Adaptation and Resilience in an Era of Climate Risk

Last Friday, SICC was honoured to welcome Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, for a timely and insightful dialogue on Singapore’s sustainability journey and the role of businesses in navigating emerging risks.

In her opening remarks, Minister Grace Fu highlighted two resounding themes – adaptation and resilience – underscoring that climate risk is no longer a distant concern but one that is already at our doorstep.

In conversation with moderator Mr Kelvin Tan, Deputy General Manager of Bank of China Singapore Branch, the discussion explored how businesses and the wider community must play an active role in driving meaningful change. While many actions begin with micro-level decisions, they remain essential in supporting broader national and global sustainability efforts.

The dialogue also emphasised that governments cannot act alone. Businesses have a critical role in ensuring policies remain relevant and impactful, with peer-to-peer engagement often proving to be one of the most effective ways of bringing sustainability messages to the ground.

As a key takeaway, Minister Grace Fu encouraged organisations to incorporate climate risk into their business risk assessments, alongside considerations such as energy security, supply chain disruptions and geopolitical developments, recognising that climatic events are no longer future possibilities but present-day realities.

We extend our sincere appreciation to Minister Grace Fu for sharing her valuable perspectives, Mr Kelvin Tan for moderating the dialogue, Bank of China Singapore Branch, the exclusive sponsor of the session, for its generous support, and to all participants for their active engagement and thoughtful contributions.

SICC remains committed to convening diverse stakeholders, fostering meaningful dialogue and advancing thought leadership on issues that shape the future of business and society.