by Amresh Gunasingham

SINGAPORE sent a strong signal yesterday that it will not be prepared to accept any emissions cuts as part of a global agreement to tackle climate change at an international summit in Copenhagen later this year.

Speaking to The Straits Times on the sidelines of the 11th Asean Ministerial Meeting on the Environment yesterday, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim said: 'We are not obligated to set targets or reduce emissions, but...we will do our part.

'Whatever we do, we cannot compromise our ability to grow. So how we find a balance will be a continuous process.'

Reasons for S'pore to be cool on global warming

by Andy Ho, Senior Writer

A NEW global warming treaty is set to be signed in Copenhagen come December.

Singapore will face pressure from countries like Japan and Australia to be listed as an AnnexI country, subject to carbon emissions caps. Revealing this at a student forum last week, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said Singapore would resist such attempts.

While it has one of the world's highest emissions per capita, he said, its fuel consumption cannot be cut drastically, as its manufacturing sector lives or dies by it. Much of its carbon emissions comes from manufacturing things for use in other countries, not domestically.

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