INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE

INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE:

(Fourth Assessment Report): 6.

Mr Edwin Khew Teck Fook asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what is the

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Ministry's response to the recent 4th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on the possibility of global average temperatures and sea levels rising and an increasing number of heat waves as well as severe tropical storms bringing about more floods; and (b) whether the Ministry is taking measures against such possibilities.

The Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim): Mr Speaker, Sir, t he Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report includes the latest projections of temperature and sea level rise. Being an island in the tropics, Singapore would not be spared from the effects of climate change.

Government agencies have been putting in place various measures that help in adapting to climate change. For instance, the PUB has long required new reclamation and construction projects to be built to a level 125 cm above the highest recorded tide level. This would be sufficient to address a possible sea level rise of 59 cm by the end of the 21st century. This is the upper bound projection in the IPCC 4th Assessment Report.

PUB has also reduced flood-prone areas from 3,200 ha in the 1970s to 124 ha today through the development of drainage infrastructure in Singapore. The completion of the Marina Barrage and other flood alleviation projects would further reduce flood-prone areas to less than 66 ha by 2011. PUB will continue to implement other flood prevention measures to mitigate the risks of floods in Singapore.

With regard to rising temperatures, the PUB’s water supply plans currently

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already cater for prolonged dry spells affecting local water catchment levels. With the introduction of NEWater and desalination, we are more resilient should higher temperatures lead to unexpectedly severe dry spells.

We are also making efforts to lower ambient temperature through our greening efforts. Besides providing parks and green spaces, URA and the NParks have been promoting rooftop and vertical greenery in our buildings as well as enhancing streetscape greenery islandwide. HDB is also in the process of introducing rooftop greenery to multi-storey carparks and residential buildings where feasible.

While we have therefore already taken steps to address the challenges posed by the IPCC report, we are nonetheless still embarking on more robust technical studies to assess Singapore’s vulnerability to climate change and the further adaptation measures that we might require.

The projections in the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report are on a global and regional basis. However, the resolution of these projections is still too coarse for Singapore. NEA has therefore commissioned a 2-year study to assess the specific effects and impacts of climate change on Singapore, so as to facilitate the long-term planning of adaptation measures. The study will be conducted by a team of local and foreign experts and will incorporate the scientific findings of the latest IPCC reports.

Sir, an inter-agency taskforce, led by MND, has also been formed to review existing infrastructural adaptation measures. Based on the findings of the vulnerability study commissioned by NEA, the Government will evaluate what additional adaptation measures need to be taken.