Minister for sustainability and the environment Grace Fu announced that the government has appointed a government chief sustainability officer (GCSO) to lead its GreenGov.SG initiatives.
“We will peak our carbon emissions around 2025 and achieve net zero around 2045, ahead of the national target,” says Fu. Fu was speaking at the inaugural Earth Hour Summit by WWF Singapore on March 2.
The new GCSO will work with the respective chief sustainability officers from each ministry to “develop and coordinate strategies”.
The government will also publish an annual GreenGov.SG report to track its progress and outcomes.
Fu also added that the progressive raising of Singapore’s carbon tax – from the current $5 per tonne of emissions to reach between $50 and $80 per tonne by 2030 – was made with the aim to “right-price” the country’s emissions and drive individuals and businesses to accelerate their transition.
“The revenue from the carbon tax will be used to support decarbonisation efforts, through grants and incentives, to help companies make the change,” says Fu.
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The increase in Singapore’s carbon tax rate was first announced in February 2022 during Budget 2022.
"We need an effective carbon price to activate carbon mitigation solutions that will help us achieve our net zero ambition. The carbon price provides an effective policy to motivate emitters to take action to reduce their emissions," said Fu at the second reading of the Carbon Pricing (Amendment) Bill in Parliament in November 2022.
