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Purpose: This paper aims to review and discuss City Developments Limited (CDL)'s 15-year sustainability reporting journey with GRI Standards as core for its blended reporting framework. Design/methodology/approach: The paper draws on the knowledge and experience of the company's reporting team from the perspective of CDL's Chief Sustainability Officer. Findings: To future-proof businesses against climate crisis and achieve relevant sustainable development goals, companies need to be committed to goal setting, tracking and reporting Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) performance for sustained growth. A robust and rigorous approach to sustainability reporting that incorporates both value and impact allows organisations to identify material ESG issues and determine risks and opportunities that will help organisations to enhance strategy and practices for long-term resilience and business growth. Practical implications: This paper can help businesses to understand that the rising climate change agenda has led to substantial emphasis being placed on climate-related standards and disclosures. Social implications: Businesses cannot manage without measuring performance. Reporting is critical for businesses to effectively integrate sustainability into their business strategy and operations to accelerate action towards a low-carbon economy. Originality/value: This paper addresses the development of sustainability reporting trends and the benefits and challenges of using GRI as a core reporting framework in an evolving ESG reporting landscape from the perspective of a real estate company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the spatial distribution, variation and trend of 5-day antecedent rainfall in Singapore based on rainfall data from 22 meteorological stations. The effect of climate was analyzed by dividing the study period into three decades i.e. Decade 1: 1982–1991, Decade 2: 1992–2001 and Decade 3: 2002–2011. Kriging interpolation was used for rainfall mapping. The results show that spatial distribution of 5-day antecedent rainfall does not coincide with that of the annual rainfall. The maximum annual rainfall occurred in the northwestern side of Singapore. On the other hand, the maximum 5-day antecedent rainfall occurred in the north and northeastern sides. The results of this study suggest that the climate change has increased the amount of 5-day antecedent rainfall quite significantly, i.e. from 420.5 (1987) to 592.9 mm (2006), thus affecting the vulnerability of the area with respect to rainfall-induced slope failure. The analyses also showed that most of slope failures were located in the north and northeast of Singapore between December and earlier March. More slope failures were observed in Decade 3 as compared to Decades 1 and 2. In other words, the analysis confirmed that 5-day antecedent rainfall had affected the slope stability in Singapore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been argued that the preoccupation of individual nations with economic growth and development has contributed to environmental degradation. Economic nationalism is viewed as a hindrance to international strategies that can be used to slow the rate of environmental degradation. This paper argues that, in the case of Singapore, the means to mitigate environmental concerns are largely driven by material interests. Emissions control measures have been introduced provided they have been deemed economically feasible. But this has not prevented the city state from being a socially responsible member of the global community. This paper argues that, in today's context, policies that appear to be “nationalist” may not be totally inconsistent with policies that could help to improve the standard of living of all members of the international community. Selective engagement in regional and global initiatives realistically portrays the policy choices of many nation states. This paper contends that environment-related initiatives have to be seen in terms of reconciling the dual objectives of maximising the national interest and mitigating the global problem of environmental degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Through a media discourse analysis, this study draws upon quantitative and qualitative data to gain insights into how new food categories are made and negotiated through mainstream and social media. The focus is on alternative proteins, a growing food sector largely driven by the current unsustainable industrial animal farming. Plant-based meats have long existed as alternative sources to meat, and insects have been historically eaten in parts of the world; yet, the crisis of climate change and increasing sophistication of technology have spurred the development of innovations like cultivated meat, microalgae, and fermentation protein. To better understand how food categories are redefined, this study focuses on Singapore media and its framing of these foods, considered novel here for their potential to revolutionize future food sources by how they are made and/or consumed. The contested views on the edibility and categorization of these novel foods signal resistance to Singapore's accelerated modernity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental challenges and risks associated with climate change face all of our cities, and the construction industry has a major role to play in terms of changed practice. The Singaporean government has, over a period of many decades, made efforts to address environmental challenges including the implementation in recent years of policies and guidance regarding the design of new buildings. These are regarded as vital to ensuring that the city has a sustainable future. The research reported in this paper undertook to review perceptions and awareness of sustainable construction methods and policies within the Singaporean construction industry. An in-depth online questionnaire was completed by respondents drawn from the A1 contractors group, with questions concerning both regulation and industrial perceptions, attitudes and action. With regards to the relative importance of drivers for change, the research indicated that regulatory compliance appeared to be more significant than new practices instigated as a results of changes in attitude and perception alone. A main conclusion of the paper is that government regulatory and incentive programmes may be able to drive positive change effectively and efficiently, but that this needs to happen alongside initiatives to support Client awareness and adoption of sustainable practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vector-borne infectious disease such as dengue fever (DF) has spread rapidly due to more suitable living environments. Considering the limited studies investigating the disease spread under climate change in South and Southeast Asia, this study aimed to project the DF transmission potential in 30 locations across four South and Southeast Asian countries. In this study, weekly DF incidence data, daily mean temperature, and rainfall data in 30 locations in Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Thailand from 2012 to 2020 were collected. The effects of temperature and rainfall on the time-varying reproduction number (Rt) of DF transmission were examined using generalized additive models. Projections of location-specific Rt from 2030s to 2090s were determined using projected temperature and rainfall under three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP126, SSP245, and SSP585), and the peak DF transmissibility and epidemic duration in the future were estimated. According to the results, the projected changes in the peak Rt and epidemic duration varied across locations, and the most significant change was observed under middle-to-high greenhouse gas emission scenarios. Under SSP585, the country-specific peak Rt was projected to decrease from 1.63 (95% confidence interval: 1.39–1.91), 2.60 (1.89–3.57), and 1.41 (1.22–1.64) in 2030s to 1.22 (0.98–1.51), 2.09 (1.26–3.47), and 1.37 (0.83–2.27) in 2090s in Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia, respectively. Yet, the peak Rt in Sri Lanka changed slightly from 2030s to 2090s under SSP585. The epidemic duration in Singapore and Malaysia was projected to decline under SSP585. In conclusion, the change of peak DF transmission potential and disease outbreak duration would vary across locations, particularly under middle-to-high greenhouse gas emission scenarios. Interventions should be considered to slow down global warming as well as the potential increase in DF transmissibility in some locations of South and Southeast Asia. Author summary: Climate change has a significant impact worldwide, including the proliferation of infectious diseases in tropical areas. While the warmer and more humid living conditions in these regions are generally considered favorable for the transmission of vector-borne diseases, we argue that the effects of climate change on DF infection may vary across different locations. Unlike previous studies focusing primarily on the disease incidence, this study aims to estimate changes in peak DF transmissibility and the duration of disease epidemics in the future. By analyzing data from 30 locations in four tropical countries, we have found that changes in DF transmissibility and epidemic duration exhibit variations both within and between countries, particularly under the scenarios of moderate to high greenhouse gas emissions. In light of these findings, we recommend conducting location-specific evaluations of DF transmissibility under the influence of climate change, as well as implementing targeted interventions to mitigate the potential increase in DF transmission rates in specific tropical locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of classroom-based educational interventions is fraught with tensions, the most critical of which is choosing between focusing the inquiry on measuring the effects of treatment or in proximately utilizing the data to improve practice. This paper attempted to achieve both goals through the use of intervention-oriented evaluation of a professional development program intended to diagnose and correct students' misconceptions of climate change. Data was gathered, monitored and analyzed in three stages of a time-series design: the baseline, treatment and follow-up stages. The evaluation itself was the 'intervention' such that the data was allowed to 'contaminate' the treatment. This was achieved through giving the teacher unimpeded access to the collected information and to introduce midcourse corrections as she saw fit to her instruction. Results showed a significant development in students' conceptual understanding only after the teacher's decision to use direct and explicit refutation of misconceptions. Due to the accessibility of feedback, it was possible to locate specifically at which point in the process that the intervention was most effective. The efficacy of the intervention was then measured through comparing the scores across the three research stages. The inclusion of a comparison group to the design is recommended for future studies., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This comparative analysis investigates the effectiveness of open green spaces policies in promoting urban resilience to climate change in the context of dense cities in Malaysia and Singapore. With rapid urbanisation and increasing population density, managing the impacts of climate change is crucial for sustainable urban development. Small urban parks (SUPs) have emerged as valuable assets in enhancing urban resilience and mitigating climate-related risks. This study draws on a comprehensive review of secondary sources, including government reports and academic literature, to compare the strategies employed in both countries' open green spaces policies. The analysis examines the similarities and differences in policy frameworks, regulations, and management approaches. The study reveals that while both Malaysia and Singapore recognise the importance of open green spaces in addressing climate change impacts, there are variations in the specific policies and approaches adopted. The findings contribute to the existing body of knowledge on open green space policies in dense cities and offer valuable recommendations for policymakers and urban planners in Malaysia, Singapore, and beyond. Overall, this study highlights the significance of effective open green spaces policies in fostering urban resilience to climate change and calls for further research and collaboration in this important area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of multilevel governance (MLG) is a significant factor in effectively addressing the challenges posed by climate change in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. The objective of this study is to examine the significance of MLG in mitigating the effects of climate change and its ramifications for policymaking and proficient governance. The present research has identified the importance of intergovernmental collaboration and coordination, along with the active participation of diverse stakeholders such as civil society organizations and the private sector. The investigation employed a Systematic Literature Review approach. Through an analysis of the experiences and practices of these nations, this study elucidates the pivotal elements that facilitate an efficacious response to climate change. Additionally, this study addressed the obstacles and constraints faced during the implementation of the MLG methodology. The results presented herein enhance the comprehension of the function of MLG in mitigating climate change. They also offer valuable perspectives for policymakers and practitioners to formulate effective strategies and policies that foster sustainable development and resilience in the context of climate change in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to evaluate the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of importing electrical power into Singapore, generated from a large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Australia, through a long-distance subsea high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable. A cost optimization model was developed to estimate the capacities of the system components. A comprehensive life cycle assessment model was built to estimate emissions of manufacturing and use of these components. Our evaluation shows that, for covering one fifth of Singapore's electrical energy needs, a system with an installed capacity of 13 G W P V , 17 GWh battery storage and 3.2 G W subsea cable is required. The life cycle GHG emissions of such a system are estimated to be 110 g CO 2 eq/ kWh , with the majority coming from the manufacturing of solar PV panels. Cable manufacturing does not contribute largely toward GHG emissions. By varying full-load hours and cable lengths, it was assessed that sites closer to Singapore might provide the same energy at same/lower carbon footprint and reduced cost, despite the lower insolation as compared to Australia. However, these sites could cause greater emissions from land use changes than the deserts of Australia, offsetting the advantages of a shorter HVDC cable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have investigated the benefits that can be achieved through the use of the lean production philosophy to meet the challenges of sustainable development. These benefits include reduced waste, lead time, inventory, and improved efficiency. Because of the rising recognition of global climate change, this paper aims to identify the contribution of the lean production philosophy to environmental sustainability in precast-concrete factories, using CO2 emissions as the indicator. This study adopts a weighted-factor model comprising 17 precasters in the Singapore precast-concrete industry. Two stages in the production cycle are investigated using the weighted-factor model: site layout management and delivery management. The results indicate that there are many non-value-adding activities in the precast-concrete production process that contribute to an increase in the level of carbon emissions. Large storage area, large quantity supply base, lack of just-in-time (JIT) sourcing with the suppliers, and a lean workforce appear to be the most important non-value-adding activities in site layout management and delivery management. The analysis provides good-practice guidance and can be used as a checklist for precasters to identify the non-value-adding activities in the precast-concrete production process to achieve low-carbon production. The results will also be useful for regulatory agencies to provide recommendations for the precast-concrete industry to reduce carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2009, Singapore has set about implementing mitigation and energy efficiency measures in key sectors to achieve unilaterally pledged reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 7–11% below business-as-usual (BAU) levels in 2020. Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants are a major focus for emissions abatement, with an expected reduction of 4 Mt CO 2 from the electricity generation sector in 2020. In this paper, we explore Singapore's various strategies in the electricity generation sector to fulfil this target and use an EnergyPLAN optimization model to assess the impact of these strategies on CO 2 emissions from Singapore's electricity generation sector through to 2020. A comparison of BAU scenario in 2020 (BAU 2020), 2020 target emissions reduction trajectory, and three emissions reduction alternative policy scenarios (denoted APS-I, APS-II, and APS-III) is carried out. The EnergyPLAN simulation results indicate that all three APS scenarios achieve the 2020 carbon emissions reduction target in Singapore's electricity generation sector. The results furthermore suggest that the 2020 electricity generation associated emissions reduction target can be met through measures that are already available. Vulnerabilities are identified in Singapore's electricity generation fuel mix, and emission reduction strategies beyond 2020 are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A framework and set of methods to provide quantification of carbon footprint for an office in Singapore is presented in this work. As office operations become the center of many organization's activities, a rising awareness of climate change puts the focus on the carbon footprint of office operations. Various international standards have provided guidelines in assessing the carbon footprint of organizations. However, a lack of explicit formulation and procedure in these standards makes them difficult to apply. Furthermore, organizations that are just starting to assess their footprint may not have the resources and trained personnel to perform a full-scale assessment. To fill this gap, the framework proposed in this paper categorizes the emission sources from an office into several categories: core devices, shared resources, pantry, and transportation; and a set of quantification methods then guide the practitioner in a visual manner to do their office carbon footprint. A case study was conducted with an organization in Singapore. Results showed that the organization has a monthly office carbon footprint of 2306.57 kg CO 2 e, with major emissions coming from the air-conditioning system and private car usage. The study showed that the method can be used to assess the overall emissions, as well as identifying the major emission sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the response of extreme precipitation (EP) at a city scale to global warming is critical to reducing the respective risk of urban flooding. Yet, current knowledge on this issue is limited. Here, focusing on an urban agglomeration in the tropics, Singapore, we reveal that future global warming enhances both frequency and intensity of EP, based on simulations with a state‐of‐the‐art convection‐permitting regional climate model. EP intensification can reach maximum "super" Clausius‐Clapeyron rate (≥ $\ge $+7% per K warming) rate, implying a "new normal" of "extreme events get more extreme," which is consistently for both Representative Concentration Pathways 8.5 and 4.5. The intensification is lower for moderate and light precipitation. Also, global warming was found to dampen the urban effect on EP events. The EP enhancement is attributed to the increased atmospheric moisture and convective inhibition due to enhanced low‐level stratification that delays a convection to develop until it becomes more intense. Plain Language Summary: Understanding the response of extreme precipitation (EP) at a city scale to global warming is critical to reducing the respective risk of urban flooding. Here we show that future global warming will enhance both frequency and intensity of EP, based on simulations with a state‐of‐the‐art convection‐permitting regional climate model for an urban agglomeration in the tropics, Singapore. EP is estimated to intensify much more than moderate and light precipitation, implying a "new normal" of "the extreme events get more extreme." Also, global warming was found to dampen the urban effect on EP events. The EP enhancement is attributed to the increased atmospheric moisture and convective inhibition due to enhanced low‐level stratification that delays a convection to develop until it becomes more intense. Key Points: New normal of "extreme events get more extreme" in future city‐scale precipitation is revealedGlobal warming could modify and even reduce the urban footprint on extreme precipitation (EP) eventsThe intensification of EP can reach the maximum at the "super" Clausius‐Clapeyron (≥ $\ge $+7% per K warming) rate [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the progression and variation of Singapore industrial developments over time, present literature have yet to examine the changes in the urban morphology of local industrial estates and consequently, their impact on the microclimate. The paper discusses the microclimatic condition and urban morphology in four different industrial developments developed by JTC in Singapore, constructed in different decades, and categorized into Business Park development (BPD) and B2 development (B2). Comparisons of urban morphology and microclimatic condition among the different estates were analysed. In general, it is found that, compared to B2, BPD has a lower mean SVF value, more extensive greenery, higher building height and building mass, a significantly larger proportion of greenery but lesser pavements and building area, and lower building density. There is a decreasing trend in the mean ambient air temperature observed along with the transformation of industrial developments over time. B2 has higher mean air temperature than BPD at all times of the day. B2 has lower diurnal temperature range than BPD which infers that BPD is generally more effective in reducing the heat island intensity. Finally, critical morphology parameters on ambient temperatures in industrial estates were identified. Within the 50 m radius, critical parameters with significant influence on the minimum temperature (Tmin) and the average temperature (Tavg) values are the green plot ratio (GnPR), the total tree leaf area (TREE) and the percentage of greenery area (GREEN), whereas the critical parameters with significant influence on the maximum temperature (Tmax) are SVF, GnPR, TREE and GREEN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Singapore's market for new privately developed apartments exhibits wide quasi‐experimental variation in ownership tenure. We develop an empirical model in which prices are decomposed into the utility of housing services and a factor that shifts with asset tenure and the discount rate schedule, which we discipline to vary smoothly over time. We estimate discount rates that decline over time and, to accommodate the observed price differences, fall to 0.5–1.5% p.a. by year 400. The finding that households making sizable transactions do not entirely discount benefits accruing centuries from today is relevant, with the appropriate risk adjustment, for evaluating climate‐change investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban resilience is an attractive concept among academies and governments with the increasing severity of climate change and relevant disasters in cities. Few studies have been conducted to compare the key elements of attentions for enhancing urban resilience among Asian cities, although resilience is context-dependent. This study aims to compare the key elements of attentions for enhancing urban resilience among Singapore, Hong Kong and Hangzhou. A comprehensive literature review and expert interview validation were used to solicit the preliminary elements of attentions for enhancing urban resilience. Planners and researchers in the field of urban planning were surveyed to assess the significance level of the preliminary elements in the three case cities, as professional knowledge is required in the survey. Statistics were used to identify the key elements of attentions in the three case cities. Results demonstrate that the three cities have various elements of attentions for enhancing urban resilience despite sharing many similarities, which also demonstrate the guidance limitation of the general urban resilience framework. It also provides a reference for other international comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflecting on a personal journey as a geography student, an academic, an educator and a teacher trainer, the article provides a critical narrative of the state of school geography in Singapore and argues that its development has remained relevant to the changing issues at a global level. Using personal reflections and document analyses, school geography is traced from the primary school to tertiary levels, covering aspects of curriculum, teacher education and assessment. A specific example of education for climate change is used to examine if school geography in Singapore is indeed relevant to engaging global issues. The school geography curriculum can be designed to imbue our learners with the awareness, knowledge, skills, attitudes, evaluation ability and participation required to discourse and engage environmental concerns such as climate change. It is only through this change to the climate in teaching and learning geography that there is hope to mitigate climate change and other global concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Rainfall-induced slope failures are commonly observed in residual soil. Due to weathering, the residual soil properties vary with depths, especially in tropical countries, such as: Singapore. Therefore, it is important to characterize the properties of residual soil with depth. Index properties, soil–water characteristic curve and saturated and unsaturated shear strength tests were carried out on residual soils from sedimentary Jurong Formation, Bukit Timah Granite and Old Alluvium in Singapore. The variations of residual soil properties in Singapore were determined from the laboratory test results and evaluated as a function of soil inherent variability. Typical, upper and lower bounds of soil properties for the residual soils in Singapore were described using confidence interval approach and coefficient of variation (COV) in this paper. The variations in residual soil properties can be incorporated in design based on risk or reliability approach. The COV of index and engineering properties of residual soils in Singapore indicate that residual soils from Bukit Timah Granite and Old Alluvium are coarser than residual soil from sedimentary Jurong Formation. The particle size distribution of residual soil from Old Alluvium is more uniform than that from Bukit Timah Granite. On the other hand, the particle size distribution of residual soil from Bukit Timah Granite is more uniform than that from sedimentary Jurong Formation. The shear strengths of residual soils from Bukit Timah Granite and Old Alluvium are higher than that from sedimentary Jurong Formation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper we apply time-series analysis to study the association between dengue incidence and climate variables such as temperature, humidity and precipitation while taking into account the delayed effects and further discussing the differences between using short term data (each year) and long term data from 2000 to 2010. Time-lag correlation method is employed to determine the time delay between incidence of dengue and climate variables. The result is not only consistent with previous results of other researchers, it also provides new findings. After analyzing the data in each year (short term time series data) and 10-year data (long term time series data), We find that using the short term data and the long term data can provide complementary insights into the relationship between dengue incidence and climate variables. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

With the widespread realisation of the significance of climate change, urban communities are increasingly seeking to ensure resilience to future uncertainties in urban water supplies, yet change seems slow with many cities facing ongoing investment in the conventional approach. This is because transforming cities to more sustainable urban water cities, or to Water Sensitive Cities, requires a major overhaul of the hydro-social contract that underpins conventional approaches. This paper provides an overview of the emerging research and practice focused on system resilience and principles of sustainable urban water management Three key pillars that need to underpin the development and practice of a Water Sensitive City are proposed: (i) access to a diversity of water sources underpinned by a diversity of centralised and decentralised infrastructure; (ii) provision of ecosystem services for the built and natural environment; and (iii) socio-political capital for sustainability and water sensitive behaviours. While there is not one example in the world of a Water Sensitive City, there are cities that lead on distinct and varying attributes of the water sensitive approach and examples from Australia and Singapore are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding extreme temperature variations is important for countries to manage risks associated with climate change. Yet, the characteristics of temperature extremes and possible climate change impacts have not been adequately investigated in Singapore. In this study, we attempted to do so by defining 14 extreme temperature indices (ETIs) for the period of 1982–2018 in Singapore, and investigating the trends of those ETIs using a pre‐whitening Man‐Kendall test coupled with the Sen's slope estimator method. The linear and nonlinear relationships between ETIs and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) were also examined using correlation, composite and wavelet analysis. Our results indicate that trends of temperature extremes varied according to station locations, ETIs and time scales. In all stations, ETIs such as the monthly mean value of the diurnal range between maximum and minimum temperatures (DTR), cool nights (TN10p) and cool days (TX10p) presented decreasing trends, while the rest of them exhibited increasing trends. The composite values varied for different ETIs—meaning that while eight no‐threshold ETIs reflected smaller values, other ETIs reflected relatively larger composite values, indicating that ENSO may have affected those ETIs more. The ETIs were mainly statistically and significantly coherent with ENSO at a 2–8 year cycle. We hope that our findings would be beneficial for climate action planning and temperature‐related disaster prevention in Singapore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes students' perspectives on sustainable development, environmental justice, and concomitant environmental education programs at two international schools in Singapore. Data include surveys of over 250 students and 19 focus-group interviews with 300 students. In addition to having a detailed and nuanced understanding of the complexity of climate change and its impacts, most students acknowledged both the likely consequences of continuing resource-intensive industrialization and the growing and unjust disparity in carbon emissions between developed and developing countries. Many students also recognized that contemporary lifestyles rooted in overconsumption are not sustainable and proposed a variety of measures – both mainstream (i.e., discourage meat consumption and single-use plastic) and radical (population-control measures) – to curb consumption. While identifying some areas for improvement in their schools' commitment to sustainability issues, students overall valued the ecological education that their schools provided them and to various extents recognized the privileges it has afforded them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study replicates a cued distance design (Schuldt, Rickard, & Yang, 2018. Does reduced psychological distance increase climate engagement? on the limits of localizing climate change. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 55, 147–153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2018.02.001) to examine its impact on perceived psychological distance and mental construal of climate change impacts. Based on two undergraduate samples (total N = 415) in Singapore, the cued distance manipulation (proximal vs. distal) successfully led to different spatial distance perceptions in both samples; however, we were unable to replicate the effect of cued distance manipulation on mental construal. In study 1, among liberals, the proximal distance condition elevated risk perception, policy support, and behavioral intention, but decreased negative affect. In study 2, liberals reported greater policy support and behavioral intention regardless of cued distance manipulation. These findings indicate that simply narrowing the perceived distance of climate change impacts fall short in generating greater climate change engagement; in fact, depending on political orientation, proximal cues about climate change impacts may exacerbate polarization. Future research should continue to explore the utility of the construal level theory of psychological distance and its value in environmental communication research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perceptions of the populace play a central and decisive role in advancing pro-environmental policies. To study attitudes and perceptions towards environmental measures, we apply several items of New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) and Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theories to cross-examine the public perceptions of climate change in the urban city-state of Singapore through analysis of quantitative questionnaires and qualitative semi-structured interviews. The perceptions were explored about ecological orientation (two dimensions of NEP: level of concern, self-reported knowledge) and environmental behavior (two dimensions of VBN: acceptance and support of national adaptation measures, confidence in adaptation). There is a moderate to high concern for climate change, in general, and sea level rise and flooding, in particular, and the concern is expected to increase in the future. Individuals who indicated a higher level of concern are likely to be more accepting and supportive of climate change measures. Also, while the majority of the populace are amenable to legislative measures from the government, such as enacting pro-environmental laws and more are agreeable to accepting cuts on living standards, as opposed to paying more in prices and taxes. Ecological orientation does not translate directly into environmental behavior, highlighting the gulf between perception and behavior in Singapore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, many coral reefs have fallen into negative carbonate budget states, where biological erosion exceeds carbonate production. The compounding effects of urbanization and climate change have caused reductions in coral cover and shifts in community composition that may limit the ability of reefs to maintain rates of vertical accretion in line with rising sea levels. Here we report on coral reef carbonate budget surveys across seven coral reefs in Singapore, which persist under chronic turbidity and in highly disturbed environmental conditions, with less than 20% light penetration to 2 m depth. Results show that mean net carbonate budgets across Singapore's reefs were relatively low, at 0.63 ± 0.27 kg CaCO3 m−2 yr−1 (mean ± 1 SE) with a range from − 1.56 to 1.97, compared with the mean carbonate budgets across the Indo-Pacific of 1.4 ± 0.15 kg CaCO3 m−2 yr−1, and isolated Indian Ocean reefs pre-2016 bleaching (~ 3.7 kg CaCO3 m−2 yr−1). Of the seven reefs surveyed, only one reef had a net negative, or erosional budget, due to near total loss of coral cover (< 5% remaining coral). Mean gross carbonate production on Singapore's reefs was dominated by stress-tolerant and generalist species, with low-profile morphologies, and was ~ 3 kg m−2 yr−1 lower than on reefs with equivalent coral cover elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific. While overall these reefs are maintaining and adding carbonate structure, their mean vertical accretion potential is below both current rates of sea level rise (1993–2010), and future predictions under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios. This is likely to result in an increase of 0.2–0.6 m of water above Singapore's reefs in the next 80 yr, further narrowing the depth range over which these reefs can persist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2018, Singapore produced a 7.7 million tonnes of waste, which is a significant amount of waste for a small nation-state. In line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) targets 11.6 and 12.5 of the 2030 Agenda, which addresses cities' waste generation and management impacts, we ask the question of why Singapore households are not more proactively engaged in waste minimization, despite the presence of local waste minimization public campaigns. This study is the first known study to comparatively apply and test three major theories – social psychological, social-structural, and sociocultural theories, to explain household waste management behavior in Singapore. A national survey followed by regression analysis of 303 households was conducted. In our findings, we firstly describe current trends in household waste management behaviors. Secondly, we compared each applied theory's ability to predict households': (1) reuse and (2) recycling of a variety of household items; and (3) recycling frequency. We obtained partial evidence supporting the role of future-orientedness and environmental identity on householders' variety reuse and recycling. Social-structural (age cohort x income, education) and situational variables (the convenience thesis), also predicted various waste minimization behaviors. Finally, householders' knowledge of what is recyclable affected all forms of waste minimization behaviors. In view of the study's findings, we propose a need for targeted planning and policy interventions for different segments of the Singapore population, and different short- and longer-term measures to initiate and achieve sustained household waste minimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study evaluates the performance of the SURFEX (TEB/ISBA) urban land surface parametrization scheme in offline mode over a suburban area of Singapore. Model performance (diurnal and seasonal characteristics) is investigated using measurements of energy balance fluxes, surface temperatures of individual urban facets, and canyon air temperature collected during an 11-month period. Model performance is best for predicting net radiation and sensible heat fluxes (both are slightly overpredicted during daytime), but weaker for latent heat (underpredicted during daytime) and storage heat fluxes (significantly underpredicted daytime peaks and nighttime storage). Daytime surface temperatures are generally overpredicted, particularly those containing horizontal surfaces such as roofs and roads. This result, together with those for the storage heat flux, point to the need for a better characterization of the thermal and radiative characteristics of individual urban surface facets in the model. Significant variation exists in model behavior between dry and wet seasons, the latter generally being better predicted. The simple vegetation parametrization used is inadequate to represent seasonal moisture dynamics, sometimes producing unrealistically dry conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study examines how climate change scientific knowledge is framed and positioned within the Singapore and Philippines school curricula in relation to broader citizenship concepts and ideas. The findings reveal that climate change is taught in very different ways within both education systems. The Singapore case demonstrates the strengths and limitations of relying on one discipline such as geography as the sole vehicle for teaching such a complex socio-scientific issue. The Philippines case, on the other hand, provides an indication of the advantages and constraints to engaging the issue of climate change from an interdisciplinary social studies perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governments face the daunting task of developing policies and making investment decisions for climate change adaptation in an environment that consist of complex, interlinked systems with manifold uncertainties. Instead of responding to surprises and making decisions on ad hoc basis, a structured approach to deal with complex systems and uncertainties can provide indispensable support for policy making. This contribution proposes a structured approach for designing climate adaptation policies based on the concepts of Adaptation Pathways, Adaptive Policy Making, and Real Options Analysis. Such an approach results in incorporation of flexibility that allows change over time in response to how the future unfolds, what is learned about the system, and changes in societal preferences. The approach is illustrated by looking at drainage policies and measures to address flooding in Singapore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is an important theme in the investigation of human–environment interactions in geographic education. This study explored the nature of students’ understanding of concepts and processes related to climate change. Through semi-structured interviews, data was collected from 27 Secondary 3 (Grade 9) students from Singapore. The data was subjected to thematic analysis using Chi and Roscoe's conceptual change framework. The results showed that the students’ base knowledge of climate change is composed of incomplete and incorrect elements built within coherent and structurally sound mental models. Due to the consistency of the models in expanding the logic, albeit erroneous, of explaining the climate change conundrum, it is posited that students are unaware of mistakes inherent in their judgements. Transformation of these mental models through multiple and deliberate refutations should be foremost in a geography teacher's pedagogical approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nationally representative telephone survey (n = 1,006) was conducted to understand how different groups of Singaporeans regard the issue of climate change and their inclination toward action in dealing with it. We measured attitudes, knowledge, and perceptions of the problem of climate change and the role of various stakeholders in addressing it. The data were subjected to a latent class analysis to produce three distinctive segments of the population: the concerned, the disengaged, and the passive. These segments stand in contrast to those discovered in the United States, Australia, Germany, and India and suggest different strategies for public engagement campaigns. The results also clarify the need to account for national idiosyncrasies when promoting adaptation to, or mitigation of, climate change in different parts of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weather factors are widely studied for their effects on indicating dengue incidence trends. However, these studies have been limited due to the complex epidemiology of dengue, which involves dynamic interplay of multiple factors such as herd immunity within a population, distinct serotypes of the virus, environmental factors and intervention programs. In this study, we investigate the impact of weather factors on dengue in Singapore, considering the disease epidemiology and profile of virus serotypes. A Poisson regression combined with Distributed Lag Non-linear Model (DLNM) was used to evaluate and compare the impact of weekly Absolute Humidity (AH) and other weather factors (mean temperature, minimum temperature, maximum temperature, rainfall, relative humidity and wind speed) on dengue incidence from 2001 to 2009. The same analysis was also performed on three sub-periods, defined by predominant circulating serotypes. The performance of DLNM regression models were then evaluated through the Akaike's Information Criterion. From the correlation and DLNM regression modeling analyses of the studied period, AH was found to be a better predictor for modeling dengue incidence than the other unique weather variables. Whilst mean temperature (MeanT) also showed significant correlation with dengue incidence, the relationship between AH or MeanT and dengue incidence, however, varied in the three sub-periods. Our results showed that AH had a more stable impact on dengue incidence than temperature when virological factors were taken into consideration. AH appeared to be the most consistent factor in modeling dengue incidence in Singapore. Considering the changes in dominant serotypes, the improvements in vector control programs and the inconsistent weather patterns observed in the sub-periods, the impact of weather on dengue is modulated by these other factors. Future studies on the impact of climate change on dengue need to take all the other contributing factors into consideration in order to make meaningful public policy recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The success of climate change strategies depends on how well mitigation and adaptation measures are implemented. It is especially important to implement effective mitigation and adaptation measures in coastal territories because they will be more directly affected by some of the possible effects of climate change. This study assessed and compared how Singapore, Miami-Dade and San Francisco - three coastal territories - implement climate change strategies in their construction industries. Case study method - in which primary and secondary information was collected and analyzed - was used. It was found that these three territories have a few similarities; for example, Singapore and San Francisco mandate green building requirements, whereas Singapore and Miami-Dade do not explicitly consider adaptation measures in their building codes. It was also noted that although mitigation has entered mainstream policy-making, adaptation still lags behind. Consequently, this study has proposed a few lessons; for example, policy-makers in Singapore and Miami-Dade should complement existing measures with platforms to engage the public on disaster management. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buildings have time-varying interactions with the local climate condition for the heating or cooling systems; changes of the surrounding climate condition affect building energy consumption. Based on the thermal envelope approach, which considers the heat gain by conduction and radiation through the wall and fenestration, the cooling load simulation study was conducted to see the impact of climate change on the cooling load of public residential buildings in Singapore and propose mitigation methods to bring the predicted increase of the cooling load in the future back to the current level. From the simulation results, climate change is predicted to increase the cooling load of current public residential models for 11.8-55.8% through three different time frames. Based on the parametric study of mitigation methods proposed, changing the material of the wall, material of the glass, and the surface properties show a smaller increase in the predicted cooling load compared with other methods because of the low window to wall ratio. A combination of three methods shows that the increase of the predicted cooling load in Period 3 can be brought back to the current level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This historical review of 20 studies since the 1960s examines the influence of urban development on the thermal environment in Singapore, a fast growing tropical island city-state. Past observations are critically assessed with regard to experimental controls and station metadata. Given the availability of historical climate and developmental data spanning almost 50 years, changes in urban heat island ( UHI) intensity and spatial coverage can be traced temporally. Rapid urban expansion in Singapore is clearly reflected in spatially and temporally changing air and surface temperature patterns. The nocturnal canopy-layer UHI intensity - measured as the difference between the commercial urban core and undeveloped areas close to primary or secondary rainforests for example - doubled in magnitude between 1965 and 2004. At the same time, the spatial extent of the nocturnal UHI has also expanded with the development of new housing and industrial districts. The influence of the growing city is also reflected in surface temperature. Two satellite images dated 13 years apart demonstrate the encroachment of areas with high surface temperatures into previously cooler areas during daytime corresponding with new public housing estates and low-rise residential areas or facilities being built. The results from our study contribute to the growing body of tropical heat island research. They provide baseline data for future research and urban development in the Singapore context and, more generally, offer important cues for urban planners to make tropical cities more sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Life cycle assessment (LCA) practitioners in Singapore currently rely on foreign life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methodologies when conducting studies, despite the fact that foreign methodologies may not be relevant, adaptable and sensitive to Singapore's circumstances. As a result, work has been undertaken to develop the Singapore IMPact ASSessment (SIMPASS) methodology by adapting and modifying existing LCIA methodologies to suit the Singaporean context. It is envisioned that the use of SIMPASS will improve the accuracy of LCA studies conducted for industries operating in Singapore. Methods: The development is initiated by a compendious review of the available LCIA methodologies, in order to familiarise state-of-the-art developments and best available practice for LCIA in the world. Subsequently, five key design considerations are discussed. Firstly, six impact categories (climate change, acidification, eutrophication, fossil fuel depletion, water use and land use) are identified and prioritised for detailed analysis in this project, in view of their relevance and criticality to Singapore. Subsequently, user issues and the type of LCIA approach are considered. Following which, four areas of protection (namely Human Health, Natural Environment, Natural Resources and Man-made Environment) are selected for consideration in the SIMPASS methodology. Results: With the development approach in mind, extensive research is conducted in the six selected impact categories to construct the characterisation framework for SIMPASS. The characterisation framework is strongly based on current best practices in LCIA characterisation, while the characterisation models are chosen based on their extent of comprehensiveness, scientific sophistication, as well as specificity to Singapore. Conclusions and recommendations: SIMPASS proposes an attractive and feasible LCIA methodology that is highly specific to Singapore. Feasible recommendations are drawn to further develop and operationalise the characterisation framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rising recognition of global climate change, the term CO2 emissions is now part of everyday language. The construction industry plays a significant role in economic growth both directly through its activities and indirectly through the provision of buildings and infrastructures for the smooth functioning of businesses. However, this industry is now highly challenged for its detrimental effect on carbon neutral by consuming materials and energy. Research has been conducted to estimate the embodied carbon of construction materials around the world, such as cement, aggregates, aluminum, and steel. These research findings provided fundamental support in estimating the embodied carbon of precast concrete products. This study investigates the production cycle and estimates the embodied carbon of precast concrete columns, which are typically adopted in the Singapore construction industry, where there is a large demand in public housing projects. The results indicate that 609.59 kg of CO2 is emitted in the production cycle of a specific type of precast concrete column. Knowing the embodied carbon of precast concrete columns, regulatory bodies are able to provide further recommendations toward sustainable construction. Research institutes can also benefit from this study to conduct further estimation of embodied carbon of other precast concrete products and finally complete the carbon inventory for the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many education professionals are looking to Environmental and Sustainability Education as a guide to incorporate curricular lessons and activities into school classrooms and other learning environments. Building upon the framework of Jickling and Wals (2008) of identifying how to teach about environmental education in transformative ways, this study examined how the experiences and perspectives of seven faculty and staff members at a K-12 International Baccalaureate school in Singapore impacted how they taught about sustainability issues. It also investigated how they work to empower students to become change agents by employing concepts and strategies such as hands-on learning, systems thinking, and service learning. Qualitative interview data revealed four overarching key themes: (1) importance of local context (both the school and the broader socio-political context), (2) pedagogy in relation to student psychology, (3) teacher and staff views on effective pedagogy for teaching about climate crises, and (4) mental health, as experienced by both students and their educators. Teachers and their students regularly struggled with tensions of authority (e.g., school/government, parent/child, teacher/student) and outlook (e.g., "doomism"/hope, empowered/disempowered). Nonetheless, they expressed a variety of thoughtful ways to cultivate their students' lifelong advocacy for the environment and other related social justice issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global climate change is expected to cause sea level rise, which will have major effects on Singapore because it is a small, low-lying island state. With the high degree of urbanization and industrialization on the island, land is scarce and very valuable. Examining three sea level rise scenarios for the next century, we explore whether Singapore should defend their coast or allow it to be inundated. Across ten coastal sites representing all market land in Singapore, we found that protection was the lowest cost strategy. The annual cost of protecting the coasts of Singapore will rise over time as the sea level rises and will range from 0.3 to 5.7 million US$ by 2050 to 0.9 to 16.8 million US$ by 2100. The present value of these costs ranges from 0.17 to 3.08 million US$ depending on the sea level rise scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing evidence suggests that coral reefs exposed to elevated turbidity may be more resilient to climate change impacts and serve as an important conservation hotspot. However, logistical difficulties in studying turbid environments have led to poor representation of these reef types within the scientific literature, with studies using different methods and definitions to characterize turbid reefs. Here we review the geological origins and growth histories of turbid reefs from the Holocene (past), their current ecological and environmental states (present), and their potential responses and resilience to increasing local and global pressures (future). We classify turbid reefs using new descriptors based on their turbidity regime (persistent, fluctuating, transitional) and sources of sediment input (natural versus anthropogenic). Further, by comparing the composition, function and resilience of two of the most studied turbid reefs, Paluma Shoals Reef Complex, Australia (natural turbidity) and Singapore reefs (anthropogenic turbidity), we found them to be two distinct types of turbid reefs with different conservation status. As the geographic range of turbid reefs is expected to increase due to local and global stressors, improving our understanding of their responses to environmental change will be central to global coral reef conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global mean sea level rise associated with global warming has a major impact on coastal areas and represents one of the significant natural hazards. The Asia-Pacific region, which has the highest concentration of human population in the world, represents one of the larger areas on Earth being threatened by the rise of sea level. Recent studies indicate a global sea level of 3.2 mm/yr as measured from 20 years of satellite altimetry. The combined effect of sea level rise and local land subsidence, can be overwhelming for coastal areas. The Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) interferometry technique is used to process a time series of TerraSAR-X images and estimate the land subsidence in the urban area of Singapore. Interferometric SAR (InSAR) measurements are merged to the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 and RCP 8.5 sea-level rise scenarios to identify projected inundated areas and provide a map of flood vulnerability. Subsiding rates larger than 5 mm/year are found near the shore on the low flat land, associated to areas recently reclaimed or built. The projected flooded map of Singapore are provided for different sea-level rise scenarios. In this study, we show that local land subsidence can increase the flood vulnerability caused by sea level rise by 2100 projections. This can represent an increase of 25% in the flood area in the central area of Singapore for the RCP4.5 scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimates of the projected changes in precipitation and temperature have great significance for adaption planning in the context of climate change. To obtain the climate change information at regional or local scale, downscaling approaches are required to downscale the coarse global climate model (GCM) outputs to finer resolutions in both spatial and temporal dimensions. The multi-site, multi-variate downscaling approach has received considerable attention recently due to its advantage in providing distributed, physically coherent downscaled meteorological fields for subsequent impact modeling. In this study, a newly developed multi-site multivariate statistical downscaling approach based on empirical copula was applied to downscale grid-based, monthly precipitation, maximum and minimum temperature outputs from nine global climate models to site-specific, daily data over four weather stations in Singapore. The advantage of this approach lies in its ability to reflect the at-site statistics, inter-site and inter-variable dependencies, and temporal structure in the downscaled data. The downscaling was conducted for two projection periods (i.e., the 2021–2050 and 2071–2100 periods) under two emission scenarios (i.e., representative concentration pathway (RCP)4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios). Based on the downscaling results, projected changes in daily precipitation, maximum and minimum temperatures were examined. The results show that there is no consensus on the projected change in average precipitation over the two future periods. The major uncertainty for precipitation projection comes from the GCMs. For daily maximum and minimum temperatures, all downscaled GCMs project an increase of average temperature in the future. These change signals could be different from those of the original GCM data, both in magnitude and in direction. These findings could assist in adaption planning in Singapore in response to emerging climate risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than half of the world's population now lives in cities as a result of unprecedented urbanization during the second half of the 20th century. The urban population is projected to increase to 68% by 2050, with most of the increase occurring in Asia and Africa. Population growth and increased energy consumption in urban areas lead to high levels of atmospheric pollutants that harm human health, cause regional haze, damage crops, contribute to climate change, and ultimately threaten the society's sustainability. This article reviews the air quality and compares the policies implemented in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) and Singapore and offers insights into the complexity of managing air pollution to protect public health and the environment. While the differences in the governance, economics, and culture of the two cities greatly influence the decision-making process, both have made much progress in reducing concentrations of harmful pollutants by implementing comprehensive integrated air quality management programs. The experience and the lessons learned from the MCMA and Singapore can be valuable for other urban centers, especially in the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region confronting similar air pollution problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]