Climate Change

Singapore has a National Climate Change Secretariat to deal specifically with the issue of climate change. This has been institutionalized within the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change (IMCCC) that overseas the climate change policies of different Government Ministries. In 2010 Singapore submitted its Second National Communication under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Also in, 2010 Singapore formally submitted a letter to the United Nations indicating association with the Copenhagen Accord and submitted nationally appropriate mitigation actions.

Singapore’s efforts to address climate change are hampered by key geographic, economic and infrastructure limitations. The small, densely-populated nature of Singapore as a city-state limits the ability to adequately track emissions, particularly individual emissions. Also, the geographic situation makes Singapore energy-poor, and limits its access to alternative energy sources. Singapore’s export-oriented economy means that the bulk of Singapore’s emissions are associated with the production of goods for the world market. One climate change issue facing Singapore is the urban heat island effect, which can result in warmer temperatures. This is being mitigated by increasing the amount of greenery in the city, which helps to lower the ambient temperature of surroundings while also creating a more natural and pleasant urban environment for citizens. The affects of rising sea levels and coastal erosion are partly mitigated by existing hard wall or stone embankments. The potential impact of climate change on Singapore include increased flooding, coastal land loss, water resource scarcity, heat stress, increased energy demand, public health impacts from the resurgence of diseases, and impacts on biodiversity. These potential effects are not caused by climate change alone, but certainly can be aggravated by adverse global climate change. Singapore has developed the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint (SSB) for sustainable development efforts through 2030. It summarizes Singapore’s approach to addressing the challenges of population growth, resource constraints and climate change. By formally submitting a letter to the UN indicating association with the Copenhagen Accord, Singapore is expected to commence implementation measures to reduce emissions from 7 to 11 % by 2020 based on projected business-as-usual (BAU) levels. Additionally, in 2009, Singapore pledged to undertake mitigation measures leading to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 16% below 2020 (BAU) levels, contingent on a legally-binding global agreement. Current mitigation measures taken by Singapore include a move toward less carbon intensive fuel (natural gas); increased energy efficiency at household, industry, building and transport levels; and government investment in research and development into clean energy alternatives.