Singapore reaffirmed its commitment to the Paris Agreement and pledge to reduce emissions intensity and stabilise emissions on Friday. This comes after US President Donald Trump announced he is pulling his country out of the global climate change agreement.
"As a low-lying, island city-state, Singapore is particularly vulnerable to the consequences of climate change and we have a deep interest in global efforts to address potential disruptions to natural ecosystems and human societies," the National Climate Change Secretariat said in a statement.
"As a small country, we have also staunchly supported the rules-based multilateral system, and upheld the critical role of diplomacy in solving problems on the global commons," the statement added.
The authorities said that Singapore will continue contributing to the global effort to address climate change. "We believe that a global approach towards dealing with climate change is the best chance the international community has at effectively addressing its effects. We remain committed to undertaking the measures needed to achieve our Paris pledge, including implementing a carbon tax from 2019."
Earlier, Singapore had stated in its Nationally Determined Contribution that it aims to reduce its emissions intensity by 36 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030, and to stabilise its emissions with the aim of peaking around 2030.
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump announced that the country was withdrawing from the 2015 Paris climate agreement. The US is the world's second-biggest carbon emitter.
In a separate statement on Friday, the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) said that the decision taken by the US to withdraw from the Paris Agreement would not stop Singapore taking action against climate change.
SEC chairman Isabella Loh urged the country to move ahead with its plans to create a sustainable energy future based on more energy-efficient industries and the development of clean energy technologies.
Loh said that the Singapore Government had announced it would put a price on carbon to tackle emission intensity. According to her, it is "the most efficient and cost-effective way for Singapore to meet our obligations" under the global accord sealed in 2015.
"The key to the success of the Paris Agreement is for individual countries to implement policies that will achieve their nation's targets. Three quarters of the world's nations have ratified the agreement, including China and India," she added.
