COP26 outcome important as S’pore won’t be spared climate impacts: Grace Fu

GLASGOW (The Straits Times) -- Singapore will not be spared the impacts of climate change, which is why the outcome of the COP26 climate summit is something the Republic must pay attention to, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu on Saturday (Nov 13).

Climate change will have an impact on important issues such as food security and water around us, said Ms Grace Fu.

Speaking to Singapore media on the outcome of the United Nations (UN) climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, she added: “The discussion here today will require us to take more action. There are some obligations as a party under this agreement, we have to do our part.”
For instance, as part of the deal, nations are requested to revisit and strengthen their 2030 climate targets to align with the Paris Agreement temperature goal by the end of next year.
Under the Paris Agreement, countries should take steps to limit global warming to well below 2 deg C - preferably 1.5 deg C - above pre-industrial levels.
Climate scientists have shown that this threshold will help the world avoid harsher climate impacts, which become more severe with every degree of warming.
Singapore’s current target is for its emissions to continue to increase until 2030, when they reach their peak, before they start to decline.
But the UN has recommended that for the world to have a better chance at limiting warming to the 1.5 deg C target, emissions must be halved by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050.
The 2022 review of national climate pledges is part of the deal that almost 200 nations, including Singapore, on Saturday agreed on to step up efforts to avoid dangerous climate change.
The deal, dubbed the Glasgow Climate Pact, was gavelled through by COP26 president Alok Sharma after negotiations ran more than a day overtime as countries sought to find common ground on thorny issues such as carbon markets and climate finance.

(Latest Update November 15, 2021)