Sustainable Development in Singapore: The Missing Piece

By: Suffyan Othman

The Beginnings of Sustainable Development In October 1987, the Brundtland Commission, or formally known as the World Commission on Environment and Development, under the auspices of the United Nations, came up with the report Our Common Future. In the late 1970s leading up to the report, developed countries were becoming more aware of the effects of industrialization on the environment and the increased worsening of the environment and natural resources. And for the developing countries, approaches with high environmental impact and unethical labour practices were utilized in their push to industrialize. The United Nations saw a growing need for an organization to address these environmental challenges which were intertwined with economic and social conditions as well. The Commission aims to create a united international community with shared sustainability goals by identifying sustainability problems worldwide, raising awareness about them, and suggesting the implementation of solutions, to rally countries and pursue sustainable development together. Following the report, the Brundtland Commission was dissolved and the organization, Centre for Our Common Future started in 1988, to continue on this goal towards sustainable development. Defining Sustainable Development The report, Our Common Future, brought about a paradigm shift in thinking on development as well as positing the very idea of sustainable development. Sustainable development, as defined by the report is one that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.i The definition is flexible and allows for a multitude of interpretations and for various programs for the environment or development to be placed under the banner of sustainable development. It also brought forward the idea of intergenerational equity where it is very clearly stated that future generations must be given equitable amount of resources and this must be protected by the present generation. However, the definition also posited two additional concepts, that of needs and the idea of limitations. The concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the worlds poor, to which overriding priority should be givenii is an important focus as for development to be sustainable, the concept of social equity is integral. This is also because where the poor are left behind in development further social and environmental costs are incurred. Therefore it is more important to fulfil the needs of those who are poor as opposed to the wants of those who are well to do. The idea of limitations is that sustainable development is limited by the state of technology and social organization on the environments ability to meet present and future needs.iii While it is limited by both factors, the changes and advances in technology and social organizations allow for greater utilization of resources wherein new discoveries will decrease the limitations and there will be greater redistribution of resources for those who need them more. Furthermore, sustainable development also requires meeting the basic needs of all and extending to all the opportunity to satisfy their aspirations for a better life.iv This aspect of the definition is frequently missed and it is from here, organizations such as the World Bank and the United Nations

came up with three mutually dependent pillars, which are social, economic and environmental needs in reference to development. By focusing too much on a particular aspect of development, it will negatively affect the other pillars and it will be difficult to find the right balance for sustainable development. The concept of sustainable development is preserved in the idea of intergenerational equity and the importance of the present to care for the future of the world and these three pillars allows for a more complete understanding of sustainable development and how the competing short-term needs have to be balanced with the long-term needs. Earth Summit 1992 to Earth Summit 2012 The report was further expanded on with the Earth Summit in 1992, which was a United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. From this summit, conventions, framework conventions and action plans on sustainable development were agreed upon by world leaders. The core principle of the summit is being utilized until today is common but differentiated responsibilities. What this means is that while all countries should strive to protect the worlds resources, those with the most money and who have done the most damage should play a greater part.v Another important principle that came out of the summit is that economic and environmental issues should not be treated in isolationvi. This further reinforces the interdependent effects of the various aspects of development. In light of all the economic turmoil and uncertainty that the world is facing with various new challenges and the exacerbation of issues that were supposed to be addressed 25 years ago, has sustainable development merely become a political tool to gain support and funding without any real results? The issues need to be understood in a systemic perspective and not as individual problems and the needed systemic changes will require a revolution in the way the world does business.vii 25 years after the release of the Brundtland Report, the key message of the report and the importance of sustainable development should continue to be at the forefront of governments, corporations and people all over the world and new ways must be used to address this. The recent financial crisis and the beginning of the decline of trust in the liberalization and globalization model could mean some renewed receptivity for a new sustainable development paradigm. A new model could chart a development path that truly is concerned with equity, poverty alleviation, reducing resource use, and integrating economic, environmental, and social issues in decision making. The opportunity is ripe to move beyond incrementalism to real systemic change.viii Sustainable Development in Singapore In Singapore, sustainable development is about growing Singapore in way that is efficient, clean and green. Efficiency is seen as the ability to develop with less resources and waste, clean is seen as development without polluting our environment and green development as preservation of greenery, waterways and Singapores natural heritage. According Sustainable Singapore, a government website on sustainable development and Singapores sustainable blueprint, the focus of sustainable development is to ensure that Singapore can enjoy both economic growth and a good living environment for ourselves, and for future generations.ix This is to be achieved through the Singapore Wayx which is based on long-term integrated planning, to be done in a pragmatic and cost-effective manner and has flexibility.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee on sustainable development also came up with a blueprint of four main strategies and initiatives to ensure that Singapore continues to be a lively and liveable citystate. They are boosting resource efficiency, enhancing the urban environment, building capabilities and fostering community action.xi Looking beyond the strategies that have been developed and the proposals and initiatives taken by the state on sustainable development, it will be imperative to look into the actual steps taken by the state and government linked initiatives that look into sustainable development than merely ideas and statements of intent. There are three recent cases that can be looked into, solar energy development in Singapore, the Tianjin Eco-city and JTC eco-business Park. For a city-state that is located 1 degree north of the equator, with many high-rise buildings, the large-scale use of solar panels would be an intuitive way to minimise the use of fossil fuels and to utilize renewable energy just like giant wind turbines on the Scottish highlands or geothermal energy in Iceland. While Singapore does not utilize this form of renewable energy and maintains its dependence on fossil fuels, there are signs that a move towards solar energy is happening. For example, Housing & Development Board has started a large scale test bed for solar instillations in Punggolxii to test for the economic viability of utilizing solar energy, spending $3.28m, which is 30% of the initial cost with the remaining costs recovered by the use of solar power generated and consumed over the years. Furthermore, both National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have research centres that are focused on solar energy. Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) in NUS is focused on applied solar energy research while the Centre for Nanostructured Photosystems in NTU is focused on new technologies to be researched into for solar energy. This shows a strong commitment towards solar technology advancement. The state also encourages foreign investment in this field and the Renewable Energy Corporation (REC), an international corporation that owns one the biggest market share in the solar energy sector, has recently opened their largest integrated solar production facility. This allows greater access to solar panels that are being locally produced; saving costs for the state should they choose to move towards using renewal energy as there is no need to pay for transport costs. The next project is the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city, a government to government project between Singapore and Chinas government. The aim of the project is to create a practical, scalable and replicable model for sustainable development for other cities in China and the rest of the world.xiii With an estimated cost of $9.7bxiv to $27.8bxv for its development, to be split fairly between the two governments, it is hoped that a thriving city which is socially harmonious, environmentally-friendly and resource-efficient a model for sustainable developmentxvi can be achieved. The citys development is based on three main ideas, social harmony, economic vibrancy and environmental sustainability that are similar to the three mutually dependent pillars as discussed earlier. The city the also aims to be practicable, replicable and scalable to not only China but to other countries as well. However, the benefits of Singapores government supporting and funding half of this project is not as well defined except for being a large scale test bed for sustainable technologies and to increase business opportunities for Singapore based or government linked corporations in the city and possibly in China. It does not seem to bring any discernable effects to the majority of Singaporeans despite its high costs.

For the development of JTC eco-Business Park, the focus is to ensure that Singapore can be part of the clean technology industry and one of the main initiatives of the Singapore Sustainable Blueprintxvii that was discussed earlier. The clean technology industry is a growing one and there many advantages and opportunities to be had in this industry. Cleantech Park is aimed at positioning Singapore as a global test-bed and the preferred site for early adoption of clean technology products and urban solutions in the tropics.xviii Therefore, it is an excellent opportunity for economic growth for Singapore as jobs both in the research and manufacturing sectors can be created due to the burgeoning global demand for clean technologies. The companies and corporations that use the buildings in the eco-business park will also benefit through a variety of ways. They can enjoy the savings from the efficient building features like solar energy and natural cooling. It is also hoped that due to its close proximity to NTU, there will be a strong environment for collaboration between the businesses and the academics. Resources and facilities can also be shared similar to Silicon Valley in the United States of America to benefit the companies and keep costs low. Conclusion Sustainable development is not merely an idea but a philosophy that societies can be structured around, where the responsibility lies in everyone for both present and future concerns. The opportunity to embrace sustainable development exists now, a window where actual systemic changes can take place where equity, conservation, preservation and social justice are not just words or even ideals but actual goals that we are realistically striving for. In Singapore, some of the major components are in place to ensure sustainable development continues to take place as seen from the examples above. For the Malay/Muslim community, they must be aware that the state is embracing the growth area in clean technologies and renewable energy, investing substantially in these industries. Opportunities for employment and businesses will be more readily available and that more young people should be encouraged to specialize in these industries. This can be seen in the earlier examples of the eco-Business Park and a multinational corporation such as REC building their plant in Singapore. However, for Singapore, sustainable development is seen merely as an industry to invest in and to value-add to its economy. It does not embrace the idea of sustainable development as a continuing end in itself but as a means to achieving economic growth upon examination of Singapores sustainable blueprint which is a result of an Inter-Ministerial Committee and the steps taken in its pursuit of sustainable development. This is most visibly seen in the example spending less than $4m in solar panels in Singapore while spending at least $4b in China on the Tianjin Eco-city. Therefore, it is understandable that social needs, one of the three pillars of sustainable development which includes equity, participation, empowerment, social mobility amongst others, is not included in the states idea of sustainable development, both in strategies and actions. However, to ignore this aspect of sustainable development will have its own costs. While environmental costs are similarly difficult to quantify, it can be utilized to generate revenue such as taxation for carbon footprints or fines for not following green guidelines that were set by the various state agencies or for new environmentally technologies to be adopted which will generate revenue.

To do so for social needs is possible as well if the state was more willing to have greater progressive taxation and social transfers as a result of these taxes and abolishing Goods and Services Tax which is regressive as it taxes necessities such as food and medication the same as luxury items and to look into Value Added Tax as a form of consumption tax. This will allow for a greater redistributive effect of taxation, just like what has been done for environmental needs and a start towards greater equity in the present times. The costs of ignoring social needs now will have continued the trend towards a greater income disparity and the creation of a permanent underclass. The intergenerational effects will multiply this problem and if this issue is not addressed now, the future generations will have to suffer the consequences of our inaction. That is the thrust of sustainable development and that is why we must work together to safeguard our common future.
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World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), Our Common Future (New York: Oxford University Press, 1987), p. 8 ii Ibid., p. 33 iii Ibid. iv Ibid. v George Monbiot. Rio 2012: its a make-or-break summit. Just like they told us at Rio 1992. The Guardian. 18 Jun 2012. Web. 9 Jul 2012. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/18/rio-2012-earth-summitprotect-elites vi Ibid. vii John Drexhage and Deborah Murphy. Sustainable Development: From Brundtland to Rio 2012. (New York: United Nations Headquarters, 2010), p. 3 Web. 9 Jul 2012. http://www.un.org/wcm/webdav/site/climatechange/shared/gsp/docs/GSP16_Background%20on%20Sustainable%20Devt.pdf viii Ibid. ix Sustainable Singapore: A Lively and Liveable City. Web. 9 Jul 2012 http://app.mewr.gov.sg/web/contents/ContentsSSS.aspx?ContId=1034 x Singapore, Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development. A Lively and Liveable Singapore: Strategies for Sustainable Growth. (Report: Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and Ministry of National Development, Singapore, 2009) p. 12 xi Ibid., p. 13 xii Housing & Development Board. (2011) First Solar Leasing Project in Singapore [Press Release] Retrieved from http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10296p.nsf/PressReleases/6B313D60012ADD5D4825790C002DC8A1?OpenDoc ument xiii Keppel Corporation, Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City. Web. 9 Jul 2012 http://www.kepcorp.com/en/content.aspx?sid=97 xiv Chua Chin Hon. $9.7b price tag for landmark Tianjin Eco-city. Asianone, 9 May 2008 Web. 10 Jul 2012 http://www.asiaone.com/Business/My%2BMoney/Property/Story/A1Story20080507-63921.html xv Mott Macdonald. Tianjin Eco-city, China. Web. 10 Jul 2012 http://www.mottmac.com/projects/?id=88116 xvi Tianjin Eco-city: Model for Sustainable Development. Web. 9 Jul 2012 http://www.tianjinecocity.gov.sg/index.htm xvii Joyce Teo. Making Spore a Cleantech Leader The Straits Times, 12 Jul 2012: B11 xviii Ibid.