At the grand entrance of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City is a relic from the past that speaks of the world’s future. Now that a global pact to steer the world away from catastrophic climate change has been inked, a quote on a wall aptly sums up the world’s ambition to treat “natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased, and not impaired, in value”. Former United States president Theodore Roosevelt said this nearly a century ago. Today, this sentiment is known by a more familiar catchphrase: sustainable development. It is internationally defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own. Singapore has jumped on the bandwagon. Today, the Republic boasts green cars, green buildings and research into green energy. But what does being a responsible steward of natural assets have to do with Singapore – a country with no natural resources? Singapore has been consuming natural resources from beyond its borders – resources under threat by climate change.... Continue Reading