Global environmental challenges will continue to confront the world. From pollution by hazardous industrial waste in the 1970s to ozone layer depletion in the 1980s and climate change in the 1990s, the importance of environmental management has grown and become more transboundary in nature, in tandem with increased urbanization and population growth.

Singapore firmly believes that global environmental responsibility must first begin at home. The government's priority thus lies in ensuring that domestic environmental issues are well managed, which provides the foundation for moving beyond Singapore's shores to collaborating with the international community on global environmental issues.

In the early years, Singapore lacked the necessary expertise in the environmental sector and relied on international assistance for its capacity building needs. In developing infrastructure and experimenting to find workable solutions for its environmental and water challenges, Singapore has gained useful best practices and experiences along the way. It is now thus able to contribute and share its experience with other countries that may be facing similar environmental challenges.

As Singapore built up its domestic environmental track record, it also became party to key Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) to partner the international community in solving shared environmental challenges. On accession to, or ratification of, these treaties, Singapore takes its obligations very seriously and puts in place systems and infrastructure to ensure that its responsibilities under these MEAs can be fulfilled. Despite being an export-oriented economy, Singapore did not pursue its trade interests at the expense of its environmental commitments, even if that meant foregoing certain economic opportunities. In seeking progress, every effort was made to balance the demands of economic development, social progress, and environmental sustainability.