Singapore has joined a raft of countries in reaffirming its commitment to the Paris Agreement, even as the United States announced that it was pulling out.
The Republic pledged to reduce its emissions intensity by 36 per cent from 2005 levels, by 2030. It also aims to stabilise emissions with the aim of peaking around 2030.
To fulfil these aims, the Parliament amended the Energy Conservation Act to ensure that large polluters step up green efforts or face higher penalties.
Singapore’s National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) said that as a low-lying island, Singapore is vulnerable to the effects of climate change. As such, it has a deep interest in global efforts to address potential disruptions to ecosystems, both natural and manmade.
Scientists and climate change advocates said that the US move to withdraw from the Paris Agreement was disappointing, but would not derail global efforts. Many US-based businesses, cities and states have also stood up against Mr Trump’s decision.
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Source: The Straits Times, 3 June 2017