Data misleading: Singapore emission levels substantially below figure quoted

Letter from Philip Ong Director (Strategic Policy Division), Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources
Today Online 11 Dec 09;

John Lucas ("Singapore's emission levels 'disturbing'", Dec 8), citing certain carbon emissions data, claims that Singapore has very high per capita emissions. However, that data is misleading because they incorrectly included emissions from international aviation and marine bunker fuels sold by Singapore to ships and aircraft transiting Singapore.

Emissions produced by such bunker fuels take place outside Singapore and should not be included in the emissions produced domestically.

This is similar to the exports of any fossil fuel such as coal from a coal-exporting country to a third country.

The emissions produced in the burning of the coal exported accrues to the third country and not the one exporting it.

Indeed, this is the accounting approach used under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, under which the emissions from the use of such exported fossil fuels including international bunker fuels are excluded from national totals.

Singapore's total emissions as recognised by the UNFCCC and the International Energy Agency are those which are produced domestically and are substantially below the figure quoted by Mr Lucas.

The emissions arising from the use of international aviation and marine bunker fuels are being dealt with by the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the International Maritime Organisation respectively.

Singapore continues to play proactive roles in both organisations to drive action on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from international aviation and shipping.

Singapore's emission levels 'disturbing'
Letter from John Lucas
Today Online 8 Dec 09;

There has been a lot of talk about going green, and the only real outcome has been more finger pointing by almost every country and even more confusion.

A chart listing carbon emissions per capita (www.guardian.co.uk/environment/datablog/2009/sep/02/carbon-emissions-per-person-capita) shows that Singapore has a carbon dioxide emission per capita of 31.41 million metric tonnes, ranking eighth in the world.

The CO2 emissions per capita has grown 43 per cent since 1996.

Singapore's CO2 emission per person is higher than China and the United States, and it has grown at a rate six times more than the US but not as much as China.