National Climate Change Secretariat's Addendum to the President's Address in 2016 by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change

Overview

As a small, low-lying city state, Singapore is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, such as sea level rise and more frequent extreme weather events. We will strengthen our resilience against the risks from climate change and manage our greenhouse gas emissions to achieve economic growth in a sustainable manner. We are already on track to fulfil our existing commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 16 per cent below business as usual by 2020.

Advancing Global Efforts to Address Climate Change

A historic, new global climate agreement was adopted in Paris in December 2015 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Singapore played an active role in forging consensus on the Agreement. In line with the Agreement, Singapore has made a further commitment to reduce our Emissions Intensity^[1] by 36 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030, and stabilise greenhouse gas emissions with the aim of peaking around 2030.

Reducing Our Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Our UNFCCC pledge is an ambitious one and will require concerted effort by all stakeholders, including the Government, businesses, households, and individuals. Existing policies and measures will need to be enhanced; new initiatives will also be introduced. This will involve significant adjustments to the way we lead our daily lives. Stakeholders will be engaged to gather feedback on the enhancements and new measures needed.

Enhanced energy efficiency will play a key role in our efforts to manage emissions. We will promote the adoption of more efficient industrial and power generation technologies, and encourage the use of more energy efficient buildings, transportation, and household appliances.

Our industries will have to step up efforts to re-examine their processes and implement measures to enhance energy efficiency and reduce emissions. This will be complemented by mandatory measures under the Energy Conservation Act, as well as various capability building programmes, incentives and financing schemes. We will also study ways to harness more clean energy. For example, solar deployment will be scaled up from the current 47MWp, to provide around 350MWp of electricity by 2020.

Household energy efficiency will continue to be improved through the Mandatory Energy Labelling Scheme, which provides information to help consumers make more informed decisions when purchasing household appliances. The Minimum Energy Performance Standards scheme will ensure that only household electrical appliances^[2] that meet minimum energy performance standards can be sold in Singapore. More categories of appliances will be added to the scheme over time. With reduced energy consumption, businesses and consumers will enjoy cost savings.

We will also continue to invest in research and technology to develop innovative solutions to address Singapore’s needs in the areas of energy, emissions reduction, water, and land use. As Singapore’s base of green companies expands, Singaporeans can look forward to more high-value jobs in exciting new areas such as solar energy, energy storage solutions, and clean transportation, and contribute to improving our quality of life and living environment.

Building Singapore’s Resilience to Climate Change

The first phase of the 2nd National Climate Change Study completed in April 2015 provides the long-term climate projections for Singapore. We will build on these projections to assess the impact on Singapore and develop plans to enhance our resilience in areas such as coastal protection, water resources, and urban infrastructure.

Everyone to Play a Part

Meeting our climate commitment will require everyone to play a part. We will promote climate awareness through public education and outreach programmes. We will build capacity in and support efforts by the people, private and public sectors for climate action. Together, we can build Singapore as an enduring and sustainable home which current and future generations of Singaporeans can enjoy and be proud of.

^[1] Emissions Intensity refers to the amount of greenhouse gas emitted per dollar GDP. It is a measure of how efficient a country is in terms of greenhouse gas emissions relative to its economic activities.

^[2] The scheme currently covers air-conditioners, refrigerators, clothes dryers and general lighting.