SINGAPORE – Singapore will invest in new capabilities to meet its sustainability targets and raise its resilience against climate threats, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu.

Setting out her ministry’s plans on Thursday following the President’s Address, she said the Republic has partnered companies and institutes of higher learning to roll out research and development programmes in areas like decarbonisation, agri-food production, urban heat mitigation, coastal protection and vector control.

Technologies such as solar panels on reservoirs and an integrated facility in Tuas that treats used water and food waste at the same site are being tested and implemented, she added.

Singapore has a target of net-zero emissions by 2050.

To meet this, initiatives will be implemented under the Singapore Green Plan to help enterprises and households reduce their carbon footprint, through schemes like the Energy Efficiency Fund and Climate Friendly Households Programme. Grants from the fund help businesses with industrial facilities become more energy-efficient, while the programme gives e-vouchers to households in one- to three-room Housing Board flats to buy energy- and water-efficient appliances.

Ms Fu noted that with the carbon tax to be raised progressively from $5 per tonne to between $50 and $80 per tonne by 2030, there are plans to accelerate the low-carbon transition. These include international collaborations to support decarbonisation efforts, such as in carbon markets, carbon capture and storage, a regional power grid and renewable energy.

Through the GreenGov.SG initiative which sets green goals for the public sector, her ministry will drive efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045, Ms Fu said. An annual GreenGov.SG report will be published from the 2023 financial year and statutory boards will have to disclose their sustainability efforts, progress and plans. 

As climate change raises the risk of vector-borne diseases like dengue, innovative solutions such as Project Wolbachia will be developed, while maintaining current vector control and risk surveillance measures, the minister said.

Under the project, male Wolbachia-Aedes mosquitoes are released regularly at the National Environment Agency’s study sites to mate with female urban Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The resulting eggs do not hatch, reducing the mosquito population.

Transport Minister S. Iswaran also outlined his ministry’s plans to encourage adoption of cleaner-energy vehicles through a combination of regulation, incentives and infrastructure. 

All airside vehicles at Changi Airport should run on cleaner energy by 2040, while all new airside light vehicles, forklifts and tractors must be electric from 2025, he said on Thursday.

New harbour craft operating in port waters must also be fully electric, or be capable of using B100 biofuels or compatible with net-zero fuels like hydrogen from 2030. 

“MOT (Ministry of Transport) will also work with the aviation and maritime ecosystems to put the regulatory frameworks, pilots, incentives and infrastructure in place to facilitate a smooth transition,” said Mr Iswaran.

MOT is also supporting the efforts of the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the International Maritime Organisation to reduce emissions from international transport, he said.

Singapore is also working with partners to develop sustainable international aviation and maritime ecosystems, like green lanes for flights powered by sustainable aviation fuels, and green and digital shipping corridors.

On land transport, he noted that Singapore’s rail network will expand by 100km to 360km over the next decade, bringing eight in 10 homes within a 10-minute walk of an MRT station.

“Increasing the density of our rail network will make journeys more convenient for commuters, enhance the resilience of the overall system, and contribute significantly towards our net-zero emissions target by encouraging more people to opt for public transport over private vehicles,” he said. 

He also said the registration of new diesel cars and taxis will be disallowed from 2025, while new cars and taxis with internal combustion engines can no longer be registered from 2030. 

The islandwide deployment of electric vehicle (EV) chargers has been brought forward, with charging points to be installed in one in three public housing carparks by the end of 2023, and all public housing carparks by 2025. The deployment of 60,000 charging points by 2030 remains on track, added Mr Iswaran.