SYDNEY, Australia: The APEC meeting in Sydney drew to a close with leaders from the 21 economies endorsing the Sydney Declaration to tackle climate change.

Wrapping up his visit to Australia, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong hopes there will be another clear statement on environmental concerns at the upcoming ASEAN and East Asia Summits in Singapore.

Asia Pacific leaders have agreed to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen research into renewable energy and protect forest areas.

While observers said the Sydney Declaration on climate change lacks commitment due to its non-binding nature, PM Lee said it is not a meaningless exercise.

The Declaration will help show the way forward and the issue will be discussed again at the ASEAN and East Asia Summits in Singapore, and a United Nations climate convention in Bali in December.

Mr Lee said: "Doesn't mean that everything will be settled by the ASEAN meeting, or even in Bali. There's no deal but the pressure of international opinion, as well as domestic opinion, has caused America to change its position... and John Howard to change his position. I think the Chinese have also evolved their position as the situation unfolded and the implications are clearer. If everybody does their part, and the cost – in terms of growth development – is something which is wearable, then I think it can be done."

Within ASEAN, Mr Lee said there is political intention to tackle environmental issues, but the process of doing it remains a challenge as each member country faces a different set of concerns on climate change and have different developmental goals.

Singapore, for instance, needs to curb carbon emissions as a result of power generation, while deforestation and land use change are the main issues for Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

Mr Lee said Singapore would learn from other countries in addressing climate change and cited Japan as a good example.

But all the major players like the United States, Europe, China and India need to be involved to drive the agenda forward.

"If we shut down everything (in Singapore), resulting in zero emissions, the amount that we will save is equal to the increase in emissions in China as a result of economic growth over a period of three weeks. It's not something that we can do by ourselves," said Mr Lee.

Mr Lee added there has been interest in Singapore's environment experience shown by the number of water purification projects in the region and the proposed eco-city development with China.


- CNA/so