Singapore reaffirms commitment to Paris Agreement and Pledge to cut emission levels

SINGAPORE has reaffirmed its commitment to the Paris Agreement and pledge on Friday, a day after the US announced its intention to withdraw from the Paris climate accord.

The agreement sets out a global action plan to combat climate change bykeeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius.

As indicated in its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), Singapore aims to reduce its emissions Intensity by 36 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030, and stabilise its emissions with the aim of peaking around 2030.

[1]"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.

" 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 National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) said in a press release.

NCCS - which is part of the strategy group which supports the Prime Minister and his Cabinet to establish priorities and strengthen strategic alignment across Government - said Singapore would 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. We stand ready to work with all Parties and stakeholders to address this urgent challenge together."

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump said he would withdraw the USfrom the landmark 2015 global agreement to fight climate change, claiming that the accord would undermine the US economy, cost US jobs, weaken American national sovereignty as well as put the country at a permanent disadvantage to the other countries of the world.

The US was one of 195 nations that agreed to the accord in Paris in December 2015.