It has the knowledge, technology, vision to share with neighbours, says European Commission delegation head
Jamie Lee, Business Times 7 Mar 09;
SINGAPORE should lead in pushing regional countries to cut their carbon emissions, says a representative of the European Commission (EC).
The issue could be made an agenda item at the economic leaders' meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec), chaired by Singapore this year, according to EC head of delegation Holger Standertskjold.
'I would like to see Singapore taking that active role and be a leader,' he told BT. Singapore has the 'knowledge, technology, vision' to share with its neighbours, he added.
The Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change - a body set up by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme - has urged that developing countries limit emissions growth to 15-30 per cent below business-as-usual levels by 2020.
'This means concrete action to limit the emissions from energy generation, the transport sector and the buildings sector,' said Mr Standertskjold. 'It also means real action to limit deforestation in the region.'
He said that the Apec meeting - to be held in Singapore in November - could provide a 'building block' for the Copenhagen Climate Conference to be held a month later. The Copenhagen conference will focus on producing a global framework to replace the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, which expires in 2012.
'If we want to find a robust agreement in Copenhagen, much more preparatory work needs to be done in terms of concrete emission limitation or reduction contributions by developed countries, actions by developing countries and support for actions in developing countries,' said Mr Standertskjold. 'The Apec meeting provides an opportunity for doing so.'
No carbon reduction targets have been set by Apec, although in 2007, it set an 'aspirational goal' of reducing energy intensity by at least 25 per cent by 2030, from 2005 levels. It also has a similar goal to increase forest cover by at least 20 million hectares of all types of forests by 2020.
Despite Singapore's small size, the country has a bigger role to play, according to Mr Standertskjold.
He said that while Singapore is not a major contributor to global carbon emissions, it has high per capita emission, excluding emissions from the aviation and maritime sectors.
The European Union is advocating the inclusion of emissions from the aviation and maritime sectors in any agreement reached in Copenhagen.
A 2004 UN report showed that Singapore's carbon emission to be a mere 0.2 per cent of global emissions.
But the same report showed that Singapore's carbon emission per capita - or the amount of emitted carbon dioxide divided by population - to be 12.2 tonnes, putting it in the same league as many developed countries in Europe. Singapore is defined as a developing nation under the UN's climate treaties.
Two weeks ago, Singapore's chief climate change negotiator Chew Tai Soo, defended the country's high per capita emission, saying that the measurement approach is 'flawed'.
'It penalises small countries with small populations, without taking into account their limitations,' he told a conference, adding that Singapore has no natural resources, depends heavily on trade and is less able to switch to non-fossil energy alternatives because of its land size.
