How Singapore Became the World’s Greenest City

[@urbanfutures]

Check out next video "Why New York Needs to Learn from Singapore’s Flawless Design": kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZTSgamoh9NsldU

[@kopeesoosoo8740]

Singapore govt mmg bijak dalam manage negara mereka 👍👍👍 ♥️🇵🇸

[@urbanfutures]

Pasti Akal dan logik adalah yang terpenting bagi mereka 👏

[@Probinsyano22]

Singapore is the 1st amazing place I’ve been visit

[@urbanfutures]

Really amazing

[@Rico-tu4xb]

Harap seluruh Malaysia ikut perancangan seperti Singapore . Hijaukan bandar2 besar 🌳🌲

[@urbanfutures]

Ya, saya bersetuju dengan anda dalam setiap segi, Rico, jika Malaysia boleh melakukan ini, ia akan menjadi salah satu negara yang paling sesuai untuk didiami di dunia dalam semua aspek. Di samping itu, bukan sahaja Malaysia, tetapi semua negara lain harus melakukan ini 👍👍

[@Zior888]

Jalanraya Malaysia harus diratakan dahulu. Tapi yg penting, tegas dalam hukum undang2 trafik. Kenakan hukuman yg berat buat pemandu yg tidak bertimbangrasa. Ada segelintir rakyat singapura bawak kereta mcm gila di malaysia, tetapi diorang ini tetap dikenali di seluruh dunia sebagai pemandu yg bertamadun. Singapura juga dinobatkan sebagai mempunyai jalanraya yg terbaik dalam dunia dan undang2 trafik paling tegas dgn mengenakan saman. Harap DSAI boleh jadikan malaysia tersenarai antara jalanraya yg terbaik dgn menegaskan undang2 baru buat pengguna jalanraya

[@urbanfutures]

@@Zior888 Saya setuju dengan awak. Jalan raya Malaysia perlu diperbaiki dan diselenggara demi keselamatan dan keselesaan semua pengguna jalan raya. Undang-undang jalan raya juga mesti dikuatkuasakan dengan tegas untuk menghalang pemandu yang melulu dan tidak bertanggungjawab yang meletakkan diri mereka dan orang lain dalam bahaya. Singapura ialah contoh yang baik tentang bagaimana sesebuah negara boleh mencapai standard kualiti dan disiplin jalan raya yang tinggi dengan melaksanakan dasar dan peraturan yang berkesan. Saya harap DSAI dapat mengemudi Malaysia ke arah yang sama dan meletakkan cara anda antara yang terbaik di dunia.

[@Zior888]

@@urbanfutures benar, untuk keselamatan semua pengguna jalanraya. Mudah mudahan lah walaupun slow, harap ada progress sikit dari kerajaan demi kemajuan negara

[@urbanfutures]

@@Zior888 🙏

[@thozhukkatsubramanian6666]

It is a beautiful city with city in garden.

[@urbanfutures]

Yes, we agree with this as a team.

[@leonkituyi3935]

Singapore is very green and beautiful but its my dream country

[@mengsiongkheng113]

Think your location of Singapore at 1:30 is incorrect.

[@urbanfutures]

Hey Meng, that's not what we want to talk about. We have often discussed this topic in other comments. Please see the video again :))

[@jeanhouli5073]

Hi, good video, the country map you showed is from Indonesia, just to correct what is shown

[@urbanfutures]

Thank you Jean for your suggestions and well wishes :))

[@taipangwong356]

Singapore is the best in everything. BESTEST.

[@urbanfutures]

[@matthewtrearty2082]

The speech pattern is really grating. Otherwise a very interesting video

[@urbanfutures]

We may be making too many changes while making sound adjustments. We will take care of it. Maybe we can ask other people in our team to voice it. Your feedback is very valuable to us. Thank you so much 🙃

[@sktoh4469]

​@@urbanfutures The voice is fine.

[@huaiwei]

@@sktoh4469 I muted it within 5 seconds and just read the sub titles. It is that annoying.

[@urbanfutures]

@@huaiwei haha, there are those who say good and those who say bad, but Kevin will be very sad when he hears this

[@urbanfutures]

@@sktoh4469thats good :)

[@raycrou8837]

The American voice over is horrendous. Try British or even Australian. The map was Indonesia. Singapore is an island off the Malay peninsula across Johor strait. Not anywhere shown in the map here.

[@urbanfutures]

hey RayWe will consider your recommendations. The reason why the map is like this: Singapore used to be connected there. Then there is the history of it🙂

[@huaiwei]

@@urbanfutures Singaporean geography teacher here. I wonder what you mean by "Singapore used to be connected there". That is not making any geographical, historical or factual sense. If it is wrong, it is wrong. Period.

[@urbanfutures]

@@huaiwei Hi Teo, this is what I'm talking about: "Singapore was occupied by Japan during World War II and then became a self-governing state within the British Commonwealth in 1959. It joined the Federation of Malaya to form Malaysia in 1963, but separated two years later due to political and racial conflicts. Singapore became an independent republic on 9 August 19652."

[@foreveryoungatheart1015]

I'd rather listen to an American accent than listen to a rough,hard to understand Singlish accent.

[@mecora]

From a Singaporean, please correct the map since you are showing the wrong country. You are showing Indonesia and Singapore was never part of Indonesia.

[@bdr404]

1:38 you put Indonesia map as Singapore hahahhahha

[@urbanfutures]

Haha, it must have been overlooked. And isn't it important information anyway?😁 Thanks for your feedback

[@urbanfutures]

We wanted to show you an old map that is not wrong since Singapore was expelled from the old Malaysia :)

[@SKYWalkersSG]

@@urbanfutures Malaysia is not Indonesia.

[@urbanfutures]

@@SKYWalkersSG Of course we know this. This is not what we mean..

[@nickng3864]

So what u mean???

[@whatajoke8497]

That's not Singapore. It's Sulawesi, part of Indonesia. Singapore is more to the west near Sumatra. We're at the southern tip of West Malaysia.

[@urbanfutures]

Yes, we explained that in other comments. The most important questions for us are the questions at the end of the video. What do you think about them?

[@whatajoke8497]

​@@urbanfutures Well, we try to inculcate conservation efforts in our younger generation starting from kindergarteners. In schools, they were taught to conserve water and energy, to reduce pollution by disposing of waste properly etc, take care of our surrounding areas. It sort of becomes a habit when they grow up. Also, a stable government helps. What we enjoy in Singapore now were from the actions taken by the government & people years ago, the planning, executing etc. These things take time to show results. I think in other countries, it's more difficult as their governments change every few years.

[@urbanfutures]

@@whatajoke8497 Singapore's extraordinary effort and subsequent stability should truly be commended. This tradition, which starts from kindergarten, is passed on to future generations and a conscious society emerges. I wish our countries and cities could take Singapore as an example. Thank you whatajoke for your replies and suggestions. You did an excellent job 👍👍

[@Will.i.am55555]

Yo bro u so wrong ….. it’s not Sulawesi…..it’s Bali … u dude Singapore is south of China next to HK 😂😂😂

[@urbanfutures]

@@Will.i.am55555 Hi, thank you for your comment. However, I think you may be mistaken. Sulawesi and Bali are both islands in Indonesia, not Singapore. Singapore is a city-state that is located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, not near Hong Kong. You can check the map to see for yourself. Have a nice day. 😂😂

[@archimedesxxicentury]

🧐 Project "The bee honeycomb model of the conglomerates" Will Solve the Problem of Megacities 🐝. Archimedes XXI century 😇.

[@VikaYoga]

1:33 It's Sulawesi, Indonesia.

[@urbanfutures]

yes, vika

[@tobychan3612]

i didnt know i was actually living in Indonesia lol

[@VikaYoga]

@@tobychan3612 ikr 😅

[@ifuknjk]

1,999,999 new trees in 3 yrs....lky planted the first trr... now all countries copy tree planting...it took sg 55 yrs to b a garden city....very difficult 4 others 2 catch up

[@urbanfutures]

yes Tongkat is a garden city not easy to grow 🙃

[@carlysleandcaedenhernandez]

1:35 thats indonesia

[@JimmyinChrist]

The “giant artificial trees” and “rooftop gardens” aren’t really as green and sustainable as they appear on the surface. They are resource intensive and energy intensive, requiring huge amounts of labour, electricity and water to maintain them. On the other hand, the naturally regenerating secondary forests are being destroyed for incessant development in the name of endless economic growth, which worsens inequality and ecological destruction and weakens climate resilience. Already, due to rapid deforestation and urbanisation in the past couple of centuries, Singapore is heating up twice as fast as the rest of the world, given its location at the equator. Despite commendable efforts to plant one million young trees, Singapore is losing dense forests of mature trees at the expense of biodiversity and public health and mental wellbeing. Hence, petitions have been created in recent years to save the threatened forests, such as Bukit Batok hillside park area, Clementi forest, Dover forest and Tengah forest.

[@urbanfutures]

Thank you for sharing your perspective on this issue. I appreciate your passion and concern for the environment and the forests in Singapore.🌳 I agree that natural forests are valuable and irreplaceable ecosystems that provide many benefits for biodiversity, climate and human well-being. I also acknowledge that Singapore has faced challenges in balancing its development needs with its environmental goals, and that some forest areas have been lost or degraded due to urbanisation and other land uses. However, I also think that Singapore has made some commendable efforts to conserve and restore its forests, as well as to enhance its urban greenery with innovative solutions such as artificial trees and rooftop gardens. According to the Global Forest Watch, Singapore had 20.6kha of tree cover in 2010, extending over 30% of its land area, and it lost only 201ha of tree cover in 2021, equivalent to 99.9kt of CO₂ emissions. This is relatively low compared to other countries in the region. Moreover, Singapore has recently joined 140 other countries in signing the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use, which aims to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030. This shows Singapore’s commitment to national and global climate action, and its recognition of the importance of forests and terrestrial ecosystems. I hope you can see that there are some positive aspects to Singapore’s approach to land use planning and forest conservation, and that there is room for dialogue and collaboration among different stakeholders to achieve a more sustainable and resilient future for Singapore.🌏

[@NewmaticKe]

Giant trees are solar powered

[@pringlessourcream9527]

It is powered by tourist 💵 though.

[@agymayachelonia8381]

Yup, green means landscaped in SG.

[@caver38]

There is also the problem of massive import of sand etc for land reclamation and building , much of it illegally obtained . This is in addition to the knocking down and rebuilding of recent buildings which is unnecessary

[@urbanfutures]

Thank you for another comment. I appreciate your interest in my video and your concern for the environment. However, I would like to address some of the points you raised briefly. First, Singapore imports sand legally and responsibly from various countries, such as Malaysia, Philippines, Australia, Burma and Uzbekistan. It also sets strict criteria on sand imports and requires suppliers to comply with the environmental laws of the source countries. Second, Singapore needs to optimise its land use and plan for future needs due to its limited land area and growing population and economy. Land reclamation and building construction are part of this long-term planning. However, Singapore also conserves some of its natural forests and greenery, and invests in alternative methods of land expansion, such as empoldering. I hope this response has clarified some of the facts and figures about Singapore’s sand import situation. If you are interested to learn more about these topics, you can check out the following links: 1: oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-product/sand/reporter/sgp 2: www.sg101.gov.sg/infrastructure/case-studies/sand

[@pgobservers]

I watched the video on landfilling rubbish is so disgusting. Singapore never dumps raw rubbish on landfill areas. The process is first, burn it to ashes in the incinerator and pick up metallic material before transported tye ashes to Pulau Semakau landfill island and not raw rubbish as shown in the video. That is misleading. 0:12

[@urbanfutures]

I hope these words are not for us because we did not make such a video. Then we agree with what you said 🙏

[@mengsiongkheng113]

It is dragging its feet in installing electric charging stations especially in the public housing area. This naturally slows down the conversion to electric vehicle. Of course the petrol companies are happy and it also slows down the collection of tax/tariff on petrol and diesel, without which the tax authority will have to scratch its head to find replacement tax revenue.

[@urbanfutures]

Yes, oil companies are happy with this situation, but maybe we can find a solution like this: encourage and support the installation of electric vehicle charging stations in multifamily housing, such as apartments and condominiums. According to Forbes, this can help attract and retain residents and foster an environmentally sustainable community. There are also some resources and incentives available for multifamily housing owners and managers who want to add charging stations to their properties. This can help overcome the barriers of parking and electrical service access, billing and legal concerns. By increasing the availability and accessibility of electric vehicle charging stations, we can speed up the transition to electric vehicles and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. What do you think?

[@caver38]

The elecricity is being generated from burning gas , this is not the solution to reduce emisssions

[@bebebenben]

Is Indonesia occupied by Singapore? RIP to Indonesia.

[@jasamingarcia6685]

It’s not with land they keep importing sand and excavating it

[@urbanfutures]

yes Jasamin i agree with you

[@huaiwei]

And is there an issue with importing sand for land reclamation? Is Indonesia running out of sand?

[@urbanfutures]

@@huaiwei There are several issues with importing sand for land reclamation. One is that Indonesia banned land sand exports to Singapore in 2007 due to environmental concerns. Another is that sand extraction activities can cause coastal erosion, destroy ecosystems, facilitate disease transmission, and increase vulnerability to natural disasters. A third issue is that sand is a finite and unregulated resource that is in high demand for construction and other purposes, leading to illegal and violent sand trade. These issues affect not only Indonesia, but also other countries that rely on sand for development.

[@caver38]

It may have the reputation of being clean and green , but Singapore hides the real truth , it is the light pollution capital of the world and most of its electricty comes from buring gas . It also has very few recycling plants and burns most of its waste , this is hardly ecological . It also produces very little of its own food , importing most of it , and has been destroying much of its existing forests for buildings , and uses electricity to produce drinkable water by osmosis which is highly energy concumming . The vast expansers of concrete and tarmac are encouraging hign temperatures across the island

[@urbanfutures]

Thank you for your comment, Caver. I appreciate your feedback and I’m glad you watched my video. However, I would like to address some of the points you raised and provide some additional information. First, you are right that Singapore has the most light pollution in the world, according to a 2016 study by the Light Pollution Science and Technology Institute. This is mainly due to the high population density and urban development of the city-state. However, light pollution is not the same as air pollution, which affects the cleanliness and health of the environment. Light pollution can have negative impacts on wildlife, astronomy and human well-being, but it does not directly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions or smog. Second, you are also correct that most of Singapore’s electricity comes from burning natural gas, which is a fossil fuel. According to the Energy Market Authority, natural gas accounted for 95% of Singapore’s electricity generation in 2020. However, natural gas is considered a cleaner and more efficient fuel than coal or oil, as it produces less carbon dioxide and other pollutants per unit of energy. Natural gas also helps to diversify Singapore’s energy sources, as it can be imported from different countries via pipelines or liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals. Third, you claimed that Singapore has very few recycling plants and burns most of its waste. This is not entirely accurate. Singapore has four waste-to-energy (WTE) plants that incinerate waste and generate electricity from the heat. These plants reduce the volume of waste by 90% and prevent landfilling, which can cause methane emissions and groundwater contamination. In 2020, WTE plants contributed to 2.7% of Singapore’s electricity generation. Singapore also recycles about 60% of its waste, including metals, paper, plastics and food. However, there is still room for improvement in reducing waste generation and increasing recycling rates. Fourth, you mentioned that Singapore produces very little of its own food and imports most of it. This is true, as Singapore has limited land and water resources for agriculture. However, this does not mean that Singapore is not concerned about food security or sustainability. Singapore has been investing in urban farming, vertical farming, aquaculture and alternative proteins to boost its local food production. It aims to produce 30% of its nutritional needs locally by 2030. Singapore also imports food from diverse sources and ensures that its food supply chain is resilient and diversified. Fifth, you stated that Singapore has been destroying much of its existing forests for buildings and uses electricity to produce drinkable water by osmosis which is highly energy consuming. This is partly true, but not the whole picture. Singapore has indeed lost some of its natural forests due to urbanisation and development over the years. However, it has also conserved some of its primary and secondary forests in nature reserves and parks, which cover about 10% of its land area. Singapore also has a greening policy that requires developers to plant trees and vegetation on their sites to enhance biodiversity and greenery. As for water production, Singapore does use reverse osmosis (RO) to produce NEWater, which is high-grade reclaimed water that can be used for industrial and potable purposes. NEWater accounts for about 40% of Singapore’s water supply. However, RO is not the only method that Singapore uses to produce water. It also relies on rainfall collection in reservoirs, imported water from Malaysia, and desalination of seawater. Desalination is more energy-intensive than RO, but it provides a drought-resistant source of water for Singapore. I hope this response has clarified some of the facts and figures about Singapore’s energy and environmental situation. I agree that there are still challenges and trade-offs that Singapore faces in balancing its economic growth, social well-being and environmental sustainability.

[@limzhihang5830]

​@@urbanfuturesYour reply is great.

[@obrin1983ify]

get your facts right

[@philipgumm9243]

Being a tax haven and cheap labour from India and China.

[@NewmaticKe]

Myanmar, Bangladesh, malaysia, Philipines etc

[@philodemos]

It’s a joke of a place: a disfunctional place from the urban point of view, de facto highly unsustainable because in need of air conditioning everywhere, due to how they built, not walk friendly at all, hence dependent on car or bus, the so-called greenery is just a joke, a few trees along immense highways that cut through residential areas. Of all the big cities I lived in and saw, this is by far the worst.

[@urbanfutures]

Thank you for your comment. I appreciate your feedback and perspective. However, I disagree with some of your points. Singapore is widely recognized as one of the greenest cities in the world, according to various sources. It has made significant efforts to preserve and enhance its green space, reduce its environmental impact and promote sustainability. Some of the achievements that make Singapore a green city are: +It has increased its green cover from 36% in the 1980s to 47% today. +t has mandatory green building requirements for all new developments, which include replacing the same amount of greenery that was displaced. +It has a comprehensive water management system that collects, treats and reuses rainwater, desalinated water and recycled water. +It has invested in renewable energy sources such as solar power and waste-to-energy plants. +It has created iconic attractions such as the Gardens by the Bay, which showcase innovative and sustainable design. Singapore is not a perfect city, and it still faces challenges such as air pollution, land scarcity and climate change. But it is constantly striving to improve its urban environment and quality of life for its residents and visitors. I hope you can appreciate the efforts that Singapore has made to become a green city, and perhaps visit it someday to see for yourself.🌿

[@endi4654]

Singapore is the MOST WALKABLE CITY IN THE WORLD. please google and fact check yourself!

[@endi4654]

And most of the new public buildings are net zero emissions!

[@norhafizah2438]

World's no. 1 overrated city.