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This year, although Singapore recorded heat records with temperatures not seen in forty years, its inhabitants suffered little as the city has successfully adapted to global warming. The city-state champions natural ventilation, tree-lined streets and more energy-efficient buildings. This policy has the support of the highest levels of Government, making Singapore the greenest metropolis in the world and a laboratory for the city of the future.
With an average temperature of 28°C (82.4°F), which feels like 32°C (89.6°F) with humidity, Singapore's 6 million people endure persistent heat all year round. Located near the equator, the city-state has a key challenge: remaining habitable despite global warming.
The situation is urgent: in the last 60 years, the city has warmed twice as fast as the rest of the world due to its unbridled economic development. As Southeast Asia's leading financial center, Singapore has become one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Cement and asphalt trap heat, while air conditioners, present in 80% of homes, expel hot air into the streets.
Since 2006, the tropical metropolis has been transformed into a green city, with parks and gardens. About 47% of the “garden city” is now covered with vegetation. The 7 million trees planted help cool the air by several degrees and the Government plans to plant a million more by 2030. In addition, Singapore wants to focus on green urban planning. Energy-neutral buildings have sprung up all over the city. They are covered with vegetation and sometimes open to the outside so that the natural breeze replaces the use of air conditioning.
But will all these options be enough in the coming years? Our correspondent reports.
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