SINGAPORE – Protecting Singapore from climate impacts will be a major focus for the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) in 2026, with a
suite of new initiatives
to address threats ranging from unbearable heat to rising seas.
These initiatives include girding coastlines
against rising sea levels
and strengthening Singapore’s food security, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said on March 3.
More funds will also be invested in research that will deepen the understanding of how heat affects people and facilitate the development of novel cooling solutions, she added.
Efforts to improve people’s resilience to heat will also be coordinated across the Government, she added during the debate on her ministry’s budget. The total expenditure of MSE for the financial year (FY) 2026 is projected to be $3.69 billion, down from the $4.21 billion in FY2025.
Ms Fu said MSE will be designating 2026 as the Year of Climate Adaptation, and outlined the various initiatives that will be implemented on this front.
“It involves a comprehensive review of our adaptation measures across key domains such as heat resilience, coastal and flood resilience, and water and food resilience,” she said.
These measures will be formalised in Singapore’s inaugural national adaptation plan – a report that the country aims to publish in 2027. Countries party to the Paris Agreement are obliged to submit these plans to the UN.
This renewed focus on climate adaptation comes as global climate action – or efforts to reduce planet-warming greenhouse gases – is under strain, she said. “Economic instability and geopolitical contestation, like the latest conflict in the Middle East, are clouding our focus on protecting our environment,” she added.
Major carbon emitters may backslide on their climate obligations as they grapple with the global tensions on security, energy, trade and investments, she said.
“In an increasingly volatile world, we must prioritise building a climate-ready Singapore now. We must prepare our infrastructure, businesses and people today to be resilient in a climate-impaired future,” added Ms Fu.
On addressing heat stress, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Janil Puthucheary said MSE has set up a new office to spearhead the Republic’s efforts in this area.
The Heat Resilience Policy Office will oversee heat management efforts across the country by coordinating action, overseeing research and representing Singapore internationally, he added.
The office will develop a heat resilience action plan across the infrastructure, health, economic and social sectors, and also extend proven cooling solutions to other sectors, said Dr Janil. This coordination will also prevent duplicative efforts.
He explained: “Some issues that we will need to deal with include which areas, sectors or population segments are most at risk, and how can we further support these groups?
