Singapore is increasingly mainstreaming blended finance as part of its climate finance strategy. Through tax and finance partnership incentives for family offices, the country is mobilising public, private, and philanthropic capital to finance green projects across Asia. 1. The Financing Tool - Why Blended Finance Matters Now Blended finance combines public, concessional (finance provided on more favourable terms) or philanthropic funding with private investment to make high-

Singapore’s search for cool in the midst of climate change and urban heat The other day, I spent a few hours at Punggol Digital District, touted as a cornerstone of urban sustainability in Singapore. It is carefully planned and equipped with district cooling systems and green building features, that are designed to maximise passive ventilation, reduce the demand for electricity use for air-conditioning, and keep outdoor spaces relatively comfortable throughout the day. This i

There have been jokes and stories on the “middle child” syndrome – a sibling whose antics are generally ignored by the parents and, at times, are completely forgotten! In climate action, climate adaptation falls right in between climate mitigation, and loss and damage. The UNEP defines the terms as follows: “While mitigation addresses the causes of climate change (like reducing greenhouse gas emissions) and adaptation addresses its impacts (like building sea walls to prevent

For the past three decades, climate finance has been the defining fault line of the UN climate talks. The dispute is deceptively simple: poorer countries insist that the wealthy nations most responsible for historic emissions must pay to help them adapt and decarbonize, while richer states balk at open-ended financial commitments and want to broaden the number of donors (such as oil-rich countries). The result has been a cycle of unmet promises, turning climate finance into b

Biodiversity is the variety of life on earth at all levels and forms from genes and species to ecosystems. Human civilisation depends on its resources and services for its survival and well-being ranging from basic needs such as clean air, water, and food to cultural and recreational activities. Well-functioning ecosystems form the foundation of a healthy planet, even acting as climate regulators. However we have been extracting the resources at a rapid rate threatening biodi

Imagine organising a picnic. You invite family, friends, and neighbours—people who are important to the event’s success. You wouldn’t...