Clean Technology and Sustainable Urban Solutions in Singapore

The galloping process of industrialization, urbanization and globalization has brought mounting environmental challenges including climate change, water pollution, acid rain, hazardous waste, smog, ozone depletion, loss of biodiversity and desertification that threaten sustainable development of our human society. Environmental considerations are assuming greater importance in the industrial and urban planning processes of an increasing number of governments around the world. While for the most part urban sustainability remained at the margins of mainstream agendas of growth and economic development espoused by global cities, international donor and policy agencies, corporations and major cities, by the 2000s, visions of low-carbon cities, resilient cities, sustainable cities and eco-cities could be found across the full range of social and economic interests concerned with urban development. In this context of developing clean technology and finding sustainable urban solutions, Singapore has been an outstanding example on the global horizon that has achieved a lot in reducing carbon footprints, optimizing resource consumption and improving energy, and resource efficiency. The UN Habitat’s report State of the Worlds’ Cities 2012/2013 scored the city-state highly in areas of pollution control, transport management and water treatment. Besides well-designed city planning, clean technology is the key to the sustainability of urban development…