Singapore Pledges Enhanced Heat Resilience Collaboration at Brazil Launch
BELÉM, BRAZIL – Singapore’s Ambassador for Climate Action today affirmed the nation’s commitment to bolstering global heat resilience efforts at the launch of the Beat the Heat initiative and the Global Cooling Watch report in Brazil. Commending Brazil and the United Nations Surroundings Programme (UNEP) for spearheading the initiative, the Ambassador highlighted heat as a “systemic risk with global consequences,” citing IPCC AR6 findings that approximately 1 billion people in South and Southeast Asia could be impacted by extreme heat.
Singapore, a highly urbanized tropical city-state, faces a especially acute threat, with projections indicating temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius on most days by 2100. The Ambassador outlined Singapore’s proactive measures, including investments in robust climate projections, the formulation of national heatwave response plans targeting both the general public and vulnerable groups, and the development of innovative cooling solutions like specialized building paint and cooling vests for outdoor workers.
A regional approach to strengthening Southeast Asia’s collective capacity for heat resilience is also underway. Singapore intends to share its expertise and learn from others’ experiences in the global effort. The Ambassador emphasized Beat the Heat as a crucial mechanism ”to turn pledges into implementation, to de-risk investment, and to diffuse scalable solutions across countries.”
further details on collaborative efforts will be presented by Minister Grace Fu at the Global Cooling Pledge Ministerial Roundtable on November 18th. The Ambassador concluded by reiterating that addressing heat is “not optional – it is a necessity” and a “shared obligation,” calling for pooled expertise and strengthened partnerships for a climate-resilient world.
