S’pore public sector shrank carbon footprint in 2023; aims for net-zero emissions around 2045
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The Singapore Government has said the public sector will reach net-zero emissions around 2045 – five years earlier than the national target.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
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SINGAPORE – The public sector in Singapore shrank its carbon footprint in 2023, with government agencies here releasing about 6.8 per cent less emissions than they did in 2020.
This is an improvement from the 5.3 per cent reduction from the same baseline that government agencies used in 2022. The year 2020 is used as the baseline year for emissions, as this was when the authorities began data collection for emissions.
The emissions from 2023, amounting to 3.6 million tonnes, were outlined in a report released by the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) on Nov 18, in the second GreenGov report.
The 80-page document, released as the COP29 United Nations climate conference is ongoing, detailed the public sector’s sustainability performance in the areas of emissions, energy, water and waste for the 2023 financial year (FY2023) from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024.
The Singapore Government has said that the public sector will reach net-zero emissions around 2045 – five years earlier than the national target.
For context, Singapore’s total greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 were 58.59 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2 eq). CO2 eq is a term used as a measurement of total greenhouse gases emitted.
The annual report provides a snapshot of the public sector’s environmental sustainability performance each financial year. It also documents the public sector’s key strategies and initiatives to enhance environmental sustainability and meet Singapore’s targets.
The first report, issued in December 2023, Singapore Green Plan 2030.
The Green Government initiative sets out several sustainability targets. Other than the plan to reach net-zero emissions ahead of the national target, the Government also plans to cut energy and water use by 10 per cent from their baselines by 2030, as well as reduce waste disposed of by 30 per cent by that time as well.
“It’s encouraging to see that the public sector has been making improvements in its environmental performance,” said Ms Melissa Low, a climate policy observer and research fellow at the NUS Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions.
She noted the inclusion of total historical emissions for several ministries in the report’s appendix, which she said “shows that transparency is a journey and there is always room for improvement”.
Lower carbon emissions
The lower emissions were due to the decrease in Scope 1 emissions, which refer to direct greenhouse gas emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by an organisation, such as petrol and diesel, said the report.
“Scope 1 emissions decreased slightly as our Tuas South waste-to-energy plant generated less emissions in FY2023, which offset the increase in diesel use due to increased bus service mileage,” said MSE.
However, Scope 2 emissions – referring to indirect emissions associated with the purchase of electricity, steam, heating and cooling – went up, due to higher electricity use from expanded public infrastructure in the transport and healthcare sectors.
The ministry added that it expects emissions to continue increasing “for a bit more as we complete a number of key infrastructural projects which were delayed due to Covid-19 disruptions”.
Overall, the dip in Scope 1 emissions of 12,000 tonnes, or 0.9 per cent, outweighed the increase of 7,000 tonnes, or 0.3 per cent, in Scope 2 emissions. The total amount of emissions decreased slightly by about 0.2 per cent compared with FY2022, said the report.
More waste disposed of
The report also detailed the public sector’s waste data for the first time, after the ministry received feedback from stakeholders and members of the public after the publication of the inaugural report in 2023.
The results showed that the public sector’s total waste disposed of was around 218.7 million kg in FY2023, an increase of 1.3 per cent from the FY2022 baseline, which was when requirements for public waste collectors to weigh waste at the premises level started.
This was due to increased levels of activity and higher footfall at facilities amid a return to normality post-pandemic, with more visitors to tenanted industrial facilities and some public-facing facilities, said MSE.
Referring to its Waste Disposal Index, which measures in kilograms the amount of disposed waste a person generates per day, the ministry said the amount stood at 0.38kg. This was 9.1 per cent lower than the baseline, attributed to the public sector scaling up its implementation of waste reduction efforts and recycling programmes across government facilities.
“Collectively, our efforts to reduce waste and increase reuse and recycling at our public-sector offices and operational buildings ensured the amount of waste generated by each occupant and visitor was less in FY2023 than in FY2022, even as we catered for the return of more occupants and visitors at our facilities,” said MSE.
Post-pandemic energy and water use
Unlike the 2020 baseline used to measure carbon emissions and waste, the baseline used in assessing energy and water use was the average of each between FY2018 and FY2020. MSE said this better reflects hybrid working arrangements post-pandemic.
In FY2023, the public sector’s electricity use was a 1 per cent increase from the baseline.
This was attributed to the expansion of Singapore’s public infrastructure, including a full year of operations for Stage 3 of the Thomson-East Coast Line,
The public sector also used around 33.4 billion litres of water in FY2023 – a decrease of 1.4 per cent from the baseline.
This was due to reduced water use at public amenities and tenanted industrial facilities, as well as at the public sector’s utilities plants, which offset the increase from some of the other sectors, said MSE.
Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said that the public sector “is pushing ahead in its sustainability efforts to meet our net-zero target around 2045”.
“We are striving to do better, building on earlier efforts, and seeking partnerships with the community and private sector to achieve greater impact,” said Ms Fu, who is also Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations.
“The public sector’s efforts alone are not enough. For these to bear fruit, everyone – corporates, community groups and individuals alike – will need to do their part as well, to help build a sustainable Singapore for tomorrow.”
