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TESSA OH Today Online 28 Aug 19; SINGAPORE � Singapore is not alone in assessing measures to mitigate the threat of rising sea levels. During the National Day Rally on Aug 18, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that Singapore is prepared to invest about S$100 billion or more over the next 50 to 100 years to strengthen its coastlines against the threat of rising sea levels. Significant areas of Singapore are 4m above mean sea level or lower, and they will increasingly be at risk of going underwater when sea levels rise, he warned. To combat the looming threat, various climate change measures are being considered by the Government. They include plans to build polders � low-lying reclaimed land protected by embankments � along with reclaiming offshore islands or building dykes. TODAY looks at some of the coastline and river defence measures that have been considered or implemented in other cities across the world that are also seeking to strengthen their flood prevention systems. 1...

Antara 26 Aug 19; "We have concluded that the most ideal location for the new capital city is partly in Penajam Paser Utara District and partly in Kutai Kertanegara District," Jokowi said. Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has named Penajam Paser Utara and Kutai Kertanegara in East Kalimantan Province as the sites of the new capital city. "We have concluded that the most ideal location for the new capital city is partly in Penajam Paser Utara District and partly in Kutai Kertanegara District," Jokowi revealed at a press conference at the State Palace here on Monday, flanked by Vice President Jusuf Kalla. Jokowi reiterated that the government had conducted studies on candidates of the new capital city in Kalimantan Island. He elaborated that East Kalimantan had met the requirements to be the new capital city that entail minimum risk of natural disaster and located at the heart of Indonesia. The site is also close to big cities, such as Balikpapan and...

NAVENE ELANGOVAN Today Online 24 Aug 19; SINGAPORE � A �50- to 100-year problem� was how Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong described the �grave threat� of rising sea levels to Singapore. While a hundred years from now seems far away, Singapore has already started to feel the impact of climate change with hotter weather and heavier rainfall in recent years. Studies have also shown that Singapore could experience more extreme weather patterns as soon as 2050. Indeed, steps are already underway to mitigate the impact of rising sea levels. For example, Singapore has introduced a carbon tax to nudge companies to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. It has also begun building infrastructure such as train stations on elevated ground. More measures are in the pipeline. How much time does Singapore have to make sure that it is sufficiently ready? TODAY takes a closer look. HOW WAS THIS TIMEFRAME DERIVED? The 50- to 100-year timeline is based on the findings of a study by the Centre for Climate ...

Even as Singapore strives to adapt to rising sea levels, let�s not win that battle yet end up losing the larger war against climate change, says the Singapore Management University�s Winston Chow. Winston Chow Channel NewsAsia 25 Aug 19; SINGAPORE: Singapore isn�t alone in confronting the consequences of rising seas. Several other coastal cities and small islands also face this hazard, and lessons can be drawn from how they plan for and adapt to it. Recent research shows three general approaches can be considered when dealing with the threat of sea level rise. First, accommodate the threat, which includes flood-proofing existing buildings and infrastructure, or designating areas that would be allowed to flood during high tide. Second, retreat from the threat, which includes the removal and reallocation of key infrastructure and assets to areas that the sea cannot inundate. Third, protection from the threat, which includes planting and managing mangrove coasts, or engineered options li...

NAVENE ELANGOVAN Today Online 22 Aug 19; SINGAPORE � One was so assured that she would encourage her children to live near Singapore�s eastern coastline even 50 to 100 years from now. Another wondered if construction work being done to deal with rising sea levels would block the views from his flat. In getting a quick gauge of how residents living in the eastern part of Singapore think about the future impact of climate change, TODAY found that for some of them, climate change was too far down the road to be a cause for worry. Others were impressed that the environmental issue was finally getting national attention, but all were generally supportive of the measures to counter the problems related to it. In his National Day Rally speech last Sunday (Aug 18), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had addressed the consequences of climate change, calling it a �life and death� matter. He also warned that the areas along the east coast from Changi to the city, as well as Jurong Island, are �more ...

BENJAMIN HORTON Today Online 21 Aug 19; I watched Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong�s National Day Rally speech on Sunday (Aug 18) night. It was the single most impressive talk about the threat of sea-level rise by a political leader. In particular, Mr Lee balanced talk of urgency with hopeful and creative ideas to inspire positive change. Mr Lee made it clear that climate change is a matter of life and death for Singapore. Having studied the issue for 25 years, I am also very worried about sea-level rise and strongly believe that we must urgently act on it. I am the only scientist in Singapore to be part of the United Nation�s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) working group that produced a report on the physical science of climate change. There is a phrase �if you knew what I knew�. Mr Lee noted that the UN has projected that sea levels will rise by 1m by the end of this century but that scientists� estimates have been going up and sea levels may rise higher and faster th...

The Minister for the Environment and Water Resources also shared more on the citizens� workgroup, saying one problem it will look at is how to increase the recyclability of items in neighbourhood blue bins. Kevin Kwang Channel NewsAsia 21 Aug 19; SINGAPORE: Calamity could befall Singapore if it does not start dealing with the climate change threat to its coastlines today and leaves it until it is too late, warned Minister for Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli on Wednesday (Aug 21). In an interview with CNA938, Mr Masagos reiterated the threat of rising sea levels to Singapore that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had spoken about in his National Day Rally speech on Sunday. Mr Masagos said that scientists have concluded that sea levels will rise by 1m by the end of the century, and when faced together with high tide and heavy rain, will become a �very difficult problem to overcome�. The long-term impact will not just be on the environment, but also on Singapore�s economy a...

Matthew Mohan Channel NewsAsia 19 Aug 19; SINGAPORE: Experts on Monday (Aug 19) welcomed the possibility of implementing engineering solutions such as land reclamation to tackle rising sea levels but stressed the need for more research into the impact of climate change. This follows Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally speech on Sunday (Aug 18), during which he highlighted that Singapore is susceptible to the effects of climate change and vulnerable to rising sea levels. As part of strengthening the Republic's coastal defences, Mr Lee explained that one solution could be a reclamation method known as empoldering. Polders are created by first building a seawall in the water, before pumping out the water behind the seawall to create dry land. This land can be lower than the sea level, but water has to be continually pumped out. Another alternative would be to reclaim a series of islands offshore, from Marina East to Changi, said Mr Lee. In addition, there are also...

Matthew Mohan Channel NewsAsia 18 Aug 19; SINGAPORE: Tackling the �50 to 100-year problem� of rising sea levels could cost Singapore around S$100 billion or more, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday (Aug 18). In his English National Day Rally speech, Mr Lee highlighted that Singapore is susceptible to the effects of climate change and especially vulnerable to rising sea levels. �How much will it cost, to protect ourselves against rising sea levels? My guess is probably S$100 billion over 100 years, quite possibly more,� said Mr Lee. �If we only have 10 years to solve the problem, we won�t have have the time or resources to do it. But because this is a 50 to 100-year problem, we can implement a 50 to 100-year solution.� Climate change defences should be treated with utmost seriousness, just like the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), said Mr Lee. He said there is a need to �work steadily at it, maintain a stable budget year after year, keep your eye on the target and do it over ma...

Matthew Mohan Channel NewsAsia 18 Aug 19; SINGAPORE: Climate change is one of the gravest challenges the human race faces and Singapore is already feeling its impact - which is likely to worsen over the next few decades, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday (Aug 18). �Climate change may seem abstract and distant for many of us, but it is one of the gravest challenges facing humankind,� said Mr Lee in his National Day Rally speech. The Earth�s average temperature has increased by 1 degree Celsius compared to pre-industrial times over 100 years ago, pointed out Mr Lee. This is a result of more carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere due to of human activity. The gas builds up, traps heat from the sun, causing the planet to warm up. �One degree Celsius doesn�t sound like much, but it is very significant,� Mr Lee said. �Furthermore, temperatures are continuing to rise, faster and faster.� Global warming has resulted in the weather becoming more extreme, added Mr Lee, with droug...