Singapore's climate change fight to feature in PM Lee's speech
PM Lee Hsien Loong will address how country will respond at National Day Rally on Sunday
Singapore must treat climate change seriously as the Republic is a low-lying island that is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said.
In a Facebook post yesterday, he said he will be talking about how the country should respond to climate change in his 16th National Day Rally speech on Sunday at the Institute of Technical Education in Ang Mo Kio.
He will speak in Malay and Mandarin from 6.45pm to 7.30pm, and in English from 8.15pm to 9.30pm.
In his Facebook post, he shared a BBC report that provided an analysis of how temperatures in 1,000 cities around the world, including Singapore, have risen since 1900.
It noted global warming is projected to continue rising until 2100, the year by which a United Nations-backed expert panel said fossil fuels should be phased out if the world is to avoid dangerous climate change.
PM Lee wrote: "If you pick the chart for Singapore, in the worst case, temperatures for July will rise from 27.8 deg C now to 31.1 deg C by 2100. Those are monthly averages.
"Maximum temperatures during the day will be much higher. Today, we are already hitting daytime highs of 32 deg C and even 34 deg C, so by 2100, Singapore could see 37 deg C days!"
He said Singapore must treat climate change very seriously.
"As a low-lying island, Singapore is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels," he said.
In his National Day message on Aug 8, PM Lee said pre-school and tertiary education will be made more affordable for lower- and middle-income families, and retirement and re-employment ages will be raised to help older Singaporeans who wish to work longer.
CLIMATE CHANGE EFFORTS
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli noted Singapore has been helping in the fight against climate change.
Mr Masagos also said the agri-food industry is working on transforming itself through science-based innovations. These efforts, supported by the Government, include helping farmers use indoor vertical farming and smart technologies.
The National Day Rally will be broadcast on local TV channels and radio stations and live-streamed on the YouTube page of the Prime Minister's Office, PM Lee's Facebook page and the Facebook page of government feedback unit Reach.
You can follow the live coverage at www.straitstimes.com.
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