Singapore considers new artificial islands to counter rising seas

People take pictures on the jetty at Marina Bay waterfront in Singapore, Nov 17, 2023. [AFP]

The tiny island nation of Singapore is considering plans to build artificial islands off its east coast, with the new land specifically designed to protect against rising sea levels.

The "Long Island" project could see the creation of three new artificial islands, all linked by tidal gates with water pumping stations.

These new areas of land would sit at a higher level than Singapore's mainland, acting as a barrier against rising seas.

The city-state's Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, has previously described climate change as a matter of "life and death" for his country.

"Singapore is a low-lying island. A third of its land area is only one meter above the highest tides, so it's going to have an increased amount of coastal flooding," said Benjamin Horton, Director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

While larger nations could move communities away from the coast to counter rising seas, Singapore is having to look at alternative ideas.

"Migration isn't an option in Singapore, they've got nowhere to go. Just like lots of low-lying coastal islands, they've got to stop the water coming in", explains Horton.

Details of the "Long Island" project were unveiled by Singapore's National Development Minister Desmond Lee.

He said that rising sea levels pose an "existential threat to Singapore" with parts of the island "at risk of being inundated by the sea."

The whole project would potentially span some 800 hectares, roughly twice the size of Singapore's Marina Bay development.

Under the plan, a new reservoir would be created off Singapore's East Coast Park, with the water pumping stations keeping seawater out during high tides. Excess stormwater could also be emptied into the sea from this reservoir.

A number of studies will be carried out from early next year, assessing everything from the engineering required for the project to potential environmental impacts. Public consultations will also be held. The whole process is expected to take around five years.

Land reclamation projects are nothing new in Singapore, with the Southeast Asian city-state constantly looking for more space for its near six million residents.

"Changi Airport, Marina Bay area and the new Tuas Port stand as clear examples that Singapore has the engineering capability and resources to reclaim new land from the sea for its people," said Adam Switzer, Professor of Coastal Science at Nanyang Technological University's Asian School of the Environment.

But reclaiming land comes at a cost, especially for a resource-poor nation like Singapore.

In 2019, a U.N. report said that the country was the world's largest importer of sand and had been for the previous two decades.

Neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia have exported huge amounts of sand to Singapore, although both have previously implemented bans on the practice.

"Land reclamation historically has been one of those classic resource extraction activities from developing nations, where the developing nation is absolutely obliterated," said Horton.

Announcing these land reclamation proposals, National Development Minister Desmond Lee said Singapore was seeking to "formulate innovative and cost-effective nature-based solutions to reclaim and develop 'Long Island'."

The environmental impact of artificial land creation on Singapore's coastal ecosystem will also be assessed in the coming years.

"The impacts from such a large and long-drawn reclamation are most definitely disruptions of ecosystems and loss of habitat and biodiversity," said Stephen Beng, Chair of the Friends of Marine Park Community.

He explained that Singapore has already lost 60% of its coral reef due to previous reclamation projects.

"We've also seen that life on our reefs and shores does return when given a chance although some changes and losses cannot be reversed," he added.

With another huge land reclamation project being put forward by the Singapore government, Beng is urging ministers to "not get comfortable with the ability to reclaim and restore."

"Nature is most resilient to disturbances when it's left natural.

"If climate adaptation and future development comes at a greater cost to nature then that could also mean an unrecoverable expense for all of us," he said.

As Singapore continues to invest in defenses against the ever-looming threat of climate change, the environmental toll of such projects is under scrutiny.

"One of the unknown questions is, actually, what is the carbon footprint of Long Island? Are you just going to add to a carbon emissions problem?" said Horton.

As a low-lying country situated less than 150 kilometers from the equator, Singapore is bracing itself to be on the frontline of the fight against climate change.

Mean sea levels around the island are projected to rise by up to a meter by 2100 and the average temperature is forecast to increase by another 1.4 to 4.6C by the same year.

Professor Horton maintains that this is the issue that most urgently needs addressing.

"If you don't control the problem, which is climate change, if you let your emissions go out of control, Long Island is just a waste of time," he said. "Sea levels will rise so rapidly, you won't be able to build the adaptations quick enough."