can reach them and they are maintained.
High-tech farming grows more food in little space and controls some conditions. It needs energy, skills and must be affordable. NEWater and desalination make water supply less dependent on rain, but use energy and cost more to run. These needs can also create research and skilled jobs.
Sort these
Which climate risk does each Singapore measure mainly deal with?
Groups: Rising seas, Heavy rain, Heat and health, Food and water supply.
- High-tech farms that grow food in little space
- Removing places where mosquitoes breed
- Tanks that hold back rainwater at the source
- NEWater and desalination plants
- Sea walls and raised coastal land
- Shaded rest areas and cooler public spaces
- Reclaiming higher ground off the East Coast
- Wider drains and canals in built-up areas
Show the answer
Rising seas
- Sea walls and raised coastal land They keep higher tides and storm surges away from homes, so they target coastal flooding.
- Reclaiming higher ground off the East Coast Raised reclaimed land gives a buffer against rising seas, though it can harm sea habitats.
Heavy rain
- Tanks that hold back rainwater at the source Slowing runoff before it reaches drains reduces flooding after heavy rain.
- Wider drains and canals in built-up areas Drains carry rainwater away inland, so they target flash floods, not the sea.
Heat and health
- Removing places where mosquitoes breed Mosquito control cuts the spread of dengue, which heat and rain can make worse.
- Shaded rest areas and cooler public spaces Shade helps people cool down in hot, humid weather, which lowers heat stress.
Food and water supply
- High-tech farms that grow food in little space Growing more locally reduces exposure to crop failures and transport problems abroad.
- NEWater and desalination plants They make water supply less dependent on rain, which helps in dry spells.
- Coastal protection
- Walls, drains, raised land and habitats.
- Health resilience
- Cooler spaces, warnings, hospitals and mosquito control.
- Trade-offs
- Energy, cost, habitats and access.
Step by step
Protect coasts
Coastal works and drains deal with different floods.
Protect health and supplies
Cooling, mosquito control, varied food and water.
Check the trade-offs
Upkeep, energy, land, habitats and cost.
Real examples to use
Coastal protection
In 2019, the government said Singapore may need to spend S$100 billion or more over 100 years to protect its coasts from rising seas.
Long Island
A 2023 proposal would reclaim land off the East Coast to protect low-lying areas from rising seas and add space for housing and parks.
Higher land for new building (PUB)
Since 2011, newly reclaimed land must be at least 4 m above mean sea level, up from 3 m. Critical sites such as Changi Airport Terminal 5 and Tuas Port are being built at least 5 m above it.
Worked example: Two food strategies
Indoor farming protects some crops from bad weather. Imports from many countries provide crops that are hard to grow here. Using both gives more options. The right mix depends on cost, capacity, nutrition and reliable energy.
Watch out for this
Adaptation succeeds as soon as equipment is installed.
It must work when needed, be maintained and be usable by the people it protects.
Check your understanding
Which is the strongest judgement of desalination?
- It removes Singapore's water risk, because the sea around it is so large.
- It cuts reliance on rain but needs reliable, affordable energy.
- It is not worth having, because it uses a lot of energy to run.
Show the answer
It cuts reliance on rain but needs reliable, affordable energy.
Yes. It weighs the benefit against the costs.