Singapore estimates carbon emissions to peak between 2025 and 2028
In Singapore's second update to its 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution, it indicated a reduction in emissions to about 60 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2030 – a 5 million-tonne reduction from its first update.
SINGAPORE: Singapore's carbon dioxide equivalent emissions are estimated to peak between 2025 and 2028, earlier than its previous 2030 target, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said on Tuesday (Nov 8).
Ms Fu was responding in Parliament to questions from MP He Ting Ru (WP-Sengkang) and NMP Koh Lian Pin about when Singapore is expecting emissions to peak.
At the Singapore International Energy Week 2022 last month, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that Singapore would raise its climate target to achieve net-zero by 2050 as part of its long-term low emissions development strategy. Previously, Singapore said it would do so “as soon as viable in the second half of the century”.
Mr Wong said that Singapore will reduce emissions to around 60 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) in 2030, after peaking emissions earlier.
In her reply, Ms Fu said that Singapore just submitted a second update to its 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
In the submission, Singapore indicated that it intends to reduce emissions to around 60 MtCO2e in 2030. This is 5 million tonnes lower than what Singapore had set out in the first update in 2020.
"Peaking our emissions earlier than 2030 is significant and requires substantial transformations across industry, economy, and society," said Ms Fu.
"Unlike countries that have access to abundant abatement resources domestically, Singapore has to rely on external measures such as electricity imports and carbon capture, utilisation and storage."
As negotiations with foreign partners on arrangements are still ongoing, it would be "premature" to announce a precise year in which emissions will peak, said Ms Fu.
"The Government’s best estimate is for our emissions to peak between 2025 and 2028, which will be earlier than our previous 2030 target, at around 65 million tonnes," she added.
The reduction of 5 million tonnes is "substantial", and is more than the total emissions from households today, said Ms Fu.
The minister said that the authorities have put in place a comprehensive package of mitigation measures under the five pillars of the Singapore Green Plan to achieve the target.
