Singapore on Fire:
From Fossil History to
Climate Activism
Aidan Mock
rr' S A WARM September afternoon when I find myself lying on a grass
field, squinting up at the ash grey sky, sprawled among dead bodies. I feel
sweat condense on the inside of my face mask as I watch the fog of grey air
thicken and swirl above me. Indonesia is on fire again, and it's hard to breathe.
In my left palm, I'm holding a stranger's limp hand. Suddenly I feel
the fingers stir and pull away. I turn my head and watch as its owner pulls
herself upright, picking off flecks of grass and dirt from her shoulders and
neck. There is soil on her legs too, and eventually she gives up trying to
brush it all off. Parks are not the most comfortable places for dying.
"Thank you for participating in today's die-in, and we hope to see you
at next year's Climate Rally," a voice calls out to the sticky undead. Rolling
to my feet, I survey the scene as two thousand strangers stagger upright and
leave the park with a low murmur. Loping through the crowd, I regroup
with my team at the foot of the main s�age. We've just organised Singapore's
first climate rally, gathering two thousand Singaporeans at Hong Lim Park,
and congratulations are in order. As we begin to clear our equipment off the
field, a familiar whine cuts through the air. We pause in our tracks, exchange
knowing glances and roll our eyes. Our work, along with the annual
Formula 1 race, has only just begun.
...
In this chapter I explain the origins of fossil fuels in Singapore
before discussing how this history should frame our response today. How
did we end up here? Why is the government unwilling to take strong
action against the fossil fuel companies despite the incredible urgency of
the climate crisis? For an industry built around an inky black liquid, the
story is surprisingly colourful.
Singapore on Fire
I
On the 14
th
of June, 1960, the newly appointed Finance Minister, Dr Goh
Keng Swee, found himself on a small island just south of mainland Singa­
pore called Pulau Bukom. Like Singapore itself, this small and underappre­
ciated island was bound for greatness, even if the rest of the world hadn't
realised it yet.
Grasping an axe, Dr Goh symbolically chopped down a Flame of the
Forest tree, breaking ground on the site of Shell's first petroleum refinery
in Singapore. One year later, Dr Goh would return to a towering structure
of steel and concrete that had risen in its place in record time. With a cere­
monial flick of a switch, Dr Goh brought light to the complex and ushered
in a new era of Singapore's history.5 From then on, the only flames on the
island would be the fires that danced atop the refinery's flare stacks. Other
oil companies would follow in Shell's footsteps and build Singapore into
their global empires, but Shell would remain the leader for many years to
come. With the refinery, Singapore was well on its way to becoming a petro­
leum superpower; the future was bright, secure and limitless. The oil
indus­try promised both financial and energy security to a small island
nation that was not yet independent from colonial rule and still struggling to
find its feet.
Some nights, when the sky is not choked with haze, I can see the gas flar­
ing from my dorm room window i� Clementi. The fires paint low-hanging
clouds an orange hue and, when the flaring is particularly extreme, the shad­
ows shiver along the walls of my room. I think about Dr Goh and wonder
if he realised just how symbolic his act of chopping down that tree was. I
wonder what the forest would look like today if it had been left untouched.
I lament all the things that we have already set on fire.
 Eating Chilli Crab in the Anthropocene
Singapore on Fire

... Singapore government. The governme

nt developed Jurong Is1a
I've heard critics of climate activists argue that Singapore bears the • .
mtent10n of makmg . . . nd Wi.th the
1t as mtegrated as possible for the ben
efit of the com
same debt towards the oil majors that supported its rise. Having benefitted • ed there. A11 compam.es share comm
m• es sit pa-
on s ervic es inc 1 · pow
from investments in its early years, how can Singapore turn its back on the . . ' udIng er,
water, secunty, firefightmg and safety
and environmental
industry now, despite whatever negative impact the industry apparently has .. · c o nsultanc1.es
sphttmg the cost of these otherwise exp
ensive services a mon '
on the climate? However, this argument assumes that the oil and gas corporations on th e island.33 Upstream oo the d"ff
1 erent
and downstream pr
co mpa­nie s have not themselv es benefitted tremen dously in th eir .
ti es were established side by
oduct·10n
fac1..
h-
_ s ide, creating a constan t supp
ly of a nd dema
partnership wi th Singapore.That assumption is patently untrue. for chemical output.34 For example the nd
. . ' chlorine produced by 0n e c
. om pany
All the oil majors based in Singapore have profited from the country's 1s piped duectly to another company on t
he island for use as an ingre . .
business-frien dly policies. While many other Southeast Asian countries other petrochemical products.The direct d1ent m
pipelines between facilities m
re quired oil and gas companies to in clude a local business partner in th e ake
it much easier to sell and
transp ort chemicals. The
world-beating level
ownership group, Singapore never instituted such a policy.28 Indeed, Shell integrat on pioneered at Ju
rong Island could not h a
of
� ve b een a chieved by
and other oil majors were drawn to Singapore due to th e understanding that compam es operating in isola
tion, but only through the
planning and stra­
th e Singapore government would not seize ownership, demand a stake in tegic wisdom of the Singapore governmen
t. This production mod
el g reatly
th e business, interfere with management or impose pricing or operational reduced overhead costs, improved retur
ns on investm e q ts and
9 enabled
controls.2 In a region in which businesses were often obligated to include companies to generate greater profits.
local owners and wefe sometimes even nationa lised, such a guarantee While the oil maj ors contributed to the
rise of Si ngapore, a le
ss-fre­
provided valuable security to fossil fuel co mpanies. And pr otection from quently acknowledged fact is that Singapore
also facilitat ed th e expan
sion
government takeover was hardly the only economic carrot being offered. and growth of the oil companies themselv
es.Oil companies bas ed in
Singa­
In 1 962, wh en Singapore was persuading Mobil to build a refine ry here, pore benefitted from numerous world event
s that drove up the demand
the authorities offered tax reliefs, low-interest loans and tax exemptions and price of oil, including the first oil cri sis
( 1973), the fourth Arab-Israeli
on essential imported goods to sweeten the deal.30 This financial conflict ( 1973), the US invasi
on of Vietnam ( 1955-1975),
the Iranian Revo­
generos­ity was ext en ded through various schemes implemented by the lution (r978-r979), the US-led campaign to
oust Saddam Hussein's army
Economic Development Board, including tax holidays for companies from Kuwait ( r 990) and the US invasion of
Iraq (2003).3, The US invasion
that establ ish business, operational or manufacturing headquarters in of Vietnam was parti cularly b
eneficial for the f ossil fuel c o
mpanies, as the
Sin gapore.3' One consequence of these policies is that oil companies made conflict was mostly fuelled by oil refined in 6
Singapore.3 By providing the
enormous profits from their operations in Singapore. Indee d, it's been land, infrastructure and business environmen
t for oil companies to operate
suggested that Shell's refinery in Singapore has been its most profitable during these periods of high demand, the Singap
ore government facili tated
2
refinery worldwide.3 th e pres ent-day global dominanc
e of thes e oil companies.
Which is to say: Singapore has already fulfil
led its obligations to the
fossil fuel companies based here.

Oil companies h ave also b enefitted from the strategic foresight of the
 Dumpster Diving in Semakau:
Retrieving Indigenous Histories from
Singapore’s Waste Island
Fu Xiyao

STANDING ON THE 4oo-million-dollar bund enclosing Semakau Land-

fill, I tried to visualise the intimate connection between me andthis island.
Somewhereat the heart of Semakau are the iPhone packages, NTUC plas-
tic bags,toiletrolls, unwanted clothes, withered plants, Styrofoam contain-
ers, eyedrop bottles and countless other items that were once a part of my
life but are now forgotten. It felt impossible to conceive of the material trans-
formation, from bagsof trash tossed downthechuteto the peaceful “garbage
lake” at the centre of the SingaporeStrait, where birds flew overhead and
mangrovesaplings stoodsilently aside. The second law of thermodynam-
ics states that disorder never decreases within a closed system. Since the
Earth is a closed system, garbage does not disappear. Could Semakau have
devoured those materials without leaving a trace on “clean and green” Singa-
pore? Could the missing parts of the story help explain Singapore’s accumu-
lating waste, low recycling rate and lack of concern forthe climatecrisis?
The uncanny absence ofvisible waste on Singapore’s scenic landfill
island prompted me to explore the untold stories about Semakau Landfill.
Butfirst, let’s review the official Semakau story. Celebrated by the Singa-
pore governmentandthe global media, Semakau Landfill showcases Singa-
pore’s material wealth and technological achievements, and advancesits
claim to environmentalresponsibility. Located eight kilometres from main-
land Singapore, Semakauhas served as Singapore's only landfill since 1999.
A seven-kilometre seawall made of rock and sand circumscribes the sea
_ between Pulau Semakau and Pulau Seking, creating a space for incinerated
garbagethatis as large as 25,000 Olympic-size swimming pools.’ Its colossal
 Dumpster Diving in Semakau
the Anthropocene
Eating Chilli Crab in
from neighbouring countries’ openpits, beaches, inland dunes andriver-
orming
dfill a feat of terraf beds.® In response to the growing international spotlight on illegal sand
and off sho re loc ati on make Semakau Lan
scale
world.” Semakau isi applau ded as an
ion thr oug hou t the mining, Singapore has censoredreports on the sources of its imported sand,
that attracts attent s visitors
the nat ural enviro
i nment and welcome: making it impossible to locate and quantify the actual environmental costs
t pre ser ves
“eco-dump” tha age ofa aa
sce nic tour.3 Co nt ra ry to the common im of the construction of Semakau Landfill. We can assume, however,that its
to enjoy a ed by healthy mang ’
ssSemakau is surround formation entailed the destruction of lands andlivelihoods elsewhere.'°
dirty, smelly and lifele llocally endan
, fre e of odou r and even hosts severa Semakau’s distance from Singapore’s mainland conveniently keeps
covered with vege tation
d otters.* The .
inclu din g gre en tur tles and smooth-coate waste out of sight and out of mind, butit also requires regular transporta-
gered spe cies, w
t Semakau shows ho
En viro nm en t A ge ncy (NEA)claims tha tion of Singapore’s waste by boat. Every day, an average of 2,189 tonnes
National eme ‘
can oars “ ne of waste—8,559 tonnes at peak—embarks on a journey of 30 kilometres
op me nt an d env iro nmental protection
“devel ‘ ° a vars
,” dis tin gui shi ng Singapore som its - that lasts three hours.'' A slow bargewill repeat this journey everyday, for
mutually exclusive ing landfills. a
management and pollut decades, until Semakauisfilled; the barges are fuelled with marine bunker
troubled by poor waste ites, where hazardous
—
dfills are open dumpin
gs fuel, the dirtiest and most carbon-intensiveofoils. Increasing the size of the
half of Indonesia’s lan avens" 5
ava lanches endanger sc barge orits fuel efficiency would reduceits negative impacton the ocean,
int o nea rby water systems and waste
leaks e
ered a model par exc but, at least for the foreseeable future, Singaporeis committed to contrib-
com par ison, Se ma kau Landfill is consid
In
uting to climate change, ocean acidification and damageto a wide range of
anagement.
story * eae “
a e dec ons tru cts the state-sponsored marine ecosystems. '*
op s ly contains ingap
tic sol uti on tha t effectively and benign Unfortunately, Semakau is unable to contain Singapore’s waste. Accord-
technocra iron-
on that reveals the env ing to the NEA,population and economic growth haveled to a seven-fold
digging up informati
ing wast e. I start by u Landfill. Among
ons tru cti on and operation of Semaka increase in the amountofsolid waste that Singaporeans generate each day,
S aal
ment ncosts of the €
s wh oO
from 1,260 tonnesin 1970 to 8,443 tonnesin 2017."3 In short, Semakauis
ige
i nous islan der
i tor y of ind
his i
the forgotten
before me eae
J encounter
the rubble ?

la u Se ki ig an d Pulau Semakau homesince beingstuffed by our growing appetites, and by the throwaway culture of
called Pu last Southern sane s
"_
. Th e landfill con struction demolished the capitalism.It is now expectedto befilled in 2035, meaning thatits projected
era were eeea
ssea people “_ life span has shortened from 46 years to 36. How many Semakauswill it take
g Laut, the indigenou
belonged to the Oran slan
tural and historica l erasure of indigenousi to contain Singapore’s waste? And for how long? As we can see, Semakau
to HDB flats.” The cul capitalist develo P
ment
processes of
colonisation, Landfill is fundamentally unsustainable.
ies uncovers
intertwined
exposes the i tories
indiigenous his
te. i g dis
Retrievin i carded ind Butthinking along these familiar, technocratic environmentalist lines
rfl owi ng was
and ove e 0 f care for
and is a tic
iti
cri i restoriing a cultur
al step in only leads me to imagine more eco-efficient forms of waste management
the true costs of was te,
Anthropocene. with lower carbon emissionsand larger capacity. Is that the answer?
4 liveable future in the

l Harms
placed Environmenta Discarded Indigenous Histories
Slow Violence and Dis
AsI researchedthe history of Pulau Semakau and Seking, the islands that
y P .
‘Sa J
Dingg:
Ww aste b aro
are nowfilled with the incinerated ashesof Q-tips, condomsand dabao bags,
es ceni C imag ning and
sand miini
, for starters,
en V jro nment. I ake
the natura l 3 6 million
of rock and
re lan dfi ll, lion tonnes
illi
4. 5 mil I found that behind the construction ofa pristine artificial environmentis
1 oO construct
the offsho
i g ocean or extracte
rroundin
er dredged from the su
tonnes of sand were eith
 Eating Chilli Crab in the Anthropocene

a troubling history of displaced i ndigenous p eople. I thought that the envi­

ronmental problems with Semakau were limited to marine conser vation,

emissions, p ollution and landfill capacity, but I was w rong. Understanding

Semakau Landfill r equires an understanding of the histories, livelihoo ds,
and f orms of knowledg e that have also b een discarded.

Semakau Landfill was not sited on empty ground, but built on the debris
of two islands which had been inhabited until 1994. Pulau Seking, which

was joined with Pulau Semakau to constitute the eco-landfill, was the last
Southern island where i ndigenous islanders lived as they had in pre-colonial
Singapor e. Their ancestors are the Orang Laut, who comprised a tenth of
the one thousand'inhabitants of Singap ore in 1819. 14 By forcibly relocat­

ing them into HDB flats, the construction of Semakau Landfill terminate d
15
the i ndigenous islanders' intergenerational memory of living at sea. This
process of indigenous displacement and erasure first starte d with colonisa­
tion, but only intensified after indep endence in 1965. As I demonstrate in
this chapter, connecting environmental issues to indigenous displacement
and erasure is a critical part of addressing the cultural and s ocial roo ts o f the

environm ental crises that we face today.

Changing Course: Jewel Changi and
the Ethics of Aviation
Mathias Ooi Yikai

LIKE A SCENE from Jurassic Park, a torrential 40-metre waterfall drops

vertically in the middle of a dense rainforest. Dappled sunlight filters
through the mistyair, casting tiny, prismatic rainbowsin the spray.It’s easy
to get lost among thelush vegetation, amidst the sounds and smells of the
verdantlandscape. One almost expectsto find an acid-spitting dilophosau-
rus hiding behind a fern, ready to pounce.
But this isn’t Jurassic Park. This is Jewel, the most recent addition to
Changi Airport’s sprawling 13 million square feet of buildings and termi-
nals, and Singapore’s latest attempt at increasing its already considerable
air passengertraffic and cementingitself as a “deliberate destination” for
travellers from around the world.’ On an average day, throngs of camera-tot-
ing tourists, travellers in transit and proudlocals flood Jewel, lured by its
centrepiece, the HSBC Rain Vortex, supposedly “the world’s largest indoor
waterfall.”* After taking in the otherworldly beauty of the atrium, they go
on to patronise the complex’s carefully curated selection of local offerings
and international brands, ranging from Singapore’s first Shake Shack,the
American burger franchise, to the Pokémon Centre, a Japanese merchan-
dise store for fans of the popular Nintendoseries. At the official opening
of Jewel in 2019, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong describedit as a symbol
of the nation’s ambition “to create new possibilities for ourselves.”? Andit’s
true that Jewel, with its “mythical garden” aesthetic and its smorgasbord of
attractions (including sleek canopy bridges, bouncy sky nets and a mani-
cured hedge maze), has reinvented the modernairport.‘ In the words of New
York Times journalist Stephanie Rosenbloom,“While an airportis typically
 Eating Chilli Crab in the Anthropocene Changing Course

a limbo-a swinging door between where you've been and where you're Such growth is deeply unsettling. Greater investment in airport infra­
going-Changi is the rare airport that invites you to stay."5 The outlandish structure, reduced airfares and the desirability of travel in the twenty-first
luxury of Jewel has intrigued observers and tourists around the world, draw­ century have come at exactly the wrong time. The steep trajectory of avia­
b O 0 50 million visitors within the first
ino a stagoerino six months of its opening.6 tion's impact on the environment can no longer be ignored as demand for air
But at what cost? travel continues to grow-rampant, unchecked and faster than previously
Jewel epitomises Singapore's persistent commitment to expanding predicted.13 While aviation has contributed less than 3 per cent of global
its aviation sector, a drive that stems from an insatiable need to compete. carbon emissions in recent years,14 it is expected to expand to 22 per cent by
Of course, Singapore isn't alone in this endeavour. The desire for greater 1
2050. 5 Airplanes run on conventional jet fuel derived from petroleum, and
economic growth has pitted the world's wealthiest nations against each release harmful greenhouse gas emissions that are made even more destruc­
other in a never-ending race for the largest slice of the aviation pie. Jewel tive due to the height at which they occur.16 In addition, soot particles in
is just one step in Singapore's innovative strategy to stay ahead of its rivals, the contrails of airplanes react with water vapour to form temporary cirrus
a strategy that has landed Changi the Skytrax World's Best Airport award clouds that block surface heat radiation from escaping into space.1 7 The
for seven consecutive years. Its rivals are similarly motivated to compete, result is that the aviation industry is more responsible for global warming
innovate and expand. Come 2023, Hong Kong International Airport is set than we might think. One study places the actual impact of aviation at 5 per
to go toe-to-toe with Changi when its Sky City development, a large "inte­ cent of total global greenhouse gas emissions-almost double that implied by
grated destination" much like Jewel, is complete.7 Come 2023, the glow of emission statistics alone.18
whatever competitive advantage Jewel has eked out for Singapore may all There are no two ways about it: by encouraging flight, Changi and its
but fade. competitors are complicit in exacerbating the climate crisis.
This relentless competition and expansion is part of a positive feedback
loop that generates further demand for and expansion of aviation. Increased
revenue from Jewel will enable the Changi Airport Group to reduce costs
for airlines, incerltittising them to "gr.ow the Singapore hub by adding desti­
nations and bumping up frequencies," which should, in turn, reinforce the
airport's attractiven_ess to airlines and travellers alike.8 After Jewel comes
the Terminal 5 mega-project, to which the government has already commit­
ted at least S$9 billion.9 Terminal 5 will be Changi's largest, with a capacity
of 50 million passengers per year, 10 and will help the airport handle unprec­
edented levels of air passenger traffic from 2030 onwards." Along with an
additional runway, the new terminal will mean more flights, new routes and
possibly cheaper airfares (as a result of competition and economies of scale),
making flying even more attractive for consumers.12 Singapore demonstrates
the symbiotic relationship between infrastructure and demand: as airports
are incentivised to grow continually, passengers are encouraged to fly more,
and more, and more.
 Learning to Thrive:
Educating Singapore's Children for a
Climate-Changed World
Al Lim and Feroz Khan

Throop s ees thes e domma • nt virtues sittino at the

heart of an unsustam .
able consum er c . -
ulture and th
b
cha ces of s ur
ing in the Anthrop ocene ;� � iving and thriv­
e

. Vir;::: �: �
roop s p ersp ectiv
tions to think• feel and act . ' e, are "disp osi-
m way s we deem
' to be oo d " as well a s "a
skilful habits, both cognitiv cq uired
e and moral." Th
e tab� :eio w s
_
dominant vi rtues with so umma nses these
' mes·mg ap ore-sp ec1·&c ma .
mfestati ons.
Dominant
virtue Linked concepts
In Singapore, this looks like
...
T he world is abundant.
Acquire possessions, pursue Pursue the 5 Cs: cash car
Abundance success, enjoy luxury and condominium, countr; club
(as opposed convenience and increase credit card. Customers mus:
tofrugality) material consumption. Avoid never be inconvenienced.
inconvenience and More sand for more land.
. insufficiency. More tuition, better grades.
Humans can and s,hould
Even if sea level rises, Singa-
control their surroundinos
pore will keep reclaimino
Control (as Technology gives people tli� land using Dutch technolo:
opposed to power to modify and shape y
like polders. Gardens by thbe
shared environments to their
adaptation) Bay is a beautiful, futuristic
liking. Cultivate ambition
model of how humans can
dominance, a can-do attitude
live in harmony with (exert
and the will to power.
control over) nature.
People know enough to decide
_ Singapore's leaders know
the best course of action.
best. Alternative groups have
Conviction Argue forcefuIIy and clearly
(as opposed nothing to offer because
and be sceptical of those wh
to humility) o they are inexperienced and
express doubt or uncertainty.
incompetent. Strong leader-
Frame problems in the cleare
st ship is Singapore's greatest
(and often simplest) way.
resource.
 Eating Chilli Crab in the Anthropocene

Strive to wi n. When everyon e
competes , welfare imp roves.
Competition Focus on outcomes. Resources
(as opposed to m ay be abundant, but oppor­
collaboration) tu nities are scarce and the
be st will seize them. Avoid
weakne ss or vul nerability.
Success e s and f ailures are
Individualism c aus ed by individu al compo-
(as oppos ed to nents and people. Peopl e
systems­ deserve what they get. Shared
thinking) investmen t is only worthwhile
if it creates i ndividual benefits.
A meritocracy where
everyon e compete s is how
society should work. Singa-
pore must alw ay s remain
competitive internationally.
Pre ssure m akes diam onds;
Singapore's leaders rose to
the top of the ranks, so they
deserve to lead.
Singapore's founders built
this country through shee r
will and determination. No
one owes anyo ne a living. If
something b r e aks, find the
faulty p art and replace it,
like the SMRT CEO. 21

Table r.• Five domi nant virtues in consumer cultu re , their linked conce t and
• ��
their Singaporean exp res�10ns. Virtues and linked concepts are adapte om
.
Throop.22 Singapore an mamfe stat10ns are our own applications of thes e virtue s to
the local co nt�xt.

To be clear , we are not argum• g that these are the only virtues taught in Singa-
. .
por e's educational system or the only virtues present m Smgapore; nor ar
�
we claimino that' these virtues are inherently bad and must b e suppres�
�
entirely. A : tr ong sense of conviction and a belief in the world's bou nti l

abundance can b e useful or even necessary in some contexts . Instead_ of

eliminating the do minant v1r • tues ent1• rely, Throop argues for a rebalancmg
. . .
of virtues to e nable sus tainable th nvmg.
• • Tioday's dommant v1rtues moti-
.
vate many of the Social' economic and political choices that have led the
world to the present state of climate cn• si• s. Th ey must be de-emph asi· sed and
r eplaced if subseque nt generat10n
• s are to th nv • em• a hotter less stable and
more turbul ent world.
 Transition Virtues and Ho
w to Teach Them.Earth Ed . . .
. .. • ucat1on m Smgapore
It is desir able, p ossible and
necessary to shift educati
o n tow ards hat
T oop calls transition virtue
s:frugality, adaptation, hum
�
::chs:s:�:s-thinking. Sin ility col lab or; .
_ _ gapo_re will not be the first c
ountry t: co ntemp
, nor will It be makmg a risk l::
• y bet . .
There 1s mc
. . .
p_rom1smg evidence from sch • re asm gly rich and
olarly literature de ..
alino with these t
v1rtues, supported by our o b rans1t10n
. Wi wn eth nographic work exploring
Smo Forest School
oapore• . e summanse • Throop,
s transition virtues and im
porean poss1b1ht ... ag ine Sinoa-
1es in the table below. b

I
Transition
virtue Linked concepts In Singapore
this could look like...
The world is finite.Pursue
Build a zero-waste neigh-
efficiency and cultivate thrift.
bou rhood.Empower karano
Frugality Avoid waste and excess.Use . and waste worker b
(as opposed to gum s.
r�sources carefully.Enjoy
Spread Repair Kopitiams
abundance) mtangible goods such as
across Singapore.32 Empha-
community, family, nature
sise leisure time over leisure
and leisure.
spending.
People do not and cannot - -G�food-locally. S�pport
Adaptation con trol their surroundinos vulnerable groups close to the
b "
(as opposed to Co nditions can chanoe unpre- coastline.Invest in mental
control) dict ably. Cultivate r:silience health, resilient systems and
flexibility and generosity to fail-safes.Support neioh-
help those less able to adapt. bourmg. b
nations at risk of
climate-related disasters.
 Anthropocene
Eating Chilli Crab in the

ead
ed Host open town halls inst
Human knowledge is limit s ssi ns.
e. of meet-the-peopl
and not always generalisabl nd
e o

c mm
e

e Acknowledge and
Other perspectives may hav ut
e

inp
o

civic groups for th ir .

just as much value as our
Humility
(as oppo sed to h th
e

ms with Form coalitions wit

own. Frame proble
er

orobanisations and regional

o

d.
their full co mplexity in min
conviction)
s. groups.
Listen respe ctfully to other

Strive to understand and car End streaming across all

e

f or others first. Dis t ibu te

educati onal tracks.
Promote
fai ly. learning,
r

benefits and bur d ns social and emoti nal

-
r

Op p rtu ls and
e

s. g skil
o
Collaboration Focus on proc ss includinot) listenin
(as opposed to g
o

w kin ma king
e

d by on-
e

nities are creat collective decisi

C eat ty
or

tfu lly. mm uni

e
competition) toboether though
e
skills. Support c
n es.
r

ev y r s urc
o

trust and safety f or er o e

proj ects with shar ed e o

involv e d.

ds
Establish baseline standar
Successes and failures are e's
er- of living. Address Singap
caused by complex and int
or
abl
involvement in unsustain
linked systems. Systems dm
e

n
s systems in finance, shippi ?
produce negative outco m�
Systems-
industries. Rev1s1t
even if individual
s do nothmg and other
thinking
(as opposed to rs historical narratives and
wrong. Redundancy confe
e of c lebrate communities and
resilience and is not a wast
individualism)
n•
policies, not just G reat Me
e

resources o r capacit
ies.

. al mamfestations
1 ed concepts and po tenti
es, their l"nk
Table 2: Five transition virtu dapte d f m Tbroop.3l
. ed concepts are a
in Singapore. V irtues and l"nk gap oreans.
ro

. o ations as Sin
Manifestations are drawn 1 from our 1·mamn

to Sinoapore an
s. Many of our
Som e of th ese virtues will be very fam1 iar ·r � CPF
.
titutions support
frugality-consi·der how
national narratives and ins e-
" • are always framed as prudent measures to saf
and our res rv p 1 ici s
. investing
pl e.34 The Smt:> oapore governm ent is also
e

xam
o

f
e

,
e

ouard th fu ur . cal self-suf-

te ad apt ation me
asures and improvinot:> lo
e

ima
or

cl"
e

al
t

ion
e

in c nv n Other
t:>

. th at we are not stranoers to adaptive virtues.35

ficiency, suggestm g
o e t

.
e sy s�ems -t�- nk.
hich mioht challeng
b l ss fam ilia , hk
virtues will
e

_ . y. O r
etermmat 10n an
iv1;ual resp�nsibilit
mi;�•
r

s lf-d
e
� .
f
e

p opul ar n otl· o ns o e