Turn Singapore into eco-city without sacrificing economic growth: PM

High-quality living the aim
Five ministers to find best way to turn S'pore into eco-city without sacrificing economic growth: PM

Christie Loh, Today Online 25 jan 08;

How can highly-urbanised Singapore adopt 'green' ways of living that won't be burdensome or eat into its economic growth?

That's a question five ministers will be brainstorming on, to form a national strategy that will turn Singapore into an eco-city state without sacrificing economic growth, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

Reflecting the importance of the endeavour, the Committee on Sustainable Development will be an inter-ministerial one. The joint chairmen are National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan and Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources. The other three members are Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Transport Minister Raymond Lim and Minister of State for Trade and Industry S Iswaran.

This is in addition to another inter-ministerial committee on tackling climate change, formed last November and led by Law Minister S Jayakumar.

The Committee on Sustainable Development will meet next month to discuss plans for a national framework for high-quality living and to promote Singapore as a "hub for urban and environmental sustainability", according to a Government statement.

The team will solicit ideas and feedback from industry experts at home and abroad, as well as from the public.

"Then, we will be in a good position not only to look after ourselves but, in fact, to share our capabilities with others. This is a business opportunity," Mr Lee said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, where the hot topic is the state of the United States economy.

Mr Lee is accompanied by other Cabinet ministers and his wife, Madam Ho Ching, who is the chief executive of investment firm Temasek Holdings.

Mr Lee met former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Google chairman Eric Schmidt.

He is also scheduled to meet UBS chairman Marcel Ospel, who was recently under fire for massive sub-prime mortgage losses that led the bank to sell an 11-billion-Swiss-franc ($14.5-billion) stake to the Government of Singapore Investment Corp.

Today, Mr Lee will speak at a closed-door high-level session on the role of the Association of South-east Asian Nations in a changing East Asia, before leaving for Singapore tomorrow.

High-powered 'green growth' panel to be set up
To be headed by ministers, it will work across govt agencies, says PM
Warren Fernandez, Straits Times 25 Jan 08;

IN DAVOS (SWITZERLAND) - A NEW inter-ministry committee on sustainable development is being set up to take a comprehensive approach to keeping Singapore's economy growing in an environmentally sound way.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the setting up of the committee yesterday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meetings in Davos, where climate change has been a key issue of debate.

The new committee will be jointly chaired by National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan and Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim.

Others on the panel include Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Transport Raymond Lim, and Minister of State for Trade & Industry S. Iswaran.

Declaring that this will be a national, multi-agency effort, Mr Lee said that the committee would work across government agencies so that planning and development of buildings and towns, transport systems and energy supply networks can be done in a way that is not only economically efficient, but also environmentally sustainable.

The idea was to 'build into our whole development strategy this awareness of the environment, of energy conservation and efficiency'.

'So that your buildings use less energy for air-conditioning, your public transport is made convenient and people use public transport, instead of driving which takes a lot more energy.

'Where you have your whole power supply system, the power grid is developed so that we use sources which are cleaner, rather than sources which pollute the environment.

'Businesses too can benefit from having economical, efficient and environmentally friendly energy and services,' he said.

If Singapore could do this well, it would develop another valuable area of expertise which it could share with the world, offering consultancy services, he added.

'We have already gone far, compared with other cities, our environmental record is good. But we can do more,' he said, noting that the effort would prepare Singapore for the future, when energy is likely to remain costly and climate change will continue to be on the global agenda.

The new committee will give Singapore's push to become an environmental hub a further boost. It has already landed a big investment by the Norwegian Renewable Energy Corporation to build the world's largest solar panel plant, and is seeking to draw more such investments.

A separate committee on climate change, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar, is also focusing on international issues related to the debate on how best to tackle global warming.

In a joint statement issued by the Ministry of National Development and Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources last night, the two ministers leading the new committee said their objectives were to spell out a clear national framework and strategy to achieve a sustainable and high quality living environment that is consistent with economic growth.

More details on the committee, which is now drawing up its agenda and plans, will be disclosed during the Budget debate next month, said Mr Lee.

The Prime Minister is also scheduled to speak today at an informal leaders meeting on climate change taking place here, which will also include United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, and former US vice-president Al Gore.


Sustainable development a priority for Singapore: PM Lee
A top-level panel of ministers has been formed to chart the way forward, he says
Anna Teo, Business Times 25 Jan 08;

PURSUE economic growth, but with an eye on the Earth.

Going forward, sustainable development will be a priority for Singapore - and a top-level panel of ministers has been formed to chart the way forward.

On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, where he will today take part in a key session on climate change, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told Singapore reporters that an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development will be looking into drawing up a holistic sustainable development strategy for Singapore.

The need to be environmentally friendly is patently clear, 'but at the same time, we don't want to have to sacrifice economic growth', he said. Hence the premise and promise of sustainable development - to 'grow in an environmentally friendly way, where you build into your whole development strategy an awareness of the environment, of conservation, of efficiency, so that your buildings use less energy for air conditioning, your public transport is convenient and people use public transport instead of driving cars'.

While there are no plans to levy any carbon tax, Mr Lee would not rule it out entirely, but emphasised the need to be mindful about cost and competitiveness, particularly in imposing any regulatory requirements that effectively add to business costs.

The committee is co-chaired by Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan and Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim. Other members include Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Transport Minister Raymond Lim and Minister of State for Trade & Industry S Iswaran.

A joint statement by MND and MEWR says the committee will, for a start, 'articulate a clear national framework and strategy to achieve a sustainable and high-quality living environment that is consistent with economic growth'.

It will also seek to build new competencies and encourage mind-share across the public, private and people sectors to develop Singapore as an 'Eco-Hub' - 'an innovative thought-centre and hub for urban and environmental sustainability'.

Noting that Singapore is already a model of urban planning, Mr Lee said that if Singapore's efforts on sustainable development are successful, it will spell one more area of expertise that it can share with other countries.

Mr Lee arrived in Davos on Wednesday afternoon from Paris, where he had been on a three-day official visit. In Davos yesterday, he had a busy day of meetings with various people, including US Deputy Secretary of Treasury Robert Kimmitt; former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Harvard professor Larry Summers, as well as UBS chairman Marcel Ospel and Google chairman Eric Schmidt.