52.5m tonnes of greenhouse gases generated by Singapore in 2017: MTI

SINGAPORE — Fifty-two-and-a-half million tonnes of greenhouse gases was generated by Singapore in 2017, with industries contributing about 60 per cent of this amount, said Senior Minister for Trade and Industry Koh Poh Koon on Monday (Oct 7).

Around three-quarters of industries’ emissions was from the refining and petrochemicals sector, added Dr Koh.

Dr Koh was responding to a question from Nominated Member of Parliament Anthea Ong who had asked if there were plans to reduce greenhouse emissions by industries.

The 52.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases generated by Singapore represents about 0.11 per cent of global emissions, according to the National Climate Change Secretariat.

In 2017, 190 Mtoe (millions tonnes of oil equivalent) of fossil fuels was imported into Singapore, said Dr Koh. About 55 Mtoe was refined into higher value chemicals and fuels, mostly exported for use in other countries.

The rest was largely for power generation and transportation.

Under the Paris Agreement, Singapore has pledged to reduce emissions intensity by 36 per cent (from 2005 levels) by 2030, and to reduce total carbon emissions beyond 2030.

And to achieve this, Singapore has to make its economy "much more" carbon efficient, Dr Koh said. For existing industries, this means encouraging companies to adopt energy efficient technologies.

"This year, we implemented an enhanced set of Industry Energy Efficiency schemes," Dr Koh said.

"From January 2019, the funding support for the adoption of energy efficient technologies under EDB’s Resource Efficiency Grant for Energy and NEA’s Energy Efficiency Fund has been increased from the previous cap of 30 per cent, to 50 per cent of the qualifying costs."

NEA is also planning to launch a new grant to help companies digitalise their energy management systems, Dr Koh revealed.

When firms expand their operations or new companies opt to invest in Singapore, the Government also works "closely" with them to ensure a high standard of efficiency, said Dr Koh.

"Beyond industries, all of us ... have a responsibility to mitigate climate change," added Dr Koh.

"For example, saving electricity, using public transport and reducing waste are good ways to cut carbon emissions. As a country, we will do our part to help address global climate change and global climate challenges." CNA

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