Rise in Singapore's Mean Daily Temperature

Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) whether Singapore's mean daily temperature may increase by as much as 4.6°C by the end of the century; and (b) what measures has Singapore taken to attempt to achieve international consensus on taking concrete steps to reduce the rate of global warming.

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The results from Phase 1 of our Second National Climate Change Study, which concluded in early 2015, projected mean temperatures across Singapore to increase by 1.4°C to 4.6°C by the end of the century depending on the level of future greenhouse gas emissions (see schematic below). Without mitigation actions, mean temperatures could increase to 32°C. These findings are consistent with the global projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5)3. The actual extent to which these temperature increases are realised in Singapore will depend on how successful global mitigation actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are.

A global challenge, such as climate change, is best addressed on a multilateral basis. We, therefore, strongly support the multilateral negotiations taking place under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), where a new global agreement on climate change is set to be adopted at the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP-21) in December 2015 in Paris. Singapore is participating actively in the preparatory conferences and related events of the COP-21. We have consistently tried to play the role of a constructive bridge-builder and have been invited to facilitate numerous discussions at past climate conferences.

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This year, we are deeply committed to achieving a meaningful agreement in Paris. It is our foremost priority that the agreement be an inclusive one that enjoys universal participation by all countries, in light of each country's national circumstances and responsibilities. To achieve this, the international community must come together and demonstrate the political will to arrive at a consensus.

Singapore submitted its mitigation pledge, known as the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC), on 3 July 2015, well in advance of the Paris Conference. We hope that our submission will encourage more countries, especially those in our region, to come forward with their pledges, too. This is important because these pledges, taken over successive cycles, will form the centrepiece of global mitigation efforts under the agreement. No single country can solve climate change alone – all countries have a part to play.