Singaporean Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu Hai Yien
Grace Fu’s defining moment as Singapore’s leader in climate change came on March 4th 2021 when she delivered the speech “The Singapore Green Plan – A Pledge to Our Children and Future Generations”, marking the public launch of Singapore’s most ambitious climate policy framework to date. It was not just the unveiling of a plan, it was the moment Singaporeans began to understand what kind of leader Grace Fu intended to be. One who would transition from a technocrat to a moral and intergenerational voice of urgency. “Climate Change is one of the gravest threats facing mankind and Singapore,” she began; immediately raising attention to the issue being beyond the political sphere or economics but an existential risk that demanded systematic change.
By framing the climate crisis in this way, Fu was able to create a sense of urgency and a new narrative for environmental governance in Singapore. A narrative that combined personal conviction, national interests, and a moral responsibility. The speech arguably represents a strategic pivot in Singapore’s approach to sustainability as it was the first time a minister had framed the issue not merely in terms of pragmatic policy, but as a duty to future generations. In doing so, Fu moved away from Singapore’s historically technocratic framing of environmental issues and created emotive, civic, and ethical dimensions of climate responsibility.
In her speech, the language she repeatedly used in the speech unified citizens to highlight the shared responsibility. The repetition of “we”, “our,” “together” is a rhetorical strategy to emphasize that climate resilience is not only the responsibility of the government, but a collective project that involves all Singaporeans. This approach juxtaposed against Singapore’s traditional policy approach that tends to be top down, where the government acts while citizens comply; a social contract between government and citizens. When Fu states “this is a solemn pledge to our children and future generations,” she humanised the mission with the intent of calling on listeners not just as citizens, but as parents, and children evoking emotion from the audience.
The speech also signalled a critical shift in Singapore’s climate governance, a growing recognition that technology driven adaptation solutions alone were insufficient to address the scale and urgency of the climate crisis. In the past Singapore relied on adaptation strategies like coastal protection, desalinations, and advanced water recycling systems as a solution against environmental challenges. For decades, the government’s technocratic confidence in engineering solutions appeared to help the island from climate harm. However, Fu’s speech departed from this idea of overreliance as it no longer guarantees the long term survival for the nation. She also acknowledged that Singapore contributes “only around 0.1% of global emissions,” but then made a bold rhetorical turn: “if we can succeed in our plans, we will show the world how a small country with severe constraints is nevertheless able to take bold action.” This remark reasserted the country’s soft power and credibility on the global stage, suggesting that moral leadership does not have to be related to economic or geographic size.
Fu also addressed the immediate, tangible risks Singapore is facing. She included the fact that the country is low lying and vulnerable to sea level rise and food insecurity, since over 90% of the nation’s food is imported. She framed these problems as currently ongoing and critical. She painted a picture where if the country failed to act they would end up in the ocean or that the crisis could affect their water and food supply. This made the threats real and personal to her audience. True security means the country must step away from passive adaptation to active mitigation strategies and that is what Fu is proposing.
In many parts of the world, climate change is still viewed as a far away problem that someone else will handle. Fu challenged this mentality. She insisted that these threats were “not tomorrow’s problems, but today’s,” she sought to close the psychological distance between the public and the climate crisis.
Fu went further, stressing the importance of embedding sustainability into “our DNA”. This phrase captured her vision of climate action being more than just policy; instead it must be part of an individual’s everyday lives. The public attitudes, consumption habits, and collective consciousness must change. Sustainability must become a daily way of life. She exemplified this by launching GreenGov.SG which expands its reach to open food courts with various independent food stalls known as hawker centers, hospitals, and waste to energy plants. These changes presented how the government is serious about making climate action part of daily life from what people eat to how their waste is managed.
Since this speech took place in 2021, Grace Fu has continued to make true on her words and represented Singapore on numerous occasions; from the United Nations, COP, to ASEAN forums while advocating for regional cooperation and stressed the importance of collective action across Southeast Asia, where water scarcity and biodiversity loss threaten regional stability.
Fu distinguished herself as a climate leader in this case by offering a new perspective on climate change based on commitment and responsibility to future generations. She does not just outline the bleak outcomes of climate change, but offers possibilities for change. She offers a blueprint for small states navigating similar challenges. She managed to articulate a vision with her speech and ultimately made it her defining moment in climate leadership.
IExRAIA Summer Research Program:
This article is an excerpt from a report on Grace Fu produced as part of an RAIA research program on climate leaders. For a full picture of Ruto’s climate leadership, including the sources, read the full report. This project was fully financed by IE University’s IE School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs.
Author: Pilar Gonzalez & Gaspard Brabant
Editor: Ángel Rodríguez Moreno
Project Leads: Roxane de Bergevin & Stefani Obradovic
