Singapore pares emission cut plans after Copenhagen

Singapore said on Monday it will go ahead with existing plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but further pledged reductions will depend on a successful agreement in global climate talks.                                           

Environment minister Yaacob Ibrahim told parliament on Monday Singapore would start implementing energy efficiency measures announced last year that would cut emissions by 7-11% on business as usual levels by 2020.                                           

This would be below a 16% cut that Singapore pledged just ahead of UN climate talks in Copenhagen last month, which aimed to agree on a global pact but instead ended with a non-binding accord far short of its original goals.                                           

"When a global agreement on climate change is reached we will implement the additional measures to achieve the full 16% reduction below business as usual in 2020," he said.                                           

Wealthy city-state Singapore, with one of the world's best living standards in terms of GDP per capita, has come under fire from environmentalists who point to its energy-intensive economy and high per-capita emissions.                                           

Singapore aims to spur economic growth by increasing its population and attracting further manufacturing investment, which will make cutting absolute emissions difficult, a problem faced by many developing nations who were unwilling to sign up to legally binding cuts.                                           

Another round of global climate talks is scheduled for November 2010 in Mexico.