Singapore Minister for Environment and Water Resources, Vivian Balakrishnan, is not expecting a breakthrough in climate talks in Durban next month.
He said that given the current global financial crisis and political problems in many developed countries, negotiations will be difficult.
Negotiators from nearly 200 countries will head to the South African city for two weeks to discuss implementing measures to combat climate change.
Disagreements between developed and developing nations over who should take responsibility for carbon emissions are threatening to paralyse climate change talks.
Developing nations say developed countries have been releasing carbon emissions for decades in the pursuit of growth.
Highlighting these difficulties at a dialogue with 200 Singapore Polytechnic students on Wednesday, Dr Balakrishnan said it would take a binding agreement on all countries to achieve any significant reduction in carbon emissions.
But that is unlikely to emerge from negotiations in Durban.
Dr Balakrishnan said: “Do not expect a global solution at this stage. Expect a reaffirmation, a small tentative step forward on finance, and perhaps a roadmap to a long-term, multi-lateral regime.
“From Singapore’s perspective, we have always taken the position that we believe that this is a global problem that can only be solved through a multi-lateral, rules-based approach. We will do our fair share, which must take into account our small size and our alternative-energy disadvantage.”
Dr Balakrishnan also said it will be “almost impossible” to get a commitment to embark on major measures. However, he believes there are some “low-hanging fruits” that can be achieved.
This includes getting a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol, which expires at the end of next year.
He also expressed hope that some progress will be made on the green climate fund - agreed upon in Cancun - which will provide finance to help developing countries mitigate or adapt to the effects of climate change.
Dr Balakrishnan said if countries are unable to reverse the effects of climate change, they will have to deal with issues such as rising sea levels.
He said: “Right now, if we reclaim any land, we have to make sure that the height of the reclamation is at lease 1.25 metres above the highest recorded sea level so far. In other words, we are buying ourselves some insurance.
“Similarly, if you build a new block of flats, a new house, a new shop, we will take every opportunity to raise the platform level. We will raise it to have a significant margin of about 1 to 2 feet above the highest recorded flood in that area. Now all this is very expensive, because you are spending more today to prepare for the future.”
Other issues discussed during the dialogue included Singapore’s self-sufficiency in water and the lack of alternative energy sources.
