The government recently announced big steps forward in Singapore’s renewable energy future, it intends to install solar panels across all new Housing Development Board blocks, with costs of installation about 40 percent less than before.

Read more: Hydrogen a more sustainable bet for Singapore’s energy future — Jason Tan Han Wei

To some, having "green fingers" is seen as a gift. But what about having a way with plants, and being able to run a successful business?

Veera Sekaran, 55, has both. He is the founder and managing director of Greenology, a company specialising in urban greenery. Greenology has about 39 employees, including foreign workers.

When Mr Veera first mooted the idea of providing "green walls", better known as vertical gardens, many people advised him against doing it.

Greenology was set up in 2008, during the financial crisis.

"Many people told me nobody would want to have a vertical garden because it is considered a luxury, and it was in the middle of a financial crisis then," he says.

Read more: Creating a vertical urban jungle

As with the rest of the world, Singapore, too, will face more extreme conditions as the world warms, experts told The Sunday Times as recent weather events continue to wreak havoc in the northern hemisphere.

Read more: Singapore faces more weather extremes as world warms