Afleveringen
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The ocean holds clues to past civilisations and cultures, provides a rich resource for new medicines and treatments, but more importantly, is home to millions of undiscovered species. Ocean scientists around the world have been seeking to unlock its secrets, but only just over 20% of the ocean floor is mapped. What lives, feeds and breeds down there in the icy depths remains a huge mystery.
Large-scale extraction of ocean species like cod, herring, tuna, swordfish and halibut, has brought the collapse of these wild populations by about 90% in just the last few decades.
But, a new wave of understanding about why the ocean matters is bringing a glimmer of hope.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Dr Sylvia Earle, Founder of Mission Blue & National Geographic Society Explorer in Residence - who has dedicated her life to explore, study and protect the oceans - shares first-hand insights on her dives into the deep blue and why exploration is an important step in educating the masses.
She also dives into what she’s hoping to achieve when she leads Ocean Geographic’s BIG ACE Expedition to ground-zero of the climate crisis: the Arctic, in line with her 90th birthday next year (2025).
Special thanks to Ocean Geographic.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar
Photo credits: Michael Aw / Ocean Geographic
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Do you use your things for what they are worth before throwing it out?
With a lot more focus placed on fighting the effects of climate change, the pace at which we’re using our planet’s resources has also come into the spotlight. According to the World Economic Forum, high-income countries use about six times more materials per capita and are responsible for 10 times more climate impacts per capita than low-income countries.
So, how can overconsumption be curbed more effectively? And are you underconsuming what you have?
On this episode of Climate Connections, Cheang Kok Chung, Executive Director, Singapore Environment Council and Michelle Lee, Associate Professor of Marketing (Education), Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University weigh in on how attitudes towards consumption are changing, and what consumers and businesses can do to play their part.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar
Photo credits: Earth.com, pixabay & its talented community of contributors
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Vultures are often misunderstood and feared as they are often pictured tearing the remains from rotting carcasses. But as natureâs critical clean-up crew, vultures play a vital role in maintaining the delicate balance of ecosystems and are intrinsically linked to human health. Evolved to be scavengers, they curb the spread of dangerous diseases like anthrax and cholera by consuming fresh carcasses riddled with potential pathogens and bacteria.
Poisoned, poached, electrocuted and edged out of their habitat, vultures are no safer above ground than on it. These highly intelligent birds are treading a very thin line between existence and extinction.
However, the Cambodia Vulture Working Groupâs recent report reveals significant progress in the conservation of three Critically Endangered vulture species: the White-rumped Vulture, Slender-billed Vulture, and Red-headed Vulture. In June 2023, the Minimum Population Estimate was recorded at 132 vultures across the three species, marking a stabilising trend after years of decline.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Oliver Gray-Read, Technical Advisor at NatureLife Cambodia, who has vultures deeply intertwined into the work he does, particularly in Cambodia - where the group has re-introduced the âvulture restaurantâ initiative, which helps provide Cambodiaâs vulture population with supplementary food to mitigate food shortages and allows for accurate population monitoring.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar
Photo credits: NatureLife Cambodia
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Every Atlantic hurricane that formed this year had higher wind speeds because of climate change. In fact, scientists found that the extra juice from warmer-than-average ocean temperatures pushed seven storms at least one category higher than they would have been without the influence of climate change.
Thatâs according to a recent study by researchers from the climate science and communications nonprofit Climate Central, warning of the dangers of intensifying hurricanes in a warmer world.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Professor of Atmospheric Science at the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, Kerry Emanuel, who pioneered potential intensity measurements shares his insights on storm strength that he predicted would happen over 30 years ago, and worries that scientists like him have.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar
Photo credits: NASA
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Coral reefs have long been regarded as one of the earliest and most significant ecological casualties of global warming. And as ocean temperatures continue to rise, mass bleaching and die-offs have gone from being rare to a somewhat regular occurrence.
Aside from climatic changes, human activities are no doubt damaging reefs beyond repair. Overfishing, pollution and coastal development are at the top of the list of chronic stressors. And meanwhile, reefs are also dredged or sandblasted for their limestone or to improve access and navigational safety in some areas.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Vriko Yu, CEO of Archireef shares her personal story of witnessing the disappearance of a small patch of coral community in just two months during her research project and how that led to the founding of her climate tech venture thatâs working to restore fragile marine ecosystems by using 3D printing technology and some good old-fashioned terracotta.
Archireef, which was founded in 2020, made the Forbes 100 To Watch List in 2023. Vriko was also recognised as a Top Innovator at the 2023 World Economic Forum in Davos.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: Archireef
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2024 is "virtually certain" to be the hottest on record. In recent months, the world has seen back-to-back hurricanes, catastrophic flooding, devastating typhoons and severe drought.
It is against this backdrop that global leaders gather at the COP29 UN climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, where a draft text of the new climate finance target was published. The finance agreement - also known as the New Collective Quantified Goal - would apply when the current US$100bn per annum target ends in 2025, and will be crucial for scaling up finance for climate action around the world.
With more than a week of talks ahead, the final outcome is still uncertain. However, the text contains many options still under consideration, as world leaders and negotiators work out a new financial target to support developing countries in their climate actions post-2025.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Sophie Sirtaine, CEO of CGAP - an international partnership housed in the World Bank Group, dedicated to promoting inclusive financial ecosystems - weighs in on whatâs at stake.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: Unsplash/Atul Pandey
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Until now, geologists have been divided as to whether this superdeep, superhot resource can be tapped.
Rock under high temperature and pressures - more than 373 degrees Celsius and 220 bars of pressure - is ductile, or gooey, as opposed to a smashable stone from your backyard.
So far, data shows that rock that fractures at superhot conditions can be ten times more permeable than rock that fractures at conditions closer to the Earthâs surface, and can also deform more readily.
Scientists have found that in the TaupĆ Volcanic Zone, supercritical conditions are as shallow as 4 km, making it one of the rare places in the world where supercritical development is both accessible and technically feasible. So far, only Iceland, Japan, the United States and Kenya have successfully drilled superhot wells.
On todayâs Climate Connections, Sheena Thomas, Interim General Manager Research Strategy and Partnership from GNS Science shares her insights on the economic potential and viability of superhot geothermal in New Zealand, and why proper environmental impact studies and collaborations with local indigenous Maori communities are absolutely critical in ensuring minimal environmental impact. Sheâs also a speaker at the Singapore International Energy Week this year.
GNS Science is leading a multi-year research programme 'Geothermal: The Next Generationâ - to investigate New Zealandâs âsupercriticalâ (high temperature/superhot) geothermal conditions and evaluating the economic opportunity for supercritical geothermal heat and electricity generation in New Zealand.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: GNS Science
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Algae are microscopic organisms that live in aquatic habitats and they use photosynthesis to produce energy from sunlight, just like plants. So far, there are over 50,000 species of living algae documented currently. And one thing that people sometimes forget is that algae are the base of many food webs and are an integral part of a healthy aquatic ecosystem.
But, algae can also grow out of control if the water around them contains too many nutrients, resulting in harmful algal blooms. And did you know that toxins from these harmful algal blooms could get kicked up into the air as airborne algae?
With the focus on climate change growing, scientists are continuing to document the effects of climate change on algae, and how airborne algae in turn interact with our environment.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Mickey Rogers, Pauling Fellow and Chemist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, who is researching airborne algae and its impact on atmospheric processing, shares her insights. She's currently also developing new methods of aerosol generation and online gas flux monitoring of biological cells including acoustic levitation of small particles.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: Mickey Rogers / Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
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Industrial waste makes up at least 50% of waste generated globally. And much of that waste is the result of poor quality products from manufacturing processes, as well as the sheer complexity of manufacturing and supply chain management.
As consumer awareness about the environmental impacts of waste increases, recycling is expected to grow considerably in the coming years. By 2032, the global waste recycling services market is forecast to have surpassed a value of US$90 billion, registering a compound annual growth rate of 4.7 percent during the forecast period 2023 to 2032.
But cost is often an issue. So, what can be done to scale up recycling within industries?
On this episode of Climate Connections, Susie Burrage, President, Bureau of International Recycling, who will be actively involved in the World Recycling Convention, held in Singapore from 28th to 29th October, shares her perspectives of being a fourth-generation recycler.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
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Nature films tell the stories of the world's flora, fauna, and landscapes - often a journey into the secret lives of what exists around us. These stunning visual tales show us how we are interconnected with nature in many ways. This, in turn, allows us to better understand the current conversations about climate change, sustainability and biodiversity, and put us in a better position to be agents of hope and change.
Thatâs exactly what the inaugural âEarth in Focusâ Singapore Nature Film Festival 2024 hopes to achieve. Running from 1st to 3rd November this year, the festival will showcase local and international films, photography and ecological art exhibitions, as well as workshops run by conservation NGOs - covering a wide range of conservation topics, from ocean and land conservation to water scarcity and technology for conservation.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Daphne Ong, Conservationist & Festival Director of Earth In Focus, and Andy Ridley, CEO of Citizens of the Reef & Co-founder, Earth Hour share their insights ahead of the festival.
Find out more about Earth In Focus and register for film screenings and workshops here: https://www.earthinfocus.co/festival-happenings
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: Earth In Focus
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Nature is our life support system, but right now, itâs in trouble. WWFâs latest Living Planet Report reveals that the average size of wildlife populations have declined by a staggering 73% since 1970, providing a stark warning âthat the world is fast approaching dangerous tipping pointsâ.
Habitat loss and degradation, driven primarily by our food system is the most reported threat to wildlife populations, followed by overexploitation, invasive species and disease.
With Australiaâs role as a regional food supplier growing in importance as global food demand surges, an Australian farmer-owned mutual - Regen Farmers Mutual - is working hard at giving landowners greater access to the growing environmental goods and services markets as the world transitions to net zero.
More than 80 farmers, conservationists and landcarers behind Regen Farmers Mutual have designed a new brokerage model to reduce transaction costs and enable farmers to aggregate their market power to sell environmental services. They are raising $51 million from mining and energy players to fund a series of regenerative farming projects. The mutual has agreed to $100 per unit for the first 1,000 of 18,500 available carbon credits across 750 hectares of land.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Rohan Clarke, Co-director, Regen Farmers Mutual shares how theyâre tapping on carbon markets and regenerative farming to preserve their lands.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar
Photo credits: Regen Farmers Mutual
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About 180,000 chimpanzees, gorillas and bonobos could be directly or indirectly threatened by current and future mining projects for these transition metals, particularly in West Africa.
With the world focusing its attention on clean energy transition, a boom in African mining activity is expected as critical minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel and cobalt are needed for clean energy technologies such as wind turbines and electric cars. This surge in demand is driving destruction of tropical rainforests which are critical habitats for Africaâs great apes.
In a recent study, researcher Jessica Junker and a team of scientists found that the overlap between mining exploration and preparation areas and important ape habitats was particularly high in West Africa, especially Guinea.
On this episode of Climate Connections, lead author of the study, Jessica Junker, Researcher, Re:wild shares her insights on the delicate balance.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar
Photo credits: Re:wild
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Solar power saw a boom in 2023, making it the fastest growing source of electricity generation for the 19th year running. This comes as countries around the world push for a transition towards greener sources of energy.
Australia has given the go-ahead for a A$20 billion (US$13.5 billion) solar project that plans to ship energy from a giant solar farm in the country's north to Singapore through a 4,300 km undersea cable. The approval comes with strict conditions to protect nature and the project must avoid the habitat of greater bilby, which are small rabbit-like marsupials with long floppy ears.
A final investment decision is expected in 2027. If eventually approved, the project aims to deliver up to 6 gigawatts of green electricity to large-scale industrial customers in Darwin, the capital city of Australia's Northern Territory, and in Singapore.
But how challenging are such large scale energy projects and are cross-border collaborations the most important key to renewable energy adoption?
On this episode of Climate Connections, Hanwei Wu, Editorial Director, OPIS shares his insights. He heads the Asia-Pacific team in producing price assessments and proprietary data for the oil, petrochemical, renewables and carbon markets.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: SunCable
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Despite being highly threatened, only a few langur populations have been studied in detail, owing to their elusive nature, arboreality and the challenging terrains where they inhabit. As a result, conservation of these species has been challenging.
Over 85 per cent of Asian langurs are threatened with extinction, making them one of the continentâs most threatened primate groups.
A new landmark Asian langurs (Presbytis) Conservation Action Plan 2024-2034, combining the efforts of international primate experts and conservationists, has just been launched, in a bid to galvanise conservation for Asian langurs across Southeast Asia.
On this episode of Climate Connections, lead of the initiative, Dr Andie Ang, Head, Primate Conservation & Singapore Programmes, Mandai Nature shares her first-hand insights on putting together the conservation plan and her experience out in the field.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar
Photo credits: Andie Ang
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Platinum group metals (PGM) - a group of precious metals - such as platinum, palladium and rhodium, are traditionally recovered through underground and open pit mining within a linear economy, where the ore is mined, transformed into products and then disposed of as waste at the end of their lives. These metals are often used in catalytic converters for cars, buses, trucks, and other industrial processes.
However, the process of mining for these precious metals could directly or indirectly lead to environmental impacts including deforestation, water pollution, and habitat destruction.
With the aim of creating a circular economy while fulfilling the high demand for these finite precious resources in a sustainable way - one company called BR Metals is recovering these metals from metal scraps and reintroducing them into the supply chain.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Frank Chen, Founder & Managing Director, BR Metals shares more about how his company is recovering precious metals from car scraps and his latest ventures into the gold and silver space. BR Metals was also crowned Champion in the Business For Good category at this yearâs Brands for Good Awards.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: BR Metals
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To keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C - as called for in the Paris Agreement - emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.
But as the days pass, the world is staring at a growing emissions gap.
Back in 2021, Speed & Scale - a global initiative aimed at pushing leaders to act on the climate crisis - built a plan based on 10 objectives, each with its own set of milestones, or âkey resultsâ - to zero out the worldâs 59 gigatons of annual greenhouse gas emissions, before itâs too late.
And just recently, Speed & Scale released a global progress report, tracking where the world is making good headway on the road to net zero and where itâs lagging. Most importantly, it points to where we need to go from here in the transition to clean energy, in scaling renewables and cleantech and also in phasing out fossil fuels.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Anjali Grover, Managing Director, Speed & Scale shares more about their blueprint, challenges in tracking some key areas and strategies that can be undertaken to push the world ahead.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar
Photo credits: Speed & Scale
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Singapore could be at risk of a tsunami, if an undersea volcano in its neighbouring region erupts.
Globally, tens of thousands of submerged volcanoes lurk beneath the ocean's surface, often going unnoticed and are vastly understudied.
With the help of published data sets and sea-floor topography information, new research has revealed that there are some 466 submarine volcanoes in the waters of Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Scientists say in the event of an undersea volcanic eruption, volcanic ash can blow towards Singapore, blanketing the surface with fine ash, similar to an eruption of a land-based volcano. Additionally, lava flows and volcanic rock avalanches can damage undersea cables in the region, causing internet outages and disrupting financial transactions.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Dr Andrea Verolino, Research Fellow from the Earth Observatory of Singapore at NTU elaborates on his study aimed at uncovering the secrets these submarine volcanoes hold within.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: NTU
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Like other sea turtles, hawksbill turtles are critically endangered due to the loss of nesting and feeding habitats, excessive egg collection, fishery-related mortality, pollution and coastal development.
Currently, hawksbill turtles are protected by international agreements like the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Convention on Migratory Species. This level of international cooperation is essential to the conservation of hawksbills given their wide geographic range.
In Singapore, a small few hawksbill turtles return to the shores during the nesting season between May and October every year. After hatching, these turtles essentially run as quickly as they can to the ocean before a predator can eat them, and then, they are âlostâ. Lost, that is, as most would not see them again until they return as juveniles and subadults to their birth shores several years later. That gap of time is called the lost years and has proven to be a challenging life stage to study.
On this episode of Climate Connections, hawksbill turtles researchers Assistant Professor Kim Hie Lim from NTUâs Asian School of the Environment and Regine Tiong, PhD student at NTU share more about their DNA study thatâs set to uncover some of the secrets behind lineages of hawksbill turtles that visit Singapore's shores and where they go to nest and forage after hatching.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar
Photo credits: Asian Geographic / NTU
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A new environmental movement is gathering pace: âNature Positiveâ.
The concept of "Nature Positive" envisages a planet where the current rapid loss of biodiversity is halted and reversed, and nature is restored. Since the term was coined in 2020 amid negotiations for the Global Biodiversity Framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity, world leaders, businesses and civil society have rallied behind the ambition.
With calls for action growing stronger, thereâs an increasing recognition that reversing biodiversity is critical for combating the global climate crisis, preventing future pandemics of zoonotic origin, addressing water and food insecurity, as well as supporting sustainable and equitable development. In December 2022, the goal of halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 was codified in the mission of the landmark Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Its adoption under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity has been described as the âParis momentâ for nature.
However, experts warn that vigilance is needed to prevent the concept of a Nature Positive world being threatened by greenwashing, with some pledges lacking the rigorous scientific framework needed to achieve real impacts.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Professor Lawrence Loh, Director of the Centre for Governance and Sustainability at NUS Business School shares his insights on nature positivity and what companies should consider in order to avoid falling into the greenwashing trap.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar
Photo credits: Nature Positive Initiative
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Can Singapore meet its â30 by 30â food sustainability goal?
With the passing of the five-year mark since that goal was set - this question has been cast into the spotlight, following a series of delays, failures or re-configurations of high-tech farms of late.
It hasnât been easy for local producers, with indoor vegetable farm I.F.F.I shutting down, and VertiVegies abandoning plans to build a mega vertical vegetable farm - both of which had been awarded funding under the governmentâs 30 by 30 express grant. Other agri-food casualties include aquaculture, with the Barramundi Group ceasing sea bass farming, and novel protein, in particular with the cultivated meat industry seemingly in limbo.
Despite those shake-ups, farmers and relevant stakeholders are still hard at work in pushing the little red dot towards its goal of producing 30% of its nutritional needs locally by 2030.
On this episode of Climate Connections, we explore the issue with a range of stakeholders, including:
- Ma Chin Chew, CEO of N&N Agriculture, a local egg farm that has successfully tapped on technology to scale up its productions, and improve its yield and sustainability.
- Ken Cheong, CEO of Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises Federation (SAFEF), who dives into consumer demand trends, and how SAFEF is working hand-in-hand with local farmers to get their produce on the shelves and stay competitive.
- Andy Chang, Director, Fresh and Frozen, FairPrice Group, who sheds light on what drives consumer choices in today's context, and what local farmers need in order to stay ahead of the game from a retail perspective.
Special thanks to the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: SFA website
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