Posted with permission from ESG Impact Zone

by Mark Segal

Singapore’s Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) announced the appointment of Lim Tuang Liang as its first ever Government Chief Sustainability Officer (GCSO), responsible for driving the government’s sustainability efforts.

The appointment follows the establishment in 2021 of the Singapore Green Plan 2030, the government’s sustainable transition strategy aimed at strengthening Singapore’s commitment to the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Targets under the plan include quadrupling solar energy deployment by 2025, reducing waste to landfill 30% by 2030, reducing water consumption, greening buildings, and requiring cleaner energy cars.

Singapore has also committed to reaching peak emissions around 2030, and has recently announced an acceleration of its ambition to reach net zero emissions by around mid-century, from its prior commitment of halving emissions by 2050 and achieving net zero “as soon as viable in the second half of the century.”

The Green Plan is supported by Singapore’s GreenGov.SG initiative, which includes public sector sustainability commitments, such as peaking carbon emissions around 2025, requiring government agencies to purchase products that meet high efficiency or sustainability standards, and considering companies’ sustainability-related policies and practices when evaluating government tenders.

In the newly created role, Lim will help drive these plans, overseeing MSE’s Public Sector Sustainability Office (PSSO) and Sustainability Partnerships Office (SPO), working with public sector agencies to develop and coordinate strategies for GreenGov.SG, and spearheading partnerships with businesses, civil society partners and individuals on advancing the sustainability agenda.

Lim has been serving as Chief Science and Technology for MSE since February 2021, overseeing research, innovation and enterprise development efforts to meet national and industry objectives, and driving technology innovation and adoption to meet Singapore’s environmental sustainability goals. Prior to joining MSE, he served as Executive Director, Innovation & Enterprise Group for National Research Foundation Singapore, and as Chief of Staff – Joint Staff in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).