Opening Remarks at MENDAKI Symposium - Ms Grace Fu

Opening Remarks by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment and Minister-in-charge for Trade Relations, at MENDAKI Symposium on 10 July 2024 at Sands Expo & Convention Centre

Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for Health, Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs, and Chairman of Yayasan MENDAKI,

Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Manpower & Ministry of Defence and Deputy Chairman of Yayasan MENDAKI,

Mdm Zuraidah Abdullah, CEO of Yayasan MENDAKI,

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.

1 Good morning. I am happy to join all of you at the 8^th MENDAKI Symposium.

Implications of Climate Change

2 While I am heartened to see many youths among the audience today, something that weighs heavy on my mind is climate change. It is a reality that we simply cannot ignore. It is not something that will happen 30 years down the road. It is already happening today. We are experiencing warmer temperatures globally. It is quite clear that temperatures are going up.

3 How does this impact us? We are receiving frequent reminders of climate change through unprecedented weather events in cities around the world. From the record-breaking Hurricane Beryl which ripped through the Caribbean and is now slamming into Texas, to severe floods in parts of China and Brazil, to a scorching 51.8 degrees Celsius temperature in Mecca recently, resulting in thousands of deaths and injuries. In Singapore, 2023 was our 4^th warmest year on record, and it has been forecasted by the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) that 2024 could be an even warmer year than 2023. Already scientists are telling us that temperatures for June 2024 is going to be record-breaking around the world. I am sure many of us agree that we are feeling the brunt of the weather these days.

4 These weather events and weather changes cause devastating results such as deaths, injury, damage and loss of property and even uncertainties in global food supply due to a reduction in crop yield. We are not merely victims of climate change. Decades of burning fossil fuels for energy, industrialisation and unsustainable deforestation and consumption practices have contributed to the climate change which we experience today. We are the cause of climate change.

Climate Action

5 These events send a clear message on the pressing need for immediate action. In Singapore, we have pledged to peak emissions before 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050. Achieving net zero is a whole-of-nation effort, involving the public and private sectors, communities, as well as individuals. That is why we launched the SG Green Plan 2030 in 2021, which charts concrete targets in five Pillars over the next 10 years that will position us to achieve our long-term net zero emissions aspiration by 2050. We are increasing our carbon tax rate and introducing new policies to decarbonise our economy, energy and households.

Aviation sector

6 As an aviation hub, Singapore is playing our role in decarbonising the aviation sector by scaling up Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), a cleaner alternative to traditional jet fuel used in airplanes. Flights departing from Singapore will be required to use SAF from 2026. We will aim for a 1% SAF target for a start, with the goal of increasing it to 3 to 5% by 2030, subject to global developments and the wider availability and adoption of SAF. It is not just about airlines wanting to do it. The supply of SAF also has to come on stream, and in time. SAF is expected to contribute around 65% of emissions reductions needed by aviation to achieve net zero by 2050.

Maritime sector

7 In the maritime industry, Singapore is also playing a leading role in catalysing the development and uptake of zero and near-zero emission solutions. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), with the support of industry partners and the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) conducted the world’s first ship-to-containership methanol bunkering operation in July 2023, followed by a more complex simultaneous methanol bunkering and cargo operation in May 2024. We have also conducted the world’s first use of ammonia as a marine fuel in March 2024 within the Port of Singapore, onboard the Fortescue Green Pioneer. By switching away from conventional marine fuels to these cleaner alternative fuels, we can significantly reduce carbon emissions generated from the maritime industry. We have also established five Green and Digital Shipping Corridors (GDSCs) along key shipping and fuel supply routes with like-minded partners in Asia, Europe, and North America. These GDSCs serve as a test bed environment for pilot projects and facilitate stakeholder collaboration towards a more sustainable maritime industry.

8 Climate action has been focused on climate mitigation, which are efforts and ways to reduce climate greenhouse gas emissions, and to reduce the effects of climate change, adaptation is a topic that is very much talked about in the climate circuit. Because while we are mitigating, we must also prepare for warmer temperatures. The world also needs to focus on climate adaptation – to adapt to the effects of climate change which we are already feeling and to adapt to greater unpredictability of the weather system which affects our food sources and water supply.

9 In Singapore, we are reviewing and refining our adaptation plans to incorporate the latest climate projections from our Third National Climate Change Study (V3), which has projected higher temperatures, more wet and dry extremes, and accelerating increase in mean sea levels. For example, to enhance our flood and coastal resilience, we are carrying out studies to explore different solutions, including the ‘Long Island’. This is a stretch of new land is going to be reclaimed, creating a new boundary that will protect us from coastal floods, and new land for us. We also have to ensure our food resiliency, and we do so through a multi-pronged approach. Complementing import source diversification and stockpiling, is the ‘grow local’ basket, which through productive, climate resilient, resource efficient local food production, acts as a buffer against disruptions to food imports. This is about building capability, the know-how to grow in a climate resilient way. For this, we have set the aspiration of the “30 by 30” vision, to build up our agri-food industry’s capability and capacity to produce 30% of our nutritional needs locally and sustainably by 2030.

10 Despite accounting for just 0.1% of the world’s emissions, Singapore is doing our part to support climate action internationally. We are committed to supporting and accelerating the transition towards a net zero future in Singapore, in the region, and beyond. For example, we are actively contributing to blended finance initiatives in the region, and have signed carbon credit Implementation Agreements with Papua New Guinea and Ghana, which will help spur the development of international carbon markets.

11 At COP-28 last year, Singapore played a key role in facilitating the conclusion of the first Global Stocktake which reviewed the world’s progress towards meeting the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal. No effort is too small. Despite our size and constraints, Singapore continues to punch above our weight and contribute to international efforts. In addition, Singapore is committed to supporting fellow developing countries in their efforts to address climate change through capacity-building assistance. Under the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP), more than 150,000 officials from over 180 countries and territories have been trained in topics such as climate adaptation and mitigation, disaster risk management, and green finance. The Sustainability Action Package (SAP) was launched under the SCP in 2022 to focus on sustainability themes, including green project management, low carbon development and carbon markets. To date, we have organised 45 courses for over 1,000 participants under the SAP.

The Role of Youths

12 Youths have a significant role to play in Singapore’s sustainability journey and fight against climate change. Initiatives led by governments, businesses and community organisations provide youths with resources, mentorship, and a conducive environment to have a stake in their future and champion issues they care deeply about.

13 One initiative led by the Government is the Climate Youth Development Programme (CYDP). Co-led by the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, the National Climate Change Secretariat and the National Youth Council, the programme was established in July 2023 to strengthen partnership with the youth community in advancing climate action for sustainable development. Through the inaugural programme last year, 40 youths had the opportunity to develop the knowledge, skillsets and networks to contribute to Singapore’s sustainability efforts through conversations with climate change advocates, policymakers, and related events such as the Singapore International Energy Week 2023, Ecosperity and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) COP28.

14 The National Environment Agency (NEA) launched the Youth for Environmental Sustainability, or YES, Leaders Programme, to bring together partners from the People, Public and Private to address environmental issues through innovative solutions and collaborations. Launched in 2023, the programme offers our youth leaders a unique opportunity to channel their passion for the environment into tangible projects with meaningful impact. We are also seeing youths and organisations tapping on the SG Eco Fund to drive ground-up sustainability initiatives in their community, in areas ranging from waste reduction and recycling to community growing of food.

15 One such project is by the Malay Youth Literary Association, which started a “Youth Eco Action” project to create awareness on environmental sustainability among youths through interactive activities such as pairing clean-ups with cycling and kayaking, gardening and waste upcycling workshops, and farm tours. I encourage youths who are keen to work on environmental initiatives to come forward and apply for the SG Eco Fund to carry out your projects. We have also partnered with MOE, such as through the SG Perspectives series, to engage the youths so that they can better understand Singapore’s context and policy considerations.

16 To the youths, I know it might sound daunting or you might not know where to start, but there are those who have gone before you.

17 We have Ms Farah Sanwari, who is an active youth leader who co-founded FiTree, an Islamic environmental group; and Repair Kopitiam, an initiative involving repair enthusiasts who believe in giving used appliances a second life. I had the honour to present Singapore’s Voluntary National Review of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at United Nations in New York with Farah. She presented Singapore’s report card on the SDGs. She added richness to the discussions, and for the community, the people sector to be represented.

18 Meanwhile, Mr Muhammad Ibnur Rashad is the founder of social enterprise Ground Up Innovation Labs for Development (GUILD) and has conducted workshops to educate the public on recycling waste plastics into 3D-printed planters, which were used to create a floating garden system.

19 I would like to mention a third person – Naeem Nadzri. As you may know, Singapore played a leadership role at the sessions at COP-28 where I co-facilitated negotiations on mitigation. When I was co-facilitating, I noticed this young man taking notes. I found out later that he was there as a youth leader in our Climate Youth Development Programme. Naeem is really an inspiring person to me. I found that his work in sustainability, in understanding treatment and extraction of useful materials from our waste is very relevant.

20 If are able to extract the useful items from our waste, give them a second or third life, that is how we can reduce the need to mine even more. Every time when we change to a new electronic device, we are part of the reason why pits are being dug up. When you see photos of huge mining operations, where we are digging several tens of metres down into the earth to extract resources and causing environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, clearing of land. You and I are part of the cause. If we are able to give the resources endless life by recycling, extracting resources, separating the waste, then we can minimise the harm caused to the environment.

21 Youths are in the middle of action. From the three examples that I gave, you can see they are involved in community awareness, community engagement, and are putting their aspirations into action. They are going into the science and technological part of it to find new solutions. And there is really a whole range of different ways for us to enter the field of sustainability and climate change. This is really an area where your aspirations and your dreams can be put into action in a very seamless way.

Conclusion

22 In 2050, how old would you be? What future do you want your children to grow up in? Start today to own the future, shape the future, so that the future will be what you want it to be. That is why youth involvement is so important. You have the runway ahead of you. Own the future and put your aspirations into actions.

23 Thank you very much.