(1) International Agreements (Kyoto Protocol) (2) National Response (in Singapore)

1. Contracts signed by two or more
countries / countries around the
world to work together to deal with
climate change
Policies implemented by individual
countries to reduce the country’s
greenhouse gas emissions
(1) International Agreements (2) National Responses
Responses to Climate Change
Goal:
Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Case study: Kyoto Protocol Case study: Singapore
(a) Successes
(b) Limitations
(a) Singapore Green Plan 2012
(b) Green Mark Scheme
(c) Plant-A-Tree Programme

2. What are International Agreements?
International agreements
are important in tackling
climate change because
climate change is a
global problem that
requires a concerted
response from
all countries.
The international
community has taken
action to tackle climate
change by signing
international
agreements such as the
Kyoto Protocol.

3. International Response – Kyoto Protocol
It is an agreement linked to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC).
The UNFCCC is set up with the goal of reducing
the levels of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere.
Kyoto Protocol was initially adopted in
December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan.
It entered into force in February 2005.

4. International Response – Kyoto Protocol
As of June 2013,
there are
192 parties
who signed the
Kyoto Protocol.
The Kyoto Protocol
allows these
countries to
make special
agreements to
work together to
combat global
warming by
reducing their
greenhouse gas
emissions.

5. International Response – Kyoto Protocol
Under the Kyoto Protocol, the participating countries
set various targets to reduce their greenhouse gas
emissions (eg. CO2, CH4, N2O etc).
Names of some participating countries
of the Kyoto Protocol
Emission targets
(from 2008-2012)
Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia,
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Monaco, Romania,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland
-8%
United States -7%
Canada, Hungary, Japan, Poland -6%
Croatia -5%
New Zealand, Russian Federation, Ukraine 0
Norway +1%
Australia +8%
Iceland +10%

6. International Response – Kyoto Protocol
From 2008 to 2012, countries participating in the
Kyoto Protocol were obligated to reduce their
combined greenhouse gas emissions by at least 5%
below their emission levels in 1990.

7. International Response – Kyoto Protocol

8. International Response – Kyoto Protocol
The 37
developed countries
had a
greater responsibility
to reduce
greenhouse gas
emissions because
they were most
responsible for
emitting GHG
during the
industrial revolution.
Share of CO2 emissions in 1990

9. International Response – Kyoto Protocol
Depending on the ability of each developed country,
they had additional responsibilities (e.g. helping less
developed countries reduce their greenhouse gas
emissions by providing them with funds).

10. Contracts signed by two or more
countries / countries around the
world to work together to deal with
climate change
Policies implemented by individual
countries to reduce the country’s
greenhouse gas emissions
(1) International Agreements (2) National Responses
Responses to Climate Change
Goal:
Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Case study: Kyoto Protocol Case study: Singapore
(a) Successes
(b) Limitations
(a) Singapore Green Plan 2012
(b) Green Mark Scheme
(c) Plant-A-Tree Programme

11. International Response – Kyoto Protocol
Successes
Countries were required to monitor and report their
greenhouse gas emissions to ensure that they were on
track in keeping to their emission targets.

13. Many countries have met or
exceeded the targets set by the
Kyoto Protocol. This included
countries such as Germany,
Ireland and Finland.

14. Between 1990 and 2002,
Germany reduced its
greenhouse gas emissions
by 19.4%, equivalent to
240 million tonnes of
CO2 annually.
Many countries have met or
exceeded the targets set by the
Kyoto Protocol. This included
countries such as Germany,
Ireland and Finland.

15. Contracts signed by two or more
countries / countries around the
world to work together to deal with
climate change
Policies implemented by individual
countries to reduce the country’s
greenhouse gas emissions
(1) International Agreements (2) National Responses
Responses to Climate Change
Goal:
Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Case study: Kyoto Protocol Case study: Singapore
(a) Successes
(b) Limitations
(a) Singapore Green Plan 2012
(b) Green Mark Scheme
(c) Plant-A-Tree Programme

16. International Response – Kyoto Protocol
Limitations
Even though most participating countries of the Kyoto
Protocol succeeded in meeting their emission targets,
there were still countries that did not achieve their
targets, such as Spain, Austria and Denmark.
Many developing
countries signed up
but did not commit
to their targets.

17. International Response – Kyoto Protocol
Limitations
Unfortunately, the USA which is one of the world’s
biggest polluters (emit 25% of world emissions),
initially signed the protocol but withdrew in 2001.
Canada withdrew
from the protocol
in 2011.

18. International Response – Kyoto Protocol
Limitations

19. International Response – Kyoto Protocol
Limitations
Overall,
global CO2 emissions
have showed no sign
of slowing down.
This is because countries
which did not sign the
Kyoto Protocol
(e.g. the USA, Afghanistan)
continued to contribute
significantly to global
CO2 emissions.

20. International Response – Kyoto Protocol
Limitations
In fact, since 1997, global emissions have increased by
35%, and a large proportion of the increase came from
China, India and the USA.
Country Change in Greenhouse Gas
Emissions 1992 – 2007
India +103%
China +150%
United States +20%
Russian Federation -20%
Japan +11%
Worldwide Total +38%

21. International Response – Kyoto Protocol
Limitations
This is because the Kyoto Protocol does not make it
compulsory for countries with low greenhouse gas
emissions to provide support to other countries.
For example, countries with low greenhouse gas
emissions do not have to provide energy-efficient
technology to countries with high greenhouse gas
emissions.
Hence, countries with high greenhouse gas emissions
were not be able to achieve their emission targets as
easily.

22. Contracts signed by two or more
countries / countries around the
world to work together to deal with
climate change
Policies implemented by individual
countries to reduce the country’s
greenhouse gas emissions
(1) International Agreements (2) National Responses
Responses to Climate Change
Goal:
Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Case study: Kyoto Protocol Case study: Singapore
(a) Successes
(b) Limitations
(a) Singapore Green Plan 2012
(b) Green Mark Scheme
(c) Plant-A-Tree Programme

23. National Response – Singapore
At the national level, individual countries like
Singapore have implemented policies to reduce
Singapore’s greenhouse gas emissions.
National responses are necessary at the national level
because the measures are tailored to suit the needs
of the country.
Singapore has undertaken the following three key
strategies to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions:
a) Singapore Green Plan 2012
b) Green Mark Scheme
c) Plant-A-Tree Programme

24. Contracts signed by two or more
countries / countries around the
world to work together to deal with
climate change
Policies implemented by individual
countries to reduce the country’s
greenhouse gas emissions
(1) International Agreements (2) National Responses
Responses to Climate Change
Goal:
Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Case study: Kyoto Protocol Case study: Singapore
(a) Successes
(b) Limitations
(a) Singapore Green Plan 2012
(b) Green Mark Scheme
(c) Plant-A-Tree Programme

25. National Response – Singapore
(a) Singapore Green Plan 2012
Launched by the Ministry of the Environment in 2002,
the Green Plan aims to generate 60% of Singapore’s
energy needs using natural gas.
Instead of using coal, natural gas is a cleaner form of
energy and it does not produce smoke.
This would reduce the amount of CO2 released into
the atmosphere.

26. National Response – Singapore
(a) Singapore Green Plan 2012
For example, to achieve this goal, Singapore’s public
transportation has gradually switched to using
compressed natural gas (CNG) to power SBS buses.
CNG burns much cleaner than diesel, thus reducing
the amount of smoke and CO2 emitted by the buses.

27. National Response – Singapore
(a) Singapore Green Plan 2012
Has this been effective?
Effectiveness Challenges / Limitations
 By 2010,
about 79% of
Singapore’s
electricity was
already being
generated from
natural gas.
 This exceeded the
Ministry of
Environment’s
target ahead of
schedule.
 However, natural gas requires complex
treatment plants to process and pipelines
to transport. These pipelines have high
maintenance costs because they need to
by laid underground and have to be
checked regularly for leakage.
 This may discourage companies from
using natural gas. But if the use of natural
gas as an energy source is not used
widely in Singapore, it would reduce the
Green Plan’s effectiveness in reducing
greenhouse gas emissions in Singapore.

28. Contracts signed by two or more
countries / countries around the
world to work together to deal with
climate change
Policies implemented by individual
countries to reduce the country’s
greenhouse gas emissions
(1) International Agreements (2) National Responses
Responses to Climate Change
Goal:
Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Case study: Kyoto Protocol Case study: Singapore
(a) Successes
(b) Limitations
(a) Singapore Green Plan 2012
(b) Green Mark Scheme
(c) Plant-A-Tree Programme

29. National Response – Singapore
(b) Green Mark Scheme
Launched by the Building Construction Authority
(BCA) in 2005, the Green Mark Scheme aims to
encourage the construction of more new ‘green’
buildings.
‘Green’ buildings are more energy-efficient and
environmentally friendly.
The building could run partly on solar energy to meet
its electricity needs.
This would reduce the amount of fossil fuels burnt to
produce electricity, leading to the decrease in CO2
emissions.

30. National Response – Singapore
(b) Green Mark Scheme
For example, in the National
Library building, light shelves
are extended into library
space to reflect sunlight into
the building.
This optimizes daylight and
reduces the use of artificial
lighting.
This results in less electricity
used and less fossil fuels
burnt.

31. National Response – Singapore
(b) Green Mark Scheme
Has this been effective?
Effectiveness Challenges / Limitations
 Under the Green Mark
scheme, existing ‘green’
buildings reported
energy savings of
15-35% compared to
conventional buildings.
 These energy savings
help to cut down
greenhouse gas
emissions by reducing
the amount of fossil
fuels burnt to generate
electricity.
 However, construction companies and
developers in Singapore tend to be
conservative about adopting new ideas
and materials to build ‘green’ buildings.
 Also, ‘green’ buildings may cost more to
build because ‘green’ materials (e.g.
bamboo or recycled metal) may be more
expensive.
 As such, if companies continue to build
conventional buildings instead of ‘green’
buildings, the reduction in greenhouse gas
emission will be limited as conventional
buildings continue to use fossil fuels to
generate electricity.

32. Contracts signed by two or more
countries / countries around the
world to work together to deal with
climate change
Policies implemented by individual
countries to reduce the country’s
greenhouse gas emissions
(1) International Agreements (2) National Responses
Responses to Climate Change
Goal:
Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Case study: Kyoto Protocol Case study: Singapore
(a) Successes
(b) Limitations
(a) Singapore Green Plan 2012
(b) Green Mark Scheme
(c) Plant-A-Tree Programme

33. National Response – Singapore
(c) Plant-A-Tree Programme
Started in 1971, the Plant-A-Tree Programme
encourages residents to donate money to buy a tree
Or take part in tree planting events that take place
monthly throughout Singapore

34. National Response – Singapore
(c) Plant-A-Tree Programme
Has this been effective?
Effectiveness Challenges / Limitations
 The programme has
contributed to an estimated
60,000 trees planted yearly
throughout Singapore by
the National Parks Board
(NParks).
 The presence of more trees
and plants in Singapore help
to absorb and remove
carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere.
 However, trees take many years
to mature. Even fast-growing
trees such raintrees take 25
years to reach their full height.
 As such, the positive effects of
tree-planting will take a long
time to become effective.
 Thus, the reduction in
greenhouse gas concentrations
may not be visible until several
decades later.