Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) signed an agreement today with the United Kingdom Met Office to collaborate on regional climate change research.
In this three year agreement, both parties will jointly develop climate models and conduct research on the tropical climate and weather systems that affect Singapore and its neighbours. NEA’s meteorological department, to be renamed the Singapore Meteorological Service (SMS) to reflect its expanded role, will share expertise and resources with the UK Met Office. Together, they will work to predict Singapore’s rainfall, temperature, wind and sea level changes up to 2100.
“This collaboration is our first major collaboration of its kind in this region, and we’re very proud,” said chief executive officer of the UK Met Office John Hirst at the signing at the Suntec City Convention Centre.
Mr Hirst told Eco-Business that, while South Korea has been using global climate models developed by the UK Met Office for some time now, the agreement with Singapore will be the first collaboration on regional research for Asia.
He added that Singapore is a natural choice for the research collaboration because it has a large and growing number of good scientists, in addition to a strong interest in climate science research. “If you have good people who are strongly committed, it makes the decision for you,” he said.
The UK Met Office’s climate research is conducted through the Hadley Centre, a global research centre for climate prediction and a chief contributor to the International Panel for Climate Change (IPCC). Together with SMS, the research organisations will form the Centre for Climate Science.
The Centre for Climate Science will host scientist exchanges and also workshops on climate change for the meteorological agencies of other Asean countries. The first of the regional workshops began today, attended by representatives from nine Asean countries, and will continue over the next three days.
Singapore’s National Environment Agency chief executive officer Andrew Tan said that Southeast Asia is quite vulnerable to climate change, and that it is imperative for the regional meteorological offices to work together more closely.
“Whatever assessments we make about the climate will be more robust if we can involve regional countries in the effort,” he said.
“I think the MOU is a step in the right direction towards forming partnerships with other leading centres,” he added.
The collaboration’s projections will guide other Singapore public agencies as they plan for the potential impacts of climate change. According to a statement from the NEA, the information will help the Public Utilities Board in drainage design and land reclamation planning.
It will also be used by the Building and Construction Authority to determine risks to coastal areas, and by both the Ministry of Health and NEA to plan for climate-induced increases in diseases such as dengue or malaria and other health problems.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in a ceremony attended by acting British High Commissioner Amanda Brooks and Singapore’s permanent secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources Desmond Kuek.
The UK Met Office’s Mr Hirst applauded the cooperation shown by meteorological agencies globally in assessing the impacts of climate change. There are few issues in the world that have such potential impact, he said.
He added, “This is the beginning of something that I hope will grow and develop not just over three years, but into the future.”
