Not too long ago, Singapore’s parliament acknowledged the threat to humanity brought about by climate change and thus the need to pick up the pace with climate change solutions. This is important as it signifies a change in gear and priority of parliament to safeguard our people as climate change becomes a major cause for concern when making decisions for the future. 

But why was this decision made, and how does climate change affect Singapore? 

It may get too hot! 

After the world shifted from farms to factories in the 1800s, we have already seen a 1.1 degree Celsius increase^[2] in temperature in Singapore. It is already hot in Singapore, but with more greenhouse gases being pumped into our atmosphere, even more heat will be trapped, where the temperature is projected to rise by 2.0 degrees by the end of the century, to about 33 to 34 degrees Celsius. However, in a more pessimistic scenario where we do not reduce our emissions, we can expect average temperatures to reach 35 to 37 degree Celsius^[3].

How does it feel?

Feeling really hot at home on a sunny afternoon? That is because Singapore’s humid environment reduces our bodies’ ability to regulate body temperature through perspiring. This makes the heat even more unbearable because our perspiration is not as effective in cooling us down. Adding one or two more degrees into the mix would be like adding fuel to the fire, making us feel stuck in a perpetual sauna. You can see more about the effects of humidity and discomfort here: Why Singapore Is Heating Up 2x Faster Than The Planet – YouTube 

On top of that, when we change our natural surfaces (e.g. grasslands and forests) to hard concrete surfaces that absorb more heat in the day (e.g. pavements and buildings), the temperatures in our city will rise even further. This is known as the urban heat island effect^[4], where the concrete jungle, that is our Central Business District, is measured to be about 4.4 degrees warmer^[4] than in a less built-up space such as Lim Chu Kang. 

More heat-related illnesses

Aside from the discomfort, a study in Japan^[5] has shown that small increments in average temperatures may lead to higher risks of heat-related deaths in the population. Heat-related deaths include heat strokes, heat rashes, heat exhaustion, or heat cramps. With our ageing population, where Singapore’s average age is getting higher, this increased risk may mean more elderly will be at risk of more illnesses. This may spell more stress in our healthcare system that may already be overburdened.

Too much/little rain? 

With changes in the climate, rainfall patterns will also change. Due to complex interactions between temperature and the weather, an increase in temperature would lead to more extreme dry and wet seasons^[6]. This means the two scenarios below may become worse in the future.

This may result in a more unstable water supply in Singapore or more cases of severe inland flooding. Our imported water source (one of Singapore’s four national taps) is already getting too dry, with the Linglu Reservoir in Johor hitting record lows^[7] during the dry seasons. However, it is important to know that it is partly because we are using too much water too. The amount that we use is not sustainable, where we extract more water than the reservoir can recharge.

Sea Level Rise In Singapore

With climate change warming our planet, sea levels are expected to rise globally. A reason for the rise in sea levels is due to the increased melting of polar ice caps from the rising temperatures. As the great ice sheets melt, more water is added into the oceans^[8], increasing the sea levels. 

But it is not just that. You may remember science experiments about how matter expands with heat. Likewise, as the planet warms from climate change, so will our oceans expand^[9], spilling over to low-lying coastal regions. This expansion is another main reason for the threat of sea-level rise due to climate change. 

There are many other causes of sea-level rise, and you can read more in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report, under chapter 4.2. 

Less habitable land

Ás the sea level rises, seawater will cover our already limited amount of land. This will displace those living along the coasts of Singapore, squeezing the population into an even smaller parcel of land. The extent of land lost from sea-level rise really depends on the extent of our efforts in combating climate change. If our efforts are moderate, sea-level rise in Singapore could look like this in 2100:

If you are interested, I highly recommend tweaking the settings on the website (in the source) to see the extent of sea level rise in different scenarios and even in different countries. Climate Central | Land projected to be below annual flood level in 2100

‘But it doesn’t look too bad?’

This is because of the planning of our coastline^[10] by the authorities in Singapore, by raising the minimum height standards of our coastlines to combat sea-level rise. Even so, this would mean that our island nation will be more prone to flooding events, especially if the rivers cannot discharge excess water into the higher ocean levels during the more intense rainfall events that are to come.

On top of that, this solution merely mitigates the symptoms of climate change, sea-level rise. If we do not target the root of climate change, the greenhouse gas emissions, the sea levels will continue to rise and we will have to keep raising our land height for an indefinite amount of time. 

Our next meal?

Outside of Singapore, sea-level rise may also affect agricultural activities^[11] because seawater intrusion destroys the growth productivity of soil due to high salt content. This may in turn threaten food security in Singapore, especially when we are highly reliant on our neighbours for food. 

Closing Thoughts

While the main effects of human-induced climate change may seem small (seemingly a few degrees hotter), the changes to the climate have many compounding and knock-on effects that will affect our lives and those of future generations. Since climate change is happening throughout the globe, a thriving global city like Singapore will no doubt feel the after-effects of climate change impacts from any other part of the world. 

For a quick overview of impacts on climate change : Infographic by National Climate Change Secretariat: info-1-01.jpg (3508×2481) (nccs.gov.sg)

Cover photo from Cooling Singapore, 2018 https://www.coolingsingapore.sg/urban-heat-island