01 · The problem
What is happening
Singapore's Meteorological Service documents a long-term warming trend, and the dense built environment intensifies heat through the urban heat island effect. The city has built its identity as a 'City in Nature' with extensive parks, park connectors, skyrise greenery requirements and street trees. Research programmes such as Cooling Singapore study how building layout, materials and greenery affect outdoor thermal comfort, and the government has set out plans to expand nature parks and plant more trees.
Moderate severity. Material effects on people or ecosystems; actively managed. Severity is descriptive editorial metadata summarising documented effects. It is not a measured index or a score.
02 · Causes
Why it is happening
- 01
Tropical climate and global warming
High baseline temperature and humidity leave little margin as the climate warms.
- 02
Dense urban form
High-rise buildings and paved surfaces store heat and reduce night-time cooling.
- 03
Waste heat
Air conditioning, vehicles and industry release heat into the urban environment.
03 · Impacts
Who and what it affects
- 01
Heat stress
Outdoor workers and older residents face increased heat stress.
- 02
Rising cooling demand
Air conditioning use increases energy consumption and emissions.
- 03
Reduced outdoor comfort
Hot conditions reduce the usability of public space.
04 · Solutions
Documented approaches
Planting more trees
A national programme to plant one million more trees across the island.
Expected effectIncreases shade and evaporative cooling over time.
Skyrise greenery
Incentives and requirements for green roofs and vertical greenery.
Expected effectReduces building surface temperatures and supports biodiversity.
District cooling
Centralised cooling systems such as the one serving Marina Bay.
Expected effectImproves cooling efficiency compared with individual chillers.
05 · Key indicators
What can be measured
No reliable quantitative indicator is included for this issue. TerraLens shows figures only where a credible source supports them — consult the sources below for current data.
06 · Sources
Where this comes from
- [1]Meteorological Service SingaporeGovernment of Singaporeweather.gov.sg(opens in a new tab)
- [2]National Parks BoardGovernment of Singaporenparks.gov.sg(opens in a new tab)
- [3]Urban Redevelopment AuthorityGovernment of Singaporeura.gov.sg(opens in a new tab)
Links open the publishing organisation's site. Some point to the publisher's main page, where the named report or dataset can be found.