Emissions in Singapore
The industrial sector is the largest emitter of carbon dioxide in Singapore. Within this sector, the most polluting industrial activities are the petrochemical and refinery industries. The country is a global leader in this field, exporting a part of the refined fossil fuels, while another part is used for transport and power generation. Electricity and heat follow the industrial sector in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. With 4.42 metric tons of carbon dioxide emitted in 2021, Singapore is one of the leading countries in the Asia-Pacific region in terms of per capita emissions from the power sector. Air quality remains good despite these activities, with the air ranking among the cleanest in Asia. Transboundary forest fires, mainly from Indonesia, can periodically severely degrade air quality, as experienced in 2015. Singapore's emissions targets are based on the Paris Agreement for climate change, which aims to reduce emissions by 36 percent since 2008 by 2030. The government's measures to reach this target focus mainly on innovations to increase energy efficiency in industry, control the level of emissions from private vehicles and encourage the adoption of electric vehicles which still represent a very small part of the vehicle fleet, as well as promoting public transport.Effects of climate change in Singapore
Singapore is in a region particularly exposed to the effects of global climate change. Average annual temperatures have been gradually increasing over the past thirty years. This can have an adverse impact on health for those most at risk, with extreme temperature exposure being one of the leading causes of workplace major injuries.Global rising sea levels due to global warming and heavy rainfall can increase the risk of flooding. PUB, Singapore's National Water Agency, is already taking preventive measures such as setting up detention tanks and greening rivers and rooftops to reduce the consequences of these floods. Additionally, the minimum construction level for land reclamation has been raised to four meters above mean sea level to prevent low-lying areas prone to flooding, complemented by hard coastal protection structures. These actions have resulted in a gradual reduction in the flood-prone areas of the country in recent years.
Climate change can have an impact on personal habits and consumption behavior. Most Singaporeans are concerned about the effects of climate change and most of them are willing to change the way they live and work to reduce the effects of these changes.
