Find yourself getting extra sweatier than usual on hot days, and wading through mini floods along the pavement during rainy ones? Well, we have bad news for you – things are only going to get worse, based on the latest climate projections for Singapore according to Singapore’s National Environmental Agency (NEA), as stated in an official release on January 5, 2024.
In a nutshell, Singaporeans can expect “higher temperatures, more wet and dry extremes, and accelerating increase in mean sea levels”, according to the report.
Annual mean temperatures could rise anywhere between 0.6 to five degrees Celsius by the end of the century, i.e. by year 2124. Over the past 40 years, Singapore’s annual mean temperatures have already increased at a rate of 0.24 degrees Celsius with each decade. Under a projected high emissions scenario, this number could increase to 0.55 degrees Celsius. And naturally, sweltering hot days – and even warm nights – could become a new norm if this keeps up. In the last four decades, Singapore’s daily maximum temperatures went past 35 degrees Celsius for 21.4 days each year on average, but this number of days could very well range from 41 to 351 in 100 years’ time, with nights surpassing 26.3 degrees Celsius.
But when it rains, it pours – extreme weather conditions are predicted to prevail across all seasons in Singapore, with heavier rainfall during the wet season, and this could give rise to more flash floods across the island. On the flip side, dry spells could happen more often and stretch on for longer periods of time.
The silver lining? These are projections based on the current state of things, and are not 100 percent confirmed. Simply put, while this can very well be our future reality should things continue the way they are, it might not actually come true if the situation does improve. It’s still not too late to turn things around and help save our planet by consciously putting in the effort to lead more eco-friendly lifestyles.
While 2124 might seem a tad far away, it is an era that our future children or grandchildren will be living through. In fact, the future aside, we’re already feeling the rapid effects of climate change as we speak, and thus the best time to act is now. For more information, read NEA’s official statement here.
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