Singapore to face more extreme weather amid climate change, says report

SINGAPORE (Xinhua): Scorching heat, extreme rainfall, and rising sea levels will bring growing challenges to Singapore if climate change intensifies, according to a report issued by the Centre for Climate Research Singapore reported on Friday.

The "Third National Climate Change Study" of Singapore shows that the city-state is expected to become warmer, with its annual mean temperatures rising to 0.55 degrees Celsius per decade by the end of the century under the high emission scenario.

Singapore's annual mean temperatures increased at a rate of 0.24 degrees Celsius per decade in the past 40 years, the report added.

Noting that Singapore's rainfall is highly variable at seasonal scales, the report warned that the rainfall will be increasingly unbalanced due to severe climate change.

Total rainfall during the dry season could fall significantly below the historical low of 314 mm around once every three years by the end of the century, the document said, while the seasonal total rainfall in the wet season may exceed the historical high of 1,507 mm.

Describing rising sea levels as a major challenge for Singapore amid climate change, the report said the mean sea level around the state is projected to rise by 0.23 to 1.15 metres by end century, and by up to around 2 metres by 2150 under the high emission scenario, the report noted.

Scientists also provided an outlook on climate change results under the low and medium emission scenario.

Singaporean authority said it will share data from the report with Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) members and encourage data sharing with international entities and the wider scientific community to undertake joint research.

Singapore has committed to achieving net-zero by 2050 to tackle climate change. - Xinhua