Public sector carbon emissions fall to 3.7 mn tonnes in Singapore

The public sector emitted 3.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in the financial year 2022, according to the government’s first sustainability report card released Dec 15.

Public sector emissions were 5.3 per cent lower than in the baseline year of FY2020, which was when the government began to collect such data.

The closure of Tuas Incineration Plant in early 2022 was the main reason for lower emissions. This outweighed higher electricity use and associated emissions by the public sector after the post-pandemic reopening of the economy.

The government expects emissions to rise and peak around 2025 as more public infrastructure projects are completed. These include eight new polyclinics by 2030 as well as the Jurong Region Line and Cross Island Line.

Emissions are then expected to reduce and stay on track with the public sector goal of reaching net-zero around 2045.

The public sector target is timed ahead of Singapore’s national commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said the GreenGov.SG report signifies the government’s commitment to be part of the country’s climate agenda.

The government’s first chief sustainability officer Lim Tuang Liang also said that transparency through reporting will spur public sector agencies to minimise their environmental impact.

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Public sector assets covered in the GreenGov.SG report include office buildings, healthcare facilities, schools, public utilities installations, public transport infrastructure and vehicles.

Officials looked at Scope 1 emissions, which are direct emissions from burning fossil fuels on site, and Scope 2 emissions, which are indirect emissions from using purchased electricity.

Apart from emissions, the data collected by the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) also captures electricity and water usage.

The public sector aims to cut 10 per cent from both its energy use and water consumption by 2030, from a baseline of average levels between 2018 and 2020.

But in FY2022, the energy utilisation index used to measure the target increased by 1.3 per cent. Overall electricity use hit about 5,600 gigawatt hours, rising 1.7 per cent.

The water efficiency index used to track that target was 0.8 per cent higher. Overall water use went up to 33 billion litres, up by 1.2 per cent .

MSE attributed the larger resource footprint to the reopening of the economy and new healthcare facilities.

Higher electricity use was also due to the expansion of the public transport network, while higher water use was associated with greater use of school sports facilities.

Tags: carbon emissions, Infrastructure, Singapore