#3: MSE responds to SYCA statement on Loss & Damage
Other contents: Singapore as the top spender on bottled water in the world, and the latest IPCC Synthesis Report
SYCA statement does not give accurate account: MSE
In a recent public statement, SYCA shared our view that Singapore should not claim loss and damage funds. MSE responded to us on March 21, saying…
that our statement “does not give an accurate account of Minister Fu’s comments in Parliament on 24 February”.
As the details have yet to be discussed among the parties of COP, it is premature to draw any conclusions on the donors and recipients.
They also emphasised that Singapore is “classified as a developing country”.
Min Fu previously shared on Facebook about how Singapore is contributing to efforts to support fellow developing countries “in ways where we can make a meaningful contribution”, including through the Southeast Asia Disaster Risk Insurance Facility.
This response still leaves open the possibility that Singapore could be a potential claimant to L&D funds in the future. You can read Min Fu’s initial comments in Parliament here (Hansard).
Singapore tops the world in bottled water sales per capita
The UN University just launched a new report about the global bottled water industry. Some key insights:
Asia Pacific constitutes about half of the global bottled water market
Singapore by far tops both bottled water sales and consumption per capita: $1,348 and 1,129 liters in 2021
However, according to researchers from the NUS Institute for Environment and Sustainability, only 3 per cent of 1,000 households surveyed in Singapore consumed bottled water. Perhaps a larger proportion of consumption stems from F&B and the tourism industry? The UN study did not elaborate on it methodology. Either way, we hope the findings urge people in Singapore to be more mindful of our water consumption habits, particularly given how lucky we are to have safe, clean water from the tap.
(Also, check out this map of public water coolers in Singapore!)
AR6 Synthesis Report (SYR)
The fourth and final part of the IPCC’s sixth assessment report (AR6) has finally been published, providing a recap of the three prior parts. Here’s a great summary by climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe:
Does this report change anything? After all, this is a message we’ve all heard before: we’re not doing enough, we’re running out of time, we need to act now. But we want to draw your attention to this figure:
TLDR: The solutions are available. We beg our policymakers to put them into action.