Grace Chua, Straits Times 24 Oct 09;
MORE than 300 people will dress in blue today at the Lasalle College of the Arts to form a human tidal wave, while trees are planted in Kenya and demonstrations are held in India.
In all, activists from more than 170 countries will take part in public activities to mark International Day of Climate Action. The aim is to bring down atmospheric carbon dioxide from its current 390 parts per million to 350, the highest possible concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere before runaway climate change becomes likely.
These public actions will educate people about climate change, said Mr Wilson Ang, 28, president of key organiser Environmental Challenge Organisation (ECO) Singapore.
His group will organise three activities in Singapore with performing arts company Skinned Knee Productions, the Vegetarian Society of Singapore and the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society. Other groups, including a National University of Singapore youth entrepreneur group and the Association of Muslim Professionals' youth arm, will hold conferences and panels.
Even without joining the movement or spending to create a recycling culture, Mr Ang said the top three ways individuals can combat climate change are by:
# Reducing waste, such as plastic and packaging materials;
# Increasing energy efficiency by, for instance, installing solar films on windows; and
# Being conscious of the resources needed to produce food for consumption.
Mr Ang said: 'If we reduce the need to waste, then the existing recycling mechanism is good enough.'
Event organisers hope to galvanise policymakers and governments to reach an agreement on emissions targets and other climate change actions with a compilation of photographs from their public actions worldwide.
ECO Singapore hopes to get leaders in Singapore to look at solutions such as labelling food and other products with the amount of carbon that went into making these, and developing regional pacts for sharing alternative energy know-how.
Here are the details of today's event:
# 8am to 10am: Participants will form a giant '350' at Hong Lim Park, and a photo will be taken;
# 11am to 3pm: Vegetarian food and information fair at Singapore Management University;
# 4pm to 4.30pm: A human tidal wave at the Lasalle College of the Arts.
Further information about the local events is available at www.350sg.com
GRACE CHUA
