Based on this little intro, you might already be wondering just how environmentally friendly a nation such as Singapore is, given that in that just 200 years ago, the nation has lost 73% of its animals and plants. What exactly is Singapore’s policy on the environment and more specifically climate change? What actions are being done to combat climate change? What is in store for the future? In this post, we aim to answer those very questions and gain insight into Singapore’s perspective on climate change.
First, let’s take a look at what the Peoples Actions Party or the PAP, the governing party of Singapore, has to say regarding the issue. Minister for the environment and water resources, Masagos Zulkifli, has previously stated that climate change is a big issue, especially for a low lying island like Singapore, and that we must “make our legacy a sustainable city”, as we pass on our nation to the next generation. Furthermore, he has also stated that everyone must work together to reduce Singapore’s climate footprint, hence why the government has designated 2018 as our “year of action”.
Singapore’s actions on the international stage have so far been in accord with this view, taking part in several global treaties and policies. For instance, Singapore has been a proud signatory of the Paris Agreement since it was drafted in 2015, with a target of reducing emissions intensity by 36% from 2005 levels by 2030. They have even reaffirmed their commitment on June 2nd of 2017, directly after the United States withdrew their signatory status. Furthermore, Singapore has ratified the preceding Kyoto Protocol in 2006 and its predecessor, the UNFCCC in 1997.
While it certainly is a step forward, signing treaties alone is not going to bring global emissions. After all, while it may be easy to create a goal or target to achieve, following through on it is an entirely different matter (think new year resolution). What exactly is Singapore doing to achieve the goals that it has imposed on itself?
Well, for one, it has detailed out a comprehensive plan for the years 2017 to 2020 that aims to tackle a wide range of issues relating to climate change; from utilization of clean energy to increase energy efficiency and even raising awareness about the issue within the nation. The plan is divided into 4 section, each tackling a different aspect of the issue. For instance, one of the sections is all about setting sustainability goals to achieve, such as using more solar energy (350 MWp of solar deployment to be exact). That’s enough to power just over 2.7 million Singaporean households(4 bedroom apartments) for the duration of an entire year. If we were to consider three bedroom or two bedroom apartments, this number would be higher still.
Another section of the plan involves all agencies of the public sector to set FY 2020 sustainability targets and declare their commitment to achieving them through better resource management. To aid this process, all ministries and organs of state have already been appointed Sustainability Managers (SM), who will guide them towards eventual realization of their goals.
Now, all this does paint a rather rosy picture of Singapore and its commitment to positive change, and in the interest of remaining impartial, it is only fair to mention that there have been some criticisms levied at the efforts of Singapore and our commitment to environmental sustainability.
So there you have it, the essential overview to Singapore and its thought on the environment and climate change. If you do want to know more about the environment and renewable energy in general, as well as some of the great initiatives that are going on in Singapore too, be sure to explore some of the articles on our website. Until next time.
Primary amongst these is Singapore’s Paris commitment, which has been criticised as being “highly insufficient” by several, including the Climate Action Tracker organization. The main complaint is the fact that the nature of the target such that Singapore is highly likely to achieve it, without “implementing any additional policies”, which, considering Singapore’s “high economic capacity”, is a “very weak climate target” and needs to be updated.