Rolled out in 2012, the Doha Amendment extends to 2020 the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty that establishes binding obligations on countries and regions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The ratification is a "further sign of Singapore's continued commitment to the multilateral system," Balakrishnan was quoted as saying in an address to the United Nations Climate Summit.
The minister said that Singapore has shown its commitment to climate change with various domestic initiatives, taken in the belief that "every small nation can help with a meaningful contribution towards combating climate change."
These efforts include encouraging energy efficient building designs, equipment and processes. Energy use is priced at market cost without any subsidy, so that households and businesses use energy judiciously, he said.
Singapore has also invested heavily in public transport infrastructure, and restrained vehicular growth and usage, he said, adding that the country is targeting a 70-30 percent modal split for public-private transport by 2020.
Singapore also plans to increase its solar deployment from around 15 megawatt-peak MWp at present to 350MWp by 2020, which will meet 5 percent of its projected peak electricity demand.
"Through these efforts, Singapore generates relatively low levels of carbon emissions per GDP dollar in the world, ranking 96th out of 142 countries," he said.
In the last decade, Singapore's emissions grew at an average annual rate of 2 percent in the last decade, compared to 2.2 percent globally. Its GDP grew by 76 percent over the same period, while energy use and emissions grew by 34 percent and 22 percent, respectively.
Source: Xinhua News | 24 September 2014
