Singapore could spend S$100 billion or more over the next 50 to 100 years to adapt to climate change and rising sea levels, said its prime minister Lee Hsien Loong in one of his biggest political speeches of the year on Sunday. The island nation is especially vulnerable to rising sea levels and climate defences are as important as the armed forces, said its prime minister. Much of the country lies no more than four metres above the mean sea level which scientists have said will bear the brunt of melting ice sheets in the Arctic and Antarctic. Sea levels are projected to rise by up to one metre by the end of the 21st century. The authorities have determined that Singapore’s eastern coastline and the city centre are particularly vulnerable and will be given priority. Many options are being discussed including reclaiming a series of offshore islands, connecting them with barrages and creating a freshwater reservoir.

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