SINGAPORE&nbsp;(Reuters) -&nbsp;Singapore&nbsp;launched a&nbsp;research&nbsp;facility on Thursday to find long-term solutions to protect it from the rise in&nbsp;sea&nbsp;levels&nbsp;from climate change that could put the country's low-lying land at risk of inundation.
Singapore's new Coastal Protection and Flood Resilience Institute (CFI&nbsp;Singapore) aims to bring in expertise and innovation to head off what government officials describe as the "existential threat" posed by&nbsp;rising&nbsp;sea&nbsp;levels, now increasing at a rate of around 3-4 millimetres a year.
Average&nbsp;sea&nbsp;levels&nbsp;are forecast to rise by 1 metre (3.3 feet) by the end of the century, but experts say the effects could be exacerbated by changing rainfall patterns, higher tides and more intense storm surges.
"If we don't do this well, our lives are at stake," Grace Fu,&nbsp;Singapore's environment minister, said during an opening ceremony.
Nearly a third of the Southeast Asian island nation's territory is only 5 metres or less above&nbsp;sea&nbsp;level, and with average annual rainfall at around 2,500 millimetres, it is already vulnerable to flooding.
Singapore&nbsp;has invested heavily to improve drainage and has built flood prevention infrastructure, including&nbsp;seawalls, tidal gates, and revetments to protect against erosion. It also launched a S$5 billion ($3.66 billion) coastal and flood protection fund in 2020.
CFI&nbsp;Singapore, a joint initiative by PUB,&nbsp;Singapore's water agency, and the National University of&nbsp;Singapore, has already launched&nbsp;research&nbsp;projects looking at new engineering possibilities like flexible&nbsp;seawalls as well as nature-based solutions using mangroves or&nbsp;seagrass to protect coastlines.
Experts said the bottom line for&nbsp;Singapore&nbsp;is to ensure that none of the country's land would be lost to&nbsp;rising&nbsp;sea&nbsp;levels. Future land reclamation projects would also be designed to protect against&nbsp;sea&nbsp;encroachment.
Fu said better protection against&nbsp;rising&nbsp;sea&nbsp;levels&nbsp;could also help "land-scarce"&nbsp;Singapore&nbsp;reclaim more territory.
($1 = 1.3644&nbsp;Singapore&nbsp;dollars)
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(Reporting by David Stanway; editing by Mark Heinrich)

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Singapore opens research centre to fight rising sea levels