Singapore has set 2050 as the year its greenhouse gas emissions will reach net zero but aims for 2030 target.
Singapore public sector will commit to achieving net-zero emissions around 2045 while new developments within the Jurong Lake District will also reach net-zero emissions around 2045.
The country’s greenhouse gas emissions will reach about 60 million tonnes in 2030 after peaking earlier, compared with the previously envisaged 65 million tonnes in 2030.
Singapore National Climate Change Secretariat said it “will raise our national climate target to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 as part of our Long-Term Low-Emissions Development Strategy (LEDS). We will also reduce emissions to around 60 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) in 2030 after peaking emissions earlier as part of our revised 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).”
Singapore will submit these updates to the LEDS and 2030 NDC to the UNFCCC by the end of 2022.
This revision to Singapore’s national climate target builds upon its current LEDS and NDCs, as well as Singapore’s early actions towards sustainable development since independence. In 2009, Singapore had pledged to reduce our emission by 16 per cent below Business-as-Usual (BAU) levels by 2020 ahead of the Copenhagen Summit under the Copenhagen Accord. Singapore has achieved this pledge – our 2020 emissions of 52.8 MtCO2e is equivalent to 32 per cent below our Business-as-Usual (BAU) levels.
Singapore is an alternative energy disadvantaged island city-state and these targets are contingent on technological advances and the economic viability of low-carbon technologies such as hydrogen and carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), as well as effective international collaborations in areas such as carbon credits and renewable energy imports. Singapore’s ability to fulfil its pledges, like all Parties, will depend on the continued international commitment by Parties to the Paris Agreement and their climate pledges.
Singapore announced its national hydrogen strategy, which will guide its approach in developing low-carbon hydrogen as a new frontier in efforts to green the country’s power and industry sectors, as well as contribute to the decarbonisation of international maritime and aviation. To lead the way for Singapore’s decarbonisation journey, the public sector will commit to achieve net zero emissions around 2045 under the GreenGov.SG initiative. This will be contingent on the progress of technologies and international cooperation to enable mitigation measures. Jurong Lake District will also aim to achieve net zero emissions for new developments around 2045. Singapore announced these revised climate targets and plans at the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) 2022.
The National Climate Change Secretariat said: “Executing the net zero transition will not be easy for Singapore given our small geographical size and lack of renewable energy resources. However, Singapore has chosen to commit ourselves to these targets because we have a responsibility to carefully steward a sustainable environment for future generations. The public and private sectors, as well as community and individuals, will all have key roles to play in coming together to transform the way we live, work and play in a low-carbon future, and to seize new opportunities in this green transition.”
