Singapore

 
Singapore’s sustainable development process
At the Ecosperity 2017 conference, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Mr Teo Chee Hean shared how Singapore has balanced economic, social, and environmental priorities to achieve sustainable development.

Since the 1970s, economic development has helped to lift billions of people out of poverty. Social indices of human development such as healthcare and education have improved significantly. But this progress is not even, and important challenges remain. Social inequality, education and work opportunities for women, and youth unemployment are still areas of concern for many countries. Rising populism and protectionism in several advanced economies, technological disruptions, and new transnational security and pandemic threats add more complexity and uncertainty to health, safety, and development.
Singapore’s environment is also under stress. Since 1972, the world population has grown from 3.8 billion to 7.3 billion in 2015, and is expected to grow to 9.7 billion by 2050. More than 54 per cent of the global population already lives in urban areas. Access to clean air, clean water, power, and sanitation are challenges in many countries. Low-lying coastal communities such as Singapore are also more vulnerable to rising sea levels due to climate change. Individuals, companies, countries, and the global community will need to work together to develop solutions for sustainable development. As a small, densely populated island nation with no natural resources, Singapore’s own sustainable development experience has focused on four key areas: Building a sustainable economy; creating a sustainable living environment; ensuring sustainable development for our people; and contributing to international collaboration.
Economic growth generates the resources to invest in education, research and development, security, infrastructure, and public services. With no natural resources, Singapore has had to be resourceful to make a living for ourselves. This has entailed finding ways to create and add value, producing goods and services that are in demand by others, and making careful use of resources.
This has required integrated and long-term planning to optimize resources such as budget, land, manpower, energy, and more recently, carbon emissions, to ensure sustainable growth.

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