Singapore's Enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution and Long-Term Low-Emissions Development Strategy

On 31 March 2020, Singapore submitted its enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and Long-Term Low-Emissions Development Strategy (LEDS) document to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). These documents can be viewed at https://www4.unfccc.int/sites/ndcstaging/Pages/Party.aspx?party=SGP&prototype=1 and https://unfccc.int/process/the-paris-agreement/long-term-strategies respectively.

On 28 February 2020, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security and Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change, Mr Teo Chee Hean, had announced in Parliament, that Singapore would be making these submissions.

The enhanced NDC document updates Singapore’s climate pledge submitted in July 2015 under the Paris Agreement. Singapore’s enhanced NDC now states an absolute emissions target to peak emissions at 65MtCO₂e around 2030. Singapore will also expand the scope of the country’s pledge to include a seventh greenhouse gas (GHG), nitrogen trifluoride (NF3)¹, within this peak emissions ceiling.

The LEDS document titled “Charting Singapore’s Low-Carbon and Climate Resilient Future”, builds on the enhanced NDC’s target by aspiring to halve our emissions from its peak to 33MtCO₂e by 2050, with a view to achieving net zero emissions as soon as viable in the second half of the century. To enable Singapore’s low-carbon transition, the LEDS will have three thrusts:

a. Transformations in industry, economy and society, e.g. more renewable energy, greater energy efficiency, reducing energy consumption;

b. Adoption of advanced low-carbon technologies, e.g. carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), and use of low-carbon fuels; and

c. Effective international collaboration, e.g. international climate action, regional power grids, market-based mechanisms.

Singapore’s enhanced NDC and LEDS aspiration have been developed in close consultation with members of the public, green groups, researchers and businesses. The National Climate Change Secretariat would like to thank our partners for their valuable contributions to these submissions, which demonstrate our continued and collective commitment to support global climate action. Everyone – Government, individuals, households, and businesses – must do their part, and work together as a whole-of-nation to achieve Singapore’s goals. Singapore will continue to play a constructive role to advance multilateral cooperation on climate action towards achieving the long-term temperature goal of the Paris Agreement.

¹ In addition to the six GHGs already included in Singapore’s NDC (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulphur hexafluoride). NF₃ is mainly used in semi-conductor manufacturing.