10 things to know about the Singapore Green Plan 2030

The Government launched the Singapore Green Plan 2030, which seeks to advance the nation’s development of sustainable development, on Wednesday (Feb 10).

The detailed plan will strengthen Singapore’s economic, climate and resource resilience.

Here are 10 things you should know about this new initiative.

Spearheaded by five ministries as well as the whole government, the plan features five key pillars: City in Nature, Sustainable Living, Energy Reset, Green Economy and Resilient Future.

All five pillars will improve various aspects of Singaporeans’ lives, including their living environments and business opportunities. The plan aims to make Singapore a greener and more liveable home for all Singaporeans.

Under the ‘City in Nature’ key pillar, more green spaces will be added to Singapore. 

There are plans to add 1000ha of green spaces in Singapore. Among which, 200ha will be used for new nature parks.

Nature parks will provide recreational options such as hiking and birdwatching, which can prevent the urbanisation of nature reserves. By 2030, each household will be a 10-minute walk away from a park.

Between 2020 and 2030, the government also aims to double its annual tree planting rate, planning to plant one million more trees around Singapore.

The government plans to encourage water conservation and reduce household water consumption to 130 litres per capita per day. It will do so with shower fitting replacements and a mandatory water efficacy labelling system.

It also plans to reduce the amount of waste to landfill per capita per day by 30 per cent by introducing a national strategy that will address e-waste, packaging waste and food waste.

To encourage Singaporeans to use public transport more, the rail network will be expanded to 360km, with new stations or lines opening almost every year for the next 10 years.

Singaporeans will also be encouraged to walk and cycle more. Cycling paths will triple to a total of 1,320km and roads will be repurposed for active mobility users where possible.

By 2030, the government plans to reduce the energy consumption in existing HDB towns by 15 per cent, with the help of the 10-year HDB Green Towns Programme.

Some new changes to expect include smart LED lighting, doubled total solar capacity on HDB rooftops and recycling of rainwater under the Urban Water Harvesting System.

By 2030, all registered new cars have to be of cleaner-energy models. 

Electric vehicles are also encouraged; the government will revise the vehicle tax structure to make it easier to buy and own electric vehicles.

In terms of a greener economy, our industries’ production processes and energy usage will be “greened”. For example, Jurong Island is to be transformed into a sustainable energy and chemicals park. 

To support a sustainable Singapore and help facilitate Asia’s transition to a sustainable future, Singapore will also be developed as a leading regional centre for green finance and services.

There are also plans to develop Singapore into a sustainable tourism destination.

With rising sea levels, there will be research and development to better understand sea level rise projections, as well as technology and funding to help manage inland and coastal flood risks.

By 2030, there will be engineering design and implementation plans for coastal adaptation measures around Singapore.

To better understand the effects of “urban heat island” on Singapore, sensors will be deployed around the nation. The targets for 2030 will then be determined from the studies.

On top of that, the government is testing out the effectiveness of “Cool Paint” in reducing ambivalent temperatures.

Singapore plans to produce 30 per cent of its nutritional needs by 2030. To do so, it will provide more space and infrastructure for agriculture and aquaculture and enhance its funding support for the agri-food industry.

It will also conduct research under the Singapore Food Story R&D Programme to promote research innovation.