Transcript of my speech at the launch of the “The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for Business Coalition” at the Singapore Botanic Gardens on 6 November 2012

We live in a world, which perhaps unwittingly, has gone through a series of inflexion points at a rate which is unprecedented. Let me cite a few of these.

First, our world population has now exceeded seven billion. Clearly, that is unprecedented. Not only that, but for the first time ever in human history, more than half of all human beings live in a city, and not in the rural countryside. This is another world first.

I attended the launch of the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for Business Coalition on 6 November 2012.

• Our world has rapidly passed through a series of inflexion points.
• First, our world population has exceeded 7 billion.
• Second, more than half of all human beings live in cities.
• Third, the age of cheap and plentiful natural resources – when we could literally scrape coal, iron ore, oil, gas easily from the surface of the planet – is ending.
• Fourth, we are running out of fresh water on a global scale.
• Fifth, the nexus between energy, water and food means we desperately need another agricultural revolution in the next decade or so.
• Sixth, we cannot afford to continue to simply dump pollutants, waste, toxins and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and seas regardless of their impact on human health and safety and planetary ecology.
• Seventh, globalisation and information revolution has created enormous opportunities for billions of people from developing countries, but it has also created enormous competitive pressure on everyone. It has completely transformed the nature and value of employment and enterprise in half a century – probably a rate of change that is unparalleled in human history. It has also increased disparities between those able to exploit opportunities and those left behind.

Sustainable development

Just returned from Indonesia where I met ministers responsible for the environment from  Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand at the 14th Meeting of the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee (MSC) on Transboundary Haze Pollution.

We agreed that errant plantation companies and land owners should be held responsible and accountable for much of the haze pollution as they, rather than small shift cultivation farmers, were the major cause of the problem. We need more effective deterrent and enforcement measures against offenders.

The BPHC design competition was launched on 11 June 2012 to commemorate the construction of the first hawker centre after 27 years. The NEA and the SIA co-organised the design competition for Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre and invited local architects to submit fresh ideas that could serve both the social and functional needs of the community. Special considerations were to be given to designs which proved attractive, practical and environmentally sustainable.

A good friend Mr Jamal bin Dhari passed away early this morning.

He was a very good man, who used to drive me to many functions when I was at MND 10 years ago. When I apologised for making him work such long hours, his reply conveyed much political wisdom.

He told me that we should always try our best to accept all invitations because people wanted to know their leaders personally.

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Speech delivered at the 10th anniversary of the National Environment Agency on 15 September 2012.

• We celebrate 10 years of NEA's partnership with all the stakeholders in our community to safeguard, nurture and cherish Singapore's environment. In fact, this common cause dates back much longer – and we also remember the pioneers who formed the Ministry of the Environment almost 40 years ago on 16 Sep 1972.
• During a recent trip to Tokyo, I asked to meet street cleaners. The diplomat who accompanied me told me this was not possible. She said there were no street cleaners. But when I looked out of the car, the street was spotless. She then recounted how she was scolded when she first arrived in Tokyo and tried to eat a sandwich as she strolled along the street. People stared at her, and told her pointedly not to mess up the street.
• This episode made me pause to think about our own city. We are a very densely populated city. We have made tremendous efforts over the past decades to make Singapore Clean and Green. We have had many campaigns, instituted heavy fines, stepped up enforcement and employed an army of cleaners.
• We have done reasonably well so far, but I want to offer one question for public discussion:

Singapore – A Clean or Cleaned city?