Written Answer by Ministry of National Development on progress of the plan to plant 1 million new trees by 2030

Feb 2, 2021

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the progress of the plan to plant 1 million new trees by 2030; (b) what is the expected carbon sequestration capacity of these new trees when the target is reached; and (c) whether there are plans to plant new trees to offset the clearing of forests in areas under active development.

Answer:

The OneMillionTrees movement was launched in April 2020 to involve the community in planting one million additional trees across Singapore between 2020 and 2030, and to foster greater stewardship of our greenery and nature in Singaporeans. These one million trees will sequester an estimated 78,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. As the trees continue to mature, their carbon sequestration capacities will continue to increase.

Currently, almost 150,000 trees have been planted under the movement. These efforts have involved more than 1,000 participants from our Friends of the Parks communities, schools, nature groups, corporate partners and other organisations.  

The OneMillionTrees movement also contributes towards our larger vision of transforming Singapore into a City in Nature, where we are extending and enhancing our green spaces, strengthening the connectivity between them, and integrating greenery into our built environment. This is on top of our existing greenery replacement measures to offset clearance due to development, such as replacement tree planting and increasing greenery and other natural elements in urban areas. Through our various greenery efforts, we will enhance liveability and climate resilience, strengthen biodiversity conservation and improve access to nature for all Singaporeans.