Since 1990, Singapore has experienced amazing transformations, rising from a poor country to a rich one. Its population doubled from 3 million in 1990 to 6 million in 2023, and its GDP per capita increased almost sevenfold from $12,000 to $82,000. Singapore also grew its urban land by more than a fifth since its independence, mainly by reclaiming land from the sea, becoming one of the world's biggest sand buyers, with 517 million tonnes imported in the past two decades. However, these achievements have also created environmental problems, such as loss of wildlife, air contamination, and exposure to climate change.