Singapore Renews Participation in the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group as an Observer City

Singapore has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the C40[1] Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) today to renew its participation in C40 as an Observer City.

The C40 is a network of cities committed to implementing meaningful and sustainable climate-related actions locally that will address climate change globally. The network includes 66 cities such as Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Jakarta, Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, London, New York, Sao Paulo, Seoul and Tokyo. It collaborates with several international organisations such as the World Bank, OECD, the Clinton Climate Initiative and the World Resources Institute, on initiatives that advance urban action on climate change solutions.

Singapore first joined the C40 as an Observer City in March 2012. Our participation has allowed us to learn from the best practices of other C40 cities in areas such as building energy efficiency, transportation, climate change resilience and adaptation. Singapore has also contributed to C40 by sharing our experiences in urban development and transport infrastructure.

Singapore’s efforts in promoting urban sustainability and addressing climate change were also recognised by C40 in 2013 when it was presented with the C40 and Siemens City Climate Leadership Award.[2]

Due to its unique circumstances as a city-state, Singapore will continue to participate as an Observer City and will not be a party to communiqués issued by the C40. Under the MOU, the C40 and Singapore will work towards the shared goals of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions and supporting adaptation measures to avoid the harmful impacts of climate change. This will include participating in C40 initiatives as well as developing case studies to facilitate knowledge exchange with other cities.

[1] For more information on C40, please visit www.c40.org.

[2] Singapore won in the “Intelligent City Infrastructure” category for our intelligent transport system, described by C40 as a suite of “smart” transportation technologies, including one of the world’s first Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) systems, real time traffic information delivered through GPS-enabled taxis, and a highly integrated public transportation system.