Singapore’s climate change dilemma: elevate or leave. What are the solutions?

About 30 per cent of the Lion City’s 721 sq km is less than 5 metres above sea level, and experts predict the surrounding waters could be a metre higher by 2100

Officials want to reclaim land to tackle the problem, but environmentalists say mitigation is also needed and the city needs to see the bigger picture

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Rising seas are the biggest threat to Singapore in the short term. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:00am, 25 Aug 2019Updated: 2:13pm, 25 Aug 2019

As low-lying Pacific nations explore the idea of building artificial land to survive climate change, a country less known as a victim of the phenomenon may be following in their footsteps.

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his annual National Day address on Sunday floated a number of solutions the city state could adopt to address the fallout from global warming.

He said about S$100 billion (US$72 billion) would be needed over the next century to make these proposals a success and protect the country’s 5.6 million residents from rising sea levels.

“We should treat climate change defences like we treat the Singapore Armed Forces – with utmost seriousness,” he said. “Work steadily at it, maintain a stable budget year after year, keep your eye on the target and do it over many years and several generations.”

About 30 per cent of Singapore’s 721 sq km is less than 5 metres above sea level. Lee said new buildings would have to be constructed on ground at least 4 metres above water, and the government would look at ways to protect existing low-lying areas as well as build offshore islands.