Singapore, 14 July 2021 – City Developments Limited (CDL) and the National Parks Board (NParks) have today launched an exhibition themed “Change the Present, Save the Future” on building climate resilience through global collaboration. Running from 15 July 2021 to March 2022 at the net-zero CDL Green Gallery located in the Singapore Botanic Gardens¹, the exhibition is held in support of MSE’s Climate Action Week 2021 and amplifies the call for action to support both global and national climate efforts. The exhibition will also showcase the transformation of Singapore into a City in Nature, a key strategy in mitigating the effects of climate change while also creating a more sustainable, liveable and beautiful city.

Officially launched by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment of Singapore, the opening ceremony was accompanied by a high-level panel discussion on the topic “Building a Sustainable Future – Collaboration Beyond Borders and Sectors”. Minister Grace Fu, who shared further details on the Singapore Green Plan 2030, was joined by distinguished panellists Ms Lynn McDonald, High Commissioner of Canada to Singapore; Mr R Raghunathan, World Wide Fund for Nature Singapore Chief Executive Officer; and Mr Max Loh, Singapore and Brunei Managing Partner, EY ASEAN IPO Leader, Ernst & Young. Ms Esther An, CDL Chief Sustainability Officer was the moderator for the panel discussion.

The Singapore Green Plan 2030 is a nationwide sustainable development agenda launched in February this year. One of the key pillars of this plan is transforming Singapore into a City in Nature, where nature pervades our urban landscape. This includes the setting aside of 1,000 hectares of green spaces in the next 15 years to expand Singapore’s natural capital, as well as the extension of the Park Connector Network and other recreational routes to provide Singaporeans with more opportunities to immerse themselves in greenery and explore nature throughout the island. These efforts will also help to enhance ecological connectivity between Singapore’s natural habitats, strengthening our climate resilience and helping to build up our carbon sinks.

Exhibition: Change the Present, Save the Future

Leveraging contactless interactive displays, the exhibition takes visitors across four zones:

1. Building Climate Resilience Through Global Collaboration – highlighting global goals and actions
2. Building A City in Nature – spotlighting NParks’ extensive greening efforts and community engagement in Singapore
3. Advancing A Low-Carbon and Resilient Built Environment – featuring CDL’s green buildings, low-carbon operations, sustainable innovation and technology initiatives
4. Global Action Beyond Borders and Sectors – showcasing CDL’s community engagements as well as a collage of quotes by prominent leaders across the public, private and people sectors, as well as the international community, to reinforce the exhibition’s message on climate urgency (please refer to Annex A for visuals and details).

In line with the thematic focus on climate action, the exhibition is net zero-certified. The energy required for running the exhibition and its energy-efficient multimedia fixtures is offset by on-site solar generation and off-site renewable energy. The exhibition will feature activities in collaboration with global and local partners in climate action, including the World Green Building Council, Resilient Cities Network, C40 Cities, Asia Pacific Real Estate Association, SGInnovate and United Nations Global Compact Network Singapore.

To extend its outreach, a virtual exhibition has been made available on the CDL Sustainability website to allow overseas visitors to tour the exhibition online. As part of MSE’s Climate Action Week, CDL will also be holding a virtual Youth4Climate Concert on Sunday, 18 July 2021, which will feature youths creatively expressing their passion for the environment through the performing arts, driving awareness and accelerating climate action amongst the community at large. The concert will be made available on CDL’s YouTube channel and Sustainability website.

Mr Sherman Kwek, Group Chief Executive Officer of CDL, said: “Together with our longstanding partner NParks, we are pleased to stage an exhibition on climate action, which emphasises active collaboration across borders and sectors. This net zero-certified exhibition, which covers a diverse range of key sustainability issues and transformative climate efforts, illustrates our common vision of greening Singapore into a City in Nature. Scientists have said that carbon emissions must fall by 7.6% annually to achieve the 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature rise cap² by 2030. Last year, even when the world almost came to a complete halt, emissions reduction only decreased by a mere 7%. We hope that visitors will heed the call to action and join the global effort in protecting our planet and creating a more sustainable future. With greater awareness, stronger action and more collaboration, we can indeed Change the Present and Save the Future together.”

Professor Leo Tan, Chairman of the Garden City Fund, NParks’ charity arm and IPC, said: “Singapore, as a small island city-state, is vulnerable to the impacts of global climate change and its associated extreme weather events. While NParks has been working to intensify greening and transform Singapore into a City in Nature, a key pillar in the Green Plan to mitigate the effects of climate change, we will also require the concerted and sustained support of the community and partners in this greening journey. The ‘Change the Present, Save the Future’ exhibition underscores the importance of this collective action – within Singapore and on a global scale – to tackle climate change, and illustrates how people can step forward and contribute to this shared future. We would like to thank CDL for initiating this timely exhibition and taking the lead to help our natural heritage.”

Before heading down to the Gardens to view the exhibition, the public can check the Safe Distance @ Parks portal (safedistparks.nparks.gov.sg) for the latest updates on visitorship levels. They can also refer to the NParks website for the latest advisories for gardens, parks and nature reserves in response to the COVID-19 situation.