MFA Spokesman's Comments on the conditionality of Singapore’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC)

     In response to media queries on the conditionality of Singapore’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC), the MFA Spokesman said:

     “Singapore submitted its INDC ahead of the 21st Session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to demonstrate our commitment to the anticipated agreement at the meeting.  Singapore’s INDC is not conditional on external support, unlike the INDCs submitted by many non-Annex I parties^[1].

     Climate change requires a global solution. If the negotiations in Paris do not succeed, not only will the INDCs submitted by countries become nullified, but climate change would worsen.  Some actions which we and other countries pledged to undertake would only be meaningful if all countries undertook to do the same.  As a city state on a low-lying island, Singapore would have to review our plans at that point.  While we would still proceed with measures to improve energy efficiency and economic resilience, we would have to reallocate our limited resources to deal with increased threats, including sea level rise, floods and droughts.”

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

5 DECEMBER 2015

Footnote [1]: Non-Annex I parties are mainly developing countries which do not bear the historical responsibility of contributing to greenhouse gas emissions in the past.