S’pore temperatures rising at double the global average
SINGAPORE — Over the past six decades, temperatures here have risen at a rate more than double that of the global average, with rapid urbanisation cited as a likely major contributing cause, the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) said on Tuesday (March 22).
Releasing its inaugural Annual Climate Assessment Report with a focus on last year’s climate trends, the MSS said temperatures in the Republic rose by an average of 0.25°C per decade between 1948 and last year, compared with the global increase of 0.12°C per decade between 1951 and 2012.
Meanwhile, the blistering heat is showing no signs of abating, with the MSS forecasting that the warm weather will persist for another month or two. The Republic can also expect more warm days, with maximum temperatures of between 33°C and 35°C.
Nevertheless, the prevailing El Nino phenomenon — the warm phase of a temperature cycle in the tropical central and eastern Pacific Ocean — is tapering gradually and is expected to weaken further around the middle of this year.
Commenting on the rise in temperatures here, the MSS said it cannot be ascribed solely to warming brought about by the emission of greenhouse gases; human activity is also a contributing factor.
It singled out land-use change, such as urbanisation, as a key example that “can impact temperatures … (and) is likely to have played a significant role in Singapore”.