Singapore’s updated NDC was submitted on March 31, 2020. Although the NDC mentions an update of presenting economy-wide absolute target in place of the previous intensity target, the country maintained its previous commitment without enhancing its ambition, converting it to an absolute reduction of 65MtCO2 by 2030.

Some strengths of the updated NDC are the introduction of a carbon tax in 2019 (the first in Southeast Asia) and solar energy commitments. It also presents an Annex that identifies vulnerabilities and presents adaptation measures. Quantitative targets related to coastal and flood protection; local food production; and solar energy deployment are presented, as well as measures for the transport and building sectors and for energy efficiency. Singapore incentivizes research on solar energy and adaptation and supports developing countries through a capacity building international cooperation program.

Our analysis concludes that more ambition was expected from Singapore, considering it is a small low-lying island state particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and a high-income country that is one of the world’s most competitive economies. We consider that Singapore’s NDC has Some Way to Go to become the NDC We Want.