Singapore stepping up efforts to tackle heat, Straits Times Says temperature could hit 40 degrees Celsius by 2045

SINGAPORE, Aug 2 (Bloomberg): Singapore is working on a range of measures to counter the impact to rising temperatures driven by global warming, its Minister for Sustainability and the Environment said, according to a Straits Times report.

The steps include better understanding how intense heat will impact the country and its people, reviewing efforts to strengthen people’s resilience to heat, and coming up with effective cooling strategies, Grace Fu told parliament on Tuesday, according to the report.

The minister said while Singapore doesn’t experience the extreme temperatures occurring by temperate regions, the country is affected by climate phenomena, such as El Nino, that is likely to be exacerbated by climate change, the Straits Times said.

The Centre for Climate Research Singapore has projected that climate change would lead to average temperatures rising by 1.4 to 4.6 degrees celsius by the end of the century, according to the report.

By 2045, said the Straits Times report, temperatures in Singapore could hit 40 deg C on some days due to a warming planet, compounded by the urban environment releasing trapped heat from buildings, roads and vehicles.

But the Republic is bracing itself for rising temperatures in three ways: further understanding how intense heat will impact the country and its people, reviewing efforts to strengthen people’s resilience to heat, and coming up with effective cooling strategies.

The National Environment Agency’s Centre for Climate Research Singapore (CCRS) has been working to localise global climate projections. Those projections are being reviewed and will be updated in the third national climate change study that will be released next year.

Fu added that the projections are shaped based on three carbon emission scenarios: business-as-usual, a scenario where the nation is taking good steps to mitigate emissions, and the worst-case scenario where fossil fuels continue to be harnessed.

Researchers are also studying the factors that contribute to urban heat and are testing different cooling strategies, which include planting more greenery in urban areas and using cooling materials and paint on buildings, the minister said.

The need to adapt to a warmer world has become more urgent given the pace of climate change globally, with concerns on how higher temperatures affect people, especially the elderly, those who live in less ventilated conditions, and those who work outdoors.

April and May this year have seen some of the highest temperatures recorded in Singapore. CCRS has also projected that climate change would lead to average temperatures rising by 1.4 deg C to 4.6 deg C by the end of the century.

Fu also noted that the past decade between 2012 and 2021 was Singapore’s warmest on record.

Heat waves are currently spreading across Europe, with France experiencing its driest July on record, and England having its driest month since 1935.

In the US, high temperatures across Northern California and the Pacific Northwest have led to instability in the atmosphere. Searing heat has also gripped China for over a month. - Bloomberg