Grace Fu Hai Yien
Singapore
“The Government takes a multi-pronged approach to address the disamenities from second-hand tobacco smoke. The National Environment Agency (NEA) works with Government agencies, Town Councils and community leaders to promote considerate behaviour and strengthen social norms.”
“The Government recently announced land-use changes in Lim Chu Kang to optimise our scarce land to meet our growing and evolving needs. We are at the initial planning stage and agencies are still working out the detailed development proposals.”
“Public Waste Collectors and Town Councils have trialled the collection and treatment of segregated food waste from households. However, participation rates are poor despite regular engagement and reminders.”
“The quality of incense offerings and the practice of burning incense are not regulated by law. Instead, the National Environment Agency (NEA) works with stakeholders, such as Town Councils, agencies and religious organisations, to encourage responsible burning of joss paper and incense.”
“The National Environment Agency (NEA) monitors public cleaning contractors through regular physical audits and remote monitoring, complemented by video analytics. NEA also regularly assesses the cleaning quality and outcomes of public cleaning contractors.”
“This question has been addressed in the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment’s combined answer to Question Nos 15 to 18 on the Order Paper for 7 July 2026. [Please refer to "National Recycling Rates, Plans and Targets", Official Report, 7 July 2026, Vol 96, Issue 32, Oral Answers to Questions section.]”
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“Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to repeat my reply which is: A Transitional Committee has been tasked to make recommendations by COP28 on the details of the fund, taking into consideration the views of all stakeholders. Singapore will engage constructively with the Transitional Committee.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Singapore, as part of the Alliance of Small Island States, along with other developing countries, has long called for the establishment of a Loss and Damage fund. According to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II, climate change is already causing widespread loss and damage. Close to half of the world's population live in contexts that are highly vulnerable to climate change. Of note, small island states like Singapore are disproportionately affected by sea level rise and are at risk of submergence by century's end, if nothing is done to prevent it. Such scenarios present an urgent need to channel financial resources towards building adaptive capacity and addressing loss and damage. We were therefore pleased that developed countries agreed to support this call at COP27 last year. A Transitional Committee has been tasked to make recommendations by COP28 on the details of the fund, taking into consideration the views of all stakeholders. Singapore will engage constructively with the Transitional Committee. A key guiding principle is that countries that have caused and are most responsible for climate change must take the lead in supporting vulnerable communities to avert, minimise and address climate-related loss and damage. The Paris Agreement, which was ratified by more than 190 countries, including Singapore, also reaffirms this obligation of developed countries to mobilise climate finance for developing countries.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I would like to speak more about this topic in the upcoming Committee of Supply (COS) debate. At this point in time, just like to reiterate that we are not requiring disclosure of Scope 3 emissions.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, we are not requiring disclosure of Scope 3 emissions at this stage of implementing our reporting framework. We will refine our framework as we strive to reduce our emissions and develop greater capability within the public service for tracking and reporting.”
“Under the National Recycling Programme, recyclables from both recycling bins and recycling chutes are collected for sorting at a Materials Recovery Facility. Recycling trucks collect recyclables from both recycling bins and recycling chutes to optimise collection routes. The aggregated contamination rate for recycling bins and recycling chutes is about 40%. The National Environment Agency (NEA) does not currently collect separate data for recycling chutes. Moving forward, my Ministry and NEA will consider the usefulness and feasibility of collecting separate data for the contamination rates for recycling bins and recycling chutes.”
“The Funerary Industry Landscape Study commissioned by the National Environment Agency (NEA) was completed in 2022. NEA is reviewing the study report and will share the key findings and recommendations with key stakeholders, when ready. The outcomes of the study will enable NEA to better engage and collaborate with the Association of Funeral Directors Singapore and the funeral industry on initiatives to uplift the industry standards.”
“In 2018, the National Environment Agency released the key findings of a lifecycle assessment study on carrier bags and food packaging in Singapore. The study showed that all materials, including biodegradable ones, imposed some environmental impacts throughout their lifecycles. For instance, more water is consumed over the lifecycle of plant-based biodegradable plastic bags, such as in the growing of their raw materials, than for conventional plastics. Biodegradable plastics may offer some environmental benefit in countries which landfill their waste directly, as biodegradable plastics may break down faster than conventional plastics. However, as all incinerable waste in Singapore, including plastic waste, is not landfilled directly but is either recycled or properly disposed of at waste-to-energy plants, biodegradable packaging does not offer the same incremental benefit in Singapore. Biodegradable plastics could even interfere with the recycling process when mixed with conventional plastic. Therefore, encouraging a switch from conventional plastics to biodegradable materials will not necessarily result in a better environmental outcome overall for Singapore. A more sustainable approach for Singapore is to reduce the use of all disposables regardless of material and encourage the use of reusables. We are doing this through public education and engagement, and regulatory measures.”
“The Government had in 2011 and 2015 announced plans to build 20 new hawker centres in total. The sites of new hawker centres are selected after careful consideration of residential catchments, availability of comparable F&B options and complementary facilities in the vicinity, and compatibility with adjacent land use. This is to ensure that the hawker centre serves the demand of residents in the vicinity while avoiding over competition among comparable F&B establishments. 11 new centres have since been opened, with the latest being Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre, which was opened in December 2022. The remaining nine new hawker centres will be located within integrated developments, which are at various stages of planning, design development and construction. The completion and opening of these nine hawker centres depend on the progress of the integrated developments. The National Environment Agency will continue to work closely with the lead agencies of the integrated developments and the agencies in-charge of other co-located facilities towards completing the hawker centres in a timely manner.”
“Under the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations administered by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), all foodshop and foodstall operators are required to ensure that kitchen exhaust ducts of their licensed premises are kept clean, properly maintained and in good working order. SFA conducts inspections regularly and takes enforcement action against cases of non-compliance.”
“The Citizens’ Workgroup on Reducing Excessive Consumption of Disposables proposed the National Reusable Dining-ware Scheme which included a ban on disposables for dine-in at food and beverage (F&B) establishments and implementing a reusable takeaway container scheme for consumers to rent containers to take away food. The public sector is taking the lead to reduce the use of disposables for dine-in meals. For example, the use of disposable crockery and cutlery for dine-in meals has been disallowed at new hawker centres since 2016, and for all new stallholders in existing hawker centres since 2018. In addition, stallholders in the eight existing hawker centres that have adopted centralised dishwashing services under the Productive Hawker Centres programme have also switched to using reusable common crockery for dine-in meals. Some F&B establishments have implemented reusable takeaway container rental systems. For example, various F&B establishments, including the operator of the Socially-conscious Enterprise Hawker Centre at Our Tampines Hub, have partnered Muuse, a startup providing reusables rental solutions, to provide customers with reusable takeaway food containers for rental. Given the wide range of business models, premises types and food types in the F&B industry, F&B establishments are best placed to determine if a reusables rental system is suitable for them.”
“The National Environment Agency does not track the types of litter involved in high-rise littering cases. High-rise littering offenders, regardless of the litter type, will be charged in Court. They can be fined up to $2,000 for their first conviction, $4,000 for their second conviction and $10,000 for third and subsequent convictions. In addition to the fines, offenders may also be issued a Corrective Work Order which will require them to clean public areas for up to 12 hours.”
“Under Regulation 21 of the Environmental Protection and Management (Vehicular Emissions) Regulations, it is an offence for the driver not to stop the engine of the vehicle when it is stationary for reasons other than traffic conditions. Since the electric motor(s) of an electric vehicle would stop when it is stationary, Regulation 21 would not apply.”
“We will continue to work with the industry to explore initiatives which reduce the use of disposables and single-use packaging.”
“Under the Mandatory Packaging Reporting (MPR) scheme in the Resource Sustainability Act, producers of packaged products as well as retailers such as supermarkets, are required to submit to the National Environment Agency (NEA) their annual packaging data and plans to reduce, reuse or recycle (3R) packaging, including plastics. The MPR scheme raises the awareness of companies on the amount of packaging materials used and encourages them to reduce usage. Companies submitted their inaugural reports in 2022. We will monitor the progress of their 3R trends and plans in upcoming reporting cycles. The Packaging Partnership Programme (PPP), an industry capability-building programme launched in 2021, supports companies in adopting sustainable packaging practices. To date, the PPP has conducted about 20 events, including webinars, training sessions, conferences and site visits; and developed resources such as the 3R Guidebook for Packaging. These initiatives have benefited more than 700 companies, and facilitated the exchange of best practices in sustainable packaging. The shift towards more sustainable business practices requires the collective effort of all stakeholders. Some retailers have already started to voluntarily charge for disposable carrier bags. To take our efforts to the next level, the Government will be introducing legislation to require large supermarkets to charge for disposable carrier bags from mid-2023, to reduce consumption of disposable carrier bags. Details will be announced shortly. Partners of NEA’s “Say YES to Waste Less” campaign have also introduced initiatives to discourage the use of disposables such as bags, cups and takeout containers.”
“PUB has conducted biennial surveillance of the level of micro-plastics in water from our Four National Taps since 2017. The latest testing results in 2021 showed that micro-plastics were not detected.”
“Thank you very much. As I mentioned in my main reply that we would consider all developments in standard settings or discussions or multilateral fora including in CORSIA and other discussion fora. And we will do our best to work with stakeholders to ensure that the carbon credit offsets have a good chance of developing into a healthy set of markets. As to the second questions on companies, different companies have different purposes and motivation when going into carbon credits, I do not think the Government should tell them how they would offset their carbon but reputable companies may want to also monitor what Governments are doing and if necessary, they may like to follow what the Government has stated in our whitelist and also in our methodologies. Ultimately, I think all companies, players in the carbon credit markets, will have to look at standards, have to look at methodologies and all the assumptions therein. The carbon credit market is a very, very broad and extensive one, covers many, many sectors and so companies will have to pick and choose the sector they are interested in and pay attention on methodologies.”
“Mr Speaker, the MOUs that the National Environment Agency (NEA) signed with Gold Standard and Verra aim to facilitate Singapore-based companies in exercising the option to use high-quality international carbon credits (ICC), to offset up to 5% of their taxable emissions from 2024. The MOUs are not legally binding and do not qualify all ICC issued by Gold Standard and Verra, as companies must meet the environmental integrity criteria of the Singapore Government. Gold Standard and Verra were selected as MOU partners as they are two of the largest carbon crediting programmes which have been accepted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation or ICAO to issue carbon credits for compliance under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, or CORSIA for short. CORSIA standards have been developed and backed by a multilateral process led by ICAO, in consultation with green groups and experts, and are widely regarded as being among the most rigorous standards in the industry. The Singapore Government is aware of The Guardian's report on rainforest credits issued by Verra and the response and clarification issued by Verra. We take all scrutiny of carbon markets and projects seriously, and are committed to ensuring that carbon credits uphold high environmental integrity standards. We will take these developments into account as we finalise the environmental integrity criteria for the ICC that are eligible for carbon tax offset. We will publish a whitelist of acceptable ICC later this year, which will include eligible host countries, carbon crediting programmes and methodologies.”
“NEA has worked with the Association of Funeral Directors Singapore to develop guidelines for the funeral services industry and premises owners on the usage of light-emitting wreaths at funeral wakes to address potential public disamenities and safety concerns. The guidelines can be found on NEA's website. Under the guidelines, any persons or companies who deploy or install light-emitting wreaths shall be responsible for the safe use of these wreaths at funeral wakes, and must obtain the Town Councils' or relevant authorities' written permission for the use of these wreaths and associated electrical installation works at public spaces. Where generators are used, a supply installation licence is required, and generator providers and funeral services providers must engage a licensed electrical worker to ensure that the electrical circuitry and connections are done safely. In addition, under the guidelines, the deployment of light-emitting wreaths shall be confined to the funeral wake area and is subject to approvals from Town Councils or relevant authorities. Funeral services providers and companies shall only deploy not more than 10 light-emitting wreaths at each funeral wake area. They should not obstruct the designated pedestrian walkways and pavements, to not affect the passageway of pedestrians on foot or in a wheelchair. They should also not obstruct any fire safety provisions or be placed within five metres from any fire hydrant. NEA will continue to work with stakeholders to implement the guidelines at funeral wakes to ensure a safe environment for all.”
“This will drive behaviour change and cultivate recycling habits in the community.”
“The results of the transparent recycling bin trials are being compiled. My Ministry will be publishing a report on the findings in due course. My Ministry and NEA have launched other initiatives to improve recycling behaviour. In January 2022, as part of the Recycle Right campaign, NEA introduced a new recycling mascot, Bloobin, as well as educational and user-friendly content to encourage the community to cultivate right recycling habits. A search engine has also been developed to guide residents on how to identify, segregate and clean items so that they can be properly recycled (www.go.gov.sg/recycleright). To encourage households to build the habit of recycling right at home, NEA launched the pilot phase of the Bloobox (or recycling box) distribution initiative in November 2022 in five constituencies – Fengshan, Sembawang West, Tampines North, Yio Chu Kang and Yuhua. Households from these constituencies were able to collect a Bloobox from vending machines deployed at locations such as community centres. The Bloobox can be used to hold recyclable items at home and has prominent labels to help households identify what can and cannot be placed in the blue recycle bins. Collection for the rest of Singapore will commence in March 2023. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes also contribute to proper recycling as they aggregate clean and high-quality recyclables. The e-waste EPR that was introduced in July 2021 has since collected 8,600 tonnes of e-waste. We also plan to implement a beverage container return scheme, where a small deposit is included in the price of the pre-packaged beverages. Consumers can obtain a refund of their deposit by returning empty beverage containers to designated return points.”
“Like the cost of many other items, food prices are determined by supply and demand conditions. In recent months, factors such as rising energy and production costs, supply disruptions caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, COVID-19 pandemic and policies by foreign governments and varying weather conditions have caused inflationary pressures. In addition, higher demand for popular food items such as specific types of seafood and poultry during festive periods is expected to contribute to higher prices as seen in past years. To encourage consumers to consider different food types and forms, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has been continually putting out public communications and facilitating the promotion of food from alternative sources. SFA will continue to regularly remind consumers and the industry to be flexible and adaptable to different food types and forms (fresh/chilled, frozen, processed).”
“Reusables remain the more environmentally friendly option to conserve our limited resources and reduce waste. All types of disposables, regardless of whether they are made of plastic, paper or degradable materials, have an impact on the environment during their production, transportation and disposal. While we currently do not have plans to ban the use of disposable cups, the National Environment Agency launched a nation-wide "Say YES to Waste Less" campaign in 2019 to promote the use of reusables. As part of the campaign, many food and beverage (F&B) establishments have taken the lead to offer incentives to customers who bring their own reusable cups or containers. Some F&B establishments also charge customers extra for the use of disposable containers. We encourage the public to use reusable containers when purchasing takeaway food and beverages.”
“As Singapore imports more than 90% of our food, we are not able to insulate ourselves entirely from price fluctuations. Importers buffer for the expected increases in demand during festive periods by bringing in more supply from overseas ahead of time. To ensure a stable and adequate supply of chicken, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) works with the industry to accredit new sources of chicken that meet our food safety requirements. Today, our supply of chicken is diversified with import sources from 25 countries, including Indonesia, which was approved to export frozen and chilled chicken to Singapore in June 2022. Our overall supply of chicken is stable and SFA continues to identify and accredit new sources where possible. The price of food items, including chicken, is subjected to global market forces of demand and supply, which could be affected by geostrategic developments, supply chain disruptions and policy decisions by foreign governments. We encourage consumers to be flexible in opting for other forms of chicken, such as frozen or processed chicken, or other protein options.”
“The National Environment Agency (NEA) licenses funeral parlours with embalming or body washing facilities, and requires them to provide adequate and hygienic washing facilities, and perform thorough cleaning of the body preparation rooms after each service. NEA conducts periodic checks at licensed funeral parlours to ensure compliance with the licensing conditions and the Environmental Public Health (Funeral Parlours) Regulations. Enforcement action may be taken for non-compliance. First-time offenders may be fined up to $1,000 and repeat offenders may be fined up to $2,000 for subsequent offences. In addition, NEA has issued guidelines on the handling of deceased persons in funeral parlours which facilitate the sharing of best practices for practitioners in the funeral services industry, to ensure high public health standards and provide dignified services to bereaved families.”
“While we do use such indices for reference, our policies and plans will continue to be crafted based on our national interests, taking into account our national circumstances, and guided by our vision and commitment to doing what is best for Singapore and Singaporeans, while contributing to concerted global efforts. This House has had multiple robust debates regarding our climate targets and initiatives, including Parliamentary Motions on climate change, dedicated Green Plan segments during Committee of Supply debates in 2021 and 2022, and most recently during the second reading of the Carbon Pricing (Amendment) Bill. It should be clear to this House and Singaporeans that we have taken decisive steps towards reaching net zero and that our targets, policies and plans reflect Singapore's commitment to international climate action.”
“We are aware of the Climate Action Tracker (CAT)'s latest assessment of Singapore's climate targets and policies. They had published an earlier rating in September 2021. Over the past year, we have raised our national commitments on climate action, backed up by new policies and plans. This includes our updated Nationally Determined Contribution for 2030, our net zero by 2050 target, significantly raising the carbon tax, new targets for carbon capture, utilisation and storage and low-carbon electricity imports, as well as the launch of our National Hydrogen Strategy. It is, therefore, puzzling why these improvements have not been fully reflected in CAT's latest "policies and plans" rating for Singapore. CAT has also maintained its "fair share target" rating of Singapore as "critically insufficient" despite acknowledging Singapore's unique circumstances, particularly our limited access to alternative energy sources. As this limitation is not factored into CAT's "fair share target" assessment framework, their stated methodology would appear incompatible with Article 4.10 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change which recognises such constraints. The National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) had previously engaged CAT regarding our unique national circumstances, policies and plans. Following CAT's latest assessment, NCCS has reached out to CAT again to seek clarifications on its methodology and assessment, including how Singapore's latest policies and plans have been factored into its assessment. We have yet to receive CAT's response as of 5 January. The Government does not formulate our climate plans and policies based solely on the assessment of any single index, such as the CAT.”
“The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) is conducting a public consultation on the regulatory framework for the import, local farming, processing and sale of insect products for human consumption. The public consultation will end on 4 December 2022. SFA will consider the feedback and announce details when ready. This would also depend on industry readiness to meet the regulatory requirements and consumers' acceptance for such products.”
“Live broiler chicken imports from Malaysia have resumed since 11 October 2022 and our overall supply of chicken remains stable. The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) continues to work with the industry to open up new sources of chicken. Indonesia has been approved to export frozen and chilled chicken to Singapore since 30 June 2022 and businesses on both sides are working out the collaboration arrangements.”
“We have not studied the phasing out of paper receipts and there are no current plans to do so. The Government has introduced measures to increase the usage of electronic platforms for billing and invoicing, which would enhance productivity and reduce paper wastage. It has taken the lead and required electronic invoicing through the Vendors@Gov portal for suppliers transacting with the Government. We encourage companies to adopt electronic invoicing with InvoiceNow, the nationwide e-invoicing platform that enables the direct transmission of invoices in a structured digital format across finance systems. Companies can also adopt best practices such as asking customers if they require a receipt or providing the option of a digital receipt. For instance, self-checkout counters at some supermarkets give customers the option not to print a receipt while some transport companies and retailers send receipts via email or in an app. We also encourage the public to switch to electronic bills and financial statements to replace hardcopies.”
“NEA launched the SG Clean Quality Mark certification in February 2020 to rally businesses to take ownership in maintaining high standards of cleanliness and hygiene on their premises. Premises owners or operators who meet a set of sanitation and hygiene requirements, including enhanced toilet cleaning, can apply for and be awarded the SG Clean Quality Mark certification. To date, more than 120 retail outlets in petrol stations have been awarded the SG Clean Quality Mark. NEA will continue to work with various partners, such as Restroom Association of Singapore, Singapore Kindness Movement and Public Hygiene Council, to promote the cleanliness of public toilets, including those in petrol stations, and encourage good toilet etiquette. Under the Environmental Public Health Act and Regulations, cleanliness lapses, such as the failure to clean and maintain a public toilet and its sanitary conveniences, are subject to enforcement action. We invite petrol station operators to partner NEA in the annual Clean Public Toilets Campaign, which is currently running from November 2022 to February 2023.”
“NEA sets standards on air pollutant emissions, including particulate matter (PM) that covers PM2.5, which all industrial plants must meet. Major emitters are required to install stack emission monitoring systems to provide NEA with real-time monitoring of pollutant emissions. The regulatory emission standards apply to all industries, and there is no industry-specific target. NEA regularly reviews the industrial emission standards and benchmarks them against international standards to ensure that our standards remain relevant. The industrial emission standards were last tightened in 2015. New plants have been subject to the tightened emission standard for particulate matter since 1 July 2015, while existing plants have until 1 July 2023 to comply.”
“Food producers in Singapore face constraints in the availability of land and manpower. They also need to deal with the costs of energy, water and agri-inputs, such as feed, fry/fingerling and seeds. Due to factors, such as geopolitical tensions, rising inflation and inclement weather events, our farms, as with many other businesses, have been facing higher costs associated with energy and agri-inputs. The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) works closely with our local farms to address these challenges and we remain committed to working towards our goal of developing the capabilities and capacity to meet 30% of Singapore’s nutritional needs by 2030.”
“Under the Carbon Pricing Act regulations, business facilities operating in Singapore with direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions exceeding 2,000 tonnes annually are subject to mandatory requirements to report their emissions to NEA. These business facilities comprise taxable facilities with direct GHG emissions exceeding 25,000 tonnes annually and reportable facilities with direct GHG emissions between 2,000 and 25,000 tonnes annually. Taxable facilities and reportable facilities account for about 80% and about 1% of Singapore’s emissions respectively. Collectively, these facilities account for almost all direct emissions from industry and power, with remaining emissions coming mainly from land transport. In addition, companies listed locally are subject to SGX requirements on climate-related disclosures, as in many jurisdictions globally. There are, currently, no plans to extend reporting requirements beyond these business facilities to the smaller emitters, which include SMEs. Nonetheless, the Government will continue to encourage local businesses to monitor and reduce their GHG emissions through capability-building programmes, such as the LowCarbonSG programme by the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition Singapore, which is supported by EnterpriseSG’s Enterprise Sustainability Programme.”
“For example, Republic Polytechnic offers the Diploma in Environmental and Marine Science, which trains students to develop sustainable environmental and aquaculture solutions.”
“In land- and resource-scarce Singapore, we need to "grow more with less", in a productive, climate-resilient and resource-efficient way. Technology and innovation are key enablers. In 2019, we launched the $144 million Singapore Food Story (SFS) R&D Programme, which has since supported 50 projects in various areas. Fresh funding of $165 million has been allocated for SFS 2.0, which will have a greater emphasis on food security challenges and enhancing food safety amidst the emergence of novel food. The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) will also collaborate with Temasek Foundation to co-present a Food Grand Challenge. Food Grand Challenge will focus on supporting disruptive circular urban agriculture, aquaculture solutions, as well as alternative protein innovations. The deployment of advanced technologies is essential for our agri-food industry to maximise productivity amid our land and manpower constraints. For instance, Sustenir Agriculture is an indoor farm that uses controlled-environment agriculture to ensure optimal conditions for plant growth. Fish farms, such as Singapore Aquaculture Technologies and Blue Aqua, are tapping on artificial intelligence to monitor and optimise fish growth. EnterpriseSG also helps to catalyse innovation and scalable solutions in the agri-food sector by providing support for agri-food enterprises from startup to scale-up. They have anchored five global agri-food accelerators and one local life sciences accelerator, for example, Big Idea Ventures and GROW, under the Startup SG accelerator programme. Sustaining a workforce pipeline is also an important strategy to realise “30 by 30”. SFA works closely with our Institutes of Higher Learning and the industry to build a pipeline of talent for the sector and upskill our existing workforce.”
“Together with an extensive network of over 1,000 water level sensors and 400 CCTVs installed at flood-prone areas, this enables PUB to issue advance flood risk warnings to keep the public out of harm’s way. The Government is committed to strengthening Singapore’s climate resilience. PUB will plan for coastal protection and flood management in an integrated manner, leveraging technological advances and building local long-term capabilities. Nonetheless, the effects of climate change cannot be tackled by technological developments and infrastructural investments alone. We also need to partner the community, such as by working with building owners to install flood protection measures to protect their properties and by equipping the public through weather alerts to make adjustments to their daily routines.”
“Climate change will bring about sea level rise and more frequent and intense rainstorms, which could exacerbate flood risks. The Government is making timely investments to shore up our coastal and flood resilience, leveraging science, technology and engineering as key enablers. To better assess the combined risks of coastal and inland flooding, national water agency PUB has been working with NUS and Hydroinformatics Institute to develop the Coastal-Inland Flood Model. This is an advanced computational hydrodynamics model that can simulate flood scenarios to support the planning and design of coastal protection and drainage infrastructure. Innovative engineering methods are employed to overcome land constraints in Singapore. Examples include underground detention tanks, such as the Stamford Detention Tank, which free up space aboveground for other land uses, as well as multifunctional solutions like the Marina Barrage and Alkaff Lake in the new Bidadari estate, which provide recreational spaces while also enhancing flood resilience. In the area of coastal protection, the Government is actively trialing different solutions and assessing their suitability to be implemented in Singapore. For instance, learning from the Netherlands, HDB is piloting polder development at Pulau Tekong. PUB is exploring the potential of using customised modular blocks that could reduce land and materials needed for coastal protection structures and will also be studying the feasibility of implementing coastal barriers to protect Singapore’s southwestern coastline from storm surges. To address flooding, PUB utilises radar technology which helps to predict locations where heavy rainfall might occur.”
“As part of our efforts to develop a circular economy and reduce our emissions, the Government is working with industry to explore chemical recycling of plastic waste as a complementary approach to mechanical recycling. Chemical recycling enables Singapore to expand our capabilities to treat plastics which are not suitable for mechanical recycling, such as contaminated packaging and single-use plastics. In October 2020, NEA and Shell launched a joint study on the feasibility of chemically recycling plastic waste in Singapore. Findings from the study indicated that chemical recycling in Singapore is technically feasible. In January 2021, NEA launched a feasibility study for a pilot Plastic Recovery Facility to recover plastic waste from domestic waste for chemical recycling. NEA is, currently, analysing the findings of the two studies before deciding on our next steps. We remain open and committed to working with interested stakeholders in the ecosystem to close the plastic waste loop locally, diversify petrochemical feedstock towards sustainable sources and reduce national carbon emissions.”
“This question has been addressed in my reply to Prof Koh Lian Pin for Question No 1 for Oral Answer on the Order Paper for 8 November 2022.”
“The first grant call for the Singapore Food Story Research & Development (R&D) Programme was awarded in 2021. The approved projects are being implemented and will take a few years for measurable outcomes.”
“Since April 2020, the frequency of recyclables collection for the regular 660-litre recycling bins at the Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates has been increased from one time to at least three times weekly. Side-loading recycling bins with about three times the usual capacity have also been introduced in estates where space allows, with a collection frequency of once a week due to its larger capacity. Recyclables are collected from private landed properties on a weekly basis. We are working with the Public Waste Collectors to deploy resources to collect recyclables more frequently from locations with a higher recycling rate. The introduction of the side-loading recycling bins was meant to increase bin capacity and improve manpower productivity rather than to reduce contamination rates. We continue to face challenges with the contamination of the recyclables collected in both the regular 660-litre recycling bins and the side-loading recycling bins. Items containing food or liquid waste are sometimes disposed of in recycling bins. Non-recyclable items, such as soft toys and clothing, are also sometimes found in recycling bins. The National Environment Agency (NEA) launched the Recycle Right Campaign and introduced user-friendly educational content to encourage the community to cultivate the right recycling habits. I encourage everyone to do their part and recycle right.”
“Over the last year, geopolitical tensions including the ongoing war in Ukraine have disrupted the supplies of essential items, including energy. This is compounded by extreme weather patterns, such as heatwaves and droughts that have disrupted the energy markets. Globally, the energy crisis has provided stronger impetus for countries to diversify their energy sources with renewables. Likewise for Singapore, we are accelerating the deployment of solar energy and sourcing for renewable electricity from the region under the Singapore Green Plan 2030. Investments in clean technologies and enhancements to infrastructure will help us to bolster our energy security and mitigate the impact of climate change. We remain committed to implementing the Green Plan initiatives and are currently making good progress. For instance, we have increased the installed solar capacity from 125 megawatt-peak in 2016 to 670 megawatt-peak in Q1 2022. We are on track to meet our 2030 targets of two gigawatt-peak of installed solar capacity. Electric vehicle (EV) adoption is also growing robustly, with electric car registrations for the first nine months of 2022 exceeding 10% of all new car registrations. Almost half of our new car registrations in 2022 so far are cleaner-energy vehicles, which include hybrids. Global inflation has cause prices of capital goods to rise, including those needed for green transition. We will monitor its impact and work with the industry closely to find solutions. The Green Plan is a living plan and will continue to evolve, as we engage a diverse range of stakeholders and take into account technological developments and new solutions.”
“Designated Smoking Points (DSPs) are community-led initiatives in our heartlands. My Ministry does not monitor the number and utilisation rates of DSPs. DSPs may be used by smokers within their immediate vicinity, but their effectiveness in influencing individual smoking behaviour and in reducing the impact of second-hand tobacco smoke on non-smokers would need to be studied further. DSPs help to confine second-hand tobacco smoke to areas that can be more easily avoided by the public. However, the proliferation of DSPs needs to be carefully considered and balanced against the risk of inadvertently normalising smoking, especially among youths, and exacerbating the public's exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke if DSPs are not appropriately sited. While we do not currently have any plans to set up or fund DSPs, we remain open to exploring practicable solutions to reduce public exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke. The National Environment Agency (NEA) will also continue to support community groups interested in setting up DSPs by providing advice and guidelines on setting up DSPs.”
“I believe the Fourth Schedule of the CPA restricts disclosure to specified public officers.”
“Mr Speaker, I believe that I have addressed Ms He's clarification questions earlier in my speech, that it is really not in our interest at this point in time. Hold us accountable eventually for our overall performance on carbon abatement and carbon mitigation, but let us run an effective, flexible, nimble system, so that we can really catch the wind and be as effective as we can in developing a new green economy.”
“If we need certainty, how do we address conditions that we do not foresee? If we have a COVID-19 again – touch wood, hope that we will never have it – but if we have a COVID-19, or we have a major recession; of course, we will have to think about ways to cushion it. But that does not mean that we are turning back to fossil again. That is the message that we have been telling all the large emitters in the world at COP27. Even though there is an energy crisis out there, please do not turn your eyes away from the problem. So, I hope that Members will support what we are doing, understand that we are not blind to concerns, accept that we need to give clarity to companies to invest, to change, to adopt a way of low-carbon production that we cannot delay anymore, even as we are confronting some major challenges out there. [Applause.]”
“Mr Speaker, this is not a fiscal policy. This is a policy to change our energy mix and our energy use. So, whether there is going to be an economic downturn or not, this is a change that we all need to make. And Members have spoken so passionately about the need to address the tragedy of the commons, climate change that is confronting us. So, are we going to delay it further? No. The answer is we all need to change. If there is an economic problem, if there is an interest rate problem, of course we have to deal with it. We have to deal with it in other ways. But the signal to the companies must be that this is a path that the Government is going ahead with. We will have to make investments with these numbers in mind, bearing in mind that our investments in the petrochemical industry or in the power generation industry are multi-year. So, if we have targets, carbon tax rates that cannot be even certain for the next four, five, six years, how can they make long-term projections? I find it very difficult for companies to do that, I find it very difficult for financiers, for banks to also do that. And here, I think I am receiving slightly mixed messages. The message is, "We want to fly the environmental flag. We want to be sustainable. We want to be able to address our constituents who want us to be as green as possible". But when it comes to the hard decision of making changes, of making companies change and invest in renewables, reduce efficiency, reduce utilities, reduce water, circular economy, reduce waste – "Hang on, I think there is an economic condition and, therefore, we change". So, we have to decide for ourselves. Is the carbon tax something that we need to do and if we need to do it, do we need certainty?”
“I apologise for that. I will sit down. Okay. Can you please tell me, describe to me your carbon tax glide path in numbers. Because I am a business, I need to know. Can you please tell me, with some certainty, what is that variable portion – even if you say $25 for two years to come, $45 I am not too sure, but what will be the variation? Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: So, I am happy to clarify. Again, we are not opposed to the original path. So, for the next year and the subsequent year, we are comfortable with going with that $25 that was originally there. But I am pushing for the flexibility to adjust it upward or downward just to take into account of the fact that economic conditions may alter. The same way we do for interest rates.”
“Okay, so in 2025, are you going to stay with $25 as well? Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: We would have to look at economic conditions.”
“What is that rate? What is the number? Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: We can go with the Government's proposed number. Say, start with $25, as I said in my speech.”