'Vulnerable' Singapore to do its part in battling climate change, says PM Lee at UN summit
NEW YORK — Singapore will do its “full part” in tackling climate change but cannot stop it on its own, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the United Nations (UN) on Monday (23 September).
“Like many Small Island States, Singapore is vulnerable, especially to the effects of global warming, and especially the rise of sea-levels. For us, climate change is existential,” said Lee in his speech at the UN Climate Action Summit.
He also called the issue the “ultimate global commons challenge” and called on member states to “redouble our efforts” to mitigate and adapt to the phenomenon.
“Singapore contributes only 0.11 per cent of global emissions. Nevertheless, we have played our part as responsible global citizens to mitigate climate change,” he said, noting that Singapore signed the Paris Agreement in 2016 and is aiming to peak its carbon emissions by around 2030.
“Being small and highly urbanised, we are disadvantaged in terms of alternative energy. But we are developing creative solutions within our constraints,” Lee added, citing Singapore’s use of large-scale floating solar panels at its reservoirs as an example.
He also spoke of the government’s implementation of a carbon tax earlier this year and the plan to have it increased over the next decade.
In terms of goals, Lee shared Singapore’s aims of having 80 per cent of its buildings to “be green” by 2030 and for 90 per cent of peak-hour commuting trips to be via public transport, active mobility or shared transport by 2040.
Singapore has also cooperated with other countries, such as in establishing the Southeast Asia Disaster Insurance Facility with support of Japan and the World Bank, to provide “flood risk pooling for the region”, said Lee.
“Climate change is the ultimate global commons challenge. As leaders, we all have the responsibility to do our part to rally our people’s support for sustainable development,” he said.
While in New York, Lee and US President Donald Trump also renewed a 1990 agreement on the latter’s use of Singapore’s military facilities. Separately, Lee was also given the World Statesman Award by the Appeal of Conscience Foundation for his efforts in fostering harmony in multi-ethnic Singapore.
More Singapore stories:
PM Lee given World Statesman Award for fostering harmony in multi-ethnic Singapore
Christian Ho is youngest race winner at FIA Karting Academy Trophy series
Nepalese monk gropes woman's breast, gets five months' jail
OCBC, NTUC First Campus set up funding for free pre-school education for kids of low-income families
