Singapore Appoints Its First Chief Sustainability Officer

Singapore’s Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment announced the establishment of the position of Government Chief Sustainability Officer to advance its fight against the climate crisis.

On January 1st, 2023, Tuang Liang Lim began his tenure as Singapore’s first Government Chief Sustainability Officer (GCSO). Lim leaves the Chief Science and Technology Officer at the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment to take the new role.

Tuang Liang Lim, Singapore’s GCSO

Lim is charged with overseeing the Singapore Green Plan 2030, aimed at advancing the country’s agenda on sustainable development, which includes ambitious net-zero goals aligned with the Paris Agreement.

“It charts ambitious and concrete targets over the next 10 years, strengthening Singapore’s commitments under the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the Paris Agreement, and positioning us to achieve our net zero emissions aspirations,” said the ministry.

Under Lim’s supervision, public sector agencies and the Singapore government will develop and coordinate strategies that support sustainability targets. Lim will also head up the Government’s partnership stakeholders, which include businesses, civil society partners, and individuals.

Singapore sustainability targets

Under the Singapore Green Plan 2030, the country plans to quadruple its solar energy deployment by 2025, reduce its waste to landfill by 30 percent by 2030, reduce its overall water consumption, increase green buildings, and increase requirements for clean energy vehicles.

Singapore says it aims to reach peak emissions by 2030 and will speed up its efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050; it had previously said it would halve emissions by mid-century. Under Lim’s leadership, the country says it’s aiming to hit net-zero “as soon as viable.”

Singapore has also been working to reel in its food system by supporting food manufacturing and farming in the region. It launched its 30 by 30 initiative in 2019 aimed at producing 30 percent of its food locally by 2030.