Speech by MOS Alvin Tan at CDL's Second 'Melting Ice, Sinking Cities Climate Exhibition - The Artic Impact'

Dr Sylvia Earle, Founder of Mission Blue, Times Magazine first Hero of the Planet, Chair of Ocean Geographic Board of Honorary Editors, Founder of Deep Hope
Mr Sherman Kwek, Group Chief Executive Officer, CDL
Dr Yap Him Hoo, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, National Parks Board
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Introduction

Good morning, everybody. Thank you all for coming today, and thank you for all making this effort. Today, I thought it might be useful to discuss who matters, what matters, and then why it matters.

So who matters is, all of you matter. Dr Sylvia matters, very much. But what you're doing is also important, you are laying the foundation for the new generation and many of us in between. Then later on, we will discuss what matters, what is the reality that is confronting us as a planet, as well as eight billion of us on this planet. And then third, how it matters. How it matters to the planet, and also how it matters to Singapore, and what tiny Singapore can do in the whole scheme of things.

Today, of course, we are pleased to launch the second edition of the 'Melting Ice, Sinking Cities Climate Exhibition - The Arctic Impact'. This exhibition is a vital partnership. Between CDL, Ocean Geographic as well as my colleagues at NParks, I want to thank the more than 10 knowledge partners who have made great contributions to this effort.

We are honoured to have world-renowned marine biologist and oceanographer Dr Sylvia Earle here with us this morning. Dr Earle has spent a lifetime exploring the depths of our ocean and reminding us what happens in the most remote parts of the world is never truly remote. As she often says: The ocean is the blue heart of the planet, and it touches you with every breath you take.

So what matters? Sylvia matters. All of us in this room matter. But what matters? The Arctic may feel far away, but its signals and its impact reach all of us. When a glacier cracks in the high Arctic, its ripple travels thousands of miles, eventually reaching the equator and tiny little Singapore.

Launch of Exhibition

The first Melting Ice exhibition in 2023 brought us to Antarctica, where vast ice sheets once thought immovable are now clearly in retreat. Today, we stand at the opposite end of the world, the High Arctic, where the ice is thinner, the chances and changes are faster, and the warning signs are going loud.

The exhibition then also marks the global premiere of the 'Melting Ice, Sinking Cities Climate Exhibition - The Arctic Impact'. It's not just going to be in Singapore - it's going to travel the world. And the exhibition shows, as we go, how the Arctic is not just at the frozen edge of the planet, but a keystone in the global system. When the Arctic ice melts, it sets off currents of water, air and consequently, they reach tropical island cities on the equator, like Singapore. Looking forward to visiting the exhibition because it will feature powerful images from the Bears Ice Glaciers Arctic Climate Expedition (Big ACE), led by Dr Earle in 2025, where it captures moments where solid ice gives way and non-stable systems begin to fracture.

Finally, why it matters?

It matters to the world. The exhibition that we're about to launch makes clear that, the Arctic has been warming at nearly four times faster than the global average over the past four decades. That's half of your life on Earth. As Dr Earle rightly pointed out, it is moving faster. And we don't have decades, we have years. The sea ice is retreating earlier each year.

Glaciers are thinning and extreme melt events are becoming more frequent. These changes are altering ocean circulation and weather patterns will arrive further out. It shifts, the entire climate system recalibrates, often in very unpredictable ways.

So it matters to the world, but the Arctic and Singapore are really almost half poles apart. So why does it matter to Singapore?

Singapore's Vulnerability and Response

Singapore may sit on the equator, but we are not insulated from what is happening at the poles. Climate change does not respect distance. What cracks the ice at the Arctic raises the water line everywhere, impacting Singapore. In fact, about 30% of our land in Singapore lies less than five meters above the mean sea level, making us particularly exposed to rising sea levels and heavier rainfall.

Our relative mean sea levels around Singapore are estimated to rise by up to 1.14 meters by 2100. I can't even say that because it's so far away, but it will rise about 1.15 meters. And you combine this with high tides and storm surges, which we are seeing now, water levels could reach up to five meters above today's sea level. So it is an existential threat to Singapore.

But Singapore is not alone. I just came back from Cebu in the Philippines, but across our regional cities in Southeast Asia, coastal cities like Bangkok and the archipelagic countries like the Philippines are already facing many of these challenges, more frequent flooding, stronger storm surges and growing stress on infrastructure and communities.

But rising seas do not just flood streets. They erode coastlines, displace habitats, disrupt livelihoods and slowly reshape how cities function. In fact, I spoke to the Philippine minister who was in charge of Cebu, and she made those exact points - if you are an archipelagic nation, you are even more vulnerable in that regard.

And recognising these risks, Singapore has taken a long-term and comprehensive approach to combating climate change and also climate resilience. Singapore accounts for around 0.1% of global greenhouse gas. It is important to hold the bigger countries accountable. So for the very mini, small, tiny island nation, what are we doing? Well, let me share a bit about what we're doing.

PUB, Singapore's National Water Agency, manages inland and coastal flood risks holistically. Since 2021, we have conducted site-specific studies to design tailored coastal protection solutions, and we have recently completed conceptual designs to protect areas such as the Greater Southern Waterfront and Changi areas.
Earlier this week in Parliament, we just introduced a coastal protection bill. This new law will require land owners to implement and maintain coastal defence. NParks and colleagues have also established a Marine Conservation Action Plan to safeguard our marine ecosystems as warming seas place increasing stress on our biodiversity.

We are also developing Singapore's first National Adaptation Plan. It's a living roadmap that sets how we will strengthen our resilience over the long term together with many Singaporeans. We are also the first in Southeast Asia to introduce a carbon tax. Sea levels are not retreating, but some global efforts are retreating from global climate efforts - we are not retreating. In fact, we think that this is existential.
We think that we need to push on forward, even if there are some costs to us. So the carbon tax puts a price on emissions, and we are not just doing that. We are also supporting businesses to transition. And at the same time, with our colleagues at the Monetary Authority of Singapore - which I sit on the board - we are building green finance solutions, working together with multilateral development banks, for example, like the ADB and others, to crowd in concessional finance to help, for example, to transit from coal fired power plants, and also to spur green finance.

So Singapore might be small, but we try to use our hub status, our strengths in finance, our strengths in economics and science, to maybe make a little bit of a dent. We sit as an observer on the Arctic Council - a tropical city sitting on as observer in the Arctic Council. Of course, the Arctic has been also in the news recently, but we think that we can play a part in exchanging information, learning from what's happening in the Arctic, and then make a small contribution in that regard.

Power of Partnership and Collective Action

Climate change, as we have already discussed this morning, is a global challenge shaped by forces larger than any one country or any one continent or any one single government or sector. So if we want to do what you have challenged us to do, we need to build resilience. We need to work together - private sector, government and also advocates - all journeying along this journey.

So I want to thank CDL in that regard for your leadership in sustainable development. And these initiatives that you are championing and sponsoring and putting together are very important, because you are actually anchoring long-term climate action. Also, again, please join me in giving the biggest round of applause to Dr Sylvia Earle, for being a pioneer and also inspiring this action. And long may it cause ripples throughout the world.

Thank you, Dr Earle, and thank you to all for joining us this morning.