Being green & sustainable means living in dense, well-planned cities

Channel NewsAsia 22 Jun 12;

SINGAPORE: Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said being green and sustainable in the future is about living in dense, well-planned, well-implemented cities.

Dr Vivian added that these cities are where political, economic and social goods can be distributed fairly and cost-effectively.

Dr Vivian noted that this insight by the UN Habitat was remarkably apt for Singapore.

Dr Vivian, who is attending the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio De Janeiro, made this point at a Global Town Hall discussion. The session discussed the future sustainability of urban environments.

Dr Vivian cited Singapore's experience in converting strategic constraints like water shortage into a strategic opportunity. Singapore companies now go all over the world to sell our technologies and implement systems for water recycling and desalination.

On another point, the United Nations has estimated that by 2050, 80 per cent of the world's population will be urbanised. Dr Vivian noted that the balance of power will lie in the cities and said that there are great opportunities there.

Dr Vivian cited several critical ingredients for this to happen.

Firstly, honest competent governments. The political system, he stressed, has to work, have legitimacy and have support from people.

Second, a long-term perspective is needed as almost every worthwhile project cannot be completed in one electoral term.

Dr Vivian said there needs to be a political system and politicians that are able to look beyond one cycle, up to 50 years down the road. Without that perspective, vision cannot be translated into reality.

The third ingredient is money. Dr Vivian said if plans are well made, there are ways to raise funds from the private sector to invest in projects that make commercial sense rather than having them funded entirely out of government taxation.

Lastly, focussing on the politics of opportunity rather the politics of envy. Dr Vivian noted that any successful city will create a certain amount of inequality. He said the real issues are access to fairness and justice, equality in the eyes of the law, access to clean air and safe water, access to education and jobs, and social mobility.

Sharing Singapore's experience, Dr Vivian said there is no subsidy for consumption. Everyone pays the full price but the less well-off receive targeted assistance. Fossil fuels and water are not subsidised.

The exception is subsidising the ownership of assets. He explained that everyone would have a chance to buy a flat because that is an asset.

- CNA/ck

S'pore has to remain at forefront of sustainable development: Dr Balakrishnan
Channel NewsAsia 23 Jun 12;

SINGAPORE: Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said Singapore has to ensure that it remains at the forefront of new developments in sustainable development.

He said it must also position itself to pursue new opportunities that will arise in the Green Economy of the future.

Dr Balakrishnan made these points at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) Summit, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 22 June.

He said the summit has succeeded in setting out a clear agenda for action to ensure that the world pursues the path of sustainable development.

He said countries need to build on what has been achieved at Rio+20 and continue working closely together.

Dr Balakrishnan said the United Nations (UN) and its bodies need to take on the mandate given to them to set clear and visionary directions to guide countries towards sustainable development.

On their part, countries should take the opportunity to re-look their national policies and capabilities to take stock of how they can work closely with the UN.

Dr Balakrishnan said they also need to share best practices and experiences in sustainable development.

He said he's happy that the summit generated consensus on the road ahead for sustainable development.

He said although there was broad agreement on the overall direction, much work lies ahead.

These include fleshing out the details of the Sustainable Development Goals to strengthen global governance of the environment, as well as implementing the Green Economy.

- CNA/ck

Dense cities can be green, says minister
Vivian Balakrishnan tells Rio summit that the key is to build upwards and leave space for trees
Robin Chan Straits Times 24 Jun 12;

Singapore has shown that dense cities can be green - and ironically, it has achieved this by building upwards, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan.

In aiming to preserve land for greenery and create a 'city in a garden', the Republic made long-term plans to be high-rise, urbanised and compact.

'Although five million people live within an island 30km across, 47 per cent of our land is covered by trees,' he told delegates at the Rio+20 summit that has just ended in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. 'We have to go high-rise in order to preserve land and trees.'

He was making the point that cities can be environmentally-friendly, and they even have an advantage in providing water and other services, and in keeping pollution down.

'The paradox of a city is that dense, compact, connected, integrated cities are in fact the most sustainable and green way of life in the future.'

It was a point he made at two side events at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, which ended on Friday. Dr Balakrishnan, who was representing Singapore at the forum, was a panellist at the UN Habitat's forum on future cities and urban policies, and also attended a town-hall discussion on the sustainability of urban environments.

The 10-day forum was billed as the biggest UN summit on sustainable development in a decade, and concluded with representatives from more than 190 nations inking a declaration to eradicate poverty and ensure a sustainable future. The summit came 20 years after the Rio Earth Summit, which saw leaders pledge that the world should live within its environmental means.

At both events, Dr Balakrishnan noted that Singapore's constraints also offered opportunities. Its small size, for instance, not only made it easier and cheaper to provide services such as piped water and education, but also encouraged it to be greener.

'Pollution is not an option,' he said. 'We cannot afford to pollute our own backyard, because my backyard is your front yard. Therefore the easy option of pushing things which are pollutive, toxic or damaging to a corner, where no one would know about it for many years, is not available.'

He also spoke about how the lack of resources had prompted Singapore to find innovations in water purification and recycling. But he also shared the challenges of running a city-state, noting that it had to address social issues such as racial integration and inequality in wealth and opportunities.

'There are quite a lot of things going on in cities, but at the core it is about getting politics right, making long-term plans and innovative urban design,' he said.

But he also stressed that Singapore had its unique circumstances, and different countries had to find their own way.

In a statement made at the end of the summit on Friday, Dr Balakrishnan also made this point - that there is no 'one-size-fits-all approach' in the global push for environmental protection and sustainable development. At the same time, he stressed his support for the goals laid down at Rio+20.

'To support the global sustainable development agenda, all our national strategies must be coordinated and supported by a forward-thinking and effective global governance regime.'