Text by Teresa Teo Guttensohn and Pui Cuifen, Photos by Andrew Tay
“Saving our glaciers is a survival strategy for people and the planet.” – United Nations, 2025
Cicada Tree Eco-Place observes World Water Day 2025 on 22 March.
The theme of UN World Water Day 2025 is ‘Glacier Preservation’. Even though Singapore is in the tropics and doesn’t have glaciers, we’re deeply connected to them through the global water cycle.
Glaciers store about 70% of the world’s freshwater. Increased glacier melting is contributing significantly to global sea-level rise, which affect’s Singapore low-lying areas.
Many regions depend on glaciers for freshwater, including countries that export food to Singapore. Changes in water availability can affect ecosystems, biodiversity, and availability of food.
Water is essential to the health of soil, forests, seas, oceans, and all living organisms. Nature’s water cycle moves water from land and ocean surfaces to the atmosphere and back to Earth’s surface. Humans have disrupted the water cycle in many parts of the world, leading to increasingly frequent and severe rain, floods, droughts, and fires.
What can we in Singapore do?
• Support regenerative land practices and reforestation practices to help enhance the health of soil and forest ecosystems
• Reduce our personal carbon and water footprints through making more sustainable lifestyle choices
• Advocate for policies that protect climate-vulnerable ecosystems
Akan datang! Watch this space to join our upcoming Water Story community film screening organised by Cicada Tree Eco-Place and Food Citizen. (Date, Time & Venue TBA)
“Climate change will present a new challenge for this generation and the next. Singapore will be subjected to unpredictable weather such as prolonged and more frequent dry spells, posing a risk to our water supply. We must respond with the same fortitude and determination as our pioneers to write the next chapter of Singapore’s Water Story.” – Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (Source: PUB)
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“Glaciers are melting faster than ever.
As the planet gets hotter, our frozen world is shrinking, making the water cycle more unpredictable.
For billions of people, meltwater flows are changing, causing floods, droughts, landslides and sea level rise.
Countless communities and ecosystems are at risk of devastation.
As we work together to mitigate and adapt to climate change, glacier preservation is a top priority.
We must reduce greenhouse gas emissions to slow down glacial retreat.
And, we must manage meltwater more sustainably.
Saving our glaciers is a survival strategy for people and the planet.” – United Nations (Source: UN)