SINGAPORE - To meet international climate goals, countries have to put plans into action, provide transparent reporting of progress and stay accountable to targets.

This means going beyond just setting ambitious targets, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu.

Speaking at the CleanEnviro Summit Singapore on Monday (April 18), Ms Fu said the Republic would commit to its national plans to improve sustainability, and also look into how else the nation can improve.

Among its commitments under the Singapore Green Plan 2030, Singapore will increase the carbon tax from the current $5 per tonne of emissions to between $50 and $80 by 2030.

Ms Fu added that the needs of the population will be taken into account as Singapore makes the transition to a greener society.

"All of us will have to change somehow. Either change the way we commute or change the way that we consume.

"It involves a behavioural change on everybody's part," she said at a plenary titled "Accelerating Climate Action in the Race to Zero".

Her comments followed a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change earlier this month that showed immediate and deep emissions reductions have to be made across all sectors for global greenhouse gases to peak before 2025, to limit dangerous climate change.

Ms Fu was speaking alongside four panellists at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre as part of Singapore International Water Week 2022.

One of the panellists, Mr Rajeev Menon, a board member at the US-Asean Business Council, said sustainability action plans require specific and measurable goals.

This could take the form of setting and achieving clear emissions targets for firms, he added.

Climate strategies must involve the public, which is a catalyst that can quicken the adoption of sustainable practices, said Egypt's Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad.

She added that the vision for Egypt is to improve the quality of life of its citizens as it mitigates and adapts to climate change.

In March, the country launched a national dialogue on climate change.

Egypt will also be hosting the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference in November.

The conference is one of the most major convergence points for international commitment towards mitigating climate change.

A major goal was established at last year's conference, with the target set for the world to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 and limit global warming to 1.5 deg C.