Future-proofing Singapore’s climate resilience

April 2024 | Highlights Community

Follow CDE

PDF Download

Image above was created with the assistance of DALL·E 2

The Coastal Protection and Flood Resilience Institute Singapore aims to bolster local capabilities and expertise in coastal protection and flood management.

As the world’s oceans run a fever due to anthropogenic climate change, the expansion of ocean waters, coupled with the melting of land-based ice sheets, is causing sea levels to swell. Even a small rise can precipitate devastating effects on coastal communities, increasing flood risks and endangering homes and critical infrastructure. The urgency of this threat is underscored by projections suggesting a potential rise in sea levels of over 30 centimetres by 2050, which could displace millions of people, creating a crisis of climate refugees.

The city-state of Singapore is particularly vulnerable due to its geographical location and low-lying land area—about 30% of its land surface is less than five metres above mean sea level. These weather events could greatly affect Singapore’s resources, biodiversity and public health, making it all the more pressing to develop defensive strategies through focused research.

To help Singapore adapt to the evolving climate, the Coastal Protection and Flood Resilience Institute (CFI) Singapore was launched at NUS by the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Ms Grace Fu on 7 September 2023. It is the first Centre of Excellence in the city-state dedicated to strengthening local capabilities and expertise in coastal protection and flood management research and solution development.

Hosted at NUS, the institute is a key pillar under PUB’s S$125 million Coastal Protection Research Programme (CPRP), bringing together local universities, research institutes and industry partners in a collaborative effort. Together, they will carry out research projects aimed at advancing core domain knowledge and developing innovative solutions to safeguard Singapore’s coastlines against rising sea levels and manage flood risks during intense rainfall events.

Collaborative research for coastal resilience

Overseeing CFI Singapore’s research activities and leading the institute’s management team as the Executive Director is Professor Richard Liew, Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering under the NUS College of Design and Engineering. NUS is partnering with four other institutes in Singapore: Nanyang Technological University, (NTU) Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

CFI Singapore has commenced the first tranche of research projects, encompassing nine projects across four key areas: coastal science research; monitoring, prediction and digitalisation of coastal environment; integrated nature-based solutions; and innovative engineering solutions.

“As the host institution, we will contribute resources and expertise in Ocean Infrastructure and Renewables, Resilient Infrastructure and Climate Change Mitigation across the university to support CFI Singapore,” says Prof Liew. “Research institutes on campus, such as the NUS Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions (CNCS) and the Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI) will also play a crucial role in the success of this nationwide initiative.”

One notable project at CFI Singapore involves the development of nature-based solutions, employing an integrated meta-hydro-ecological approach to protect Singapore’s coastlines. This project, which includes a multi-disciplinary team from three NUS research units — CNCS, TMSI and the Technology Centre for Offshore and Marine, Singapore — will evaluate the effectiveness of hybrid coastal protection solutions, such as perched beaches with seagrass and mangroves integrated with rock revetments. The researchers will explore the feasibility of these hybrid solutions around Singapore, evaluating their ecological and societal benefits.

Another project involves a collaboration between NUS, SIT and industry partners such as engineering consultancy Surbana Jurong. This project is dedicated to developing modular, climate-response solutions to adapt to the challenges posed by high uncertainties in rising sea levels.

A cradle of future talent

Besides conducting world-class research and developing innovative solutions for Singapore’s unique coastal challenges, CFI Singapore will also serve as a training ground for a new generation of researchers and engineers — critical to addressing the nation’s long-term needs in coastal protection and flood management.

The institute’s strategy includes a suite of educational programmes, workforce training initiatives and scientific seminars, all aimed at building a vibrant research ecosystem and expanding the pool of expertise in climate research. For instance, NUS will offer a Master of Science Programme specialising in Sustainable Climate Resilience, a Graduate Certificate Programme in Coastal Protection and Flood Management and another Graduate Certificate Programme in Digital Water.

“Education and training will be critical outputs of the institute. We will identify programmes across the partner institutes that can be tapped into to develop the diverse, interdisciplinary talent required,” says Prof Liew.