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Govt taking steps to cut S’pore’s carbon emissions

We thank Mr Richmond Lee for his interest in climate action (“More Govt action needed to help tackle climate change”; April 9).

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Yuen Sai Kuan, Director (Corporate Affairs), National Climate Change Secretariat

We thank Mr Richmond Lee for his interest in climate action (“More Govt action needed to help tackle climate change”; April 9).

Before the Paris Agreement, Singapore committed to reduce our emissions intensity by 36 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030 and to stabilise emissions with the aim of peaking around the same time. This is an ambitious goal given our limited renewable energy options.

Singapore uses natural gas, the cleanest form of fossil fuel, for over 90 per cent of our power generation. We will step up plans to increase the adoption of renewable energy.

By 2020, 350 megawatt-peak of solar power, representing five per cent of peak electricity demand, will be installed. More solar photovoltaic systems will be deployed on government agencies’ facilities and roofs of Housing and Development Board (HDB) blocks.

The National Environment Agency administers the Mandatory Energy Labelling Scheme, which provides consumers with more information on the energy cost and consumption of major home appliances such as air conditioners and refrigerators.

Minimum Energy Performance Standards are mandated to eliminate the sale of energy-inefficient home appliances. The standards are regularly reviewed and updated in tandem with technological advancements.

These programmes encourage consumers to choose more efficient products with lower life-cycle costs and carbon emissions.

The Building and Construction Authority encourages buildings to be designed with good natural ventilation through its Green Mark scheme. The target is for 80 per cent of buildings to be Green Mark-certified by 2030.

To encourage recycling, all HDB estates now have one recycling bin per block. Since 2014, all new HDB blocks have been designed with centralised chutes for recyclables, accessible on every floor.

The Government will continue to enhance existing measures and introduce new ones to lower our greenhouse gas emissions. All stakeholders, including businesses, households and individuals, must also play a part by conserving energy and minimising waste.

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