e360 digest

17 Feb 2011: Singapore is Greenest City
In Asia, According to New Survey

Singapore has emerged as Asia’s greenest city thanks to a host of ambitious environmental programs and green initiatives, according to a new report. The Asia Green City Index — conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit and funded by Siemens — evaluated the environmental performance of 22 Asian cities in eight critical categories, including energy and carbon emissions, land use, waste, air quality, government enforcement, and resource management. One innovation cited in Singapore is an initiative to use micro-filtration to treat wastewater for re-use in industry or as drinking water. The report says that other Asian cities — including Tokyo, Seoul, and Taipei — have reduced pollution, increased energy efficiency, and reduced per capita consumption due to environmental initiatives. Among other findings, the report says Asian nations produce less waste (375 kilograms per capita) than Europe (511) or Latin America (465), and that annual carbon emissions per capita (4.6 tons) are lower than Europe (5.2 tons). Air pollution in Asian cities still remains a problem, the report said, exceeding World Health Organization standards in all metropolitan areas.

Yale Environment 360 is
a publication of the
Yale School of Forestry
& Environmental Studies.

SEARCH e360

CONNECT

Twitter: YaleE360
e360 on Facebook
Donate to e360
View mobile site
Bookmark
Share e360
Email newsletter
Subscribe to our feed:

ABOUT

About e360
Contact
Submission Guidelines
Reprints

e360 VIDEO

The Warriors of Qiugang, a Yale Environment 360 video that chronicles the story of a Chinese village’s fight against a polluting chemical plant, was nominated for a 2011 Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). Watch the video.

DEPARTMENTS

Opinion
Reports
Analysis
Interviews
e360 Digest
Video Reports

TOPICS

Biodiversity
Business & Innovation
Climate
Energy
Forests
Oceans
Policy & Politics
Pollution & Health
Science & Technology
Sustainability
Urbanization
Water

REGIONS

Antarctica and the Arctic
Africa
Asia
Australia
Central & South America
Europe
Middle East
North America

e360 VIDEO REPORT

As temperatures rise and water supplies dry up, tribes in East Africa increasingly are coming into conflict. A Yale Environment 360 video reports on a phenomenon that could become more common: how worsening drought will pit groups — and nations — against one another. Watch the video.

e360 MOBILE

The latest
from Yale
Environment 360 is now available for mobile devices at e360.yale.edu/mobile.



Top Image: aerial view of Iceland. © Google & TerraMetrics.

e360 VIDEO REPORT

Leveling Appalachia: The Legacy of Mountaintop Removal Mining, an e360 video examining the environmental and human impacts of this mining practice, won the award for best video in the 2010 National Magazine Awards for Digital Media. Watch the video.

OF INTEREST