Singapore is not insulated from the impact of climate change. From 1972 to 2014, the annual mean temperature has increased from 26.6°C to 27.7°C. The mean sea level in the Straits of Singapore has also increased at the rate of 1.2mm to 1.7mm per year in the period 1975 to 2009. Rainfall has become more intense in recent years. According to Singapore’s Second National Climate Change Study, there has been a general uptrend in annual average rainfall from 2192mm in 1980 to 2727mm in 2014. In 2001, the first recorded cyclone near the equator, Typhoon Vamei, swept north of Singapore and caused major flooding in the region. It is uncertain whether such tropical cyclones near the equator will occur more frequently in the future. Read the full article