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COP27: Singapore calls for global focus and action amid ‘war' on climate crisis

COP27: Singapore calls for global focus and action amid ‘war' on climate crisis

A file photo of the logo of the COP27 climate conference at the Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Centre in Egypt. (Photo: AFP/Ludovic Marin)

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt: Singapore has warned that the world could “lose sight of the war on the climate crisis”, as governments continued negotiations at the United Nations climate summit in Egypt.

Minister for Sustainability and Environment Grace Fu delivered Singapore’s national statement at COP27 on Tuesday (Nov 15), reaffirming the country’s commitment to decisive global action this decade.

She said that there was a risk that parties focus on “pressing issues of the day” but lose focus on the need for shared international ambition to keep global temperatures down.

“We are at a crossroads. This is why COP27 is pivotal – our choices today will determine our future,” she said, pushing for collective resolve.

“Singapore calls for commitment, implementation and partnerships for decisive global action in this decade to keep 1.50 degrees Celsius within reach.”

“We must work together towards our agreed goals, for a greener planet. Global standards and tariff-free trade are essential to scale green technology and products. The world’s largest emitters should lead the economic transition, collaboratively.”

COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh has taken place against a backdrop of a litany of global crises, which have threatened to derail progress on climate change. The past year has witnessed a series of damaging disasters and record-high temperatures.

Emissions projections, especially in the highly polluting power sector, have been undermined by the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

The latest UN report shows that while countries are slowly reducing emissions, it is not happening fast enough to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. That is considered a key tipping point, beyond which the damage from climate change will exponentially increase.

Ms Fu highlighted Singapore’s updated climate commitments, principally strengthening its long-term plan to achieve net zero carbon emission by 2050 and reducing emissions to 60 million tonnes by the end of this decade.

She called for other nations to deliver “real emission reductions”.

“Singapore’s targets are backed by concrete plans and policies,” she said, reiterating that the national targets were contingent on the further improvement and development of decarbonisation technologies, including hydrogen, as well as international cooperation.

Singapore has joined several coalitions during the two-week summit, to strengthen action on issues including forests and land use, carbon markets, green shipping, water security and global early warning systems. 

“We are also boosting food resilience through innovative production technologies and pushing boundaries to make our new towns more climate resilient,” she said.

“Singapore will leave no stones unturned in our climate action. We must take the long-term view, double down on the clean energy transition and give due attention to the existential crisis of our generation,” Ms Fu said, in the full submissions.

She said that Singapore would launch a new three-year Sustainability Action Package to help improve capacity-building in areas like adaptation and resilience-building strategies, green project management and financing, low carbon development and carbon markets.

This would help improve regional cooperation and assist Southeast Asian nations tackle the climate crisis in a unified fashion.

“Being situated at the heart of Southeast Asia, such cooperation will serve as a pathway for decarbonising our region.” She highlighted Singapore’s plan to import energy 4GW of clean energy by 2035 and the pilot Lao-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project.

Other nations that were represented by a head of state at COP27 delivered their statements during the leaders' summit in the first two days of the conference. Ministerial level statements were reserved for an additional segment during the second week of proceedings.

Negotiations are slated to end on Friday.

Source: CNA/nh(ac)

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